Document	Document Title
US08541301B2	Reduction of pore fill material dewetting In one exemplary embodiment, a method includes: providing a structure having a first layer overlying a substrate, where the first layer includes a dielectric material having a plurality of pores; applying a filling material to a surface of the first layer, where the filling material includes a polymer and at least one additive, where the at least one additive includes at least one of a surfactant, a high molecular weight polymer and a solvent; and after applying the filling material, heating the structure to enable the filling material to at least partially fill the plurality of pores uniformly across an area of the first layer, where heating the structure results in residual filling material being uniformly left on the surface of the first layer.
US08541294B2	Method of forming epitaxial film A method of growing an epitaxial film and transferring it to an assembly substrate is disclosed. The film growth and transfer are made using an epitaxy lateral overgrowth technique. The formed epitaxial film on an assembly substrate can be further processed to form devices such as solar cell, light emitting diode, and other devices and assembled into higher integration of desired applications.
US08541282B2	Blocking layers for leakage current reduction in DRAM devices A method for forming a DRAM MIM capacitor stack having low leakage current involves the use of a first electrode that serves as a template for promoting the high k phase of a subsequently deposited dielectric layer. The high k dielectric layer comprises a doped material that can be crystallized after a subsequent annealing treatment. An amorphous blocking is formed on the dielectric layer. The thickness of the blocking layer is chosen such that the blocking layer remains amorphous after a subsequent annealing treatment. A second electrode layer compatible with the blocking layer is formed on the blocking layer.
US08541278B2	Method for fabricating super-junction power device with reduced miller capacitance A method for fabricating a super-junction semiconductor power device with reduced Miller capacitance includes the following steps. An N-type substrate is provided and a P-type epitaxial layer is formed on the N-type substrate. At least a trench is formed in the P-type epitaxial layer followed by forming a buffer layer on interior surface in the trench. An N-type dopant layer is filled into the trench and then the N-type dopant layer is etched to form a recessed structure at an upper portion of the trench. A gate oxide layer is formed, and simultaneously, dopants in the N-type dopant layer diffuse into the P-type epitaxial layer, forming an N-type diffusion layer. Finally, a gate conductor is filled into the recessed structure and an N-type source doped region is formed around the gate conductor in the P-type epitaxial layer.
US08541276B2	Methods of forming an insulating metal oxide A dielectric containing an insulating metal oxide film having multiple metal components and a method of fabricating such a dielectric produce a reliable dielectric for use in a variety of electronic devices. Embodiments include a titanium aluminum oxide film structured as one or more monolayers. Embodiments also include structures for capacitors, transistors, memory devices, and electronic systems with dielectrics containing a titanium aluminum oxide film.
US08541260B1	Exposed die overmolded flip chip package and fabrication method An exposed die overmolded flip chip package includes a substrate. A die is flip chip mounted to an upper surface of the substrate. The package further includes a mold cap filling a apace between an active surface of the die and the upper surface of the substrate. The mold cap includes a principal surface, sidewalls extending from the upper surface of the substrate to the principal surfaces, an annular surface coplanar with the inactive surface of the die and extending outward from a peripheral edge of the inactive surface of the die, and protruding surfaces extending between the principal surface and the annular surface. The mold cap does not cover the inactive surface of the die such that heat transfer from the die to the ambient environment is maximized and the package thickness is minimized.
US08541247B2	Non-volatile memory cell with lateral pinning An apparatus and associated method for a non-volatile memory cell, such as an STRAM cell. In accordance with various embodiments, a magnetic free layer is laterally separated from an antiferromagnetic layer (AFM) by a non-magnetic spacer layer and medially separated from a synthetic antiferromagnetic layer (SAF) by a magnetic tunneling junction. The AFM pins the magnetization of the SAF through contact with a pinning region of the SAF that laterally extends beyond the magnetic tunneling junction.
US08541244B2	In situ heat induced antigen recovery and staining apparatus and method Contemplated herein is an automated microscope slide antigen recovery and staining apparatus and method that features a plurality of individually operable miniaturized pressurizable reaction compartments for individually and independently processing a plurality of individual microscope slides. The apparatus preferably features independently movable slide support elements each having an individually heatable heating plate. Each slide support element preferably supports a single microscope slide. Each microscope slide can be enclosed within an individual pressurizable reaction compartment. Pressures exceeding 1 atm or below 1 atm can be created and maintained in the reaction compartment prior to, during or after heating of the slide begins. Because of the ability to pressurize and regulate pressure within the reaction compartment, and to individually heat each slide, each slide and a liquid solution or reagent thereon can be heated to temperatures that could not be obtained without the enclosed pressurized environment of the reaction compartment. A reagent dispensing strip having a plurality of reconfigurable reagent modules may also be used.
US08541238B2	Apparatus and methods for performing real time PCR in array tape A carrier tape (20) wound on and extending between first and second spools (40) rotatably mounted to a read head (12) is submerged with a detector (44) mounted on a guide mechanism (42) into a fluid thermal media in the form of water or air contained in tanks (76-79). While submerged, the carrier tape (20) can be wound from one spool (40) to another. Further, the read head (12) can be plunged multiple times in opposite directions in the fluid thermal media. The detector (44) allows readings while the carrier tape (20) and the contents carried thereby are submerged in the fluid thermal media and can be a multi-channel, time-resolving photometer measuring fluorescence with at least one channel per row of wells (30) arranged in an array.
US08541237B2	Method for diagnosing disease using adenovirus harboring trans-splicing ribozyme by molecular imaging Disclosed herein is a composition for molecular imaging comprising a trans-splicing ribozyme coupled with an imaging reporter gene. The trans-splicing ribozyme targets a specific gene associated with a disease. Also disclosed is a molecular imaging method using the composition.
US08541231B2	Elimination of N-glycolylneuraminic acid from animal products for human use The application is in the field of transgenic (non-human) organisms, sialic acid chemistry, metabolism and antigenicity. More particularly, the invention is related to a method to produce Neu5Gc-free animals and products therefrom comprising disrupting the CMAH gene and thereby reducing or eliminating Neu5Gc from biological material of non-humans.
US08541230B2	Polynucleotides encoding antigenic HIV type C polypeptides, polypeptides and uses thereof The present invention relates to polynucleotides encoding immunogenic HIV type C Gag- and/or Env-containing polypeptides. Uses of the polynucleotides in applications including DNA immunization, generation of packaging cell lines, and production of Gag- and/or Env-containing proteins are also described.
US08541229B2	Plasmids and phages for homologous recombination and methods of use Lambda phages that can be used to introduce recombineering functions into host cells are disclosed. Also disclosed are plasmids that can be used to confer recombineering functions to a variety of strains of E. coli and to other bacteria, including Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Cyanobacteria, Spirochaetes. These plasmids and phages can be isolated in vitro and can be used to transform bacterial cells, such as gram negative bacteria.
US08541226B2	Bioreactor for mesophilic and/or thermophilic fermentation This invention relates to a bioreactor for producing high rates of hydrogen from plant biomass. It also relates to the rapid screening, selection and isolation of biofilm forming mesophilic and/or thermophilic bacteria or bacteria consortia that generate high levels of hydrogen from plant biomass or from soluble hydrolysates derived from the hydrolysis of cellulosic materials including hemicellulose. The reactor comprises a primary reactor vessel having a bed of hydrogen producing bacteria towards its base located within a secondary reactor vessel which functions as a hydrogen gas collector and as a clarifier and separator. The plant biomass may be one or a mixture of insoluble cellulosic material and a hydrolysate derived from hydrolysis of cellulosic material. In one embodiment the bed of the primary reactor vessel is fluidised by recycling hydrogen gas saturated plant biomass effluent from the secondary reactor vessel to the primary reactor vessel.
US08541221B2	Primate T-lymphotropic viruses Disclosed are compositions and methods related to the isolation and identification of the primate T-lymphotropic viruses, HTLV-3 and HTLV-4. The diversity of HTLVs was investigated among central Africans reporting contact with NHP blood and body fluids through hunting, butchering, and keeping primate pets. Herein it is shown that this population is infected with a variety of HTLVs, including two retroviruses; HTLV-4 is the first member of a novel phylogenetic lineage that is distinct from all known HTLVs and STLVs; HTLV-3 falls within the genetic diversity of STLV-3, a group that has not previously been seen in humans. The present disclosure also relates to vectors and vaccines for use in humans against infection and disease. The disclosure further relates to a variety of bioassays and kits for the detection and diagnosis of infection with and diseases caused by HTLV-3 and HTLV-4 and related viruses.
US08541220B2	Isomerases, nucleic acids encoding them and methods for making and using them This invention relates generally to enzymes, polynucleotides encoding the enzymes, the use of such polynucleotides and polypeptides and more specifically to enzymes having isomerase activity, e.g., racemase activity, e.g., amino acid racemase activity, alanine racemase activity, and/or epimerase activity, and/or catalyze the re-arrangement of atoms within a molecule, catalyze the conversion of one isomer into another, catalyze the conversion of an optically active substrate into a raceme, which is optically inactive, catalyze the interconversion of substrate enantiomers, catalyze the stereochemical inversion around the asymmetric carbon atom in a substrate having only one center of asymmetry, catalyze the stereochemical inversion of the configuration around an asymmetric carbon atom in a substrate having more than one asymmetric center, and/or catalyze the racemization of amino acids. Thus, the invention provides enzymes, compositions, methods for production of pharmaceutical compositions, pharmaceutical intermediates, antibiotics, sweeteners, peptide enzymes, peptide hormones, fuel and fuel additive compositions, foods and food additives, beverage and beverage additives, feeds and feed additives, drugs and drug additives, dietary supplements, textiles, wood, paper, pulp, and detergents comprising the polypeptides or polynucleotides in accordance with the invention.
US08541218B2	High fidelity thermostable ligase and uses thereof The present invention is directed to a mutant thermostable ligase having substantially higher fidelity than either T4 ligase or Thermus thermophilus ligase. The ligase of the present invention is a mutant of a wild-type thermostable ligase having a histidine adjacent a KXDG motif, where the mutant thermostable ligase has a mutation in its amino sequence where the histidine adjacent the KXDG motif in the wild-type thermostable ligase is replaced with an arginine, and wherein X is any amino acid. The DNA molecule encoding this enzyme as well as expression systems and host cells containing it are also disclosed. The thermostable ligase of the present invention is useful in carrying out a ligase detection reaction process and a ligase chain reaction process.
US08541209B2	L-proline cis-4-hydroxylase and use thereof to produce cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline Development of a method of economically and efficiently producing cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline. The present invention provides L-proline cis-4-hydroxylase. This enzyme may be derived from Lotus corniculatus rhizobia, Mesorhizobium loti or Medicago sativa rhizobia, Sinorhizobium meliloti. The present invention provides a method of producing cis-4-hydroxy-L-proline from L-proline by using this enzyme. The present invention provides a recombinant vector containing a polynucleotide encoding the enzyme and a transformant containing the vector.
US08541206B2	Differential amplification of mutant nucleic acids by PCR in a mixture of nucleic acids A method for enriching a mutant nucleic acid in a mixture of nucleic acids, wherein the method comprises: (a) providing a nucleic acid mixture comprising a parental nucleic acid and a mutant nucleic acid of the parental nucleic acid; and (b) amplifying the nucleic acids in the nucleic acid mixture by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); wherein the mutant nucleic acid is a G→A mutant of the parental nucleic acid, which pairs with a fully complementary nucleic acid sequence to form an AT-rich nucleic acid variant of the parental nucleic acid; and wherein the AT-rich nucleic acid variant is denatured and selectively amplified by carrying out PCR using a denaturation temperature 1-3° C. lower than the lowest denaturation temperature (Tp) that allows amplification of the parental nucleic acid to thereby enrich the mutant nucleic acid in the nucleic acid mixture.
US08541205B2	Variant forms of urate oxidase and use thereof Genetically modified proteins with uricolytic activity are described. Proteins comprising truncated urate oxidases and methods for producing them, including PEGylated proteins comprising truncated urate oxidase are described.
US08541200B2	Cleavage of fusion proteins using Granzyme B protease A method for the preparation of a polypeptide of interest in authentic form by enzymatic cleavage of fusion proteins using Granzyme B protease (EC 3.4.21.79). There is also provided fusion proteins comprising a polypeptide of interest and a fusion partner, wherein the junction region between the polypeptide of interest and the fusion partner comprises a Granzyme B protease cleavage site adjacent to the polypeptide of interest, and a human Granzyme B protease variant wherein the Cystein residue no. 228 (chymotrypsinogen numbering) is mutated to Phenylalanine.
US08541198B2	Method for determination and quantification of radiation or genotoxin exposure The present invention discloses methods for detecting exposure of a living subject to genotoxic agents, testing sensitivity to a genotoxic agent, and determining DNA damage caused by exposure to an agent, comprising detecting the presence of FANCD2-containing foci from a sample collected from said subject. The presence of concentrated foci is indicative of DNA damage, and the degree of foci formation is correlated with degree of exposure. Diagnostic reagents contain a ligand that binds to human FANCD2 associated with a detectable label. Kits for detecting DNA damage in a biological sample contain such diagnostic reagents and signal detection components. The invention further discloses methods for identifying agents which modulate the ability of FANCD2-containing foci to form. Among other things, such agents are potentially useful chemosensitizing agents or may confer protection against damage caused by genotoxic agents.
US08541184B2	Screening for neurotoxic amino acid associated with neurological disorders Methods for screening for neurological disorders are disclosed. Specifically, methods are disclosed for screening for neurological disorders in a subject by analyzing a tissue sample obtained from the subject for the presence of elevated levels of neurotoxic amino acids or neurotoxic derivatives thereof associated with neurological disorders. In particular, methods are disclosed for diagnosing a neurological disorder in a subject, or predicting the likelihood of developing a neurological disorder in a subject, by determining the levels of β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in a tissue sample obtained from the subject. Methods for screening for environmental factors associated with neurological disorders are disclosed. Methods for inhibiting, treating or preventing neurological disorders are disclosed.
US08541183B2	Methods of identification, assessment, prevention and therapy of lung diseases and kits thereof The invention provides biomarkers and combinations of biomarkers that are useful in diagnosing lung diseases such as non-small cell lung cancer or reactive airway disease. The invention also provides methods of differentiating lung disease, methods of monitoring therapy, and methods of predicting a subject's response to therapeutic intervention based on the extent of expression of the biomarkers and combinations of biomarkers. Kits comprising agents for detecting the biomarkers and combination of biomarkers are also provided.
US08541173B2	Endometriosis-related markers and uses thereof The present invention relates to markers of endometriosis which are differentially expressed in the endometrial cells of females with endometriosis compared to endometriosis-free females. The invention also relates to methods for determining likelihood of endometriosis in female subjects, to methods for grading endometriosis in females suffering from endometriosis and to methods for treating this disease. The invention is also concerned with polynucleotides, probes, primers and kits useful for reducing into practice the above-mentioned methods which are more rapid, non invasive, much less complicated and much less costly than laparoscopy.
US08541166B1	Peptide sequences for binding infectious prions Peptide sequences that specifically bind infectious prion protein for the generation of antibodies and therapeutic agents are disclosed herein.
US08541163B2	Transporting method, transporting apparatus, exposure method, and exposure apparatus A ladder type stage apparatus that transports a film-shaped substrate includes a plurality of rods whose longitudinal directions are aligned in a direction that is orthogonal to the moving direction of the film-shaped substrate in order to support the film-shaped substrate; chains that join the rods along a closed-loop trajectory; and a drive motor that moves the rods along this loop-shaped trajectory via the chains.
US08541151B2	Imaging members having a novel slippery overcoat layer The presently disclosed embodiments relate in general to electrophotographic imaging members which include a protective overcoat layer comprising specific low surface energy polycarbonates of excellent optical clarity and having a slippery and adhesive surface to impact toner image transfer efficiency to receiving papers and effect contact friction reduction by which imaging members abrasion/wear resistance is enhanced. The present embodiments also disclose a process for making and using these members.
US08541142B2	Fuel cell system A fuel cell system includes: an oxidizing gas supply shut valve; an oxidizing gas exhaust shut valve; a cathode pressure measuring unit as a pressure detection unit for detecting a cathode pressure value which is a pressure of a channel between the oxidizing gas supply shut valve and the oxidizing gas exhaust shut valve; a stop processing unit which closes the oxidizing gas supply shut valve and the oxidizing gas exhaust shut valve when operation of the fuel cell stack is stopped; and a judgment unit which judges whether the operations of the oxidizing gas supply shut valve and the oxidizing gas exhaust shut valve have failed according to the cathode pressure value upon stop when the operation of the fuel cell stack is stopped and the cathode pressure value upon start when the operation of the fuel cell stack is started after the stop.
US08541141B2	Fuel cell system A fuel cell system and method of controlling a fuel cell system capable of preventing deterioration in performance when the system reinitiates a normal operation from an idle stop state. For a predetermined time after reinitiating the supply of fuel gas and oxidant gas from the idle stop state, discharge of off-gas occurs and the cessation of fuel gas and oxidant gas supply is prohibited.
US08541127B2	Overmolded thermal interface for use with a battery cooling system A cooling manifold assembly for use in a battery pack thermal management system is provided. The cooling manifold assembly includes a coolant tube that is interposed between at least a first row of cells and a second row of cells, where the first and second rows of cells are adjacent and preferably offset from one another. A thermal interface layer is overmolded onto the cooling tube, the thermal interface layer including a plurality of pliable fingers that extend away from the cooling tube and are interposed between the cooling tube and the first row of cells, and interposed between the cooling tube and the second row of cells, where the pliable fingers are deflected by, and in thermal contact with, the cells of the first and second rows of cells.
US08541122B2	Lithium rechargeable cell with reference electrode for state of health monitoring A battery management system includes one or more lithium ion cells in electrical connection, each said cell comprising: first and second working electrodes and one or more reference electrodes, each reference electrode electronically isolated from the working electrodes and having a separate tab or current collector exiting the cell and providing an additional terminal for electrical measurement; and a battery management system comprising a battery state-of-charge monitor, said monitor being operable for receiving information relating to the potential difference of the working electrodes and the potential of one or more of the working electrodes versus the reference electrode.
US08541110B2	Resistance spot welding manufacture and method of forming same A resistance spot welding manufacture includes a first metal layer having a first thickness, a second metal layer having a faying surface defining an embossed region, wherein the second metal layer has a second thickness that is less than the first thickness so that a ratio of the first thickness to the second thickness is greater than about 2:1, a third metal layer sandwiched between the first metal layer and the embossed region, wherein the third metal layer has a third thickness that is greater than the second thickness, and a weld joint penetrating each of the first metal layer, the third metal layer, and the faying surface at the embossed region to thereby join each of the first metal layer and the second metal layer to the third metal layer. A method of forming a resistance spot welding manufacture is also disclosed.
US08541109B2	Biodegradable polyester, preparation process thereof and products comprising said polyester The invention relates to a biodegradable polyester, particularly suitable for extrusion coating, comprising units deriving from at least a diacid and at least a diol, with long chain branches (isometric with respect to the main chains of the polyester) and essentially gel-free, characterized by optimum adhesion to paper, excellent sealability and processability in extrusion coating systems. Said biodegradable polyester is obtainable through a reactive extrusion process starting from a substantially linear polyester precursor with defined viscosity and concentration of reactive sites which allow transformation of a few chains of the polyester precursor into isometric branches of this polyester. A further object of the present invention is a laminate product composed of at least a backing, preferably paper, and of at least a first layer composed of polyester according to the invention.
US08541105B2	Transparent substrates with dielectric layer having a marking below the surface of the transparent substrate This invention concerns a method of producing subsurface marking in a transparent body. According to the invention, the marking is done less than 500 μm below the surface by applying a layer system with a high destruction threshold, compared to the substrate, to the surface of the substrate. If the layer system is designed as an anti-reflection coating system for the reading wavelength, it increases the contrast for reading. If the layer system is designed as a mirror for the writing wavelength, the writing can be done in reflection at a lower intensity.
US08541098B2	Purification of metal nanostructures for improved haze in transparent conductors made from the same Provided are a method of isolating and purifying metal nanowires from a crude and complex reaction mixture that includes relatively high aspect ratio nanostructures as well as nanostructures of low aspect ratio shapes, and conductive films made of the purified nanostructures.
US08541094B2	Temperature controlled variable reflectivity coatings Coatings configured to change between a relatively higher reflectivity state and a relatively lower reflectivity state depending at least partially upon temperature are generally disclosed. Some example coatings may include a selectively reflective layer including a plurality of microcapsules, which may include an ionic liquid and/or a surfactant within a shell. The microcapsules may have a relatively higher reflectively when at temperatures above a cloud transition temperature and/or a relatively lower reflectivity when at temperatures below the cloud transition temperature. When at temperatures above the cloud transition temperature, the selectively reflective layer may reflect a first fraction of the incident light. When at temperatures below the cloud transition temperature, the selectively reflective layer may reflect a second fraction of the incident light. The first fraction of the incident light may be greater than the second fraction of the incident light.
US08541084B2	Sealing tape The sealing tape for sealing a joint has a first foam strip with a top surface and a bottom surface, a second foam strip with a top surface and a bottom surface, and a sheet-like connecting element, which comprises a first attachment section, a second attachment section, and a middle section between the two attachment sections. The first attachment section is attached to the first foam strip; the second attachment section is attached to the second foam strip; and the middle section extends from the top surface of the first foam strip to the bottom surface of the second foam strip when the middle section is stretched out straight.
US08541083B2	Webs There are disclosed methods of making RFID transponder webs and intermediate webs such as RFID strap webs and antenna webs, as well as such webs per se.
US08541078B2	Fuel supplies for fuel cells Fuel cartridges for fuel cells are disclosed. One fuel cartridge has an outer casing, an inner liner containing fuel, and a valve component adapted to transport fuel from the fuel supply to a fuel cell. The outer casing and the inner liner are made by blow molding and as the fuel is transported from the fuel supply, the inner liner pulls away from the outer casing. Another fuel cartridge includes an outer casing, an inner liner containing fuel, and a valve component adapted to transport fuel from the fuel supply to a fuel cell. The inner liner is integral to the outer casing at a region proximate to the location of the valve component. The inner liner and/or the outer casing can be fluorinated, coated with a barrier material or wrapped with a barrier film to reduce vapor permeation.
US08541076B2	Stretchable high-loft flat-tube structure from continuous filaments Improved batts for sleeping bags, insulated apparel, bedding, and other uses are made from a tow of crimped continuous filaments by a machine and process which spreads, extends, and wraps the tow into an endless flat-tube structure with desired uniformity, balanced tensile strength, dimensional stability, stretchability, and high loft.
US08541071B2	Image transfer sheet The present invention includes an article and method for transferring an image from one substrate to another. The method includes providing or obtaining an image transfer sheet that is comprised of a substrate layer, a release layer and an image-imparting layer that may comprise a low density polyethylene or other polymeric component having a melting temperature within a range of about 90 degrees C. to about 700 degrees C. An image is imparted to the low density polyethylene area with an image-imparting medium. A second image receiving substrate can be provided. The second image receiving substrate is contacted to the first image transfer sheet at the polymer, image-imparting layer. Heat is applied to the image transfer sheet so that the low density polyethylene encapsulates the image-imparting medium and transfers the encapsulates to the image receiving substrate, thereby forming a mirror image on the image receiving substrate.
US08541060B2	Surface-independent, surface-modifying, multifunctional coatings and application thereof The present invention provides a surface-independent surface-modifying multifunctional biocoating and methods of application thereof. The method comprises contacting at least a portion of a substrate with an alkaline solution comprising a surface-modifying agent (SMA) such as dopamine so as to modify the substrate surface to include at least one reactive moiety. In another version of the invention, a secondary reactive moiety is applied to the SMA-treated substrate to yield a surface-modified substrate having a specific functionality.
US08541059B2	Polyurethane coatings with improved interlayer adhesion Polyurethane coating compositions comprising a mixture of aromatic and aliphatic isocyanate, and a mixture of polyol resin are disclosed. Methods for treating an aged substrate are also disclosed.
US08541058B2	Palladium thiolate bonding of carbon nanotubes Carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays are attractive thermal interface materials with high compliance and conductance that can remain effective over a wide temperature range. Disclosed herein are CNT interface structures in which free CNT ends are bonded using palladium hexadecanethiolate Pd(SC16H35)2 to an opposing substrate (one-sided interface) or opposing CNT array (two-sided interface) to enhance contact conductance while maintaining a compliant joint. The palladium weld is mechanically stable at high temperatures. A transient photoacoustic (PA) method is used to measure the thermal resistance of the palladium bonded CNT interfaces. The interfaces were bonded at moderate pressures and then tested at 34 kPa using the PA technique. At an interface temperature of approximately 250° C., one-sided and two-sided palladium bonded interfaces achieved thermal resistances near 10 mm2 K/W and 5 mm2 K/W, respectively.
US08541053B2	Enhanced densification of silicon oxide layers Densifying a multi-layer substrate includes providing a substrate with a first dielectric layer on a surface of the substrate. The first dielectric layer includes a multiplicity of pores. Water is introduced into the pores of the first dielectric layer to form a water-containing dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer is provided on the surface of the water-containing first dielectric layer. The first and second dielectric layers are annealed at temperature of 600° C. or less. In an example, the multi-layer substrate is a nanoimprint lithography template. The second dielectric layer may have a density and therefore an etch rate similar to that of thermal oxide, yet may still be porous enough to allow more rapid diffusion of helium than a thermal oxide layer.
US08541049B2	Optical member, optical system using the optical member, and method of manufacturing an optical member Provided is an optical member capable of keeping a high performance antireflection effect over a long period of time with respect to an arbitrary substrate. The optical member has plural layers on a substrate, and includes at least one metal oxide layer having a void, and at least one layer containing an organic resin as a main component formed between the substrate and the metal oxide layer. The metal oxide layer is a plate crystal layer formed of a plate crystal containing aluminum oxide as a main component and a surface of the plate crystal layer has an uneven profile. The organic resin has an aromatic ring and/or a hetero ring in at least a part thereof.
US08541046B2	Process for the preparation of a canola protein isolate A novel canola protein isolate of predominantly 2S canola protein and having improved solubility properties, has an increased proportion of 2S canola protein and a decreased proportion of 7S canola protein. The novel canola protein isolate is formed by heat treatment of aqueous supernatant from canola protein micelle formation and precipitation, to effect precipitation of 7S protein which is sedimented and removed.
US08541039B2	Water purifying and flavor infusion device A water purifying and flavor infusion device that includes a lower reservoir for storing filtered water, and a pitcher top removably affixed to the lower reservoir. The pitcher top includes a lid, an upper reservoir, and a filter housing affixed to and extending below the upper reservoir. The filter housing is adapted to contain a filter cartridge wherein the upper reservoir and the filter housing are in liquid communication. The device also includes an infusion tube for infusing filtered water with an additive.
US08541032B2	Tissue graft composition Disclosed are tissue graft compositions made of materials having different densities, methods of making, and methods of treatment for restoring tissues in a patient.
US08541027B2	Fixation devices for tissue repair Fixation devices for tissue repair, for example sutures, surgical arrows, staples, darts, bolts, screws, buttons, anchors, nails, rivets or barbed devices comprise at least one of angiogenic material; angiogenic precursor material which is capable of breaking down in vivo to form angiogenic material; and tissue-engineered material, which tissue-engineered material is capable of producing angiogenic material. In a preferred form the material is incorporated into a polymer matrix having predetermined hydrophobicity to allow controlled release of angiogenic materials such as butyric or hydroxybutyric acid or salts thereof. Polymer matrix compositions comprising angiogenic materials and methods for tissue repair are also provided.
US08541024B2	Film-coated scored tablet A film-coated scored tablet in which the forms of respective parts associated with a score line are optimized so as to more preferably divide the film along the score line is provided.
US08541018B2	Palatable suspending vehicle for pharmaceutical ingredients The invention relates to a liquid vehicle that can be used to create suspensions and/or solutions of liquid or powdered medications. The vehicle is thixotropic and has improved stability and rheologic characteristics. Vehicles of the invention include an aqueous medium and a suspending agent comprising a polysaccharide having at least 50% glucose repeating saccharide units and at least 90% alpha linkages. The polysaccharide can be a starch, modified starch, or glycogen. The aqueous medium and individual components of the vehicle provide a palatable and easily ingested drug preparation. The invention also provides a vehicle containing an aqueous medium, suspending agent comprising a polysaccharide having at least 50% glucose repeating saccharide units and at least 90% alpha linkages, buffer, and artificial sweetener, the combined suspending vehicle having a pH of about 3 to about 10 and an osmolality of 300 mOmsol or less.
US08541017B2	Use of alginate matrices to control cell growth Methods of inhibiting proliferation of a plurality of proliferating cells are disclosed. Methods of inhibiting cell overgrowth on compositions that are in an animal's body are disclosed. Methods of inhibiting cell overgrowth on a device that is in an animal's body are disclosed. Devices that have on their exterior surface an alginate matrix that comprises Strontium are disclosed. Compositions comprising an alginate body and alginate sheets that each comprise a single layer of cells coating the exterior surface of the alginate body are disclosed. Methods of preparing an artificial tissue are disclosed. Devices comprising cells encapsulated within an alginate matrix and/or maintained as a monolayer on an alginate body, and methods of making and using the same are disclosed. Methods of coating compositions and devices are disclosed.
US08541014B2	Gamma-tocopherol therapy for restenosis prevention The present invention is directed to a drug eluting stent system, including: a stent; a tocopherol agent coupled to the stent; wherein the stent is adapted to elute the tocopherol agent into a surrounding lumenal wall tissue when implanted along the lumen within a body of a patient.
US08541004B2	Composition comprising the polyprotein NS3/NS4 and the polypeptide NS5B of HCV, expression vectors including the corresponding nucleic sequences and their therapeutic use The invention relates to a peptidic compound containing a polyprotein NS3/NS4 of a hepatitis C virus and a polypeptide NS5b of hepatitis C virus. Said invention also relates to expression vectors such as adenovirus and poxyvirus in which nucleic sequences coding for the polyprotein NS3/NS4 and the polypeptide NS5b. The inventive compound can be used for a therapeutic application.
US08541003B2	Vectors expressing SARS immunogens, compositions containing such vectors or expression products thereof, methods and assays for making and using SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome virus, a coronavirus) immunogens, antigens, or epitopes, nucleic acid molecules encoding such immunogens, antigens, or epitopes; vectors containing such nucleic acid molecules, e.g., viral vectors such as baculovirus vectors, DNA vectors, such as DNA plasmid vectors, e.g., DNA plasmids that express a nucleic acid molecule in a mammalian cell, uses for such immunogens, antigens or epitopes and vectors, e.g., as an active component immunogenic, immunological or vaccine compositions, or to generate antibodies, such as monoclonal antibodies, and methods for making, and using such immunogens, antigens or epitopes, vectors, antibodies, including in methods for eliciting an immunological or immunogenic or vaccine response, as well as in assays or diagnostic kits or methods, are discussed, as well as a seamless fusion of sequences in a plasmid or vector, e.g., a sequence encoding a leader sequence and a sequence encoding a protein, epitope or immunogen or antigen.
US08540999B2	Allergenic proteins and peptides from Japanese cedar pollen The present invention provides nucleic acid sequences coding for the Cryptomeria japonica major pollen allergen Cry j I, Cry j II, Jun s I and Jun v I and fragments or peptides thereof. The present invention also provides purified Cry j I, Cry j II, Jun s I and Jun v I and at least one fragment thereof produced in a host cell transformed with a nucleic acid sequence coding for Cry j I, Cry j II, Jun s I and Jun v I or at least one fragment thereof, and fragments of Cry j I, Cry j II, Jun s I or Jun v I or at least one fragment thereof, and fragments of Cry j I, Cry j II, Jun s I or Jun v I prepared synthetically. Cry j I, Cry j II, Jun s I and Jun v I and fragments thereof are useful for diagnosing, treating, and preventing Japanese cedar pollinosis. The present invention also provides isolated peptides of Cry j I and Cry j II. Peptides within the scope of the invention comprise at least one T cell epitope, or preferably at least two T cell epitopes of Cry j I or Cry j II. The invention also pertains to modified peptides having similar or enhanced therapeutic properties as the corresponding naturally-occurring allergen or portion thereof but having reduced side effects. Methods of treatment or of diagnosis of sensitivity to Japanese cedar pollens in an individual and therapeutic compositions, and multipeptide formulations comprising one or more peptides of the invention are also provided.
US08540994B2	H5 subtype-specific binding proteins useful for H5 avian influenza diagnosis and surveillance The invention provides monoclonal antibodies and related binding proteins that bind specifically to the envelope glycoprotein of H5 subtypes of avian influenza virus (“AIV”). The monoclonal antibodies and related binding proteins are useful for the detection of H5 subtypes of AIV, including the pathogenic H5N1 subtypes. Virus may be detected in formalin preserved, paraffin embedded specimens as well as frozen specimens and biological fluids. Accordingly, the invention provides for the diagnosis and surveillance of dangerous viral infections.
