Document	Document Title
US08369077B2	Mounting apparatus for data storage device A mounting apparatus is provided to hold a data storage device including opposite sidewalls. The mounting apparatus includes a fixing board fixed to one of the sidewalls, an installing member, and a resilient member mounted to the installing member. A mounting portion extends from an end of the fixing board. The installing member defines a receiving space. The mounting portion is received in the receiving space, and slidably mounted to the installing member. The resilient member elastically resists against the mounting portion.
US08369071B2	Portable terminal A slide support mechanism included in a portable terminal includes: a first guide groove provided on a first housing side, and having a straight part parallel to the longitudinal direction of a display screen and an arc-shaped arc part continuous with one end of the straight part; and a first guide pin provided on a second housing side, and engaged with and held by the first guide groove in a slidable manner. Input parts which are covered by the second housing when the first guide pin is located at a cross-point between the straight part and the arc part are entirely or partially exposed in both cases of moving the first guide pin located at the cross-point between the straight part and the arc part along the straight part, and moving it along the arc part.
US08369061B2	Anti-ESD elastic plate and device The present invention provides an anti-ESD elastic plate comprising a first conducting part, and a pair of second conducting part. The first conducting part has at least one projection structure. The two second conducting parts are connected respectively to the two lateral sides of the first conducting part. Each of the second conducting part further has a second conducting element and a press element, whereas the second conducting element is configured with a second projection structure and the pressing element is disposed aside the second conducting element. In another embodiment, the present invention further provides an anti-ESD device for conducting ESD by arranging the anti-ESD elastic plate as a conducting medium that is disposed at the boundary between an opening of a housing and a cover for sealing the opening.
US08369059B2	Method for disturbance current compensation for an electrical system, and disturbance current compensation device An exemplary method is disclosed for disturbance current compensation for an electrical system by a disturbance current compensation device, which electrical system has a voltage source and a series circuit which is connected via a conductor in parallel with the voltage source. The series circuit has an inductance and a capacitance, with the inductance being connected in series with the capacitance via a conductor. To compensate for disturbance currents, the conductor for the connection of the voltage source to the series circuit of the inductance with the capacitance, and/or the conductor of the series circuit between the inductance and the capacitance, can be surrounded by a ring (e.g., a portion of the conductor can be substantially surrounded by the ring) which can be magnetized. The ring includes an air gap of the disturbance current compensation device. A compensation voltage can be applied by magnetization of the ring. The ring can be magnetized by a magnetization coil of the disturbance current compensation device.
US08369058B2	Compact secondary substation comprising a fault protection system, a method for fault protection in a compact secondary substation, and a control unit for performing the method A Compact Secondary Substation including a fault protection system and a method for fault protection in Compact Secondary Substations (CSS). The CSS includes a Ring Main Unit (RMU), a transformer and a Low Voltage (LV) switchgear. The CSS includes a number of detectors, which detectors can be placed at least in one of the RMU, the transformer or in the LV switchgear, which detectors can be connected to a control unit, which control unit by fault detection by the detectors can activate a fast operating switch for grounding. By using the fast operating grounding switch and controlling this on the basis of the detectors placed inside the CSS, an active arc fault protection is achieved. The control unit also controls the fast operating grounding switch so that it works as a working grounding switch.
US08369043B2	Hard disk drive A hard disk drive includes a base on which at least one disk recording and storing data is provided, a filter provided in an area around a corner of the base with a predetermined air flow space interposed between the corner and the filter to collect contaminant particles in air flowing due to rotation of the disk, and an air exhaust prevention unit provided in an area of the air flow space to prevent the air input to the air flow space through an inlet portion between the filter and a first corner side wall connected to the corner from being exhausted through an outlet portion between the filter and a second corner side wall connected to the corner without passing through the filter. The hard disk drive is manufactured in a simple method without changing the media of the filter and a contaminant particle collection effect is improved.
US08369035B2	Apparatus for adjusting position of optical element An apparatus for adjusting a location of an optical element includes: a first barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape; a second barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape to support the optical element and rotatably coupled to the first barrel; a distance maintaining unit installed between the first barrel and the second barrel in a first region of the first barrel and maintaining a distance between the first barrel and the second barrel in the first region when the second barrel rotates relative to the first barrel; and a guiding unit installed between the first barrel and the second barrel in a second region of the first barrel and guiding a movement of the second barrel to change a relative position of the second barrel with respect to the first barrel in the second region when the second barrel rotates relative to the first barrel.
US08369030B2	Image forming lens, camera device, and handheld terminal An image forming lens including an aperture stop, a first lens group arranged on the object side relative to the aperture stop, and a second lens group having a positive power arranged on an image side relative to the aperture stop, the first lens group including a first F lens group having a negative power and a first R lens group having a positive power arranged in this sequence from the object side with the widest air space between the first F lens group and the first R lens group, the first F lens group including at least two negative lenses, the first R lens group including at least one positive lens, the second lens group including a second F lens group having a positive power and a second R lens group arranged in this sequence from the object side, the second F lens group including a first positive lens, a first negative lens, a second negative lens, and a second positive lens arranged in this sequence from the object side, and the second R lens group including at least one lens.
US08369027B2	Image capturing optical lens system This invention provides an image capturing optical lens system in order from an object side to an image side comprising: a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface; a second lens element with negative refractive power; a third lens element with negative refractive power having at least one of the object-side and image-side surfaces thereof being aspheric; a fourth lens element having at least one of the object-side and image-side surfaces thereof being aspheric; a fifth lens element having a concave image-side surface, both the object-side and image-side surfaces thereof being aspheric, at least one inflection point is formed on at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface thereof, and the fifth lens element is made of plastic. By such arrangement, photosensitivity and total track length of the system can be reduced, and the aberration and astigmatism of the system can be effectively corrected. Moreover, high image resolution can be obtained.
US08369016B2	Optical sheet An optical sheet including a plurality of optical anisotropic films is provided. The optical anisotropic films of the optical sheet are alternately stacked on one another. Each optical anisotropic film has a plurality of main axis refractive indexes nx, ny and nz. The main axis refractive indexes nx and ny are in-plane main refractive indexes, and the main axis refractive index nz is a thickness-wise refractive index. The main axis refractive index nx is the minimum or the maximum among the main axis refractive indexes nx, ny and nz. Each optical anisotropic film has an optcial axis, and a direction of the optical axis is the same to a main axis direction of the main axis refractive index nx. The optical axes of the optical anisotropic films sequentially rotates along a predetermined in a thickness direction, and a totally rotation angle thereof is greater than or equal to 360 degrees.
US08369013B2	Polarizing element, method of manufacturing polarizing element, and electronic apparatus A polarizing element includes: a substrate; a plurality of reflection layers that is arranged in a band shape at a predetermined interval on the substrate; dielectric layers that are formed on the reflection layers; and inorganic micro-particle layers that are formed on the dielectric layers by inorganic micro-particles having shape anisotropy in which a length of a diameter of the micro-particles in an arrangement direction of the reflection layers is longer than a length of a diameter of the micro-particles in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the reflection layers and has convex portions toward a side of a first adjacent reflection layer and a side of a second adjacent reflection layer.
US08369006B1	Nanoparticle doped hybrid photoreactives The present invention provides a photorefractive hybrid cell including a window and a gain media disposed adjacent the window. The gain media includes nanoparticles therein. The window includes a material that forms a space-charge field. The gain media includes a material having refractive index properties that depend on an electric field. The nanoparticles include a material which responds orientationally to the presence of an electric or magnetic field.
US08369004B2	MOPA light source The present invention relates to a MOPA light source capable of obtaining pulse output by wavelength-conversion of pulse light of fundamental light wave using a simple configuration, and suppressing optical output using a simple method when processing is not performed. The fundamental light wave outputted from a seed light source is amplified in an optical amplification fiber. The amplified fundamental light wave is inputted to one end of a passive optical fiber, and propagates in the passive optical fiber. In the passive optical fiber, stimulated Raman scattering occurs upon propagation of the fundamental light wave. The light of fundamental light wave and light of stimulated Raman-scattered components are outputted from the other end of the passive optical fiber. The light outputted from the passive optical fiber is collimated by a lens, and is then inputted to a branching filter. The light inputted to the branching filter is wavelength-separated into light of stimulated Raman-scattered components having wavelengths longer than that of the fundamental light wave, and light having wavelengths equal to or less than that of the fundamental light wave.
US08368995B2	Method and system for hybrid integration of an opto-electronic integrated circuit An opto-electronic integrated circuit (OEIC) includes an SOI substrate, a set of composite optical transmitters, a set of composite optical receivers, and control electronics disposed in the substrate and electrically coupled to the set of composite optical transmitters and receivers. Each of the composite optical transmitters includes a gain medium including a compound semiconductor material and an optical modulator. Each of the composite optical receivers includes a waveguide disposed in the SOI substrate, an optical detector bonded to the SOI substrate, and a bonding region disposed between the SOI substrate and the optical detector. The bonding region includes a metal-assisted bond at a first portion of the bonding region and a direct semiconductor-semiconductor bond at a second portion of the bonding region. The OEIC also includes control electronics disposed in the SOI substrate and electrically coupled to the set of composite optical transmitters and the set of composite optical receivers.
US08368993B2	2D/3D image switching display device A 2D/3D image switching display device includes an image display unit and an image switching unit coupled to a surface of the image display unit, and the image switching unit includes a first substrate, a second substrate, first and second conducting elements corresponding to the first and second substrates respectively, and an electrochromic unit installed between the first and second substrates, and the electrochromic unit includes a first electrochromic layer and a second electrochromic layer combined with each other, such that when the image display unit switches its display from the display of planar images to stereo images, the electrochromic layers turn to a dark light-shading condition for a better light-shielding effect, and moire patterns will not be produced after naked eyes receive left and right eye images of a stereo image, and the display device can display stereo images directly without requiring an additional parallax barrier device.
US08368992B2	Electro-optical element including IMI coatings An electrochromic element comprises a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, a second substrate in spaced-apart relationship to the first substrate and having a third surface facing the second surface and a fourth surface opposite the third surface, and an electrochromic medium located between the first and second substrates, wherein the electrochromic medium has a light transmittance that is variable upon application of an electric field thereto. The electrochromic element further comprises a transparent electrode layer covering at least a portion of at least a select one of the first surface, the second surface, the third surface, and the fourth surface, wherein the transparent electrode layer comprises an insulator/metal/insulator stack. The materials utilized to construct the insulator/metal/insulator stack are selected to optimize optical and physical properties of the electrochromic element such as reflectivity, color, electrical switch stability, and environmental durability.
US08368990B2	Polariton mode optical switch with composite structure Devices, methods, and techniques for frequency-dependent optical switching are provided. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate, a first optical-field confining structure located on the substrate, a second optical-field confining structure located on the substrate, and a composite structure located between the first and second optical-field confining structures. The second optical-field confining structure may be spaced apart from the first optical-field confining structure. The composite structure may include an embedding structure with a surface to receive photons and multiple quantum structures located in the embedding structure.
US08368989B2	Light amount adjusting device and optical device A light amount adjusting device includes: a board including an opening; a linear moving blade linearly and movably supported by the board; and a swinging blade swingably supported by the board, wherein: the linear moving blade and the swinging blade are receded from the opening to form a fully opened state; the linear moving blade covers the opening to form a fully closed state; and the swinging blade has a small aperture opening with a diameter smaller than a diameter of the opening, and causes the small aperture opening and the opening to be overlapped with each other to form a small aperture state.
US08368980B2	Image processing apparatus and image processing method An image processing apparatus includes a region detection unit configured to detect from an image a region which is sandwiched between a pair of opposite lines and in which image formation is performed at a density lower than a predetermined density, a rendering unit configured to render a border of an inner portion inside the region sandwiched between the pair of opposite lines with a line having a density higher than the predetermined density, and an outputting unit configured to output an image in which the inner portion inside the region sandwiched between the pair of opposite lines is bordered by the border rendered by the rendering unit.
US08368977B2	Method of creating 4x4 LUTs using a source and destination ICC profile A 4×4 LUT comprises a K to K LUT merged with a CMYK to CMYK LUT with values ranging from [0, 0, 0, 0] to [0, 0, 0, 255], said 4×4 LUT written to a known file format. A method for creating 4×4 look up tables (LUTs) uses the source and destination ICC profiles. A K to K LUT is built, a CMYK to CMYK LUT is built, the K to K LUT is merged with the CMYK to CMYK LUT, and the resulting LUT is written to a known file format. Such a process is important since it solves the issue of preserving K in a CMYK to CMYK transform while adding the performance improvement of a 4×4 LUT.
US08368968B2	Imaging apparatus and image correction method An image processing unit generates image data of an image based on an output signal from an imaging device, corrects the image data, and outputs corrected image data. An optical filter is structured such that an upper limit of a transmitting wavelength decreases as a distance from an optical axis of the imaging optical system increases on an imaging plane of the imaging device so that a light in an infrared region is transmitted on the optical axis and cut off at a position farthest away from the optical axis on the imaging plane. The image processing unit corrects the image data based on a correction equation corresponding to the upper limit of the transmitting wavelength.
US08368961B2	Image processing device and method for creating binary image data using a single set of dither matrices An image processing device includes a storing unit and a creating unit. The storing unit stores a single set of line dither matrices. The single set of line dither matrices includes a first line dither matrix for first color, a second line dither matrix for second color, and a third line dither matrix for third color. Each of the first line dither matrix, the second line dither matrix, and the third line dither matrix includes threshold values that are arranged to make halftone dots grow linearly and including a plurality of n×n sub-matrices. N is set to an integer greater than 1. The first dither matrix has a first screen angle. The second dither matrix has a second screen angle that is different from the first screen angle. The third dither matrix has a third screen angle that is different from the first screen angle and the second screen angle. The creating unit is configured to create binary image data based on input image data using the single set of line dither matrices. A difference between the first screen angle and the second screen angle is set to either one of (π/2−arctan(1/n)) radians and (π/2+arctan(1/n)) radians. A difference between the first screen angle and the third screen angle is set to either one of (π/2−arctan(1/n)) radians and (π/2+arctan(1/n)) radians.
US08368954B2	Image processing method A technology that enables accurate position specification on an image displayed on a screen to perform processing and correction of the image data is provided. When the image is printed on a sheet on which a dot pattern is printed, a reference point of the image on the display device is set and the reference point is printed in a visible mark together with the image. This mark is imaged with an imaging means, and calibration is performed in which position coordinates of the marks on the sheet and the reference points of the image are matched, thereby preventing variation in coordinates between designation made on the sheet with the imaging means and processing on the image.
US08368948B2	Image forming apparatus, method, and program for executing super-resolution processing by deleting selected image data based on a spatial frequency characteristic or color When executing super-resolution processing, both reduction in necessary memory capacity and generation of high-resolution image data having a desired image quality are achieved. This invention provides an image forming method in an image forming apparatus capable of executing super-resolution processing using a plurality of low-resolution image data to generate high-resolution image data. The method includes steps of acquiring a plurality of low-resolution image data, selecting image data to be deleted from the plurality of acquired image data on the basis of spatial frequency information or color information of each image data, deleting the selected image data, and storing, as image data used in the super-resolution processing, remaining image data which are not deleted among the plurality of image data.
US08368944B2	Printing index images and file information together An image forming apparatus is provided with a data retrieving unit that retrieves index image data and associating file information corresponding to files from a recording medium. The index image data and associating file information are allocated to a plurality of arrangement sections. The index image data and associating file information may be printed on a printing sheet in accordance with a predetermined layout. A judging unit is provided to judge whether the associating file information is less than or equal to a predetermined length. The associating file information which is longer than the predetermined length is normally printed incompletely so as to be printed within the arrangement section. A layout modifying unit is provided to modify the predetermined layout for the arrangement section if the associating file information is longer than the predetermined length so that the associating file information is printed completely on the printing sheet.
US08368940B2	System, method, and apparatus for printing digital image, and computer product Upon reception of information on a paper size, an index print command, and at least one piece of digital image data from an external device, a printing apparatus acquires an image layout mode corresponding to the paper size from an index layout information table, selects a tray of a paper feeding unit corresponding to the paper size, and outputs an index image including an image of the image data arranged on a sheet of paper, based in acquired image layout mode.
US08368939B2	Decoding image data for printing In the conventional printing application, it is impossible to easily overview which image is printed in which page, so that there is a drawback that a user is required to perform the printing while imagining printing result. An idea for more quickly providing the printing result at the same time when the printing is performed by simple operation has not been sufficiently made. In order to solve the problems, a printing apparatus includes decoding means for, before the an instruction is given, decoding the image to be printed in at least a first sheet with the layout selected by layout selecting means among images selected by image selecting means and printing controlling means for effecting the printing of image data decoded by the decoding means, and a printing method includes steps to be executed in the printing apparatus.
US08368938B2	Registering a plurality of tasks with respect to a document for processing The present invention provides a user with information indicating an executable series of processing among the series of processing including a plurality of processes based on attribute information of acquired image data.An information processing apparatus (i.e., a MFP) of the present invention acquires scanned image data and acquires the execution condition of the series of processing corresponding to the attribute information of the acquired image data. The information processing apparatus acquires a series of processing corresponding to the execution condition of the acquired series of processing. The information processing apparatus displays information indicating the acquired series of processing on a screen.
US08368937B2	Print data processing apparatus, print data processing method, and storage medium A print data processing apparatus includes a first processor configured to read print data and perform print data processing on the read print data, and a second processor which operates in parallel with the first processor and is configured to stop the print data processing if an instruction to wait is input during the print data processing, to execute processing different from the print data processing if an instruction to execute the different processing is issued by the time the wait is released, and to execute the print data processing if the wait is released.
US08368936B2	Conference system and image data management method In order to facilitate printing of an image drawn on an electronic board while improving security, an MFP includes a portion to generate conference identification information in response to reception of a start instruction from an electronic board, a portion to associate the conference identification information with device identification information for the electronic board, a portion to associate image data received from the electronic board with conference identification information lastly associated with the device identification information for the electronic board, a portion to associate user identification information received from the electronic board with conference identification information lastly associated with the device identification information for the electronic board, a portion to authenticate a user, a portion to extract conference identification information associated with the user identification information for the authenticated user, a portion to extract image data associated with the conference identification information, and a portion to output the image data.
US08368935B2	Providing access to images from hardcopy publications A method, device, and system maintain a database of printed publications within a first computerized device. The printed publications each have one or more printable images. The first computerized device receives from a second computerized device (that is operatively connected to the first computerized device) a request for at least one of the printable images within a printed publication within the database. The request has an identifier of the printed publication and at least one page number of the printed publication. The first computerized device transmits display information to the second computerized device to cause the second computerized device to display one or more of the printable images appearing on the page number of the printed publication. The first computerized device receives an image selection from the second computerized device that identifies selected images from among the printable images displayed by the second computerized device. The first computerized device provides the selected images to the second computerized device, or to a printer or print shop.
US08368931B2	Image forming apparatus, method of controlling the same, program, and storage medium An image forming apparatus capable of defining each of a plurality of executable functions as one work item and executing a plurality of workflows each combining the work items includes a setting change reception unit which receives a setting change for a setting item of a work item that constitutes a preprocess workflow and reflects the contents of the setting change on an associated setting item of a work item that constitutes a post-process workflow, a data generation unit which generates data including the execution result of the preprocess workflow and the contents of the setting change, an analysis unit which analyzes, based on the generated data, whether a setting change has been done for the setting item of the work item that constitutes the post-process workflow, and a workflow execution unit which controls execution of the post-process workflow based on the analysis result.
US08368919B2	Enhancements to job ticket handling during multiple job submission System and method enhancing Job Ticket handling during multiple job submissions. The system parses through the job tickets associated with all user selected jobs and collect information about specified job parameters and their values. The job ticket options available in all output processing and devices specified and the collected job ticket information can be displayed. The user selected job can be filtered according to the job ticket values selected by the user. The system presents an interactive summary view for the user selected job parameters and values. After the user is satisfied with the job programming of all jobs, which can be reviewed during pre-processing (e.g., within a DFE or automated prepress system) the user can submit the jobs for printing.
US08368909B2	Recording medium, information processing apparatus and function simulation method of image processing apparatus A computer readable recording medium has a simulation program installed on an information processing apparatus to allow the information processing apparatus to simulate one or more than one function of an image processing apparatus. The simulation program includes: an actual process library that allows the information processing apparatus to simulate one or more than one function of the image processing apparatus, by making the information processing apparatus execute processing just like the image processing apparatus, according to a command from an application program that is installed on the information processing apparatus to make the image processing apparatus execute processing; and a virtual process library that allows the information processing apparatus to simulate one or more than one function of the image processing apparatus, not by making the information processing apparatus execute processing just like the image processing apparatus, according to a command from the application program.
US08368908B2	Restriction of print job execution The following processes are executed in order to restrict an execution of a job based on job data formed by using a driver other than a specified device driver. The device driver which formed the received job data is specified. Whether or not use of the device driver is permitted is discriminated. If it is decided that the use of the device driver is not permitted, the execution of the job based on the received job data is restricted.
US08368907B2	Image forming apparatus and image forming system Interpret processing of received PDL data and determination whether a command includes group information are performed. CPUs that are available for processing are searched, and based on the group information and information about divided objects, to which CPU each processing of the divided objects is to be assigned is determined. The CPUs to which the processing is assigned convert the received data into intermediate data suitable for processing in a printing unit. The plurality of CPUs are instructed to perform image generation processing based on the generated intermediate data in parallel for each processing unit.
US08368904B2	Image forming device A method for providing an image forming device with a user-friendly application program. A program of the image forming device includes a basic service program and a simple text language processing program. The basic service program has an operation panel control module, image input and image output modules. If a command string in a source code is a control string, the simple text language processing program passes a parameter of a button description included in the control string to the operation panel control module as an argument to cause a button to be displayed and pressing of the button when pressed. In response to the detection, corresponding modules are activated. Accordingly, different multiple modules can be easily processed. Additionally, any size of buttons can be displayed anywhere on the panel. The image forming device alone can realize the method to allow many more users to easily use the application.
US08368901B2	Encoder An encoder includes one or more encoder heads, one signal processing unit, a connector unit. The one or more encoder heads detect relative displacement of the one or more encoder heads and one or more scales. The one signal processing unit processes one or more electric signals output from the one or more encoder heads. The connector unit is located on the side of the one or more encoder heads between the one or more encoder heads and the signal processing unit and which groups together the one or more electric signals output from the one or more encoder heads.
US08368899B2	Coiled evanescent optical sensor An evanescent optical sensor is formed as a coil of either optical fiber or microfiber. By coiling the fiber/microfiber, the overall size of the sensor is significantly reduced when compared to “straight path” fiber sensors, yet exhibits a similar degree of sensitivity. An optical signal is coupled into a fiber coil that has been immersed in an ambient to be analyzed. The use of a coil configuration results in creating a plurality of whispering gallery modes (WGMs) that will propagate along the coil by reflecting from the surface of the curved fiber/microfiber forming the coil. The interference between these modes will be modified as a function of the properties of the ambient environment. Environmental changes cause variations in the optical length of the coil as “seen” by the various modes, and the interference of the modes is analyzed by studying the transmission spectrum at the output of the coil.
US08368898B2	Optical apparatus, optical detector, optical modulator, imaging apparatus, and camera Provided is an optical apparatus having high durability, less optical absorption than a hole-type metal thin film filter, high transmittance and high reflectance, and variable optical characteristics. The apparatus includes: a dielectric substrate; a metal structure group including multiple metal structures two-dimensionally and discretely disposed at regular intervals; and a dielectric layer covering the metal structure group, in which: the metal structures have a first length equal to or shorter than a predetermined wavelength in a visible light region in one direction, and a second length equal to or shorter than the wavelength in a perpendicular direction; and the metal structures resonates with light entering the dielectric substrate or the dielectric layer, having a variable dielectric constant, to generate localized surface plasmon resonance on a surface of the metal structures to have a minimum transmittance or a maximum reflectance of the light having the wavelength.
US08368897B2	Versatile surface plasmon resonance analyzer with an integral surface plasmon resonance enhanced fluorescence mode An instrument for measuring and analyzing surface plasmon resonance on a sensor surface has a polarized light source optically connected to the sensor surface by a plurality of optical elements, including in one embodiment an optical telescope that transfers light from a rotatable reflecting surface to the sensor surface. Selective positioning of a cylindrical lens into a first position within the path of light transforms collimated light to a rectangular wedge that is incident upon the sensor surface at numerous angles. In another embodiment, the light source is operated as a laser to excite fluorescence on the sensor surface and the fluorescence is selectively directed to a detector by appropriate optical elements positioned in specific configurations.
US08368890B2	Polarization monitoring reticle design for high numerical aperture lithography systems This invention relates to the manufacture of semiconductor substrates such as wafers and to a method for monitoring the state of polarization incident on a photomask in projection printing using a specially designed polarization monitoring reticle for high numerical aperture lithographic scanners. The reticle measures 25 locations across the slit and is designed for numerical apertures above 0.85. The monitors provide a large polarization dependent signal which is more sensitive to polarization. A double exposure method is also provided using two reticles where the first reticle contains the polarization monitors, clear field reference regions and low dose alignment marks. The second reticle contains the standard alignment marks and labels. For a single exposure method, a tri-PSF low dose alignment mark is used. The reticles also provide for electromagnetic bias wherein each edge is biased depending on that edge's etch depth.
US08368884B2	Spectroscopic determination of analyte concentration A spectroscopic apparatus for determining a concentration and/or spatial gradient of an analyte of a bodily fluid that provides determination of a position of a capillary vessel within a biological sample in order to focus spectroscopic excitation radiation to a volume that is in close proximity to the capillary vessel but does not overlap with the capillary vessel. The provided apparatus exploits the permeability of the vessel wall with respect to an analyte that is subject to analyte concentration determination. By means of biological transport processes, the concentration of an analyte of a bodily fluid located in the capillary vessel influences the concentration in the surrounding of the capillary vessel. Spectroscopic analysis of a volume outside the capillary vessel can therefore serve for a precise and reliable analyte concentration determination inside the capillary vessel.
US08368882B2	Systems and methods for detecting a signal and applying thermal energy to a signal transmission element A signal detection system configured for detecting a signal emitted by the contents of a reaction receptacle is also configured to apply thermal energy to a portion of the reaction receptacle to affect a reaction occurring within the reaction receptacle. More particularly, a system for detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted by the contents of a reaction receptacle includes a transmission element configured for transmitting electromagnetic radiation from the contents of the receptacle, a thermal element associated with the transmission element and configured to apply thermal energy to at least a portion of the receptacle, and a detector configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from the transmission element and to generate a signal corresponding to a characteristic of the electromagnetic radiation received by the detector.
US08368880B2	Chemical imaging explosives (CHIMED) optical sensor using SWIR A sample is illuminated to thereby generate a plurality of first interacted photons selected. The first interacted photons are assessed using a visible imaging device to thereby determine an area of interest in the sample. The area of interest is illuminated to thereby generate a plurality of second interacted photons. The second interacted photons are assessed using a spectroscopic device to thereby generate a SWIR data set representative of said area of interest. A database is searched wherein said database comprises a plurality of known SWIR data sets associated with an explosive material. The data sets comprise at least one of: a plurality of SWIR spectra and a plurality of spatially accurate wavelength resolved SWIR images. An explosive material in the area of interest is thereby identified as a result of the search.
US08368874B2	Beam irradiation device and laser radar system A beam irradiation device includes: a laser light source for emitting laser light; an actuator which scans a targeted area with the laser light; a servo optical system which changes a propagating direction of servo light in response to driving of the actuator; a photodetector which receives the servo light to output a signal depending on a light receiving position of the servo light; an actuator controlling section which controls the actuator based on the signal to be outputted from the photodetector; and a laser controlling section which controls the laser light source based on the signal to be outputted from the photodetector. The laser controlling section controls the laser light source to emit the laser light in a pulse manner at a timing when the light receiving position of the servo light coincides with a predetermined targeted position.
US08368870B2	Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method An exposure apparatus that can prevent disadvantages due to a leaked liquid is provided. The exposure apparatus includes: a substrate holder (PH) that includes a peripheral wall portion (33) and supporting portions (34) located on an inside of the peripheral wall portion (33) and that supports a substrate (P) with the supporting portions (34) by negatively pressurizing a space (31) surrounded by the peripheral wall portion (33); and a recovery mechanism that includes a collection inlets (61) provided on the inside of the peripheral wall portion (33) and a vacuum system (63) connected to the collection inlets (61), in which a liquid penetrated from an outer periphery of the substrate (P) is sucked and recovered, in the state with an upper surface (33A) of the peripheral wall portion (33) and a back surface (Pb) of the substrate (P) being spaced at a first distance.
US08368859B2	Optical film, optical compensation film, polarizing plate and liquid crystal display An optical film is provided and has retardations satisfying relations (1) to (3): 0≦Re(550)≦10; (1) −25 ≦Rth(550)≦25; and (2) \|I\|+\|II\|+\|III\|+\|IV\|>0.5 (nm), (3) with definitions: I=Re(450)−Re(550); II=Re(650)−Re(550); III=Rth(450)−Rth(550); and IV=Rth(650)−Rth(550), wherein Re(450), Re(550) and Re(650) are in-plane retardations measured with lights of wavelength of 450, 550 and 650 nm, respectively; and Rth(450), Rth(550) and Rth(650) are retardations in a thickness direction of the optical film, which are measured with lights of wavelength of 450, 550 and 650 nm, respectively.
US08368857B2	Optical film The present invention provides an optical film with functions of light collimating, light polarization for brightness enhancement and limiting viewing angle and a method for preparing the same. The optical film includes a plurality of layers of a cholesteric liquid crystal film bound together via an optical adhesive and a quarter-wavelength retardation plate bound with the cholesteric liquid crystal film via the optical adhesive. Therein, at least one layer of the cholesteric liquid crystal film has a polarized separated wavelength range covering the wavelength range of visible light of three primary colors of red, green and blue.
US08368851B2	Color filter for liquid crystal display device and liquid crystal display device Disclosed a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, which exhibits a color filter contrast of 9000 or more and includes a transparent substrate, and a plurality of color layers exhibiting different color from each other and formed on the transparent substrate, wherein each of the color layers is a cured film of a color resin composition containing a polymer composition obtained through a copolymerization of styrene and an unsaturated carboxylic acid-containing monomer, a content of the styrene in the polymer composition being confined to a range of not less than 75 mol. % and less than 95 mol. %, and a retardation in a thickness direction “Rth” of each of these color layers is confined within a range of 0 nm to −10 nm.
US08368848B2	Method for manufacturing a PSFLC-based and/or PSAFLC-based electrooptic cell and corresponding electrooptic cell, device and helmet A method is provided for manufacturing an electrooptic cell, which includes two plates of optically transparent material and at least one thickness of a composite gel based on a smectic liquid crystal and on a polymer provided between the plates, wherein the gel is in a smectic phase at ambient temperature. The method includes injecting a mixture of a ferroelectric and/or anti-ferroelectric smectic liquid and a monomer between the plates, wherein the monomer content of the mixture is between 5 and 25% by weight. The mixture is heated to above its smectic phase/nematic phase transmission temperature so that the mixture is in the nematic phase. The mixture is irradiated, by ultraviolet radiation, so as to polymerize the monomer and thus obtain the gel. During the irradiation step, an electric or magnetic field is applied to the mixture.
US08368845B2	Electronic device with liquid crystal display An electronic device, such as personal computer, incorporating a liquid crystal panel which uses LEDs as an illuminating light source for a liquid crystal panel to reduce power consumption and size of the electronic device. When 3-color LED lamps 13R, 13G, 13B of the LED light source 12 are lit, red, green and blue rays emitted from respective LED lamps enter the scatterplate 11 where they are scattered and mixed to produce white light LW which goes out from the entire surface of the scatterplate 11 to illuminate the entire rear surface of the transmission type liquid crystal panel 10. The white light LW that has entered the liquid crystal panel 10 is modulated according to the alignment of the liquid crystal material and passes through the color filters of the counter substrate. The user can view the transmitted light LT from the liquid crystal panel 10 as a color image.
US08368842B2	Surface light source device and LCD unit The disclosed subject matter includes providing a surface light source device with high brightness that can emit light from both surfaces and an LCD unit having the same qualities. The surface light device can include a light guide having a light incoming surface, a reflecting sheet located adjacent the light guide, a transparent sheet having a light incoming surface located adjacent the reflecting sheet and a light source located toward both light incoming surfaces. Light emitted from the light source can be configured to enter into the light guide and the transparent sheet via the light incoming surfaces. The light can be efficiently emitted in both directions from the light guide and the transparent sheet using the reflecting sheet. Therefore, an LCD unit that includes an LCD located adjacent the light guide and a second display located adjacent the transparent sheet can illuminate displays with higher brightness.
US08368839B2	Optical adjusting member and illumination device and liquid crystal display device including the same An optical adjusting member according to the invention includes a base member having optical transparency and a plurality of linear members provided on the base member and having optical transparency. A section of the linear member orthogonal to the lengthwise direction of the linear member includes a triangular first sectional part defined by first to third sides and an approximately triangular second sectional part. The second sectional part has a smaller area than that of the first sectional part and defined by fourth to sixth sides. The first side of the first sectional part is in contact with the surface of the base member. The second sectional part is formed on the second side of the first sectional part, and the fourth side of the second sectional part is in contact with the second side of the first sectional part.
US08368836B2	Liquid crystal display device A liquid crystal display (LCD) device adapted to prevent an intrusion of foreign substance and a light leakage phenomenon is disclosed. The LCD device includes a LCD panel; a backlight unit disposed under the LCD panel and configured to applied light to the LCD panel; a top case configured to encompass an upper edge surface of the LCD panel and to be combined with the backlight unit; and a plurality of protective pads arranged on a lower edge surface of the top case and set opposite the upper edge surface of the LCD panel. The protective pads configured to each include first and second side portions which are separated from the second and first side portions of the other adjacent protective pads by a fixed interval and engage with the second and first side portions of the other adjacent protective pads.
US08368835B2	Grounding mechanism for liquid crystal module A grounding mechanism is used for an electronic device. The electronic device includes a liquid crystal module and a housing. The grounding mechanism includes a first conductive element, a second conductive element and an elastic member. The first conductive element is attached to the liquid crystal module. The second conductive element is attached to the housing. The elastic member includes a main base, a resisting portion and a latching portion. The main base is received in the housing. The resisting portion is electronically connected to the second conductive element. The latching portion is electronically connected to the first conductive element.
US08368830B2	Liquid crystal display device having first, second, and third transparent electrodes wherein a second region of the second electrode protrudes from a first region To form a sufficiently large storage capacitor, a liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal held between the first substrate and the second substrate, the liquid crystal display panel having multiple pixels arranged in matrix. The first substrate has, in a transmissive display area provided in each of the pixels, a laminated structure containing a first transparent electrode, a first insulating film, a second transparent electrode, a second insulating film, and a third transparent electrode which are laminated in this order. The first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode are electrically insulated from each other and together form a first storage capacitor through the first insulating film, and the second transparent electrode and the third transparent electrode are electrically insulated from each other and together form a second storage capacitor through the second insulating film.
US08368827B2	Liquid crystal display device An exemplary liquid crystal display device includes a data line, a pixel, a first gate line, a second gate line, an additional electrode and an additional gate line. The pixel includes a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel. The first gate line is electrically coupled to the first sub-pixel. The second gate line is electrically coupled to the second sub-pixel. The first sub-pixel is electrically coupled to the data line to receive a signal provided from the data line. The second sub-pixel is electrically coupled to the first sub-pixel through the additional electrode and to receive a signal provided from the data line through the first sub-pixel. The additional gate line is arranged crossing over the additional electrode and whereby a compensation capacitance is formed between the additional gate line and the additional electrode.
US08368823B2	On-vehicle display apparatus A display apparatus for a vehicle includes a liquid crystal panel, a backlight unit, and a control circuit. The liquid crystal panel has a screen constructed with pixels. A first portion of the pixels displays a speed image indicating a vehicle speed. A second portion of the pixels displays a warning image indicating a vehicle abnormal condition. The control circuit adjusts brightness of the screen by controlling intensity of colors in the speed and warning images in such a manner that brightness of the warning image is greater than brightness of the speed image. The luminance of the light supplied to the screen by the backlight unit is kept constant.
US08368810B2	Video processing apparatus and related method for de-interlacing A video processing apparatus for de-interlacing includes a video decoder and a de-interlacing circuit. The video decoder decodes a video data stream to generate an interlaced video signal and transmits a first interlaced control signal. The de-interlacing circuit is coupled to the video decoder, and includes a detecting unit and an interlacing to progressive converting unit. The detecting unit generates a second interlaced control signal according to the interlaced video signal and the first interlaced control signal. The interlacing to progressive converting unit is coupled to the detecting unit for receiving the interlaced video signal as well as the second interlaced control signal and for converting the interlaced video signal into a first progressive video signal according to the second interlaced control signal.
US08368805B2	User interface module for digital camera and digital camera including the same A digital camera and a user interface module of the digital camera that includes: a front cover which includes a window onto which an image is projected; a touch panel which is disposed at the back of the front cover, and outputs an image on the window while detecting touch manipulations of a user; a button assembly which includes a button pattern that is externally exposed along with the front cover, and detects and converts manipulations of the button pattern into an electric signal; and a first wiring cable which collects and transmits a touch signal generated in the touch panel and a manipulation signal generated in the button assembly to the camera body. The user interface module may be assembled to the camera body as a unit module to form the camera and may have a single wire cable electrically connecting the user interface module to the camera body.
US08368784B2	Solid-state imaging device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus A solid-state imaging device includes: a light incident side; a circuit formation surface being opposite to the light incident side; and an inorganic photoelectric conversion unit having a pn junction and an organic photoelectric conversion unit including an organic photoelectric conversion layer, which are laminated in the same pixel in a depth direction from the light incident side and on which light is incident without passing through a color filter. Signals of the inorganic photoelectric conversion unit and the organic photoelectric conversion unit are read on the circuit formation surface.
US08368783B2	Method for adjusting shooting parameters of digital camera An adjusting method for adjusting shooting parameters is applied to adjust the shooting parameters according to stability of a camera. In the method, an image is captured first, and an edge-detection procedure is performed on the image to obtain a still value corresponding to a stable state of the camera. Then, shooting parameters, such as a photosensitivity value, an exposure time, or an aperture value, of the camera are adjusted according to the still value.
US08368782B2	Multiple exposure image pickup apparatus, multiple exposure image pickup method, program, and recording medium An image pickup apparatus includes a frame operation unit configured to perform addition to or subtraction from a frame and a storage unit configured to store a result of an operation performed by the frame operation unit. A data bus including two channels, one for writing to the storage unit and the other for reading from the storage unit, is provided between the frame operation unit and the storage unit.
US08368775B2	Imaging apparatus and live-view image display method thereof A digital camera has a live-view image shooting mode in which a process of shooting a subject, generating image data from imaging signals acquired by the shooting, and displaying a live-view image based on the image data on a display section is repeatedly performed. The digital camera includes a solid-state imaging device 5 that shoots the subject, a live-view processing section 26 and a display control section 22. The live-view processing section 26 performs different image processings for imaging signals of two groups to generate two pieces of image data. The imaging signals of the two groups are obtained when imaging signals, which are output from the solid-state imaging device 5 in single shooting in the live-view image shooting mode, are divided into the two groups. The display controller displays, on the display section, a screen which includes two live-view images based on the two pieces of image data.
US08368768B2	Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program An image processing apparatus includes: a straight edge detection section that detects a straight edge of an object in at least one of first and second original images obtained by capturing the identical object from two different viewpoints; a first morphing processing section that performs a first morphing process, which does not include parallelization of the original images, on the original images to generate a first intermediate image seen from a virtual viewpoint between the two viewpoints; a distortion determination section that determines whether or not an edge of the object in the first intermediate image that corresponds to the straight edge detected by the straight edge detection section is distorted; and a second morphing processing section that, if the edge is distorted, performs a second morphing process, which includes parallelization of the original images, on the original images to generate a second intermediate image seen from the virtual viewpoint.
US08368762B1	Methods and apparatus for camera calibration based on multiview image geometry Methods and apparatus for camera calibration based on multiview image geometry. A lens profiling module may estimate two or more mathematical models for correcting aberrations in images in a single pass from a set of calibration images captured with a camera/lens combination. For example, the module may estimate the lens aberrations of geometric distortion, lateral chromatic aberration, and vignette models in a single pass. The module may determine point correspondences, 3D transformations, and camera intrinsics for views of calibration charts captured in the images. The module estimates the mathematical models for the two or more types of aberrations from the information determined from the views of the calibration charts. The module may automatically determine an optimal model complexity when estimating the mathematical models. The estimated models may be written or appended to a lens profile for the camera/lens combination used to captured the calibration images.
US08368761B2	Image correction method for camera system Disclosed herein is an image correction method for a camera system, which minimizes the amount of data that must be stored by a camera system and which can conveniently correct mounting errors of cameras. In the image correction method for a camera system, image data about a reference ground, which is captured by a camera and on which at least one ground mark is indicated, is acquired. Coordinates of a captured ground mark are obtained based on the image data. A preset Look-Up Table (LUT) is corrected using errors between the coordinates of the captured ground mark and coordinates of a preset reference mark. The ground mark and the reference mark may respectively have four or more corresponding correction points.
US08368750B2	Non-uniformity evaluation apparatus, non-uniformity evaluation method, and display inspection apparatus and program A mura evaluation apparatus 100 includes: a mura detection unit 110 that acquires multiple images of a display mura present in a display area of a display device by scanning the display area while moving along a spherical surface with a preset radius; and an information processing apparatus 150 that generates a three-dimensional mura figure from the multiple images acquired by the mura detection unit, by associating a feature value of the display mura in each of the images with a position where the image is acquired, and generates a mura superimposed image in which the three-dimensional mura figure viewed from a designated observation angle is superimposed.
US08368744B2	Image display apparatus, image processing device, and image processing method According to one embodiment, an image display apparatus includes a rearranging module, a scaling module, a display, and a parallax controller. The rearranging module is configured to rearrange a plurality of first parallax image signals in series in accordance with colors of the first parallax image signals to generate a second parallax image signal. The scaling module is configured to scale the second parallax image signal in a horizontal direction to generate a third parallax image signal. The display is configured to display at least a part of the third parallax image signal. The parallax controller is configured to output light emitted from the display to a specific direction.
US08368737B2	Smart remote control devices for controlling video call devices Apparatus having corresponding methods and non-transitory computer-readable media comprise: a transmitter configured to transmit first wireless signals to a video call device, wherein the video call device has a plurality of operating states; a receiver configured to receive second wireless signals from the video call device, wherein the second wireless signals include contextual information describing a current one of the operating states of the video call device; and a user interface configured to display an indication of the current one of the operating states of the video call device.
US08368733B2	Thermal head and printer A thermal head includes a substrate main body including a flat plate-shaped support substrate and a flat plate-shaped upper substrate which are bonded to each other in a stacked state. A rectangular heating resistor is formed on a surface of the flat plate-shaped upper substrate. A bonding surface of the flat plate-shaped support substrate includes a concave portion that forms a cavity portion in a region opposed to the rectangular heating resistor and the concave portion includes a groove formed in an inner wall thereof and recessed along a depth direction of the concave portion within a range of a width of the rectangular heating resistor. The thermal head is capable of enhancing heat-insulating performance while maintaining mechanical strength of the upper substrate.
US08368727B2	Angular dependent pixels for trick view A display device having a display panel for displaying an image by spatial light modulation includes a plurality of pixel groups, each pixel group including a first pixel having a first type of luminance against viewing angle response, and a second pixel having a second type of luminance against viewing angle response, wherein the first and second luminance against viewing angle responses are different from one another. The display device further includes a controller operatively coupled to each of the plurality of pixel groups, wherein the controller is configured to drive each of the plurality of pixel groups such that on average the plurality of pixel groups simultaneously provide a predetermined on-axis luminance and an predetermined off-axis luminance for a region of the image corresponding to each pixel group.
US08368710B1	Data block transfer to cache A method includes determining a cache width of a cache of a processing device and determining a block size of image data processed by the processing device. The method further includes prefetching a data block of image data from a memory component to a plurality of cache lines of the cache based on the cache width and the block size. A processing system includes a memory component, a cache and an execution pipeline coupled to the memory component and the cache. The execution pipeline is to determine a cache width of the cache, determine a block size of image data stored at the memory component, and prefetch a data block of image data from a memory component to a plurality of cache lines of the cache based on the cache width and the block size.
US08368702B2	Policy-based switching between graphics-processing units The disclosed embodiments provide a system that configures a computer system to switch between graphics-processing units (GPUs). In one embodiment, the system drives a display using a first graphics-processing unit (GPU) in the computer system. Next, the system detects one or more events associated with one or more dependencies on a second GPU in the computer system. Finally, in response to the event, the system prepares to switch from the first GPU to the second GPU as a signal source for driving the display.
US08368695B2	Transforming offline maps into interactive online maps A system is disclosed that transforms offline maps into interactive online maps. In the system, geo-coordinate relationships are determined between geo-coordinates on a source map and geo-coordinates on an online reference map. An image of the source map is transformed to form an image of a modified source map having geo-coordinates that substantially align with corresponding geo-coordinates on the reference map. Modified source tiles are formed with the image of the modified source map and displayed on a portion of the reference map.
US08368694B2	Efficient rendering of multiple frame buffers with independent ray-tracing parameters One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for rendering a plurality of images from a graphics scene in one rendering pass. Each image from the plurality of images may include or preclude certain scene objects and shading effects associated with the scene objects, as specified by a set of rules associated with a corresponding frame buffer that is configured to store the image. During the rendering pass, a ray-tracing application performs at least one complete ray casting operation, which is concluded according to the set of rules. At each stage in the ray casting operation, individual rules for each frame buffer determine whether results from that stage should be saved in the frame buffer. The plurality of images may represent different segments of a final rendered image, and may be combined arbitrarily in a compositing phase to generate the final rendered image.
US08368691B2	Untransformed display lists in a tile based rendering system A three-dimensional computer graphics rendering system allows a tile-based rendering system to operate with a reduced amount of storage required for tiled screen space geometry by using an untransformed display list to represent the screen's geometry.
US08368689B2	System, method, and computer program product for radial functions and distributions of three dimensional object models A system, method, and computer program product for determining a radial function and distribution of a three-dimensional object model. One method includes retrieving a three-dimensional object model in a CAD system and sampling random points on the surface of the object model. The method also includes determining a normal vector corresponding to each of the random points and determining a radial function corresponding to each normal vector and respective random point. The method also includes determining, by the CAD system, a radial distribution corresponding to at least two of the radial functions and storing the radial distribution and average values of the radial functions in the CAD system.
US08368688B2	Method for rendering fluid A method for rendering fluid is provided. First, state information of a plurality of fluid particles is provided, wherein the state information records whether the fluid particles are located above or under a fluid surface and the interactions between the fluid particles and a terrain or the dynamic objects. Then, whether to render the fluid particles in a direction facing a viewer or in a direction parallel to the flow direction is determined according to the information that whether the fluid particles are located above or under the fluid surface. Next, the fluid particles are rendered as a plurality of two-dimensional metaballs according to the interactions between the fluid particles and the terrain or the dynamic objects, and these metaballs are stacked to reconstruct the fluid.
US08368685B2	Image display apparatus In an image display apparatus of the invention, a signal input unit outputs a complex image signal, which has been converted to an easily-processed format, to a signal-for-display generator. The signal-for-display generator converts the complex image signal to a signal suitable for displaying at a display unit. An apparatus state-detector detects a state of the display apparatus. Based on apparatus state information input from the apparatus state-detector, an arithmetic unit calculates an amount of non-uniformity to be corrected, and outputs it to a non-uniformity corrector. Based on the non-uniformity correction amount corresponding to a position displayed at the display unit, the non-uniformity corrector corrects the image signal input from the signal-for-display generator, converts it to a signal format that can be used at the display unit, and outputs it.
US08368666B2	Method and apparatus for interpreting input movement on a computing device interface as a one- or two-dimensional input A computing device is capable of intelligently interpreting input movement. The computing device detects a movement of a finger or object over an input interface. The movement is interpreted as one-dimensional or two-dimensional.
US08368664B2	Device for providing improved access to the functions of human machine interfaces A bezel positionable adjacent the outer periphery of a computer touch screen is provided. The bezel includes an elongated rim having a first side adjacent the computer screen and a surface. An identification marker positioned on the surface of the rim and identifying a predetermined area of the touch screen. A tactile indicium structure is on the surface at a location between the identification marker and the predetermined area of the touch screen. The tactile indicium structure includes an upper surface having tactile indicium thereon.
US08368662B2	Actionable-object controller and data-entry attachment for touchscreen-based electronics A touchscreen-controller and data-entry ensemble are attached conterminously or proximately to a touchscreen device. A touchscreen-controller attachment device has one or more input ends and one or more output ends. The input and output ends may be opposite ends of unitary elements and/or may be remote from one another and connected by wire or wirelessly. Each input end of a unitary conductive element is connected to a respective output end and the plurality of output ends, residing in an attachment base, are in a position of contact with or in close proximity to the soft buttons, keys or controller(s) of a touchscreen. The output ends thus activate the touchscreen when the input ends are manipulated. A base maintains the input and/or output ends in fixed position during use. Input and output elements can be spring-mounted. New controllers offer the user haptic ability.
US08368659B2	Method of generating key code in coordinate recognition device and video device controller using the same A video device controller (101) and method for generating a key code enable key code generation by a single instance of manipulation of the controller by a user The video device controller (101) includes a touch pad (110) having a predetermined touch pattern; a coordinate recognition unit (120) for recognizing coordinate values corresponding to a touch trajectory executed with respect to the touch pad (110); a key signal input unit (130), having a plurality of keys, for generating a key signal according to a user selection, the plurality of keys including at least one hotkey corresponding to a set of video device functions; a system controller (140) for generating, in response to a user operation of the hotkey, an OSD command signal for displaying an OSD keypad having a set of menu items corresponding to the video device functions, the OSD keypad being configured according to the predetermined touch pattern, for calculating values of at least one of a direction, speed, and distance of the touch trajectory using the recognized coordinate values, and for outputting a movement command signal based on the calculated values and the key signal, the movement command signal shifting an object among the OSD menu items displayed on the video device; and a key code generator (150) for respectively generating a key code corresponding to the OSD command signal and a key code corresponding to the movement command signal.
US08368657B2	Touch sensor panel using regional and local electrodes to increase number of sense locations An input sensor for an electronic device which includes a touch sensor panel, multiple electrodes and a sensor circuit. The electrodes include multiple regional electrodes and multiple local electrodes. Each regional electrode covers a corresponding region of the touch sensor panel and each local electrode includes multiple pads including one pad located within each of the regional electrodes. The electrodes are distributed so that a touch anywhere across the touch sensor panel is detected by at least one regional electrode and at least one local electrode. A sensor circuit determines a value for each of the electrodes indicating relative change, and compares relative values of the electrodes to identify a location of a touch of the touch sensor panel. The regional electrodes are used to determine a region of a touch and the local electrodes are used to determine a more specific touch location within the determined region.
US08368645B2	Cursor transitions Responsive to a trigger event, a first cursor state having a first visual appearance is transitioned into a second cursor state having a second visual appearance. A transition type and transition time can be specified so that the transition can be visually perceived by a user. The cursor states can be associated with different cursor types and/or cursor schemes.
US08368641B2	Tactile feedback man-machine interface device A man-machine interface which provides tactile feedback to various sensing body parts is disclosed. The device employs one or more vibrotactile units, where each unit comprises a mass and a mass-moving actuator. As the mass is accelerated by the mass-moving actuator, the entire vibrotactile unit vibrates. Thus, the vibrotactile unit transmits a vibratory stimulus to the sensing body part to which it is affixed. The vibrotactile unit may be used in conjunction with a spatial placement sensing device which measures the spatial placement of a measured body part. A computing device uses the spatial placement of the measured body part to determine the desired vibratory stimulus to be provided by the vibrotactile unit. In this manner, the computing device may control the level of vibratory feedback perceived by the corresponding sensing body part in response to the motion of the measured body part. The sensing body part and the measured body part may be separate or the same body part.
US08368638B2	Liquid crystal display device and method for controlling back-light brightness The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display and method of preventing dazzling thereof, by which human eyes can be prevented from being fatigued by the intensity of radiation in a manner of detecting APL of an LCD TV and correcting brightness of a backlight. The present invention includes an APL detecting unit detecting APL of the liquid crystal display, a control unit increasing or decreasing a brightness of a backlight uniformly in inverse proportional to the APL value detected by the APL detecting unit, the control unit increasing the brightness of the backlight according to a decrement of the APL value by limiting the brightness of the backlight to a prescribed brightness for a preset reference section, and a backlight driving unit driving the backlight by controlling the brightness of the backlight under the control of the control unit.
US08368637B2	Liquid crystal display and driving method of thereof A liquid crystal display and a method of driving the same capable of improving contrast properties by implementing a local dimming method and achieving the slimness of the liquid crystal display are provided. The liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal display panel which displays a picture; a backlight unit including a light guide plate part in which first light guide channels of a first direction and second light guide channels of a second direction intersected with the first direction are formed, first light array for illuminating light to the first light guide channels, and second light array for illuminating light to the second light guide channels, respectively, wherein blocks are defined by the intersection of the first light guide channels and second light guide channels; and a dimming controller for analyzing an input picture to correspond to the blocks to obtain first dimming values for independently controlling luminances of light sources of the first light array, determining second dimming values for independently controlling luminances of light sources of the second light array based on the first dimming values, and adjusting the first and second dimming values so that a luminance difference between neighboring blocks caused by the first and second dimming values is decreased.
US08368630B2	Liquid crystal display A liquid crystal display is described. The liquid crystal display includes a common voltage generation unit that swings first and second common voltages in opposite directions every a predetermined period of time using two voltage levels, a plurality of first longitudinal common lines that are formed parallel to data lines to supply the first common voltage input through first input units to first pixel common line patterns formed in first pixel units, and a plurality of second longitudinal common lines that are formed parallel to the data lines to supply the second common voltage input through second input units to second pixel common line patterns formed in second pixel units.
US08368628B2	Balanced LED backlighting for liquid crystal display (LCD) Techniques for providing LED-based backlighting in liquid crystal flat panel displays are disclosed. In one embodiment, optical sensors are provided to sense illuminations from colored LED groups and provide feedback signals to a controller so that a desired ratio of the illuminations is maintained. As a result, true colors could be reproduced regardless of possible irregularities that may be happening to LEDs used in the colored LED groups to backlight an LCD panel.
US08368625B2	Active matrix display device with dummy data lines An exemplary active matrix display device includes a display panel comprising a plurality of scanning lines extending along a horizontal axis, a plurality of data lines extending along a vertical axis, and a plurality of dummy data lines. Two scanning lines and two data lines define two display pixels; each of the plurality of data lines is connected to at least two adjacent display pixels along the horizontal axis, and the at least two adjacent display pixels are driven by the two scanning lines, respectively. Each of the plurality of dummy data lines is disposed between two random adjacent data lines and is provided with gray scale voltage signals by a driving circuit of the display panel, thereby forming coupling capacitances between each of the plurality of dummy data lines and two pixel electrodes of the two display pixels.
US08368624B2	Display method with interlacing reversal scan and device thereof A display method with interlacing reversal scan and a device thereof are provided. The scan mode is interlacing reversal scan. Thus, in time and space, each color frame with poor luminance response can be alternately distributed on up-side and the down-side region of the frame instead on low-side region of the frame. Then, during the period of continuous frame displaying, the present invention may balance color distribution between the up-side and the down-side region, and effectively reduce the flicker phenomenon of the frame.
US08368623B2	Display device and driving method thereof A display device includes: a light emitting element; a driving transistor connected to the light emitting element, the driving transistor generating a current according to a data voltage; a switching transistor switching the data voltage according to a gate signal; a capacitor storing the data voltage; a data line connected to the switching transistor, the data line transmitting the data voltage; and a gate line connected to the switching transistor, the gate line transmitting the gate signal. The data voltage includes a first voltage corresponding to luminance information and a second voltage that is a modified voltage of the first data voltage, wherein an average of the first voltage and the second voltage over time is substantially constant.
US08368621B2	Image display device An image display device includes a plurality of pixels, and feeders that commonly supply power to the plurality of pixels. In this image display device, each of the pixels has a light-emitting portion that emits light by a current supplied to the light-emitting portion, a driver that controls light emission of the light-emitting portion, and a switching portion electrically connected to the driver. The parasitic capacitance of the switching portion is determined with respect to each one pixel or one group of pixels according to the voltage drop of said feeder.
US08368611B2	Enclosed antenna system for receiving broadcasts from multiple sources The present disclosure is directed to enclosed antenna systems for receiving multiple different broadcast types. In one aspect of the disclosure, the enclosed antenna system comprises an enclosure including a satellite television antenna assembly, an off-air television antenna assembly and control electronics disposed on a motorized turntable. In another aspect, the off-air television antenna assembly comprises both UHF and VHF antenna assemblies. In a further aspect, the UHF and VHF television signals received by the off-air antenna assembly are combined, amplified and diplexed with the television signal received by the satellite television antenna assembly. A method of watching television broadcasts from satellite and off-air sources using a multi-antenna system contained within a single enclosure is also disclosed.
US08368601B2	Multiprotocol antenna structure and method for synthesizing a multiprotocol antenna pattern Embodiments of a planar asymmetric antenna structure with shifted feed position for multi-protocol operations are disclosed The antenna structure includes two elliptically tapering right and left arms, each with a different radius, and an off-center feed point positioned between the right and left arms. One arm has a smaller elliptical tapering than the other arm and the feed point is positioned closer to one arm than the other arm. A method of synthesizing a multiprotocol antenna pattern is also disclosed. The method includes providing substantially equally surface currents on both arms of an antenna structure to generate a near-horizontal pattern in far-field at a lower frequency band, providing greater surface currents on the right arm to generate a far-field pattern with a large horizontal component at a higher frequency band, and providing greater surface currents on the left arm to generate an asymmetric far-field pattern at a middle frequency band.
US08368596B2	Planar antenna for mobile satellite applications The invention relates to a microstrip patch antenna for mobile satellite communications comprising a first electrically conducting ground plane having at least one opening, at least one patch radiating element, at least one first dielectric layer, disposed between the first electrically conducting ground plane and the patch radiating element and more particularly between the at least one opening and the patch radiating element, at least one feed line for providing signal energy in a contactless manner to or from the patch radiating element through the opening and a second dielectric layer disposed between the feed line and the first electrically conducting ground plane wherein the antenna further comprises a second ground plane and a third dielectric layer disposed between the second ground plane and the feed line.
US08368585B2	Navigation assisting device This disclosure provides a navigation assisting device, which includes a TT information acquiring module for acquiring target object data by performing target tracking based on an echo received by a radar antenna, an AIS information acquiring module for acquiring target object data based on a Universal Shipborne Automatic Identification System, a maximum-number-of-output-data determination module for determining a maximum number of output data that is the number of target object data that is outputable while the radar antenna revolves once, a priority determination module for performing a priority determination according to a predetermined rule, for the target object data acquired by the TT information acquiring module and the target object data acquired by the AIS information acquiring module, and an output control module for outputting the target object data fewer than the maximum number of output data according to the priorities while the radar antenna revolves once.
US08368581B2	Method for determining compound data of weather radars in an overlapping region of the monitoring regions of at least two weather radars Method for determining combined data of weather radars (1) in an overlap region (2) of the observation regions of at least two weather radars (1), with polarimetric weather radars (1) being used as weather radars (1), and the measurements of the individual at least two polarimetric weather radars (1) being combined for measuring points in the overlap region (2), and the combined measuring points being used to carry out a radar echo classification.
US08368571B2	Pipelined ADC having error correction A pipeline stage of a pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit can include an ADC to convert an analog input to a digital output, a first plurality of digital-to-analog converters (DACs) sufficient in number to produce an analog output corresponding to the digital output, and a second plurality of DACs configured to have their output added into the analog output, where a succeeding pipeline portion can convert the amplified analog residue to at least one second digital output and a digitized residue. A mapping circuit can selectively exchange inputs between a selected one of the first plurality of DACs and one of the second plurality of DACs, and a calibration signal circuit can provide first and second calibration signals to inputs of the selected one of the first plurality of DACs and another of the second plurality of DACs. The calibration signals can be correlated to each other, but uncorrelated to the analog input and digital output of the first pipeline stage, and have unequal effects on the amplified analog residue or the digitized residue. A correction circuit can correct the digital output of the pipeline stage for circuit path errors in circuit paths including the first plurality and second plurality of DACs based on the results of a correlation between the calibration signals and the second digital output or digitized residue. The effects, on the amplified analog residue or the digitized residue, of the first and second calibration signals, upon travelling through the selected one of the first plurality of DACs and the other of the second plurality of DACs, can at least partially offset each other.
US08368567B2	Codepage-independent binary encoding method A method of processing binary data for transmission from a first computing system to one or more other computing systems within a character-based data file is provided. The method comprises receiving, at the first computing system, a binary data string to be stored within the character-based data file. At least a portion of the binary data string represents data other than character data. The method further comprises encoding, using an encoding module of the first computing system the binary data string using a codepage-independent encoding scheme. The encoding module is implemented using instructions that are executable by one or more processors and stored in one or more computer-readable media. The method further comprises storing the encoded binary data string in one or more of a plurality of data segments of the character-based data file. The character-based data file is configured such that all data stored in the plurality of data segments is indicated as representing character data.
US08368566B2	Method and system for providing a haptic computer interface A method and system of an embodiment may include a system comprising a touch screen display panel, and a tactile panel with one or more raised surfaces wherein the touch screen display panel is positioned on top of the tactile panel and the tactile panel creates one or more raised surfaces on the touch screen display panel providing tactile information to a user of the touch screen display panel.
US08368537B2	Security device An anti-theft security device is particularly useful with bottles and is typically secured to a bottle neck. The device may carry an onboard alarm. The device typically includes a catch member which engages the bottle neck to secure the device to the bottle and a blocking structure to help block access to the catch member.
US08368527B2	Electronic device controlling system and control signal transmitting device An electronic device is provided which executes a function useful in that place without a user in possession of the electronic device being intentional, and which does not receive a signal without providing a special setting if the function is not useful even if the place and the device are the same. There are an electronic device A and an electronic device each having a human body communication function. In a case where a user is holding the electronic device A, the electronic device B outputs a control signal for causing the electronic device A to execute a function aimed to eliminate a danger or an annoyance to the surroundings occurring because of holding it, whereas, due to the fact that the user has the electronic device, the electronic device A receives the control signal irrespective of the user's intention and executes a function based on the control signal.
US08368519B2	Packaging a semiconductor wafer Embodiments embed at least one Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag into the mold. The mold may comprise a cavity adapted to the geometrical form of the RFID tag. In some embodiments, the cavity is marginally bigger than the RFID tag. In many embodiments, the cavity with the embedded the RFID tag is covered by glue. Thus, the mold, the RFID tag and the glue may be suitable for temperatures up to, e.g., 400° C. Further the mold and the glue may be resistant to concentrated sulfuric acid and formic acid. The serial number of the mold may be stored in the RFID tag. The RFID tag may detect characteristic data during the transfer of the solder from the mold to the wafer. In one embodiment, the RFID tag may detect the temperature. In another embodiment, a plurality of RFID tags may detect various temperatures for controlling the packaging process.
US08368518B1	Access-integrated RFID-based asset management system An access-integrated RFID-based asset management (AIRBAM) system is used to acquire and update field data on physical assets located beneath or behind RF-permeable access structures, such as underground valves located beneath plastic valve covers or boxes. Inspection/maintenance personnel using hand-held RFID readers acquire field data from RFID tags located in the access structures prior to physically accessing the assets and write updated field data to the RFID tags after completing the inspection and/or maintenance. Alternately, field data regarding the assets can be stored in a database residing on the mobile RFID readers and can be retrieved and updated based on alpha-numeric identifiers transmitted by the RFID tags.
US08368515B2	Dual mode RFID communication device operating as a reader or tag An RFID device, and more particularly to a RFID device which can be used in both a tag mode and a reader mode. There is provided an RF antenna transmitting and receiving wireless signals; a tuning circuit as a frequency filtering circuit connected to the RF antenna; a memory storing data; and a wireless communication card including antenna connection terminals connected to the RF antenna.
US08368505B2	Switch using variable resistance layer to control state An electrical membrane switch that is actuated by applying a force against a layer of a variable resistance material that overlies and is in direct contact with switch poles that are applied to and supported by a substrate. A gap is provided between the switch poles, and the layer extends across the gap. The substrate can be a circuit board with electrical traces formed thereon to convey electrical current to the switch poles. As a sufficient force is applied to the surface of the layer of the variable resistance material, its resistance changes from a relatively high value, in which the switch is in a non-conducting state, to a relatively low value, in which the switch is in a conductive state. A protective sheet can optionally be included over the variable resistance layer and can include graphics/text to indicate the position of each switch in an array and its function.
US08368504B1	Positive temperature coefficient circuit protection device A PTC circuit protection device includes a PTC polymer material and two electrodes attached to the PTC polymer material. The PTC polymer material includes a polymer matrix and a particulate conductive filler dispersed in the polymer matrix. The polymermatrix is made from a polymer composition that contains a primary polymer unit and a reinforcing polyolefin. The primary polymer unit contains a base polyolefin and optionally a grafted polyolefin. The reinforcing polyolefin has a weight average molecular weight greater than that of the base polyolefin. The primary polymer unit and the reinforcing polyolefin are co-melted together and then solidified to form the polymer matrix. The base polyolefin has a melt flow rate ranging from 10 g/10 min to 100 g/10 min, and the reinforcing polyolefin has a melt flow rate ranging from 0.01 g/10 min to 1 g/10 min.
US08368490B2	Micro-electro-mechanical switch beam construction with minimized beam distortion and method for constructing Disclosed is a micro-electro-mechanical switch, including a substrate having a gate connection, a source connection, a drain connection and a switch structure, coupled to the substrate. The switch structure includes a beam member, an anchor, an anchor beam interface and a hinge. The beam member having a length sufficient to overhang both the gate connection and the drain connection. The anchor coupling the switch structure to the substrate. The anchor beam interface coupling the anchor to the hinge. The hinge coupling the beam member to the anchor at a respective position along the anchor's length, the hinge to flex in response to a voltage differential established between the gate and the beam member. The switch structure having gaps between the substrate and the anchor in regions proximate to the hinges.
US08368489B2	Circuit breaker having trip cause indicating mechanism A circuit breaker comprises a magnetic trip mechanism configured to provide a first mechanical driving force, a low voltage trip mechanism configured to provide a second mechanical driving force, a first micro switch configured to generate and output a first trip signal indicating that the circuit breaker has performed a trip operation due to the occurrence of a fault current on a circuit, a second micro switch configured to generate and output a second trip signal indicating that the circuit breaker has performed a trip operation due to the occurrence of a low voltage on the circuit, a first driving force transmission mechanism configured to transmit the first mechanical driving force from the magnetic trip mechanism to the first micro switch, and a second driving force transmission mechanism configured to transmit the second mechanical driving force from the low voltage trip mechanism to the second micro switch.
US08368488B2	Electromagnetic bandgap structure and printed circuit board An electromagnetic bandgap structure and a printed circuit board that can solve a mixed signal problem between an analog circuit and a digital circuit are disclosed. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an electromagnetic bandgap structure is stacked with a first metal layer, a first dielectric layer, a metal plate, a second dielectric layer and a second metal layer, and an odd number of vias can be serially connected through a metal line between the first metal layer and the metal plate. This electromagnetic bandgap structure can have a small size and a low bandgap frequency.
US08368486B2	Duplexer A duplexer includes an acoustic wave element having a first terminal and a second terminal; a substrate; a first columnar conductor electrically connected to the first terminal, and drawn to a back surface of the substrate while partially in the substrate; a second columnar conductor electrically connected to the second terminal, and drawn to the back surface of the substrate while partially in the substrate. Additionally, a first ground pattern region is between the first columnar conductor drawn part and the second columnar conductor drawn part on the back surface of the substrate; a second ground pattern region is electrically connected to the first ground pattern region and arranged in the part not including the part between the first columnar conductor drawn part and the second columnar conductor drawn part; and a third columnar conductor electrically is connected to the first ground pattern region while partially in the substrate.
US08368484B2	High-frequency module A high-frequency switch module includes an ESD device, a switch IC, and a SAW filter element that are mounted on the surface of a multilayer substrate. A ground-side land for the ESD device is connected to an external-connection ground electrode for the ESD device by via holes and plane electrode patterns. A ground connection land for the switch IC and a ground connection land for the SAW filter element are connected to a common inner ground electrode by via holes, and are connected to a common external-connection ground electrode by via holes and another common inner ground electrode.
US08368481B2	RF switchable balun A handheld communication device having an RF front end module has a switchable balun comprising a primary winding having a first two port winding and a second two port winding where a low noise amplifier is operatively coupled to the first and second two port windings and a power amplifier is operatively coupled to the first and second two port windings. A secondary winding is operatively coupled to an antenna, and a transceiver is operatively coupled to the low noise amplifier and the power amplifier. When the switchable balun is in a receive state, the antenna is operatively coupled to the transceiver through the low noise amplifier, and when the switchable balun is in a transmit state, the antenna is operatively coupled to the transceiver through the power amplifier. The ratio of the primary winding to the secondary winding is greater than a one-to-one ratio.
US08368480B2	Phase locked loop circuits and gain calibration methods thereof Phase locked loop circuits are provided, in which a phase locked loop module includes a voltage controlled oscillator to generate an oscillation signal with an output frequency according to a control voltage, and a gain calibration module triggers the phase locked loop module to induce a frequency variation characterized by a delta function in the output frequency and calculates a gain of the voltage controlled oscillator according to a phase error caused by the frequency variation in the output frequency.