US08540989B2	Compositions and methods for treating and diagnosing cancer The present invention relates to compositions and methods for characterizing, diagnosing and treating cancer. In particular, the present invention identifies LGR5 as a protein over-expressed in solid tumor stem cells. The present invention further identifies an interaction between RSPO1 and LGR5 as an alternative pathway for the activation of beta-catenin signaling. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides biomolecules that disrupt functional signaling via a LGR protein, including, in certain embodiments, molecules that inhibit the interaction between one or more RSPO proteins and one or more LGR proteins, such as LGR5. In certain embodiments, the present invention provides methods of treating cancer comprising disrupting functional LGR signaling and inhibiting growth of a solid tumor comprising solid tumor stem cells.
US08540988B2	Antibodies that bind polypeptides involved in the process of bone remodeling This invention relates, in part, to unique and newly identified genetic polynucleotides involved in the process of bone remodeling, variants and derivatives of the polynucleotides and corresponding polypeptides, uses of the polynucleotides, polypeptides, variants and derivatives, and methods and compositions for the amelioration of symptoms caused by bone remodeling disorders. Disclosed in particular are the isolation and identification of polynucleotides, polypeptides variants and derivatives involved in osteoclast activity, validation of the identified polynucleotides for their potential as therapeutic targets and use of the polynucleotides, polypeptides, variants and derivatives for the amelioration of disease states and research purposes.
US08540981B1	Bacillus strains useful against calf pathogens and scours The present invention relates to a composition including Bacillus subtilis strains 3A-P4 ATCC Accession No. PTA-6506, 22C-P1 ATCC Accession No. PTA-6508, and LSSA01 NRRL Accession No. NRRL B-50104. The present invention also relates to a method of administering an effective amount of a composition comprising Bacillus subtilis strains 3A-P4 ATCC Accession No. PTA-6506, 22C-P1 ATCC Accession No. PTA-6508, and LSSA01 NRRL Accession No. NRRL B-50104 to a calf.
US08540977B2	IL-11 muteins The present invention relates generally to the treatment of an interleukin-11 (IL-11)-mediated condition. More particularly, the present invention provides the use of modified forms of IL-11 which modulate IL-11 signaling in the treatment of IL-11-mediated conditions.
US08540963B2	Molecular sieve SSZ-81 The present invention is directed to a new crystalline molecular sieve designated SSZ-81, which is synthesized using a structure directing agent selected from 1,5-bis(1-azonia-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane)pentane dications, 1,5-bis(1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane)pentane dications, and mixtures thereof.
US08540961B2	Method of preparing material for lithium secondary battery of high performance Provided is a method for preparing a lithium mixed transition metal oxide, comprising subjecting Li2CO3 and a mixed transition metal precursor to a solid-state reaction under an oxygen-deficient atmosphere with an oxygen concentration of 10 to 50% to thereby prepare a powdered lithium mixed transition metal oxide having a composition represented by Formula I of LixMyO2 wherein M, x and y are as defined in the specification. Therefore, since the high-Ni lithium mixed transition metal oxide having a given composition can be prepared by a simple solid-state reaction in air, using a raw material that is cheap and easy to handle, the present invention enables industrial-scale production of the lithium mixed transition metal oxide with significantly decreased production costs and high production efficiency. Further, the thus-produced lithium mixed transition metal oxide is substantially free of impurities, and therefore can exert a high capacity and excellent cycle stability, in conjunction with significantly improved storage stability and high-temperature stability.
US08540960B2	Method for producing of ultra-clean and high-purity electronic grade reagents A method for producing of ultra-clean and High-purity electronic grade reagents is disclosed. The industrial grade reagents are chemically pretreated and filtered, and the colature is rectified. Heating the steam during the rectification to overheated steam, and filtering the overheated steam used the microporous membrane to remove the solid particulates. Condensing the overheated steam and the secondarily filter to remove the dust in the product. Due to the adoption of the technical scheme, the ultra-clean and High-purity isopropanol produced is in conformity with standard SEMI-C12 and the hydrochloric acid to standard SEMI-C8. And the method is applicable for the large-scale continuous production.
US08540951B2	Process for extracting metals from aluminoferrous titanoferrous ores and residues A process for extracting metal values from ores or residues is disclosed. The process mentioned above is mainly suitable for aluminoferrous ores such as bauxite, titanoferrous ores such as ilmenite, or residues such as red mud waste. The process involves pulverizing the ore and/or residue and mixing with a carbonaceous material, followed by smelting the iron values and slag in the mixture to yield molten iron and oxides of aluminum and titanium. The process is simple, cost-effective, and provides effective extraction of high purity metal values.
US08540941B2	Alumina-silica-based fiber, ceramic fiber, ceramic fiber complex, retaining seal material, production method thereof, and alumina fiber complex production method A manufacturing method by which alumina-silica based fibers excellent in mechanical strength can be readily and securely obtained. The method obtains precursor fibers as a material by using an alumina-silica based fiber spinning stock solution for use in an inorganic salt method. Next, the precursor fibers are heated under an environment which makes it difficult to carry out an oxidizing reaction on the carbon component contained in the precursor fibers. Thus, the precursor fibers are sintered to obtain alumina-silica based fibers.
US08540931B2	Nozzle for injecting gas containing oxygen into a pig iron device having an injector insertion pipe An injector insert pipe is arranged in the gas channel of a nozzle for injecting oxygen-containing gas into a pig iron production unit, wherein an interspace which surrounds the pipe is present over the entire pipe length between the wall of the gas channel and the pipe outer wall. The pipe extends at least as far as the nozzle end face which contains the mouth of the gas channel. The pipe space is connected to an oxygen-containing gas feed line, and the interspace is connected to a protective gas supply line. In a process, oxygen-containing gas is fed into the pipe space, which after it has flowed through the pipe, enters the production unit at an entry velocity, and the interspace is simultaneously flowed through by a gas which exits into the production unit at an exit velocity, wherein the entry velocity is greater than the exit velocity.
US08540930B2	Reducing furnace and apparatus for manufacturing molten iron comprising the same An apparatus for manufacturing molten iron includes a reduction furnace having a charging device that is capable of preventing segregation. The reduction furnace for reducing an iron-containing material used for manufacturing molten iron may include a charging hole where the iron-containing material is charged, a first guide plate sloped toward a first direction in the reduction furnace to guide the iron-containing material to the inside of the reduction furnace, and a second guide plate fixed and sloped toward a second direction intersecting the first direction in the reduction furnace to guide the iron-containing material dropped and guided by the first guide plate. A dropping direction of the iron-containing material dropped and guided by the first guide plate is changed when the iron-containing material is guided by the second guide plate.
US08540926B2	Profiling of tubes A method of, and apparatus for, profiling a tube to form at least one profiled product having a first open end and a second open end. The tube (30) is supported on a support (19) which supports the tube along at least a substantial part of the length of the tube corresponding to the product(s) to be formed. At least a portion of the tube is heated to form at least one heat-softened portion of the tube in the region(s) corresponding to the product(s) to be formed. A fluid pressure change (28) is applied to the region(s) of the tube corresponding to the product(s) to be formed to form at least one profiled product having a first open end, a second open end, and a predetermined shape with one or more three dimensional profile features.
US08540925B2	Photocurable composition, micropattern-formed product and its production process A photocurable composition capable of producing a micropattern-formed product efficiently, which is excellent in physical properties such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, releasability and optical characteristics (transmittance and low refractive index), and a process for producing a micropattern-formed product, capable of highly precisely transferring a micropattern of a mold to its surface are provided.A photocurable composition which comprises from 50 to 98 mass % of a monomer containing no fluorine atom and having a viscosity at 25° C. of from 0.1 to 100 mPa·s, from 0.1 to 45 mass % of a fluoromonomer, from more than 0.1 to 20 mass % of a fluorinated surfactant and/or a fluoropolymer and from 1 to 10 mass % of a photopolymerization initiator, and contains substantially no solvent. A process for producing a micropattern-formed product comprising a cured product having a micropattern of a mold transferred on its surface, or such a micropattern-formed product integrated with a substrate, which uses the photocurable composition, a substrate and a mold having a micropattern.
US08540920B2	Methods of making an article of semiconducting material on a mold comprising particles of a semiconducting material The invention relates to methods of making articles of semiconducting material and semiconducting material articles formed thereby, such as articles of semiconducting material that may be useful in making photovoltaic cells.
US08540917B2	Insert molding method and insert molded product An insert molding method includes holding a plurality of insert members in a molding die to be separated from one another, and subsequently filling a resin into the molding die to fill a gap between the insert members and a periphery thereof with the resin to form an insert molded product such that the insert members are separated at a preset interval from one another. The molding die includes a space-maintaining projection for maintaining a separation interval between the insert members at the preset interval or more, the projection being formed on an inner wall surface of the molding die opposite to a longitudinal end of the insert members, and a gate for filling the resin therethrough into the molding die, the gate being formed on an inner wall surface of the molding die opposite to a side of the insert members in a width direction thereof.
US08540906B2	Method of molding, process for producing lens, molding apparatus, process for producing stamper, master production apparatus, stamper production system, and stamper production apparatus Molded articles, such as a lens, are produced by multiple repetitions of a transfer process composed of the transformation step of bringing a transfer member (62) provided with a transfer configuration area consisting of the same configuration as that of a lens part with aspherical configuration or the configuration opposed to the lens part with aspherical configuration into contact with a photohardening resin to thereby transform the photohardening resin in conformity with the transfer configuration of the transfer member (62); the hardening step of irradiating at least a transformed area of the transformed photohardening resin with light by the use of a light irradiation unit (60) to thereby attain hardening; and the departing step of letting the photohardened resin and the transfer member depart from each other.
US08540905B2	Chemiluminescent compositions and methods of making and using thereof A chemiluminescent composition comprising an oxalate and an activator component wherein at least one of said oxalate or activator components contains a fluorescer and at least one of said oxalate or activator components contains an organic polymer. The combined concentration of said organic polymer contained in both components is above 50% by weight of the total composition, and said organic polymer is an insoluble solid. Further, The activator component contains a peroxide at a concentration below 2% by weight of the total composition.
US08540904B2	Composition for ultraviolet absorbent substance and ultraviolet absorbent substance comprising same An ultraviolet absorbent substance includes a metal complex and a matrix, formed with at least one matrix material and/or polymerizable monomer as a precursor of a matrix material and containing said metal complex therein. One exemplary function of the ultraviolet absorbent substance is allowing visible light rays transmitted through satisfactorily while selectively blocking ultraviolet rays.
US08540899B2	Liquid composite compositions using non-volatile liquids and nanoparticles and uses thereof A solvent composition comprising an organic solvent; dispersed nanoparticles; and a non-volatile electrolyte.
US08540896B2	Chiral compound and liquid crystal composition containing the same A chiral compound of formula (I) or (II) is provided, wherein each of R1 and R2 independently, is hydrogen, hydroxyl, halogen, amino, nitrile, C1-10 alkyl, or C1-10 alkoxyl. A liquid crystal composition comprising 80-99.5 parts by weight of a liquid crystal host; and 0.5-20 parts by weight of the chiral compound as described above is also provided.
US08540895B2	Solid compositions and methods for generating chlorine dioxide A composition for generating chlorine dioxide comprises active ingredients, a suitable hydrophobic compound, and a suitable super absorbent compound. A suitable hydrophobic compound will, among other characteristics, repel the solvent for at least the initial 30 seconds of exposure thereto. A suitable super absorbent compound will, among other characteristics, absorb at least 75 times its weight in solvent and will not gel until the chlorine-dioxide generating reaction is substantially complete.
US08540892B1	Ion etching of growing InP nanocrystals using microwave High quantum yield InP nanocrystals are used in the bio-technology, bio-medical, and photovoltaic, specifically IV, III-V and III-VI nanocrystal technological applications. InP nanocrystals typically require post-generation HF treatment. Combining microwave methodologies with the presence of a fluorinated ionic liquid allows Fluorine ion etching without the hazards accompanying HF. Growing the InP nanocrystals in the presence of the ionic liquid allows in-situ etching to be achieved. The optimization of the PL QY is achieved by balancing growth and etching rates in the reaction.
US08540885B2	Use of alkoxylated polyalkanolamines for splitting oil-water emulsions The use of alkoxylated polyalkanolamines as demulsifiers for splitting oil-water emulsions, especially for splitting crude oil emulsions.
US08540874B2	Rotary cartridge filter with attachments A rotary filter is provided with greatly expanded filter media area within the flow stream of material to be filtered due to use of a series of cylindrical filter cartridges consisting of a core and cylindrical filter media that are attached to and within a rotary disc, thus providing much greater filter area within the size constraints of the rotary disc and the flow channel. This allows removal of contaminating material in the flow stream. The retaining methods used for these cartridges restrains their movement within the flow stream thus allowing backflushing by reversing flow direction and venting the backflush material. The attachment and construction further allows easy removal and replacement of filter media and cartridges.
US08540872B1	Portable water treatment plant A portable water treatment plant includes a membrane filter, a booster pump and a pressurized water tank. The membrane filter preferably receives water through a pump in a screen filter, but could receive water from other sources. The booster pump pumps water from an output of the membrane filter into the pressurized water tank. The water from the membrane filter is preferably pumped through at least one carbon filter for additional filtering. An air compressor is used to inject air into a backwash solution. An auxiliary inlet and an auxiliary outlet are created to receive a removable reverse osmosis filter. An electronic controller includes a touch screen monitor, which provides control of and displays various information concerning the portable water treatment plant. The electronic controller senses the insertion of the reverse osmosis filter into the portable water treatment plant. Chemicals in the cleaning solutions are neutralized before discharge.
US08540870B2	Process for separating pitch from slurry hydrocracked vacuum gas oil A process is disclosed for converting heavy hydrocarbon feed into lighter hydrocarbon products. The heavy hydrocarbon feed is slurried with a particulate solid material to form a heavy hydrocarbon slurry and hydrocracked in a slurry hydrocracking unit to produce vacuum gas oil (VGO) and pitch. A first vacuum column separates VGO from pitch, and a second vacuum column further separates VGO from pitch. As much as 15 wt-% of VGO can be recovered by the second vacuum column and recycled to the slurry hydrocracking unit. A pitch composition is obtained which can be made into particles and transported without sticking together.
US08540864B2	Method of measuring blood component, sensor used in the method, and measuring device The present invention provides a method of measuring a component in blood, by which an amount of the component can be corrected accurately by measuring a hematocrit (Hct) value of the blood with high accuracy and high reliability and also provides a sensor used in the method. The sensor for measuring a component in blood has a first analysis portion and a second analysis portion. The first analysis portion has a first electrode system (11,12) and a reagent layer (14), and the reagent layer (14) has an oxidoreductase that acts on the component and a mediator. In the first analysis portion, the component in the blood is measured by causing a redox reaction of the component with the oxidoreductase in the presence of the mediator and detecting a redox current caused when a voltage is applied by the first electrode (11,12). The second analysis portion has a working electrode and a counter electrode, and a mediator is provided on the counter electrode but not on the working electrode. In the second analysis portion, a Hct value of the blood is measured by supplying the blood to the electrode system, applying a voltage to cause a current to flow, and detecting a value of the current. Using this Hct value, the amount of the component is corrected.
US08540862B2	Method of manufacturing laterally graded porous silicon optical filter through diffusion-limited etching and filter structure manufactured thereby Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a laterally graded porous silicon optical filter through diffusion-limited etching. The change in resonance frequency of the porous silicon layer in a taper axis direction is adjusted using the diffusion of reactive ions in an etchant under conditions of use of a related etch mask pattern. It is possible to manufacture an optical band-pass filter having a resonance frequency that linearly changes using a tapered etch window opening.
US08540858B2	Interdigitated microelectrode and a process for producing the interdigitated microelectrode An interdigitated microelectrode (2) comprising a substrate (4), a first layer (6) of a first metal on the substrate (4), and a second layer (8) of a second metal on the substrate (4), the first layer (6) comprising a plurality of line microelectrodes (10) which are connected at a first end (12) and are not connected at a second end (14), the second layer (8) comprising a plurality of line microelectrodes (16) which are connected at a first end (18) and are not connected at a second end (20), the line microelectrodes (10) of the first layer (6) and the line microelectrodes (16) of the second layer (8) being such that they extend into each other but do not touch each other thereby to form an interdigititated microelectrode array (22), and the first metal being different from the second metal. A process for producing the interdigitated microelectrode (2) is also disclosed.
US08540844B2	Plasma confinement structures in plasma processing systems A movable plasma confinement structure configured for confining plasma in a plasma processing chamber during plasma processing of a substrate is provided. The movable plasma confinement structure includes a movable plasma-facing structure configured to surround the plasma. The movable plasma confinement structure also includes a movable electrically conductive structure disposed outside of the movable plasma-facing structure and configured to be deployed and retracted with the movable plasma-facing structure as a single unit to facilitate handling of the substrate. The movable electrically conductive structure is radio frequency (RF) grounded during the plasma processing. The movable plasma-facing structure is disposed between the plasma and the movable electrically conductive structure during the plasma processing such that RF current from the plasma flows to the movable electrically conductive structure through the movable plasma-facing structure during the plasma processing.
US08540837B2	Functional film and method for manufacturing the functional film A method for manufacturing a functional film includes steps of: feeding a support continuously from a first film roll, forming a coating film on the support, providing a laminate film on a surface of the coating film, and taking up the support to a second film roll; and loading the second film roll made by the aforementioned step in a vacuum film-forming apparatus, feeding the support provided with the laminate film continuously from the film roll, peeling off the laminate film, forming an inorganic film on the coating film on the support, and taking up the support to a third film roll.
US08540833B2	Reinforced stiffeners and method for making the same A composite stiffener is fabricated using preforms of laminated, unidirectional composite tape. The stiffener includes a void that is reinforced by a filler wrapped with a structural adhesive. The surfaces of the preforms surrounding the void include a layer of composite fabric which is bonded to the filler by the adhesive, thereby increasing the toughness of stiffeners around the void and improving pull-off strength of the stiffener.
US08540828B2	Nontoxic, noncorrosive phosphorus-based primer compositions and an ordnance element including the same A primer composition that includes red phosphorus having an acid scavenger and a polymer thereon. The primer composition includes at least one other component that is substantially free of lead. The other component is at least one oxidizer, or at least one oxidizer and at least one of at least one secondary explosive composition and at least one energetic binder. The primer composition optionally includes at least one element having an ionic charge to ionic radius ratio of 4 or of 8, such as magnesium, zirconium, aluminum, silicon, titanium, tungsten, alloys thereof, and combinations thereof. The red phosphorus and the at least one oxidizer are present in the primer composition at approximately stoichiometric amounts. An ordnance element including the primer composition is also disclosed.
US08540826B2	Method of surface treatment of aluminum foil and its alloy and method of producing immobilized nanocatalyst of transition metal oxides and their alloys A process for surface treatment of aluminium foils includes steps of applying an etching solution to chemically etch at least one surface of the foil to form an etched surface, and forming an aluminium oxidized coating on the etched surface. The etching solution comprises an aqueous solution which includes hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant and sulfuric, orthophosphoric or nitric acid.
US08540818B2	Polycrystalline silicon reactor A polycrystalline silicon reactor in which the polycrystalline silicon is deposited by supplying raw-material gas to a heated silicon seed rod has; a bottom plate on which the silicon seed rod stands, having a dished upper surface; an opening of a path penetrating the bottom plate from the upper surface to a lower surface, being provided at a lowest part of the upper surface; and a plug which is detachably attached to the opening.
US08540817B2	Method of manufacturing a Si(1-v-w-x)CwAlxNv substrate, method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer, Si(1-v-w-x)CwAlxNv substrate, and epitaxial wafer There are provided a method for manufacturing a Si(1-v-w-x)CwAlxNv substrate having a reduced number of cracks and high processability, a method for manufacturing an epitaxial wafer, a Si(1-v-w-x)CwAlxNv substrate, and an epitaxial wafer.A method for manufacturing a Si(1-v-w-x)CwAlxNv substrate 10a includes the following steps. First, a Si substrate 11 is prepared. A Si(1-v-w-x)CwAlxNv layer (0
US08540813B2	Intaglio printing ink comprising dendrimers An ink for the engraved copperplate intaglio printing inks is disclosed, which comprises high-molecular-weight dendritic polymer as a binder component. Inks comprising such polymer can be formulated so as to contain a significantly reduced amount of organic solvent (volatile organic components, VOC) while still being in the appropriate viscosity range required by the intaglio printing process. The printed and cured intaglio ink of the present invention has improved chemical and mechanical resistance properties.
US08540811B2	Scrubber A scrubber for the cleaning of gases containing several scrubber stages (1-4), where the scrubber stages are arranged in a scrubber tower with the different stages at different levels above each other in the scrubber tower. At least one of the scrubber stages (2-4) above the lowest scrubber stage (1) comprises, according to the invention, a ring-shaped tank (10, 15, 20) arranged inside the scrubber tower, which ring shaped tank (10, 15, 20) is arranged surrounding a central channel (9, 14, 19) through which the gas that is to be cleaned can pass upwards.
US08540804B2	Sour gas and acid natural gas separation membrane process by pre removal of dissolved elemental sulfur for plugging prevention Methods for removing sulfur from a gas stream prior to sending the gas stream to a gas separation membrane system are provided. Two schemes are available. When the sulfur content is high or flow is relatively high, a scheme including two columns where one tower is regenerated if the sulfur concentration exceeds a preset value can be used. When the sulfur content is low or flow is relatively low, a scheme including one column and an absorption bed.
US08540791B2	Canister air filter and method for fabricating the same Embodiments for a filter and method for fabricating the same are provide herein. In one embodiment, a filter is provided that includes a first end cap, a second end cap, at least a first filtration media element and at least a first brace. The first end cap has an air flow aperture formed therethrough. The first and second end caps define a central axis. The first filtration media element is coupled to the first and second end caps and has an orientation curved around the central axis. The brace separates a first closed edge of the filtration media element from a second closed edge of the filtration media element.
US08540783B2	Solid electrolytic capacitor A method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor includes steps (a) to (e). The steps (a) and (b) provide anode and cathode terminals to an insulating base respectively. The step (c) mounts a capacitor element on the insulating base. The step (d) coats the capacitor element with enclosure resin. The step (e) separates a first region of the insulating base to which the anode and cathode terminals are provided and on which the capacitor element is mounted from a second region of the insulating base which is different from the first region. The step (a) includes a step (a1) forming a first through hole in the insulating base, and a step (a2) plating an inner surface of the first through hole. The step (b) includes a step (b1) forming a second through hole in the insulating base, and a step (b2) plating an inner surface of the second through hole.
US08540780B2	Devices and methods for altering eating behavior A device for modifying an eating behavior of a subject is provided. The device includes a device body which is attachable to GI tract tissue of a subject and functions in altering an eating behavior thereof.
US08540770B2	Adjustable intervertebral implant An adjustable intervertebral implant (100) for implantation into a patient's spine in-between first and second adjacent or neighboring vertebrae. The implant may include one or more of the following features: (i) inner (110) and outer (115) members coupled by a radiographically imageable expansion ring (130), (ii) detachable endplates (120,125) coupled to the implant via a polygonal press-fit coupling interface that accommodate a range of lordotic endplates to be applied to the implant using any surgical approach, (iii) an interference pre-loaded set screw (160) for selectively locking the height of the construct, (iv) a radiographically imageable marker (180) for determining the expansion of the implant, and (v) an asymmetric thread coupling (133,190) between the expansion ring and the inner member.
US08540769B2	Device for securing an implant to tissue An implant device is provided for implantation within an intervertebral space between adjacent vertebrae comprising an implant body, a rotatable portion and a piercing portion configured to pierce the adjacent vertebra.
US08540767B2	Devices and methods for delivery of aortic and mitral valve prostheses Valve prostheses and implantation devices, and methods for use are provided. The devices may be used for transcatheter delivery of an aortic valve prosthesis or transapical delivery of a mitral valve prosthesis. The implantation device utilizes movable claspers for both positioning and anchoring the valve prosthesis, reducing the extent of imaging needed during the implantation procedure.
US08540765B2	Medical implant Disclosed is a self-expanding medical implant for placement within a lumen of a patient. The implant comprises a woven or non-woven structure having a substantially tubular configuration, and is designed to be low-profile such that it is deliverable with a small diameter catheter. The implant has a high recoverability and desired mechanical properties.
US08540761B2	Temporary, repositionable or retrievable intraluminal devices A stent formed of a metallic material having a two-way memory adapted to be retrieved or repositioned after delivery includes an elongated tubular body and at least one crown connected to a respective longitudinal end of the body, the crown including a plurality of unconnected leaves, each leaf having a longitudinally extending frame connected at one end to the end of the body. A method of manufacturing the stent so that the crown has a greater two-way memory effect than the body is disclosed.
US08540760B2	Tubular devices having reversible components for deployment of endoluminal occluders and related methods and systems Described are devices, methods, and systems useful for deploying one or more occlusive prostheses within the vasculature of a patient. Illustrative devices can include a deployment tube or sheath that contains an occlusive prosthesis, wherein a segment of the sheath is reversible by a user so as to deploy the prosthesis from the sheath lumen within a bodily lumen of a patient.
US08540758B2	Bifurcation stent and delivery system The present invention is directed to a device comprising a catheter tube, which includes a round opening and two platinum radio-opaque markers on its distal end; a guide-wire; a balloon, which includes a wedge-shaped opening; and a stent, which includes an elliptical-shaped opening and three platinum radio-opaque markers. The invention is also directed to methods for using the device for deploying stents to treat bifurcation lesions.
US08540753B2	Polyaxial bone screw with uploaded threaded shank and method of assembly and use A polyaxial bone screw assembly includes a threaded shank body integral with an upper capture structure and a head having an inner cavity for receiving the capture structure. The capture structure is threaded and the head includes a threaded opening for rotatable assembly with the capture structure and eventual locking frictional engagement between the capture structure and the head.
US08540749B2	Apparatus for performing an electrosurgical procedure A forceps is provided and includes a housing having a shaft. An end effector assembly operatively connects to a distal end of the shaft and includes a pair of first and second jaw members. One or both of the first and second jaw members is movable relative to the other jaw member from a clamping position to an open position. A resilient member operably couples to the first and second jaw members. The resilient member is configured to bias the first and second jaw members in the clamping position and provide a closure force on tissue disposed therebetween.
US08540748B2	Surgical instrument wrist A link is positioned to pivot at the distal end of a surgical instrument shaft. The link includes a pulley portion. A first control cable that pivots the link in one direction extends out of the surgical instrument shaft and crosses the width of the instrument in a first crossing direction. The first control cable is then routed around the pulley portion of the link in a first circumferential direction. Similarly, a second control cable that pivots the link in the opposite direction extends out of the surgical instrument shaft and crosses the width of the instrument in a second crossing direction. The second control cable is then routed around the pulley portion of the link in a second circumferential direction that is opposite the first circumferential direction.
US08540734B2	Suture management and tensioning devices and methods for soft tissue reconstruction or bone-to-bone fixation An adjustable, stand-alone tensioning system requires no additional fixturing, weights, or bone surface modification, and allows a single practitioner to provide an adjustable and repeatable tension to a soft tissue graft, and to install the final fixation implant. Its design facilitates introduction of the suture component of the graft into the tensioning process by simplifying retention of the suture. An even, regulated and reproducible tension is easily achieved without requiring the practitioner to manually pull on the suture strands to maintain graft tension.
US08540732B2	Suturing apparatus and method A suturing apparatus comprises a pair of jaws. A bendable needle housed in one of the jaws is adapted to carry a suture. An optional suture receiver may be disposed adjacent to the opposite jaw. A transition block curves the needle and directs it in a direction generally unparallel to an axis of the carrying jaw. The needle may also be configured to retrieve a suture. A retaining mechanism holds a suture in place to be engaged by the needle. The jaw housing the needle may include a lateral opening through which the suture may be inserted. The needle may also include a lateral notch which may be aligned with lateral opening to receive the suture. An actuator coupled to the needle enables the user to move the needle proximally to align the notch with the lateral slot.
US08540726B2	Headless compression screw with integrated reduction-compression instrument A method is for implanting Bone Screw: screwing into a threaded bore in a distal portion of Implantation Instrument a rear threaded portion of Screw having a front threaded portion separated from the rear portion by an unthreaded middle portion, Screw including a central bore hole therethrough dimensioned to accommodate a guide wire; inserting the wire into a first target portion of bone; inserting Instrument over the wire such that the front threaded portion is adjacent to the first target portion; rotating Instrument to insert the front threaded portion into the first target portion while a locking component is engaged to prevent rotation of Screw relative to Instrument; and rotating Screw with the tool to drive Screw further into the first target portion to a desired depth and out of engagement with Instrument while the component is disengaged to permit rotation of Screw relative to Instrument.
US08540713B2	Clamp for temporary or definitive external orthopaedic fixation, and external fixation system comprising said clamp A clamp applicable to both temporary and definitive orthopaedic external fixation systems comprising a first coupling element having a pair of opposite jaws defining one or more seats to house a first component of the orthopaedic external fixation system. A second coupling element comprises a pair of opposite jaws defining one or more seats to house a second component of the orthopaedic external fixation system. An interconnection pin passes through and connects the first and second coupling elements along an axis of rotation. A fastening means is arranged to bring the clamp from a slack configuration. The first and second coupling elements are relatively rotatable along the axis of rotation to a locked configuration, and are relatively rotatable with each other. These fastening means include manually operable temporary fastening means to temporarily lock the clamp, and definitive fastening means operable with a fastening tool, to definitively lock the clamp.
US08540708B2	Endometrial ablation method Systems and methods for endometrial ablation. The systems include a handle and elongated introducer sleeve extending to an expandable working end having a fluid-tight interior chamber. A thin dielectric wall surrounds at least a portion of the interior chamber and has an external surface for contacting endometrial tissue. The thin dielectric wall surrounds a collapsible-expandable frame and receives an electrically non-conductive gas. First and second polarity electrodes are exposed to the interior and exterior of the chamber, respectively. A radiofrequency power source operatively connects to the electrode arrangement to apply a radiofrequency voltage across the first and second electrodes, wherein the voltage is sufficient to initiate ionization of the neutral gas into a conductive plasma within the interior chamber, and to capacitively couple the current in the plasma across the thin dielectric wall to ablate endometrial tissue engaged by the external surface of the dielectric structure.
US08540701B2	Hair treatment system Embodiments of methods and systems for hair treatment are disclosed. According to various embodiments, light is used to shave, trim, or otherwise modify hair shafts.
US08540692B2	Adaptors for removing medicinal fluids from vials In certain embodiments, a vial adaptor for removing liquid contents from a vial includes a piercing member and a bag. The bag can be contained within the piercing member such that the bag is introduced to the vial when the vial adaptor is coupled with the vial. In some embodiments, the bag expands within the vial as liquid is removed from the vial via the adaptor, thereby regulating pressure within the vial. In other embodiments, a vial includes a bag for regulating pressure within the vial as liquid is removed therefrom. In some embodiments, a vial adaptor is coupled with the vial in order to remove the liquid. In some embodiments, as the liquid is removed from the vial via the adaptor, the bag expands within the vial, and in other embodiments, the bag contracts within the vial.
US08540686B2	Blunt tip vial access cannula This present disclosure provides a non-coring vial access cannula which has sufficient structural strength that it may be made from a thermoplastic resin instead of metal, thus reducing the likelihood and severity of operator injury by an accidental needle stick. The vial access cannula of the present disclosure has (i) a needle hub suitable for receiving a hypodermic syringe or an IV set (e.g., a Luer lock), (ii) a cannula portion having a centrally disposed lumen, wherein the centrally disposed lumen terminates in one or more distal openings and is in fluid communication with the needle hub, and (iii) a solid tip member distal to the one or more distal openings, wherein the solid tip member has a blade with a cutting edge.
US08540682B2	Plunger activated capping system A plunger activated capping system is disclosed which includes a syringe body defining a fluid reservoir, a plunger assembly including a plunger rod and a sealing member supported on the plunger rod, and a luer cap releasably secured to a distal end of the syringe body. The luer cap includes a luer-type connector member and a fluid outlet. A luer cap plug is releasably supported on a distal end of the plunger rod at a location distally of the sealing member. The luer cap plug is movable into engagement with the luer cap to seal the fluid outlet of the luer cap upon advancement of the plunger assembly from a retracted position to an advanced position. The plunger assembly is configured to effect disengagement of the luer cap from the distal end of the syringe body when the plunger assembly is moved to the advanced position.
US08540678B2	Device and a system for delivery of biological material The present application provides a device and a system for the delivery of biological material across the biological tissue. The device may be for the programmed delivery of biological material through a needle or a micro-needle or micro-needles or biodegradable microneedles.
US08540675B2	Introducer assembly and method for forming an introducer assembly An introducer assembly includes a sheath having a sheath proximal end and distal end, and a passage therethrough. The introducer assembly further includes a handle assembly that is mechanically and/or bonded coupled with a tubular sheath.