US08368474B2	Surface acoustic wave oscillator In a SAW oscillator, each of a first SAW element and a second SAW element includes interdigital electrodes and a reflector formed on a piezoelectric material. A first oscillating circuit part forms an oscillating loop including the first SAW element. A second oscillating circuit part forms an oscillating loop including the second SAW element. The first and second oscillating circuit parts have an identical admittance property. The first and second SAW elements are configured that an electrode pitch is identical and an admittance property indicating a relation between a frequency and an admittance value is different therebetween. Further, a first intersection point between the admittance property of the first SAW element and the admittance property of the first oscillating circuit part and a second intersection point between the admittance property of the second SAW element and the admittance property of the second oscillating circuit part are at different frequencies.
US08368473B2	Resonator and oscillator using same There is provided with a resonator which can correct the resonance frequency of a vibrator in a wide range and with a high accuracy and also provided with an oscillator using the resonator. In the resonator configured by the vibrator 101, electrodes 4, 5 disposed so as to oppose to parts of the surface of the vibrator 101 via gaps, and variable voltage sources 24, 25 for applying a voltage to both or one of the vibrator 101 and the electrodes 4, 5, each of the electrodes 4, 5 is configured by plural electrodes. The electrodes 4, 5 are respectively disposed via gaps close to the portions of the vibrator 101 having different vibration amplitudes. The DC voltages being applied are independently adjusted with respect to the electrodes 4, 5 which differ in distances from the shaft of the vibrator among the plural electrodes close to the vibrator 101.
US08368466B2	Orthogonal basis function set for digital predistorter A predistorter applies a distortion function to an input signal to predistort the input signal. The output of the distortion function is modeled as the sum of the output signals from the orthogonal basis functions weighted by corresponding weighting coefficients. Techniques are described for orthogonalizing the basis function output signals depending on the distribution of the input signal.
US08368462B2	Method, system, and apparatus for RF switching amplifier Embodiments of RF switching amplifiers are described generally herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08368450B2	Architecture for adjusting natural frequency in resonant clock distribution networks An inductor architecture for resonant clock distribution networks is proposed. This architecture allows for the adjustment of the natural frequency of a resonant clock distribution network, so that it achieves energy-efficient operation at multiple clock frequencies. The proposed architecture is primarily targeted at the design of integrated inductors and exhibits relatively low area overheads. Such an architecture is generally applicable to semiconductor devices with multiple clock frequencies, and high-performance and low-power clocking requirements such as microprocessors, ASICs, and SOCs. Moreover, it is applicable to the binning of semiconductor devices according to achievable performance levels.
US08368449B1	Dead zone detection for phase adjustment A circuit includes a phase adjustment circuit and a dead zone detect circuit. The phase adjustment circuit is operable to receive periodic signals and is operable to provide one of the periodic signals as a selected periodic signal based on a phase comparison between a data signal and the selected periodic signal. Each of the periodic signals has a different phase. The dead zone detect circuit is operable to cause the phase adjustment circuit to shift a phase of the selected periodic signal if the dead zone detect circuit determines that the data signal is in a dead zone. The dead zone detect circuit defines the dead zone based on two of the periodic signals. The phase adjustment circuit is operable to adjust a phase range of the dead zone.
US08368445B2	Delay-locked loop A delay-locked loop (DLL) which receives a reference clock signal and outputs an output clock signal is provided. The DLL includes a phase detector, a delay chain, an anti-false lock (AFL) circuit, and a loop filter. The phase detector outputs a first comparison signal according to a phase comparison between the reference clock signal and the output clock signal. The delay chain generates a plurality of strobe clock signals and the output clock signal by delaying the reference clock signal for different intervals. The AFL circuit outputs a second comparison signal according to a phase comparison between the reference clock signal and the strobe clock signals. The loop filter controls the delay time of the output clock signal according to the first and the second comparison signals in order to lock the delay time of the output clock signal at a preset value.
US08368444B2	Delay locked loop including a mechanism for reducing lock time A delay locked loop (DLL) includes a delay line configured to provide a delayed version of a reference clock as a feedback clock. The DLL also includes a phase detector that may provide an output signal that is indicative of a change in a delay associated with the delay line. The DLL may also include a step size controller that may provide a step size indication corresponding to a first step size in response to detecting the output signal indicating a first change in delay, and to provide a step size indications corresponding to a second step size that is smaller than the first step size in response to detecting the output signal indicating a second change in delay.
US08368439B2	Phase locked loop circuit, method of detecting lock, and system having the circuit Provided are a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit, a lock detector employable with a PLL circuit, a system including such a PLL circuit and/or lock detector, and a method of detecting a lock/unlock state of a PLL circuit. The PLL circuit may include a clock generating circuit configured to generate an output clock signal having a predetermined frequency in synchronization with a reference clock signal. The lock detector may be configured to determine that the PLL circuit is in a lock state when a phase difference between the reference clock signal and the output clock signal is equal to or less than a first reference value, determine that the PLL circuit is in an unlock state when the phase difference between the reference clock signal and the output clock signal is greater than a second reference value, and generate a lock detection signal.
US08368437B2	Phase locked loop with charge pump A phase locked loop (PLL) includes a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) configured to supply an output signal. A phase frequency detector (PFD) is configured to receive a reference frequency signal and to provide a first control signal. A first charge pump is configured to receive the first control signal and to provide a first voltage signal in order to control the VCO. A second charge pump is configured to receive the first control signal and to provide a second voltage signal. A comparator is configured to receive a reference voltage signal, to compare the reference voltage signal and the second voltage signal, and to provide a second control signal. The PFD is configured to adjust at least one side slope of the first control signal based on the second control signal.
US08368436B1	Programmable frequency synthesizer with I/Q outputs Various embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, devices and method of frequency synthesis that generate in-phase and quadrature-phase clock signals at a programmable frequency. The generated frequency, which can range from a fraction to multiples of the input reference frequency, is generated by dividers following a phase-locked loop, thus avoiding the use of a low input reference frequency as well as frequency doubling.
US08368422B1	System and method for testing off-chip driver impedance A testing circuit for verifying the impedance of off-chip drivers includes: a plurality of off-chip drivers (OCD), each off-chip driver including a through-silicon via (TSV); an IREF test pad, for driving a current to the plurality of off-chip drivers; a plurality of pre-drivers, each respective pre-driver coupled to one of the plurality of off-chip drivers, wherein the plurality of pre-drivers are configured to turn on the off-chip drivers; a VREF test pad, for inputting a reference voltage to the testing circuit; a plurality of input buffers (IB) for outputting a plurality of comparison results, each of the plurality of input buffers configured to output the plurality of comparison results according to the reference voltage and the voltage at the TSV nodes; and a test pad, coupled to the plurality of IBs, for receiving the comparison results to determine whether the impedance of each OCD is within a desired range.
US08368413B2	Method for testing electronic components of a repetitive pattern under defined thermal conditions The invention relates to a method for testing several electronic components (1) of a repetitive pattern under defined thermal conditions in a prober, which comprises a chuck (10) for holding the components (1) and special holding devices (15) for holding individual probes (12). For testing, the components (1) are adjusted to a defined temperature, the probes (12) and a first electronic component (1) are positioned relative to each other by means of at least one positioning device, contact pads (3) of the electronic component (1) are subsequently contacted by the probes (12) so that the component (1) can be tested and then the positioning and the contacting can be repeated for testing another component (1) of the repetitive pattern. In order to shorten the test time for measurements at changing temperatures while ensuring reliable contacting of the components by using individual probes, a component (1) is positioned and contacted by a first positioning step which jointly affects all probes (12) first being carried out in an intermediate position, in the result of which the component (1) lies at a defined distance under the probe tips (13), the position of each individual probe tip (13) being subsequently corrected by means of separate manipulators to the position of the corresponding contact pad (3) to be contacted with the particular probe tip (13) so that each probe tip (13) lies above a contact pad (3), and the probe tips (13) further subsequently being brought into contact with the contact pads (3) of the component (1) by means of an advancing movement.
US08368409B2	Capacitance measurement system and method A capacitance measurement system precharges first terminals (21-0 . . . 21-k . . . 21-n) of a plurality of capacitors (25-0 . . . 25-k . . . 25), respectively, of a CDAC (capacitor digital-to-analog converter) (23) included in a SAR (successive approximation register) converter (17) to a first voltage (VDD) and pre-charges a first terminal (3-j) of a capacitor (CSENj) to a second voltage (GND). The first terminals are coupled to the first terminal of the capacitor to redistribute charges therebetween so as to generate a first voltage on the first terminals and the first terminal of the capacitor, the first voltage being representative of a capacitance of the first capacitor (CSENj). A SAR converter converts the first voltage to a digital representation (DATA) of the capacitor. The capacitance can be a touch screen capacitance.
US08368401B2	Techniques for correcting measurement artifacts in magnetic resonance thermometry Techniques for correcting measurement artifacts in MR thermometry predict or anticipate movements of objects in or near an MR imaging region that may potentially affect a phase background and then acquire a library of reference phase images corresponding to different phase backgrounds that result from the predicted movements. For each phase image subsequently acquired, one reference phase image is selected from the library of reference phase images to serve as the baseline image for temperature measurement purposes. To avoid measurement artifacts that arise from phase wrapping, the phase shift associated with each phase image is calculated incrementally, that is, by accumulating phase increments from each pair of consecutively scanned phase images.
US08368398B2	Calibrating parallel MRI with cartesian continuous sampling Example systems, methods, and apparatus control a pMRI apparatus to produce a pulse sequence having an extended acquisition window, and overlapping phase-encoding gradients and read gradients. One example method controls a pMRI apparatus to produce a trajectory having Cartesian and non-Cartesian segments that sample in a manner that satisfies the Nyquist criterion in at least one region of a volume to be imaged. The pMRI apparatus is controlled to apply radio frequency energy to the volume according to the pulse sequence and following the trajectory and to acquire MR signal from the volume in response to the application of the RF energy. The MR signal includes a first component associated with the Cartesian segment of the trajectory and a second component associated with the non-Cartesian segment of the trajectory. The example method includes calibrating a reconstruction process using Nyquist-satisfying data from the second component.
US08368396B2	Magnetic sensor element having multi-magnetic domain structure, and detection apparatus equipped with same This invention provides a magnetic sensor element that can detect a detection target substance with high accuracy. The magnetic sensor element includes a multi-magnetic domain structure in which a plurality of magnetic domains extend in a row in one direction and in which the magnetic domains that are adjoining have easy magnetization axes in opposite directions to each other. The multi-magnetic domain structure has a surface region. Within the surface region, when counting from one end of the multi-magnetic domain structure, affinities for a magnetic particle or a substance that can be immobilized on the magnetic particle are mutually different at a first surface portion located at a boundary between a (2n−1)th (n is a natural number) magnetic domain and a (2n)th magnetic domain and a second surface portion located at a boundary between the (2n)th magnetic domain and a (2n+1)th magnetic domain.
US08368394B2	Arrangement and method for influencing and/or detecting magnetic particles in a region of action An arrangement and a method for influencing and/or detecting magnetic particles in a region of action is disclosed, which arrangement comprises: —selection means for generating a magnetic selection field having a pattern in space of its magnetic field strength such that a first sub-zone having a low magnetic field strength and a second sub-zone having a higher magnetic field strength are formed in the region of action, —drive means for changing the position in space of the two sub-zones in the region of action by means of a magnetic drive field so that the magnetization of the magnetic particles changes locally, —receiving means for acquiring signals, which signals depend on the magnetization in the region of action, which magnetization is influenced by the change in the position in space of the first and second sub-zone, wherein the selection means and/or the drive means and/or the receiving means comprises at least partially a litz wire/stranded wire.
US08368387B2	Acceleration sensor An acceleration sensor includes a substrate, first and second torsion beams, first and second detection frames, first and second detection electrodes, first and second link beams, and an inertial mass body. The first and second torsion beams are distorted around the first and second torsion axes. The first and second detection frames are rotated about the first and second torsion axes. The first and second detection electrodes detect an angle formed between the substrate and each of the first and second detection frames. The first link beam is on a first axis located at a position shifted from a position of the first torsion axis to one end side of the first detection frame along a direction crossing the first torsion axis. The second link beam is on a second axis located at a position shifted from a position of the second torsion axis in a direction identical to the direction of shift from the position of the first torsion axis.
US08368381B1	Method for measuring the movement of an optical pointing device on a work surface It is described a method for measuring the movement of an optical pointing device on a work surface, which includes a pixel photo-detector array to pick-up reflected light on the work surface, a window comparator array receiving pixel voltages and providing comparison signals to a processing circuit. Light intensity between neighboring pixels is compared to determine edge direction data, which includes a positive edge for a first pixel voltage smaller than a second pixel voltage by more than a half of a window voltage, a no-edge, with the difference between the pixel voltages smaller than the half of the window voltage, and a negative edge, for which the first pixel voltage is greater than the second pixel voltage by more than the half of the window voltage. Two edge direction data from two successive flash are compared to determine the relative motion of the pointing device on the work surface.
US08368374B2	Comparator type DC-DC converter using synchronous rectification method A DC-DC converter 1 is provided with a voltage conversion unit 100 and a control unit 200. The control unit 200 includes: a comparator 20 and a trigger signal generation section 30 which generate a trigger signal when an output voltage is reduced from a reference voltage after having received a minimum off-time signal, a DLL section 40 generating a reference delay signal, a delay section 50 generating delay signals which are delayed from the trigger signal by a predetermined amount, further delayed by an on-time, still further delayed by a second dead time, and yet still further delayed by a minimum off-time, respectively, according to the reference delay signal, and a timing control section 60 determining a start time point and an end time point of an on-pulse, a start time point and an end time point of an off-pulse and also generating a minimum off-time signal, according to these delay signals.
US08368369B2	Single-bound hysteretic regulation of switched-capacitor converters A voltage regulator may include a comparator with a first comparator input to receive a reference voltage, a second comparator input to receive an output voltage from a phase interleaved converter, and a comparator input. The regulator may also include a set of cascaded flip-flops corresponding to phases of the converter. The set of cascaded flip-flops may have a plurality of phase outputs to trigger a phase transition in the converter if the output voltage falls below the reference voltage.
US08368368B2	System and method for improving inductor current sensing accuracy of a DC/DC voltage regulator The DC/DC voltage converter comprises at least one switching transistor. An inductor is connected to the at least one switching transistor. A pulse width modulation circuit generates control signals to at least one switching transistor responsive to a current control signal. A current sensor connected in parallel with the inductor senses current passing through the inductor. The sensor comprises a resistor and an NTC capacitor connected in series with the resistor. Circuitry for monitoring the voltage across the NTC capacitor generates the current control signal responsive to the monitored voltage.
US08368362B2	Boost-forward-flyback high gain converter A boost-forward-flyback convertor has a boost converting circuit, a forward converting circuit, a flyback converting circuit and a transformer. The boost converting circuit, the forward converting circuit and the flyback converting circuit are coupled by using elements of the boost and forward converting circuits to form the transformer. The boost-forward-flyback convertor combines benefits of conventional boost, forward and flyback convertors, specifically combines active clamping and lower power pressure to the element from the boost convertor, increases gain ratio by using the forward convertor and provides output to the load during a switch OFF-state from the combination of the flyback and boost converting circuit. The boost-forward-flyback convertor combines benefits of conventional boost, forward and flyback convertors and not only has very high gain, high converting efficiency and lower power loading for devices, but also is simple, cost less, easy to use and has a small volume.
US08368361B2	Switching power converter controller with direct current transformer sensing A power control system includes a current transformer to step down a switch current of a switching power converter. In at least one embodiment, the stepped down current is received by a switching power converter controller. Since the current is received by the controller, the current is not converted into a voltage prior to receipt by the controller in order for the controller to monitor an inductor current of the switching power converter. In at least one embodiment, the controller compares the stepped down switch current with a reference current. In at least one embodiment, the controller includes a voltage converter to convert the switch current into a voltage within the controller. The controller compares the voltage representing the switch current with a reference voltage. The controller can use the current or voltage comparisons to control power factor correction and output voltage regulation of a switching power converter.
US08368358B2	Apparatus and method for managing power for mobile device An apparatus and method of managing power for a mobile device is disclosed, which can prevent an inflow of overcurrent to the device when the device is charged. The apparatus includes a state judgment unit to judge whether a battery of the mobile device is being charged, a voltage level detection unit to detect a voltage level of the battery if the battery is judged as being charged, and a control unit to control a driving of the mobile device in accordance with the detected voltage level.
US08368355B2	Portable electronic device power manager with current limit feedback control loop modification for stabilizing an external power supply A portable electronic device has a battery to provide power to operate the device, a connector including a power supply pin to be coupled to an external power supply, and a power manager having a battery charger circuit that draws power through the power supply pin to charge the battery. The power manager has a current limit feedback control loop that limits the drawn current in accordance with a predetermined output current rating of the external power supply. The power manager automatically changes the behavior of its control loop to stabilize operation of the coupled external power supply. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US08368344B2	Refrigerator and operating method thereof A refrigerator and a method of operating the same are disclosed. In the refrigerator and the method of operating the same, a voltage of an electric power input is measured and rectified through the half wave rectification or the full wave rectification in correspondence with the measured voltage, so that the refrigerator can be used without a voltage converting device when a voltage of the input power is changed. Therefore, the change or the modification of the circuit is not needed in order to use the refrigerator in other regions. Since components are compatible and utility of the components is improved, manufacturing costs can be reduced.
US08368331B2	Methods and apparatus for monitoring average current and input power in an electronically commutated motor A method for monitoring input power to an electronically commutated motor (ECM) is described. The method includes determining, with a processing device, an average input current to the motor, the average input current based on a voltage drop across a shunt resistor in series with the motor, measuring an average input voltage applied to the motor utilizing the processing device, multiplying the average input current by the average voltage to determine an approximate input power, and communicating the average input power to an external interface.
US08368319B2	Multi-core light engine architecture The present invention relates to a LED lighting system (100) comprising at least a central controller (40) for just controlling a communication databus (50) in broadcast mode, and a distribution of LED controllers (30R, 30G, 30B) for individually controlling each LED (10R, 10G, 10B) through a respective driver (20R, 20G, 20B). The central controller (40) broadcasts targeted setting values from an external user (60) to all the distributed LED controllers (30R, 30G, 30B) through the databus (50). The LED controllers (30R, 30G, 30B) convert the values using a shared calibration matrix into transformed values for each LED color (R, G, B). In the case that some of these transformed values cannot be rendered by the LED lighting system (100), the targeted setting values can be properly adjusted either externally through a feedback signal sent over a link (70) back to the user (60), or internally through a notification signal broadcast over the databus (50) back to the central controller (40).
US08368317B2	Flashlight with momentary function and multiple lighting modes A flashlight with momentary function and multiple lighting modes wherein a mechanical switch is activated by a pushbutton so that each depression of the pushbutton causes the switch to cycle through a first state, a second state and a third state sequentially. When the switch is in the first state or the second state, it is electrically connected to the respective port of the integrated circuit and the integrated circuit drives the light source to operate in the respective lighting mode; when the switch is in the third state, it is electrically disconnected from the integrated circuit and the integrated circuit drives the light source to operate in a third lighting mode. When the integrated circuit detects that the switch is disconnected from the integrated circuit after a state which corresponds to the OFF mode and is therefore transitioning to a subsequent state, it drives the light source to operate in the lighting mode of the subsequent state.
US08368316B2	LED circuit and operation method of the same having minimum output voltage selection mechanism to generate feedback voltage A LED circuit is provided. The LED circuit comprises: a plurality of LED channels, a driving module and a feedback-selecting module. The driving module supplies a driving voltage to the plurality of LED channels according to a feedback voltage. The feedback-selecting module comprises an open detection unit and a minimum-selecting unit. The open detection unit performs an open detection mechanism to separate the plurality of LED channels into a plurality of open LED channels and a plurality of non-open LED channels having an output voltage respectively. The minimum-selecting unit performs a selection mechanism to select a minimum output voltage as the feedback voltage from the output voltage of each of the plurality of non-open LED channels. A LED circuit operation method adapted in the LED circuit is provided herein as well.
US08368315B2	LED lamp color control system and method An LED lamp color control system and method including an LED lamp having an LED controller 58; and a plurality of LED channels 60 operably connected to the LED controller 58, each of the plurality of LED channels 60 having a channel switch 62 in series with at least one shunted LED circuit 83, the shunted LED circuit 83 having a shunt switch 68 in parallel with an LED source 80. The LED controller 58 determines whether the LED source 80 is in a feedback controllable range, stores measured optical flux for the LED source 80 when the LED source 80 is in the feedback controllable range, and bypasses storing the measured optical flux when the LED source 80 is not in the feedback controllable range.
US08368310B1	System and method for distributed lighting device control A system for distributed light control, including a light circuit, a first device associated with the light circuit, a second device associated with the light circuit, a network communicatively connecting the light circuit, the first device, and the second device, where the first device is configured to actuate the light circuit based upon a control command sent on the network and in accordance with configuration data stored at the first device, where the second device includes a shadow configuration comprising a copy of the configuration data, where the second device is configured to generate a shadow image of the light circuit based upon the control command and the shadow configuration, and where the shadow image comprises a computed status of the light circuit.
US08368308B2	Inductively coupled plasma reactor having RF phase control and methods of use thereof Embodiments of the present invention generally provide an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor having a substrate RF bias that is capable of control of the RF phase difference between the ICP source (a first RF source) and the substrate bias (a second RF source) for plasma processing reactors used in the semiconductor industry. Control of the RF phase difference provides a powerful knob for fine process tuning. For example, control of the RF phase difference may be used to control one or more of average etch rate, etch rate uniformity, etch rate skew, critical dimension (CD) uniformity, and CD skew, CD range, self DC bias control, and chamber matching.
US08368303B1	Gas discharge device with electrical conductive bonding material Plasma-shells filled with ionizable gas are positioned on or within a rigid, flexible, or semi-flexible substrate. Each plasma-shell is electrically connected to one or more electrical conductors such as electrodes with an electrically conductive bonding substance to form an electrical connection to each electrode. The electrically conductive bonding substance may comprise a pad connected to the plasma-shell and/or an electrode.
US08368294B2	Brightness improving structure of light-emitting module with an optical film surface layer A brightness improving structure of a light-emitting module with an optical film surface layer 12, wherein a light-emitting part 20 is provided inside a transparent envelop 10 and may emit ultraviolet or blue light, the said transparent envelop 10 has first wall and second wall, first inside wall 101 and second inside wall 103 are oppositely formed inside thereof, first outside wall 102 and second outside wall 104 are oppositely formed outside thereof. The first wall is partly or entirely provided with the optical film coating 12, the optical film coating 12 may at least reflect the ultraviolet or blue light exciting fluorescent/phosphorescent light, and may pass light rays comprising visible light. A visible light layer or both the visible light layer and a reflective layer are provided on the second wall, and the said light-emitting part 20 is placed at a setting location from the envelop 10.
US08368293B2	Spark plug and method of manufacturing the same A spark plug provides a reduced production cost by forming a tip from a metallic material containing Ni that exhibits excellent erosion resistance. The spark plug comprises an insulator having an axial hole extending in an axial direction; a center electrode inserted into the axial hole at a front end thereof; a metallic shell provided around the insulator; a ground electrode whose proximal end portion is fixed to a front end portion of the metallic shell; and a tip bonded to a distal end portion of the ground electrode such that a spark discharge gap is formed between the tip and a front end portion of the center electrode. The tip is formed of a metallic material containing Ni in an amount of 93 mass % or more, and has a Vickers hardness of 163 Hv or less.
US08368291B2	Radiant heat substrate and method for manufacturing the radiant heat substrate, and luminous element package with the radiant heat substrate The present invention provides a radiant heat substrate comprising: a conductive substrate which is formed of a metal material and includes a front surface having a luminous element mounted thereon and a rear surface opposed to the front surface; an insulating film which covers the front surface of the conductive substrate; a metal oxide film which covers the rear surface of the conductive substrate; and a metal pattern which covers the insulating film, wherein the metal pattern comprises: a heat transfer pad which is bonded to the luminous element; and a circuit line which is disposed at a region except from the mounting region of the luminous element and is electrically connected to the luminous element.
US08368284B2	Dielectric actuator A dielectric actuator 1 of the present invention has a structure in which an elastic, high-dielectric material portion 2 is held by elastic insulating material portions 3a and 3b and the elastic insulating material portions are held by electrodes 4a and 4b from the outside. A base material for the elastic, high-dielectric material portion 2 is formed of a silicon rubber and a graphite powder is mixed therein to apply a conductive property.
US08368276B2	Polyphase electrical machine A polyphase electrical machine, in particular, a polyphase generator, includes a stator which features a core body having a circumferential slot pitch, and a winding configuration having a plurality of windings. It is provided that each winding and each slot of the group of slots that extends over one pole pitch is assigned to one of the phases, and the windings have winding sections that lie in assigned slots and between which, in each case, a winding-head connection is formed, the winding-head connections of different windings being disposed radially in layers relative to each other, and the number of phases being five. A method for producing a polyphase electrical machine is also provided.
US08368275B2	Electric motor windings A stator for a multi-phase electric motor comprises a plurality of teeth for each phase. The windings on two teeth from one phase are formed from a single length of conductor. The windings on a first one of the teeth being formed at least in part from two sections of the conductor spaced apart along the length of the conductor, and the windings on a second one of the teeth being formed from an intermediate section of the conductor between the spaced apart sections.
US08368267B2	Power tool A power tool includes a motor housing, a motor, a motor-side terminal, a switch block, and a switch-side terminal provided on the switch block to be connected to the motor-side terminal. A hollow tubular member is provided on one of the motor housing and the switch block and extends in a longitudinal direction of the motor housing, and a fitting member is provided on the other of the motor housing and the switch block and fitted in the tubular member. The motor-side terminal and the switch-side terminal are connected to each other within a hollow of the tubular member. As long as the motor-side terminal and the switch-side terminal are at least connected to each other, the tubular member and the fitting member are held in the fitted state so that a connection between the terminals is isolated from the outside of the tubular member.
US08368250B1	Systems and methods for swapping span power modules in telecommunication networks The present disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for swapping span power modules that are used for supplying power to network interface units (NIUs). A span power module in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has logic capable of communicating with logic of another span power module. When one module is to be swapped for the other module, the module being swapped-in is configured to automatically disable the other module shortly after it has powered up and is supplying electrical power across a span line. The amount of time that both modules supply power to the span line is sufficiently small such that damage to electrical communication equipment receiving power from the span line is prevented.
US08368245B2	Out-door unit with multiple ports An out-door unit with multiple ports comprises a circuit block, a DC-DC converter and a plurality of ports. The DC-DC converter is configured to provide a first current to the circuit block. The plurality of ports is connected to a plurality of in-door units respectively via a diode and provides a second current from the plurality of in-door units to the DC-DC converter via a diode respectively. The circuit block requires an operation current, and a first part of the operation current is the first current from the DC-DC converter and a second part of the operation current is the second current from one of the ports.
US08368244B2	Energy buffer device for an aircraft An energy buffer device supplies energy to a consumer in an aircraft, and an electrical system for an aircraft. In one example, the device includes an energy feed device, an energy storage device and an energy supply device. The energy supply device may have line with a larger cross-sectional area than a corresponding line of the energy feed device. With the use of an energy buffer device, power may be switched on only for a short period of time. In addition, in case of a voltage breakdown in an on-board network, energy may be stored in an energy storage device. Supply of energy may thus occur over a short time at correspondingly high power, without placing a load on an on-board network or a generator.
US08368243B1	Roofline conduit for wind generator A wind generator assembly for driving an electric generator having an inlet air riser having an upper end disposed to capture portions of roof level wind currents and a lower end. The lower end of the inlet air riser extends upward from and is in communication with an air box that houses a rotator assembly. An air inlet turret is mounted for rotation by roof currents to be directed to gather and pass a portion of the roof currents into the inlet air riser. The rotator assembly has a rotor supported on a support arbor that is rotated in a predetermined rotational direction by roof level wind currents. The support arbor is connectable to an electric power generator.
US08368240B1	Roof installed wind turbine vent and solar panel electric power generation system Systems and methods for generating electrical electricity use a wind turbine vent and an electrical generator operably coupled to the wind turbine for generating electricity from spinning of said wind turbine. An air flow guiding device extends between the wind turbine and a fan for guiding fan generated moving air between the wind turbine and fan. One or more solar panels for powering said fan are provided. When the system is installed on a building, the wind turbine turns as a result of outside wind, hot rising air escaping outside through the wind turbine vent, moving air generated by the fan powered by the solar panel, or a combination thereof, and thereby generates electricity. A solar battery can also be used for powering the fan. The system can be used to cool or heat the building while generating electricity.
US08368239B2	Drive circuit and method for inverters of wind energy installations A converter for a wind energy installation and a method. The converter includes an inverter which drives a generator via a plurality of phases and an intermediate circuit having an intermediate-circuit voltage between an upper and a lower intermediate-circuit potential. The generator is driven with phase potentials at a variable frequency. A shift value is calculated between an extreme phase potential and one of the intermediate-circuit potentials, a separation value is determined between a middle phase potential and the closest intermediate-circuit potential, and an additional voltage is generated using the separation value as amplitude. The phase potentials are shifted through the shift value and the additional voltage is added to the middle phase potential. Accordingly, the switching elements in the converter do not need to be clocked in every second half-cycle resulting in reduced switching losses and increased current load capacity of the converter.
US08368236B2	System and method for generating an alternating current output signal A system and device for providing AC signal. The system includes: an AC generator that outputs an AC output signal and includes an AC rotor that communicates with a shaft that is rotated at a rotation speed; a speed sensor for sensing the rotation speed; and a controller for controlling a magnetic field of the AC generator in response to the rotation speed; wherein the controller comprises a Field Exciter for providing a current to the AC generator so as to control the magnetic field of the AC generator.
US08368226B2	Die power structure A die including a first set of power tiles arranged in a first array and having a first voltage; a second set of power tiles arranged in a second array offset from the first array and having a second voltage; a set of power mesh segments enclosed by the second set of power tiles and having the first voltage; a first power rail passing underneath the set of power mesh segments and the first set of power tiles; and a set of vias operatively connecting the power rail with the set of power mesh segments and the first plurality of power tiles.
US08368222B2	Semiconductor device with pad with less diffusible contacting surface and method for production of the semiconductor device A semiconductor device with a connection pad in a substrate, the connection pad having an exposed surface made of a metallic material that diffuses less readily into a dielectric layer than does a metal of a wiring layer connected thereto.
US08368218B2	Adhesive flexible barrier film, method of forming same, and organic electronic device including same An adhesive flexible barrier film comprises a substrate and a barrier layer disposed on the substrate. The barrier layer is formed from a barrier composition comprising an organosilicon compound. The adhesive flexible barrier film also comprises an adhesive layer disposed on the barrier layer and formed from an adhesive composition. A method of forming the adhesive flexible barrier film comprises the steps of disposing the barrier composition on the substrate to form the barrier layer, disposing the adhesive composition on the barrier layer to form the adhesive layer, and curing the barrier layer and the adhesive layer. The adhesive flexible barrier film may be utilized in organic electronic devices.
US08368211B2	Solderable top metalization and passivation for source mounted package A silver-containing solderable contact on a semiconductor die has its outer edge spaced from the confronting edge of an epoxy passivation layer so that, after soldering, silver ions are not present and are not therefor free to migrate under the epoxy layer to form dendrites.
US08368209B2	Semiconductor device The problem of damage on an antenna or a circuit (electrostatic breakdown) due to discharge of electric charge accumulated in an insulator is solved; and the problem of NAKANUKE failure is solved. A pair of conductive layers, a pair of insulators provided between the pair of conductive layers, and a chip which is provided between the pair of insulators and includes an antenna, an analog circuit, and a digital circuit are provided, in which an opening is provided for at least one of the pair of conductive layers, and the opening is provided at a position which overlaps at least the analog circuit.
US08368202B2	Semiconductor device and semiconductor package having the same The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a semiconductor package having the same. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a backside dielectric layer, a plurality of first backside under ball metal (UBM) pads and a first backside UBM plane. The backside dielectric layer is disposed adjacent to a backside surface of the semiconductor substrate. The first backside UBM pads are disposed on the backside dielectric layer. The first backside UBM plane is disposed on the backside dielectric layer, and has a plurality of through holes. The first backside UBM pads are located within the through holes, and a gap is between the first backside UBM plane and the first backside UBM pads. Whereby, the cost for forming the first backside UBM pads and the first backside UBM plane is relatively low.
US08368197B2	Semiconductor package and method of manufacturing the semiconductor package A semiconductor package includes a first semiconductor chip, a second semiconductor chip, a stepped pad, a plurality of first bonding wires and a second bonding wire. The first semiconductor chip is stacked on a substrate having a plurality of bonding pads, the first semiconductor chip having a plurality of first chips pads formed along a side portion of the first semiconductor chip. The second semiconductor chip is stacked like a step of a staircase on the first semiconductor chip to form a stepped portion through which the first chip pads are exposed on the first semiconductor chip, the second semiconductor chip having a plurality of second chip pads formed along a side portion of the first semiconductor chip. The stepped pad is arranged between the first chip pads on the stepped portion of the first semiconductor chip, the stepped pad including an adhesive pad adhered to the first semiconductor chip and a conductive pad formed on the adhesive pad. A plurality of the first bonding wires electrically connect between the one second chip pad and the one first chip pad and/or between the one first chip pad and the one bonding pad. The second bonding wire electrically connects between the one second chip pad and the one bonding pad using the stepped pad.
US08368195B2	Semiconductor device including arrangement to control connection height and alignment between a plurity of stacked semiconductor chips A semiconductor device having stacked semiconductor chips is provided wherein alignment of even thin semiconductor chips of a large warpage is easy and thus high assembling accuracy and high reliability are ensured. Semiconductor chips having hollow through-silicon via electrodes each formed with a tapered portion are melt-joined using solder balls each having a core of a material higher in melting point than solder. When melt-joining the semiconductor chips, the temperature is raised while imparting an urging load to stacked semiconductor chips, thereby correcting warpage of the semiconductor chips. In each chip-to-chip connection thus formed, if the connection is to prevent the occurrence of stress around the electrode due to the urging load, a solder ball having a core of a smaller diameter than in the other connections is used in the connection.
US08368191B2	Semiconductor device and manufacturing method of the same A semiconductor device of a multi-pin structure using a lead frame is provided. The semiconductor device comprises a tab having a chip supporting surface, the chip supporting surface whose dimension is smaller than a back surface of a semiconductor chip, a plurality of leads arranged around the tab, the semiconductor chip mounted over the chip supporting surface of the tab, a plurality of suspending leads for supporting the tab, four bar leads arranged outside the tab so as to surround the tab and coupled to the suspending leads, a plurality of wires for coupling between the semiconductor chip and the leads, and a sealing body for sealing the semiconductor chip and the wires with resin, with first slits being formed respectively in first coupling portions of the bar leads for coupling with the suspending leads.
US08368189B2	Auxiliary leadframe member for stabilizing the bond wire process A semiconductor package comprises a die attach pad and an auxiliary support member at least partially circumscribing the die attach pad. A set of contact leads is formed extending outward from the die attach pad. A first set of contact pads is formed on the bottom surface of the distal ends of the contact leads. An optional second set of contact pads is formed at the bottom surface of the proximal end. The auxiliary support member prevents damage to the contact leads and prevents the leads from bending during the manufacturing process.
US08368187B2	Semiconductor device and method of forming air gap adjacent to stress sensitive region of the die A semiconductor device is made by mounting an insulating layer over a temporary substrate. A via is formed through the insulating layer. The via is filled with conductive material. A semiconductor die has a stress sensitive region. A dam is formed around the stress sensitive region. The semiconductor die is mounted to the conductive via. The dam creates a gap adjacent to the stress sensitive region. An encapsulant is deposited over the semiconductor die. The dam blocks the encapsulant from entering the gap. The temporary substrate is removed. A first interconnect structure is formed over the semiconductor die. The gap isolates the stress sensitive region from the first interconnect structure. A shielding layer or heat sink can be formed over the semiconductor die. A second interconnect structure can be formed over the semiconductor die opposite the first interconnect structure.
US08368185B2	Semiconductor device packages with electromagnetic interference shielding Described herein are semiconductor device packages with EMI shielding and related methods. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device package includes a circuit substrate, an electronic device, an encapsulant, and a conductive coating. The circuit substrate includes a carrying surface, a bottom surface, a lateral surface extending between the carrying surface and the bottom surface, a conductive layer, and a grounding ring. The grounding ring is in a substantially continuous pattern extending along a border of the circuit substrate, is exposed at a lateral surface of the circuit substrate, and is included in the conductive layer. The electronic device is disposed adjacent to the carrying surface and is electrically connected to the conductive layer of the circuit substrate. The encapsulant is disposed adjacent to the carrying surface and encapsulates the electronic device. The conductive coating is applied to the encapsulant and the grounding ring.
US08368178B2	Phase change memory apparatus and fabrication method thereof A phase change memory apparatus is provided that includes a first electrode that is longer than it is wide, the first electrode having a trench formed on an active region of a semiconductor substrate, a second electrode formed in a bottom portion of the trench, and a bottom electrode contact formed on the second electrode.
US08368177B2	Integrated circuit with ESD structure An integrated circuit includes a semiconductor body of a first conductivity type. The semiconductor body includes a first semiconductor zone of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type. The first semiconductor zone extends to a surface of the semiconductor body. A second semiconductor zone of the first conductivity type is embedded in the first semiconductor zone and extends as far as the surface. A third semiconductor zone of the second conductivity type at least partly projects from the first semiconductor zone along a lateral direction running parallel to the surface. A contact structure provides an electrical contact with the first and second semiconductor zones at the surface. The second semiconductor zone is arranged, along the lateral direction, between the part of the third semiconductor zone which projects from the first semiconductor zone and a part of the contact structure in contact with the first semiconductor zone.
US08368176B2	Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing semiconductor device A lower electrode includes a metal-containing oxide layer having a thickness of 2 nm or less on the surface layer. A metal-containing oxide layer is formed by oxidizing the surface of the lower electrode. A dielectric film includes a first phase appearing at room temperature in the bulk state and a second phase appearing at a higher temperature than that in the first phase in the bulk state. The second phase has a higher relative permittivity than that of the first phase.
US08368172B1	Fused buss for plating features on a semiconductor die A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate; a semiconductor device formed in and over the substrate; a plurality of interconnect layers over the semiconductor device; an interconnect pad over a top surface of the plurality of interconnect layers, wherein the interconnect pad is coupled to the semiconductor device through the plurality of interconnect layers; a contiguous seal ring surrounding the semiconductor device and extending vertically from the substrate to the top surface of the plurality of interconnect layers; and a fuse coupled between the interconnect pad and the seal ring, wherein the fuse is in a non-conductive state.
US08368160B2	Image sensing device and fabrication thereof An image sensing device is disclosed, including an epitaxy layer having the a conductivity type, including a first pixel area corresponding to a first incident light, a second pixel area corresponding to a second incident light, and a third pixel area corresponding to a third incident light, wherein the wavelength of the first incident light is longer than that of the second incident light and the wavelength of the second incident light is longer than that of the third incident light. A photodiode is disposed in an upper portion of the epitaxy layer, and a first deep well for reducing pixel-to-pixel talk of the image sensing device is disposed in a lower portion of the epitaxy layer in the second pixel area and the third pixel area, wherein at least a portion of the epitaxy layer in first pixel area does not include the first deep well.
US08368150B2	High performance IC chip having discrete decoupling capacitors attached to its IC surface In the present invention, discrete decoupling capacitors are mounted on the surface of an IC chip. Since a discrete capacitor can provide the capacitance of the magnitude μF, the attached capacitors can serve as the local power reservoir to decouple the external power ground noise caused by wirebonds, packages, and other system components.
US08368141B2	High breakdown voltage semiconductor device and high voltage integrated circuit A high breakdown voltage semiconductor device, in which a semiconductor layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate across a dielectric layer, includes a drain layer on the semiconductor layer, a buffer layer formed so as to envelop the drain layer, a source layer, separated from the drain layer, and formed so as to surround a periphery thereof, a well layer formed so as to envelop the source layer, and a gate electrode formed across a gate insulating film on the semiconductor layer, wherein the planar shape of the drain layer 113 and buffer layer is a non-continuous or continuous ring.
US08368128B2	Compact field effect transistor with counter-electrode and fabrication method An etching mask, comprising the delineation pattern of the gate electrode, of a source contact, a drain contact and a counter-electrode contact, is formed on a substrate of semi-conductor on insulator type. The substrate is covered by a layer of dielectric material and a gate material. The counter-electrode contact is located in the pattern of the gate electrode. The gate material is etched to define the gate electrode, the source contact and drain contacts and the counter-electrode contact. A part of the support substrate is released through the pattern of the counter-electrode contact area. An electrically conductive material is deposited on the free part of the support substrate to form the counter-electrode contact.
US08368123B2	Apparatus for sensing an event A sensor configured to sense an external event including: a first component having a first impedance that changes when the external event occurs and being connected between a reference voltage node and an output node wherein the output node is configured to provide, when the external event occurs, a feedback signal to the first component that further changes the first impedance and wherein the first component is a field effect transistor comprising: a gate formed from a conductive core of a nanowire and connected to the output node; a gate dielectric formed from an insulating shell of the nanowire; a source/drain electrode connected to the output node; a source/drain electrode connected to the reference node; and a channel extending between the source/drain electrodes.
US08368105B2	Manufacturing method and integrated circuit having a light path to a pixilated element The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of an integrated circuit (IC) comprising a substrate (10) comprising a pixelated element (12) and a light path (38) to the pixelated element (12). The IC comprises a first dielectric layer (14) covering the substrate (10) but not the pixilated element (12), a first metal layer (16) covering a part of the first dielectric layer (14), a second dielectric layer (18) covering a further part of first dielectric layer (14), a second metal layer (20) covering a part of the second dielectric layer (18) and extending over the pixelated element (12) and a part of the first metal layer (16), the first metal layer (16) and the second metal layer (20) forming an air-filled light path (38) to the pixelated element (12). The air-filled light path (38) is formed by creation of holes in the first dielectric layer (14) and the second dielectric layer (18), filling the holes with sacrificial materials, and removal of the sacrificial materials after deposition and patterning of the second metal layer (20). This yields an IC having a low-loss light path to the pixelated element (12). The light path may act as a color filter, e.g. a Fabry-Perot color filter.
US08368096B2	Solid state image pick-up device and method for manufacturing the same with increased structural integrity There are provided image pickup devices capable of significantly increasing production yield and ensuring long-term reliability and a method for manufacturing the image pickup devices. This invention is characterized in that it has a large number of light-receiving portions 2 formed at a surface portion of a wafer 1 and a microlens 3 formed for each of the light-receiving portions, through electrodes 4 for performing supply of power to the light-receiving portions 2 and passing and reception of an electrical signal are provided all over the periphery of the wafer 1, one end of each through electrode 4 is connected to an electrode pad 4a which is connected to a wire leading to a light-receiving element at the surface portion of the wafer 1, the other end is connected to a wire through a back electrode 5, a rib 7 which serves as a partition portion arranged to surround the microlenses 3 on four sides is provided on the surface of the wafer 1, a transparent plate 8 of optical glass or the like is bonded to an upper surface of the rib 7 with adhesive, and a protective frame 10 is provided at a junction between the rib 7 and the transparent plate 8.
US08368095B2	Nitride semiconductor light emitting device and method of fabricating nitride semiconductor laser device There is provided a nitride semiconductor light emitting device having a light emitting portion coated with a coating film, the light emitting portion being formed of a nitride semiconductor, the coating film in contact with the light emitting portion being formed of an oxynitride. There is also provided a method of fabricating a nitride semiconductor laser device having a cavity with a facet coated with a coating film, including the steps of: providing cleavage to form the facet of the cavity; and coating the facet of the cavity with a coating film formed of an oxynitride.
US08368094B2	Optoelectronic device A optoelectronic device comprises a semiconductor stack layer; a first transparent conductive oxide (abbreviate as “TCO” hereinafter) layer located on the semiconductor stack layer, wherein the first TCO layer has at least one opening; and a second TCO layer covering the first TCO layer, wherein the second TCO layer is filled into the opening of the first TCO layer and contacted with the semiconductor stack layer, and one of the first TCO layer and the second TCO layer forms an ohmic contact with the semiconductor stack layer.
US08368093B2	LED unit An LED unit includes an LED and a lens mounted on the LED. The lens includes a light-incident face adjacent to the LED, a light-emergent face remote from the LED, and a light-reflecting face between the light-incident face and the light-emergent face. The light-incident face includes a first light-incident face which faces the LED, and the light-emergent face includes a first light-emergent face located opposite to the first light-incident face. The first light-emergent face is a continuously curved face which has a curvature firstly increasing gradually and then decreasing gradually along a bottom-to-top direction of the lens.
US08368089B2	Semiconductor light emitting device According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes a semiconductor layer, a first electrode, a second electrode, a transparent layer, and a fluorescent material layer. The transparent layer is provided on the first major surface of the semiconductor layer. The transparent layer is transparent with respect to light emitted by the light emitting layer and has a trench provided outside the outer circumference of the light emitting layer. The fluorescent material layer is provided in the trench and on the transparent layer. The fluorescent material layer includes a first fluorescent material particle provided in the trench and a second fluorescent material particle provided on the transparent layer. A particle size of the first fluorescent material particle is smaller than a width of the trench. A particle size of the second fluorescent material particle is larger than the width of the trench and larger than the particle size of the first fluorescent material particle.
US08368087B2	Light emitting device having vertical structure and method for manufacturing the same A light emitting device having a vertical structure and a method for manufacturing the same, which are capable of increasing light extraction efficiency, are disclosed. The method includes forming a light extraction layer on a substrate, forming a plurality of semiconductor layers on the light extraction layer, forming a first electrode on the semiconductor layers, forming a support layer on the first electrode, removing the substrate, and forming a second electrode on a surface from which the substrate is removed.
US08368086B2	Light-emitting device having a gain region and a reflector A light-emitting device has a first cladding layer, an active layer formed above the first cladding layer, a second cladding layer formed above the active layer, a gain region, and a reflecting part. The active layer has first and second side surfaces parallel to each other. The gain region has a first end surface disposed on the first side surface. The gain region also has a second end surface disposed inside from the second side surface and angled relative to the second side surface. The second end surface, the gain region and the first end surface are provided in a first normal direction relative to the second end surface. The reflecting part is disposed next to the second end surface.
US08368080B2	Light emitting display with optical compensation layer and circularly polarized reflective layer for improved contrast even in high ambient light The present invention provides light emitting displays which produce a bright image by efficiently emitting light radiated from a light-emitting thin-film layer to the viewer side, and also produces a high-quality image of high contrast ratio and changing in color to a limited extent over a wide viewing angle range even in a bright atmosphere. The light emitting displays are provided with a plurality of light-emitting devices 70, each device 70 having a light-emitting thin-film layer 100 and a light reflective surface 300 in this order on the back side, and a circularly polarized light reflective layer 500 which separates incident light into two types of circularly polarized components, one being reflected and the other transmitted by the reflective layer, an optical compensation layer 800, a quarter-wave plate 700 and a polarizer 600 on the front side, wherein the optical compensation layer 800 is composed of a transparent body working as an optical indicatrix having little refractive index distribution in the in-plane direction and having a refractive index in the thickness direction different from that in the in-plane direction.
US08368077B2	Display device and manufacturing method thereof A second insulation layer which is formed by stacking a plurality of layers made of different materials in a mutually contact manner is formed such that the second insulation layer covers a source region and a drain region and also covers a gate electrode from above. A first contact hole which reaches one of the source region and the drain region and a recessed portion which is arranged above the gate electrode but is not communicated with the gate electrode are simultaneously formed on the second insulation layer by dry etching. A first line layer is formed so as to cover the first contact hole. After forming the first line layer, a bottom surface of the recessed portion is etched by dry etching thus forming a second contact hole which reaches the gate electrode in the first and second insulation layers. A second line layer is formed on the second contact hole.
US08368076B2	Contact structure and semiconductor device To improve the reliability of contact with an anisotropic conductive film in a semiconductor device such as a liquid crystal display panel, a terminal portion of a connecting wiring on an active matrix substrate is electrically connected to an FPC by an anisotropic conductive film. The connecting wiring is made of a lamination film of a metallic film and a transparent conductive film. In the connecting portion with the anisotropic conductive film, a side surface of the connecting wiring is covered with a protecting film made of an insulating material, thereby exposure to air of the metallic film can be avoided.
US08368072B2	Display device and method of fabricating the same To achieve promotion of stability of operational function of display device and enlargement of design margin in circuit design, in a display device including a pixel portion having a semiconductor element and a plurality of pixels provided with pixel electrodes connected to the semiconductor element on a substrate, the semiconductor element includes a photosensitive organic resin film as an interlayer insulating film, an inner wall face of a first opening portion provided at the photosensitive organic resin film is covered by a second insulating nitride film, a second opening portion provided at an inorganic insulating film is provided on an inner side of the first opening portion, the semiconductor and a wiring are connected through the first opening portion and the second opening portion and the pixel electrode is provided at a layer on a lower side of an activation layer.
US08368065B2	Organic thin film transistor and method of manufacturing the same, and semiconductor device having the organic thin film transistor There have been problems in that a dedicated apparatus is needed for a conventional method of manufacturing an organic thin film transistor and in that: a little amount of an organic semiconductor film is formed with respect to a usage amount of a material; and most of the used material is discarded. Further, apparatus maintenance such as cleaning of the inside of an apparatus cup or chamber has needed to be frequently carried out in order to remove the contamination resulting from the material that is wastefully discarded. Therefore, a great cost for materials and man-hours for maintenance of apparatus have been required. In the present invention, a uniform organic semiconductor film is formed by forming an aperture between a first substrate for forming the organic semiconductor film and a second substrate used for injection with an insulating film formed at a specific spot and by injecting an organic semiconductor film material into the aperture due to capillarity to the aperture. The insulating film formed at the specific spot enables formation of the organic semiconductor film with high controllability. Further, the insulating film can also serve as a spacer that holds the aperture, that is, an interval (gap) between the substrates.
US08368062B2	Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound and organic electronic device using the same The present invention provides a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic derivative and an organic electronic device using the same. The nitrogen-containing heterocyclic derivative that is represented by the following Formula 2 or includes two or more structures of the following Formula 2: The organic electronic device according to the present invention has excellent properties in terms of efficiency, driving voltage, and a life span.
US08368056B2	Organic light emitting diode display and method for manufacturing the same An organic light emitting diode display includes a display substrate including organic light emitting diodes and a pixel defining layer having openings for defining respective light emitting regions of the organic light emitting diodes, an encapsulation substrate disposed to face the display substrate, a sealant disposed along the edge of the encapsulation substrate and bonding and sealing the display substrate and the encapsulation substrate together, and a filling material for filling the space between the display substrate and the encapsulation substrate. The pixel defining layer is divided into a plurality of deposit regions having a relatively small height and that are uniformly distributed, and a diffusion region surrounding the plurality of deposit regions and having a larger height than that of the plurality of deposit regions.
US08368054B2	Organic light emitting diode display In an organic light emitting diode display including a first pixel and a second pixel that are associated with respective different colors, each of the first and second pixels being for displaying its associated color, each of the first and second pixels includes: a first electrode; a second electrode facing the first electrode; and a light emitting member formed between the first electrode and the second electrode; wherein the light emitting member of the first pixel includes: at least two light-emitting elements for emitting light of the color associated with the first pixel; and a charge generation layer between the at least two light-emitting elements; and wherein the second pixel has fewer light-emitting elements than the first pixel.
US08368053B2	Multilayer-interconnection first integration scheme for graphene and carbon nanotube transistor based integration Integrated circuit multilayer integration techniques are provided. In one aspect, a method of fabricating an integrated circuit is provided. The method includes the following steps. A substrate is provided. A plurality of interconnect layers are formed on the substrate arranged in a stack, each interconnect layer comprising one or more metal lines, wherein the metal lines in a given one of the interconnect layers are larger than the metal lines in the interconnect layers, if present, above the given interconnect layer in the stack and wherein the metal lines in the given interconnect layer are smaller than the metal lines in the interconnect layers, if present, below the given interconnect layer in the stack. At least one transistor is formed on a top-most layer of the stack.
US08368048B2	Nanostructured layers, methods of making nanostructured layers, and application thereof One embodiment of the invention provides a nanostructure layer, comprising: a first population of semiconductor nanocrystals forming electron transport conduits; a second population of semiconductor nanocrystals forming hole transport conduits; and a third population of semiconductor nanocrystals capable of at least one of the following: absorbing light or emitting light.
US08368044B2	Electronic device comprising a convertible structure An electronic device (100), comprises a first electrode (101), a second electrode (102) and a convertible structure (103) connected between the first electrode (101) and the second electrode (102), which convertible structure (103) is convertible between at least two states by heating, wherein the convertible structure (103) has different electrical properties in different ones of the at least two states, wherein the convertible structure (103) is curved in a manner to increase a length of a path of an electric current propagating through the convertible structure (103) between the first electrode (101) and the second electrode (102).
US08368042B2	Physical wedge positioning A method for modulating a radiation beam toward a target, including rotating a radiation beam gantry through an arc segment while irradiating a target with a radiation beam, placing a physical wedge in a beam path of the radiation beam to modify at least one of a beam aperture and a beam intensity of the radiation beam while rotating through the arc segment, and modifying at least one of a wedge angle and a wedge orientation of the physical wedge during a temporal increment associated with the arc segment.
US08368040B2	Radiation system and lithographic apparatus A radiation system includes a target material supply configured to supply droplets of target material along a trajectory, and a laser system that includes an amplifier and optics. The optics are configured to establish a first beam path which passes through the amplifier and through a first location on the trajectory, and to establish a second beam path which passes through the amplifier and through a second location on the trajectory. The laser system is configured to generate a first pulse of laser radiation when photons emitted from the amplifier are reflected along the first beam path by a droplet of target material at the first location on the trajectory. The laser system is configured to generate a second pulse of laser radiation when photons emitted from the amplifier are reflected along the second beam path by the droplet of target material at the second location on the trajectory.
US08368038B2	Method and apparatus for intensity control of a charged particle beam extracted from a synchrotron The invention comprises intensity control of a charged particle beam acceleration, extraction, and/or targeting method and apparatus used in conjunction with charged particle beam radiation therapy of cancerous tumors. Particularly, intensity of a charged particle stream of a synchrotron is described. Intensity control is described in combination with turning magnets, edge focusing magnets, concentrating magnetic field magnets, winding and control coils, and extraction elements of the synchrotron. The system reduces the overall size of the synchrotron, provides a tightly controlled proton beam, directly reduces the size of required magnetic fields, directly reduces required operating power, and allows continual acceleration of protons in a synchrotron even during a process of extracting protons from the synchrotron.
US08368018B2	Method and apparatus for charged particle beam inspection A charged particle beam inspection apparatus comprises: an electron gun for irradiating an electron beam onto a sample; a detector for detecting a signal obtained from the sample; an image processor for forming an image from the signal obtained from the detector, and an energy controller for controlling the beam energy of the electron beam to be irradiated onto the sample. An identical charged particle beam inspection apparatus carries out a plurality of types of inspections. An inspection apparatus of a projection type may be applied thereto. A pattern defect inspection, a foreign material inspection, and an inspection for a defect in a multilayer are carried out. Beam energies E1, E2, and E3 in those inspections have a relation E1>E2 and E3>E2. Charge removal is performed in a transport chamber or other vacuum chamber before an inspection.
US08368004B2	Reflection plate for optical encoder and manufacturing method thereof, and optical encoder A reflection plate for an optical encoder includes: a base material (1) with a reflecting surface; and a film (3) that is formed on a part of the reflecting surface and includes a non-electrolytic plating film or an electrolytic oxide film.
US08367998B2	Image sensor having a charge pump circuit and a drive transistor An image sensor includes a charge pump circuit supplying first to third signals having sequentially decreasing voltage levels, a reset transistor having a drain and a gate connected with the charge pump circuit to form a diode connection and receiving the first to third signals, a photodiode generating photocharges, a transfer transistor forming a series connection between the photodiode and the reset transistor, a floating diffusion region forming a parallel connection between the transfer transistor and the reset transistor and storing the photocharges, and a drive transistor connected with the floating diffusion region, the reset transistor, a power supply voltage terminal, and a unit pixel output terminal. A gate of the transfer transistor receives a turn-off voltage if the first or second signal is supplied, and receives a turn-off voltage or a turn-on voltage if the third signal is supplied.
US08367981B2	Baking apparatus, baking method and method of reducing gap width A baking apparatus including a hot plate and a substrate rotation member is provided. The hot plate has a heating surface. The substrate rotation member includes a rotation ring and a plurality of support arms. The rotation ring is configured to surround the hot plate. The support arms are disposed over the heating surface of the hot plate. Each of the support arms includes a connection part and a support part, wherein the connection part is configured to connect the rotation ring and the support part, and a supporting surface of the support part for supporting the substrate is higher than the heating surface of the hot plate.
US08367980B2	Method for controlling the humidity level in a cooking oven A method for controlling the humidity level in a cavity of a cooking oven provided with a steam generator comprises the monitoring of the power delivered to the steam generator in order to maintain the power to a predetermined value that is correlated to a choice made by the user among a plurality of predetermined values corresponding to different values of at least one cooking parameter, particularly the degree of browning of the food.
US08367979B2	Cooking platform and related method A household range includes a first oven having a first electric cooking element, and a second oven includes a second electric cooking element. A power management system is used to distribute power such that when the second electric cooking element is energized the first electric cooking element is de-energized.
US08367967B2	Method and apparatus for repairing thermal barrier coatings A method and apparatus for repairing a thermal barrier coating on components in gas turbine engines and the like. The apparatus includes a microplasma spray gun having an anode, cathode, and an arc generator for generating an electric arc between the anode and cathode. The apparatus includes a nozzle for emitting arc gas into the electric arc. The electric arc is operable for ionizing the gas to create a plasma gas stream. A powder injector injects powdered thermal barrier coating material into the plasma gas stream. Defective areas of the thermal barrier coating can be patched on the component without masking the component.
US08367956B2	Thumbwheel An electric switch for use on multiple-use operating elements in commercial vehicles has an operating part that performs a rotational movement around a limited angle and can be actuated directly by a solid body outside the switch, and having a support housing and an adjustment wheel having the operating part. In order to enable a safe usability in the dark, the operating part is constructed in an illuminated manner dependent on the operating position.
US08367954B2	Button structure with light transmittance and related electronic device A button structure includes a pressing portion, and an accommodating portion connected to a side of the pressing portion. An accommodating space is formed inside the accommodating portion. The button structure further includes a protruding portion connected to a side of the accommodated portion for actuating a switch when the pressing portion is pressed, and a light guiding portion. An end of the light guiding portion is disposed above a light source, and the other end of the light guiding portion is disposed inside the accommodating space. The light guiding portion is for guiding light emitted from the light source to project on a bottom of the pressing portion.
US08367948B2	Handheld device A pair of side keys disposed on a lateral plate casing of a stationary-side rear case in a cellular phone is coupled with a film sheet that is fabricated in a substantially identical length to the length of the pair of side keys. The pair of side keys is coupled with the film sheet by applying double-faced adhesive tapes having adhesive faces on both sides only to both ends of the film sheet.
US08367945B2	Apparatus, system and method for use in mounting electronic elements The present embodiments provide apparatuses, systems and methods of manufacturing surface mountable devices. Some embodiments provide surface mount devices that comprise a casing comprising a recess formed in the casing and extending into the casing, an insert secured with the casing and extending about the recess defining a portion of a surface of the recess with the insert comprising a reflective surface exposed along the recess, and a plurality of leads partially exposed through the recess.
US08367937B2	Printed circuit board with a signal line pair and method of manufacturing the same A first insulating layer is formed on a suspension body. A write wiring trace is formed on the first insulating layer. A second insulating layer is formed on the first insulating layer to cover the write wiring trace. A write wiring trace and read wiring traces are formed on the second insulating layer. The write wiring trace is arranged above the write wiring trace. The write wiring trace includes a conductor layer and reinforcing alloy layers. The reinforcing alloy layers are sequentially formed to cover an upper surface and side surfaces of the conductor layer.
US08367933B1	Data cables with improved pair property balance A communication cable can comprise twisted pairs of electrical conductors for transmitting electrical signals, such as for digital communication or data transmission. The pairs can be twisted to different lengths, thereby managing interference among the pairs. The electrical conductors of the pairs can be individually insulated with a polymeric material comprising a base polymer that is foamed with a gas such as nitrogen. The respective foaming levels of the electrical conductors in each pair can be selected to balance electrical properties among the pairs.
US08367927B2	Waterproofing method for wire and wire having waterproof part formed by the waterproofing method A waterproofing method is provided for a wire to be arranged in a water susceptible area of a vehicle. An insulating coating layer is removed in a lengthwise intermediate part of the wire to expose a core. A heat shrinkable tube with an inner layer made of a hot-melt waterproofing agent is mounted on the exposed core section and parts of the insulating coating layer adjacent to the exposed core section and heated. As a result, the hot-melt waterproofing agent of the inner layer is melted and infiltrates into clearances between strands of the exposed core section. In addition, negative pressure is introduced into the inside of the insulating coating layer from an end of the wire, thereby sucking the waterproofing agent into the inside of the insulating coating layer to infiltrate the waterproofing agent also between the strands of the core inside the insulating coating layer.
US08367926B2	Electronic apparatus and cover mechanism An electronic apparatus includes an enclosure defining a connector port, and a cover mechanism. The cover mechanism includes a bracket mounted to the enclosure, a cover rotatably mounted to the bracket to cover or uncover the connector port. The cover includes an elastic lock. When the cover is rotated to cover the connector port, the elastic lock is engaged with a sidewall of the connector port.
US08367895B2	Compositions and methods for the suppression of target polynucleotides from the family aphididae Methods and compositions are provided which employ a silencing element that, when ingested by a pest, are capable of decreasing the expression of a target sequence in the pest. In specific embodiments, the decrease in expression of the target sequence controls the pest and thereby the methods and compositions are capable of limiting damage to a plant. Target polynucleotides for specific protein classes and target polynucleotides set forth in SEQ ID NOS:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or active variants or fragments thereof are provided, wherein a decrease in expression of one or more sequences in the target pest controls the pest. Further provided are silencing elements which when ingested by the pest decrease the level of the target polypeptide and thereby control the pest. Plants, plant part, bacteria and host cells comprising the silencing elements or an active variant or fragment thereof are also provided.
US08367892B2	Generation of plants with altered protein, fiber, or oil content The present invention is directed to plants that display an improved oil quantity phenotype or an improved meal quality phenotype due to altered expression of an IMQ nucleic acid. The invention is further directed to methods of generating plants with an improved oil quantity phenotype or improved meal quality phenotype.
US08367883B2	Synthetic naphtha manufacturing method The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing naphtha, wherein, in hydrogenation of a naphtha fraction which is fractionated from synthetic oil (FT synthetic oil) obtained by Fisher-Tropsch synthesis, the hydrogenised component is recycled and the recycled amount thereof is adjusted to reduce a olefin content in a hydro-refining apparatus whereby heat generation is suppressed and unstable operation of the hydro-refining apparatus can be stabilized. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing naphtha, wherein a cut point for fractionating a naphtha fraction from FT synthetic oil is adjusted to reduce the amount of olefin in a hydro-refining apparatus whereby unstable operation of the hydro-refining apparatus can be stabilized.
US08367881B2	Method for biomass fractioning by enhancing biomass thermal conductivity A method is described for generating useful chemical intermediates from biomass using a novel pyrolysis reactor that utilizes the inherent thermal properties of carbon under compression as the biomass is subjected to sequential or concurrent temperature ramps. The ramps are sufficient to volatilize and selectively create different components, while the pressure application aids the selective decomposition of the biomass.
US08367878B2	Method for producing 2-chloro-3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HCFC-1233xf) The present invention relates to an improved method for manufacturing 2-chloro-3,3,3,-trifluoropropene (HCFC-1233xf) by reacting 1,1,2,3-tetrachloropropene, 1,1,1,2,3-pentachloropropane, and/or 2,3,3,3-tetrachloropropene with hydrogen fluoride, in a vapor phase reaction vessel in the presence of a vapor phase fluorination catalyst and stabilizer. HCFC-1233xf is an intermediate in the production of 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf) which is a refrigerant with low global warming potential.
US08367869B2	Aromatic amine derivative and organic electroluminescence device using the same To attain an organic electroluminescence device having a long lifetime and high luminous efficiency, and is capable of emitting blue light having a high color purity, and an aromatic amine derivative for realizing the device, the present invention provides an aromatic amine derivative having a specific structure, and an organic electroluminescence device including an organic thin film layer composed of one or more layers including at least a light emitting layer and interposed between a cathode and an anode, in which at least one layer of the organic thin film layer contains the aromatic amine derivative alone or as a component of a mixture.
US08367865B2	Method and catalyst composition for preparing amide The present invention provides a catalyst composition for preparing an amide, including an amino acid ionic liquid having a cation of formula (I) and an anion selected from the group consisting of an inorganic acid group, an organic acid group and a combination thereof, wherein the numbers of the anion and the cation are such that the amino acid ionic liquid is electroneutral; and a Bronsted acid. The present invention also provides a method for preparing an amide in the presence of the catalyst composition, and the method has advantages such as decreasing viscosity of ionic liquid, and increasing conversion rate of ketoximes and selectivity of amides.
US08367864B2	Dimeric double metal salts of (−)-hydroxycitric acid, methods of making and uses of same The present invention relates to soluble dimeric double metal salt compositions of (−)-hydroxycitric acid (“HCA”), as well as methods for making and using the same. The invention provides dimeric double metal salts of group IA and IIA of HCA (hereinafter, “DDM-HCAs”). The present invention provides methods to make DDM-HCAs of the invention which can be employed to alter the polar/ionic qualities of HCA salts and derivatives to improve solubility of HCA compositions. DDM-HCAs of the invention are soluble HCA-containing compositions useful as dietary supplements and suitable for manipulations under those conditions necessary for tabletting, encapsulation, and the production of dry powders, particularly for use as a beverage premix. Methods of use of the composition include treatment for suppression of appetite, for weight loss, for an increase in the rate of fat metabolism, for reduction in blood lipids and postprandial lipemia, and to increase the plasma level of (−)-hydroxycitric acid.
US08367861B1	Guerbet citrate polyesters The present invention has as its objective a series of citrate polyesters that have based upon guerbet alcohols reacted with citric acid, and crosslinked by diols. These polymers have a very low viscosity when one considers the molecular weight, and are ideally suited to personal care applications due to their unique feel.
US08367858B2	Terephthalic and trimellitic based acids and carboxylate derivatives thereof The present invention relates to novel substituted and unsubstituted terephthalic acid and carboxylate derivatives and products prepared therefrom having a significant renewable content. The invention also relates to processes for preparing substituted and unsubstituted terephthalic and carboxylate derivatives thereof wherein a portion of the starting materials utilized is derived from renewable resources. The invention also relates to novel cyclohexene based intermediates prepared in these processes and to conversion of these intermediates to substituted and unsubstituted cyclohexane-1,4-dicarboxylates and carboxylate derivatives thereof and novel forms of the resulting products having renewable content. The invention also relates to products prepared from substituted and unsubstituted terephthalic acid and carboxylate derivatives thereof derived from starting materials derived from renewable resources.
US08367854B2	Method for producing and stabilizing oligoaminosilanes The invention relates to a method for producing oligoaminosilanes of the general formula (I) SinY2n+2, wherein oligohalosilanes of the general formula (II) SinX2n+2 are reacted with primary amines of the general formula (III) R—NH2 in hydrocarbons as solvents, wherein X is selected from among chlorine, bromine, and iodine, Y is a halogen, hydrogen, or R—NH, R is a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and n is values from 1 to 20, with the stipulation that at most 35 mol % of the groups Y is a hydrogen and at most 15 mol % of the groups Y is a halogen, wherein activated carbon is added to the reaction mixture. The invention further relates to a method for stabilizing the oligoaminosilanes of the general formula (I), wherein the oligoaminosilanes are treated with activated carbon.
US08367853B2	Method and system for forming a precursor compound for non-bridged unsymmetric polyolefin polymerization catalyst The present techniques relates generally to polyolefin catalysts and, more specifically, to preparing a precursor compound for an unsymmetric metallocene catalyst, for using the precursor compound to prepare catalysts, and for employing the precursor compounds to prepare catalysts for polyolefin polymerizations.
US08367848B2	Process for the preparation of amorphous calcium salt of atorvastatin Present invention refers to the process of preparing amorphous atorvastatin calcium without intermediate isolation of crystal or undefined mixture of crystal and amorphous atorvastatin calcium, respectively. Forming of calcium atorvastatin salt is carried out in a mixture of chlorinated organic solvent or cyclic hydrocarbon solvent, respectively, the non-hydroxylic organic solvent, and water, the source of calcium ions is calcium acetate or calcium chloride, respectively.
US08367842B2	Fluorescent dyes and uses thereof The present invention provides fluorescent dyes that are based on firefly luciferin structure. These dyes are optimally excited at shorter wavelengths and have Stokes shift of at least 50 nm. The fluorescent dyes of the invention are useful for preparation of dye-conjugates, which can be used in detection of an analyte in a sample.
US08367824B2	Process for producing quinazolin-4-one derivative A process for producing a quinazolin-4-one compound having the formula: [wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 each represents a group not participating in the below-mentioned reaction, and R1, R2, R3 and R4 can be combined together to form a ring] which comprises reacting an anthranilic acid derivative having the formula: [wherein R5 is a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbyl group] with a formic acid derivative in the presence of an ammonium carboxylate.