US08540667B2	Multi-balloon catheter for extravasated drug delivery A method of extravasated delivery of a therapeutic and/or diagnostic agent to tissue is provided including inserting a catheter with a first balloon, a second balloon and a third balloon into a bodily cavity, inflating the first and second balloons by supplying fluid thereto to create a chamber, delivering the agent to the chamber, and increasing fluid pressure within the chamber by inflating the third balloon to facilitate extravasation of the agent into tissue. A multi-balloon catheter system is also provided including a catheter having a first balloon, a second balloon and a third balloon, and a fluid source that inflates the first and second balloons by supplying fluid thereto to create a chamber, wherein the catheter includes a fluid pathway for delivering the agent, and the fluid source increases fluid pressure within the chamber by supplying fluid to the third balloon such that the agent is extravasated into tissue.
US08540660B2	Swallowing air pulse therapy mouthpiece and method for the use thereof An oral appliance for administering a stimulus, such as a substance, to the mouth of a user includes a flexible tube having an inlet portion, a first curved portion forming an ear loop connected to the inlet portion, a second curved portion forming a lip bend connected to the first curved portion, and an outlet portion extending from the second curved portion. Alternatively, a mouthpiece for delivering a substance to the mouth of a user includes a housing having an inlet portion, a riser portion extending upwardly from the inlet portion and a curved outlet portion. A flexible tube is coupled to the housing. A method of delivering a substance to a predetermined location in a user's mouth includes disposing a flexible tube between a row of teeth and an interior surface of a cheek. The flexible tube has an exit port positioned in a rear portion of the user's mouth. No portion of the flexible tube is disposed between the upper and lower teeth of the user such that the upper and lower teeth can be closed against each other. The method further includes dispensing a substance through the exit port.
US08540655B2	Weight-bearing lower extremity brace The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to a device and/or system (e.g., redistributing weight away from a subject's foot), which may comprise (a) a platform, (b) at least one vertical support fixed to the platform and extending upwardly from the platform, and (c) at least one cuff (i) configured to surround and releasably grip at least a portion of a subject's leg other than the foot and (ii) mounted (e.g., adjustably) to the at least one vertical support at a vertical position along the at least one vertical support sufficient to suspend a subject's foot in a non-weight-bearing position above the platform during ambulation, wherein the platform, the at least one vertical support, and the at least one cuff together are configured to bear at least the subject's full weight.
US08540644B2	System and method for estimating a basal body temperature and forming an indication of ovulation A data logger device for in-situ measurement of one or more physical parameters comprising a power source; one or more sensors for measuring the one or more physical parameters; a data store for storing representations of at least some of the measured values of the one or more physical parameters; control logic arranged to write the representations of at least some of the measured values to the data store and arranged to read data from the data store during data transmission; an antenna; and a transmitter coupled to the antenna and configured to transmit the stored data by passive transmission. The physical parameter may be temperature. A processor may estimate basal body temperature by extrapolating from a plurality of temperature readings during a sleep period. The estimated basal temperature may be used to form an indication of ovulation.
US08540642B2	Implantable medical device and method for physiological event monitoring An implantable medical device uses a method for dynamically managing physiological signal monitoring. A physiological signal is sensed for detecting physiological events in response a first threshold. A determination is made whether a second threshold has been met in response to detecting physiological events. If the second threshold has been met, detailed monitoring of the physiological events is enabled.
US08540637B2	Biological information acquisition apparatus and biological information acquisition method When a subject is pressed by a plate and an acoustic wave is received by a probe via the plate, the acoustic wave is refracted because of the difference between a sound velocity in the subject and a sound velocity in the plate. When the refraction is not considered, a reduction in resolution occurs. Weights for signals or virtual wavefronts corresponding to the signals to be added to one another are determined using a thickness of the plate, the sound velocity in the plate, the sound velocity in the subject, positions of image elements (pixels or voxels) for image information, and arrival times of the acoustic wave from an object that is a sound source. The signals or the virtual wavefronts corresponding to the signals are added to one another, thereby acquiring the image information.
US08540633B2	Identifier circuits for generating unique identifiable indicators and techniques for producing same The present invention provides for safe and reliable electronic circuitry that can be employed in ingestible compositions. The ingestible circuitry of the invention includes a solid support; a conductive element; and an electronic component. Each of the support, conductive element and electronic component are fabricated from an ingestible material. The ingestible circuitry finds use in a variety of different applications, including as components of ingestible identifiers, such as may be found in ingestible event markers, e.g., pharma-informatics enabled pharmaceutical compositions.
US08540627B2	OCT using spectrally resolved bandwidth The embodiments disclosed herein is related to a system for optical coherence tomographic imaging of turbid (i.e., scattering) materials utilizing multiple channels of information. The multiple channels of information may be comprised and encompass spatial, angle, spectral and polarization domains. More specifically, the embodiments disclosed herein is related to methods and apparatus for utilizing optical sources, systems or receivers capable of providing (source), processing (system) or recording (receiver) a multiplicity of channels of spectral information for optical coherence tomographic imaging of turbid materials. In these methods and apparatus the multiplicity of channels of spectral information that can be provided by the source, processed by the system, or recorded by the receiver are used to convey simultaneously spatial, spectral or polarimetric information relating to the turbid material being imaged tomographically. The multichannel optical coherence tomographic methods can be incorporated into an endoscopic probe for imaging a patient. The endoscope comprises an optical fiber array and can comprise a plurality of optical fibers adapted to be disposed in the patient. The optical fiber array transmits the light from the light source into the patient, and transmits the light reflected by the patient out of the patient. The plurality of optical fibers in the array is in optical communication with the light source. The multichannel optical coherence tomography system comprises a detector for receiving the light from the array and analyzing the light. The methods and apparatus may be applied for imaging a vessel, biliary, GU and/or GI tract of a patient.
US08540621B2	Medical retainer and medical operation using the same A medical retainer is provided capable of independently controlling supplying air and water to a hollow organ like a stomach and a lumen of a small intestine. The medical retainer for sealing a fluid, the retainer being subject to be retained in a gastrointestinal tract of a patient, the medical retainer includes: a sealing section for sealing the fluid, the sealing section making contact with a wall of the gastrointestinal tract; a main body having passageways; and directional valves disposed in the passageways for allowing one of upward flow and downward flow of the fluid relative to the position of the retainer.
US08540612B2	Process for producing web sections from a flexible web material as well as for producing packing containers A process produces web sections from a flexible web material. The flexible web material is provided with tear-off lines at the distance of the length (L) of the web sections to be formed, which tear-off lines weaken the web material but do not bring about a complete separation of the web sections from the web material. The web sections are separated from the web material along the tear-off lines by tearing. The web material comprises a fabric made of small stretched plastic bands, and the tear-off lines are produced by laser beam processing.
US08540609B2	Climber appliance An exercise apparatus to simulate climbing is described that includes such features as arm handles that move in synchronism with the motion of foot pedals to provide a total body workout; side handrails; a mounting step; linear foot movement at a simulated climbing angle; a three point support structure using a vertical support column; pedal track covers; a mechanism to provide constant resistance to pedal motion; and pedal impact absorption.
US08540606B2	System and method for controlling engine torque An engine control system for a vehicle includes a power request determination module, a desired speed determination module, and a torque control module. The power request determination module determines a power request for an engine based on a request from a driver of the vehicle and a speed of the vehicle. The desired speed determination module determines a desired speed of the engine based on a speed of a turbine in a torque converter of the engine, a state of a clutch in the torque converter, and one of the power request, a first amount of clutch slip, and a second amount of clutch slip. The torque control module determines a desired engine torque based on the desired engine speed and the power request and controls torque output of the engine based on the desired engine torque.
US08540604B1	Transmission control during regenerative braking A system and method for controlling a hybrid electric vehicle during regenerative braking is provided. The system and method include a brake controller adapted to cause, for a selected transmission gear, a first torque ratio to be applied to a regenerative brake system during regenerative braking and a second torque ratio, different from the first torque ratio, to be applied when the vehicle is not regenerative braking. The first torque ratio results in an increased braking torque generated by the regenerative brake system compared with application of the second torque ratio.
US08540602B2	Drive device for hybrid vehicle A drive device for a hybrid vehicle is provided with an engine and a motor generator. A one-way clutch is provided between the engine and the motor generator. Power is transmitted from the engine to the motor generator, while power from the motor generator to the engine is blocked. As a result, the electric motor can be operated without operating the engine. Furthermore, a torque converter is connected to the motor generator, and the engine is connected to the torque converter via a starting clutch. As a result, if a one-way clutch is provided, the motor generator can serve as a starter motor.
US08540601B2	Hybrid power output system The present invention discloses a hybrid power output system for outputting the power to the wheel driving shaft, comprising an engine, a first motor, a second motor, a battery, a first clutch, a second clutch and a constant-mesh fixed ratio reduction unit, wherein the first motor and the second motor are connected electrically with the battery; the engine is connected to the first motor via the first clutch; the first motor is connected to the second motor via the second clutch; the second motor is connected to the wheel driving shaft via the constant-mesh fixed ratio reduction unit. This hybrid power output system can enhance the comfort of the vehicle, save the space and reduce the cost, moreover, it can realize multiple drive modes to improve the power efficiency and reduce the fuel consumption.
US08540599B2	Full-roller transmission structure A full-roller transmission structure comprises a housing, a first disk, a second disk, a rear disk, a front disk, and an input shaft. The housing includes a rear cover, an annular shell, and a front ring, which are detachably coupled together. Multiple inner rollers are disposed on an inner surface of the annular shell. The first and second disks are mounted in the annular shell and respectively provided with a plurality of first and second outer rollers capable of acting on the inner rollers. The rear disk is mounted between the first disk and the rear cover. Joining bolts and joining pins are employed to join the above disks. The input shaft includes a first eccentric journal for the first disk and a second eccentric journal for the second disk, the first eccentric journal being offset from the second eccentric journal at an angle of about 180 degrees.
US08540598B2	Speed change gear and manufacturing method therefor A speed change gear includes: an internal gear member; an eccentric member; an oscillating member; a pair of first and second rotating members; and a pin that is supported at both ends by insertion holes of the first and second rotating members. The insertion hole and the insertion hole have the same diameter. The outside diameter of the other side end portion of the pin is smaller than the outside diameter of one side end portion of the pin such that the one side end portion is press-fitted in the corresponding insertion hole and the other side end portion is supported by the corresponding insertion hole.
US08540597B2	Connection unit of a chain A connection unit of a chain includes two outer link plates each having a first hole and a second hole. The second hole has a first recess and a second recess which communicates with the first recess. The first recess has a diameter larger than that of the second recess. The second recess includes an inner surface and a stepped engaging surface which is perpendicular to the inner surface. A stop surface is perpendicularly connected to the engaging surface. At least one first protrusion extends from the inner surface. A pin is securely fixed in the first hole and includes an engaging portion. A neck is located beside the engaging portion and has a diameter smaller than that of the engaging portion.
US08540588B2	Golf club head with composite weight port A golf club head having a face component, a crown, and a composite sole or a composite body patch with one or more weight ports for receiving one or more weight inserts is disclosed herein. At least part of each of the weight ports is integrally formed in the composite sole or composite body patch, and each of the weight ports include a weight receiving region for receiving a weight and a screw receiving region for receiving a screw that secures the weight in the weight port.
US08540586B1	High volume aerodynamic golf club head having a post apex attachment promoting region A high volume aerodynamic golf club head having a post apex attachment promoting region with a club head volume of at least 400 cc and a front-to-back dimension of at least 4.4 inches producing reduced aerodynamic drag forces. The post apex attachment promoting region is on the surface of the crown section at an elevation above a maximum face height and begins at the crown apex and extends toward the back of the club head. The post apex attachment promoting region is a relatively flat portion of the crown section that is behind the crown apex, yet above the maximum top edge plane, and aides in keeping airflow attached to the club head once it flows past the crown apex.
US08540582B2	Bearing device for wheel, and axle module A bearing device for a wheel suppresses backlash in a circumferential direction, has excellent coupling workability with a hub wheel and an outer joint member of a constant velocity universal joint, and has excellent strength owing to stable fitting between the hub wheel and the outer joint member. Projecting portions extending in an axial direction are provided on one of an outer surface of a shaft section of the outer joint member and an inner surface of a hole portion of the hub wheel. The projecting portions are press-fitted into the other along the axial direction, and recessed portions are formed in the other through press-fitting of the projecting portions. Thus, a recess-projection fitting structure is formed, in which the projecting portions and the recessed portions are held in close contact with each other through an entire region of fitting contact regions therebetween.
US08540581B2	Sliding type tripod constant velocity joint A sliding type tripod constant velocity joint includes a pair of intermediate members arranged so as to sandwich a tripod shaft part from both sides of side surfaces of a raceway groove of an outer ring and to provide so as to be oscillated relative to the tripod shaft part. The sliding type tripod constant velocity joint further includes a plurality of rolling elements provided between side surfaces of the raceway groove and power transmission surfaces of the intermediate members opposing the side surfaces of the raceway grooves and a cage that supports the rolling elements such that the rolling elements circulate on outer peripheries of the intermediate members.
US08540579B2	Method and apparatus for the identification and position measurement of chips on a gaming surface The present invention is directed to a method for determining a position of each of a plurality of gaming chips on a gaming surface. Each of the plurality of gaming chips includes an inductively coupled RFID tag disposed therein. The gaming surface includes a first area and at least one second area disposed adjacent to the first area. The method includes transmitting a near-field inductively coupled interrogation signal to the plurality of gaming chips. A near-field inductively coupled response signal is received from at least a portion of the plurality of gaming chips. A position resolution action is performed in conjunction with either the step of transmitting or the step of receiving. Each of the plurality of gaming chips are associated with either the first area or the at least one second area in accordance with the step of performing a position resolution action.
US08540577B2	System for computerized multiplayer tournament gaming and a method thereof There are provided a computerized tournament game system and a method of operating of the system. The method includes a) obtaining via the registration interface requests from a plurality of users for registration to a commenced tournament characterized by certain parameters thus giving rise to a plurality of registration requests to the commenced tournament; b) testing, with a help of the computer, if the plurality of registration requests matches a predefined criterion, c) upon matching the predefined criterion, substantially concurrently initiating two or more active tournaments characterized by the same parameters as the commenced tournament; and d) assigning, with a help of the computer, the requests comprised in the plurality of registration requests to the initiated active tournaments in a manner enabling distribution of assignments between all concurrently initiated active tournaments, the assigning provided in accordance with predefined assigning rules. The method may further include updating information related to status of the commenced tournament presented by the registration interface, the information including at least number of players registered to the commenced tournament. The information is provided as average data over the active tournaments corresponding to the commenced tournament.
US08540570B2	Online game with mechanic for combining visual display parameters of virtual objects An online game includes a mechanic for combining visual display parameters of virtual objects including virtual animals. In some embodiments features of a first virtual object and a second virtual object are combined to generate a third virtual object, where these features may include a base color and optional pattern markings with a corresponding pattern color. Additional game aspects may include generating multiple candidates for the third virtual object and selecting or identifying the third virtual object from the multiple candidates. Additional game aspects may also include options for enhancing the likelihood of successfully generating a third virtual object. Parameterized color values for a specific virtual object may be substituted into source artwork to generate a variety of distinctive displays.
US08540567B2	Gaming system, gaming device and method for moderating remote host initiated features for multiple concurrently played games The gaming system disclosed herein enables a player to simultaneously or concurrently play a plurality of games at a gaming device regardless or independent of if the gaming device accounting system in communication with the gaming device is configured to support such simultaneous or concurrent game play. The gaming system disclosed herein additionally or alternatively enables a player to simultaneously play a plurality of games wherein certain of the games are eligible to operate with a remote host and certain of the games are ineligible to operate with the remote host.
US08540556B2	Device and method for bringing into position and arranging a carcass or carcass part of slaughtered poultry on or in a product carrier The invention relates to a device for bringing into position and arranging a carcass or carcass part (1) of slaughtered poultry on or in a product carrier (50); which device comprises; —at least one assembly of a movable holder (21) for the carcass or carcass part of slaughtered poultry with positioning means pertaining to the holder for the carcass or carcass part, which holder is adapted for receiving a carcass or carcass part to be arranged on or in a product carrier, —drive means (24) for moving the holder between a receiving position in which the carcass or carcass-part can be received and a transfer position in which the carcass or carcass part is brought into a position relative to the product carrier which is suitable for transfer to the product carrier.
US08540552B2	Water jet cutting machine A profile cutting apparatus comprising: a cutting head supporting a nozzle through which a cutting medium passes, and at least two drives that drive the cutting head to tilt relative to a vertical axis while driving the cutting head to rotate about the vertical axis, wherein the tilt of the cutting head is achieved by the relative difference in motion between the two drives.
US08540550B2	Glass substrate polishing method, package manufacturing method, piezoelectric vibrator, oscillator, electronic device and radio timepiece A glass substrate polishing method having polishing processes for polishing a glass substrate surface while supplying a polishing agent. The glass substrate polishing method is characterized in that the polishing processes include a first polishing process in which the surface of the glass substrate is polished using a first polishing pad made from a polishing cloth and a second polishing process in which the surface of the glass substrate is polished using a second polishing pad made from urethane foam.
US08540543B2	Method for continuously manufacturing liquid crystal display panel and inspection method The invention is a method for continuously manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel. In the method, the manufacturing step and the inspection step are performed on a continuous feeder. The inspection step includes applying a line-shaped light beam from one side with respect to the feeder to the liquid crystal display panel being fed; and imaging a region irradiated with the line-shaped light beam in the liquid crystal display panel, wherein the imaging is continuously performed in a line pattern parallel to a width direction of the feeder and performed at a position that is on another side with respect to the feeder and tilted at a predetermined angle to a feed direction of the feeder or a direction opposite thereto with respect to a direction in which the line-shaped light beam is applied.
US08540540B2	Luminous envy tanning float system Luminous Envy Tanning Float is a device to promote even and accelerated tanning adapted for use in water preferably comprises the following components: a pair of angled, reflective, tan; a cushioned core-supported portion; a pillow; at least one cup holder; and at least one warning label to prevent sun-burning. A user-sunbather is comfortably supported via the inflatable flotation device for even and accelerated tanning during at least one sunbathing period on a body of water and/or land.
US08540537B1	Rowing rig This embodiment relates generally to the Rowing Rig (30) for a suspended device (314), that may lead to the stabilization of a watercraft (32), such as kayaks and canoes, which allows an operator (316) to move and steer the watercraft (32) in a safe, ergonomic, and convenient manner. The rowing rig (30), with the example oarlock (40) adjustably connected to an outrigger (38), enables the support of and the counteraction of oaring forces imparted on oarlock (40), while allowing oarlock (40) to meaningfully adjustable in 3 independent axis relative to operator (316) location in watercraft (32). An inner guide system (52) can trap outrigger (38) in a secured position, or allow it to slidably travel within watercraft (32). The rowing rig (30) also allows the mounting of other systems, such as an anchor winch system, mounted to the base foundation (36) to counteract forces in deploying anchor. This allows full control of rowing, the steering, and stopping the watercraft (32) while operator (316) while sitting on rowing seat (34), by solo means.
US08540532B2	Electrical contact for shock-resistant electrical connector An electrical connector in the form of a socket assembly defining a plurality of arcuate leaf contacts adapted for insertion of a pin contact therein. The socket assembly comprises an elongate socket core having the leaf contacts formed at a distal end thereof, and a substantially cylindrical hood surrounding the leaf contacts. In one embodiment of the invention, the hood is provided with structure for limiting the radial outward deflection of the leaf contacts when the electrical connector is subjected to shock forces. The limiting structure can be a stepped inner cylindrical sidewall of the hood, defining a reduced inner diameter portion of the hood surrounding at least a distal portion of each leaf contact.
US08540526B2	Adjustable electrical busway joint An adjustable length busway joint for coupling a first and a second busway section, the first and second busway sections being longitudinally offset, is disclosed. The busway joint includes a first plurality of splice plates and a second plurality of splice plates disposed to overlap to form an electrical joint. The first and said second pluralities of splice plates are arranged for a longitudinal movement with respect each other between a first compressed position and a second extended position. The busway joint further includes a third plurality of splice plates. Each splice plate of the second plurality of splice plates overlaps a portion of a corresponding splice plate of the third plurality of splice plates to form an electrical joint. The third and second pluralities of splice plates are arranged for a longitudinal movement with respect each other between a third compressed position and a fourth extended position.
US08540521B2	Benzoxazole-based fluorescent metal ion indicators Disclosed are benzoxazole-based compounds, kits, and methods of producing and using the described compounds in fluorescence-based detection of analytes (e.g., metal ions). Also disclosed are uses of benzoxazole-based compounds as ratiometric metal ion indicators.
US08540520B2	Apparatus and method for instructional information delivery An apparatus and method are disclosed for delivering instructional information and include displaying instructional information on several visual displays prior to a triggering event and displaying the instructional information in an instructional varying display pattern on the at least three visual displays after the triggering event so a person viewing the instructional varying display pattern is unable to detect a repeatable pattern. Also included is displaying background information on each display not displaying instructional information. The background information is displayed with a background varying display pattern so a person is unable to detect a repeatable pattern. The instructional varying display pattern and the background varying display pattern include varying one or more information display attributes, such as which of the at least three visual displays is displaying the instructional information, duration of a display of the instructional information, transition effects, and/or timing between displays of the instructional information.
US08540518B2	Training system and method based on cognitive models A training system and method for measuring, evaluating, and improving the functional efficiency of information processing stages associated with human cognition. Scene dependent and a-priori queries can be created as a part of a training curriculum and an appropriate measuring technique can be executed with respect to each scene to measure the functional efficiency of the cognitive information processing stages. Thereafter, a trainee's response with respect to such queries can be automatically evaluated. Feedback based on the response can then be generated. An adaptive training mechanism can be configured to enhance the functional efficiency of the cognitive information processing stages.
US08540511B2	Method and device for determining the apical position in a dental root canal An apex-locating method and device for determining the depth position of the apex in a dental root canal. It uses a device making it possible to form a circuit including a first probe electrode inserted into the root canal of a tooth, a second electrode in conductive contact with an oral mucous membrane, frequency-generating elements able to produce alternating electrical signals at a number of frequencies, and elements for measuring electrical magnitude of alternating signals in the circuit. Provision is made for exciting the circuit and measuring the levels of magnitude of the alternating signals, respectively at low frequency and at high frequency and for detecting a point of intersection where the two levels measured at low and high frequencies meet and become substantially equal, these frequencies being sufficiently far apart for this point of intersection to exist. This point gives the position of the apex.
US08540510B2	Device for securing a dental implant in bone tissue, a method for making a surgical template and a method of securing a dental implant in bone tissue The application relates to a device and a method for securing a dental implant in the bone tissue of a patient. The device can comprise a guide sleeve and a holder. The guide sleeve can have an interlock portion and a central bore having an internal thread. The holder can hold the dental implant and be configured to be inserted into the central bore of the guide sleeve. The holder can comprise an external thread that is configured to engage the internal thread of the guide sleeve such that the holder may threadingly engage the guide sleeve. The holder can further comprise a limit stop that can be configured to contact the guide sleeve for limiting the longitudinal position of the holder relative to the guide sleeve. The holder can releasably retain the dental implant and facilitate implantion of the implant into the bone tissue of the patient.
US08540501B2	Three-dimensional stereolithography apparatus, three-dimensional stereolithography method, and three-dimensional object A three-dimensional stereolithography apparatus includes a stage, a support mechanism to support a film so that the film is opposed to the stage, a pressing mechanism, a supply mechanism, an irradiation unit, a movement mechanism, and a control mechanism. The pressing mechanism presses at least a linear area of the film so that the linear area closest to the stage is formed in the film. The supply mechanism supplies a light-curing material into a slit area formed between the stage and the linear area. The irradiation unit irradiates the light-curing material supplied into the slit area with laser light through the pressing mechanism and the film. The movement mechanism moves the stage and the pressing mechanism relatively to the film, to form one cured layer of the light-curing material. The control mechanism controls a distance between the stage and the linear area of the film, to stack the cured layer.
US08540497B2	Fan self-cooling structure with heat pipe A fan self-cooling structure with heat pipe includes a stator assembly, a fan circuit board, and at least one heat pipe. The fan circuit board is flatly connected to a bottom end of the stator assembly and has at least one heat-producing electronic element provided thereon. The at least one heat pipe is provided on the fan circuit board for absorbing and transferring heat energy produced by the at least one electronic element. With these arrangements, it is able to lower the temperature of the electronic elements in a fan and enhance the characteristics of the fan.
US08540496B2	Fan apparatus A fan apparatus is provided and includes: a housing having a hollow cylindrical shape; a circuit board holding structure which is disposed in the housing so as to be located at the radially central part of the housing and which includes a plurality of slits extending axially; a circuit board disposed inside the circuit board holding structure in parallel with the axial direction; a plurality of fixed blades disposed so as to bridge between the housing and the circuit board holding structure; and a motor which includes a rotary shaft and an impeller and which is disposed at the front end of the circuit board holding structure, wherein the impeller is connected to the rotary shaft so as to move air.
US08540495B2	Dual duty hand pump A dual duty hand pump has two air channels, a hand grip, a piston rod, a piston, a deflating unit and an inflating unit. The hand grip and the piston are mounted on two ends of the piston rod. The deflating unit and the inflating unit are respectively mounted in the air channels and respectively have two check valves mounted therein in two opposite directions. When the hand grip is lifted and pressed down, air respectively flows in and flows out of the hand pump through the air channel. Accordingly, the hand pump provides a practical and convenient solution to integrate inflating and deflating functions as a whole for users to flexibly select from when the dual duty hand pump is in use.
US08540493B2	Pump control system and method A method and apparatus for a pump control system. One or more embodiments of the invention include a pump controller that can perform a self-calibration procedure, can provide precise motor speed control, can provide a limp mode before shutting down the motor when system parameters are exceeded and/or fault conditions occur, can detect fault conditions, and can store fault conditions for later retrieval.
US08540491B2	Wind turbine rotor blade components and methods of making same Structural preform layers of multiple rigid unidirectional strength elements or rods are constructed and arranged for use in fabricating load-bearing support structures and reinforcements of wind turbine blades. Individual preform layers include multiple elongate unidirectional strength elements or rods arranged in a single layer along a longitudinal axis of the preform layer. Each preform layer includes one or more fibrous carrier layers to which the multiple strength elements or rods are joined and arranged in the single layer. Each strength element or rod is longitudinally oriented and adjacent to other elements or rods. Individual strength elements or rods include a mass of substantially straight unidirectional structural fibers embedded within a matrix resin such that the elements or rods have a substantially uniform distribution of fibers and high degree of fiber collimation. The relative straightness of the fibers and fiber collimation provide strength elements or rods and the preform layers with high rigidity and significant compression strength.
US08540477B2	Rotary pump with thrust bearings A rotary blood pump includes a casing defining a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber has a blood inlet and a tangential blood outlet. One or more motor stators are provided outside of the pumping chamber. A rotatable impeller is within the pumping chamber and is adapted to cause blood entering the pumping chamber to move to the blood outlet. The impeller has one or more magnetic regions. The impeller is radially constrained in rotation by magnetic coupling to one or more motor stators and is axially constrained in rotation by one or more hydrodynamic thrust bearing surfaces on the impeller.
US08540475B2	Side recovery system for a vehicle A recovery vehicle having a side recovery system is disclosed. The side recovery system includes a boom having a first end and a second end. The boom is rotatable about the first end between a first position and second position. The side recovery system also includes a base having a portion for supporting the first end of the boom, a first receiving structure for securing the second end of the boom when the boom is in the first position, and a second receiving structure for securing the second end of the boom when the boom is in the second position. The boom further includes a locking device configured to selectively engage the first receiving structure and the second receiving structure for securing the second end of the boom.
US08540473B2	Load port A load port including a frame having an opening, a vessel receiving table that receives the wafer vessel, a door removably attached to the opening, a door opening and closing mechanism that opens and closes the door, and a closing mechanism that exerts force on the door when the door opening and closing mechanism closes the door.
US08540472B2	Binding machine A machine for binding a packet of sheets of binding elements has a transfer belt designed to magnetically fix the binding elements and to move between a disengagement position in which it receives the binding elements and an engagement position in which it is positioned in a closure zone, closure devices disposed upstream of the transfer belt and designed, in the closure zone, to close the elements, a magnetic binding table disposed upstream of the closure devices, and comprising a fixing zone for holding a series of ends of the elements, and a magnetic top guide disposed upstream of the closure devices and above the binding table, and comprising a fixing zone for holding the other series of ends of the elements, the packet of perforated sheets being inserted between the table and the top guide.
US08540470B2	Locking nut A nut fastener is provided for locking the nut to prevent inadvertent loosening of the nut. The nut fastener is particularly useful for tightening a wheel onto an axle. The nut fastener includes a nut, a collar and a retaining ring. The nut is unlocked by pushing on an engagement surface of the collar. When the collar is released, the collar locks against the nut.
US08540469B2	Drop-in anchor A retainer for a drop-in anchor includes a durable, moisture resistant member insertable into a sleeve of a drop-in anchor and configured to be retained in the sleeve by one or more threads disposed in the sleeve to prevent inadvertent removal of a plug from the sleeve. A drop-in anchor assembly includes a tubular sleeve having a first end including one or more internal threads, and an expandable second end. A plug is insertable in the sleeve such that when the plug is driven into an installed position in the sleeve the second end expands. A retainer formed of a durable moisture-resistant material is insertable in the sleeve behind the plug, and is configured to be retained in the sleeve by the one or more threads and prevent inadvertent removal of the plug from the sleeve.
US08540465B2	Tool for machining workpiece having an axially extending portion defining a reference diameter The present invention relates to a tool for machining workpieces, having a shank and a cutting part, wherein the cutting part has a cutting edge section that defines the nominal diameter of the tool, or an insert seat for a cutting insert, the seat having a cutting edge section that defines the nominal diameter of the tool, and wherein the tool has a rotational axis about which the tool rotates in the functionally mounted state. In order to provide a tool having one or more cutting edges, which enables the simple measurement of the nominal diameter, the invention proposes that the tool has at least one axially extending section, which is disposed in the axial direction outside of the cutting edge section defining the nominal diameter, and within which at a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis at least two circumferential sections are provided, which are disposed diametrically opposed of each other in relation to the rotational axis such that a reference diameter is formed, wherein the reference diameter is equal to the nominal diameter of the tool.
US08540460B2	System for supplemental tensioning for enhanced platform design and related methods Riser management systems, apparatus, and methods to maintain a selected range of tension on a plurality of risers extending between subsea well equipment and a floating vessel, are provided. A riser management system can include a mono-buoyancy can platform operably coupled to a plurality of risers extending between subsea well equipment and a moored floating vessel, and a plurality of tensioner units each connected to a top portion of a separate one of the risers to provide tension to each of the risers. The mono-buoyancy can platform can provide tension to each of the risers sufficient to compensate for a relative vertical offset between the risers and the vessel due to vessel movement, which generally affects each of the risers equally, within tolerances, while the tensioner units can simultaneously provide tension to compensate for one or more additional factors which can affect each riser differently.
US08540459B2	Structure for loading and unloading at least one fluid transport ship A structure (20) for loading and unloading at least one fluid transport ship (1): a ship (1) mooring platform (21), comprising at least one concrete caisson (22) having an opening and closing device for moving the caisson by filling water, between a flotation position for transporting the platform, and a position anchored at the bottom of the sea. The platform comprises a submerged lower anchoring portion and an upper portion, partially outside of the water, for berthing the ship.
US08540455B1	Heated pavement sealant system A fluid pavement sealer composition includes a liquid phase having a sealant component and a fluid component, and at least about 25% by volume of finely divided metal particles suspended within the liquid phase. An electrically heated element contacts a pavement surface, with the solidified pavement sealer layer covering a selected area of the pavement surface including the electrically heated element. The solidified pavement sealant layer includes at least about 25% by volume of finely divided metal particles. The electrically heated element transfers heat to the pavement sealant layer and metal particles therein to maintain the selected area of pavement surface free of ice and snow.
US08540454B2	Manhole cover A manhole cover which has an upper body and a lower body coupled to each other to maintain balance, to endure loads applied from an external source in a stable manner, to protect the inside of the manhole from the ingress of rainwater, and to enable the upper body to be stably fixed inside the lower body.
US08540445B2	Three dimensional face mask This face mask includes a right side sheet and a left side sheet which are mutually enantiomorphic. On a right side sheet and a left side sheet, a thermoplastic adhesive material is applied to the inner sides of ranges which include front edge strip portions which, during use, oppose the median line of the user's face; the right side sheet and the left side sheet are then laid together overlapping their inner sides; and heat is applied to areas of these front edge portions other than portions which, during use, oppose the nostrils and the mouth of the user, so that thereby the right side sheet and the left side sheet are joined together. By then opening out the right side sheet and the left side sheet in the direction to separate them, this face mask is caused to assume a three dimensional shape over its entire surface.