US08367818B2	Low molecular weight hyaluronic acid and/or salt thereof, and cosmetic preparation, pharmaceutical composition, and food composition each using same A low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid and/or its salt has an average molecular weight of 5000 to 20,000, and has a molecular weight distribution in which the proportion of components having a molecular weight of 10,000 or less is 40 wt % or more and the proportion of components having a molecular weight of 50,000 or more is 5 wt % or less.
US08367817B2	Reagents for isolation of purified RNA Compositions and methods to isolate intact RNA that is substantially free of DNA, termed purified RNA. RNA from any source (e.g., human, other animals, plants, viruses, etc.) may be isolated. In one embodiment, the sample is treated with phenol at a pH less than 4.0 and purified RNA is recovered from the aqueous phase. In another embodiment, RNA is precipitated from an acidified sample containing a low volume of an organic solvent. Other embodiments are disclosed. The same inventive composition may be used for several embodiments with pH adjustment. Purified RNA obtained by the inventive method may be used in assays where DNA contamination is undesirable, such as the polymerase chain reaction.
US08367812B2	Preparation of organosilicon compounds The synthesis of purified functionalized organosilicon compounds containing at least one active azo group having formula (I): [(G0)3SiO1/2]m[(G0)2SiO2/2]n[G0SiO3/2]o[SiO4/2]p[(G2)a(G1)a′(Z—CO—HN═NH—CO-A)SiO(3-a-a′)/2] entails providing at least one hydrazino (—HN—NH—) precursor (II) of the compound (I) and oxidizing the precursor (II) into an azo group specific to the compound (I) with the aid of an oxidizing system comprising at least one oxidant (Ox) and at least one base (B), wherein 1) Ox is selected from among the oxidants that can oxidize a hydrazine function into an azo function, with or without the exclusion of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS), 2) and/or Ox (optionally B) is/are employed in stoichiometric quantities in relation to the precursor (II); 3) and/or the organosilicon compounds (I) thus prepared are subjected to a purification post-treatment to eliminate any unwanted residues of the base B used, with the proviso that, when NBS is not excluded, characteristic (1) is combined with characteristic (2) and/or characteristic (3).
US08367806B2	Protein disulfide isomerase assay method for the in vitro diagnosis of colorectal cancer A method for the in vitro diagnosis of colorectal cancer by determining the presence of the protein disulfide isomerase tumor marker in a biological sample taken from a patient suspected of having colorectal cancer using at least one anti-PDI monoclonal antibody directed against a PDI epitope chosen from the epitopes of sequence SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2 with an aromatic amino acid having a three-dimensional structure similar to that of PDI, and SEQ ID NO: 3.
US08367792B2	Polysiloxane compound and method of producing the same A polysiloxane represented by the formula (1) or (2): where R, R1, R2, m and n are defined in the specification.
US08367782B2	Polymer stream transfer Process for heating a polymer-containing stream being transferred from a polymerization reactor to a separation zone or device, by passing the stream through a heater having at least one transfer line for the stream and a heater for heating the transfer line. The average particle size of the solid polymer is less than 3mm, the mass flowrate of the polymer-containing stream exiting the heater is no more than 15% greater than the mass flowrate exiting the reactor, the average velocity of the polymer-containing stream either at a point 80% along the length of the heated part of the transfer line measured from the transfer line inlet, or at the transfer line outlet, is at least 6 m/s, and the pressure drop across the transfer line per unit length is between 0.0125 bar/m and 0.1 bar/m.
US08367779B1	Rubber composition for golf ball The invention provides a rubber composition for golf balls which includes (A) a base rubber containing a polybutadiene having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60 wt %, (B) an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof, and (C) an anthranilic acid derivative of the general formula wherein R1 and R2 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbons, m is an integer from 1 to 4, and n is an integer from 1 to 3, with the proviso that if m and/or n is 2 or more, each occurrence of R1 and R2 may be the same or different. The golf ball rubber composition of the invention enables a high-quality molded and crosslinked product having a suitable hardness and a high resilience to be obtained.
US08367773B2	Chemical blends of polyolefins and poly(hydroxy carboxylic acid)s A process is described for obtaining a chemical blend of a polyolefin with a poly(hydroxy carboxylic acid) by mixing poly(hydroxy carboxylic acid) with at least one polyolefin in the presence of a compatibilising compound having at least one polymerisable double bond and at least one electrophilic functional group. The invention also relates to the chemical blend obtainable according to this process, as well as the use of the compatibilising compound to obtain chemical blends of polyolefin with poly(hydroxy carboxylic acid).
US08367768B2	Encapsulant compositions and method for fabricating encapsulant materials An encapsulant composition is provided. The encapsulant composition includes at least one silane-containing monomer and at least one resin monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic resin monomers and epoxy resin monomers, a filler of about 0.1-15 wt % of the encapsulant composition, and an initiator. The invention also provides a method for fabricating an encapsulant material.
US08367757B2	Polymer composite material, optical material including the same, and thermoplastic aromatic polymer The present invention develops a new thermoplastic aromatic polymer in which metal oxide particles can be uniformly dispersed even without any special functional group in the polymer, and provides a high-performance polymer composite material including the thermoplastic aromatic polymer. A polymer composite material of the present invention includes: a polymer matrix including a thermoplastic aromatic polymer having both an ester bond and an ether bond; and metal oxide particles dispersed in the polymer matrix.
US08367744B2	Sealant composition for liquid crystal display device Disclosed is a sealant composition for a liquid crystal display device, the sealant composition including a (meta) acrylate compound as expressed in Chemical Formula 1 below
US08367740B2	Hydrolysis resistant organomodified disiloxane ionic surfactants An asymmetric organomodified disiloxane surfactant having the formula: MM′ wherein M comprises branched hydrocarbon substituents and M′ comprises a cationic, anionic or zwitterionic substituent and a polyether substituent that may be combined as one moiety, wherein the disiloxane surfactant has an enhanced resistance to hydrolysis between a pH of about 3 to about 12.
US08367737B2	Method of using biothionol and biothionol-like compounds as anti-angiogenic agents The present disclosure relates generally to treating or preventing diseases associated with angiogenesis by administering to a patient certain compounds found to inhibit or substantially reduce angiogenesis. Compounds employed according to the present disclosure exhibit good anti-angiogenic activity as well as demonstrate a prophylactic effect for preventing and substantially reducing angiogenesis. Examples of such compounds include Ritanserin, Amiodarone, Terfenadinc, Perphenazine, Bithionol, and Clomipramine.
US08367735B2	Pharmaceutical compositions The present invention relates to compounds of formula I or II:—wherein R is an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, aralkyl, aralkenyl, or aralkynyl group, that may be substituted or unsubstituted, and that optionally includes at least one heteroatom in its carbon skeleton; R1 is hydrogen, or an alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, substituted aryl, or aralkyl group; and R2 is an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, aralkyl, aralkenyl, or aralkynyl group containing 4-12 carbon atoms, that may be substituted or unsubstituted, and that optionally includes at least one heteroatom in its carbon skeleton; provided that in a compound of formula I, when R1 is an iso-propyl or phenyl group, R2 is not an acetyl or tert-butyldimethylsilyl group; and their use in therapeutic, diagnostic and research methods.
US08367734B1	Stable epinephrine suspension formulation with high inhalation delivery efficiency A stable suspension aerosol formulation of epinephrine is suitable for administration through inhalation comprising a therapeutically effective amount of epinephrine, hydrofluorocarbon propellant, co-solvent, surfactant, and antioxidant. The suspension aerosol formulation further comprises [pre-] pre-micronized epinephrine suspended in an alcohol/surfactant solution with hydrofluoroalkane propellant. The suspension formulation provides a highly efficient delivery of drug microparticles into the respirable region of patients' lungs and has the following advantages: lower dosage requirement, minimum alcohol content, with less impurities generated during storage, improved efficacy and safety, and exhibits no ozone depleting potential compared to a formulation containing chlorofluorocarbon.
US08367729B2	Composition with preventive or improvement effect on symptoms or diseases associated with stress-induced behavior disorders A composition with a preventive or improvement effect on symptoms or diseases associated with stress-induced behavior disorders, comprising arachidonic acid and/or a compound comprising arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid.
US08367720B2	Andrographolide derivatives and use thereof in manufacture of medicaments The present invention relates to an andrographolide derivative of the formula (I), wherein R1, R2 and R3 are same or different substituents selected from hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted organic acid radicals, inorganic acid radicals, alkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, and at least one of R1, R2 and R3 is R-lipoic acid, S-lipoic acid or a mixture thereof, or corresponding dihydrolipoic acids thereof, or N-acetylcysteine radical. The derivative has good antitumor effect, can induce apoptosis of tumor cells, can directly kill Gram-positive bacteria (staphylococcus aureus) and drug resistance bacteria (MRSA5676 and MRSA5677), can inhibit the QS-system of Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), can inhibit and destroy the formation of biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa; and exhibits significant hypoglycemic effect, so that it can be used in manufacture of medicaments for treatment of cancers, inflammation, diabetes, and bacterial and viral infections.
US08367716B2	Method for attentuating virulence of microbial pathogens and for inhibiting microbial biofilm formation The present invention relates to the use of the cyclic dinucleotide c-di-GMP and cyclic dinucleotide analogues thereof in a method for attenuating virulence of a microbial pathogen or for inhibiting or reducing colonization by a microbial pathogen. This method further inhibits microbial biofilm formation and is capable of treating bacterial infections. The microbial colonization or biofilm formation inhibited or reduced may be on the skin or on nasal or mucosal surface. The microbial colonization or biofilm formation inhibited can also be on the surfaces of medical devices, especially those in close contact with the patient, as well on the surfaces of industrial and construction material where microbial colonization and biofilm formation is of concern.
US08367712B2	Substituted amide beta secretase inhibitors Disclosed are novel compounds of the formula or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof, wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 and X are as defined in the specification. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of formula I.Also disclosed are methods of treating cognitive or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.Also disclosed are methods of treating a cognitive or neurodegenerative disease comprising administering to a patient I need of such treatment a combination of at least one compound of formula I and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of β-secretase inhibitors other than those of formula I, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, gamma-secretase inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, cholinesterase inhibitors and anti-amyloid antibodies.
US08367710B2	Bicyclo-substituted pyrazolon azo derivatives, preparation process and pharmaceutical use thereof The bicyclo-substituted pyrazolon-azo derivatives of formula (I) or pharmaceutical acceptable salts, hydrates or solvates thereof, methods for their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing the same and their use as a therapeutic agent, especially as thrombopoietin (TPO) mimetics and their use as agonists of thrombopoietin receptor are disclosed. The definition of substituents in formula (I) are the same as defined in the description.
US08367704B2	Process for preparation of 2-methyl-2′ phenylpropionic acid derivatives and novel intermediate compounds The present invention relates to a process for preparing 2-methyl-2′-phenylpropionic acid derivatives showing antihistamine activity in more simplified way, intermediate compounds and their preparation processes used therefor. According to the present invention, pharmaceutically useful 2-methyl-2′-phenylpropionic acid derivatives can be prepared with high yield and purity on industrial scale.
US08367697B2	Kinase inhibitors The present invention relates to compounds useful as inhibitors of protein kinase. The invention also provides pharmaceutically acceptable compositions comprising said compounds and methods of using the compositions in the treatment of various disease, conditions, or disorders. The invention also provides processes for preparing compounds of the inventions.
US08367691B2	Modulators of muscarinic receptors The present invention relates to modulators of muscarinic receptors. The present invention also provides compositions comprising such modulators, and methods therewith for treating muscarinic receptor mediated diseases.
US08367678B2	Treatment for spinal muscular atrophy A method of treating spinal muscular atrophy. The method includes administering an effective amount of composition including a sodium-proton exchanger inhibitor and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or salt, to a subject with spinal muscular atrophy to ameliorate a symptom of spinal muscular atrophy.
US08367670B2	Modulators of toll-like receptors Provided are modulators of TLRs of Formula II: pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, compositions containing such compounds, and therapeutic methods that include the administration of such compounds.
US08367659B2	Oxazinyl isoflavonoid compounds, medicaments and use The invention provides oxazinyl isoflavonoid compounds and compositions containing same, methods for their preparation and their use as therapeutic agents particularly as cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and chemotherapeutic agents.
US08367653B2	Azetidinyl diamides as monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitors Disclosed are compounds, compositions and methods for treating various diseases, syndromes, conditions and disorders, including pain. Such compounds are represented by Formula (I) as follows: wherein Y, Z, R1, and s are defined herein.
US08367652B2	Methods of treating hypertriglyceridemia In various embodiments, the present invention provides methods of treating and/or preventing cardiovascular-related disease and, in particular, a method of blood lipid therapy comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a pharmaceutical composition comprising eicosapentaenoic acid or a derivative thereof.
US08367651B2	Solid ganaxolone formulations and methods for the making and use thereof In certain embodiments, the invention is directed to composition comprising stable particles comprising ganaxolone, wherein the volume weighted median diameter (D50) of the particles is from about 50 nm to about 500 nm.
US08367649B2	Formulations of deoxycholic acid and salts thereof The present application is directed to an aqueous pharmaceutical formulation comprising less than about 5% w/v sodium deoxycholate maintained at a pH sufficient to substantially inhibit precipitation of the sodium deoxycholate. Also disclosed herein, are methods for inhibiting precipitation of sodium deoxycholate in an aqueous solution comprising less than about 5% w/v of sodium deoxycholate, said method comprising maintaining pH of the solution of from at least about 8.0 to about 8.5.
US08367647B2	Treatment of meconium aspiration syndrome with estrogens One aspect of the present invention relates to the use of an estrogen in the treatment of Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS) in a newborn infant, said treatment comprising administering an effective amount of estrogen to said newborn infant within 7 days after birth. The present treatment offers the advantage that estrogens can be administered using non-invasive modes of administration, e.g. oral or rectal administration. Other aspects of the present invention relate to a suppository for use in newborn infants comprising at least 1 μg of estrogen and to an oral applicator comprising a container holding an aqueous liquid containing micronised estetrol and a metering dispenser for metering the liquid into the oral cavity of a newborn infant.
US08367641B2	Use of modified oligo-β-(1,3)-glucans for treating diseases of the immune system, oligo-β-(1,3)-glucan-(1,3)-mannose, oligo-β-(1,3)-glucan-(1,3)-mannitol and derivatives thereof, methods for preparing them and medicaments containing them The present invention relates to the use of at least one compound of formula (I) or (II), in which R1 is H and n is an integer from 2 to 10, for the preparation of a medicament for treating diseases chosen from the group comprising tumour, cancer, viral disease, bacterial disease, fungal disease, disease of the immune system, auto-immune disease or disease linked to a deficiency in immunostimulation, in human beings and warm-blooded animals. The invention also relates to new products having a mannose or mannitol termination as well as a method for preparing them.
US08367631B2	Pharmaceutical composition which improves in vivo gene transfer A pharmaceutical composition, including at least one nucleic acid, a Tyrode's medium having 140 mM NaC1, 6 mM KC1, 3 mM CaC12, 2 mM MgC12, 10 mM Hepes, pH 7.4, and 10 mM glucose; and a tetrafunctional copolymer of formula (I): where x and y represent, independently of one another, an integer of between 1 and 500, the tetrafunctional copolymer is in a form of a mineral salt wherein said tetrafunctional copolymer is in a cationic form. The compound of formula (I) has a molecular weight of between 1,000 and 25,000 g/mol and an EO/PO ratio of 0.8 to 1.2.
US08367628B2	Amphoteric liposome formulation The invention relates to compositions and methods to inhibit gene expression. In particular, the invention provides DNAi oligonucleotides sequestered by amphoteric liposomes for the treatment of cancer.
US08367622B2	Sulfated C-glycoside, method for isolating same and method for synthesizing same Provided are a sulfated C-glycoside which is a novel compound serving as a precursor of chafuroside and chafuroside analogs; a method for efficiently producing the sulfated C-glycoside; and a method for efficiently producing chafuroside and chafuroside analogs using said sulfated C-glycoside. A sulfated C-glycoside represented by general formula (A1) or (B1) [wherein R1, R2 and R3 independently represent each a hydrogen atom or an OH group] is obtained by extracting tea leaves or tea tannins with water, a lower alcohol solvent having 1 to 3 carbon atoms or a liquid mixture comprising the same. Alternatively, the sulfated C-glycoside is produced by reacting a flavone C-glycoside such as isovitexin or vitexin with a sulfate group-introducing agent to thereby sulfate the flavone C-glycoside. By heating the sulfated C-glycoside thus obtained, chafuroside and chafuroside analogs are efficiently produced.
US08367620B2	Peptidic growth hormone secretagogues analog compounds and preparations thereof Peptidic chemical compounds obtained by in silico molecular modelling, having a structure that enables them to perform the same functions of peptidic growth hormone secretagogues. The invention also comprises the preparations containing such compounds and the use in medicines, food additives, nutritional supplements or other formulations of human or animal use.
US08367614B2	Rheumatoid arthritis-preventive agent for oral intake There is provided a rheumatoid arthritis inhibitor for oral intake that has an inhibitory effect on rheumatoid arthritis and is excellent in safety. The rheumatoid arthritis inhibitor for oral intake of the present invention contains, as an active component, a casein hydrolysate containing free amino acids and peptides obtained by hydrolyzing animal milk casein to have an average chain length of not longer than 2.1 in terms of the number of amino acid residues, or a mixture of free amino acids and peptides contained in the hydrolysate.
US08367613B2	Resuscitation fluid A method for treating conditions related to lack of blood supply with a lipid based resuscitation fluid is disclosed. The resuscitation fluid contains a lipid component and an aqueous carrier. The lipid component forms an emulsion with the aqueous carrier. The resuscitation fluid can be used to increase the blood pressure and to carry oxygen to tissues. The resuscitation fluid can also be used for preserving the biological integrity of donor organs for transplantation.
US08367603B2	Protein capable of inhibiting anthrax toxin activity The invention particularly relates to inhibition of the cleavage of protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis, which subsequently leads to inhibition of activity of anthrax toxin.
US08367597B2	Stabilization of perhydrolases Disclosed herein is a method for stabilization of the perhydrolase activity of the CE-7 esterase in a formulation with a carboxylic acid ester that employs the addition of a buffering agent, substantially undissolved, to the mixture of the CE-7 esterase and the carboxylic acid ester. Further, disinfectant and laundry care formulations comprising the peracids produced by the processes described herein are provided.
US08367593B2	Method for improving the resistance to one or more of corrosion, oxidation, sludge and deposit formation of lubricating oil compositions for biodiesel fueled engines Lubricating oil used for the lubrication of engines run on biodiesel fuels are improved in their resistance to oxidation, sludge and deposits formation by the addition to said lubricating oil of detergent to increase the TBN of the lubricating oil or the addition of organic bases.
US08367592B2	Lubricant for metallic material working and a method of press working a metallic material To provide a lubricant for metallic material working and a method of press working a metallic material that makes it possible to improve the working accuracy of a press worked product and prolong the life of the die assembly beyond prior levels of life. [Solution] A lubricant for metallic material working comprises a mixture of a sulfur-based extreme pressure agent, an organic zinc compound, a calcium-based additive, and an ester compound, with lubricant base oil. The sulfur-based extreme pressure agent has a sulfur content of 5% by weight or higher based on the total weight of the lubricant. The organic zinc compound has a zinc content of 0.5% by weight or higher based on the total weight of the lubricant. The calcium-based additive has a calcium content of 0.5% by weight or higher based on the total weight of the lubricant. And the ester compound occupies a content of 1.0% by weight or higher based on the total weight of the lubricant. Additionally, the solution includes a method of press working a metallic material that employs such a lubricant.
US08367584B2	Naphthalene isoxazoline compounds for control of invertebrate pests Disclosed are compounds of Formula 1, including all geometric and stereoisomers, N-oxides, and salts thereof, wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 are as defined in the disclosure. Also disclosed are compositions containing the compounds of Formula 1 and methods for controlling an invertebrate pest comprising contacting the invertebrate pest or its environment with a biologically effective amount of a compound or a composition of the invention.
US08367583B2	Composition and method for controlling pests The present invention provides a composition comprising, as active ingredients, 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and fipronil; a method of controlling pests, which comprises applying effective amounts of 4-oxo-4-[(2-phenylethyl)amino]-butyric acid and fipronil to a plant or growing site of plant and so on.
US08367581B2	Thermosensitive recording medium with antibacterial property To provide a thermosensitive recording medium including: a support; a thermosensitive recording layer composed mainly of a leuco dye and a developer, formed on a surface of the support; and at least two antibacterial agents which include a zirconium phosphate antibacterial agent and an imidazole antibacterial agent and which are internally contained in the thermosensitive recording medium.
US08367578B2	Non-zeolite base metal SCR catalyst An article for treating a gas containing nitrogen oxides having a monolith substrate loaded with a catalytic composition containing at least one catalytic component consisting of (i) at least one transition metal dispersed on a mixed oxide or composite oxide or a mixture thereof as support material consisting of cerium and zirconium; or (ii) cerium oxide and zirconium oxide as single oxides or a composite oxide thereof or a mixture of the single oxides and the composite oxide dispersed on an inert oxide support material, wherein at least one transition metal is dispersed thereon, wherein the at least one transition metal is selected from the group consisting of a metal from Group VIB, IB, IVA, VB, VIIB, and VIII and mixtures of any two or more thereof, provided that at least one selected transition metal is tungsten, wherein the catalytic composition is disposed on said monolith substrate.
US08367567B2	Shelf life extending container for fruits and vegetables The Shelf Life Extending Container for fruits and vegetables extends the shelf life of various fresh fruits and vegetables and vase life of fresh cut flowers by changing the atmosphere in which these living products are stored and respires. The Shelf Life Extending Container does this by utilizing a Gas Permeable Non-Woven Fabric Based Film. The high oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability of the Gas Permeable Non-Woven Fabric Based Film establishes an ideal atmosphere for the multiple perishable items stored within the Shelf life Extending Container, and therefore extends their shelf life. The establishment of lower oxygen and carbon dioxide atmospheres within the Shelf Life Extending Container using the Gas Permeable Non-Woven Fabric Based Film, also leads to a reduction in the respiration rate of the perishable items stored. The reduction in the respiration rate of the perishable items prevents loss of moisture, production of metabolic heat, yellowing, browning, and reduces the production levels of ethylene by the perishable items. Therefore, the created atmosphere is able to extend shelf life, maintain high quality, and preserve nutrients of fresh produce items by naturally regulating respiration of said produce/flowers.
US08367563B2	Methods for a gate replacement process A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method may include providing a substrate; forming a gate structure including a first dummy gate over the substrate; removing the first dummy gate from the gate structure to form a trench; forming an interfacial layer, high-k dielectric layer, and capping layer to partially fill in the trench; forming a second dummy gate over the capping layer, wherein the second dummy gate fills the trench; and replacing the second dummy gate with a metal gate. In one embodiment, the method may include providing a substrate; forming an interfacial layer over the substrate; forming a high-k dielectric layer over the interfacial layer; forming an etch stop layer over the high-k dielectric layer; forming a capping layer including a low thermal budget silicon over the etch stop layer; forming a dummy gate layer over the capping layer; forming a gate structure; and performing a gate replacement process.
US08367562B2	Method for uniform nanoscale film deposition Ultrathin layers are deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with reduced discontinuities, such as pinholes. Embodiments include depositing a material on a wafer by CVD while rotating the CVD showerhead and/or the wafer mounting surface, e.g., at least 45°. Embodiments include rotating the showerhead and/or mounting surface continuously through the deposition of the material. Embodiments also include forming subfilms of the material and rotating the showerhead and/or mounting surface after the deposition of each subfilm. The rotation of the showerhead and/or mounting surface averages out the non-uniformities introduced by the CVD showerhead, thereby eliminating discontinuities and improving within wafer and wafer-to-wafer uniformity.
US08367547B2	Method for creating a metal crystalline region, in particular in an integrated circuit The method comprises affixing a thin sheet of crystal (8) onto metal (6) of same type as the sheet but amorphous or of small grain size, deposited in trenches of a substrate (1) to form interconnect lines for example. Annealing progressively imposes the crystalline structure of the sheet onto the lines. When the crystal (8) is removed, highly conductive crystalline lines are obtained since the grains thereof have been greatly enlarged.
US08367545B2	System and method for monitoring copper barrier layer preclean process A monitor wafer for use in monitoring a preclean process and method of making same are described. One embodiment is a monitor wafer comprising a silicon base layer; a capping layer disposed on the silicon base layer; and a barrier layer disposed on the USG layer. The monitor wafer further comprises a copper (“Cu”) seed layer disposed on the barrier layer; and a thick Cu layer disposed on the Cu seed layer.
US08367544B2	Self-aligned patterned etch stop layers for semiconductor devices A method of forming a semiconductor device includes patterning a photoresist layer formed over a homogeneous semiconductor device layer to be etched; subjecting the semiconductor device to an implant process that selectively implants a sacrificial etch stop layer that is self-aligned in accordance with locations of features to be etched within the homogeneous semiconductor device layer, and at a desired depth for the features to be etched; etching a feature pattern defined by the patterned photoresist layer into the homogenous semiconductor device layer, stopping on the implanted sacrificial etch stop layer; and removing remaining portion of the implanted sacrificial etch stop layer prior to filling the etched feature pattern with a fill material.
US08367541B2	Semiconductor device suitable for a ferroelectric memory and manufacturing method of the same After a ferroelectric capacitor is formed, an Al wiring (conductive pad) connected to the ferroelectric capacitor is formed. Then, a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film are formed around the Al wiring. Thereafter, as a penetration inhibiting film which inhibits penetration of moisture into the silicon oxide film, an Al2O3 film is formed.
US08367531B1	Aluminum implant using new compounds The present invention provides molecules useful for aluminum implant in semiconductor materials. The molecules can be used in various doping techniques such as ion implant, plasma doping or derivates methods.
US08367528B2	Cyclical epitaxial deposition and etch Methods for selectively depositing high quality epitaxial material include introducing pulses of a silicon-source containing vapor while maintaining a continuous etchant flow. Epitaxial material is deposited on areas of a substrate, such as source and drain recesses. Between pulses, the etchant flow continues such that lower quality epitaxial material may be removed, as well as any non-epitaxial material that may have been deposited. The pulse of silicon-source containing vapor may be repeated until a desired thickness of epitaxial material is selectively achieved in semiconductor windows, such as recessed source/drain regions.
US08367512B2	Self-aligned implants to reduce cross-talk of imaging sensors The embodiments of methods of preparing self-aligned isolation regions between two neighboring sensor elements on a substrate described above enable reducing cross-talk (or blooming) of neighboring. The methods use an oxide implant mask to form a deep doped region and also to form a shallow doped region. In some embodiments, the shallow doped regions are narrower and are formed by depositing a conformal dielectric layer over the oxide implant mask to narrow the openings for implantation.
US08367510B2	Process for producing silicon carbide semiconductor device In a bipolar silicon carbide semiconductor device in which an electron and a hole recombine with each other during current passage within a silicon carbide epitaxial film grown from a surface of a silicon carbide single crystal substrate, an object described herein is the reduction of defects which are the nuclei of a stacking fault which is expanded by current passage, thereby suppressing the increase of the forward voltage of the bipolar silicon carbide semiconductor device. In a method for producing a bipolar silicon carbide semiconductor device, the device is subjected to a thermal treatment at a temperature of 300° C. or higher in the final step of production. Preferably, the above-mentioned thermal treatment is carried out after the formation of electrodes and then the resulting bipolar silicon carbide semiconductor device is mounted in a package.
US08367497B2	Method to reduce trench capacitor leakage for random access memory device A method is provided that includes forming a trench isolation structure in a dynamic random memory region (DRAM) of a substrate and patterning an etch mask over the trench structure to expose a portion of the trench structure. A portion of the exposed trench structure is removed to form a gate trench that includes a first corner formed by the substrate and a second corner formed by the trench structure. The etch mask is removed and the first corner of the gate trench is rounded to form a rounded corner. This is followed by the formation of an oxide layer over a sidewall of the gate trench, the first rounded corner, and the semiconductor substrate adjacent the gate trench. The trench is filled with a gate material.
US08367491B2	Method of manufacturing a vertical-type semiconductor device and method of operating a vertical-type semiconductor device In a vertical-type semiconductor device, a method of manufacturing the same and a method of operating the same, the vertical-type semiconductor device includes a single-crystalline semiconductor pattern having a pillar shape provided on a substrate, a gate surrounding sidewalls of the single-crystalline semiconductor pattern and having an upper surface lower than an upper surface of the single-crystalline semiconductor pattern, a mask pattern formed on the upper surface of the gate, the mask pattern having an upper surface coplanar with the upper surface of the single-crystalline semiconductor pattern, a first impurity region in the substrate under the single-crystalline semiconductor pattern, and a second impurity region under the upper surface of the single-crystalline semiconductor pattern. The vertical-type pillar transistor formed in the single-crystalline semiconductor pattern may provide excellent electrical properties. The mask pattern is not provided on the upper surface of the single-crystalline semiconductor pattern in the second impurity region, to thereby reduce failures of processes.
US08367486B2	Transistor and method for manufacturing the transistor It is an object to reduce characteristic variation among transistors and reduce contact resistance between an oxide semiconductor layer and a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer, in a transistor where the oxide semiconductor layer is used as a channel layer. In a transistor where an oxide semiconductor is used as a channel layer, at least an amorphous structure is included in a region of an oxide semiconductor layer between a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer, where a channel is to be formed, and a crystal structure is included in a region of the oxide semiconductor layer which is electrically connected to an external portion such as the source electrode layer and the drain electrode layer.
US08367485B2	Embedded silicon germanium n-type filed effect transistor for reduced floating body effect A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a gate stack on an active region of a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The active region is within a semiconductor layer and is doped with an p-type dopant. A gate spacer is formed surrounding the gate stack. A first trench is formed in a region reserved for a source region and a second trench is formed in a region reserved for a drain region. The first and second trenches are formed while maintaining exposed the region reserved for the source region and the region reserved for the drain region. Silicon germanium is epitaxially grown within the first trench and the second trench while maintaining exposed the regions reserved for the source and drain regions, respectively.
US08367484B2	Antifuse structure for in line circuit modification An antifuse structure and methods of forming contacts within the antifuse structure. The antifuse structure includes a substrate having an overlying metal layer, a dielectric layer formed on an upper surface of the metal layer, and a contact formed of contact material within a contact via etched through the dielectric layer into the metal layer. The contact via includes a metal material at a bottom surface of the contact via and an untreated or partially treated metal precursor on top of the metal material.
US08367483B2	Antifuse structure for in line circuit modification An antifuse structure and methods of forming contacts within the antifuse structure. The antifuse structure includes a substrate having an overlying metal layer, a dielectric layer formed on an upper surface of the metal layer, and a contact formed of contact material within a contact via etched through the dielectric layer into the metal layer. The contact via includes a metal material at a bottom surface of the contact via and an untreated or partially treated metal precursor on top of the metal material.
US08367476B2	Metallic solderability preservation coating on metal part of semiconductor package to prevent oxide Embodiments of the present invention are directed to metallic solderability preservation coating on connectors of semiconductor package to prevent oxide. Singulated semiconductor packages can have contaminants, such as oxides, on exposed metal areas of the connectors. Oxidation typically occurs on the exposed metal areas when the semiconductor packages are not stored in appropriate environments. Copper oxides prevent the connectors from soldering well. An anti-tarnish solution of the present invention is used to coat the connectors during sawing, after sawing, or both of a semiconductor array to preserve metallic solderability. The anti-tarnish solution is a metallic solution, which advantageously allows the semiconductor packages to not need be assembled immediately after fabrication.
US08367475B2	Chip scale package assembly in reconstitution panel process format Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for the assembly of integrated circuit (IC) packages. A substrate panel is formed that includes a plurality of substrates. The substrate panel is singulated to separate the plurality of substrates. At least a subset of the separated substrates is attached to a surface of a carrier. One or more dies are attached to each of the substrates on the carrier. The dies and the substrates are encapsulated on the carrier with a molding compound. The carrier is detached from the encapsulated dies and substrates to form a molded assembly that includes the molding compound encapsulating the dies and substrates. A plurality of interconnects is attached to each of the substrates at a surface of the molded assembly. The molded assembly is singulated to form a plurality of IC packages. Each IC package includes at least one of the dies and a substrate.
US08367473B2	Substrate having single patterned metal layer exposing patterned dielectric layer, chip package structure including the substrate, and manufacturing methods thereof A chip package structure includes a substrate, a die, and a package body. The substrate includes a single patterned, electrically conductive layer, and a patterned dielectric layer adjacent to an upper surface of the electrically conductive layer. A part of a lower surface of the electrically conductive layer forms first contact pads for electrical connection externally. The patterned dielectric layer exposes a part of the upper surface of the electrically conductive layer to form second contact pads. The electrically conductive layer exposes the lower surface of the patterned dielectric layer on a lower periphery of the substrate. The die is electrically connected to the second contact pads, the patterned dielectric layer and the die being positioned on the same side of the electrically conductive layer. The package body is disposed adjacent to the upper surface of the electrically conductive layer and covers the patterned dielectric layer and the die.
US08367468B2	Electrode connection structure of semiconductor chip, conductive member, and semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same An electrode connection structure of a semiconductor chip is provided to realize a highly reliable electrical connection with low stress without using a bump. A conductive member may be used for such an electrode connection structure. A semiconductor device is provided wherein semiconductor chips are arranged in layers without providing the semiconductor chips with a through via, and a method is provided for manufacturing such a semiconductor device. A part or all of the surface of a horizontal recess, which is formed in an adhesive layer arranged between a first electrode of a lower layer and a second electrode of an upper layer, is provided with a conductive member for connecting the first electrode and the second electrode.
US08367465B2	Integrated circuit package on package system A integrated circuit package on package system is provided including providing a base substrate having a base stackable connection, attaching a base integrated circuit on the base substrate, forming a stackable package including the base integrated circuit encapsulated with the base stackable connection partially exposed, and attaching a bottom package on the stackable package.
US08367450B2	Light emitting system and method of fabricating and using the same A light emitting system is disclosed. The system comprises an active region having a stack of bilayer quantum well structures separated from each other by barrier layers. Each bilayer quantum well structure is formed of a first layer made of a first semiconductor alloy for electron confinement and a second layer made of a second semiconductor alloy for hole confinement, wherein a thickness and composition of each layer is such that a characteristic hole confinement energy of the bilayer quantum well structure is at least 200 meV.
US08367448B2	Capacitor and organic light emitting display device A capacitor of an organic light emitting display device includes a first metal layer on a substrate, a first insulating layer on the first metal layer, an oxide semiconductor layer on the first insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer corresponding to the first metal layer, a second insulating layer on the first insulating layer, the second insulating layer including an opening exposing a portion of the oxide semiconductor layer, and a second metal layer on the second insulating layer and in the opening, the second metal layer being connected to the exposed portion of the oxide semiconductor layer.
US08367445B2	Group III nitride semiconductor light-emitting device A method for producing a Group III nitride semiconductor light-emitting device includes forming a first stripe-pattern embossment on the top surface of a sapphire substrate, so that first grooves parallel to the x-axis direction (the c-axis direction of the sapphire substrate) are periodically arranged at specific intervals. Subsequently, an insulating film is formed over the entire surface of the first stripe-pattern embossment. Next, a second stripe-pattern embossment is formed so that second grooves, each having a flat bottom surface, are periodically arranged at specific intervals and parallel to the y-axis direction, which is orthogonal to the x-axis direction. A GaN crystal is grown through MOCVD on side surfaces of each second groove of the sapphire substrate, to thereby form, on the sapphire substrate, an m-plane GaN base layer. An LED device structure is formed on the base layer, to thereby produce a light-emitting device.
US08367442B2	Method of manufacturing semiconductor light emitting element A method of manufacturing the semiconductor light emitting element comprises a semiconductor layer forming step of forming the multilayered nitride semiconductor layer on the first wafer having a transparent property; a bonding step of bonding the multilayered nitride semiconductor layer to the first wafer; a groove forming step of forming the groove extending from the lower surface of the first wafer to the multilayered nitride semiconductor layer; a light applying step of applying a first light to the lower surface of the multilayered nitride semiconductor layer through the first wafer to reduce a bonding force between the multilayered nitride semiconductor layer and the first wafer; a separating step of separating the first wafer from the multilayered nitride semiconductor layer; and a cutting step of cutting the second wafer along the groove to divide into a plurality of the semiconductor light emitting element.
US08367440B2	Semiconductor device and peeling off method and method of manufacturing semiconductor device The present invention provides a peeling off method without giving damage to the peeled off layer, and aims at being capable of peeling off not only a peeled off layer having a small area but also a peeled off layer having a large area over the entire surface at excellent yield ratio. The metal layer or nitride layer 11 is provided on the substrate, and further, the oxide layer 12 being contact with the foregoing metal layer or nitride layer 11 is provided, and furthermore, if the lamination film formation or the heat processing of 500° C. or more in temperature is carried out, it can be easily and clearly separated in the layer or on the interface with the oxide layer 12 by the physical means.
US08367431B2	Manufacturing method of semiconductor photonic device substrate In a manufacturing method of a semiconductor photonic device substrate, before multi-layer films different in material composition are successively and gradually crystal-grown in one chamber, an inter-layer growth rate model showing a relation in growth rate between each layer is defined, a growth rate of a film corresponding to at least one or more layers is obtained by actual crystal growth using an individual substrate, a growth rate of a film corresponding to other layers is estimated from the obtained growth rate by the inter-layer growth rate model, and a growth time is determined in accordance with a film thickness of each layer of the semiconductor photonic device substrate based on the actually obtained growth rate and the estimated growth rate. These steps are carried out by using a computer system connected to an MOCVD equipment, and then, a crystal growth of the semiconductor photonic device substrate is performed.
US08367426B2	Chemical sensor with oscillating cantilevered probe The invention provides a method of detecting a chemical species with an oscillating cantilevered probe. A cantilevered beam is driven into oscillation with a drive mechanism coupled to the cantilevered beam. A free end of the oscillating cantilevered beam is tapped against a mechanical stop coupled to a base end of the cantilevered beam. An amplitude of the oscillating cantilevered beam is measured with a sense mechanism coupled to the cantilevered beam. A treated portion of the cantilevered beam is exposed to the chemical species, wherein the cantilevered beam bends when exposed to the chemical species. A second amplitude of the oscillating cantilevered beam is measured, and the chemical species is determined based on the measured amplitudes.
US08367423B2	Large capacity acid or base generator and method of use Method and apparatus for generating an acid or base, e.g. for chromatographic analysis of anions. For generating a base the method includes the steps of providing a cation source in a cation source reservoir, flowing an aqueous liquid stream through a base generation chamber separated from the cation source reservoir by a barrier (e.g. a charged membrane) substantially preventing liquid flow while providing a cation transport bridge, applying an electric potential between an anode cation source reservoir and a cathode in the base generation chamber to electrolytically generate hydroxide ions therein and to cause cations in the cation source reservoir to electromigrate and to be transported across the barrier toward the cathode to combine with the transported cations to form cation hydroxide, and removing the cation hydroxide in an aqueous liquid stream as an effluent from the first base generation chamber. Suitable cation sources include a salt solution, a cation hydroxide solution or cation exchange resin.
US08367413B2	Determining formation fluid composition Apparatus and systems, as well as methods, may operate to draw a formation fluid sample into a sampling port included in a down hole tool or tool body, to vaporize some part of the fluid sample to substantially fill an injection port with a gas phase, to differentiate gas components in the gas phase to provide differentiated gas components along a concentration gradient in a receiving section, to detect the differentiated gas components with a detector, and to determine a fingerprint of the differentiated gas components. The receiving section may comprise a diffusion section. A reaction section and a vacuum section may be used for waste consumption and/or absorption.
US08367408B2	Fusion partner for production of monoclonal rabbit antibodies The invention provides a rabbit-derived immortal B-lymphocyte capable of fusion with a rabbit splenocyte to produce a hybrid cell that produces an antibody. The immortal B-lymphocyte does not detectably express endogenous immunoglobulin heavy chain and may contain, in certain embodiments, an altered immunoglobulin heavy chain-encoding gene. A hybridoma resulting from fusion between the subject immortal B-lymphocyte and a rabbit antibody-producing cell is provided, as is a method of using that hybridoma to produce an antibody. The subject invention finds use in a variety of different diagnostic, therapeutic and research applications.
US08367406B2	Pluripotent cells Pluripotent cells that are immunopositive for both the neural progenitor marker nestin and a pluripotent cell marker are provided. The cells exhibit rapid doubling times and can be maintained in vitro for extended periods. Also provided are cell cultures containing the pluripotent cells, a method of transplanting human pluripotent cells to a host, and a method of reducing seizure activity in a subject. These pluripotent cells, when transplanted into the ventricle of a host animal, migrate to the site of damage and adopt a suitably corrective phenotype, resulting in both structural and functional restoration.
US08367403B2	Vectors for directional cloning The invention provides vectors and methods for directional cloning.
US08367397B2	Active biochip for nucleic acid analysis Embodiments of the invention relate to an active biochip for nucleic acid analysis. The biochip comprises an inlet for introducing a nucleic acid sample, fluid channels, valves in contact with the fluid channels and pumps in contact with the fluid channels and adapted to generate a carrier gas or move a buffer through a portion of the fluid channels. The biochip also includes one or more hydroxyapatite columns for separating a portion of the nucleic acid sample, buffer reservoirs in contact with the fluid channels and positioned near the pumps, air exits, a waste reservoir and a nucleic acid analysis region.
US08367386B2	Cytochrome P450 oxygenases Nucleic acids encoding cytochrome P450 variants are provided. The cytochrome P450 variants of have a higher alkane-oxidation capability, alkene-oxidation capability, and/or a higher organic-solvent resistance than the corresponding wild-type or parent cytochrome P450 enzyme. A preferred wild-type cytochrome P450 is cytochrome P450 BM-3. Preferred cytochrome P450 variants include those having an improved capability to hydroxylate alkanes and epoxidate alkenes comprising less than 8 carbons, and have amino acid substitutions corresponding to V78A, H236Q, and E252G of cytochrome P450 BM-3. Preferred cytochrome P450 variants also include those having an improved hydroxylation activity in solutions comprising co-solvents such as DMSO and THF, and have amino acid substitutions corresponding to T235A, R471A, E494K, and S1024E of cytochrome P450 BM-3.
US08367383B2	Mutant Δ-5 desaturases mutated in the heme-binding motif (HPGG) and their use in making polyunsaturated fatty acids The present invention relates to mutant Δ5 desaturases, which have the ability to convert dihomo-γ-linolenic acid [DGLA; 20:3 ω-6] to arachidonic acid [ARA; 20:4 ω-6] and/or eicosatetraenoic acid [ETA; 20:4 ω-3] to eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA; 20:5 ω-3] and which possess at least one mutation within the HPGG motif of the cytochome b5-like domain. Isolated nucleic acid fragments and recombinant constructs comprising such fragments encoding Δ5 desaturases, along with a method of making long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [“PUFAs”] using these mutant Δ5 desaturases in oleaginous yeast, are disclosed.
US08367382B2	Method for producing 4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine A highly active L-isoleucine dioxygenase from Bacillus thuringiensis is provided. A method for manufacturing (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine or a salt thereof by reacting L-isoleucine in an aqueous solvent in the presence of L-isoleucine dioxygenase and isolating (2S,3R,4S)-4-hydroxy-L-isoleucine is also provided.
US08367378B2	Process for producing sugars and ethanol using corn stillage A process for producing sugars from lignocellulosic materials such as corn stover by the addition of corn stillage as a carbon source is disclosed. The sugars are formed by treating the combination of the corn stillage and the lignocellulosic materials with hydrolytic enzymes. The sugars can be fermented to ethanol, and the process improves ethanol production economies with an increased sugar yield from the lignocellulosic materials.
US08367375B2	Methods for producing human ceramide using yeast transformants The present invention provides a method for producing human ceramide in a yeast cell.The method of the present invention comprises: 1) introducing the sphingoid Δ4-desaturase gene (DES1) by transformation of the yeast cell; 2) abolishing the expression of the yeast sphinganine C4-hydroxylase gene (SUR2) by transformation of the yeast cell; and 3) abolishing the expression of the yeast sphingoid base kinase gene (LCB4) by transformation of the yeast cell.
US08367369B2	Method and apparatus for detecting phycocyanin-pigmented algae and bacteria from reflected light The present invention relates to a method of detecting phycocyanin algae or bacteria in water from reflected light, and also includes devices for the measurement, calculation and transmission of data relating to that method.
US08367368B2	D-serine dehydratase and use thereof A novel D-serine quantification method that can overcome various disadvantages of a conventional D-serine quantification method; a novel enzyme that can be used in the D-serine quantification method; a gene encoding the enzyme; and the like. Specifically, a novel D-serine dehydratase including (a) a protein having an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 or (b) a protein having an amino acid sequence homologous to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 and having a D-serine dehydratase activity; and a D-serine quantification method including the steps of reacting a sample with the enzyme, quantifying ammonia or pyruvic acid produced by the reaction, and calculating the amount of D-serine in the sample based on a value produced by the quantification.
US08367361B2	Methods using O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkytransferase A method of using O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT) is disclosed for transferring a label from a substrate to a fusion protein comprising the AGT. This allows the detection and/or manipulating of the fusion protein, both in vitro and in vivo, by attaching molecules to the fusion proteins that introduce a new physical or chemical property to the fusion protein. Examples of such molecules are, among others, spectroscopic probes or reporter molecules, affinity tags, molecules generating reactive radicals, cross-linkers, ligands mediating protein-protein interactions or molecules suitable for the immobilisation of the fusion protein.
US08367357B2	Two secretory luciferases The present invention is one gene construct or a combination of two gene constructs or expression vectors incorporating a Cypridina luciferase gene and a copepod luciferase under the control of distinct promoters. These gene constructs and expression vectors are useful for making a mammalian cell incorporating the Cypridina luciferase gene and the copepod luciferase to be capable of stably expressed and extracellularly secreted under the control of the distinct promoters.
US08367356B2	Gelsolin binding agent compositions and uses of same The invention relates generally to gelsolin binding agents (e.g., antibodies) which can bind to gelsolin polypeptides. Gelsolin binding agents of the invention are useful, alone or in combination, to detect a gelsolin polypeptide (a.k.a., the target polypeptide) in a test sample as well as to purify native gelsolin proteins. Gelsolin binding agents are also useful to diagnose, a gelsolin related medical condition in subjects in need thereof. Kits to detect gelsolin in biological samples are provided by the present invention.
US08367351B2	Methods for determining signal transduction activity in tumors The method of the invention pertains to determining the signal transduction activity in a tissue section by immunohistochemistry techniques. The expression level of the receptor of interest is determined as well as the expression levels of one or more effector molecules of the receptor signal transduction pathway. Furthermore a combined ratio of expression levels of effector molecules in subcellular compartments with the receptor expression was found to have prognostic significance.
US08367336B2	Association of the DNA methylation profile of the CYP1B1 gene with response to adjuvant therapy in breast cancer Particular embodiments provide novel and clinically useful DNA methylation predictors of hormone receptor status, and predictors of response to endocrine (e.g., hormonal) and non-endocrine breast cancer therapy. The ESR1 gene, encoding the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha proved to be the preferred predictor of progesterone receptor (PR) status, while methylation of the PGR gene, encoding PR, was the preferred predictor of ER status. ESR1 methylation outperformed hormone receptor status as a predictor of clinical response in patients treated with antiestroges (e.g., tamoxifen), while promoter methylation of the CYP1B1 gene, encoding a tamoxifen and estradiol metabolizing cytochrome P450, predicted response differentially in tamoxifen-treated and non-treated patients. High levels of promoter methylation of the ARH1 gene, encoding a RAS-related small G-protein, were shown to be preferred predictors of better survival in patients who had not received tamoxifen therapy.
US08367332B2	Detection and quantification of abasic site formation in vivo A method of measuring the efficacy of an anticancer agent in generating abasic (AP) sites in DNA of cancer cells of a subject includes administering to the subject an anticancer agent that generates AP sites in at least one cancer cell and an AP endonuclease inhibitor probe. The AP endonuclease inhibitor probe includes a detection moiety for detecting the probe in the subject. The amount of probe bound to cancer cells of the subject is then measured. The amount of probe bound to cancer cells of the subject is indicative of efficacy of the anticancer agent in generating AP sites in cancer cells of the subject.
US08367319B2	Methods and compositions for the identification of antibiotics that are not susceptible to antibiotic resistance Compositions and methods are provided to identify functional mutant ribosomes that may be used as drug targets. The compositions and methods allow isolation and analysis of mutations that would normally be lethal and allow direct selection of rRNA mutants with predetermined levels of ribosome function. The compositions and methods of the present invention may be used to identify antibiotics to treat a large number of human pathogens through the use of genetically engineered rRNA genes from a variety of species. The invention further provides novel plasmid constructs to be used in the methods of the invention.
US08367312B2	Detergent for lithography and method of forming resist pattern with the same Conventional detergents for lithography which contain a surfactant as an active ingredient should have a reduced surfactant concentration because heightened surfactant concentrations result in dissolution of the resin component of a photoresist composition and hence in a dimensional change of a resist pattern. However, the conventional detergents have had a drawback that such a low concentration unavoidably reduces the ability to inhibit pattern falling and defect occurrence. A detergent for lithography is provided which is an aqueous solution containing (A) at least one member selected among nitrogenous cationic surfactants and nitrogenous ampholytic surfactants and (B) an anionic surfactant. This detergent retains a low surface tension even when it has a low concentration. It is effective in inhibiting pattern falling and defect occurrence. It can also inhibit resist patterns from fluctuating in dimension.
US08367310B2	Pattern forming process and resist-modifying composition A patterning process includes (1) coating and baking a first positive resist composition to form a first resist film, exposing, post-exposure baking, and alkali developing to form a first resist pattern, (2) applying a resist-modifying composition to the first resist pattern and heating to modify the first resist pattern, (3) coating and baking a second positive resist composition to form a second resist film, exposing, post-exposure baking, and alkali developing to form a second resist pattern. The modified first resist film has a contact angle with pure water of 50°-85°.
US08367308B2	Substrate processing method A substrate processing method includes a first process (step S12 to step S16) of forming a first resist pattern by exposing a substrate having thereon a first resist film to lights, developing the exposed substrate and cleaning the developed substrate; and a second process (step S17 to step S20) of forming a second resist pattern by forming a second resist film on the substrate having thereon the first resist pattern, exposing the substrate having thereon the second resist film to lights, and developing the exposed substrate. A first processing condition is determined based on first data showing a relationship between a first processing condition under which a cleaning process is performed on the substrate in the first process (step S16) and a line width of the second resist pattern, and the first process (step S16) is performed on the substrate under the determined first processing condition.
US08367303B2	Semiconductor device fabrication and dry develop process suitable for critical dimension tunability and profile control The critical dimension (CD) of features formed during the fabrication of a semiconductor device may be controlled through the use of a dry develop chemistry comprising O2, SO2 and a hydrogen halide. For example, a dry develop chemistry comprising a gas comprising O2 and a gas comprising SO2 and a gas comprising HBr may be used to remove exposed areas of a carbon-based mask. The addition of HBr to the conventional O2 and SO2 dry develop chemistry enables a user to tune the critical dimension by growing, trimming and/or sloping the sidewalls and to enhance sidewall passivation and reduce sidewall bowing.
US08367302B2	Method and apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor device A method and apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed. In particular, the application discloses a method that performs a lithography process using a material capable of increasing a depth of focus so as to prevent efficiency of the lithography process from being degraded due to high integration of a semiconductor device, and a pressure-type bake oven as an apparatus for forming a high refractive material on a semiconductor substrate, having advantages of reducing manufacturing costs of a semiconductor manufacturing process and increasing efficiency of the lithography process.
US08367295B2	Preparation process of chemically amplified resist composition Provided are a preparation method of a resist composition which enables stabilization of a dissolution performance of a resist film obtained from the resist composition thus prepared; and a resist composition obtained by the preparation process and showing small lot-to-lot variations in degradation over time. The process of the present invention is for preparing a chemically amplified resist composition containing a binder, an acid generator, a nitrogenous basic substance and a solvent and it has steps of selecting, as the solvent, a solvent having a peroxide content not greater than an acceptable level, and mixing constituent materials of the resist composition in the selected solvent.
US08367291B2	Toner for non-contact fusing A toner for non-contacting fusing containing toner matrix particles containing a resin binder and an external additive having an average particle size of from 10 to 100 nm, wherein the external additive is externally added to the toner matrix particles, wherein the resin binder contains one or more polyesters, wherein a carboxylic acid component of the polyester contains one or more isophthalic acid compounds and one or more fumaric acid/maleic acid compounds, wherein the isophthalic acid compound is contained in an amount of from 10 to 35% by weight, the fumaric acid/maleic acid compound is contained in an amount of from 1 to 15% by weight, and the isophthalic acid compound and the fumaric acid/maleic acid compound are contained in a total amount of from 20 to 36% by weight, of a total amount of the entire raw material monomers of the polyester in the resin binder, and wherein the toner has a softening point of from 90° to 120° C. The toner is suitably used in developing latent images formed in, for example, electrophotography, an electrostatic recording method, an electrostatic printing method, or the like.
US08367289B2	Toner A toner is provided which is excellent in development stability in both a low-temperature, low-humidity environment and a high-temperature, high-humidity environment over a long time period. The toner includes toner particles containing at least a binder resin and a colorant, and a fatty acid metal salt. The fatty acid metal salt has a volume-based median diameter (D50s) of 0.15 μm or more and 0.65 μm or less, and the liberation ratio of the fatty acid metal salt in the toner is 1.0% or more and 25.0% or less.
US08367285B2	Light shock resistant overcoat layer Embodiments pertain to a novel imaging member, namely, an imaging member or photoreceptor comprising an overcoat layer which comprises light-absorbing material that improves print quality. The light-absorbing material reduces the intrinsic light shock suffered by conventional overcoat layers without negatively impacting electrical properties of the overcoat layer.
US08367282B2	Compound or its tautomer, metal complex compound, colored photosensitive curing composition, color filter, and production The invention provides a colored photosensitive curing composition useful for color filters in primary colors, including blue, green, and red, having a high molar absorption coefficient and allowing a reduction in film thickness and superior color purity and fastness; the colored photosensitive curing composition including, as its colorant, a dipyrromethene-based metal complex compound or a interconvertible isomer thereof, obtained from a metal or metal compound and a dipyrromethene-based compound represented by Formula (III): wherein R2 to R5, R7 represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent group; Ma represents a metal or metal compound; X3 represents NR, a nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur atom; X4 represents NR, an oxygen or sulfur atom; Y1 represents NR, a nitrogen or carbon atom; Y2 represents a nitrogen or carbon atom; R8 and R9 represent a substituent group; X5 represents a group that can bond to Ma; and a is 0, 1, or 2.
US08367280B2	Color filter and photomask to be employed for the manufacture of color filter A color filter including a first photo-spacer, and a second photo-spacer having a smaller film thickness than that of the first photo-spacer, wherein the second photo-spacer has a cross-sectional configuration whose longitudinal width is made greater than the lateral width. These photo-spacers are formed by making use of a photomask which includes a first aperture pattern for forming the first photo-spacer, a second aperture pattern for forming the second photo-spacer which has a smaller film thickness than that of the first photo-spacer, wherein an aperture of the second aperture pattern has a lateral width in the range 2.0-10.0 μm and the ratio of lateral width to longitudinal width is confined to 11.25 or more.
US08367278B2	Halftone mask and manufacturing method thereof and method for forming film using the same Embodiments relate to halftone masks that can uniformly form the height of an underlying layer in two regions that are spaced apart from each other, a manufacturing method thereof, and a method for forming a film using the same. The halftone mask includes a first light blocking unit and a second light blocking unit, and a semi-transmitting unit that is disposed adjacent to the side of the second light blocking unit. The first and second light blocking units block light and are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval. The semi-transmitting unit is positioned at a side far from the first light blocking unit and reduces intensity of light. Sum of the second length of the second light blocking unit and the third length of the semi-transmitting unit is larger than the first length of the first blocking unit.
US08367277B2	Method for producing a multi-layer body, and multi-layer body Described are various processes for the production of multi-layer bodies having at least one partially shaped functional layer and at least one further partially shaped layer and the multi-layer bodies produced in that way. The multi-layer body has at least one partially shaped functional layer in register relationship with at least one further partially shaped layer, which preferably supplement each other to provide a geometric, alphanumeric, pictorial, graphic or figurative colored representation.
US08367274B2	Hologram recording material, and hologram recording medium The present invention provides a hologram recording material which attains high refractive index change, flexibility, high sensitivity, low scattering, environment resistance, durability, low shrinkage, and high multiplicity, and is suitable for volume hologram recording. Also, the present invention provides a hologram recording medium. A hologram recording material comprising: an organometallic compound at least containing at least two kinds of metals, oxygen, and an aromatic group, and having an organometallic unit wherein two aromatic groups are bonded directly to one metal; and a photopolymerizable compound containing at least a monofunctional compound (A) having one polymerizable functional group in the molecule. The hologram recording material may comprise, as the photopolymerizable compound, a polyfunctional compound (B) having two or more polymerizable functional groups in the molecule. A hologram recording medium 11 has a hologram recording material layer 21.
US08367273B2	Method for preparation of the solid oxide fuel cell single cell There are disclosed a method for preparation of the solid oxide fuel cell single cell and a single cell with nano (micro) meso porous cathode electrode that are operational from 723 to 1073 K. The cathode electrode of the single cell possesses very large surface area (10-500 m2 g−1) with the hierarchical nano (micro) mesoporous structure, very high catalytic activity and very low oxygen electroreduction activation energy varying from 0.3-0.8 eV at −0.2 . . . 0 V cathode electrode potential versus porous Pt/O2 reference electrode in air.
US08367268B2	Sealing joint and fuel cell plate, cells obtained and resulting fuel cells comprising a stack of such cells The invention concerns an elastomer seal (3) arranged in a generally rectangular groove of a bipolar plate (1), comprising in at least two opposite corners one first loop (6) urged to be attached on a corner pin (7) of the plate (1) and at least a second loop (8) designed to be urged to be attached, when the two plates are assembled enclosing between them an exchanging membrane, to a corner pin of the other polar plate. The seal further comprises studs (10) received in recesses of the plate and forms projecting lugs (11) for crimping the terminals of electronic components. The invention is applicable to the production of fuel cells.
US08367265B2	Uniform gas distribution through channels of SOFC A solid oxide fuel cell includes an anode layer, an electrolyte layer over the anode layer, and a cathode layer over the electrolyte layer. At least one of the anode layer and the cathode layer defines a gas manifold. The gas manifold includes a gas inlet, defined by an edge of the anode layer or cathode layer, a gas outlet, defined by the same or a different edge of the anode layer or cathode layer, and a plurality of gas flow channels in fluid communication with the gas inlet and gas outlet. The gas flow channels can have diameters that conduct flow of gas from the gas inlet at substantially equal flow rates among the gas flow channels.
US08367254B2	Electrolyte for a high voltage battery and lithium secondary battery comprising the same The present invention provides an electrolyte for lithium secondary batteries that allows the batteries to operate safely at a charging voltage up to 4.35V, wherein the electrolyte comprises a combination of a fluoroethylene carbonate compound and a linear ester compound as solvent. Also, the present invention provides a lithium secondary battery that can operate at a charging voltage up to 4.35V, which comprises a positive electrode, a negative electrode and an electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte comprises fluoroethylene carbonate compound and linear ester compound as solvent.
US08367251B2	Anode with lithium containing ionic polymer coat, method of manufacturing same, secondary battery, and method of manufacturing same A secondary battery capable of improving the cycle characteristics is provided. The secondary battery includes a cathode, an anode, and an electrolytic solution. The anode has an anode current collector, an anode active material layer that is provided on the anode current collector, and contains an anode active material containing at least one of a simple substance of silicon, an alloy of silicon, a compound of silicon, a simple substance of tin, an alloy of tin, and a compound of tin, and a coat that is provided on the anode active material layer, and contains an ionic polymer containing lithium.
US08367247B2	Cathode active material for lithium secondary batteries with high safety, method of preparing the same and lithium secondary batteries comprising the same A cathode active material for a lithium secondary battery includes a lithium metal oxide secondary particle core formed by agglomerating lithium metal oxide primary particles; and a shell formed by coating the secondary particle core with barium titanate and metal oxide. This cathode active material allows making a lithium secondary battery having improved safety, particularly in thermal stability and overcharging characteristics.
US08367245B2	Non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a high negative electrode energy density, good safety and high discharge characteristics is provided without damaging manufacturing facilities. The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a porous heat-resistant layer interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode comprises a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode mixture layer on a surface of the negative electrode current collector, and the negative electrode mixture layer has an active material density of 1.5 g/ml to 1.8 g/ml. The porous heat-resistant layer is carried on the negative electrode, and the porous heat-resistant layer comprises magnesium oxide particles having a mean particle size of 0.5 μm to 2 μm.
US08367244B2	Anode material having a uniform metal-semiconductor alloy layer The present invention relates to methods for producing anode materials for use in nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries. In the present invention, a metal-semiconductor alloy layer is formed on an anode material by contacting a portion of the anode material with a solution containing metals ions and a dissolution component. When the anode material is contacted with the solution, the dissolution component dissolves a part of the semiconductor material in the anode material and deposit the metal on the anode material. After deposition, the anode material and metal are annealed to form a uniform metal-semiconductor alloy layer. The anode material of the present invention can be in a monolithic form or a particle form. When the anode material is in a particle form, the particulate anode material can be further shaped and sintered to agglomerate the particulate anode material.
US08367242B2	Rechargeable battery A rechargeable battery including an electrode assembly, the electrode assembly including a separator interposed between a first electrode and a second electrode; a case, the case accommodating the electrode assembly; a cap plate, the cap plate sealing an opening at one end of the case; and electrode terminals, the electrode terminals being electrically connected to the electrode assembly, wherein at least one of the electrode terminals is integrally formed with the cap plate.
US08367236B2	Fixing mechanism for battery and electronic device using the same A fixing mechanism to fix a battery to a main body of an electronic device includes a channel defined in the main body, the channel comprising two opposite openings at two ends thereof, a first fixing member fixed to one end of the channel, an electrically conductive second fixing member fixed to the other end of the channel, an insulated protector slidably positioned in the channel between the battery and the first fixing member; an electrical conductive member partially received in the insulated protector, and a resilient member. One end of the resilient member is fixed to the first fixing member, and the other end of the resilient member resists the electrical conductive member with the insulated protector toward the battery so that the electrical conductive member is electrically connected to an electrode of the battery.
US08367228B2	Magnetic recording medium having patterned auxiliary recording layer and method for manufacturing such magnetic recording medium A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium for perpendicular magnetic recording includes the steps of forming a first magnetic layer which has magnetic crystal grains exhibiting perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and nonmagnetic substances for magnetically separating the magnetic crystal grains from each other at grain boundaries of the magnetic crystal grains, forming a second magnetic layer which has magnetic grains exchange-coupled to the magnetic crystal grains, a grain boundary width of the magnetic grains being smaller than a grain boundary width of the magnetic crystal grains, and forming separation regions which magnetically separate tracks from each other in regions between the tracks of the magnetic recording medium in at least the second magnetic layer. The separation regions are disposed substantially only in the second magnetic layer of the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer.
US08367227B2	Plasma-resistant ceramics with controlled electrical resistivity Specialty ceramic materials which resist corrosion/erosion under semiconductor processing conditions which employ a corrosive/erosive plasma. The corrosive plasma may be a halogen-containing plasma. The specialty ceramic materials have been modified to provide a controlled electrical resistivity which suppresses plasma arcing potential.
US08367217B2	Electrodeposited metallic-materials comprising cobalt on iron-alloy substrates with enhanced fatigue performance Free standing articles or articles at least partially coated with substantially porosity free, fine-grained and/or amorphous Co-bearing metallic materials optionally containing solid particulates dispersed therein, are disclosed. The electrodeposited metallic layers and/or patches comprising Co provide, enhance or restore strength, wear and/or lubricity of substrates without reducing the fatigue performance compared to either uncoated or equivalent thickness chromium coated substrate. The fine-grained and/or amorphous metallic coatings comprising Co are particularly suited for articles exposed to thermal cycling, fatigue and other stresses and/or in applications requiring anti-microbial properties.
US08367214B2	Superhydrophobic poly(dimethylsiloxane) and methods for making the same A hydrophobic coating having a contact angle of at least about 150 degrees is disclosed herein, which coating comprises: a polymer substrate comprising a first linker incorporated therein at a specified surface density of from about 3×10−4 to about 9×10−8 units per nm2; a first polymer layer in contact with said first linker; a second linker in contact with said first polymer layer; and a second polymer layer in contact with said second linker. Also disclosed herein are methods for producing the hydrophobic coating. This hydrophobic coating is useful for making microfluidic devices having a hydrophobic coating on the microfluidic channels, as well as other uses in the field of microfluidics.
US08367207B2	Method of producing a hydrogenated amorphous carbon coating The invention relates to a hydrogenated amorphous carbon coating and to a method for the production thereof. It also relates to devices having such a coating. The method of the invention consists in producing a hydrogenated amorphous carbon coating comprising at least two layers of hydrogenated amorphous carbon, each of said layers having chemical compositions and physical and mechanical properties that are identical, and with thicknesses that are identical or different. The coating of the invention finds many applications, in particular in the mechanical field for parts subject to considerable wear and rubbing problems. It may also be applicable, in particular, in the field of surgical implants and in the MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) field.
US08367203B2	Cellulosic molded body, method for manufacturing it and use thereof The present invention relates to a cellulosic molded body containing a cellulose/clay nanocomposite, wherein the clay component of said nanocomposite comprises a material selected from the group consisting of unmodified hectorite clays and hydrophilically modified hectorite clays.
US08367197B2	Composition for rigid polyurethane foam and rigid polyurethane foam produced using the same A composition for a rigid polyurethane foam with reduced cell sizes contains a polyol, water, a catalyst, a blowing agent; and an ionic liquid. The rigid polyurethane foam is produced by adding an ionic liquid as an eco-friendly additive to a polyol composition so as to improve insulation efficiency thereof.
US08367189B2	Pattern printed transparent sheet A non-visible light reflective pattern-printed transparent sheet having a broad read angle is provided. The above transparent sheet is a pattern-printed transparent sheet in which a transparent substrate comprises a base material and a primer layer, and a non-visible light reflective transparent pattern is printed on the surface of the primer layer; an ink constituting the transparent pattern described above contains a material having a wavelength selective reflectivity to a wavelength in an infrared or ultraviolet region; the primer layer described above comprises a primer composition repelling the ink described above; when a cross section obtained by cutting the transparent pattern described above in a face orthogonal to the above transparent substrate is observed under a scanning electron microscope, the transparent pattern described above comprises a multilayer structure comprising a fixed repeating cycle and having a curved part and reflect selectively one of a left circularly polarized light component and a right circularly polarized light component in an incident light.
US08367188B2	Authenticity mark in the form of luminescent substances A printed document of value has an authenticity feature in the form of at least two luminescent substances on the basis of host lattices which are doped with one or a plurality of ions. By systematically changing the host lattices and/or ions of the (nd)3 electron configuration a specific setting of the luminescence properties of luminescent substances is possible, the combination of which permits a multiplicity of complex new authenticity features.
US08367183B2	Sandwich panel including honeycomb structure body and method of producing the sandwich panel The breadth and width of a sheet-like filler material before it is placed in a cell of a honeycomb material is set greater than those of the honeycomb material, and after the placement, peripheral edges of the honeycomb material are fringed with filler materials to prevent a filler material from falling out of an end section cell. A liquid adhesive agent is applied to the top of cell walls facing one surface of the honeycomb material, and a surface material is pressed to that surface of the honeycomb material to which the adhesive agent is applied. Then, before the adhesive agent hardens, water-absorbing foam materials are placed in cell spaces by pressing them into the cell spaces from the other surface of the honeycomb material until they are in contact with the adhesive agent. The foam material is quickly adhered to the honeycomb material.
US08367182B2	Wrappable textile sleeve with integral attachment and closure device A wrappable textile tubular sleeve for routing and protecting elongate members is provided. The sleeve includes an elongate wall constructed from interlaced yarns. The wall has opposite inner and outer edges extending between opposite ends of the sleeve parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the sleeve. The wall also has oppositely facing inner and outer faces extending between the inner and outer edges. The inner face bounds an inner cavity of the tubular sleeve upon wrapping the outer edge in outwardly overlapping relation with the inner edge about the central longitudinal axis. Further, an elongate fastener extends parallel to the central longitudinal axis adjacent the outer edge. The fastener faces outwardly from the outer face and is configured for attachment to an external support member.
US08367178B1	Carbon phenolic ablative gap filler A robust, chemically, structurally, and thermodynamically compatible ablative gap filler that can be processed with ease is provided. The gap filler uses a carbon phenolic mixture that has nearly the same material property characteristics as the adjacent PICA or carbon phenolic tiles. The gap filler is applied into the gaps using an innovative processing approach that involves preparation of a ‘dry mixture’ of the ingredients, which is then packed manually or robotically (if needed) into the gaps. During the packing process, the dry mixture may be vented, and pressed periodically to ensure that there are no trapped voids. After each gap is adequately filled with the mixture, the assembly is bagged and cured in the oven at about 250 or 300° F. for about 1.5 to 2 hours. The gap filler thereby forms a bond with the adjacent PICA or carbon phenolic tiles, without degrading or modifying the properties at any of the interfaces (e.g., with the tiles, adhesives, substrate, etc.).