US08540437B2	Multi-wavelength optical transmitting and receiving modules A multi-wavelength optical transmitting module includes a housing, an optical output block, an optical transmitting block, and an optical multiplexer (MUX) block. The optical output block is coupled to a first coupling hole of the housing and to an optical signal connector, and includes a first lens. The optical transmitting block is coupled to a second coupling hole of the housing and to an electrical signal connector. The optical transmitting block includes a plurality of transmitting devices which respectively output light having different wavelengths and are arranged parallel to the optical output block, and a plurality of second lenses which correspond respectively to the transmitting devices. The optical multiplexer (MUX) block multiplexes optical signals of multiple wavelengths, which were output from the transmitting devices and passed through the second lenses, and transmits the multiplexed optical signals to the optical output block.
US08540436B2	Optical fibre coupling device and method An optical fiber coupling device and a method are disclosed. The optical fiber coupling device includes a first patch strip having a first plurality of optical fiber connectors arranged along a face of the first patch strip and a second patch strip having a second plurality of optical fiber connectors arranged along a face of the second patch strip. The first and second patch strips are in a stacked arrangement where the second plurality of optical fiber connectors is offset from the first plurality of optical fiber connectors in a first and a second direction transverse to a stacking direction. The offsetting improves access to the individual optical fiber connectors which assists an operative when managing or maintaining optical fiber connections and helps to reduce the likelihood of fatigue or failure since adjacent optical fiber connections are undisturbed during this process and the optical fiber connections may be easily accessed without needing to move or manipulate adjacent patch strips.
US08540435B2	Ferrule retainers having access window(s) for accessing and/or referencing a fiber optic ferrule, and related fiber optic connector assemblies, connectors, and referencing methods Ferrule retainers for retaining and supporting fiber optic ferrules in an optical fiber connector are disclosed. In one embodiment, the ferrule retainers include one or more access windows for accessing an alignment feature(s) of the ferrule located inside the ferrule retainer when the ferrule is assembled in the ferrule retainer. In this manner, the alignment feature(s) of the ferrule is accessible for referencing, if desired, when processing (e.g., polishing) the optical fiber(s) disposed in the ferrule when the ferrule is assembled in the ferrule retainer. The access window(s) provided in the ferrule retainers allows fiber processing equipment to reference the alignment feature(s) of the ferrule when assembled in a ferrule retainer regardless of whether the fiber processing equipment also references the ferrule retainer to reference the ferrule. The embodiments disclosed herein also include related fiber optic connector assemblies, connectors, and referencing methods.
US08540431B2	Sensor-equipped bearing for wheel A sensor-equipped wheel support bearing assembly includes a sensor unit provided in an outer member, which serves as a stationary member. The sensor unit has a strain generator and a sensor for detecting a strain occurring in the generator. A principal load estimator estimates the load acting on the wheel, with the use of an average value of a signal from the sensor, and an amplitude processed load estimator estimates the load, using amplitude of a signal wave outputted from the sensor, resulting from passage of rolling elements. A drift amount estimator estimates a drift amount of an estimated load output utilizing the average value and the amplitude, which is used to correct the estimated load.
US08540425B2	CT scanning system A CT scanning system having a patient table and a gantry comprising an x-ray source configured to irradiate an x-ray beam while at least partly rotating about an object being arranged on the patient table in order to be scanned. The gantry comprises an x-ray detector configured to receive x-rays penetrating through the object to be scanned and is further configured to provide output signals representative of the received x-rays. The system further comprises an x-ray cabinet comprising x-ray shielding material. The x-ray cabinet fully surrounds the gantry and the patient table. The patient table is configured to be fully inserted in the x-ray cabinet. The x-ray cabinet has an end part with a patient opening allowing the introduction of a patient into the x-ray cabinet through said opening. The system comprises a closure part for providing an x-ray shielding closure of the patient opening at the first end part.
US08540419B2	Decorative piece made by inlay The present invention concerns a decorative piece (1) including a first (2) and a second part (3). The second part (3) is secured in the first part (3) by inlay. The invention is characterized in that at least one of the parts (2, 3) is made of an at least partially amorphous material.
US08540416B2	Fluidic flow merging apparatus The present invention provides a device for handling fluids, and more particularly a merging apparatus for fluidic and microfluidic devices utilizing passive valving in conjunction with a single sensor to uniformly blend contributory working fluid streams. Symmetric and non symmetric embodiments with and without branch channels are described. The present invention also provides methods for merging liquids using the device of the invention.
US08540415B2	Multipurpose manual mixer The disclosed multipurpose manual mixer is a new kitchen utensil in one piece comprised of a handle attached to a mixer to the other end, resembling a helicopter with propeller like plates. A multipurpose manual mixer with its entire structure in one piece made up of a long and uneven handle at one end and flat rectangular pieces with rounded corners, propellers like big and small, holed and un-holed attached vertically to a tubular body to the other end in continuous rows, parallel and separated from each other at equal distance. The multi flat rectangular pieces as mentioned and described above are all called plates. The body comprised of all plates big and small and attached vertically along to the cylindrical tubular part in the middle, is called ‘the mixer.’ In other words, ‘the mixer’ consists of multiple flat rectangular plates rounded in corners on one side, big and small, holed and un-holed and bound to each other by a receiving tubular part that also fits the handle. This invention called ‘multipurpose manual mixer’ has been specially designed in order to provide an improved manual mixer of simple, cheap, effective and readily reusable construction. It adds quality to the finishing product—food simple or complex and ends up to being a very useful tool in the kitchen.
US08540412B2	Light guide plate, method of manufacturing the same, and liquid crystal display device including the same A light guide plate includes a light incident surface to which light is incident as incident light, an opposite surface formed opposite to the light incident surface, a light emitting surface through which the incident light is emitted, a rear surface formed opposite to the light emitting surface and including a prism pattern which reflects the incident light to the light emitting surface, and lateral surfaces, wherein a diffuse reflection pattern is formed on at least any one of the light emitting surface and the lateral surfaces to diffuse-reflect light incident to the lateral surfaces, thus rendering a brightness at both the opposite surface and the light incident surface substantially uniform.
US08540406B2	Solar light bar A solar light bar includes a battery isolator adapted to be connected between a bus and a vehicle charging system for isolating a vehicle battery from the bus and for selectively connecting the bus to the charging system. A light source switch connects the light source and the bus for selectively electrically connecting the light source to the bus. When the light source switch is closed, the light source is energized by electricity from at least one of the solar panel, the charging system and the auxiliary battery. When the light source switch is open, the light source is isolated from the bus. The auxiliary battery is adapted to be selectively charged by electricity from at least one of the solar panel and the charging system.
US08540400B2	Encoding device and a method of encoding The present invention relates to an encoding device, such as an optical position encoder, for encoding input from an object, and a method for encoding input from an object, for determining a position of an object that interferes with light of the device. The encoding device comprises a light source, a waveguide, a number of redirecting structures, and a detector. By means of the waveguide and the number of redirecting structures, light from the light source is guided towards the detector along a path that includes traversing an area in a space next to the planar waveguide. An object may be positioned in the area in the space and may interfere with the light, which interference may be encoded into a position or activation.
US08540394B2	Collimating lenses for LED lighting systems, LED lighting systems including collimating lenses, and/or methods of making the same Certain example embodiments relate to improved lighting systems and/or methods of making the same. In certain example embodiments, a lighting system includes a glass substrate with one or more apertures. An LED or other light source is disposed at one end of the aperture such that light from the LED directed through the aperture of the glass substrate exits the opposite end of the aperture. Inner surfaces of the aperture have a mirroring material such as silver to reflect the emitted light from the LED. In certain example embodiments, a remote phosphor article or layer is disposed opposite the LED at the other end of the aperture. In certain example embodiment, a lens is disposed in the aperture, between the remote phosphor article and the LED.
US08540380B2	Projector with a radiation source A projector is provided with a radiation source adapted to radiate an electromagnetic wave during an operation and an exterior housing adapted to house the radiation source inside, wherein the exterior housing includes a first housing made of synthetic resin, and a second housing including a shield material adapted to block the electromagnetic wave, and disposed at a position for covering the radiation source in a plan view.
US08540377B2	Projector light source device having projections regulating cooling airflow A light source device, includes: an arc tube having a tube spherical portion containing a pair of electrodes disposed along an illumination axis, and a pair of sealing portions extending from both sides of the tube spherical portion; a reflector having a reflection portion disposed in the vicinity of one of the sealing portions of the arc tube for reflecting light emitted from the arc tube toward an illumination area; and a flow regulating unit including a plurality of projecting portions projecting in a direction approximately along the illumination axis to regulate the flow direction of cooling air, and a fixing portion for fixing the plural projecting portions to one of the sealing portions in the vicinity of the tube spherical portion.
US08540370B2	Devices and methods for selecting intraocular lenses The invention relates to devices and methods for selecting IOLs for implantation and eye models useful with the methods. One method comprises the steps of determining the axial eye length, the pupil size at a desired light level; the desired postoperative refraction; determining an aspheric representation of the corneal curvature and determining the location of the plane of fixation of the IOL following implantation.
US08540369B2	Led variable light source An LED variable light source of this invention includes a super luminescent LED for generating a continuous light signal having a logarithmically controllable light intensity maintainable over a broad spectral range. The LED variable light source also includes a light lens for receiving and focusing the generated continuous light signal and a controller for controlling the light signal's intensity and frequency range via a driver interface, constructed and arranged to allow a user to input LED variable light source control inputs.
US08540364B2	Lighted glasses Lighted glasses are provided that selectively project light forwardly of the glasses while also having a thin profile by avoiding the use of temple arms. The lighted glasses include a central light mount and a pair of lenses connected to the light mount by resilient arms. The arms allow a user to pull the lenses generally away from each other to fit on a wearer's nose. The light mount is configured to house a light assembly that includes a battery, a light source, and a switch to control operation of the light source.
US08540350B2	Continuous ink-jet printing device, with improved print quality and autonomy A continuous ink-jet printer or a print head of such a printer which includes electrical means for compensating for mechanical crosstalk between adjacent stimulation chambers, where these means simultaneously with the transmission, to a stimulated chamber, of a stimulation pulse on a stimulation line send a pulse for compensating for mechanical crosstalk on each of the lines supplying an actuator for the chamber adjacent to the stimulated chamber. Specific ratios between the peak amplitude of pulse for compensating for crosstalk and the peak voltage value of the stimulation pulse are provided as a function of the gaps between consecutive nozzles.
US08540345B2	Recording apparatus and recording system When a gradation mask is used to distribute image data to be recorded by overlapping portions in an overlapping head, color unevenness is generated in an image recorded by the overlapping portions due to a displacement in impact positions caused by an assembly error. As a result, accurate colorimetric measurement of patches recorded by the overlapping portion cannot be performed. To solve such a problem, a distribution ratio by which the image data is distributed to the overlapping portions is set to be approximately constant when recording a test pattern for performing color correction, as compared to when normally recording the image.
US08540342B2	Recording apparatus, method of controlling recording apparatus and computer readable recording medium Positions of flushing candidate pixels are provided in standard areas S formed from pixels arranged in a matrix pattern. A reference area formation section forms a reference area Ref by arranging two standard areas S adjacently to each other in both a main scan direction and a conveyance direction. In a range where there are overlaps with virtual pixel rows 84 not associated with image dots for a virtual flushing area F virtually arranged at a randomly-determined position in the reference area Ref, an extraction section extracts pixels overlapping flushing candidate pixels in the reference area Ref. A head control section controls inkjet heads such that image dots and flushing dots corresponding to the extracted pixels are formed on a sheet P.
US08540338B2	Printhead maintenance station including station backflush A maintenance station apparatus for a printhead including a nozzle face with the nozzle face including a nozzle array for jetting a liquid is provided. The maintenance station includes a capping unit including a drain and a waste liquid tank that receives a waste liquid from the capping unit. A valve is in fluid communication with the capping unit through a first fluid passage and in fluid communication with the waste liquid tank through a second fluid passage. The valve includes a first state that permits the waste liquid to flow from the capping unit through the valve to the waste liquid tank and a second state that prevents the waste liquid from flowing from the capping unit through the valve to the waste liquid tank. A cleaning liquid tank is in fluid communication with the valve through a third fluid passage and is configured to provide a cleaning liquid through the valve and into the first fluid passage when the valve is in the second state.
US08540336B2	Apparatus and method for controlling ink supply amount/registration adjustment in printing press This invention discloses an apparatus for controlling ink supply amount/registration adjustment in a printing press. The apparatus includes a base, sensor head, sensor head moving unit, first detector, second detector, and control unit. The sensor head moving unit includes a upward/downward position adjusting unit which adjusts the upward/downward position of the sensor head. The second detector detects the upward/downward position of a color bar when color matching data of a color patch of each color in the color bar is measured by the first detector. The upward/downward position adjusting unit adjusts the upward/downward position of the sensor head based on the upward/downward position of the color bar, which is detected by the second detector. A method of controlling ink supply amount/registration adjustment in a printing press is also disclosed.
US08540335B2	Printing apparatus A printing apparatus capable of specifying the color material concentration in ink can discharge or suck the ink in a suitable amount for suppressing degradation in print quality or ink supply failure. The printing apparatus executes printing by scanning a printhead having an orifice to discharge ink. The printing apparatus includes a scanning unit which scans the printhead without discharging the ink to generate a discharge failure orifice, and a detection unit which detects the presence of the discharge failure orifice. The color material concentration in the ink is estimated on the basis of the number of times or the time of scanning without discharging the ink required until the detection unit detects the presence of the discharge failure orifice.
US08540334B2	Image forming apparatus and method Certain embodiments provide an image forming apparatus including: a paper feed section; an image forming section; a transport mechanism; a sheet sensor which detects leading and trailing edges of the sheet; a sensor power source which supplies electric power to the sheet sensor; a detecting section which specifies the position of the sheet based on the position of the sheet sensor in a transport path and a detection output from the sheet sensor; and a driving control section which generates a timing signal indicating a first detection period when a leading edge of the sheet is detected and a timing signal indicting a second detection period when a trailing edge of the sheet is detected, turns on the sensor power source in the first detection period and the second detection period, and turns off the sensor power source in a period different from the respective detection periods.
US08540333B2	Recording apparatus A recording apparatus includes a recording unit, a discharge roller, a release mechanism, and a controller. The discharge roller is located downstream of the recording unit and includes a discharge driving roller and a discharge driven roller that apply a discharge force to the recording medium in a discharge direction. The release mechanism switches the discharge driven roller between a nip position, at which the discharge driven roller is brought into contact with the discharge driving roller when the recording medium is transported, and a release position, at which the discharge driven roller is spaced from the discharge driving roller when the holding tray is transported. The controller controls the transport roller, the discharge roller, and the release mechanism. The controller controls the discharge driving roller to be rotated a predetermined amount in the discharge direction before moving the discharge driven roller from the release position to the nip position.
US08540319B2	Bit replacing device for excavating machine A valve containing portion (35) is formed behind a bit containing portion (34) which opens at the front surface of a main cutter spoke (21). A rotary valve (39) is rotatably disposed in the valve containing portion (35). A bit case (41) containing a roller bit (31) is moved so as to protrude from an attachment/detachment path (39) formed in a rotary valve (38) into the bit containing portion (34), and is fixed by a cotter (38) to support an excavating reactive force. Thus, the sliding gap of the rotary valve (39) is disposed in the bit containing portion (34) and the valve containing portion (35) to be covered with the bit case (41).
US08540315B2	Nestable chair with seat rotation and stop arrangement A nesting chair includes a base having a transverse member. A backrest and seat are interconnected with the base. A seat rotation mechanism is configured to allow the seat to rotate from an initial seating position to an upwardly rotated nesting position. The seat rotation includes a first bearing area defined by an underside of the seat, and a second bearing area defined by a separate bearing member. The first and second bearing areas are located on opposite sides of the transverse member. A retainer arrangement is used to secure the bearing member to the seat with the transverse member therebetween. The seat is rotatable about the transverse member from the initial seating position to the upwardly rotated nesting position to enable the nesting chair to be nested with a plurality of like chairs. The transverse member is provided with a stop engageable with the seat for maintaining the seat in the seating position.
US08540302B2	Adjustable length truck bed cover with removable side panels and method of installation and removal A cover assembly and a method of covering a cargo bed for a truck having a separate cab uses a raised structure with removable side panels, constructed and arranged in sections of successively smaller width and height dimensions, the cover sections being slideably mounted within grooves on side rails that are secured to the sides of the cargo bed so that the smaller sections can be either extended, with the smallest section is toward the rear of the cargo bed or retracted into the largest section, and locking pins are provided to secure the cover sections in the desired locations, the method of installation and removal being to install the cover sections in order of size with the smallest sections installed first and the largest sections removed first.
US08540300B1	Coin box A coin box assembly having an anti jamming feature for a vehicle. The coin box assembly can have a coin box with a back wall with a top end, a front wall, and a pair of side walls extending between the back wall and the front wall. The coin box assembly can also have a cover that encloses the coin box when box is in a closed position. The back wall is dimensioned such that the top end is a predefined distance from the cover, the predefined distance providing a clearance. The clearance allows the coin box to pivot between the closed position and an open position, and yet prevents a small object such as a coin from being located between the back wall top end and the cover and thereby preventing the coin box from pivoting.
US08540297B2	Manipulating center console components utilizing active material actuation A center console comprising a manipulable structural component, such as a pivotal lid, sliding armrest, tambour door, or pivotal cup holder, and at least one active material actuator including an active material element operable to undergo a reversible change, drivenly coupled to the component, and configured to autonomously cause and/or enable the component to be manipulated as a result of the change.
US08540296B1	Sucking device A sucking device includes a tubular body and an engaging member. The tubular body includes a through hole and an air distributing portion received in the through hole and engaged with an inner surface of a sidewall of the tubular body. The air distributing portion is arranged adjacent to a distal end of the tubular body, and includes a central air passage and a number of peripheral air passages surrounding the central air passage. The engaging member includes a bottom plate received in the through hole at the distal end and an engaging portion extending from the bottom plate and being insertably engaged in the central air passage. A gap is maintained between a circumferential outer surface of the bottom plate and the inner surface of the tubular sidewall, and the gap is in communication with the through hole through the peripheral air passages.
US08540282B2	Protecting structure for power source apparatus [PROBLEMS] The present invention provides a protecting structure for a power source apparatus capable of suppressing the action of an external force on the power source apparatus when a vehicle is subjected to a shock.[SOLVING MEANS] A protecting structure for a power source apparatus, has a frame unit in which a plurality of frames (21a to 21h) are connected to each other and surround the power source apparatus (30) mounted on a vehicle; and an abutting member (22) connected to the frame unit and extending in a direction in which the abutting member abuts on a vehicle body. The abutting member is arranged so as to extend in a direction in which an external force in a predetermined direction acts on the vehicle.
US08540273B2	Shopping cart designed for vehicle trunks A shopping cart which can be completely loaded inside a vehicle trunk and unloaded in the same way, without taking objects out of the basket at any time, is disclosed. The main purpose of this design is to facilitate the transport of groceries or other objects from a store to a vehicle and later to a final destination (e.g., pantry). The main parts of the invention comprises a basket with four or more wheels which are located on a structure with foldable legs, and a sliding support system that makes a track for the basket so it can slide completely inside vehicle trunks. This sliding system permits the cart structure and its legs to go inside a vehicle trunk, under the basket with groceries or any other objects.
US08540260B1	Shaft support assemblies having cross member assembly for transmitting torque through various axes and vehicle including same A vehicular swing arm assembly includes a swing member, an axle support assembly, and an axle. The swing member is configured for pivotal attachment to a frame of a vehicle. The axle support assembly includes a driven member and a cross member assembly. The driven member is rotatably coupled with the swing member and is rotatable about a drive axis. The cross member assembly includes a first pivot member and a second pivot member. The first pivot member is pivotally coupled with the driven member and is pivotable with respect to the driven member. The second pivot member is pivotally coupled with the first pivot member and is pivotable with respect to the first pivot member. The axle is coupled with one of the first and second pivot members and is rotatable. Rotation of the driven member about the drive axis facilitates rotation of the axle.
US08540259B1	Construction method to control front engine compartment deformation A frame structure absorbs energy from frontal impacts and extends under a front portion of the body frame. The frame structure includes a rear sub-frame located below and in front of a pair of side frame under-members, and an inverter protection brace extending between the front sub-frame and the rear sub-frame. Loading from the inverter protection brace travels through the rear sub-frame to A-point bolt connections located on the pair of front frame side members. The rear sub-frame moves rearward and deforms at the A-point bolt connections. The load through the A-point bolt connections changes the deformation mode of the frame front side members between the A-point bolt connections and B-point bolt connections. At least one of the pair of side frame under-members buckles rearward of the B-point bolt connection located on the pair of side frame under-members for energy absorption during the frontal impact.
US08540255B2	Combination of a trolley for carrying cleaning materials and bucket structure A trolley for carrying cleaning materials includes a main trolley structure having a front end, a rear end, and a pair of sides, front wheels at the front end, back wheels at the rear end, a housing, and a handle structure at the rear end for guiding the main trolley structure over a floor on the wheels. The handle structure is moveable from a stowed condition to an operating condition for guiding the trolley. A bucket structure includes a container for containing cleaning liquid and at least three wheels for stables moveable over the floor independently of the trolley. The housing has a space into which at least a part of the bucket structure may be wheeled from the front end or a side of the pair of sides, such that the bucket structure is substantially within the housing when the bucket structure is received by the space.
US08540251B2	Active roll control system An active roll control system (ARCS) can actively control roll of a stabilizer bar connected to a pair of upper arms mounted respectively at both sides of a vehicle body through stabilizer links. The system may include a rail plate mounted in a space formed by bending a middle portion of the suspension arm, a connector having a screw hole and a connecting end that is connected to the stabilizer link, upper and lower portions of the connector being movable along the rail plate, a drive motor coupled to the suspension arm and provided with a screw shaft, wherein the connector is movable along the rail plate, and a cover covering the space in a state of being coupled with the rail plate and having a slot formed at a lower surface thereof, wherein the stabilizer link being inserted in and movable along the slot.
US08540248B2	Craps game with novel proposition wagers A casino craps table layout is provided with unique wagering opportunities. There are specific wagering areas for placing a wager on at least one of two new wagering opportunities. These new wagering opportunities are selected from the group consisting of a) a wager that the next roll of the dice will be a hard 4, 6, 8 or 10 and b) a wager that the next roll of the dice will be a pair of numbers. Another new wagering opportunity is a placed wager for any specific number (e.g., 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10).
US08540239B2	Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus A sheet conveying apparatus which detects an end part position of a sheet in a sheet width direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet conveyed on a sheet conveying path, comprising a plurality of sensor portions; a holding portion which holds the plurality of sensor portions; a plurality of aperture stops which is disposed between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portions and which is provided on the holding portion; and a driving portion which causes a movement of the holding portion in the sheet width direction.
US08540233B2	Retard feeder A method for providing increased performance in fully active retard feeders includes driving a feed roll and retard roll pair of a reprographic apparatus backwards periodically at the start of the machine or during idle periods to compensate for contamination buildup and/or roll “set” when left in position overnight.
US08540229B2	Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus for stably aligning sheets having a long length The alignment unit includes: an upstream-side pressing portion that presses a side edge of the sheet; and a downstream-side pressing portion that presses the side edge of the sheet. The downstream-side pressing portion includes: a first pressing portion that is arranged downstream of the center of gravity of a predetermined-size sheet and upstream of the downstream edge of the predetermined-size sheet and that presses the predetermined-size sheet; and a second pressing portion that is arranged downstream of the downstream edge of the predetermined-size sheet and downstream of the center of gravity of a large-size sheet having twice or more than twice the length of the predetermined-size sheet and that presses the large-size sheet. The second pressing portion is formed to protrude further toward the center side in the width direction than the first pressing portion.
US08540227B2	Accumulating apparatus for discrete paper or film objects and related methods An apparatus is provided for accumulating discrete paper or film objects traveling in a machine direction. A first accumulator element of the apparatus is rotatable about a first axis of rotation. A second accumulator element is disposed in confronting relationship with the first accumulator element and has a first, generally flat surface, and a first arcuate surface. Both of these surfaces are rotatable about the first axis of rotation and the first accumulator element has a first angular position that defines a first gap relative to the second accumulator element for receiving the objects there between. The first accumulator element has a second angular position that defines a second gap relative to the second accumulator element for moving the objects in the machine direction, with the second gap being smaller than the first gap.
US08540223B2	Combined driving spring in the slide cover hinge of the mobile communication terminal This invention provides the combined driving spring in the slide cover hinge of the mobile communication terminal. It comprises multiple springs in the same shape, the multiple springs are arranged and combined in turn on the same plane, with their both ends fixed; the driving spring is provided with connections on its both ends to match with the slide in the slide hinge. The shape of the spring is similar to the shape W. The driving spring provided by this invention can be directly used as a driving mechanism in the slide hinge for the mobile communication terminals, simplifying the structure of the driving mechanism. In particular, when the spring in the shape of W is employed, the spring can not only facilitate the combination connection, but also provide a greater force. Besides, when the slide cover slides, less area is occupied when the spring deforms, making it easier to arrange other parts of the mobiles device.
US08540210B2	Low friction and gradually opening butterfly valve vane The invention relates to vanes used in butterfly valves utilized in fluid control systems requiring special relationships between passing fluid and vane rotation and furthermore can provide leak proof shut-off when in the closed valve position and due to the extended contact length between the vane and the valve bore assures low opening friction. The invention furthermore features a shape that greatly reduces the customary high dynamic torque created by fluid suction effects on a vane when in the open position.
US08540207B2	Fluid flow control assembly A device has been disclosed that may include a spool valve including a body having a first connector and a second connector and a spool movable relative to the body for controlling flow between the first connector and the second connector. The reversible flow control assembly further may include a pilot valve device developing a single pressure command in the form of a fluid at a command pressure. The spool valve may be responsive to the single pressure command developed in said pilot valve device to control flow between the first connector and the second connector without regard to the direction of flow. The majority of axial forces acting on the spool to position the spool relative to the body when fluid is flowing through the valve may be fluid forces.
US08540199B2	Speaker assembly with rotary fastening mechanism A speaker fastening mechanism includes a first fastening component installed inside an audio device, a second fastening component installed inside the audio device and disposed on a side of the first fastening component, a speaker unit whereon a first fixing part and a second fixing part are formed, a first elastic component wedged in the first fixing part and fastened inside the first fastening component, and a second elastic component wedged in the second fixing part and fastened inside the second fastening component in a rotating manner after the first elastic component is fastened inside the first fastening component.
US08540196B1	Breathing hose support system A breathing hose support system for efficiently supporting a supply hose and mask in a proper position while being worn by an individual. The breathing hose support system generally includes a base, wherein the base may be partially supported by a bed frame or comprised of a self supported configuration. A vertical support extends from the base and a rotator assembly extends from the vertical support opposite the base. A horizontal support extends from the rotator assembly and is able to rotate a predetermined amount along a substantially horizontal plane via the rotator assembly. The horizontal support may also include a plurality of carrier assemblies movably connected to the horizontal support, wherein the carrier assemblies travel along a longitudinal axis of the horizontal support. A plurality of hose supports also extend from the carrier assemblies, wherein the hose supports receive a supply hose and wherein the hose is able to freely move via functioning of the carrier assemblies and the rotator assembly.
US08540187B2	Muscle-powered aircraft with flapping wings The invention relates to a muscle-powered ornithopter comprising a fuselage, a pair of flapping wings which have an alterable profile or a rudder in an outer wing region located at a distance from the fuselage, said alterable profile or rudder allowing the uplift to be modified in a predefined flow, and an elevator unit in which the deflection of the elevator can be modified. The pair of flapping wings and the fuselage are made of an elastic material, the elasticity of which allows the pair of flapping wings to be flapped. The flapping wings are curved downward in a resting position. The elasticity is calculated such that the flapping wings are urged into a neutral position during a flight because of the pilot's weight. The fuselage is designed to accommodate the pilot in an upright position relative to a longitudinal axis of the fuselage such that the pilot can apply stress to and relieve stress from the aircraft in phases by stretching and bending his or her legs. The ornithopter further comprises mechanisms which allow the alterable outer wing regions and the modifiable deflection of the elevator to be actuated in phase with the movement of the flapping wings.
US08540180B2	Apparatus and method for distribution of a floor covering An apparatus includes a frame and a roller. The frame has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is configured to be coupled to a vehicle configured to move along a surface, such as for example, an industrial utility vehicle, scooter or the like. The roller is coupled to the second portion of the frame such that when the first portion of the frame is coupled to the vehicle the second portion of the frame and the roller are spaced apart from the surface, and the roller is configured to contact a portion of a substantially cylindrical roll. The portion of the substantially cylindrical roll is disposed between the surface and a horizontal center line of the substantially cylindrical roll.
US08540175B2	Method and device for controlling the operation of a gyratory crusher A gyratory crusher comprises a first crushing shell mounted on a crushing head, and a second crushing shell mounted on a machine frame, a crushing gap being formed between said first and second crushing shells. A method of controlling the operation of said crusher comprises measuring a parameter being representative of the stresses to which the crusher is exposed during the crushing of material, determining an average value of said parameter, determining a deviation value of said parameter, calculating a peak value based on said average value and said deviation value, comparing said peak value to a reference value, and controlling the operation of the crusher in view of said comparison between said peak value and said reference value.
US08540159B2	Method for providing mobile service using code-pattern A method and apparatus for providing a mobile service with the use of a code pattern is disclosed In one embodiment, the method comprising: taking a photograph of a code pattern image, decoding the photographed code pattern image so as to obtain code information, extracting uniform resource locator (URL) information corresponding to the code information, transmitting a content information request message to a service provider server corresponding to the URL information, and receiving content information corresponding to the URL information from the service provider server. According to embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide various and convenient mobile services to mobile terminal users using a mobile terminal, having a camera, and a code pattern containing the URL information.
US08540155B2	Aiming assistance for sport competitions for visually challenged or blind persons An automated aiming assistance towards a shooting target for a visually- challenged or blind person is provided. The method comprises: providing the shooting weapon used by the person with a camera placed on the weapon for filming the target to be aimed at; identifying the target by shape recognition in the images shot by the camera; and transmitting a signal received by the person for guiding the person for orienting the shooting weapon towards the target.
US08540152B1	Conversion operations for loyalty points of different programs redeemable for services An entity and a commerce partner agree to permit transfers or conversions of non-negotiable credits to entity independent funds in accordance with a fixed credits-to-funds ratio. An account for non-negotiable credits of a loyalty program member is established. A set of two or more interactions earning additional non-negotiable credits for the loyalty program member in accordance with terms of the loyalty program is detected, resulting in the additional non-negotiable credits being added to the account. Responsive to an indication of a conversion operation occurrence, a quantity of the non-negotiable credits is subtracted from the account. The subtracted quantity of non-negotiable credits is at least a quantity of non-negotiable credits that were converted or transferred to a new quantity of entity independent funds using the fixed credits-to-funds ratio.
US08540132B2	Tilt anvil assembly A tilt anvil assembly is disclosed which includes a center rod and a head assembly pivotally mounted to the center rod. The head assembly includes a housing, a post, an anvil plate and a backup member. The backup member is movable about the post from a first position preventing pivotal movement of the head assembly to a second position accommodating pivotal movement of the head assembly. A pivotal latch assembly is also provided to prevent movement of the backup member from its second position to its first position.
US08540129B2	Surgical stapling instrument with improved firing trigger arrangement A surgical stapling instrument including an actuator knob which can be moved from one side of the stapling instrument to another side in order to reposition the actuator knob without having to reposition the stapling instrument within a surgical site. A stapling instrument can include a pusher bar, a housing having a first side and a second side, and an actuator knob rotatably mounted to the pusher bar wherein the actuator knob can be configured to be rotated between a first position in which the actuator knob can be moved along the first side of the housing and a second position where the actuator knob can be moved along a second side of the housing. Alternatively, a surgical stapling instrument can comprise one or more actuator knobs which can be operably engaged and disengaged with a pusher bar in order to selectively utilize the actuator knobs.
US08540128B2	Surgical stapling device with a curved end effector The present invention includes a surgical stapler having a staple cartridge, an anvil, and a cutting member having a cutting surface, wherein the cutting member is relatively movable with respect to the anvil and the staple cartridge. In at least one embodiment, one of the anvil and the staple cartridge defines a slot which is configured to receive at least a portion of the cutting member and guide the cutting member as it is moved relative to the anvil and the staple cartridge. In these embodiments, the slot can define a path having linear and/or curved portions. In various embodiments, the path can include a curved portion having a first portion that extends away from the shaft axis and a second portion that extends toward the axis. In one embodiment, the path can include a curved portion defined by an arc corresponding to an angle greater than 90 degrees.
US08540125B2	Spare tire carrier assembly A vehicle includes a vehicle frame having D-ring latch and hinge assemblies coupled thereto. The D-ring latch and hinge assemblies include a latch and hinge sleeve, respectively. A tire carrier assembly is rotatably mounted to the D-ring hinge assembly, wherein the tire carrier assembly is repeatably moveable between raised and lowered positions.