US08367177B2	Release liner and pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet Disclosed is a release liner having a multilayer structure of at least three layers including two surface layers and an intermediate layer, in which one of the two surface layers contains a high-density polyethylene, the other contains a low-density polyethylene, and the intermediate layer contains a low-density polyethylene alone as its resin component. Also disclosed is a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet including the release liner and at least one pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, in which a release force X (N/mm) between the release liner and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and a rigidity Y of the release liner [(Young's modulus of the release liner)×(thickness)3] (N·mm) satisfy the following conditions: 0
US08367176B1	Repositionable, self-adhesive wallpaper A repositionable, self-adhesive wallpaper can be applied to a surface, positioned, repositioned, and can be removed without damaging the underlying surface, allowing the user to change wallpaper designs periodically. Embodiments comprise a vinyl sheet having front and rear surfaces, the front surface having a surface coating that is capable of having an image printed thereon; a removable backing layer comprising a clay coated kraft paper and a release agent; and a pressure sensitive adhesive disposed between the sheet rear surface and the backing layer, the adhesive being an acrylic emulsion adhesive applied to the rear surface, such that after the backing layer has been separated to expose the adhesive the surface covering can be applied to a surface, and the applied surface covering can be removed from the surface and the surface covering can be repositioned and/or reused.
US08367174B2	Propylene-hexene random copolymer produced in the presence of a metallocene catalyst Propylene copolymer a. comprising at least 1-hexene as a comonomer, b. having a comonomer content in the range of 1.0 to 3.0 wt.-%, c. having a xylene soluble fraction equal or below 2.5 wt.-%, d. having a polydispersity index (PI) of equal or below 4.0 Pa−1, and e. being partially crystallized in the β-modification.
US08367169B2	Multilayered stretched film with barrier property A multilayer stretched film with barrier property that is free from deterioration of barrier properties attributable to dimensional change caused by moisture absorption, and bending, etc. A multilayer stretched film with barrier property obtained by biaxially stretching a multilayer laminate including at least three layers, namely, a polyester-based resin layer (Layer A), a polyamide-based resin layer (Layer B), and a polyester-based resin layer (Layer A), in this order (wherein the two Layers A may be the same or different) to obtain a biaxially stretched multilayer film; and providing a deposition layer (Layer C) on at least one surface of the biaxially stretched multilayer film; both of the Layers A containing a crystalline polyester; Layer B containing 70 to 99 wt % of aliphatic polyamide and 1 to 30 wt % of aromatic polyamide; and Layer C containing an inorganic substance.
US08367160B2	Coating method for reactive metal A coating method includes depositing a reactive material onto a turbine engine component using an ionic liquid that is a melt of a salt, and heat treating the turbine engine component to react the reactive material with at least one other element to form a protective coating on the turbine engine component.
US08367153B2	Method of using white resin in an electronic device The coating agent of the invention is a coating agent to be used between conductor members, comprising a thermosetting resin, a white pigment, a curing agent and a curing catalyst, the coating agent to be used between conductor members having a white pigment content of 10-85 vol % based on the total solid volume of the coating agent, and a whiteness of at least 75 when the cured product of the coating agent has been allowed to stand at 200° C. for 24 hours.
US08367148B2	Methods of making biocomposite medical constructs and related constructs including artificial tissues, vessels and patches Methods for making collagen based biocomposite constructs and related devices include: (a) winding at least one collagen fiber a number of revolutions about a length of a support member having a long axis, the winding having at least one defined pitch and/or fiber angle relative to the long axis of the support member to form an elongate construct; and (b) applying a fluid polymeric material, such as, for example, an acrylate emulsion and/or other thermoplastic material, onto the collagen fiber during the winding step. Optionally, the fluid polymeric material can include antibiotics and/or other therapeutic agents for additional function/utility.
US08367142B2	Production of shredded or flaked whole grain-containing composite food products Shredded or flaked whole grain-containing composite food products, such as ready-to-eat cereals, and sweet and savory snacks, are continuously produced by pelletizing cooked, tempered, whole cereal grain particles in the presence of vegetables, fruit, or dairy cheese. In another aspect, an enrobing coating containing chocolate is applied to a baked shredded laminate product of the pelletization, wherein the shredded product may further optionally include fruit added and present during pelletization.
US08367129B2	Moulding The invention provides methods and molding devices for molding three-dimensional products from a mass of foodstuff which is suitable for human consumption, in particular from a mass of meat. A mold provided with at least one mold cavity is used. In some embodiments, the base of the mold cavity is adjustable so as to vary the volume of the mold cavity.
US08367126B2	Berry preparations and extracts Compositions having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and methods for providing such compositions, are disclosed. In one aspect, the compositions are derived by exposing a berry to an acidic solvent composition, adding a cryoprotectant, and recovering a berry extract having a stabilized anthocyanin content. Compositions comprising the stabilized anthocyanin-containing berry extract, formulated for oral and/or topical administration, are provided also.
US08367124B2	Lymphatic vessel stabilizer Provided is a lymphatic vessel stabilizer composed of Tie2 activator. The Tie2 activator is preferably at least one type selected from the group consisting of angiopoietin 1 (Ang-1), extract of Cinnamomum species plants, extract of Siberian Ginseng and syringaresinol.
US08367123B2	Supplement formula to prevent and deter muscle trauma and method of using same A body supplement and method for improving blood flow, muscle chemistry and/or the oxygenation of muscles, said supplement including cinchona bark or quinine in the range of approximately 0.0010 grams and 4.0 grams per dosage.
US08367121B2	Nutraceutical agent for attenuating the neurodegenerative process associated with Parkinson's disease This invention describes a comprehensive nutraceutical designed to antagonize major mitigating factors to the degenerative process associated with Parkinson's disease. The formulation is comprised of a primary base of pyruvate, succinate, α-Ketoglutarate and/or oxaloacetate, niacin/NADH, fruit extracts, anthocyanins, further combined with specific macro/micronutrients, trace elements, amino acids, flavonoids and concentrated plant sources. The nutraceutical contains all natural substances that should mitigate many of the neurodegenerative processes known to be associated with PD. Mechanisms addressed are to prevent the loss of ATP/by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium rotenone, scavenge hydrogen peroxide/O2.−, augment antioxidant enzymes, prevent dopamine (DA) oxidation to DA-quinone via inhibition of COX, PLA2, LOX, xanthine oxidase, tyrosinase, prevent hyperhomocysteinemia, antagonize PARP-1 apoptosis, increase blood flow, glucose and oxygen delivery to the brain, potentiate mitochondrial function, antagonize glia iNOS and MAO or its products, chelate redox-active iron, inhibit heme oxygenase-1, inhibit alpha-synuclein aggregation, augment ATP storage, mediate anti-inflammatory effects via inhibition of PDE, MAPK p38/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase/PGE2, antagonize excitotoxicity and downregulate N-methyltransferase, all of which contribute toward PD pathology.
US08367120B1	Method and apparatus for producing a stablized antimicrobial non-toxic electrolyzed saline solution exhibiting potential as a therapeutic An improved method and apparatus for producing a stable, non-toxic, antimicrobial electrolyzed saline solution with a broad range of anti-infective and therapeutic applications. The resulting electrolyzed saline solution exhibits a marked lack of toxicity upon intravenous, aspired, oral or topical application in mammals for therapeutic applications providing a broad platform, including topical disinfection, antimicrobial application, wound treatment, oxidative stress reduction and enhancement of immune function to better detect malfunctioning cells.
US08367116B2	Buoyant polymer particles for delivery of therapeutic agents to the central nervous system The invention provides compositions and methods for treating a subject who has suffered from a central nervous system disorder. More particularly, the invention provides sustained polymeric drug delivery systems having a polymer particle, a therapeutic agent, and a buoyancy agent for direct delivery of therapeutic agents into the central nervous system.
US08367114B2	Method for preparing particles from an emulsion in supercritical or liquid CO2 The present invention relates to a method for preparing particles, notably particles encapsulating an active substance. It also relates to particles obtainable by this process, dispersion thereof, and their use as a vehicle for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, diagnostic, veterinary, phytosanitary active substances or processed foodstuff.
US08367112B2	Nanoparticulate carverdilol formulations The present invention is directed to nanoparticulate carvedilol compositions having improved pharmacokinetic profiles, improved bioavailability, dissolution rates and efficacy. In one embodiment, the nanoparticulate carvedilol composition has an effective average particle size of less than about 2000 nm.
US08367109B2	Microbes encapsulated within crosslinkable polymers The invention relates to porous films comprising crosslinked electrospun hydrogel fibers. Viable microbes are encapsulated within the crosslinked electrospun hydrogel fibers. The crosslinked electrospun hydrogel fibers are water insoluble and permeable. The invention also relates to methods of making and using such porous films.
US08367108B2	Functionalized non-phenolic amino acids and absorbable polymers therefrom The present invention relates to compound of formula I, which are functionalized, non-phenolic amino acids, and polymers formed from the same. Polymers formed from the functionalized amino acids are expected to have controllable degradation profiles, enabling them to release an active component over a desired time range. The polymers are also expected to be useful in a variety of medical applications.
US08367105B2	Compressed solid dosage form manufacturing process well-suited for use with drugs of low aqueous solubility and compressed solid dosage forms made thereby A pharmaceutical formulation of compounds with low aqueous solubility and method of manufacture thereof. The formulation may include a pharmacologically active compound having low aqueous solubility and starch in the amount of greater than about 25 weight percent. A manufacturing method may include blending the active compound and starch, compressing the blend into a solid, comminuting the solid into granules, wetting the granules, drying the granules, and tabletting the dried granules to make a solid pharmaceutical formulation.
US08367103B2	Oral testosterone composition The composition for oral administration of testosterone to a man who has androgen deficiency and exhibits one or more symptoms of androgen deficiency, comprises testosterone and a mixture of soybean oil and ethanol. Preferably, a pharmaceutically acceptable preservative, such as benzyl alcohol, is included in the composition. The mixture of soybean oil and ethanol is present in the composition in an amount such that when the composition is orally ingested by the testosterone is absorbed and one or more of the symptoms of androgen deficiency is ameliorated. The composition is charged into hard or soft gelatin capsules to produce orally administrable unit dosage forms.
US08367100B2	Preparation and use of sleeve and micro-encapsulated topical analgesic patch for treating pain Novel micro-encapsulated topical analgesics are provided to treat pain and may be applied via sleeves having dosed therapeutic sections, especially to joints and extremities. Sleeves may be prepared and packaged inside-out and inverted when positioned by the wearer.
US08367098B2	Unique combinations of antimicrobial compositions Disclosed are compositions for inhibiting transmission of a sexually transmitted infection that contain one or more polyanionic microbicides, such as carrageenans, including lambda carrageenan, as well as water-soluble metal salts and specified antiretroviral agents comprising NNRTIs and NRTIs. Also disclosed are methods for making and using the compositions.
US08367094B2	Antimicrobial material and method for making the same This invention provides a modified catheter/indwelling device biomaterial that provides both immediate, and long-term microbiocidal effects on otherwise antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms. The material, which exhibits good mechanical performance characteristics for medical devices, is composed of a hydrophobic polyurethane (PU), a hydrophilic polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) as an option, a soluble silver salt and a sparsely-soluble silver salt. The hydrophobic polyurethane provides the good physical properties, the PEVA the hydrophilicity necessary to allow some water ingress into the catheter, the soluble silver salt for an immediate burst effect, and the sparsely-soluble silver salt for sustained-release over many months postimplantation. Alternatively, the sparsely soluble silver salt can be silver iodate and is combined with silver sulfadiazine. Chlorhexidine can also be included in the material.
US08367092B2	Method for modifying the wettability and/or other biocompatibility characteristics of a surface of a biological material by the application of gas cluster ion beam technology and biological materials made thereby The invention provides methods for surgical grafting of a tissue. The method comprises the steps of explanting a graft tissue from a donor, irradiating at least a first portion of the graft tissue with an ion beam, and surgically grafting the graft tissue into a recipient.
US08367086B1	Process and product for inhibiting or preventing bacterial infections A process for inhibiting or preventing bacterial infections in animals by administering a mixture of a hop composition and an antibiotic selected from the group consisting of polymyxin, ciprofloxacin and tobramycin.
US08367079B2	Liquid preservative compositions A liquid preservative composition comprises (a) an alkanol fatty monoester; and (b) an aqueous isothiazolinone solution, an alkanol-substituted aromatic compound, or a combination thereof; and is free from formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing compounds, and paraben compounds. Preferred compositions comprise glyceryl caprylate, together with either phenethyl alcohol or an aqueous 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one solution.
US08367076B2	Glyceroglycolipid antigen of Mycoplasma pneumoniae The present invention provides a novel glyceroglycolipid produced by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The glyceroglycolipid can be used as a diagnostic marker for a disease caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
US08367073B2	Chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT)-defective somatostatin fusion protein and uses thereof Chimeric somatostatin-based polypeptides, polynucleotides used to encode the polypeptides, the methods for isolating and producing the polypeptides and the uses thereof are provided. In addition, low cost adjuvants for enhanced immunogenic response are provided. Vaccinations that include both chimeric somatostatin-based polypeptides and novel adjuvants are included, useful in facilitating farm animal productivity.
US08367071B2	Verotoxin B subunit for immunization Methods for stimulating an immune response in a mammal by administering a toxin-antigen conjugate are provided. Pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating an antigen-related state are also described.
US08367070B2	Modified surface antigen Novel proteins that constitute modified forms of a Neisseria meningitidis surface antigen and encoding nucleic acids are provided. The modified surface proteins are characterized by having deletions of non-conserved amino acids, and thereby being capable of eliciting cross-protective immune responses against Neisseria meningitidis. The invention extends to the use of the modified surface antigens in diagnostics, in therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines and in the design and/or screening of medicaments. The modified surface antigens are particularly useful in vaccines which effectively immunize against a broader spectrum of N. meningitidis strains than would be expected from a corresponding wild-type surface antigen.
US08367069B2	Cytotoxic T cell defined EGFR peptide and an optimized derivative peptide The invention provides a polypeptide having a sequence of amino acids consisting of IXDFGLAKL (SEQ ID NO: 1), as well as a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide, vector comprising the nucleic acid, cell comprising the vector, and compositions thereof. The invention also provides a method of inducing a T-cell response in a patient with epithelial cancer, and a method inhibiting epithelial cancer, wherein the methods comprise administering the composition of the invention. The invention further provides a method of stimulating a cell with the inventive polypeptide and a cell so stimulated.
US08367062B2	Glycopeptides derived from pancreatic structures, antibodies and applications thereof in diagnostics and therapeutics Glycopeptide comprising 1 to 40 repeated C-terminal polypeptides, with 11 amino acids, of BSDL or FAPP, whereby said polypeptides are glycosylated and bear glycosylated epitopes giving rise to a specific immunological reaction with induced antibodies in a patient suffering from type 1 diabetes and/or purified from biological fluids of human or animal origin or recombinant and produced by expression in a standard host cell comprising an enzymatic material necessary for priming a glycosylation, said host cell being genetically modified such as to comprise a gene coding for said polypeptides and a gene coding for one or more enzymes selected from among glycosyltransferases, anti-glycopeptide antibodies and the applications thereof in therapeutics and diagnostics.
US08367050B2	Photocatalytic material and photocatalytic member and purification device using the photocatalytic material Provided are a photocatalytic material that improves a decomposition performance and a decomposition rate, as well as a photocatalytic member and a purification device in which the photocatalytic material is used. The photocatalytic member is a photocatalytic member (1) that includes a substrate (10) and a photocatalyst layer (11) formed on a surface of the substrate (10), wherein the photocatalyst layer (11) contains a titanium oxide photocatalyst and zeolite, the titanium oxide photocatalyst containing at least an anatase-type titanium oxide and fluorine, in which a content of the fluorine in the titanium oxide photocatalyst is 2.5 wt % to 3.5 wt %, and 90 wt % or more of the fluorine is chemically bonded to the anatase-type titanium oxide.
US08367045B2	Method of preparation of radiation-curable colored artificial nail gels A method of preparing colored UV-curable artificial nail gel compositions comprising dispersing a pigment in an organic liquid to form a pigment concentrate and mixing the pigment concentrate with a polyfunctional acrylic monomer and/or a polyfunctional acrylic oligomer, and the resultant highly colored artificial nail gel are disclosed.
US08367043B2	Biologically active nanoparticles a carbonate-substituted hydroxyapatite, process for their preparation and compositions incorporating the same The invention relates to biologically active nanoparticles of a carbonate-substituted non-stoichiometric hydroxyapatite, having: a) a crystallinity degree CD lower than 40%, the crystallinity degree being defined as CD=(1−X/Y)·100 wherein: Y=height of the diffraction maximum at 2θ=33°, X=height of the diffraction background at 2θ=33° of the nanoparticles X-ray diffraction pattern; b) a length L ranging from 20 to 200 nm and a width W ranging from 5 to 30 nm; and c) an aspect ratio AR comprised between 2 and 40, the aspect ratio being defined as AR=L/W. The biologically active nanoparticles of the invention find a preferred use in oral or dental hygiene applications and may be formulated as compositions for oral or dental hygiene such as, for example, solutions, suspensions, oils, gels or other solid products. Other aspects of the invention include a process for preparing a suspension for oral or dental hygiene including the aforementioned biologically active nanoparticles, a process for manufacturing a toothpaste comprising the nanoparticles, as well as a method of locally remineralizing the teeth comprising contacting the teeth with the nanoparticles.
US08367034B2	Methods for preparing single-walled carbon nanotubes The present invention relates to cobalt and molybdenum doped mesoporous silica catalysts and methods for using the catalysts to making Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes. The methods offer increased control over the orientation, length and diameter of the nanotubes produced.
US08367033B2	Fullerene-based material and process for producing fullerene-based material In order to isolate and purify an endohedral fullerene, a solvent washing was performed using toluene to concentrate the endohedral fullerene in a residual, but endohedral fullerene could not be efficiently purified because impurities other than the endohedral fullerene could not be sufficiently removed. Thus, the endohedral fullerene is isolated and purified by using a solvent such as chloronaphthalene or tetralin having a high solubility for the endohedral fullerene and concentrating the endohedral fullerene in the solvent. The endohedral fullerene isolated and purified by solvent extraction has a cluster structure where the endohedral fullerene is surrounded with empty fullerenes. Thus, this endohedral fullerene is highly stable and is a useful material applicable to various fields such as medical care and electronics.
US08367029B2	Method for producing trichlorosilane In the apparatus for producing trichlorosilane in which metal silicon powder supplied into the reactor is reacted with hydrogen chloride gas while being fluidized by the gas, thereby taking out trichlorosilane generated by the reaction from the upper part of the reactor, and a plurality of gas flow controlling members are installed at the internal space of the reactor along the vertical direction.
US08367027B2	Regeneration of ammonia borane from polyborazylene Method of producing ammonia borane, comprising providing a reagent comprising a dehydrogenated material in a suitable solvent; and combining the reagent with a reducing agent comprising hydrazine, a hydrazine derivative, or combinations thereof, in a reaction which produces a mixture comprising ammonia borane.
US08367023B2	Reagent vessel Provided is a reagent vessel which is inserted into a measuring cassette for measuring a biological sample. The reagent vessel includes: a reagent storage unit including at least one space in which a reagent that is to react with the biological sample is stored; and an adhesive cover sealing up the at least one space in which the reagent is stored, and being stripped off to discharge the reagent from the at least one space when the reagent vessel is inserted into the measuring cassette. Therefore, since a plurality of reagents are poured simultaneously and automatically into a measuring cassette through a reagent vessel, it is possible to simplify manipulations and minimize a measuring time. Furthermore, it is possible to resolve problems regarding storage and distribution of reagents.
US08367018B2	Chip with tri-layer electrode and micro-cavity arrays for control of bioparticle and manufacturing method thereof A chip with tri-layer electrodes and micro-cavity arrays for control of bioparticles and a manufacturing method thereof are revealed. The chip captures and releases bioparticles into and from preset cavities by dielectrophoresis (DEP) force generated by electrodes. The chip includes an upper layer body, a middle layer body, a lower layer body, respectively disposed with an electrode, and micro flow chambers. The electrodes of the upper layer body and the middle layer body are common electrodes while the electrode of the lower layer body is a dispersive electrode array exposed on the bottom of lower-layer microcavity. The cell capture and release at the single-cell level and the cell population level are attained by application of an AC electric field.
US08367010B2	Ozone device for deodorizing dresses An ozone device for deodorizing dresses within a closet, includes an ozone generator. The ozone generator includes a casing formed with first and second ventilation vents, an ozone producing element installed within the casing for generating ozone in order to deodorizing dresses within the closet, a circulating fan installed within the casing for circulating ozone generated by the ozone producing element, and a hanging unit projecting outward from the casing and adapted to be hung onto a suspension member. The closet is sleeved over and cooperates with the casing to define a sealed chamber so that dresses can be kept therein.
US08367007B2	Feedback stabilized ozone generator circuit A control circuit is connected to sense the impedance changes in a transformer driven ozone generating circuit cause by inadvertent immersion in water of the ozone generating field and to respond by reducing the strength of the ozone generating field as result thereof. To retain some ozone generating usefulness during the presence of mist or vapors in the ozone generating field the control circuit includes a series connected operational amplifier in the feedback loop that while operating in its linear range effects a proportional feedback response to reduce the ozone output. In this manner the usefulness of ozone generation is extended during highly active periods in a pool or spa.
US08367006B2	Platinum microparticles generator A platinum microparticles generator comprises a linear first electrode, a board-shaped second electrode, and an applying means. The first electrode contains at least platinum. The second electrode comprises an outlet opening, which is a circular through-hole, located so as to face one end of the first electrode. The applying means applies a voltage between the first and second electrodes. Then, the first electrode has an outside diameter in a range of 0.03 [mm] to 0.10 [mm]. Further, the outlet opening has an inside diameter in a range of 1.0 [mm] to 4.5 [mm]. Thus, the platinum microparticles generator can emit a sufficient amount of platinum microparticles while restraining generation of ozone.
US08367005B2	Gas processing apparatus, gas processing system, and gas processing method, and exhaust gas processing system and internal combustion engine using the same A gas processing apparatus for processing a gas using plasma is highly versatile and capable of rapidly processing a large quantity of gas that includes particularly an aromatic compound or other component that is difficult to process. The gas processing apparatus comprises a plasma equipment series comprising a plurality of gas processing units arranged in series on a gas flow channel; and a control section for controlling the operation of each unit of plasma equipment of the plasma equipment series. Each of the units of plasma equipment comprises a cavity composed of an electrical conductor and communicated with the gas flow channel; a plasma generator for generating plasma within the cavity; and microwave radiator for radiating microwaves to the plasma generated by the plasma starting section. The control section selects the number of units of plasma equipment to operate according to a component of the introduced gas.
US08367000B2	Cassette and measuring apparatus An object of the invention is to provide a cassette and a measuring apparatus that can filter a sample for the optical measurement of an optically active substance and clean a sample flow channel by using a simple configuration. More specifically, the invention is directed to a cassette which includes a filter for filtering out a measurement interfering component from a sample, a container containing the filter, a cleaning liquid or cleaning agent for cleaning a sample flow channel, and a storage tank for storing the cleaning liquid or cleaning agent, and to a measuring apparatus having such a cassette.
US08366997B2	Modular laboratory automation system A modular laboratory automation system for monitoring and controlling laboratory experiments, the modular laboratory automation system including a controller, an interface board, and a portable power supply. Power levels of standard laboratory equipment can be automatically controlled, and conditions and parameters of experiments can be automatically monitored and recorded. The laboratory automation system is modular and can be configured to operate with laboratory experiments having varying setups and equipment.
US08366992B2	Gas injection lance A hot gas injection lance (26) for injecting hot gas into a vessel (11) is made of three modules (26A, 26B and 26C) which all fabricated separately and brought together in successive steps and connected together by releasable fastenings. Lance module (26A) is a main duct module providing an elongate duct (31) through which to direct hot gas into an upper region of the vessel. Lance module (26B) is a gas inlet module through which to direct hot gas into duct (31) of module (26A). Lance module (26C) is a central module which includes an elongate central tubular structure (33) that extends within the gas flow duct (31) and carries at its lower end a series of swirl imparting tubular structure (33) that extends within the gas flow duct (31) and carries at its lower end a series of swirl imparting vanes (34) for imparting swirl to the gas flow exiting the duct. Main duct module (26A) has a mounting flange (110) that abuts a flange (122) on vessel (11) and the flanges (110, 122) are fastened together by bolts (121). Gas inlet module has a lower mounting flange 111 which abuts a flange (103) at the upper end of module (26A) and the flanges (111, 103) are connected together by bolts (112). Central module (26C) has a mounting flange (115) that abuts a flange (114) at the upper end of inlet module (26B) and the flanges (114, 115) are fastened together by bolts (116).
US08366990B2	Repairable slide shutter plate and/or bottom nozzle brick and methods for the manufacture and repair of a repairable slide shutter plate and/or bottom nozzle brick The invention relates to a recyclable slide shutter plate (1) and/or bottom nozzle brick (2). The invention comprises the slide shutter plate (1) and/or bottom nozzle brick (2), the outer part (6) and inner part (7) of which are connected to each other in a detachable manner. In addition, the invention comprises methods for the manufacture and repair of a repairable slide shutter plate (1) and/or bottom nozzle brick (2).
US08366987B2	Method for forming high-impact transparent, distortion-free polymeric materials A method and apparatus are provided for forming a sheet of polymeric material, such as polycarbonate. A forming mold is provided having halves that engage for forming a heated sheet therebetween. Each of the halves defines an interior cavity having a peripheral edge. The sheet is retained between the peripheral edges of the halves and a vacuum is generated within one of the cavities for drawing the sheet therein, whereby a sensing mechanism detects a draw depth for initiating a cooling mechanism to cool the sheet to a temperature below a glass transition temperature of the material. A series of retention mechanisms are provided about the peripheral edge of one of the halves, for biasing the sheet into engagement with the peripheral edge of the opposing half. A trimming mechanism is further provided for trimming the perimeter of the sheet to a desired form.
US08366985B2	Method of manufacturing watercourse blocks continuously arranged on the spot The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing watercourse blocks continuously arranged in the construction spot, which continuously arranges the watercourse blocks according to the construction spot by preparing iron bar grates to be orthogonal to each other inside molding frames that are continuously arranged, casting concrete, preventing moisture evaporation and frost damage and employing iron bar grates so that the watercourse blocks continuously arranged according to the construction spot can be manufactured and constructed on the spot. Therefore, works for manufacturing the watercourse blocks in a plant and then assembling or fixing them in the construction spot according to the related art can be reduced as much as possible, the watercourse blocks can be simply manufactured and constructed on the spot to reduce a manufacturing cost and a construction time, which can thus significantly reduce the prime cost of the construction cost and diminish accident risk.
US08366970B2	Method for treating a carbon allotrope A method for treating a carbon allotrope including providing a carbon allotrope selected from the group consisting of carbon black, amorphous carbon, glassy carbon, graphite, graphene, fullerenes, or a mixture thereof; surface treating the carbon allotrope by coupling the carbon allotrope with a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane. Also described is a surface treated carbon allotrope having a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane coupled to the surface of the carbon allotrope. Also described is a coating composite for imaging components including a film forming resin; and a plurality of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane surface treated carbon allotrope particles substantially uniformly dispersed in the film forming resin, and imaging components including the coating composite.
US08366966B2	Methods and systems for producing energy from carbon dioxide A method and system for producing a liquid fuel comprising: (a) reacting water with a first metal in a first reaction chamber to obtain hydrogen, heat, and an oxide of the first metal; (b) reacting carbon dioxide with a second metal, which is the same or different from the first metal, in a second reaction chamber, which is the same or different from the first reaction chamber, to obtain carbon monoxide, heat, and oxide of the second metal; (c) regenerating said first and second metals from said first and second oxides.
US08366964B2	Liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display device The invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition that satisfies at least one of characteristics such as a high maximum temperature of a nematic phase, a low minimum temperature of a nematic phase, a small viscosity, a suitable optical anisotropy, a large dielectric anisotropy, a large specific resistance, a large elastic constant, a high stability to ultraviolet light and a high stability to heat, or that is suitably balanced regarding at least two of the characteristics; and is to provide an AM device that has a short response time, a large voltage holding ratio, a large contrast ratio, a long service life and so forth. The invention provides a liquid crystal composition that has a nematic phase and includes a specific three-ring compound having a large dielectric anisotropy as a first component and a specific four-ring compound having a high maximum temperature and a large dielectric anisotropy as a second component, and a liquid crystal display device containing the composition.
US08366957B2	Environmentally friendly chlorine-free deicing composition The present application relates to a deicing composition, specifically to a chlorine-free deicing composition, comprising at least two active ingredients selected from glycerol, a glycol-type compound and a salt of an organic acid. The deicing compositions of the present invention contain no chlorine-containing material, are relatively less corrosive to concrete and carbon steels, and have no toxic effect on plants. Moreover, the deicing compositions of the present invention have high deicing efficiency, which is, according to the Chinese national standard GB/T23851-2009, up to 200% of the efficiency of sodium chloride or more. In addition, the deicing compositions of the present invention maintain a long-lasting deicing effect (e.g., a deicing effect for up to 3 hours).
US08366950B2	Liquid-ejection head and method for manufacturing liquid-ejection head substrate A method for manufacturing a liquid-ejection head substrate including a silicon substrate having a supply port for supplying liquid is provided. The method includes: forming an etching mask layer on a surface of the silicon substrate, the etching mask layer having an opening in a portion corresponding to the supply port; forming a first recess in the surface of the silicon substrate by anisotropically etching the silicon substrate through the opening in the etching mask layer; forming a second recess that extends toward the other surface of the silicon substrate, in a surface of the first recess in the silicon substrate; and forming the supply port by anisotropically etching the silicon substrate from the surface provided with the second recess.
US08366947B2	Method for transferring nanostructures into a substrate In a method for transferring nanostructures into a substrate, the following order of steps is used: decorating a substrate with nanomaterials (13), etching the substrate (10), applying a coating (15), removing the nanomaterials (13), and etching the substrate (10).
US08366943B2	Apparatus and method for collecting material from water systems The invention relates to an apparatus and method for collecting material from a water system, especially from the surface or close to the surface of a water system. The method comprises: maneuvering an apparatus with a cargo space in a water system; conducting water, present in the surface and close to the surface of the water system, and material therein to be collected, in response to the vessel's advancing speed through a collect opening, located in a fore section of the apparatus in its traveling direction, into the cargo space; conducting water from the cargo space back into the water system through an exhaust opening in the cargo space's bottom.
US08366942B2	Method and apparatus for the solid-liquid-separation of material mixtures and suspensions Method for the liquid solid separation of material mixtures and suspensions in which the material mixture under pressure is fed into a closed chamber having at least one filter surface and a hydrostatic pressure is generated within said chamber for separating the liquid phase. After separating the liquid phase the chamber is opened and the filter surface together with the filter cake is removed from said chamber. The material mixture firstly is treated by the means of hydrostatic pressure of about up to 0.2 bar, wherein 80 to 90% of the fed volume is removed as filtrate. Thereafter the concentrated remaining volume is drawn off and is further treated in the closed chamber with a pressure of up to 5 bar. By reducing the volume of the chamber finally with a pressure of up to 50 bar the remaining filtrate is separated.
US08366936B1	Water treatment system with water filter having zeolite layers and activated carbon layer A water filtration system with a filter and method for filtering raw water having a series of media layers in the following order: 1) sand to gravel or coarse silica; 2) zeolite; 3) activated carbon; 4) a second layer of sand to gravel or coarse silica; and 5) a second layer of zeolite is disclosed. Optionally, the series further has a ceramic media layer, which may have a reactive coating such as calcium hypochloride. Further options include ferruginous latertic clay spheres (FLCS) or iron oxide brick particles, at least one grid, which may be charged, and/or at least one sand arch. A rapid sand filter may be used prior to filtering water through the series of media layers. The water may also be further filtered through a mixture of zeolite and carbon. Chlorine may be added to the filtered water. Specialized water filters for reducing fluoride and arsenic concentrations and taste aesthetics are also disclosed.
US08366933B2	Method for bacterial treatment of effluents containing 2-ethylhexyl nitrate The invention relates to a method for treating effluents containing 2-ethylhexyl nitrate (2-EHN), or nitric ester of 2-ethylhexane-1-ol, in order to reduce at least partly the concentration thereof, characterized in that it comprises growing, in the presence of a suitable substrate, a Corynebacterium urealyticum CIP-1-2126 bacterium and degrading the 2-EHN contained in the effluents by the biomass of said bacterium thus produced. The invention has application in the Application: depollution of waters and soils polluted by 2-EHN.
US08366931B2	Filtering unit A filtering unit includes alternately arranged membranes and positioning rings. A seal is secured to each of the positioning rings. Each of the positioning rings includes an annular body, arched cutouts defined in an internal edge of the annular body, first and second engaging members formed on the annular body, and at least one slot defined in the annular body. Each of the first engaging members is located near an end of a related one of the arched cutouts. Each of the second engaging members is located near another end of a related one of the arched cutouts. The second engaging members can be engaged with the first engaging members of another positioning ring extending through the arched cutouts. Each of the seals includes two sealing portions extending on two opposite faces of the annular body and at least one connecting portion extending between the sealing portions through the slot.
US08366925B2	Treatment of fluids with wave energy from a carbon arc A method of and apparatus for treating liquids flowing in a thin film around a source of wave energy to directly expose the liquid to the wave energy, preferably generated in whole or part by an electrical arc between carbon electrodes. In addition to the wave energy generated by the electrical arc, energy generated by cavitation of the flowing liquid may be used in treating the liquid.
US08366918B2	Vapor collection and barrier systems for encapsulated control infrastructures A method of preventing egress of a vapor from an encapsulated volume can include forming a substantially impermeable vapor barrier along an inner surface of the encapsulated volume. The encapsulated volume includes a permeable body of comminuted hydro carbonaceous material. Further, the vapor barrier can include an insulating layer capable of maintaining a temperature gradient of at least 400° F. across the insulating layer. The permeable body can be heated sufficient to liberate hydrocarbons therefrom and the hydrocarbons can be collected from the permeable body. The vapor barrier layer can be a single or multiple layer construction, depending on the specific materials chosen.
US08366917B2	Methods of recovering minerals from hydrocarbonaceous material using a constructed infrastructure and associated systems A method of recovering minerals from hydrocarbonaceous materials can include forming a constructed permeability control infrastructure. This constructed infrastructure defines a substantially encapsulated volume. A comminuted hydrocarbonaceous material can be introduced into the control infrastructure to form a permeable body of hydrocarbonaceous material. The permeable body can be contacted with an agent sufficient to remove minerals therefrom. The agent is typically a solution containing a solvent, leachant, chelating agent and the like via which minerals can be removed having value, toxic minerals, radioactive minerals and the like.
US08366909B2	Reforming process at low pressure Processes for reforming of naphtha feedstocks are described. Briefly, a two stage naphtha reforming process is described. The first stage uses a low acidity beta zeolite catalyst under relatively mild reforming conditions to form an effluent. This effluent is passed to a subsequent stage where further reforming occurs using a catalyst containing ZSM-5 zeolite. The second stage is run under mild reforming conditions. The low pressures employed in the reforming process described maximize liquid product yield by avoiding unwanted cracking reactions and production of light products.