US08540123B2	Apparatus and method for mixing and dispensing a bone cement mixture Among other things, an apparatus for mixing and dispensing a bone cement mixture are provided. In certain embodiments, the apparatus includes a housing having a first chamber for containing an ampoule having a first bone cement component. The housing has a second chamber for containing a second bone cement component and the first and second chambers are in fluid communication. An ampoule breaking device is disposed within the first chamber and is configured to engage and break the ampoule for release of the first bone cement component. Disposed within the second chamber is an impeller that is configured to rotate such that the impeller mixes the first and second bone cement components together to form the bone cement mixture. Adjacent the impeller is a displacer that is configured to advance through the second chamber, receiving the impeller and dispensing the bone cement mixture.
US08540120B2	Fluid mixing and delivery system A fluid mixing and delivery system comprises a mixing chamber; a first supply line for supplying a first fluid component to the mixing chamber via a first CFValve and a downstream first metering orifice; a second supply line for supplying a second fluid component to the mixing chamber via a second CFValve and a downstream second metering orifice, with the first and second fluid components being combined in the mixing chamber to produce a fluid mixture; and a discharge line leading from the mixing chamber and through which the fluid mixture is delivered to a dispensing valve.
US08540112B2	Drinking containers A disposable child's drinking cup has a lid with a drinking spout defining multiple open holes sized to resist leakage in the absence of suction, such as by the development of surface tension at the holes, and to allow flow when suction is applied. The holes are formed during molding of the lid. An inner contour of a groove of the lid and an outer contour of the cup body rim are selected to provide a slight snap fit of the lid onto the cup body, to provide a secure seal.
US08540105B2	Easily openable can and method of opening the can An easily openable metal can largely openable in the arranged state of two sheet metal-made cans in series. A means such as a projection for opening the drinking mouth of another can is formed at the lower part of a can body, and a break line and a means for guiding the means such as the projection are formed at the upper part thereof.
US08540098B2	Transport frame A transport frame for transporting material and/or piece goods. At each bottom corner of the transport frame (1), a notch (6) is formed. The height (h) of the notch (6) is high enough to allow the bottom (7) of the transport frame (1), when the transport frame (1) is placed on top of transport protrusions (13) and/or locking clamps (14), to settle without bending against the mounting base (12) at least at some point.
US08540094B2	Collapsible bottle, method of manufacturing a blank for such bottle and beverage-filled bottle dispensing system A double-skinned inflatable bottle blank is manufactured by: (i) stacking two sheets of liquid impermeable, flexible foil material; (ii) blanking the sheets; (iii) bonding the two blanks along joining seams that follow contoured perimeter edges to define a double skinned blank which can be inflated through an inflation location; (iv) additionally bonding the two blanks at in a predetermined grid of seams to provide an upstanding peripheral wall with intersecting, inflatable stiffener structures; (v) folding the double skinned blank; and (vi) selectively bonding together portions of the joined perimeter edge of the double skinned blank to define a double-skinned, inflatable bottle blank with an internal cavity surrounded by a bottom wall, peripheral wall and top wall with a dispensing orifice, the inflatable stiffener structures between the seams providing an exoskeleton about the internal cavity when inflated.
US08540091B2	Blank for a rack A blank for a rack with at least one shelf designed as a starting plate with at least one bending region in the form a number of segments and openings. The starting plate includes a number of elements which each have a side extending along a bending region while the other sides of the element are free whereby the rack is quickly and easily formed by bending these elements about their bending regions.
US08540087B1	Foldable hanger device A hanger device includes a bracket; a first hanger arm having a top surface, wherein the top surface of the first hanger arm includes at least one notch, and wherein the first hanger arm is connected to the bracket via a first hinge; and a second hanger arm having a top surface, wherein the top surface of the second hanger arm comprises at least one notch, and wherein the second hanger arm is connected to the first hanger arm via a second hinge. The hanger arms may also include at least one eyelet.
US08540074B1	Reusable multi-functional pad/filter device A reusable multi-functional pad/filtration device for providing an easy and unique way to absorb fluids from raw, thawed, or cooked foods. The device features two outer layers that sandwich two middle layers and an absorbent gasket. The gasket is positioned between the two middle layers. Borders are disposed on each side edge of the device. The device may be used in combination with a holding system that includes a base and a serving tray.
US08540069B2	Kinematically-driven slow delivery lubrication system Lubrication systems for transport systems are disclosed that are powered by a rotating shaft of the transport system. The lubrication system includes at least one circular member mounted on the rotating shaft. The at least one circular member is coupled to and imparts rotation to a third circular member and separately to a fourth circular member for imparting rotation there to. The third circular member is coupled to a first linkage. The first linkage extends from the third circular member to a fifth circular member. The fourth circular member is coupled to a second linkage. The second linkage couples the fourth circular member to the first linkage between the third and fifth circular members. The fifth circular member is coupled to a pump shaft.
US08540064B2	Drive for an hybrid vehicle and clutch having a release mechanism A drive for an hybrid vehicle, having an electric machine situated in a housing and having a clutch that is provided with a release mechanism. The release mechanism is connected to a housing-mounted component, that is locked against rotation, via at least one damping element, the damping element absorbing multi-dimensional motions.
US08540053B2	Apparatus and method for a portable pathway A method of providing a traversable path along a surface, the method including the steps of placing a portable pathway onto the surface, the portable pathway having a frame member comprising at least a first layer, and at least one adjustable step coupled with the frame member. The method further includes securing the portable pathway in situ, and adjusting the step to a desired position.
US08540052B1	Hunting stand A hunting stand operable to provide an elevated position for a hunter wherein the platform of the stand includes a chair that is movably mounted on the platform. The chair is operably coupled to a base support member that is movably mounted within an annular channel that is integrally formed with the platform. The hunting stand further includes a frame having a plurality of longitudinal support members and horizontal support members. The platform further includes a centrally located hole that is operable to facilitate the positioning of the hunting stand such that the platform is surroundably mounted a tree. A plurality of apertures are journaled through the upper surface of the platform adjacent to the channel and function to receive a locking pin that functions to releasably secure the base support member in a position along the channel. The platform includes a railing mounted adjacent the perimeter of the platform.
US08540045B2	Systems and apparatus for a three-wheeled vehicle An apparatus includes a vehicle frame, a swing arm and a fuel tank. The vehicle frame includes a front portion and a rear portion and defines a longitudinal centerline therebetween. The front portion is configured to support a recumbent seat. The rear portion is configured to be coupled to the swing arm and. The swing arm defines a longitudinal centerline and includes a wheel mounting portion configured to be coupled to a wheel assembly. The wheel mounting portion defines a radial axis that is substantially coaxial with the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle frame in at least one plane. The fuel tank is coupled to the rear portion of the vehicle frame such that the fuel tank is above the longitudinal centerline of the swing arm.
US08540036B2	Ultrahard sintered carbide particles in hardfacing for earth-boring bit A hardfacing composition for downhole well tools, such as earth-boring bits, contains sintered ultrahard particles. The ultrahard particles consist of tungsten carbide grains, cobalt and vanadium. The ultrahard particles are dispersed within a matrix metal of iron, nickel or alloys thereof. The composition may also have sintered tungsten carbide particles of a larger size than the ultrahard particles. The ultrahard particles have a greater hardness than the sintered tungsten carbide particles. The ultrahard particles and the sintered tungsten carbide particles may be in a spherical pellet form. Other hard metal particles may be in the composition.
US08540035B2	Extendable cutting tools for use in a wellbore Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to extendable cutting tools for use in a wellbore. In one embodiment, a tool for use in a wellbore includes a tubular body having a bore therethrough, an opening through a wall thereof, and a connector at each longitudinal end thereof; and an arm. The arm is pivotally connected to a first piston and rotationally coupled to the body, is disposed in the opening in a retracted position, and is movable to an extended position where an outer surface of the arm extends outward past an outer surface of the body. The tool further includes the first piston. The first piston is disposed in the body bore, has a bore therethrough, and is operable to move the arm from the retracted position to the extended position in response to fluid pressure in the piston bore exceeding fluid pressure in the opening. The tool further includes a lock operable to retain the first piston in the retracted position; and a second piston operably coupled to the lock.
US08540034B2	Pneumatic drill device Pneumatic drill device comprising an outer casing, an assembly of a cylinder and a movable piston actuating a pick element, a device for supplying the cylinder with compressed air, an air exhaust device and an operational control device, wherein the outer casing is formed from two complementary sections adapted to fit into one another in order to enclose, in addition to the cylinder and piston assembly, the said devices for supplying the cylinder, for air exhaust and for operational control.
US08540033B2	Apparatus for land clearing and preparation Embodiments of a land preparation tool for preparing land includes a tool mounting surface defining a non-planar tool mounting surface profile and a cutting surface disposed on a surface opposite the tool mounting surface. A first channel for receiving a first securing bolt and a second channel for receiving a second securing bolt, both channels disposed within the land preparation tool and are adjacent and parallel to each other. An intermediate connector includes a first connector channel, a second connector channel, a tool interface, and a tool holder interface, the tool interface couples with the tool mounting surface of the land preparation tool. A land preparation apparatus includes a tool holder secured to a rotatable drum, and the land preparation tool and the intermediate connector are secured to the tool holder with the two securing bolts.
US08540032B2	Apparatus and method with hydrocarbon swellable and water swellable body A swellable apparatus for filling a space in oil or gas tool such as a wellbore packer is described. The swellable apparatus comprise a hydrocarbon swellable body which swells on exposure to a hydrocarbon fluid, and at least one water swellable body which swells on exposure to a second fluid comprising water. The hydrocarbon swellable body is interposed between the aqueous fluid and the water swellable body and comprises at least one access pathway configured to permit the passage of water to the water swellable body. The pathway may be formed by perforation, or by incorporating an additive into the hydrocarbon material, such as a foaming agent or polyoctenamer. Embodiments of the invention comprise variations in cross-linking in the hydrocarbon swellable body.
US08540031B2	Encapsulating device The invention features an encapsulating device and system to contain a fluid or substance spilled during a blowout of a pipe at subsea level. The system features a semi-circular housing that fits underneath the flange of a pipe. A heater is provided inside the housing. The system features a tri-flange system having flanges on the top and sides of the housing. The side flanges are closed and sealed and then the top flange is closed. Side flanges divert pressure in the system. The system discloses arms and sealants to aid in sealing the pipe.
US08540025B2	Wellbore servicing compositions and methods of making and using same A method of servicing a wellbore in a subterranean formation comprising preparing a wellbore servicing fluid comprising cement, water and a polyuronide polymer, placing the wellbore servicing fluid in the wellbore, and allowing the wellbore servicing fluid to set. A method of servicing a wellbore in a subterranean formation comprising preparing a wellbore servicing fluid comprising a highly methylated pectin, cementitious material and water into the wellbore, placing the wellbore servicing fluid in the wellbore, and allowing the wellbore servicing fluid to set. A wellbore servicing fluid comprising cement, water and a polyuronide polymer.
US08540023B2	Produced water disposal Offshore hydrocarbon (e.g. oil) production units that produce considerable contaminated water (produced water), are able to repeatedly dispose of the produced water so each production unit requires only a moderate-sized tank to hold the produced water, and most of the tank storage capacity of the production unit can store hydrocarbons. A mobile water-treatment plant is provided on a converted tanker that sails from one production unit to another one, transferring produced water from the oil production units and separating out contaminants as by settling, to leave clean water that can be dumped into the sea and contaminants that cannot be dumped into the sea. The mobile plant occasionally sails to an on-shore facility where it is allowed to dump contaminants.
US08540022B1	Method of delivering frac fluid and additives A method for the controlled delivery of a fracturing fluid to a well bore comprises formulating an aqueous base fluid such that it meets or exhibits desired physical and chemical characteristics for an optimal fracturing fluid. The formulation of the aqueous base fluid max involve commingling one or more sources of waste water with a source of fresh water followed by controlled injection of one or more additives. This process is substantially completed prior to delivering the aqueous base fluid to the well site. This allows the delivery of an optimal volume of the aqueous base fluid with homogeneously blended additives to the well bore.
US08539998B2	Anti-skid device for tires In an anti-skid device in which anti-skid bodies are connected to be arranged in the circumferential direction of a tire of a car, connecting/separating workability is simplified. Connecting components are also simplified in their structure and production. Rod-like and tube-like connecting components are attached to the front-side and the rear-side of each anti-skid body. A manipulation member is configured such that an attaching rod and a connecting rod arranged in parallel with each other are connected by a manipulation rod, the attaching rod and the connecting rod are inserted into attaching holes and connecting holes of the tube-like connecting component, and the manipulation member is thus movable in the crossing direction of the tube-like connecting component. An elastic member is provided which applies a backward movement force to the manipulation member.
US08539996B2	Docking device comprising two coupling closures for the environmentally sealed transfer of bulk material, having at least one locking unit A docking device for transferring the contents of, filling, and/or emptying containers comprises first and second coupling latches positioned flush to one another along respective closing sides thereof. A locking unit is configured for locking together pipe nozzles of the first and second coupling latches. The locking unit includes at least one movable first arresting element that is present in a passage that has an opening to an exterior of the second coupling latch, and is configured to interact with a corresponding second arresting element present on an exterior of the pipe nozzle of the second coupling latch. The docking device further comprises a bolt that is movable in a cylinder. The bolt has a first section with a first diameter, a second section with a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, and a third transfer section between the first and second section with a tapering diameter.
US08539978B2	Gas valve unit with bypass flow A valve unit for adjusting gas flow to a combustion apparatus includes a valve member that moves relative to a valve seat in response to a signal input to a coil, for varying a high-capacity gas flow rate through the valve unit. The valve unit includes a first opening port, a second opening port that is smaller than the first opening port, and a closure member. The closure member is movable between an open position, in which said high-capacity gas flow rate is communicated via the first and second opening ports to an outlet, and a closed position against the first opening port, in which a low-capacity gas flow rate is communicated via only the second opening port to the outlet. The valve unit includes a solenoid for selectively moving the closure member between the open position and closed position to selectively establish a high-capacity gas flow rate or low capacity gas flow rate.
US08539974B2	Forced-fluid switch A forced fluid switch including a first plenum in communication with a first port; a second plenum in communication with a second port; a third plenum in switched communication with the first plenum and the second plenum and in communication with a third port; a fourth plenum in switched communication with the first plenum and the second plenum and in communication with a fourth port; and wherein the forced fluid switch has at least a first forced fluid path and a second forced fluid path, wherein in the first forced fluid path, the third plenum is in communication with the first plenum and the fourth plenum is in communication with the second plenum, and wherein in the second forced fluid path, the third plenum is in communication with the second plenum and the fourth plenum is in communication with the first plenum. A method is provided for switching forced fluid.
US08539969B2	Gigasonic brush for cleaning surfaces An apparatus, system, and method for a Gigasonic Brush for cleaning surfaces is presented. One embodiment of the system includes an array of acoustic transducers coupled to a substrate where the individual acoustic transducers have sizes in the range of 9 um2 to 250,000 um2. The system may include a positioning mechanism coupled to at least one of a target surface or the array of acoustic transducers, and configured to position the array of acoustic transducers within 1 millimeter of a target surface. The system may also include a cleaning liquid supply arranged to provide cleaning liquid for coupling the array of acoustic transducers to the target surface. The system may further include a controller coupled to the array of acoustic transducers and configured to activate the array of acoustic transducers.
US08539964B2	Hair curling tong Hair curling tong (1) with a fixed handle (2) and a heated tube body (12) fixed thereto provided with clamp (17) that is fixed in a tilting way to the curling tong (1) and can be tilted between a closed position wherein the clamp (17) is held in contact with the tube body (12) by means of a spring (18) activated by a button (20) and an open position wherein the clamp is tilted away from the tube body (12), characterized in that the clamp (17) is fixed in a rotatable way to the curling tong (1) by means of a ring (10) which is rotatable over 360° around the longitudinal axis (X-X′) of the tube body (12).
US08539953B2	Combination anesthesia and scavenger surgical mask A surgical mask for administering and/or scavenging medical gases includes a nasal mask and an oral mask that envelops the nasal mask. The nasal mask is secured to the oral mask and may be removable from it.
US08539941B2	Built-in cooking device The invention provides a drawer type built-in cooking device, wherein an air outlet portion 10 for discharging the inside air containing heat and vapor generated during cooking of an object to be cooked has an air outlet duct 11 communicated from an air outlet port area 3b formed on a side wall of the heating chamber 3 to a lower side portion of a front wall 1a of the cooking device body 1. The outlet air flow flowing through the air outlet duct 11 is sent downward from an air outlet opening 13 formed to a lower side portion of the front wall 1a of the cooking device body 1 and discharged to the exterior of the device. The present invention enables to eliminate the prior art air inlet and outlet duct structure disposed below the heating chamber 3, and therefore, the height of the heating chamber can be increased correspondingly. Further, the air outlet opening 13 is hidden from the exterior without having to attach a louver since the opening is covered by a door 2a when the door is closed, so that the exterior design thereof is improved.
US08539938B2	Fuel systems and methods for controlling fuel systems in a vehicle with multiple fuel tanks Fuel systems and methods for controlling fuel systems in a vehicle with multiple fuel tanks are provided. An exemplary vehicle fuel system includes a first fuel tank including a first pressure sensor, and a second fuel tank. The system may further include a fuel tank isolation valve positioned to selectively decouple the first fuel tank and the second fuel tank. The system may further include an electronic controller configured to identify which of the first fuel tank and second fuel tank includes a fuel system leak by selectively decoupling the first fuel tank and the second fuel tank via the fuel tank isolation valve, responsive to an identification of the fuel system leak.
US08539930B2	Rotary combustion apparatus A combustion apparatus having a housing including an inner surface that defines at least one chamber, a rotor, a rotor shaft, an intake shaft, an exhaust shaft, and a gearing mechanism. The chamber includes an intake valve port and an exhaust valve port, and the rotor shaft is coupled to a gear at one end and has at least two opposing flat surfaces received by an opening in the rotor. The intake and exhaust shafts are geared to the rotor shaft and have at least one opening each that is aligned with the intake and the exhaust valve ports. A gearing mechanism selectively controls the duration in which the openings are aligned with the ports. Two or more rotors may be utilized to produce more power and reduce vibration.
US08539927B2	Wrist pin and method of reducing wear between members thereof, connecting rod, piston and methods of constructing same A wrist pin and method of reducing wear between members thereof, a piston, a connecting rod, and methods of construction thereof are provided. The wrist pin has a first portion extending between opposite ends configured for receipt in piston pin bores and a second portion extending between opposite ends configured for receipt in the pin bores. The second portion is configured for relative movement with the first portion. The piston includes a piston body having axially aligned pin bores, wherein at least one of the pin bores has a feature to prevent relative rotation of a wrist pin member. The connecting rod includes a connecting rod body having small end bore. The small end bore has a contour to allow relative rotation of a first wrist pin member therein and a feature to prevent relative rotation of a second wrist pin member therein.
US08539921B2	Spark plug An isolation portion (P) of an insulator (10) of a spark plug (100) electrically insulatively isolates a front end portion (22) of a center electrode (20) and a holding portion (56) of a metallic shell (50) from each other and has an intermediate portion (P2) which extends while its outside diameter varies, thereby ensuring an insulation distance between the two portions. The ratio (S/V) of the surface area (S) of the outer surface (14) of the isolation portion (P) to the volume (V) of the isolation portion (P) satisfies the relation 1.26 mm−1≦S/V, whereby the insulation distance between the front end portion (22) and the holding portion (56) is sufficiently ensured while existing dimensional conditions are held unchanged. Through satisfaction of the relation S/V≦1.40 mm−1, an increase in temperature of the center electrode (20) that accompanies an increase in the amount of heat received from a combustion chamber owing to an increase in the surface area (S) of the outer surface (14) is restrained, thereby maintaining a required heat value.
US08539919B2	Fluid brake device and variable valve timing apparatus A fluid brake device has a rotor having a brake shaft penetrating a case to come into contact with magnetic viscosity fluid. A sealing sleeve is arranged to surround the brake shaft, and a seal gap is defined between the sealing sleeve and the brake shaft and communicates with a fluid chamber. The sealing sleeve has a flux guide that guides magnetic flux to the brake shaft through the seal gap. The brake shaft has a magnetic shaft extending in an axis direction, and a regulation layer that regulates the magnetic flux from passing by covering an outer circumference surface of the magnetic shaft. The brake shaft has an exposing part opposing to the magnetic flux guide, and the exposing part of the brake shaft is exposed from the regulation layer.
US08539915B2	Cooling system for a motor vehicle A cooling system for motor vehicle with a cooling circuit, which includes one or more internal combustion engines, a pump and a cooling device, is described herein. The cooling system includes a short circuit line, which bypasses the pump by connecting a pressure side of the pump to an intake side of the pump. The cooling system further includes a valve device in the region of the short circuit line, and the valve device is switched between two or more positions. When the valve is in the first position, the entire coolant flow is directed through the short circuit line. Further, when the valve is in the second position, the entire coolant flow is directed through the internal combustion engine and not through the short circuit line.
US08539914B2	Method for operating an engine with a fuel reformer Methods for operating a flexible fuel engine with a fuel reformer which reforms a fuel into a gaseous fuel reformate are provided. Operating parameters of the fuel reformer and delivery of reformate to the engine are adjusted based on an alcohol content of the fuel.
US08539912B2	E-tube collar The invention is a method for protecting the neck of an animal following surgical insertion of an esophagostomy tube. The e-Tube protective collar prevents injury to the surgical site, provides stabilization of the e-Tube and prevents accidental or deliberate removal of the tube by the animal. The collar is constructed of two layers of fabric which encircles the animal's neck and fastens via hook and loop fastener strips under the neck allowing for adjustment of tightness. There is a stitched hole in the fabric for the e-Tube to pass through which is then held stable once the collar is placed around the animal's neck. The collar has a hook and loop fastener strip disposed on the top face to fold over the loose end of longer e-Tubes and hold them flat against the collar. The collar requires minimal dressing for the wound and protects it while allowing it to “breathe”. Because of the comfortable fit, the collar can remain on the animal continuously and causes no discomfort or impediment to normal eating, grooming, or play.
US08539911B1	Disposable feline litter box A disposable feline litter box includes a tray prefilled with litter and including a permanently affixed upwardly extendable enclosure. An end face of the enclosure includes a hinged door flap which allows a feline to enter and exit the enclosure by pushing the flap in the appropriate direction. The various components of the litter box are made of bio-degradable materials. The litter box is initially provided in a collapsed configuration to allow for storage and transportation and is returned to the collapsed configuration for disposal.
US08539905B2	Polymeric micro-cantilevers for ultra-low volume fluid and living cell deposition Polymer-based micro-cantilevers for depositing material onto a surface include, in one embodiment, a body portion, an elongated beam portion sized smaller than and extending from the body portion and having a length greater than about 500 microns. The body portion includes a reservoir and the elongated beam portion having a passageway disposed therein. The passageway has an inlet opening in fluid communication with the reservoir and an outlet opening at a distal end of the elongated beam portion. The passageway comprises a width greater than 10 microns to about 100 microns, and a height of about 25 microns to about 100 microns. Methods for delivering fluid and living cells using the polymer-based micro-cantilevers are also disclosed.
US08539897B1	Surf wake system for a watercraft An adjustable surf wake system enhances a wake formed by a watercraft travelling through water. The system may include a flap for deflecting water traveling past the stern of the watercraft, and/or a positioner operably connected to the flap for positioning the flap relative to a longitudinal axis of the watercraft between a neutral position and an outward position. Positioning a port flap in its extended position enhances a starboard surf wake, and positioning the starboard flap in its extended position enhances a port surf wake.
US08539889B1	Convertible table A convertible table with two folding legs and two base legs. Each folding leg is rotatably connected to one end of a connection bar, the other end of each connection bar rotatably connected to a respective base leg. A first end of a frame member, which includes a table surface and a writing board, is rotatably attached to top ends of the base legs. A second end of the frame member is rotatably attached to top ends of the folding legs. In a first position, the writing board faces downward and a conventional table is provided with the table surface. In a second position, the folding legs, guided by the connection bars, rotate relative to the frame member and are locked to sides of the frame member by respective locking mechanisms. In the second position, the writing board extends in an upright position and is accessible.
US08539881B2	Laser leveling highlight control A method of preparing a flexographic printing member includes forming a relief image that consists of both fine-featured regions and coarse-featured regions; and leveling a top most surface of at least one of the coarse-featured regions by means of laser engravings.
US08539877B2	Cooking device and method of cooking A cooking device, for insertion into food, having a shell with a top portion and a bottom portion, securable together at a latitudinal cross section of the shell. The top portion has one or more steam holes to allow seasoning placed in the device to permeate the food during the cooking process. The cooking device can be stood on its base in an upright position for filling with seasoning, and can then be disposed substantially perpendicular to the upright position during the cooking process, without seasoning that is not in a gaseous phase running or spilling out of the steam holes.
US08539874B1	Military vehicle window cover A window cover for a vehicle that has an aperture located in place of a window. The window cover has upper and lower reflectors that are pivotally movable with respect to the window cover. The upper reflector is beneath an upper armored plate and the lower reflector is behind a lower armored plate. The reflectors are pivotally linked together. Slats are placed between the upper and lower reflectors that block a trajectory of a projectile from entering a window aperture over which the window cover protects. The slats are placed so as to be as optically thin as possible, meaning the edge thickness is all that will be seen across the reflectors.
US08539857B2	Operation mechanism for controlling front suspension system An operation mechanism for locking or unlocking the front suspension system of bicycles includes a base with a lever frame pivotably connected thereto. The control cable is connected to the lever frame which has a pin. A movable member is located in the base and includes two hooks and two slots are defined through the hooks. The base includes an axle which extends through the center of the lever frame and the two slots. The pin on the movable member is removably hooked by the hooks. A cover is mounted to the base to hide the movable member. The movable member is movable along a push rod and biased by a resilient member. A operation rod inserted into the base and pushes the movable member to remove the pin from the hooks so as to release the control cable.
US08539844B2	Apparatus and methods for measuring a material property The present invention provides a method for producing a measurement apparatus for measuring a material property. The method includes steps of (a) providing a pressure sensing component having a first and a second surfaces; (b) disposing a first and a second electrodes on the first surface; and (c) disposing an elastic member having a first and a second portions on the first surface, wherein the first and the second portions of the elastic material have different values of an elastic coefficient, and cover the first and the second electrodes, respectively.
US08539843B2	Load indicator A load indicator comprises a load bearing assembly of first and second load bearing members (23, 22) connected together to bear a lateral load applied to the first member (23), the first load bearing member defining a cavity (25) with the second load bearing member such that it is frangible above an indicator load, and the cavity (25) containing an indicator liquid which escapes from the cavity once the first load bearing member is fractured by said load. The load bearing members (22, 23) comprise cylindrical members arranged concentrically with the outer member (23) having a portion of reduced thickness to render it frangible and to define the cavity (25). The cavity (25) includes an internal volume within the second load bearing member (22). The load indicator may be configured as a load bearing pin to connect two components.
US08539838B2	Extended field of view ultrasonic imaging with a two dimensional array probe An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces an extended field of view (EFOV) image. A 3D imaging probe is moved along the skin of a patient above the anatomy which is to be included in the EFOV image. As the probe is moved, images are acquired from a plurality of differently oriented image planes such as a sagittal plane and a transverse plane. As the probe is moved the image data of successive planes of one of the orientations is compared to estimate the motion of the probe. These motion estimates are used to position a succession of images acquired in one of the orientations accurately with respect to each other in an EFOV display format. The display format may be either a 2D EFOV image or a 3D EFOV image.
US08539837B2	Ultrasonic imaging using thin film transistor backplane An embodiment is a method and apparatus for coherent ultrasonic imaging. A receiver array has a plurality of receiver elements on a substrate to detect in-phase and quadrature components of a received signal corresponding to a transmit signal. Each of the receiver elements includes a receiver transducer and a thin-film transistor (TFT) receiver circuit. The TFT receiver circuit includes a quadrature detector having a mixer to mix a received signal with a reference signal in a composite bias signal that is distributed across the plurality of receiver elements. A transmitter is acoustically coupled to the plurality of receiver elements to generate the transmit signal through an imaging medium.
US08539834B2	Microelectromechanical gyroscope with calibrated synchronization of actuation and method for actuating a microelectromechanical gyroscope A gyroscope includes a body, a driving mass, which is mobile according to a driving axis, and a sensing mass, which is driven by the driving mass and is mobile according to a sensing axis, in response to rotations of the body. A driving device forms a microelectromechanical control loop with the body and the driving mass and maintains the driving mass in oscillation with a driving frequency. The driving device comprises a frequency detector, which supplies a clock signal at the frequency of oscillation of the driving mass, and a synchronization stage, which applies a calibrated phase shift to the clock signal so as to compensate a phase shift caused by components of the loop that are set between the driving mass and the control node.
US08539815B2	Apparatus and method for measuring and recording data from violent events An apparatus is provided for recording information about an event resulting in application of a force to a body. The apparatus comprises data recording means for recording the information, sensor means for sensing a parameter which enables a predetermined source of force to be distinguished from another, predetermined source of force, and control means responsive to the sensed parameter for controlling the data recording means. The sensor means may comprise a pressure sensor for sensing shockwaves resulting from an explosive force and the resulting signal used to distinguish from other events, such as blunt impacts. The pressure signal may be used to control the storage of acceleration data for injury analysis.
US08539810B2	Method and apparatus for calibrating a torque measurement According to one aspect of the invention, a method for calibrating a torque measurement for a rotatable object is disclosed, wherein the method includes coupling the rotatable object to a structure, the structure including a member extending along a length of a surface of the rotatable object, coupling the rotatable object to an adapter and applying a known torque to the rotatable object via the adapter. The method also includes measuring a first rotational displacement via a first sensor coupled to the member at a first axial location of the rotatable object, measuring a second rotational displacement via a second sensor coupled to the member at a second axial location of the rotatable object and determining first and second angular displacements of the rotatable object based on the first and second rotational displacements.
US08539809B2	Method and device for testing the measuring function of a measuring device The present invention relates to the field of gas measurements, andmore specifically to the field of testing the measuring function of a measuring device (7) for gas measurements, the measuring device (7) including a gas sensor (9) generating at least one output signal. The method includes connecting at least one simulation signal to the measuring device (7) and/or feeding a gas mixture to the measuring device wherein the magnitude of the concentration of a gas to be measured in the gas mixture is known. The invention also relates to a simulation device (1) for connection to the measuring device (7) for gas measurements when testing the measuring function of the measuring device (7). The simulation device (1) generates at least one simulation signal which can attain at least one signal level, wherein a certain signal value corresponds to a certain gas concentration.
US08539805B2	Method and forming machine for manufacturing a product having various diameters The invention relates to a method and a forming machine suitable for manufacturing a product having various diameters from a workpiece, such as a metal cylinder or plate, in which the workpiece is clamped down in a clamping device, the workpiece and a first tool are rotated about an axis of rotation relative to each other, the workpiece is deformed by means of said first tool by placing the tool into contact with the workpiece and moving the workpiece and/or the tool in a direction along the axis of rotation. At least a second tool is placed into contact with the workpiece at a position behind the first tool, seen in the working direction, and the workpiece is also deformed by means of said second tool. Thus, parts of the workpiece that have been deformed by the first tool are deformed by one or more subsequent tools practically immediately.
US08539803B2	Cylinder lock with profiled keyway A cylinder lock with a rotatable key plug (112) having a profiled keyway (113,116), the keyway being configured to accommodate an elongated, substantially flat key blade (120) with a longitudinal groove (122). The keyway in the key plug has two opposite lateral sides and a profile rib (150) located at a substantially flat lateral side. The profile rib has a downwardly projecting tongue portion (161) configured to extend inside the profile groove (122) upon inserting the key (120) into the key plug (112) of the lock, and the tongue portion of the profile rib is extended downwardly into a lowermost, massive end portion (162) which has two opposite side surfaces (163,164) and a lowermost transverse end surface (165) which is substantially flat or slightly curved. The lowermost, massive end portion (162) extends downwardly in a direction which is parallel to a central longitudinal plane (A′) through said keyway, and the lowermost transverse end surface (165) extends substantially in a plane which is perpendicular to a the central longitudinal plane (A′).
US08539791B2	Manufacturing method of transition critical refrigerating cycle device A manufacturing method of a transition critical refrigerating cycle device in which a gas cooler and a sub-cooler are integrated to constitute one heat exchanger so as to most efficiently cool a refrigerant in the device. The transition critical refrigerating cycle device is constituted by successively connecting a compressor, the gas cooler, a capillary tube and an evaporator, and having a supercritical pressure on a high-pressure side of the device. The sub-cooler cools an intermediate-pressure refrigerant of the device. A ratio of the number of refrigerant pipes of the sub-cooler to the number of refrigerant pipes of the whole heat exchanger is set to 20% or more and 30% or less. The refrigerant pipes of the sub-cooler have a uniform heat transfer area per unit length of each refrigerant pipe.
US08539786B2	System and method for monitoring overheat of a compressor A system and method for monitoring an overheat condition of a compressor is provided. A compressor connected to an evaporator. A suction sensor outputs a suction signal corresponding to a temperature of refrigerant entering the compressor. A control module is connected to the evaporator sensor and the suction sensor and determines an evaporator temperature, calculates a suction superheat temperature based on the evaporator temperature and the suction signal, and monitors an overheat condition of the compressor by comparing the suction superheat with a predetermined suction superheat threshold.
US08539781B2	Component for solar adsorption refrigeration system and method of making such component An adsorption structure is described that includes at least one adsorbent member formed of an adsorbent material and at least one porous member provided in contact with a portion of the adsorbent member to allow gas to enter and exit the portion of the adsorbent member. Such adsorption structure is usefully employed in adsorbent-based refrigeration systems. A method also is described for producing an adsorbent material, in which a first polymeric material is provided having a first density and a second polymeric material is provided having a second density, in which the second polymeric material is in contact with the first polymeric material to form a structure. The structure is pyrolyzed to form a porous adsorbent material including a first region corresponding to the first polymeric material and a second region corresponding to the second polymeric material, in which at least one of the pore sizes and the pore distribution differs between the first region and the second region.
US08539776B2	Generating power using an ion transport membrane A system may include a compressor, a heat exchanger and an ITM. The compressor is configured to receive an air stream and compress the air stream to generate a pressurized stream. The heat exchanger is configured to receive the pressured stream and indirectly heat the pressurized stream using heat from an oxygen stream from an Ion Transport Membrane (ITM). The ITM is configured to receive the heated pressurized stream and generate an oxygen stream and the non-permeate stream, wherein the non-permeate stream is passed to a gas turbine burner and the oxygen stream is passed to the heat exchanger.
US08539770B2	Exhaust arrangement for an internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine including an exhaust arrangement comprises a first exhaust duct and a second exhaust duct. A valve arrangement preferably comprising separate first and second exhaust valves associated with each cylinder, to selectively direct exhaust from engine to the first exhaust duct during a first exhaust period, and to the second exhaust duct during a subsequent second exhaust period. A turbine having an inlet is connected to the first exhaust duct; and a compressor drivingly connected to and driven by the turbine, has an inlet connected to second duct. The compressor, driven by the turbine extracting energy from the exhaust, reduces the back pressure in the exhaust system reducing pumping losses, with the second duct bypassing the turbine in the second exhaust period such that the turbine also does not increase the exhaust back pressure at least during the main second exhaust phase.
US08539762B2	Hydraulic control circuit for construction machine A hydraulic control circuit includes a hydraulic cylinder, a control valve, a recovery oil passage, a hydraulic pump, an engine rotation speed setting unit, a recovery control valve, and a controller that reduces an engine rotation speed to not more than a preset reduction control engine rotation speed when the load is lowered; and adjusts an increase or decrease in an opening amount of the recovery control valve in accordance with a level of the target rotation speed set by the engine rotation speed setting unit.
US08539753B2	Hybrid rocket motor with annular, concentric solid fuel elements A hybrid rocket motor includes a supply of oxidizer, a first solid fuel element positioned around the supply of oxidizer, a second solid fuel element positioned concentrically around the first solid fuel element, and a combustion port positioned between the first and second solid fuel elements. The oxidizer interacts with the first and second solid fuel elements within the combustion port to produce a combustion product. A nozzle is in communication with the combustion port for combustion discharge of the combustion product.
US08539750B2	Energy recovery and steam supply for power augmentation in a combined cycle power generation system A power generation system (11) and method of operating such a system (11) including a steam turbine (14). In one embodiment a HRSG (20) includes an evaporator (127) coupled to receive condensate from the steam turbine (14), and a superheater (132) coupled to receive output from the evaporator (127). The HRSG (20) generates steam with thermal energy received from a combustion turbine (28). A flash tank (9) receives water heated in the HRSG (20), outputs a first portion of the water as steam, and outputs a second portion of the water as liquid. A flow line (134) passes steam (51) from the flash tank (9) to a combustion chamber (26) in the combustion turbine (28) to provide power augmentation.
US08539742B2	Method for emptying pharmaceutical container An automated system and method for emptying the contents of pharmaceutical containers. In an embodiment, a gripper unit receives and holds a pharmaceutical container. A cutter cuts the pharmaceutical container, and a rotating unit, operable with the gripper, rotates at least a portion of the gripper unit to empty the contents of the pharmaceutical container.
US08539732B2	Structural building panels with seamless corners Systems and methods providing a modular building having pre-fabricated panel wall components are easily assembled to form a predetermined structure including energy efficient corner modular components that provide for seamless, energy-efficient corners with structural strength.
US08539729B2	Door, method of making door, and stack of doors A door, method of making a door, and stack of doors includes providing a door having front and back skins that have differing, but complementary profiles, one for the front side of the door and one for the back side of the door where each allows and fits onto the other, while still providing direct contact in the stile and rail zones of the door permitting conventional door layup practices.
US08539724B2	Renewable energy system Electrical power is generated from solar and wind sources thus reducing the need for fuel oil at military forward operating bases and main operating bases. A wind turbine and a solar cell panel are connected to a battery bank. Both the turbine and the solar cells are stored in two standard military shipping containers. When transported to the desired location, these sub-systems are easily set up for operation. The entire apparatus may be disassembled for re-transport and use at another location. Necessary container modifications to connect the system for use are made in such a way as not to alter the container's outside envelope, thus enabling normal transport of the container without damage to the modifications. Each of the solar cells have discs attached so that the solar panel can be assembled in the field by sliding each disc into a mounting channel. This disc and channel structure also allows each cell to be stored in the shipping container by using similar channels mounted back to back in a storage frame located in one of the containers. The solar panel is pivotally mounted in proximity to an edge of the shipping container using mounting elements which interfit with the already provided lift fittings on the container. A wiring harness plugs each solar cell to a conduit for connection to the battery charging system.
US08539723B2	Back pressured hydraulic pump for sucker rod A hydraulic pump includes a hydraulic cylinder assembly comprising a cylinder sealed by an upper head and a lower head and carrying a piston which divides the hydraulic cylinder assembly into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. A load is connected to the piston and urges it toward the lower head. A conduit connects a reversible hydraulic pump assembly in fluid flow communication with a pressurized supply of hydraulic fluid and the lower chamber for counterbalancing the load. A control system is operably associated with the reversible hydraulic pump assembly to cause hydraulic fluid to flow back and forth between the lower chamber of the hydraulic cylinder assembly and the pressurized supply of hydraulic fluid. A system is also provided to counteract leakage in the pump by adding hydraulic fluid makeup on an as needed and controlled basis.
US08539703B2	Advertising display An advertising display has support structures that attach to a pole. One or more advertising panels are mounted on the support structures to form an advertising display. The display may have the form of a cylinder, a triangle, a rectangle, an oval or other shapes. The display may optionally be tapered. The support structures may have a variety of score lines, at which the support may be folded as appropriate for the particular diameter of the pole. The panels may be secured to the supports by way of clips or other mechanical fasteners. Double-sided adhesive may be employed to secure ends of the panels, as desired.
US08539691B2	Hanging device An alignment device or jig that includes a level and a rule which is used for hanging wall supported items. The device includes locator blocks with locator pins for supporting the item and stud finder sensors for locating wall studs. The locator pins extend to protrude from the back side of the jig to allow a mark to be made into the hanging surface when the jig is pressed against the hanging surface. In the event that the item requires a stronger surface to hang onto due to excessive weight, a stud finder system can be utilized. In operation, one or more of picture frames to be mounted to a wall are hung on the device on one or more hangers. The hangers are slidingly spaced along the device scale for desired picture spacing. The device with the frames is placed against the wall and pressed to the wall, wherein the marking points mark the wall at the exact desired points where permanent hangers will be driven into the wall to support the one or more picture frames.
US08539689B2	Guide rail for a hand-held power tool A guide rail for a hand-held power tool includes at least two rail elements, which are to be joined together to form a common rail and which are held on one another by means of a releasable connecting device. The connecting device includes a joint device, by means of which the individual rails can be pivoted between a folded-together non-functioning position and a functioning position that lies in a common plane.
US08539677B2	Utility knife A utility knife comprises a first housing portion carrying a strike plate and a second housing portion movable relative to the first housing portion between a closed position and an open position. The second housing portion carries a locking member. An overlapping locking mechanism locks the first housing portion to the second housing portion in a first direction when the first housing portion is moved relative to the second housing portion in a second direction. The locking member is movable between a first position in which it engages the strike plate to prevent the first housing from moving relative to the second housing in the first direction and a second position in which it does not engage the strike plate and allows the first housing to move relative to the second housing in the first direction.
US08539670B2	Method of producing an electrical feedthrough in a metal wall A method for making an hermetic and electrically insulating feedthrough in the metal wall of a housing of a device, preferably of an active medical device, is disclosed. The method includes: a) forming electrically insulating layers (24, 26) on each of the internal and external sides of the wall (10), b) on the internal side of the wall, forming a non-through groove with a closed contour (30) defining in the wall a metal islet (28) that is physically and electrically isolated from the rest of the wall, by removing the entire thickness of the electrically insulating internal layer (26) and the wall (10), leaving intact a sufficient thickness of the electrically insulating external layer (24) so that the external layer mechanically supports the metal islet, and c) on the external and internal sides respectively, exposing pads (34, 36) for making an electrical contact to the metallic islet, by a localized removal of material of the electrically insulating external and internal layers (24, 26), respectively.
US08539668B2	Apparatus for manufacturing temporary substrate An apparatus for manufacturing a temporary substrate includes a jig having a table, a holding guide for positioning constituent members of the temporary substrate, a holding unit for holding the laminated constituent members, and a heater unit for performing a temporary bonding on the laminated constituent members, and further includes a drive mechanism for moving each member constituting the jig between a standby position and an in-use position. The holding guide has a plurality of step portions formed in such a manner that peripheries of the step portions define areas corresponding to outer sizes of the respective constituent members when the holding guide is moved to the in-use position. The temporary substrate has as the constituent members, a prepreg, inner metal foils respectively stacked on both surfaces of the prepreg and each having a smaller outer size than the prepreg, and outer metal foils respectively stacked on the inner metal foils and each having a larger outer size than the prepreg.
US08539667B2	Method of fabricating touch panel A method of fabricating a touch panel is provided. A substrate having a touch-sensing region and a peripheral region is provided. A touch-sensing circuit layer including first sensing series, second meshed metal sensing pads, and peripheral circuits is formed on the touch-sensing region of the substrate. An insulating layer having first contact windows and second contact windows is formed on the substrate to cover the touch-sensing circuit layer. The first contact windows expose a portion of the second meshed metal sensing pads. A transparent conductive layer including second transparent bridge lines and transparent contact pads is formed on the insulating layer located in the touch-sensing region of the substrate. Each second transparent bridge line is electrically connected to two adjacent second meshed metal sensing pads through two first contact windows. Each transparent contact pad is electrically connected to the corresponding peripheral circuit through the second contact window.
US08539664B2	Method of fastening first and second thermoplastic parts, and two-part assembly The invention relates to a method of fastening first and second thermoplastic parts of a motor vehicle, the first part having a protuberance projecting from a face and the second part having an engagement surface, the method consisting in bringing the second part into contact with the face of the first part, in heating the protuberance, and in plastically deforming the protuberance towards the second part so that the second part is gripped between the face of the first part and an end portion of the protuberance.
US08539663B2	Reducing crimping damage to polymer scaffold A medical device includes a polymer scaffold crimped to a catheter having an expansion balloon. The scaffold is crimped to the catheter by a multi-step process for increasing scaffold-catheter yield following a crimping sequence. Damage reduction during a crimping sequence includes modifying blades of a crimper, adopting a multi-step crimping sequence, and inflating a supporting balloon to support the scaffold during crimping.
US08539662B2	Cardiac-valve prosthesis A cardiac-valve prosthesis which can be used, for example, as a valve for percutaneous implantation. The prosthesis includes an armature for anchorage of the valve prosthesis in the implantation site. The armature defines a lumen for passage of the blood flow and supports a set of prosthetic valve leaflets, which, under the action of the blood flow, are able to move into a radially divaricated condition to enable the flow of the blood through the lumen in a first direction and a radially contracted condition, in which the valve leaflets co-operate with one another and block the flow of the blood through the prosthesis in the opposite direction. The armature includes, in one embodiment, two annular elements connected by anchor members having the capacity of projecting radially with respect to the prosthesis, and support members for the set of leaflets, the support members being carried by at least one of the annular elements so as to leave substantially disengaged the aforesaid lumen for passage of the blood.
US08539658B2	Autonomous carrier for continuously moving wing assembly line A method and apparatus for moving a structure. The structure is supported on a carrier. The carrier comprises a platform having a first side and a second side, a movement system associated with the first side and configured to move the platform on a surface, a support system associated with the second side of the platform and configured to support the structure on the platform, and a leveling system configured to substantially maintain the structure in a desired orientation during movement of the platform on the surface. The carrier is moved with the structure over the surface. At least one of the movement system and the support system is adjusted to substantially maintain the structure in the desired orientation.
US08539655B2	Fabrication process for a piezoelectric mirror device A piezoelectric mirror device fabrication process, including: dividing a silicon wafer into a multiplicity of segments, wherein on one surface of said silicon wafer per segment, a pair of lower electrodes, a mirror portion positioned between said lower electrodes and a pair of mirror support portions adapted to join said mirror portion to said lower electrodes are formed of an electrically conductive material having a Young's modulus of up to 160 GPa and a melting point higher than that of a piezoelectric element to be formed later; stacking the piezoelectric element and an upper electrode on said lower electrodes; removing the silicon wafer in a desired pattern from another surface of said silicon wafer per segment, and obtaining a multiplicity of piezoelectric mirror devices by dicing said multiplicity of piezoelectric mirror devices into individual ones.
US08539653B2	Footwear accessory A strap for a shoe has a first resilient and flexible fabric element extending from a first end to a second end and a clear flexible element substantially fixed at respective ends of the clear flexible element to corresponding ends of the first fabric element. Methods of assembly and of use are described.
US08539645B2	Cord lock guide for blinds A cord lock guide for a blind operated by a blind cord, wherein the cord hangs in a loop from a blind head rail, and having a main body portion, formed of front and back panels, and junction portions extending between the front and the back panels, a cord passage defined between the front and back panels, a movable guide body between the front and back panels, a generally semi-arcuate cord guide surface defined by the guide body around which the cord may run, a guide body support extending from the guide body, a hollow sleeve secured between the front and back panels; and receiving the guide body support therein, a resilient member between the guide body and the sleeve, the guide body being movable towards the sleeve against the resilient member and, a cord abutment located between the front and back panels, and oriented so as to obstruct the cord from passing around the guide body, when the guide body is in a first position, and the abutment being out of obstructive engagement when the guide body is moved against the resilient member.
US08539644B2	Hinge assembly for an injector A locking hinge assembly for an injector is disclosed. The injector includes a forward handle member, a rear handle member and a hinge connecting the first and second members and defining an axis of rotation. The locking hinge assembly includes a hinge element slidable along the axis of rotation between a locked position and an unlocked position. The hinge element is coupled to the forward handle member and the rear handle member at the hinge, and the hinge element includes at least one groove. Additionally, a locking element is provided and positioned about the hinge. The locking element is configured to be received in the groove such that rotation of the forward handle member and rear handle member about the axis of rotation is prevented when the hinge element is in the locked configuration.
US08539639B2	Dustcup It is presented a dust cup housing (11) comprising a filter assembly which comprises an outer filter (25) and an inner filter (24). The outer filter and inner filter are formed as receptacles and the inner filter is slidably insertable into the outer filter. In a mounted position the inner filter is arranged to be substantially fully inserted into the outer filter. The filter assembly further comprises a fixing member (40, 41; 50, 51; 60, 61) which is arranged to retain the inner filter in a predetermined displacement (d) position relative to the mounted position, in response to the inner filter being subjected to an extraction force for detaching the filter assembly from the dust cup housing. Thereby a user of the filter is in a convenient and intuitive way alerted that the filter assembly comprises more than one filter.
US08539634B2	Wiper blade A wiper blade (10) consisting of a rubber profiled element (48) comprising a wiper lip (50) and at least one carrier element (46) that can be connected to a wiper arm (18) by means of a fixing element (14) and a connection element (22). The fixing element (14) comprises a covering cap (16) and the connection element (22) fixed to the wiper arm (18) secures the wiper blade (10) perpendicularly to a pivoting axis (20) by means of a clip (52), on the end (54) thereof at an angle to the wiper blade. According to the invention, the covering cap (16) comprises an opening (34) or recess for the angular end (54) of the clip (52), on the side of the cap opposing the rubber profiled element (48), in the region of the connection element (22), said opening only partially overlapping the covering cap (16) in the mounted position.
US08539633B1	Gutter applicator An applicator for applying cleansing and stain removal chemicals to the outer surfaces of a gutter. The applicator includes a shaped head adapted to the contours of the gutter outer surface for applying the chemical evenly. The head carries an applicator pad which carries and deposits the chemical over the front and bottom surfaces of the gutter.
US08539630B2	Oral care implement with air flossing system An oral care implement with an air flossing system cleans debris from the teeth of a user. The oral care implement may include an oral care region having cleaning elements for engaging oral tissue. A body is provided for gripping the implement. An air source is disposed in the body for proving pressurized air to an air outlet. The air outlet is disposed in the oral care region for injecting the pressurized air to clean debris from the oral tissue.
US08539626B2	Crib liner A crib liner and method of lining an infant crib are provided that greatly reduce the risk of an infant injury resulting from an infant's arm or legs extending through the slats or rails or a crib. The crib liner is provided with a plurality of panels that can have a perforated section and a cushioned section. The plurality of panels may be separated into individual panels by a plurality of stabilizers. The crib liner may be attached to the crib by at least one fastener. The fastener may be located in any area that allows the crib liner to be removably secured attached to the crib.
US08539618B2	Drain cover for sinks An apparatus includes a drain having an opening, the opening having an outboard edge, a cover having an underside having a portion including a downwardly extending curved section and an outer edge, wherein the portion extends a first distance beyond the outboard edge and wherein cover extends a second distance above the drain such that a ratio of the second distance to the first distance is about 1 or less and such that splash and aerosolization from under the cover beyond the cover is minimized.
US08539616B2	Shirt for a hockey player The invention provides a shirt suitable for being worn by a sports player. The shirt comprises a torso portion having a head opening and a lower trunk opening; and first and second sleeves, each of the first and second sleeves comprising biceps, elbow and forearm portions and a gripping zone provided on one of the biceps, elbow and forearm portions. The gripping zone is made of a material having a coefficient of friction sufficient for preventing movement between said shirt and an elbow pad worn by the sports player.
US08544108B2	Copyright protection storage medium, information recording apparatus and information recording method, and information playback apparatus and information playback method To provide a copyright protection storage medium in which copyright protected contents are recorded by an information recording apparatus connected to a content server providing copyright protected contents and a license server handling licenses concerning recording/playback of the copyright protected contents through a network, in which the copyright protected contents are written by a simple copy-and-paste when the information recording apparatus is possessed by a prescribed user, and the copyright protected contents are written by combining a domain model which assures playback in the apparatus and a media-bind model when the information recording apparatus is possessed by another user.
US08544106B2	System and method for enabling access to a protected hardware resource Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling access to a protected hardware resource. A hardware component includes at least one protected hardware resource. A unique hardware ID and a unique cryptographically secure or randomly generated enable value (EV) are integrated in the hardware component at the time of manufacturing. At run-time, special software generates or receives from an external source an enable register (ER) value and a comparison is made with the stored enable value. If the ER value and the EV match, access to the protected hardware resource is allowed.
US08544094B2	Suspicious node detection and recovery in MapReduce computing Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to distributed computing for large data sets on clusters of computers and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for detecting and correcting malicious nodes in a cloud computing environment (e.g., MapReduce computing). In one embodiment of the invention, a computer-implemented method for detecting and correcting malicious nodes in a cloud computing environment can include selecting a task to dispatch to a first worker node, setting a suspicion index threshold for the selected task, determining a suspicion index for the selected task, comparing the suspicion index to the suspicion index threshold and receiving a result from a first worker node. The method further can include applying a recovery action when the suspicion index exceeds the selected suspicion index threshold.
US08544092B2	Integrity verification using a peripheral device A peripheral device includes an interface configured to communicate with a computer, the peripheral device; logic configured to perform an integrity verification of an operating system of the computer; and a display configured to display a result of the integrity verification. A method for integrity verification of a computer using a peripheral device includes connecting the peripheral device to the computer; sending a challenge from the device to the computer; computing attestation data using the challenge and information stored in the computer, retrieving the attestation data from the computer by a client program running on the computer; sending the attestation data to the peripheral device; and verifying the attestation data by the peripheral device.
US08544090B1	Systems and methods for detecting a potentially malicious uniform resource locator A computer-implemented method to detect a potentially malicious uniform resource locator (URL) is described. A presentation of a URL on a display of a computing device is detected. An actual URL associated with the URL presented on the display is obtained. The URL presented on the display is compared to the actual URL associated with the presented URL. If the URL presented on the display does not match the actual URL, the actual URL is prevented from being accessed.
US08544089B2	Auditing a device The auditing of a device that includes a physical memory is disclosed. One or more hardware parameters that correspond to a hardware configuration is received. Initialization information is also received. The physical memory is selectively read and at least one result is determined. The result is provided to a verifier.
US08544082B2	Security reuse in hybrid information handling device environments Systems, methods and products directed toward providing security in hybrid information handling device environments are described herein. One aspect an information handling device comprising: one or more processors; and one or memories storing program instructions accessible by the one or more processors; wherein, responsive to execution of program instructions stored in the one or more memories, the one or more processors are configured to: ascertain a resume request for resuming to a secondary operating environment; and prior to resuming the information handling device to the secondary operating environment, initiate a primary operating environment security application. Other embodiments are described herein.
US08544071B1	Systems and methods for software application security management Systems ands methods for managing service account security are described. The apparatus may include a security record data store that contains information regarding a plurality of service records, a retrieval module coupled to the security record data store to retrieve security record information and a user interface module to convey the security record information to one or more users. The method may include retrieving information regarding one or more security records, conveying the information to the user and updating the information if the user indicates a change in the information.
US08544069B1	Methods systems and articles of manufacture for implementing user access to remote resources Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for implementing user access to remote resources residing on an external domain. Various implementations include authenticating and authorizing a user on a first system and receiving user request to access remote resources. The first system invokes processes or modules to initiate a new session to perform auto logon on behalf of the user on a second system by using stored user's credentials and subdomain delegation techniques without user intervention. The second system authenticates and authorizes this new session to allow user access to remote resources residing thereupon. The first system further prepares the user's system to take over the new session by setting cookie(s) and also by redirecting the URL so the user may continue to use the new session to access the desired remote resources residing on the second system.
US08544065B2	Dataspace protection utilizing virtual private networks on a multi-node computer system A method and apparatus provide data security on a parallel computer system using virtual private networks. An access setup mechanism sets up access control data in the nodes that describes which virtual networks are protected and what applications have access to the protected private networks. When an application accesses data on a protected virtual network, a network access mechanism determines the data is protected and intercepts the data access. The network access mechanism in the kernel may also execute a rule depending on the kind of access that was attempted to the virtual network. Authorized access to the private networks can be made via a system call to the access control mechanism in the kernel. The access control mechanism enforces policy decisions on which data can be distributed through the system via an access control list or other security policies.
US08544050B2	Rule-based playlist engine A client device is enabled to access content by generating a request to access content residing on a host. A rule set associated with a user is accessed that includes one or more rules configured to identify content responsive to a predicted interest of the user. The rule set is used to identify content selections from a library of content selections available on the host. A first address corresponding to a first content selection and a second address for a second content selection identifying are identified from among the identified content selections. The first content selection is accessed from among the identified content selections by establishing a connection to the host at the address identified for the first content selection. In response to receiving a change instruction to change a content selection being rendered, the second content selection is accessed from the identified content selections at the second address.
US08544046B2	System and method for controlling media rendering in a network using a mobile device A system and a method control media rendering in a network using a mobile device. The system and the method manage, control and/or render media in a home network using remote access and/or a remote user interface. The system and the method enable a user to control media rendering from multiple storage devices and/or multiple servers connected to the home network using the mobile device. The system and the method enable a user to control media rendering on multiple rendering devices connected to the home network using the mobile device. The system and the method have a control element hosted on a fixed, non-mobile device connected directly to the home network or connected to the home network as a stand-alone device.
US08544045B2	Home network audio client with detachable remote commander An audio client in a home entertainment system has a detachable remote commander with a display screen. A menu of music available at the server is downloaded to the remote commander from the server over the network and through the client device. The user can easily select a tune he/she wants to listen to using the remote commander. With storage and decoding capability, the commander can be used as a portable audio player.
US08544039B2	Method and apparatus for distributing consumer advertisements A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top box (STB) having a controller to present a plurality of advertisement categories, detect a selection of one of the plurality of advertisement categories, present an advertisement template associated with the selected advertisement category, detect a plurality of entries in the advertisement template for constructing a consumer classified advertisement, generate an advertisement graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the entries, detect one or more demographic patterns in the plurality of entries, identify a plurality of users of a media communication system from which the STB operates according to the detected one or more demographic patterns, and provide the plurality of users of the media communication system accessibility to the advertisement GUI. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08544038B2	System for insertion of locally cached information into a received broadcast stream A method and apparatus are provided for receiving a broadcast comprising a plurality of program channels and generating a playback stream using at least one of a buffered program channel and stored indexed content (e.g., commercials, programs, songs) for insertion. Control data controls which receivers insert which indexed content and when the indexed content is inserted into a received program channel, allowing for playback of songs from playlists, tiered subscription services, and sponsorship of broadcast program channels to provide market-directed content to selected receivers and listeners. Buffer management operations prevent uncontrolled buffer growth and commercial content avoidance through rapid channel changes.
US08544034B2	Method and system for automated monitoring of video assets A method and system for monitoring video assets provided by a multimedia content distribution network (MCDN) includes an expert test monitoring platform (ETMP) configured to emulate MCDN client systems at a facility of an MCDN service provider. The ETMP may allow users to provide input to an ETMP studio application for generating remote control commands to send to a desired multimedia handling device (MHD) representing an emulated MCDN client. The user input may be captured to generate an ETMP script, which may be stored in a globally addressable format that is reusable with other MHDs in the ETMP. Additional functionality for editing and combining portions of ETMP scripts to generate further ETMP scripts may also be provided.
US08544029B2	Implementing storage adapter performance optimization with chained hardware operations minimizing hardware/firmware interactions A method and controller for implementing storage adapter performance optimization with chained hardware operations minimizing hardware and firmware interactions, and a design structure on which the subject controller circuit resides are provided. The controller includes a plurality of hardware engines; and one or more processors. An event queue is coupled to at least one processor notifying the processor of a plurality of predefined events. A control block is designed to control an operation in one of the plurality of hardware engines including the hardware engine writing an event queue entry. A plurality of the control blocks are selectively arranged in a predefined chain to minimize the hardware engine writing event queue entries to the processor.
US08544021B2	Execution context isolation in a driver execution environment (DXE) with marshaling arguments to a common location in response to an LPC Methods, systems, apparatuses and program products for providing for communications within a computing environment that provides for execution isolation, especially a DXE (Driver Execution Environment) phase of a PC (personal computer) startup process. Provision is made for blocking of server threads awaiting service requests and blocking client thread awaiting server responses, together with marshalling formal parameter descriptions and service request/response arguments across disparate execution contexts that disallow simple data redirection between them.
US08544017B1	Dynamic job processing based on estimated completion time and specified tolerance time The invention provides a system and method for managing clusters of parallel processors for use by groups and individuals requiring supercomputer level computational power. A Beowulf cluster provides supercomputer level processing power. Unlike a traditional Beowulf cluster; however, cluster size in not singular or static. As jobs are received from users/customers, a Resource Management System (RMS) dynamically configures and reconfigures the available nodes in the system into clusters of the appropriate sizes to process the jobs. Depending on the overall size of the system, many users may have simultaneous access to supercomputer level computational processing. Users are preferably billed based on the time for completion with faster times demanding higher fees.
US08544016B2	Rebuilding a first and second image based on software components having earlier versions for one or more appliances and performing a first and second integration test for each respective image in a runtime environment A system and method for supporting a virtual appliance is provided. In particular, a support engine may include an update server that can manage a workflow to update an appliance in response to detecting upstream updates to one or more software components that have been installed for the appliance. For example, the workflow may generally include managing a rebuild the appliance to install the upstream updates and further managing an integration test to verify that the rebuilt appliance behaves correctly with the upstream updates installed. In addition, the support engine may further include a support analysis manager that can analyze the software components that have been installed for the appliance in view of various heuristic rules to generate a support statement indicating whether support is available for the appliance.
US08544012B2	Changing a scheduler in a virtual machine monitor Machine-readable media, methods, and apparatus are described to change a first scheduler in the virtual machine monitor. In some embodiments, a second scheduler is loaded in a virtual machine monitor when the virtual machine monitor is running; and then is activated to handle a scheduling request for a scheduling process in place of the first scheduler, when the virtual machine monitor is running.
US08544011B2	Generation and concurrent execution of a virtual task in an execution order determining system A job control information storing section stores execution conditions under which execution of tasks is started, and an execution order of the tasks. A job executing section executes the tasks. A job execution administering section monitors a state of the task being executed to detect the task whose state is shifted to a process standby state of waiting for a response from another one of the tasks, based on the execution conditions, and responds to a request of executing the another task from the task whose state is shifted, in response to accepting the request from the task whose state is shifted. A virtual task generating section generates a virtual task as a copy of the task whose state is detected to be shifted. A virtual task registering section adds the virtual task to the execution order to concurrently execute the virtual task with the task whose state is shifted.
US08544008B2	Data processing system and method for cache replacement using task scheduler A data processing system is provided with at least one processing unit (1) for an interleaved processing of multiple tasks (T1-T3), and a cache (5) associated to the at least one processing unit (1) for caching data for the multiple tasks (T1-T3) to be processed by the at least one processing unit (1). The cache (5) is divided into a plurality of cache lines (6). Each of the cache lines (6) is associated to one of the multiple tasks (T1-T3). Furthermore, a task scheduler (10) is provided for scheduling the multiple tasks (T1-T3) to be processed in an interleaved manner by the at least one processing unit (1). A cache controller (20) is provided for selecting those cache lines (6) in the cache (5), which are to be evicted from the cache (5). This selection is performed based on the task scheduling of the task scheduler (10).
US08543991B2	Profile driven multicore background compilation Idle processor cores can be used to compile methods that are likely to be executed by a program based on profile data that is captured during one or more previous executions. Methods that are determined by the profile data to be likely to be used can be compiled eagerly on one or more background threads. Transparency can be achieved by ensuring that module load order is not altered because of the background threads by recording the state of loaded modules after each profiled compilation, persisting that data, and waiting to eagerly compile a method until the method to be compiled and all its dependencies has been loaded by the executing program.
US08543987B2	Method for simultaneous garbage collection and object allocation Disclosed is a method to track allocation of a plurality of objects in a heap. A data processing system, during an object allocation, prevents an object from being moved to another place in memory or being deleted. The data processing system prevents such activity concurrently with garbage collection on a second object not currently being allocated. The data processing system notifies a profiler of object information based on the object allocation via a callback function, wherein object information is a one-to-one mapping of the object address. The data processing system revives garbage collector processing of the object.
US08543984B2	Architecture for state driven testing An architecture for a test script editor that can be used by anybody in the development team, including non-programmer business analyst testers. Software testers can generate test scripts for validating and verifying software without navigating all possible actions or keywords. The current application state is described with one or more test objects. Each test object has one or more associated test methods and each test method can describe one or more state transitions. Only test methods accessible through test objects in the current application state are displayed to the software tester. The current state changes only if the state transition described by the test method selected by the software tester indicates a change from the current state.
US08543973B2	Method and system for providing authentication schemes for web services A method for generating authentication code for web service resources. The method includes receiving a selection of a resource method, where the resource method defines a method for interacting with a resource associated with a web service. The method further includes determining an authentication scheme for the resource method, where the authentication scheme defines an authentication mechanism required during execution of the resource method to enable interaction with the resource. The method further includes generating authentication code for the resource method using the authentication scheme, where the authentication code enables a user executing the resource method to interact with the resource.
US08543970B2	Energy consumption visualization for software design Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for visualizing energy consumption for an architecture model of a component based software solution. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for visualizing energy consumption for an architecture model of a component based software solution is provided. The method includes selecting a deployment architecture for a solution of components in a modeling tool executing in memory of a computer and defining a deployment model of computing resources for the solution in the modeling tool. The method further includes establishing performance parameters for the components and computing power consumption for the computing resources based upon utilization and an expected utilization of the computing resources by the components for the selected deployment architecture. Finally, the method includes displaying the computed power consumption in the modeling tool.