US08366905B2	Apparatus having reduced noise and method of using the apparatus for detecting ionic materials An apparatus and method for detecting ionic materials includes a sensing electrode which contacts a liquid sample and detects a sensing voltage corresponding to a surface potential which is changed by a concentration of ionic materials in the liquid sample, a first switching transistor having a first terminal connected to the sensing electrode and a second terminal connected to a first node, a second switching transistor having a first terminal connected to a reset voltage and a second terminal connected to the first node, and a sensing transistor having a gate connected to the first node.
US08366897B2	Gradient elution electrophoresis and detectorless electrophoresis apparatus A microfluidic apparatus and method for performing electrophoretic separation of compounds. The method comprises the steps of: a) providing a separation buffer; b) providing a sample solution in fluid contact with the separation buffer; c) applying an electric field to the separation buffer; and d) producing a variable bulk flow of the separation buffer in a direction substantially aligned with said electric field. Fluid contact between the separation buffer and the sample solution is made through a separation column having a length in the range of from approximately 0.01 mm to approximately 5 mm. By the foregoing, compounds can be sequentially detected and quantified.
US08366892B2	Graphite electrode The present invention relates to an electrode composed of carbon having at least two different zones, wherein an outer zone (A) forms the base of the electrode and carries one or more inner zones, wherein the innermost zone (B) projects from the zone (A) at the top and has a lower specific thermal conductivity than zone (A).
US08366882B2	Process for treating agglomerating coal by removing volatile components A process for treating agglomerating coal includes providing dried, pulverized, agglomerating coal, and treating the coal in a vessel with a gas stream having an oxygen content sufficient to form at least some oxides on surface of coal particles, wherein the oxides are sufficient to convert coal into substantially non-agglomerating coal. The treated coal is transferred into a pyrolyzing chamber and passed into contact with an oxygen deficient sweep gas, the sweep gas being at a higher temperature than the temperature of the coal so that heat is supplied to the coal. The process further includes providing additional heat to coal indirectly by heating the chamber, wherein the heating of coal by the sweep gas and by the indirect heating from the chamber causes condensable volatile components to be released into the sweep gas. The sweep gas is removed from the chamber and treated to remove condensable components of coal.
US08366880B2	Fibrous support intended to be impregnated with liquid Fibrous support intended to be impregnated, the fibers of which are formed 100% of cellulose fibers, characterized in that it presents, before creping or embossing, a wet traction strength of over 2.4 N/15 mm in the cross-machine direction, a water absorption capacity of at least 300% and contains less than 2% dry wet strength 10 agent in comparison with the dry weight of the fibers.
US08366877B2	Lipohydrophilic glycerol based polymers as digestion aids for improving wood pulping processes The invention provides a method of improving the digestion of wood chips into pulp. The method involves: adding a liphohydrophilic glycerol-based polymer additive to a solution used in the digestion process. This additive is unexpectedly effective at facilitating digestion. The branched and ether structure of the additive allows it to withstand the harsh nature of a highly alkaline environment. In addition, it is more soluble in high pH than other surfactants. The structure, resistance, and particular balance between hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, causes the additive to increases the interaction between the wood chips and the digestion chemicals. This in turn reduces the costs, the amount of additive needed, and the amount of reject wood chunks that result from the digestion process.
US08366872B2	Substrate treatment method, coating film removing apparatus, and substrate treatment system According to the present invention, during the photolithography processing of a substrate, exposure processing is performed immediately after removal of a coating film on the rear surface of the substrate, and a coating film is formed on the rear surface of the substrate immediately after the exposure processing. Thereafter, etching treatment and so on are performed, and a series of these treatment and processing steps are performed a predetermined number of times. The coating film has been formed on the rear surface of the substrate at the time for the etching treatment, so that even if the coating film gets minute scratches, the rear surface of the substrate itself is protected by the coating film and thus never scratched. Further, since the coating film on the rear surface of the substrate is removed immediately before the exposure processing, the rear surface of the substrate can be flat for the exposure processing.
US08366871B2	Method and apparatus for cleaning and surface conditioning objects using plasma A method and apparatus for cleaning and surface conditioning objects using plasma are disclosed. One embodiment of the apparatus for cleaning conductive objects using plasma discloses at least one planar dielectric barrier plate having a first surface and a second surface, and at least one electrode proximate the second surface of the at least one planar dielectric barrier plate, wherein the planar dielectric barrier plate is positioned to receive at least one object substantially orthogonally proximate the first surface. Another embodiment of the apparatus includes a ground plane for cleaning non-conductive objects, wherein the ground plane has apertures sized and arranged for receiving each object to be cleaned.
US08366866B2	Formaldehyde free binder compositions for fibrous materials Compositions for binding organic or inorganic fibers are described. The compositions may include an aqueous solution having a pH of about 4.5 or more. The aqueous solution may include a polycarboxy polymer that is about 10%, by wt., to 100%, by wt., of a butenedioic acid or butenedioic anhydride; and a polyol. The compositions can maintain a pH of about 5 or more after being cured into a thermoset plastic with the fibers. Processes for preparing a binder composition for organic or inorganic fibers are also described. The processes may include providing an aqueous solution of polycarboxylic acid polymers, where the polymers comprise about 10%, by wt., to 100%, by wt., of a butenedioic acid or butenedioic anhydride; adding a polyol to the aqueous solution; and maintaining the pH of the aqueous solution at about 5 or more.
US08366860B2	Laser welding method The invention relates to a method for laser welding at least two components made of plastic, particularly a pipe and a carrier plate, wherein the first component at least in certain regions has a relatively high permeability for the laser beam used during laser welding. The second component at least in certain regions has a relatively low permeability for the laser beam used during laser welding. A compact design of the components can be achieved if the laser beam reaches the respective weld location by means of refraction and/or reflection during laser welding.
US08366843B2	Method of manufacturing a martensitic stainless steel pipe A method of manufacturing a 13Cr steel pipe which satisfies a hardness (HRC) of at most 22 with 13Cr grade L80 of American Petroleum Institute (API) standards, which is an indicator of a high strength, high yield ratio, and good corrosion resistance, is provided. A steel billet having a chemical composition comprising, in mass percent, C: 0.15-0.21%, Si: 0.16-1.0%, Mn: 0.35-1.0%, Cr: 10.5-14.0%, P: at most 0.020%, S: at most 0.0050%, Al: 0.025-0.050%, and a remainder of Fe and impurities is subjected to hot working with a finishing temperature of 800-960° C. to form a mother pipe, which is immediately quenched at a cooling rate of at least air cooling and then tempered by heating.
US08366841B2	Lead-free free-cutting corrosion-resistant silicon-bismuth brass alloy A lead-free free-cutting corrosion-resistant silicon-bismuth brass alloy, including the following: between 60.0 and 65.0 wt % of Cu, between 0.6 and 1.8 wt % of Si, between 0.2 and 1.5 wt % of Bi, between 0.02 and 0.5 wt % of Al, less than 1.5 wt % of Ni+Mn+Sn, between 0.01 and 0.5 wt % of La—Ce alloy, between 0.002 and 0.02 wt % of B, with the remainder being Zn and inevitable impurities, wherein the total amount of impurities are no more than 0.5 wt %.
US08366840B2	Leadless brass alloy excellent in stress corrosion cracking resistance By enhancing a stress corrosion cracking resistance in a leadless brass alloy, specifically by suppressing a velocity of propagation of corrosion cracks in the brass alloy, a straight line crack peculiar to the leadless brass alloy is suppressed, a probability of cracks coming into contact with γ phases is heightened and local corrosion on the brass surface is prevented to suppress induction of cracks by the local corrosion, thereby providing a leadless brass alloy contributable to enhancement of the stress corrosion cracking resistance. The present invention is directed to an Sn-containing Bi-based, Sn-containing Bi+Sb-based or Sn-containing Bi+Se+Sb-based leadless brass alloy excellent in stress corrosion cracking resistance, having an α+γ structure or α+β+γ structure and having γ phases distributed uniformly therein at a predetermined proportion to suppress local corrosion and induction of stress corrosion cracks.
US08366835B2	Hydrodynamic nozzle A hydrodynamic nozzle comprising a nozzle body having a first, forward end and a second, rear end, in the rear end a section-wise centrally located intake for rinsing water, internal rinsing water channels by which rinsing water is directed from the rinsing water intake to multiple rinsing water discharges mouthing in the rear end of the nozzle body in a radially outer region with respect to the rinsing water intake. The hydrodynamic nozzle has a passage for air extending through the nozzle body, said air passage connecting an air intake, mouthing in the forward end of the nozzle body, to an air discharge mouthing in the rear end of the nozzle body, wherein the air discharge is defined partly through an outer wall located radially inside the rinsing water discharges, and partly through an inner wall located radially outside the rinsing water intake.
US08366826B2	Methods for preparing silicon germanium alloy nanocrystals The present invention relates to a method of preparing silicon germanium alloy nanocrystals by the simultaneous thermal disproportionation of a siliceous material and GeX2 in a conventional tube furnace. Also included is a method of preparing free standing silicon germanium nanocrystals by the acid etching product of the product of the thermal disproportionation of a siliceous material and GeX2.
US08366822B2	Cementitious tile adhesives and method of applying the same to a tile substrate Cement tile adhesives and methods for using them, the adhesives comprising a dry mix of a water-redispersible polymer powder made from a low carboxylation, large particle size water-soluble film-forming vinyl aromatic-diene copolymer latex and a reduced amount of cellulose ether exhibit superior water immersion shear strength and freeze/thaw shear strength.
US08366818B2	Photocurable composition A photocurable composition is provided that includes a compound represented by Formula (I) below, in Formula (I), X denotes O, S, or NRa, n1 denotes 0 or 1, and R1 to R14 and Ra independently denote a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a monovalent substituent, at least one of R1 to R14 and Ra not being a hydrogen atom). There is also provided an inkjet recording method that includes (a1) a step of discharging the photocurable composition onto a recording medium and (b1) a step of curing the photocurable composition by irradiating the discharged photocurable composition with light.
US08366817B2	System for purification of air in an inner space A system for purification of air in an inner space has a housing having air inlet unit and air outlet units; air filtering means located in the housing between the air inlet unit and the air outlet units; and vertical attachment attached to the air outlet units and extending vertically upwardly so that air enters the housing at a lower level through the air inlet units and leaves the system at an outlet of the attachment at a level substantially higher than the level of the inlet units and air conditioner located in said housing, a humidifier located in the vertical attachment, a water container for supplying water to said humidifier. The air conditioner is connected with the water container so that a spray of water from the air conditioner flows into the container.
US08366811B2	Drying substances, preparation and use thereof There is provided herein a dryer polymer substance including a hetero-phase polymer composition including two or more polymers wherein at least one of the two or more polymers include sulfonic groups, wherein the substance is adapted to pervaporate a fluid. The fluid may include water, water vapor or both. There is also provided herein a process for the preparation of a dryer polymer substance adapted to pervaporate a fluid (such as water, water vapor or both) the process includes mixing two or more polymers, wherein at least one of the two or more polymers may include groups which are adapted to be sulfonated, to produce a hetero-phase polymer composition and processing the polymer blend into a desired form.
US08366806B2	Pre-purification unit of cryogenic air separation unit, hydrocarbon adsorbent, and method of pre-treating feed air A hydrocarbon adsorbent that includes a zeolite with either a H-FER structure or a MOR structure in which the pore diameter has been adjusted by ion exchange. A propane adsorbent that includes a zeolite with a MFI structure having a Si/Al ratio of no more than 20. A hydrocarbon removal unit that includes a TSA pre-purification unit having a column packed with sequential layers of activated alumina, a NaX zeolite, and the hydrocarbon adsorbent. A method of reducing the hydrocarbon content within liquid oxygen inside a cryogenic air separation unit that includes purifying feed air with the above pre-purification unit.
US08366799B2	Silver particles and a process for making them Silver powders containing particles with a different morphology are disclosed. The silver particles are spherically-shaped with an open structure surface. The majority of the spherically-shaped silver particles have one or more silver plates attached to each of the majority of the spherically-shaped silver particles. Also provided is a process for making these silver particles. The silver particles formed are particularly useful in electronic applications.
US08366788B2	Control system for a lower limb prosthesis or orthosis In a control system for a lower limb prosthesis or orthosis, a plurality of sensors generate sensor signals representing kinematic measurements (21) relating to the movement of segments of a prosthesis or orthosis (e.g. a thigh segment and a shank segment). The sensor signals are applied in a comparison stage 22 to a plurality of comparison steps (K1, K2, K3) which produce binary outputs for feeding to a combining stage (23) in which a binary word (16) is produced, identifying a phase of limb motion. During a walking cycle, for instance, the binary word (16) changes, and the sequence of words represents a movement phase description which is used as the input for a prosthetic or orthotic movement controller.
US08366783B2	Systems and methods for providing deeper knee flexion capabilities for knee prosthesis patients Systems and methods for providing deeper knee flexion capabilities, more physiologic load bearing and improved patellar tracking for knee prosthesis patients. Such systems and methods include (i) adding more articular surface to the antero-proximal posterior condyles of a femoral component, including methods to achieve that result, (ii) modifications to the internal geometry of the femoral component and the associated femoral bone cuts with methods of implantation, (iii) asymmetrical tibial components that have an unique articular surface that allows for deeper knee flexion than has previously been available, (iv) asymmetrical femoral condyles that result in more physiologic loading of the joint and improved patellar tracking and (v) modifying an articulation surface of the tibial component to include an articulation feature whereby the articulation pathway of the femoral component is directed or guided by articulation feature.
US08366781B2	Modular prosthesis and use thereof for replacing a radial head A modular prosthesis system for replacement of a head portion of a proximal radius includes a monolithic stem component, a head component, and a locking mechanism formed by the stem and head components. The stem component defines a stem anchoring portion having a longitudinal axis and configured to couple to the proximal radius, and a dovetail-shaped first mounting portion on a first end face that extends in a first direction transverse to the longitudinal axis. The head component has a dovetail-shaped second mounting portion on a second end face opposite the first end face slidably engaged with the first mounting portion along the first direction. One of the first and second mounting portions intersects the longitudinal axis. The locking mechanism is formed at an interface between the stem and head components and is engaged through relative translational movement between the stem and head components. A related method is provided.
US08366780B2	Shoulder joint implant A prosthetic implant comprising a head having a spherical pyrocarbon shell (13,73) that is attached to a metal substructure (17,77) via an intermediate element (15,45,75). A subassembly of the intermediate element and the pyrocarbon shell may be connected to the metal substructure via a metal split ring (19) that resides partially in each of two facing grooves (33,35) or via interengaging elements (85,87,91) that are provided in two juxtaposed cylindrical surfaces. The design is such that compressive forces applied to the implant at its spherical articulating surface are transferred via compression through the pyrocarbon shell to the metal substructure.
US08366777B2	Expandable intervertebral implant An expandable intervertebral implant includes a front wall, a back wall spaced apart from the front wall, and two side walls connecting the front wall and the back wall at their respective ends. The walls define a space. The implant further includes a bottom face, a top face, at least one engagement member with an engagement surface for engagement with the end plate of a vertebral body, a first adjusting element and a second adjusting element which are supported by a first support member and a second support member, respectively, and which cooperate with the respective support member such that the engagement member is reciprocally movable between a first end position and a second end position. In the first end position, the engagement surface does not project beyond the bottom face or the top face and in the second end position, the engagement surface at least partially projects outwardly beyond the bottom face or the top face. The first and the second support members are coupled by a coupling mechanism.
US08366775B2	Intervertebral spacer device having an angled perimeter for manipulation using a surgical tool Instrumentation for implanting an artificial intervertebral disc includes static trials and a dynamic trial for determining the appropriate size of disc to be implanted, static trial holders for manipulating the static trials, inserter/impactors for inserting and removing the static trials and for inserting the artificial intervertebral discs, repositioners/extractors for repositioning and extracting the static trials or the artificial intervertebral discs, and a leveler for setting the proper position of the artificial intervertebral disc. Methods for using the same are also disclosed. Features for artificial intervertebral discs and intervertebral spacer devices useful for manipulation by the instrumentation are also disclosed.
US08366773B2	Apparatus and method for treating bone A bone tamp for creating channels within bone tissue. The bone tamp includes an elongated member that is deformable from a first generally non-linear configuration to a second generally linear configuration for insertion into bone tissue. As the elongated member is deployed into bone tissue, it transitions from the linear configuration into the non-linear configuration within the bone tissue. The elongated member is capable of being deformed back into the generally linear configuration for withdrawal from the bone tissue.
US08366772B2	Artificial disc replacements with natural kinematics This invention improves upon prior aft total disc replacements (TDRs) by more closely replicating the kinematics of a natural disc. The preferred embodiments feature two or more fixed centers of rotation (CORs) and an optional variable COR (VCOR) as the artificial disk replacement (ADR) translates from a fixed posterior COR that lies posterior to the COR of the TDR to facilitate normal disc motion. The use of two or more CORs allows more flexion and more extension than permitted by the facet joints and the artificial facet (AF). AF joint-like components may also be incorporated into the design to restrict excessive translation, rotation, and/or lateral bending.
US08366770B2	Biological artificial nerve guide and method of making A biological nerve guide for implantation into a human body is made by providing a natural animal tissue membrane, crosslinking and fixing the membrane, minimizing the antigens from the membrane, tanning the membrane, coupling an active layer to an inner surface of the membrane, cutting the membrane into a desired shape and size, positioning the cut membrane onto a rod-shaped mold so that the cut membrane assumes a cylindrical configuration, and attaching a spiral support to the outer surface of the cut membrane.
US08366759B2	Therapy device A therapy device comprises a flexible sealed envelope and a gel within the envelope. The gel comprises water, thickening agent, and biodiesel by-product glycerin comprising glycerol and soap.
US08366758B2	Hypothermia for improving rate of functional recovery following pelvic surgeries Hypothermia significantly improves the rate of recovery of function following abdominal surgery—particularly radical prostatectomy. Prior to commencing surgery the tissues at and surrounding the site of the surgery are cooled by means of an endorectal cooling balloon inserted into the patient's rectum. The uninflated balloon is inserted and then inflated with cooling fluid which fluid is constantly circulated in and out to lower the temperature. Improved hypothermia can be achieved by bathing internal tissue with chilled water or buffer. Limitation of surgically induced damage can be demonstrated by the more rapid regain of continence in radical prostatectomy patients treated with hypothermia during surgery.
US08366748B2	Apparatus and method of spinal implant and fusion An apparatus and method of performing a minimally invasive posterior spine fusion. More specifically an apparatus with a handle and a forked head on the distal end of the handle is used to grasp implant material and introduce the material to an implant site. The shaft of the apparatus is shaped so as to allow the affixation of a drill guide and drill while simultaneously holding the implant material in the implant site. After removal of the boring tools and assembly of the fusing element, the apparatus can be selectively removed from the implant site. A method of achieving facet joint fusion with near simultaneous fixation is also disclosed.
US08366744B2	Apparatus for tissue repair An apparatus for tissue repair includes first and second fixation members configured to secure tissue together, a flexible coupling member coupling the first and second fixation members, the flexible coupling member having two terminal ends, one of the two terminal ends terminating adjacent one of the first and second fixation members, the flexible coupling member slidably coupled to at least one of the first and second fixation members such that when the other of the two terminal ends of the flexible coupling member is pulled, a length of the flexible coupling member between the first and second fixation members is shortened, and a closed loop of flexible material, the flexible coupling member being slidably received through the closed loop of flexible material.
US08366736B2	Vein filter A vessel filter comprising a first region and a second region wherein the filter is movable between a collapsed position for delivery to the vessel and an expanded position for placement within the vessel. A first region has a filter portion having a converging region to direct particles toward the center of the filter and the second region is flared in the expanded position to have a transverse dimension increasing toward a second end portion opposite the first end portion. The second region includes a vessel engaging portion at the second end portion. The first region includes a plurality of spaced apart elongated struts with adjacent struts being joined.
US08366724B2	Hair removal system A device for removing hair includes a housing and a shaving head fixedly positioned in the housing. The shaving head includes generally disk-like depilator assemblies mounted on a shaft. Each of the assemblies includes a disk includes sloping regions on faces of the disk between lobes of the disk, pressure-transferring protrusions, and a rotation-transferring protrusion elements on the faces, a spacer disposed on the faces to prevent an accumulation of debris and/or to allow for periodic tilting of the disk so as to force the pressure transferring portion to press a pincer of an adjacent disc. A recess in one of the faces accommodates a one rotation-transferring protrusion of another adjacent disk to transfer a rotational force therebetween. Pincers are disposed between the lobes at the sloping portions and tilt about an axis according to contact with the pressure-transferring protrusions of the adjacent disk.
US08366722B2	Method for removing a tick The invention relates to a device for removing a parasite from the skin of a host, wherein the device comprises engaging means for engaging the parasite and removing the parasite from the skin of the host, and wherein the device comprises fixation means for fixing the device on the skin of the host, wherein the engaging means are adapted for movement. The device is preferably provided with administering means for the purpose of supplying a cooling medium to at least the parasite. The invention also relates to a method for removing a parasite from the skin, comprising of engaging the parasite, removing the parasite from the skin of the host, supplying a cooling medium to the parasite, fixing the device on the skin of the host and moving the engaging means for the purpose of engaging the parasite.
US08366718B2	Preparation device for preparing an intervertebral disc compartment The invention relates to a preparation device for preparing an intervertebral disc compartment (14) which is delimited by a first and a second vertebra (16, 18). Such a preparation is carried out prior to the insertion of an intervertebral disc prosthesis (110), in order to guarantee a correct positioning of the intervertebral disc prosthesis between the vertebrae (16, 18). The preparation device (10) comprises a reference frame (22), which is capable of being fastened above an operating table (12), and a first fixing element (58) which is capable of being rigidly connected to the first vertebra (16) are capable of being fastened to the reference frame (22) in varying first positions. A second fixing element (68) is capable of being rigidly connected to the second vertebra (18) and capable of being fastened to the reference frame (22) in varying second positions. A material-abrading tool (78) is capable of being fastened to the reference frame (22), preferably in varying positions.
US08366715B2	Magnetic targeting system for facilitating navigation The present invention describes a magnetic targeting system suitable for guiding a biocompatible device to a target area within the body (in vivo) and method of using the same. The system includes a targeting member having a steering material and is attached to the biocompatible device. The system also includes at least one anchoring member constructed and arranged for the inclusion of a magnetic material effective for influencing the traversal of the steering material, in vivo. The magnetic material is configured and sized so as to positionable external of the anchoring member, in vivo. The magnetically influenced anchoring member interacts with the targeting member such that the biocompatible device is positionable relative to the target area. An extender and connector have threads indexed to a securing set screw to facilitate positioning and affixation of the biocompatible material.
US08366714B2	Rod insertion instrument and method of use An insertion tool for inserting a spinal rod into a patient is provided. The insertion tool includes an upper body portion defining a first longitudinal axis, a handle assembly extending from the upper body portion, an elbow member connected to a distal end of the body portion, a lower body portion defining a second longitudinal axis, and a drive mechanism extending between the handle assembly and the lower body portion for controlling the selective engagement of the spinal rod. The lower body portion extends from the elbow and is configured to selectively engage a spinal rod.
US08366693B2	Methods and devices for applying closed incision negative pressure wound therapy A surgical tissue therapy device includes a sealant layer and a collection chamber. The sealant layer functions so as to create a sealed enclosure, or space between it and the surface of a patient, by forming an airtight seal around a surgical area of skin trauma. The closed incision tissue therapy device also comprises a collection chamber, which may comprise an elongate tubular chamber with a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings. The collection chamber may be configured to be in fluid communication with the sealant layer and the area of skin trauma and functions as to distribute the negative pressure applied to a surgically closed area of skin trauma. Preferably, the pressure under the sealant layer is reduced by expanding the volume of the enclosure space and thereby decreasing the density of air molecules under the sealant layer. The collection material may comprise a material and/or a configuration that permits length changes based upon the length of the corresponding surgical wound or incision.
US08366692B2	Sustained variable negative pressure wound treatment and method of controlling same Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing reduced or negative pressure, and more particularly cyclical reduced pressure, to treat a wound. The system can include a wound dressing, a fluid collection container, a suction source, filters, and conduits. In addition, the system can include a control device and sensors. The sensors may be configured to monitor certain physiological conditions of a patient such as temperature, pressure, blood flow, blood oxygen saturation, pulse, cardiac cycle, and the like. Application of cyclical reduced pressure between two or more values below atmospheric pressure may be synchronized with the physiological conditions monitored by the sensors. Certain embodiments of the system utilize an air reservoir and one or more valves and pressure sensors or gauges to allow for rapid cycling of the level of reduced pressure within the wound dressing between two or more reduced pressure values.
US08366690B2	System and method for determining a fill status of a canister of fluid in a reduced pressure treatment system A reduced pressure treatment system is provided that includes a canister that is fluidly connected to a tissue site and is configured to receive fluid drawn from the tissue site under the influence of a reduced pressure. A reduced pressure source provides the reduced pressure and is fluidly connected to the tissue site by a fluid communication path, which may include a source conduit, the canister, and a target conduit. A sensing device communicates with the source conduit and is configured to sense a pressure in the source conduit. A valve communicates with the source conduit and is configured to vent the reduced pressure. A processing unit communicates with the sensing device and the valve and is configured to open the valve for a selected amount of time, determine a decay of reduced pressure, and determine a fill status of the canister based on the decay of reduced pressure.
US08366687B2	Injection access port with chamfered top hat septum design An access port comprises a housing with a first opening and a self sealing septum sealing the first opening, the septum including an attachment portion for securing the septum to the housing, the attachment portion including a chamfer which, when the septum is mounted within the housing is subject to a force oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to a plane of the outer surface, the chamfered portion redirecting a portion of the force to compress the outer surface. A septum for an access port comprises an attachment portion for abutting a septum seat of the access port and an operative surface permitting penetration by a needle and resealing itself after removal of the needle in combination with a chamfered portion providing a transition between the attachment portion and the operative surface, the chamfered portion re-directing a component of a force applied to the chamfered portion to compress the operative surface.
US08366685B2	Systems and methods for phlebotomy through a peripheral IV catheter An apparatus for performing phlebotomy through a peripheral intravenous line is described herein. The apparatus includes an introducer and a cannula and is configured to advance the cannula through a peripheral intravenous line. A y-adapter with a port of larger diameter is configured to receive the cannula to place the cannula in fluid communication with the peripheral intravenous line. When advanced, the cannula is configured to transport a bodily fluid to a volume outside of the body.
US08366681B2	High flow volume nasal irrigation device and method for alternating pulsatile and continuous fluid flow A high flow volume nasal irrigation device for alternating pulsatile and continuous fluid flow includes a tube comprising a free end and a housing at a second end adjoined to a cap with a coaxial cap nipple. A valve assembly inside the housing comprises a disk-like valve and a plurality of housing standoffs configured to stop the valve but allow a fluid flow in the housing and out the nipple. A cylindrical elastic valve seat is adjoined to the cap nipple and forms a gap with the valve on the standoffs. A spring opposes the valve moving toward the valve seat from the standoffs and assists in returning the valve from the seat to the standoffs and thus with the valve seat creates a periodic pulsatile fluid flow in the nipple in response to a chamber pressure which exceeds a critical chamber pressure threshold.
US08366680B2	Resettable drive mechanism for a medication delivery device and medication delivery device A resettable drive mechanism comprising a housing, a drive member rotatable in a second direction for delivering a dose of a medication, a piston rod driven by the drive member when it rotates in the second direction. A stop member prevents rotation of the drive member in a first direction opposite to the second direction, when the stop member engages the drive member. A clutch member is movable between a delivery position and a reset position. When the clutch member is in the delivery position, the stop member and the drive member are engaged and the drive member is prevented from rotating in the first direction, and when the clutch member is in the reset position, the drive member and the stop member are disengaged, the drive member is rotatable in the first direction and the piston rod is movable in the proximal direction.
US08366679B2	Self filling injection device Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and systems associated with injection devices are disclosed.
US08366676B2	Vascular access device gas displacement A vascular access device may include a gas chamber housed between a body and a septum, and a receptacle in communication with the gas chamber. A method of displacing gas in a medical device may include transferring gas between a gas chamber of a vascular access device and a receptacle housed within the vascular access device.
US08366673B2	Method and devices for selective endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography A catheter for inserting into a bodily structure. The catheter includes a primary lumen and a secondary lumen having a side hole for engaging under negative pressure with an inter-mural mucosa of the bodily structure. Methods of use of a catheter involving insertion of the catheter into a bodily structure and engaging the catheter under negative pressure with an inter-mural mucosa of the bodily structure.
US08366672B1	Fluid administration system A needle has distal, proximal and intermediate extents. The proximal extent has an electrical assembly. A pump has a reservoir. A feed tube operatively couples the reservoir and the needle. An actuator on the electrical assembly is operatively coupled to the pump. The actuator is adapted to activate the pump. In this manner a flow of fluid is fed from the reservoir to and through the needle. A haptic feedback device is operatively coupled to the pump and the electrical assembly. The haptic feedback device is adapted to sense the flow of fluid through the electrical assembly. A sensory signal generator activates the sensory signal generator in response to the sensed flow of fluid through the electrical assembly.
US08366659B2	Reperfusion balloon inflation device An ischemic postconditioning system and related method comprising a catheter including a plurality of lumens and at least one expandable member with at least one chamber including a moveable plunger and a return mechanism operatively engaged with the plunger. The moveable plunger divides the at least one chamber into first and second volumes. A first pressure source is provided having a first fluid at a first pressure and is disposed in fluid communication with the first volume of the chamber. Further, a second pressure source is provided having a second fluid at a second pressure and is disposed in fluid communication with the second volume of the chamber. Similarly, the at least one expandable member is disposed in fluid communication with the second volume of the chamber. The first fluid supplied by the first pressure source displaces the plunger in a first direction delivering at least a portion of the second fluid into the at least one expandable member. Also, the return mechanism displaces the plunger in a second direction delivering the second fluid from the second pressure source to the second volume of the chamber.
US08366656B2	Syringe having a resilient part in order to facilitate an initial aspiration A syringe comprises a barrel with a plunger in slidable and sealing engagement therein, and a needle attached to one end of the barrel. The barrel has an aspiration device in the form of manually-operable resilient portions, which can be operated to cause a pressure differential in the barrel, the pressure differential then being used to perform aspiration. The resilient portions are preferably formed by localized reductions of wall thickness in the external surface of the barrel.
US08366654B2	Apparatus for preventing cross contamination by sterilizing an insufflation device An insufflation device connects to a disposable tube set for providing gas to fill an abdominal cavity of a patient to enable surgical procedures. The insufflation device has an ultraviolet light source to provide ultraviolet light for sterilizing a flow control valve system therein. A filter provided with the insufflation device enables additional surgical procedures for the insufflation device without cleaning of the flow control valve systems or necessarily replacement of the filter. Tube sets connected to the insufflation device do not necessarily require a filter.
US08366653B2	Intraocular pressure regulating device Systems and methods are described for implanting a device in a mammalian eye to raise intraocular pressure. In some embodiments, the device (54) includes an arcuate body that, when implanted, obstructs aqueous humor outflow from the anterior chamber (38) of the eye.
US08366651B2	Implantable flow connector An implantable flow connector for fluidically coupling a source tissue-enclosed body space with a destination element, comprising: a conduit having a lumen terminating at an orifice at a first end of the conduit implantable in the source body space through an opening formed in a tissue wall of the source body space, and a second end of the conduit implantable in the destination element through an opening in a surface of the destination element; and a circumferential flange, radially extending from the conduit proximate the conduit first end, configured to be implanted in the source body space adjacent an opening in the tissue wall of the source body space such that the conduit extends through the opening, the flange comprising one or more circumferentially adjacent sections at least one of which has a rigidity that decreases in a radially-increasing direction.
US08366650B2	Biliary/pancreatic shunt device and method for treatment of metabolic and other diseases Provided is a shunt device that promotes stimulation of secretion of intestinal L-cells and other enteroendocrine cell types. Enteroendocrine secretion is stimulated directly or indirectly by shunting bile and/or pancreatic secretion to segments of the gut more distal than would normally occur The shunt device may be a flexible catheter that is impervious to such secretions, with a proximal end draining the pancreatic/bile duct, and a distal end residing distally within the lumen of the small or large intestine. The shunt may be inserted with minimally invasive techniques, such as by endoscopy.
US08366647B2	Apparatus and method for treating ulnar neuropathy An apparatus and method for treating ulnar neuropathy are disclosed. An apparatus for treating ulnar neuropathy includes an inner face for engaging an arm with an upper end terminating above the elbow and a lower end terminating below the elbow; a plurality of mechanical fasteners along an edge of the inner face; an outer face having channels to promote circumferential flexibility; and a plurality of mechanical fasteners on the outer face positioned to oppose the plurality of mechanical fasteners on the inner face. A method of treating ulnar neuropathy includes placing an inner face in contact with the arm; wrapping the device around the arm to extend above and below the elbow; engaging mechanical fasters on the inner face with mechanical fasteners on the outer face; and tightening the device to support the elbow while allowing normal circulation in the arm.
US08366643B2	System and method for treating subcutaneous tissues An apparatus and method for treating subcutaneous tissues using acoustic waves in the range of low acoustic pressure ultrasound waves is disclosed. The method includes injections of enhancing agents, wherein disruption of subcutaneous tissues and subcutaneous cavitational bioeffects are produced by ultrasound waves having a power that will not produce tissue cavitation in the absence of the enhancing agents. The apparatus and method of use is useful for treatment of subcutaneous abnormalities including cellulite, lipomas, and tumors.
US08366633B2	System for transcutaneous monitoring of intracranial pressure A system for measuring and converting to an observer intelligible form an internal physiological parameter of a patient. The invention allows transcutaneous telemetry of intracranial pressure via a system which includes a patient implanted sensor module and an external processing module, optically coupled to the sensor module via an external coupling module. A sensor within the sensor module transduces the measured pressure and a near infrared emitter transmits the telemetry when interrogated by the external coupling module. A set of tuned inductor-crystal circuits comprised in part of a cylindrical crystal oscillator whose resonant frequency is sensed by a dipper circuit arrangement is provided. Power for the sensor module is derived inductively through rectification of a transcutaneously-applied high-frequency alternating electromagnetic field generated within the external coupling module. A computer within the processing module calculates the physiological parameter from the telemetry signal and represents this data in numerical, graphical, or analog format.
US08366632B2	Stenger screening in automated diagnostic hearing test Method and system are disclosed for automated testing of a patient's hearing. The automated hearing test allows the patient to quickly and accurately test his own hearing. The patient is instructed and prompted for inputs and responses as needed. The patient and/or operator can select one or several tests to be performed, including air and bone conduction testing with masking, speech reception threshold, speech discrimination, tympanogram, acoustic reflex, and otoacoustic emissions testing. Stenger screening is automatically performed for some patients based on the difference in pure tone frequency air conduction thresholds. Multiple languages are supported. Data obtained from one test may be used for another test or another iteration of the same test to calculate masking levels. The automatic hearing test also detects and compensates for ambient noise in the test results. If a contingency occurs, the automated hearing test is configured to page the operator for assistance.

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