US08543969B2	Method and apparatus for developing a computer program utilizing a service oriented architecture A method and apparatus for developing a computer program utilizing services that may not be available during development. A dummy service providing a naïve implementation of the service that is to be provided by the services is obtained or created. The computer program is modified such that it utilizes the dummy service. After an actual service is available, the computer program is modified once more to utilize the actual service instead of the dummy service.
US08543965B1	Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for smart pattern capturing and layout fixing Various embodiments are directed at methods and systems for implementing automatic fixing of a layout, implementing fuzzy pattern replacement, and implementing pattern capturing in a layout of an electronic circuit design. Various processes or modules comprise the act or module of identifying a first pattern from within an electronic circuit layout. The processes or modules also comprise identifying a fixing process or a replacement pattern for the first pattern and the act of performing pattern replacement or pattern fixing on the first pattern. The processes or modules may further comprise the act or module of searching the layout for patterns that match the first pattern, and the act or module of performing pattern replacement of pattern fixing on the patterns that match the first pattern. Some embodiments are also directed at articles of manufacture embodying a sequence of instructions for implementing the processes described here.
US08543964B2	Constraint optimization of sub-net level routing in asic design Functionality can be implemented for optimizing connection constraints in an integrated circuit design. A target timing path associated with a first of a plurality of sub-connections of the integrated circuit is determined. A timing probability value and a route probability value associated with the first of the plurality of sub-connections is determined based, at least in part, on the target timing path associated with the first of the plurality of sub-connections. The timing probability value indicates a probability that timing closure is satisfied on the target timing path. The route probability value indicates a probability that a physical routing track on the target timing path associated with the first of the plurality of sub-connections resolves congestion. A current connection constraint associated with the first of the plurality of sub-connections is modified in accordance with a connection constraint model to which the first of the plurality of sub-connections corresponds.
US08543954B1	Concurrent noise and delay modeling of circuit stages for static timing analysis of integrated circuit designs Systems, apparatus, and methods of static timing analysis for an integrated circuit design in the presence of noise are disclosed. The integrated circuit design undergoing analysis may be partitioned into a plurality of subcircuit stages. Each subcircuit stage in the integrated circuit design may be modeled to include a model of at least one victim driver, at least one aggressor driver, at least one receiver, and an interconnect network. Associated with each subcircuit stage is a set of related edges of a design graph to compute signal propagation delay. For each subcircuit stage, full timing delays of each edge can be concurrently computed. This includes concurrently computing base timing delays for a nominal response to the at least one victim driver and the interconnect network and noise related timing delays in response to the at least one aggressor driver and the interconnect network.
US08543947B2	Selection of optimum patterns in a design layout based on diffraction signature analysis The present invention relates generally to selecting optimum patterns based on diffraction signature analysis, and more particularly to, using the optimum patterns for mask-optimization for lithographic imaging. A respective diffraction map is generated for each of a plurality of target patterns from an initial larger set of target patterns from the design layout. Diffraction signatures are identified from the various diffraction maps. The plurality of target patterns is grouped into various diffraction-signature groups, the target patterns in a specific diffraction-signature group having similar diffraction signature. A subset of target patterns is selected to cover all possible diffraction-signature groups, such that the subset of target patterns represents at least a part of the design layout for the lithographic process. The grouping of the plurality of target patterns may be governed by predefined rules based on similarity of diffraction signature. The predefined rules comprise coverage relationships existing between the various diffraction-signature groups.
US08543940B2	Method and apparatus for browsing media content and executing functions related to media content A method and apparatus for browsing media content and executing functions related to the media content are provided. Under the state that a collage image generated by combining a plurality of image elements corresponding respectively to a plurality of media contents is displayed, if a selection input is generated on the collage image, a preview window for a media content corresponding to a location of a point where the selection input is generated is configured to overlay the preview window on the collage image. If a function execution input is generated on the collage image, a representative function is performed using a media content corresponding to a location of a point where the function execution input is generated.
US08543935B2	Full-screen heterogeneous desktop display and control Described herein is a method and apparatus for generating and managing multiple desktops. The desktops can be tied to virtual software environments, remote desktops, separate user account desktops, shared desktops, full screen applications or similar sources. The desktops are managed through a desktop management interface that displays a scale image of each current desktop. The desktops can also be marked by type in the interface. The desktop management system queries a user during start-up for each program to determine whether a new desktop is to be generated for the program. The desktop management system also manages the switching between the available desktops.
US08543925B2	Contextually aware client application Techniques and processes for subsidizing network access via content and advertising revenue are described. In one implementation, a user installs a context bar tool on the user's computing device. To access a network (e.g., a wireless network), the user activates the context bar tool and requests access to a network, such as the Internet. A network services provider detects the context bar tool and provides network access to the user. A content and ads service gathers content and advertising and populates a context bar graphic interface that is displayed on the user's device with the content and advertising. Providers of the content and advertising pay for this exposure and thus generate revenue that can be used to offset the cost of providing the network access and other network services.
US08543919B1	In-page full screen internet video method A method is provided for playing a video clip on a computer monitor in a full screen mode. Activation of a link to the video clip on a web page results in the video clip being played automatically in full screen mode on the computer monitor. Upon the video clip ending, the full screen mode ends and returns the display to the previous view of the web page. The full screen mode plays the video clip with integrated with a transparent video control panel that has controls to enable user control of the playing of the video clip.
US08543912B2	Methods, systems, and computer products for implementing content conversion and presentation services Methods, systems, and computer products for content conversion and presentation enabled services for television and Internet Protocol television applications. In exemplary embodiments, the system and method identify program content having embedded text, apply a conversion to the program content to extract voice data and play voice data in conjunction with the program content.
US08543910B2	Dog ear-based page turning for electronic documents A method includes presenting a content page of a number of content pages on a display of an electronic device. The content page is placed in a content page container. A page turning container is created having length and width that is based on length and width of the content page, and the page turning container is positioned off-angle relative to a display of an electronic device. The content page container is positioned within the page turning container at approximately at a same angle as the display of the electronic device. A dog ear is placed in a dog ear container such that the initial size of the dog ear covers the top corner of the content page is within the page turning container. The method includes performing page turning operations comprising rotating the page turning container and rotating and shifting the content page container and the dog ear container.
US08543907B1	Context-sensitive optimization level selection A method for selecting a performance optimization level for program code segments (e.g., JavaScript code) embedded in interactive webpages according to the origin (e.g., domain) of the webpages is disclosed. The information on historic usage behavior on webpages from the same origin is collected. The historic usage behavior can be specific to the current user or an average or aggregated behavior across many users who have visited webpages from the same origin. The historic usage information is used to select an appropriate level of optimization to achieve the maximum performance improvement for the least amount of compilation cost. The selected optimization level can be adjusted over time based on a measure of actual performance improvement resulted from the different levels of optimization that had been carried out during prior visits.
US08543903B2	System and method of integrating a plurality of form related workflow tools A method is provided that includes receiving a request at a server from a client device to configure a form associated with a workflow step. The form is of a form type that supports a set of features. The method also includes identifying a form tool of a plurality of form tools that is compatible with the form type. In addition, the method includes generating form feature discovery instructions via a form integration framework application programming interface (API). The form integration framework API utilizes a common set of instructions adapted to direct the plurality of form tools. Further, the method includes providing a set of user interfaces via the form integration framework to the client device based at least in part on form feature data provided via the form tool. The set of user interfaces is adapted to configure the form to generate a configured form.
US08543894B1	Channel quality monitoring and method for qualifying a storage channel using an iterative decoder Monitors, architectures, systems and methods for determining one or more quality characteristics of a storage channel. The monitor generally includes an iterative decoder configured to decode data from the storage channel and generate information relating to a quality metric of the storage channel and/or the iterative decoder, a memory configured to store a threshold value for the quality metric, and a comparator configured to compare the threshold value with a measured value of the quality metric. The monitor enables accurate determination of storage channel quality without use of conventional Reed-Solomon metrics.
US08543889B2	Method of list decoding and relative decoder for LDPC codes A method is for generating, for each check node related to a parity check equation of a LDPC code, signals representing a first output table of corrected values of symbols of a word received through a communication channel and transmitted according to the LDPC code, and signals representing a second output table of the logarithm of the ratio between the respective probability of correctness of the values of same coordinates in the first output table and their corresponding maximum probability of correctness. The method is implemented by processing the components of a first input table of values of a Galois Field of symbols that may have been transmitted and of a second input table of corresponding probability of correctness of each value.
US08543884B2	Communications channel parallel interleaver and de-interleaver A parallel interleaver that operates to interleave convolutionally and turbo encoded data packets is described. Packets are divided into subpackets and interleaved in parallel for improved performance. The Pruned Bit Reversal Interleaver (PBRI) function used to generate interleaver addresses is invertible such that its inverse function can be used to generate de-interleaver addresses. For convolutionally encoded subpackets, encoder output bits are demultiplexed into three sequences V0, V1, V2 with the first bit going to V0, the second bit going to V1, the third going to V2, and the fourth to V0, etc. Next, each of the three sequences is bit-permuted independently using PBRIs to generate the sequences π(V0), π(V1), π(V2). For turbo encoded subpackets, the encoder NT output data bits are demultiplexed into five sequences U, V0, V1, V′0, V′1. Next, the demultiplexed sequences are bit-permuted using five PBRIs into three separate interleaved blocks, denoted as π(U), π(V0/V′0), and π(V1/V′1).
US08543881B2	Apparatus and method for high throughput unified turbo decoding An apparatus and method for high throughput unified turbo decoding comprising loading data from a first data window; computing a first forward state metric using the data from the first data window; storing the first forward state metric in a memory; computing a first reverse state metric using the data from the first data window; storing the first reverse state metric in the memory; and computing the log likelihood ratio (LLR) of the first forward state metric and the first reverse state metric. In one aspect, the above-mentioned steps are repeated with data from a second data window. In another aspect, extrinsic information for the first data window associated with the unified turbo decoding is computed.
US08543880B2	Techniques for successive refinement of metrics stored for HARQ combining An embodiment of the present invention provides a method of efficiently storing metrics for Hybrid Automatic Retransmission Request (HARQ) combining and enabling saving of memory buffer in communication systems, comprising using non-linear quantization of the metrics and managing an aggregated buffer for all HARQ channels.
US08543875B2	Moving third tap controller from exit2-DR state to pause-DR state A method implemented to test a plurality of components coupled in a star configuration, each component having a test access port (TAP) controller. The method comprises performing a capture phase of a scan operation on all of the TAP controllers in the star configuration and sequentially selecting one of the TAP controllers at a time to perform a shift state. When all of the TAP controllers have been sequentially selected to perform the shift phase, the method further comprises selecting all of the TAP controllers to perform an update phase.
US08543869B2	Method and system for reconstructing error response messages under web application environment A computer-implemented method and system for reconstructing a response message to an improper accessing request in a web application environment. The method includes: obtaining the URL of a web application to be accessed by the improper accessing request and the error parameter information of the improper accessing request; obtaining a response template based on the obtained URL of the web application to be accessed; and merging the obtained error parameter information of the improper accessing request with the obtained response template to generate a reconstructed response message for the improper accessing request. The system includes: a message obtaining device; a response message template obtaining device; and a response message merging device.
US08543857B2	Method and apparatus for low power operation of multi-core processors Embodiments of an apparatus, system and method are described for low power operation of a multi-core processing system. An apparatus may comprise, for example, a power management module operative to initialize a low power mode, detect one or more un-affinitized software threads, and affinitize the one or more un-affinitized software threads to run on a set of processor cores of a multi-core processor, wherein the set of processor cores comprises less than a total number of processor cores of the multi-core processor. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08543848B2	Reducing latency when activating a power supply unit A method for reducing latency using a charging module when activating a power supply unit (PSU) among a plurality of PSUs in a power supply system. The method includes: Receiving, by the PSU from a power input feed, input power; receiving, from a supply bus shared by the plurality of PSUs, a first controlled signal designating a status of the PSU as standby; disabling, in response to the first controlled signal, a switching regulator of the PSU; receiving, from a voltage rail of the supply bus, charge flowing through a resistor of the charging module to maintain a charge of an output capacitor of the switching regulator; receiving a second controlled signal designating the status of the PSU as active; enabling the switching regulator; outputting a voltage from the PSU through the charging module to the voltage rail; and charging the output capacitor using the PSU.
US08543846B2	Temperature control method and electronic device thereof A temperature control method and an electronic device thereof are disclosed. A temperature control method applicable to an electronic device comprises the following steps. A power-consumption vs. temperature lookup table is provided, which records a plurality of thermal zones and a plurality of power consumption budgets corresponding thereto. An initial power consumption budget is obtained from the power-consumption vs. temperature lookup table based on an initial thermal zone value. The power consumption modes of the plural processing units are dynamically regulated according to each detected duty basis of the processing units, and the initial power consumption budget. The power consumption budget is dynamically changed according to a detected temperature of the electronic device and the power-consumption vs. temperature lookup table.
US08543837B2	Method of randomly and dynamically checking configuration integrity of a gaming system In a gaming environment, a method of periodically downloading dynamically generated executable modules at random intervals that perform system configuration integrity checks in a secure and verifiable manner is disclosed. The dynamically generated executable module returns the signature to a server from which it was downloaded and deletes itself from the system being checked. The next time such an executable module is downloaded, it will contain a different randomly chosen subset of hashing and encryption algorithms. The server that is performing the system configuration integrity check maintains a database of expected system configurations and performs subset of hashing and encryption algorithms as contained in the dynamically generated executable module. The result returned by the downloaded executable module is compared to that computed locally, and an error condition is raised if they do not match.
US08543836B2	Lightweight document access control using access control lists in the cloud storage or on the local file system In a method for controlling access to an encrypted document, a request to access the encrypted document is received. The access request includes a user ID and a user password. A one-way hash function is performed on the user password to generate a hash value. An access control table is searched for the hash value which indicates an authorization for the user to access the encrypted document. The hash value corresponds to a document password encrypted with the user password. The document password is decrypted using the user password. The encrypted document is decrypted using the decrypted document password.
US08543829B2	Token device re-synchronization through a network solution A system is illustrated as including a One-Time Password (OTP) device operatively coupled to a computer system to receive data, and a server operatively coupled to the computer system via a network connection. A method is illustrated as including initiating a transmission control protocol (TCP) and internet protocol (IP) connection, requesting a current time, receiving the current time, and updating a clock to reflect the current time. An apparatus including one or more processors to generate two or more clock values, pass these two or more clock values through a hashing function to generate two or more One Time Password (OTP) tokens, display these two or more OTP tokens on a screen, transmit data through a Universal Serial Bus (USB), and receive data through a Universal Serial Bus (USB).
US08543827B2	Methods and systems for providing access control to secured data In a system for providing access control management to electronic data, techniques to secure the electronic data and keep the electronic data secured at all times are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a secured file or secured document includes two parts: an attachment, referred to as a header, and an encrypted document or data portion. The header includes security information that points to or includes the access rules and a file key. The access rules facilitate restrictive access to the secured document and essentially determine who/when/how/where the secured document can be accessed. The file key is used to encrypt/decrypt the encrypted data portion. Only those who have the proper access privileges are permitted to retrieve the file key to encrypt/decrypt the encrypted data portion.
US08543824B2	Safe distribution and use of content A cryptographic hash of content (e.g., applications, documents, widgets, software, music, videos, etc.) is created and made available for distribution over a network (or by other means) as part of a ticket file. The ticket file can be cryptographically signed to ensure its authenticity. The ticket file and content can be downloaded separately (e.g., from different websites) to a user system (e.g., a computer, mobile phone, media player/recorder, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc.). The user system verifies the signature of the ticket file and the content hash to ensure that the content has not been compromised. The ticket file can include information relating to downloading the content (e.g., a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)) and other meta-data (e.g., hash type, content information, public key, size, version, etc.).
US08543805B2	Systems and methods for split proxying of SSL via WAN appliances The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for split proxying Secure Socket Layer (SSL) communications via intermediaries deployed between a client and a server. The method includes establishing, by a server-side intermediary, a SSL session with a server. A client-side intermediary may establish a second SSL session with a client using SSL configuration information received from the server-side intermediary. Both intermediaries may communicate via a third SSL session. The server-side intermediary may decrypt data received from the server using the first SSL session's session key. The server-side intermediary may transmit to the client-side intermediary, via the third SSL session, data encrypted using the third SSL session's session key. The client-side intermediary may decrypt the encrypted data using the third SSL session's session key. The client-side intermediary may transmit to the client the data encrypted using the second SSL session's session key.
US08543794B2	Adaptive integrated circuitry with heterogenous and reconfigurable matrices of diverse and adaptive computational units having fixed, application specific computational elements The present invention concerns a new category of integrated circuitry and a new methodology for adaptive or reconfigurable computing. The preferred IC embodiment includes a plurality of heterogeneous computational elements coupled to an interconnection network. The plurality of heterogeneous computational elements include corresponding computational elements having fixed and differing architectures, such as fixed architectures for different functions such as memory, addition, multiplication, complex multiplication, subtraction, configuration, reconfiguration, control, input, output, and field programmability. In response to configuration information, the interconnection network is operative in real-time to configure and reconfigure the plurality of heterogeneous computational elements for a plurality of different functional modes, including linear algorithmic operations, non-linear algorithmic operations, finite state machine operations, memory operations, and bit-level manipulations. The various fixed architectures are selected to comparatively minimize power consumption and increase performance of the adaptive computing integrated circuit, particularly suitable for mobile, hand-held or other battery-powered computing applications.
US08543788B2	Conformal rolling buffer apparatus, systems, and methods Methods, apparatus, and systems may operate to more efficiently utilize data stored in an array of storage blocks organized as rows and columns of contiguous blocks, where non-linearity is present in the data. Activities may include organizing data to discard useless elements from storage blocks when transferring the data to a memory buffer, and perhaps compressing the data for increased memory density utilization. Additional activities may include reconstructing data stored in the memory buffer and using an image distortion formula to display a linear representation of the non-linear data.
US08543783B2	Data storage apparatus and method of controlling data storage apparatus A compressing unit generates a plurality of types of compressed blocks for each of divided blocks of data, by using a plurality of algorithm executing units. A comparing unit stores, in a storage unit, comparison result information on a compressed block having the smallest size. A writing start determining unit makes a decision to start writing of a write block and compression of a next block, when a quotient obtained by dividing the size of the compressed block that is indicated in the comparison result information by a writing speed is determined to be less than or equal to an elapsed time. A writing unit selects, as a write block, a compressed block having the smallest size among the generated compressed blocks at the time the start decision is made by the writing start determining unit, and writes the selected write block to a block storage unit.
US08543782B2	Content-based, compression-enhancing routing in distributed, differential electronic-data storage systems One embodiment of the present invention includes a method for routing a data object, comprising a sequence of data units, to a particular component data-storage system, or particular group of component data-storage systems, within a distributed, differential electronic-data storage system by selecting one or more subsequences of data units from the data object, computing a characteristic value from the selected subsequences, computing an index from the characteristic value; and directing the data object to the particular component data-storage system, or to the particular group component data-storage systems, identified by the computed index.
US08543772B2	Invalidating translation lookaside buffer entries in a virtual machine (VM) system One embodiment of the present invention is a technique to invalidate entries in a translation lookaside buffer (TLB). A TLB in a processor has a plurality of TLB entries. Each TLB entry is associated with a virtual machine extension (VMX) tag word indicating if the associated TLB entry is invalidated according to a processor mode when an invalidation operation is performed. The processor mode is one of execution in a virtual machine (VM) and execution not in a virtual machine. The invalidation operation belongs to a non-empty set of invalidation operations composed of a union of (1) a possibly empty set of operations that invalidate a variable number of TLB entries, (2) a possibly empty set of operations that invalidate exactly one TLB entry, (3) a possibly empty set of operations that invalidate the plurality of TLB entries, (4) a possibly empty set of operations that enable and disable use of virtual memory, and (5) a possibly empty set of operations that configure physical address size, page size or other virtual memory system behavior in a manner that changes the manner in which a physical machine interprets the TLB entries.
US08543767B2	Prefetching with multiple processors and threads via a coherency bus A processing system includes a memory and a first core configured to process applications. The first core includes a first cache. The processing system includes a mechanism configured to capture a sequence of addresses of the application that miss the first cache in the first core and to place the sequence of addresses in a storage array; and a second core configured to process at least one software algorithm. The at least one software algorithm utilizes the sequence of addresses from the storage array to generate a sequence of prefetch addresses. The second core issues prefetch requests for the sequence of the prefetch addresses to the memory to obtain prefetched data and the prefetched data is provided to the first core if requested.
US08543765B2	Efficient data prefetching in the presence of load hits A memory subsystem in a microprocessor includes a first-level cache, a second-level cache, and a prefetch cache configured to speculatively prefetch cache lines from a memory external to the microprocessor. The second-level cache and the prefetch cache are configured to allow the same cache line to be simultaneously present in both. If a request by the first-level cache for a cache line hits in both the second-level cache and in the prefetch cache, the prefetch cache invalidates its copy of the cache line and the second-level cache provides the cache line to the first-level cache.
US08543762B2	Computer system for controlling allocation of physical links and method thereof The computer system of the present invention has a plurality of SAS target devices, an SAS initiator device, and a service delivery subsystem that is connected to each SAS target device by means of a physical link that is physical wiring and connected to the SAS initiator device by means of a wide link constituted by a plurality of physical links. The SAS initiator device controls how many physical links in the wide link are allocated to a particular SAS target device, whereby access from the SAS initiator device to the SAS target device is made via a physical link that is allocated to the SAS target device and is not made via a physical link that is not allocated to the SAS target device.
US08543757B2	Techniques of maintaining logical to physical mapping information in non-volatile memory systems A non-volatile memory system writes logical to physical conversion data to the same memory blocks as user data, and as part of the same page as a segment of user data, as data segments are received and written. When a data block is subsequently compacted and obsolete data removed, the user data from the block is written to a one block and some or all of the logical to physical conversion data from the block is written to another block dedicated for the storage of such logical to physical mapping data.
US08543756B2	Solid-state drive command grouping A method and other embodiments associated with solid-state drive command grouping are described. In one embodiment, a first command and a second command are grouped into a command pack, where the first command and the second command do not share a common channel for execution. A solid-state drive is controlled to execute the command pack on the solid-state drive, where executing the command pack causes the first command and the second command to execute concurrently on separate channels.
US08543754B2	Low latency precedence ordering in a PCI express multiple root I/O virtualization environment An apparatus and method of low latency precedence ordering check in a PCI Express (PCIe) multiple root I/O virtualization (MR-IOV) environment. The precedence ordering check mechanism aids in enabling a port to comply with PCIe MR-IOV ordering rules. A posted information array mirrors a posted transaction queue, storing precedence order indicator and Virtual Hierarchy (VH) tag information for corresponding posted transaction entries stored in the posted transaction queue. The selector queries the posted information array periodically, such as each cycle, to determine whether the non-posted/completion transaction at the output of their respective queues have any preceding posted transactions of the same VH somewhere in the posted queue.
US08543747B2	Delegating network processor operations to star topology serial bus interfaces An advanced processor comprises a plurality of multithreaded processor cores each having a data cache and instruction cache. A data switch interconnect is coupled to each of the processor cores and configured to pass information among the processor cores. A messaging network is coupled to each of the processor cores and a plurality of communication ports. The data switch interconnect is coupled to each of the processor cores by its respective data cache, and the messaging network is coupled to each of the processor cores by its respective message station. In one aspect of an embodiment of the invention, the messaging network connects to a high-bandwidth star-topology serial bus such as a PCI express (PCIe) interface capable of supporting multiple high-bandwidth PCIe lanes. Advantages of the invention include the ability to provide high bandwidth communications between computer systems and memory in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
US08543742B2	Flash-memory device with RAID-type controller A smart flash drive has one or more levels of smart storage switches and a lower level of single-chip flash devices (SCFD's). A SCFD contains flash memory and controllers that perform low-level bad-block mapping and wear-leveling and logical-to-physical block mapping. The SCFD report their capacity, arrangement, and maximum wear-level count (WLC) and bad block number (BBN) to the upstream smart storage switch, which stores this information in a structure register. The smart storage switch selects the SCFD with the maximum BBN as the target and the SCFD with the lowest maximum WLC as the source of a swap for wear leveling when a WLC exceeds a threshold that rises over time. A top-level smart storage switch receives consolidated capacity, arrangement, WLC, and BBN information from lower-level smart storage switch. Data is striped and optionally scrambled by Redundant Array of Individual Disks (RAID) controllers in all levels of smart storage switches.
US08543738B2	Hardware support for software controlled fast reconfiguration of performance counters Hardware support for software controlled reconfiguration of performance counters may include a plurality of performance counters collecting one or more counts of one or more selected activities. A storage element stores data value representing a time interval, and a timer element reads the data value and detects expiration of the time interval based on the data value and generates a signal. A plurality of configuration registers stores a set of performance counter configurations. A state machine receives the signal and selects a configuration register from the plurality of configuration registers for reconfiguring the one or more performance counters.
US08543733B1	DCOM object control creator A control creator for developing controls to assist in DCOM client creation. A general-purpose gateway that runs within a Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) environment, and is capable of receiving requests from one or more different types of DCOM clients for service by an On-Line Transaction Processing (OLTP) style application running on the enterprise server. The services on the OLTP system are designed to accomplish a specific task, for example, update a user's bank account balance following a debit or credit. The DCOM Client can be any type of client, including a Visual Basic client, C++ client, or a Web Browser with Active Server Pages (ASP). The control creator in effect wraps the DCOM server with a control which largely insulates the developer from the details of the DCOM protocol.
US08543729B2	Virtualised receive side scaling A method for receiving packet data by means of a data processing system having a plurality of processing cores and supporting a network interface device and a set of at least two software domains, each software domain carrying a plurality of data flows and each supporting at least two delivery channels, the method comprising: receiving at the network interface device packet data that is part of a particular data flow; selecting in dependence on one or more characteristics of the packet data a delivery channel of a particular one of the software domains, said delivery channel being associated with a particular one of the processing cores of the system; and mapping the incoming packet data into said selected delivery channel such that receive processing of the packet is performed by the same processing core that performed receive processing for preceding packets of that data flow.
US08543721B2	System and method for managing media content A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media distribution system having a controller to identify a plurality of media presentation devices of a user of the MDS, identify one or more distribution preferences supplied by the user for distributing media content to the plurality of media presentation devices, receive media content from one of a plurality of media sources of the user, determine a media content type from the received media content, and distribute the received media content to one or more of the plurality of media presentation devices according to the one or more distribution preferences and the media content type. The one or more distribution preferences comprise in part media content distribution arrangements assigned by the user between the plurality of media sources of the user and the plurality of media presentation devices of the user. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08543715B1	Redirect control in web browsers The capability to limit the number of user redirects for a third-party content provider or third-party content provider network, such as, for example, an advertiser or advertising network, is provided. Such a capability extends the functionality of an attribute of a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) element to establish a limit to the number of user redirects. Accordingly, such a limit can be used to enforce restrictions on the number of user redirects through a user's web browser.
US08543714B2	Local power management unit and power management system employing the same Disclosed is a local power management unit acting as a hub-like information agent for assisting a remote management system to administer power distribution units. One local power management unit is connected to a plurality of power distribution units through a peripheral communication interface and connected to the remote management system through an IP network. The local power management unit is configured to collect and analyze the operational data or power consumption information of the connected power distribution units through the peripheral communication interface and transmitted the processed data or information to the remote management system through the IP network. Hence, the workload of the remote management system is alleviated, the network cabling is saved, and the processing time of the polling operation carried out by the remote management system is shortened.
US08543713B2	Computing environment arranged to support predetermined URL patterns A computing environment for hosting web services and applications is disclosed. The computing resources of the computing environment can be managed, controlled or utilized to facilitate improved hosting of web services, such as hosting of websites. According to one aspect, Universal Resource Locators (URLs) can be programmatically defined and utilized to centralize URL descriptions which can be utilized by the computing resources. According to another aspect, customized load balancing can be provided for the computing environment.
US08543703B1	Method of tracking mobile user sessions In order to improve the mobility of mobile clients, network efficiency and increase the performance of mobile computing and communication environments, provided by the invention is a method of tracking mobile client sessions. The method according to an embodiment of the invention enables mobile computing and communication environments to provide seamless handoffs of both non-secure and secure IP connections between access points and between network domains.
US08543690B1	Methods and apparatus for predicting impact of proposed changes and implementations in distributed networks The present invention pertains to specifying, analyzing and evaluating systems such as distributed content distribution networks. Systems and methods are provided to predict how new deployments and changes to existing architectures will impact the networks. A network design may prepare a “what-if” scenario and the impact of this scenario may be predicted. Various tools are provided to determine relevant network variables and collect data about such variables, to learn what dependencies may exist among relevant variables, to prepare an input distribution and to output a predicted impact for the what-if scenario. Thus, a system designer is able to see a predicted impact that a network change or new deployment will have without having to resort to back of the envelope calculation or costly field deployments.
US08543678B2	Synchronization method for NAT static port forwarding objects in redundant configurations The invention is directed to providing a centralized synchronization method for redundant network elements and is particularly advantageous to routers providing network address translation (NAT) services requiring static port forwarding provisioning. Synchronization is provided by a network management system which can handle one or more backup routers or other network elements using a control protocol different from the control protocol used by the active router.
US08543674B2	Configuration of routers for DHCP service requests A method of configuring a router to provide DHCP IP address services to a number of network clients sending messages to the router to request IP addresses, the network clients connecting to a network via the router which is under the control of a control system, the method includes obtaining configuration instructions for the router by sending messages from the router to the control system to request configurations for DHCP services, sending configuration instructions from the control system to the router, and configuring the router in accordance with the configuration instructions.
US08543673B2	Rapid provisioning of network devices using automated configuration Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving a selection of a configuration template and a second network node to serve a first network node, the configuration template including at least one template field; receiving at least one value for the at least one template field of the configuration template; configuring the first network node according to the configuration template and the at least one value; receiving, in the network management system, configured device information from the first network node; using the configured device information to identify at least one configuration operation to perform on the second network node to provide connectivity to the first network node; generating at least one configuration module for performing the at least one configuration operation; and applying the at least one configuration module to the second network node.
US08543672B2	Method for reconfiguring a ring network, a network node, and a computer program product A method of reconfiguring a ring network having a plurality of nodes connected by a plurality of links, comprising initiating reconfiguring of one of the nodes in response to a network change message received over a link connected thereto from an adjacent node, blocking said link by the one node, reconfiguring network information stored on the one node, flushing any old queued messages on said one node and, in response to completion of said flushing, sending a reconfigured message to the other node adjacent thereto, and de-blocking said link by the one node in response to receipt of a reconfigured message from the first-mentioned adjacent node.
US08543653B2	Systems and methods for business network management discovery and consolidation According to some embodiments, a plurality of interconnected entities may be discovered in a network landscape. A subset of the entities may then be automatically consolidated into a business participant, the consolidating may performed in accordance with at least one rule based algorithm. A business process landscape, including the business participant, may then be generated and/or displayed to an operator.
US08543652B2	System and method for efficient unified messaging system support for speech-to-text service Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for communicating information about transcription progress from a unified messaging (UM) server to a UM client. In one embodiment, the transcription progress describes speech to text transcription of speech messages such as voicemail. The UM server authenticates and establishes a session with a UM client, then receives a get message list request from a UM client as of a first time, responds to the get message list request with a view of a state of messages and available transcriptions for transcribable messages in a list of messages associated with the get message list call at the first time, and, at a second time subsequent to the first time, transmits to the UM client a notification that provides an indication of progress for at least one transcription not yet complete in the list of messages. The messages can include video.
US08543650B2	Method and system for sending electronic mail over a network The present invention provides a method for sending o electronic mail messages (emails) via a network such as t internet by a mail processing unit, comprising: —generating by the mail processing unit of a user's electronic mail message to be authorized, wherein the mail message comprises text image and/or sound data; —addressing of the generated unauthorized mail message by the mail processing unit; —temporarily storing the generated unauthorized mail message at the mail processing unit; —showing the unauthorized mail message to a previously specified supervisor associated with the user; —sending the authorized electronic mail message to the addressee over the network only after authorization b the supervisor.
US08543648B1	Efficiently finding collaborations on a network Various embodiments enable finding collaborations in a network. One embodiment obtains collaboration data for a plurality of nodes, receives a request to locate at least one collaboration for a user, generates a search tree starting by determining a source node of the collaboration data, the search tree including at least two levels, and expanding the search tree until at least one target node is located that corresponds to a solution for the request, optimizes the search tree to attempt to reduce the number of solutions, generates an adjacency list of adjacent nodes in the optimized search tree, searches the adjacency list to locate at least one shortest path to the target node, and generates a list of collaboration data that is associated with the at least one shortest path from the source node to the target node.
US08543630B2	Exponentiation calculation apparatus and method for calculating square root in finite extension field In a computing device that calculates a square of an element in a finite field, a vector representation of the element in the finite field is accepted. The vector representation includes a plurality of elements. The computing device performs a multiplication operation on a base field using the accepted elements, and obtains a multiplication value. The multiplication operation is determined by a condition under which the element in the finite field is placed in an algebraic torus. The computing device performs an addition and subtraction operation using the obtained multiplication value and the accepted elements, and obtains a calculation result of the square of the element. The addition and subtraction operation is determined by the condition. The computing device then outputs the calculation result.
US08543621B2	Database partitioning by virtual partitions A database may be virtually partitioned into virtual partitions. The virtual partitions are mapped to physical databases of a database. Data records added to the database are each assigned to a virtual partition and stored in the physical database mapped to the assigned virtual partition. The identifier generated for a data record includes an identifier of the assigned virtual partition. When additional databases are created, virtual partitions are remapped to the larger space of physical databases.
US08543620B2	System and method for independent verification and validation This invention is to solve the high cost of IV&V by simplifying the complex logistics of project management. This is an intelligent project management system comprising a project server computer remotely accessible by a user computing device. The project server computer includes several databases: A database of electronic library which stores documents that are required by the project, a database which stores project data that reflect the state of the project, and a database which stores the user information of privileged users. Several modules are executing in the project server computer to generate the view of the project, to automatically monitor the state of the project, to verify and validate the mapping between multiple documents for requirement traceability, to automatically indicate the state of the project, to automatically provide assistance to the user, to automatically inform the stakeholder on matters related to the project, and to authenticate the privileged user. This intelligent project management system assumes that the server computer contains a standard computer operating system that includes at least a web server, an email server and a search engine facility.
US08543619B2	Merging XML documents automatically using attributes based comparison An aspect of the present invention provides a technique to automatically merge information contained in two or more XML documents in to a single merged XML document. The merging technique is based on a comparison logic that involves comparing XML elements of one of the XML document with elements of the other XML document and this element comparison is based on at least one XML attribute associated with the elements of the XML documents and termed as a merge attribute in the embodiments of the invention. An aspect of the present invention involves parsing the XML documents and providing a list of attributes asscociated with the elements of the XML documents and allowing a user to select one or more attributes as merge attributes. In yet another embodiment the XML:ID-type is selected as the default merge attribute.
US08543617B2	Method and system for forming a keyword database for referencing physical locations An improved method and system for specifying physical locations when using applications run on navigation systems or other computer platforms that provide navigation- or map-related functions. When requesting a navigation- or map-related function from such an application, a user specifies a physical location using a keyword instead of specifying the physical location conventionally, such as by street address. A keyword database relates keywords to physical locations. The application uses the keyword database, or a copy thereof, to find data indicating the physical location associated with the keyword specified by the user. Preferably, physical locations are defined in the keyword database in terms of data in a corresponding geographic database. The application then performs the requested navigation- or map-related function using the data indicating the physical location associated with the keyword. The keyword database is built using input from users. An on-line system is provided that users can access to associate keywords with physical locations. A user accessing the on-line system is presented with a map from which a physical location can be selected. A keyword, which may be selected by the user, is associated with the selected physical location. The keyword is stored in the keyword database along with data indicating the associated physical location.
US08543606B2	Method and system for automated security access policy for a document management system A method and system for providing an automated security access policy in a document management system are described. The security policies are applied based on metadata rules. Once a document is added to the document managements system, the metadata rules are evaluated using the metadata of the document. Based on the results of the evaluation security access policies are applied to the document.
US08543604B2	System and method for drafting documents using an outline table A system and method for drafting documents using an outline table is provided. A database of outlines is maintained. Each outline includes an organizational framework into which document clauses are inserted to form a document. A request for one or more of the outlines is received from a user. The outlines are filtered by removing those outlines that the user is not authorized to access. The outlines are further filtered by removing those outlines that are not preferred by the user. The remaining outlines, not removed, are presented to the user. Input from the user regarding the presented outlines is received. At least one of the presented outlines associated with the user input is selected. The selected outline is populated with predefined values.
US08543602B2	Access controller that controls access to files by using access control list Each time the file access request is received, it is discriminated whether there is an ACL which corresponds with the file system of the type following the switching in the file designated by the file access request. In cases where the judgment result is that there is no such ACL, an ACL which corresponds with the file system of the type following the switching is generated on the basis of an ACL which corresponds with the file system of the type prior to the switching which is associated with the designated file, and the ACL thus generated is used to control access in accordance with the received file access request.
US08543598B2	Semantic object characterization and search Semantic object characterization and its use in indexing and searching a database directory is presented. In general, a first binary hash code is generated to represent a first representation or view of a semantic object which when compared to a characterized version of a second representation or view of the same semantic object in the form of a second binary hash code, the first and second binary hash codes exhibit a degree of similarity indicative of the objects being the same object. In one implementation the semantic objects correspond to peoples' names and the first and second representations or views correspond to two different languages. Thus, a user can search a database of information in one language with a search query in another language.
US08543591B2	Method and system for generating and sharing dataset segmentation schemes A computer-implemented method for generating and sharing dataset segment schemes of a multidimensional dataset at a client device is disclosed. The client device displays a first filter definition template and an attribute list. Upon detecting a user selection of a first attribute, the client device displays the first attribute and one or more candidate filter conditions in the first filter definition template. Upon detecting a user selection of a first filter condition in the first filter definition template, the client device submits a segment scheme generation request to the server system and receives from the server system a first segment identifier; and displays a first segment link at the client device, the first segment link including the first segment identifier.
US08543589B2	Method and apparatus for integrating relational and hierarchical data Methods and apparatus for integrating relational and hierarchical data, schema definitions, and queries in a data processing system are provided. One or more schema definitions are converted into an intermediate schema language component of an intermediate data language when one or more schema definitions are provided. One or more query expressions are converted into an intermediate query language component of the intermediate data language when one or more query expressions are provided. The intermediate schema language component or the intermediate query language component is compiled in an intermediate data language processing engine into a run-time representation in accordance with a relational-hierarchical analysis.
US08543586B2	Determining points of interest using intelligent agents and semantic data A method, a system, and a computer program product are provided for determining points of interest using intelligent agents and semantic data. The method is implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions operable for receiving a media data comprising a location data comprising where media was captured. The instructions are also operable for determining at least one point of interest based on the media data, tying the media data to the at least one point of interest, and providing the media data tied to the at least one point of interest to an end user.
US08543581B2	Synchronizing records between databases The described implementations relate to synchronizing records between databases. One implementation can cause historical data of a source database to be recorded as entries on a transaction log and can subsequently cause new data of the source database to be recorded on the transaction log in a same manner as the historical data. This implementation can also identify a distinct attribute associated with an individual entry and generate a message that reflects the individual entry.
US08543569B2	System and method for the centralized management of a document ordering and delivery program A system and method for managing the ordering, maintenance and delivery of documents (e.g., technical publications, journals, etc.) in a copyright-compliant manner. A company having a plurality of users having a significant need to access a plurality of documents, order a large number of documents, may utilize the system and method to centrally manage the company's document ordering needs. The system and method provides for the end-to-end management of the access to the plurality of the documents and the entire document delivery supply chain from the publisher to the user anywhere, anytime on any of the user's devices. Use of the system and method enables a company to efficiently control the automated distribution of content in compliance with copyright restrictions set forth by document publishers.
US08543566B2	System and methods of improving a multi-tenant database query using contextual knowledge about non-homogeneously distributed tenant data A query optimizing system and methods employ contextual knowledge about the types and use of data and/or applications in tables underlying a relational database to provide improved queries and/or make recommendations to a query optimizer of a database based upon knowledge of the data and/or application gathered. A multi-tenant database, in which querying is conducted on multiple tenant data stored in a single table, provides for determining tenant-level statistics, data sharing, user/tenant views, user-level access/capacities, custom entities, custom fields and/or other contextual information about users and tenants, and for providing query optimization and/or query optimizer recommendations corresponding to such information.
US08543563B1	Domain adaptation for query translation A translation system and method suited to use in Cross Language Information Retrieval employ a retrieval-based scoring function for reranking candidate translations. The method includes translating an input source language query to generate a set of the candidate translations in a target language. The candidate translations are scored with the scoring function, which allows them to be reranked, and an optimal one or more selected for use in querying a domain-specific collection of documents in the target language. The scoring function applies weights to features extracted from the candidate translations. The weights have been learned on features extracted from translated queries, each generated by translation of an original query into the target language, and a measure of information retrieval performance of each the translated queries. One or more of the features used is a domain-specific feature which relies on a corpus of documents in the domain of interest.
US08543562B2	Automated searching for solutions to support self-diagnostic operations of web-enabled devices An automated diagnostic system is presented here. The system includes a network-enabled device, a remote network-based search engine, and a data communication network to facilitate data communication between the network-enabled device and the remote network-based search engine. The device automatically detects a problem, error, or failure associated with its operation, and automatically sends a corresponding search query to the remote network-based search engine. The search engine receives the search query and, in response to the search query, searches for relevant information pertaining to the problem, error, or failure, and sends a corresponding response to the network-enabled device. The response includes response data having some contextual association with the solution. The device receives the response, processes at least some of the response data to determine a course of action, and initiates that course of action.
US08543561B2	Method and apparatus for implementing search engine with cost per action revenue model The inventive technology enables the search engine operator to charge the advertisers who place their links on the search engine only if the user uses the search results to visit the advertiser's web portal(s) and generates revenue for the advertiser. This concept is especially attractive to the advertisers because it eliminates the risk, which the advertisers face in conventional search engines, when they are changed by the search engine per user click irrespectively of whether the user's visit resulted in advertiser's revenue.
US08543560B2	Audio and/or video generation apparatus and method of generating audio and/or video signals An audio and/or video generation apparatus which is arranged in operation to generate audio and/or video signals representative of an audio and/or video source, the audio and/or video generation apparatus comprising a recording unit which is arranged in operation to record the audio and/or video signals on a recording medium, wherein the audio and/or video generation apparatus is arranged to receive metadata associated with the audio and/or video signals generated by a data processor, the recording unit being arranged in operation to record the metadata on the recording medium with the audio and/or video signals. The data processor may be arranged to receive signals representative of the time codes of the recorded audio/video signals, and the metadata may include time code data representative of the in and out points of a take of the audio/video signals generated by the data processor.
US08543543B2	Hash-based file comparison Concepts and technologies are described herein for hash-based file comparison. In accordance with the concepts and technologies disclosed herein, a comparison tool is configured to compare hash values in a first hash list associated with a first file to hash values in a second hash list corresponding to a second file. The hash values are computed for functional blocks of the respective files and therefore can be compared to indicate if the functional blocks of the two files match one another. If the hash values match, the functional blocks associated with the respective hash values can be determined to match, while hash values that do not match can indicate that the corresponding functional blocks do not match one another.
US08543531B2	Coherency of related objects A service, which in one embodiment is a fashion social network, applies pre-defined criteria to items proposed for selection by a user, in order to determine if the proposed items are compatible with descriptive attributes and/or current possessions of the user.
US08543527B2	Method and system for implementing definable actions A method and system is provided for use in business intelligence and reporting. The method and system are able to implement one or more definable actions when presented with data. The data may be produced by a business intelligence application. The actions may relate to activities performed by a user or an agent. The system comprises an action manager, a repository, a data association manager and an implementation engine. In one embodiment a data mining engine is provided. The system enables the availability of an action in response to the execution of analytic queries to be determined based on a relationship defined by the data association manager. If an action is available, an action definition is used to invoke a target in response to selection of the action by an entity, the invocation of the target including propagating data produced by an analytic engine into the target based on metadata to perform the action.
US08543516B2	Methods and systems for selecting and presenting content on a first system based on user preferences learned on a second system A method of selecting and presenting content on a first system based on user preferences learned on a second system is provided. The method includes receiving a user's input for identifying items of the second content system and, in response thereto, presenting a subset of items of the second content system and receiving the user's selection actions thereof. The method includes analyzing the selected items to learn the user's content preferences for the content of the second content system and determining a relationship between the content of the first and second content systems to determine preferences relevant to items of the first content system. The method includes, in response subsequent user input for items of the first content system, selecting and ordering a collection of items of the first content system based on the user's learned content preferences determined to be relevant to the items of the first content system.
US08543508B2	Gateway abstraction layer Systems, gateway computers, and methods for using a gateway abstraction layer and application platform interfaces for conducting service transactions are disclosed. A gateway abstraction layer computers can receive service requests in multiple message formats or communication protocols, transform those service requests into other message formats to process the service using one or more networks or third-party service providers. The results of the service request can then be translated back to the message format in which the original service request was received. The gateway abstraction layer can be maintained using update messages received from service providers.
US08543491B2	System and method for managing trading orders with decaying reserves A system comprises a memory operable to store a trading order for a particular quantity of a trading product, wherein a first portion of the particular quantity is a displayed quantity and a second portion of the particular quantity is a reserved quantity. The system further comprises a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and operable to disclose the displayed quantity to one or more market centers. The processor is further operable to identify a decay rate associated with the trading order. The processor is further operable to cause the reserved quantity to decay based at least in part on the identified decay rate.
US08543489B2	System and method for computing and displaying effective bid and ask information Software at a trading station receives a data feed from an electronic exchange and computes an effective bid price and/or an effective ask price based on a particular quantity to trade. Then, the effective bid price and/or effective ask prices are indicated to the user. An effective bid price is an average price at which a quantity could be sold based on current market conditions. An effective ask price is an average price at which a quantity could be bought based on current market conditions. Depending on the available quantities in the market, the effective prices may represent spreads different from the actual spread of the inside market. Additionally, a derivative of price, such as yield, may be used to compute other types of effective bid and/or ask information.
US08543488B2	High performance trading data interface and trading data distribution protocol A network enables monitors, trading platforms and libraries to share information about customers' trading activities and locally recalculate customer trading limits resulting from these trading activities. A low-latency interface between a customer server, such as a server that employs algorithmic trading methods to generate buy and sell orders for securities, and a brokerage server that validates such securities trading orders is optimized for handling the securities trading orders. The interface supports a trading command set specifically designed for orders from customer trading application programs, and the interface formats received trading commands into compact messages that are sent over a high-speed communication link to the brokerage server. The interface receives order acknowledgement messages and the like from the brokerage server and invokes callback routines in the customer trading application program to report status information.
US08543486B2	Method and system for the protection of broker and investor relationships, accounts and transactions A computer based method and system for advanced scenario based alert generation and processing is presented, with the specific ability to broker and investor activities that put either at risk. Advanced scenarios that describe such broker and investor activities are specifically defined. By applying these scenarios to transactional data from a variety of financial institutions, broker and investor activities causing unacceptable amounts of risk can be detected on an automated basis.
US08543468B2	Bidding to receive data after a consumer is in a zone An announcement distributor distributes, or auctions an opportunity to distribute, an announcement to an announcement recipient such as a consumer, issuer, merchant, or acquirer within a payment processing system. The announcement when there has been a satisfaction of an announcement condition, such as the consumer being determined to be located within a predetermined spatial zone. The content of the announcement may, in turn, facilitate a subsequent cashless transaction for resources of merchants. Implementations describe various permutations of the content of the announcement, the announcement condition, and the announcement recipient.
US08543436B2	Dynamic workflow architectures for loan processing Systems and methods are provided for processing loan applications in dynamic workflows. In a preferred embodiment, a system calls an activity engine with a top-level activity for processing a work-item, e.g., a loan application. The activity engine decomposes the top-level activity into child activities and lower-level child activities, and recursively calls itself to process the child activities until all constituent child activities have been preformed, thus performing the original top-level activity. In the preferred embodiment, each activity, work-item, user, event and role has associated rules, wherein an event represents a change in state of an activity and a role represents a class of users of the system having shared attributes. The evaluation of the associated rules dynamically creates the flow of activities, thereby creating a dynamic workflow.
US08543433B1	System and method for real-time revenue management A system and method for real-time revenue management is provided. Data is received from a scheduling system pertaining to a network comprising a plurality of legs. A sub-network within the network may be identified, and optimization of the sub-network is triggered. A current inventory information value attributable to the identified sub-network is pro-rated, and an expected traffic value for the identified sub-network is calculated using a forecast of the expected demand, a standard deviation of the demand, a gamma distribution equation, and an unsatisfied demand value. An updated inventory information value for the identified sub-network is generated using the pro-rated inventory information value and an optimization equation, wherein the optimization equation generates a maximum revenue value by adjusting the expected traffic, and the updated inventory information value is transmitted to the scheduling system.
US08543427B2	Weather risk management system This disclosure relates to a system for managing financial risk associated with weather-based service contracts, and more specifically, to a system based on the purchase of weather derivatives to select, manage, minimize, and redistribute financial burdens associated with costs incurred from the payment of services related to greater than average weather-based events. An option contract having a tick price, and an associated premium at a fixed strike price is selected at a desired coverage, in one embodiment, the desired coverage is associated with a payout with the associated tick price that covers the base price of performing the service for a nominal weather condition, the premium of buying the option, and the price of performing the services for exceptional weather precipitations of a three standard deviation from the nominal value. If a hedge trader offers this service rather than a service provider, the desired coverage will also cover the a commission for the trade.
US08543424B2	Vehicle insurance status display system A Vehicle Insurance Status Display System (VISDS) method and system of providing readily perceivable access to selected key information regarding the insurance status of a vehicle. The VISDS provides an at least partially symbolized representation of the germane informational content of a vehicle owner's manner of insuring that vehicle in accordance with the relevant laws of the relevant jurisdiction that the vehicle is registered in. The at least partially symbolized representation is prepared in the form of a display for exhibiting on the vehicle. The manners of symbolizing utilize perception facilitating modes to enhance the readiness of perception of the selected key information, and in particular the germane informational content of the insurance status date for that vehicle, which is the date through which the vehicle is properly insured.
US08543421B2	Methods and systems for managing distributed digital medical data A network for mediating the peer-to-peer transfer of digital patient medical data includes a plurality of distributed agents each associated with a health care provider and connected to a central system. Periodically the agents collect local information relating to patient medical files and/or data streams, for example diagnostic images and associated reports, and process that information into metadata files acting as pointers to the original files. The metadata files are transmitted to the central system where they are parsed and the attributes are stored on the central system in patient records with records from the same patient grouped together whenever possible. Registered users can search the central system, even in the absence of a unique identifier, to identify patient records pointing to the remote patient medical files. Upon finding a patient medical file, the invention provides a streamlined process for communicating access authorization from the patient to the hospital or facility storing the medical files. Once patient authorization is received, secure processes are provided for transferring the data in its entirety to or for viewing by the user in a peer-to-peer fashion.
US08543419B2	Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing an information storage management system Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing a policy-based information storage management system for digital assets are provided. The storage management system includes multiple physical storage subsystems, each with deterministic storage characteristics. A method includes receiving a data item related to a subject and looking up a record for the subject. The record identifies corresponding digital assets that are stored in the storage subsystems. The method also includes applying a policy to the corresponding digital assets based upon the data item. The method further includes determining a subset of the digital assets in the record that are relevant to the data item. The relevance determination is made in response to application of the policy. The method also includes migrating the relevant digital assets to at least one designated storage subsystem, based upon corresponding storage characteristics, for expediting access to the relevant digital assets.
US08543414B2	Medical question contents automatic selection system A medical question contents automatic selection system for automatically selecting medical questions allocated to a patient from the medical questionnaire made by a medical professional. The medical question contents automatic selection system compares the correct answer rate threshold of the medical questions preset by the medical professional with the correct answer rate of the questions to the patient so as to estimate the educational level of the patient about health, compares the vital sign measurement value threshold preset by the medical professional with the vital sign measurement value of the patient so as to estimate the condition level of the patient, and automatically selects medical questions allocated to the patient depending on the educational level and the condition level of the patient. The medical question contents automatic selection system can allocate medical questions to the patient depending on the educational level of the patient about health and disorder condition level of the patient without troubling the medical professional.
US08543412B2	Web-based data submission for nursing quality indicators A system for surveying nursing quality of nursing units at multiple healthcare facilities via a network includes a first Web client, a second Web client, a third Web client, a database, and a Web server. A staff member of a first nursing unit of a first healthcare facility is prompted for a type of data relating to a nursing quality indicator via the first Web client. A staff member at a second nursing unit of a second healthcare facility is prompted for the same type of data via the second Web client. Data elements are transmitted to a Web server and stored in a database. If the first nursing unit and the second nursing unit are of the same type, the data elements are compared. Results from the comparison are listed based on unit type and healthcare facility. Results are transmitted from the Web server to a third client for display.
US08543404B2	Proactive completion of input fields for automated voice enablement of a web page Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and computer program product for the proactive completion of input fields for automated voice enablement of a Web page. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for proactively completing empty input fields for voice enabling a Web page can be provided. The method can include receiving speech input for an input field in a Web page and inserting a textual equivalent to the speech input into the input field in a Web page. The method further can include locating an empty input field remaining in the Web page and generating a speech grammar for the input field based upon permitted terms in a core attribute of the empty input field and prompting for speech input for the input field. Finally, the method can include posting the received speech input and the grammar to an automatic speech recognition (ASR) engine and inserting a textual equivalent to the speech input provided by the ASR engine into the empty input field.
US08543400B2	Voice processing methods and systems Voice processing methods and systems are provided. An utterance is received. The utterance is compared with teaching materials according to at least one matching algorithm to obtain a plurality of matching values corresponding to a plurality of voice units of the utterance. Respective voice units are scored in at least one first scoring item according to the matching values and a personified voice scoring algorithm. The personified voice scoring algorithm is generated according to training utterances corresponding to at least one training sentence in a phonetic-balanced sentence set of a plurality of learners and at least one real teacher, and scores corresponding to the respective voice units of the training utterances of the learners in the first scoring item provided by the real teacher.
US08543391B2	Method and apparatus for improving sound quality Disclosed is a method of improving a sound quality, including: receiving a transmission signal of a first user equipment; removing noise in the transmission signal using noise information of the first user equipment side; performing speech reinforcement with respect to the noise removed transmission signal using noise information of a second user equipment side; and transmitting the speech reinforced transmission signal to the second user equipment.
US08543389B2	Coding/decoding of digital audio signals The invention relates to the coding/decoding of a signal into several sub-bands, in which at least a first and a second sub-bands which are adjacent are transform coded (601, 602). In particular, in order to apply a perceptual weighting, in the transformed domain, to at least the second sub-band, the method comprises:—determining at least one frequency masking threshold (606) to be applied on the second sub-band; and normalizing said masking threshold in order to provide a spectral continuity between the above-mentioned first and second sub-bands. An advantageous application of the invention involves a perceptual weighting of the high-frequency band in the TDAC transform coding of a hierarchical encoder according to standard G.729.1.
US08543386B2	Method and apparatus for decoding an audio signal Method and apparatus for processing audio signals are provided. The method for decoding an audio signal includes receiving filter information, applying spatial information to the filter information to generate surround converting information, and outputting the surround converting information. The apparatus for decoding an audio signal includes a filter information receiving part receiving filter information; an information converting part applying spatial information to the filter information to generate surround converting information, and a surround converting information output part outputting the surround converting information.
US08543379B1	System and method for parsing a text buffer using a graphical user interface Systems, methods, apparatus and software can provide a graphical user interface for parsing text to create expressions. The expressions can be used to validate other text and/or to filter text. The user interface can display the subject text, and if appropriate, render a graphical view of the text based on the text, e.g., render a web page.
US08543377B2	Using linguistically-aware variables in computer-generated text One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for placing linguistically-aware variables in computer-generated text. During operation, the system receives a sentence at a computer system, wherein the sentence comprises two or more words. Next, the system analyzes the sentence to identify a first variable, wherein the first variable is a place-holder for a first word. The system then receives the first word. After that, the system automatically determines a gender of the first word. Next, the system analyzes the sentence to identify a first dependent word that is dependent on the first word, wherein a spelling of the first dependent word is dependent on the gender of the first word. The system then determines the spelling of the first dependent word that corresponds to the gender of the first word. Next, the system replaces the first variable in the sentence with the first word. If necessary, the system modifies the spelling of the first dependent word in the sentence to match the gender of the first word. Finally, the system outputs the sentence.
US08543371B2	Write-protected storage medium, write-protected apparatus, and write-protected environment An emulation apparatus includes a translator, a first memory map, a second memory map, and a rewriting unit. The translator translates an instruction output from the target program to an instruction executable by the emulation apparatus. The first memory map is located in a memory region for use by the target program and is write-protected based on operation environment of the emulation apparatus. The second memory map is write-protected based on at least one of the execution environment of the target program and content of the instruction from the target program. The rewriting unit rewrites a first write instruction output from the translator to a second write instruction to the second memory map when the first write instruction causes a write protection violation to the first memory map.
US08543356B2	Low cost multi-channel data acquisition system Embodiments of the present invention provide an inexpensive and fast pulse characterization platform capable of real time operation, suitable for acquisition of single-photon data. Embodiments of the present invention include both a digital multi-channel data acquisition instrument and an analog pulse acquisition instrument suitable for a wide range of applications in physics laboratories. An FPGA performs multi-channel acquisition in real time, time stamps single events, and determines if the events fit a predetermined signature, which causes the events to be categorized as a coincidence. The indications of coincidences are then communicated to a host computer for further processing as desired.
US08543349B2	Test device, display device, and method for checking a validity of display signals A test device for checking the validity of display signals pertaining to a predefined image includes a device for ascertaining image data from the display signals, device for determining a test value of the image data, and a comparator unit for comparing the ascertained test value with a stored test value pertaining to the image, a validity of the display signals being established in the case where the two test values coincide.
US08543343B2	Method and apparatus for determining energy savings by using a baseline energy use model that incorporates an artificial intelligence algorithm A computer-based system, computer-implemented method, and computer program product facilitate determining energy cost savings in an energy-consuming facility, such as a commercial building, using an artificial intelligence model, for example a neural network model, that projects or estimates the amount of energy that would have been consumed by the facility but for the implementation of energy efficiency or conservation measures. Energy savings are represented by the difference between the estimate of energy that would have been consumed but for the measures and the actual amount of energy consumed by the facility under actual conditions during a time interval after the measures have been implemented.
US08543341B2	System and method for monitoring health of airfoils A method for monitoring the health of one or more blades is presented. The method includes the steps of determining a delta TOA corresponding to each of the one or more blades based upon respective actual time of arrival (TOA) of the one or more blades, determining a normalized delta TOA corresponding to each of the one or more blades by removing effects of one or more operational data from the delta TOA, and determining a corrected delta TOA corresponding to each of the one or more blades by removing effects of reseating of the one or more blades from the normalized delta TOA.
US08543339B2	Gamete donor selection based on genetic calculations Gamete donor selection includes receiving a specification including a phenotype of interest, receiving a genotype of a recipient and a plurality of genotypes of a respective plurality of donors, determining statistical information pertaining to the phenotype of interest based at least in part on different pairings of the genotype of the recipient and a genotype of a donor in the plurality of donors, and identifying a preferred donor among the plurality of donors, based at least in part on the statistical information determined.
US08543321B2	Method for forecasting the evolution of the magnitude of a data for a vehicle journey The magnitude (Y) of a data associated to a journey of an automotive vehicle is expressed by a function (f) of at least one input parameter (x). This method includes at least the steps of: a) defining a first model (ft=0) of the function; b) running the vehicle on a reference trip, the input parameter (x, m, p) and the magnitude (Y) being measured (YM, xM) during or at the end of the reference trip; c) computing a value (YC) of the magnitude by using the first model (ft=0) of the function (f) and the value of the parameter (xM) measured at step b); d) comparing the values (YM, YC) of the magnitude at said time; and e) adjusting the function (ft=1) in a way corresponding to the reduction of the difference between the measured value (YM) and the computed value (YC).
US08543317B2	Method for managing the relative humidity in the air path of an internal combustion engine equipped with a low pressure EGR system A method is provided for estimating the relative humidity in an intake line of an internal combustion engine provided with an intake manifold connected to the intake line, an exhaust line, and a Low Pressure EGR (LPE) conduit which fluidly connects the exhaust line to a connecting point of said intake line. The method includes, but is not limited to calculating specific humidity in the exhaust line, as a function of the O2 concentration in said exhaust line; determining ambient specific humidity; calculating specific humidity in a portion of the intake line comprised between said connecting point and said intake manifold, as a function of a flow of external air entering into said intake line, a flow of exhaust gases coming from said Low Pressure EGR (LPE) conduit, the specific humidity in said exhaust line and the ambient specific humidity; calculating the relative humidity in said portion of the intake line, as a function of the specific humidity thereof.
US08543306B2	Vehicle having speed control unit A tractor is disclosed as a four-wheel drive vehicle with a movable seat back, with a seat height adjustment and with a varying load capability.
US08543278B2	Operating device and method for trailer vehicles An operating device for trailer vehicles includes an operating element for performing a control function of the trailer vehicle and a display for displaying control information corresponding to the control function.
US08543276B2	Unmanned autonomous vehicle for displacing feed An unmanned autonomous vehicle for substantially lateral displacement of feed lying on a ground, comprising two wheels separately drivable by separate drive units, a torque difference adjusting device for adjusting the torque difference between the wheels, a control unit for controlling the vehicle and moving it in a direction of travel by controlling at least one of the separate drive units, a feed displacing device for substantially lateral displacement of the feed, and an adjusting device which is arranged to adjust the height and/or the position of a lowest point of the feed displacing device. The adjusting device comprises a vehicle tilting device which is arranged in such a manner that the lowest point will be located at least substantially off the center line of the vehicle.
US08543270B2	Efficient dual source battery pack system for an electric vehicle A method of optimizing the operation of the power source of an electric vehicle is provided, where the power source is comprised of a first battery pack (e.g., a non-metal-air battery pack) and a second battery pack (e.g., a metal-air battery pack). The power source is optimized to minimize use of the least efficient battery pack (e.g., the second battery pack) while ensuring that the electric vehicle has sufficient power to traverse the expected travel distance before the next battery charging cycle.
US08543257B2	Vehicle remote operation system and on-board device In a vehicle remote operation system that remotely operates a vehicle V using a portable terminal 200, during the remote operation of the vehicle V by the portable terminal 200, when the cab of the vehicle V is not locked, a main control unit 112 of an on-board device 100 does not permit movement of the vehicle V. Therefore, the vehicle V can be remotely operated only when the cab of the vehicle is locked. As a result, it is possible to prevent a malicious person from getting in the vehicle V during the remote operation. In addition, even when a well-meaning person who gets in the cab unexpectedly unlocks and opens the door, the vehicle is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to ensure safety.
US08543256B1	Transformable teleoperated amphibious fuel truck According to typical practice of the present invention, a vehicle is remotely controlled and is travelable both in water and on land. The vehicle has two liquid-containment components that are situated generally one above the other. Pumping devices bring about transfer of cargo liquid (e.g., fuel or water) from either component to the other component. In accordance with the liquid transfer, the vehicle turns over, about its longitudinal axis, between two generally opposite buoyant positions, each of which is stable and viable for marine navigation. When the flow of the liquid sufficiently shifts weight from one component to the other, the vehicle inverts; that is, the emptying component flips from the bottom to the top, and the filling component flips from the top to the bottom. One of the buoyant positions of the vehicle is characterized by wheels for amphibiously transitioning the vehicle from water travel to land travel.
US08543255B2	Apparatus and method for controlling an unmanned vehicle In one or more embodiments, an apparatus and method for operating an unmanned and autonomous vehicle includes a sensor management module configured to direct sensors as to what function they are to provide; a mission management module configured to provide execute function capabilities; an effects management module configured to provide launching and directing weapons to their target capabilities; a vehicle management module; a situation awareness management module configured to provide correlate sensor data of objects, threats, targets, geographic points of interest that the pilot requires in the immediate environment; a communications management module; an information management module configured to provide a database of intelligence-related data; a middleware module configured to interface with the sensor management module, the mission management module, the effects management module, the vehicle management module, the situation awareness management module, the communications management module, and the information management module.
US08543239B2	Robot control apparatus A robot control apparatus includes: a joint angular velocity estimation unit (115) calculating a plurality of first joint angular accelerations in already executed control cycles by calculating a joint angular acceleration from a joint angle for each control cycle, and estimating a joint angular velocity in a still unexecuted control cycle from the first joint angular accelerations; a velocity determination unit (113) determining whether the estimated joint angular velocity exceeds a maximum velocity; and a suppression velocity calculation unit (114) calculating a suppression joint angular velocity in the still unexecuted control cycle from the estimated joint angular velocity.
US08543228B2	Coded domain audio analysis The present invention provides methods, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for determining a measure a similarity of the audio content of a plurality of files. Quantized samples are converted to energy values from files having audio content with compressed formats. Energy characteristics are determined from the energy values and are matched to obtain a greatest content match for a plurality of delay instances. A selected delay value corresponds to a determined offset between the files for relating the audio content of the files. A degree of similarity is determined to relate the audio content of the files. A frequency spectrum is partitioned into a plurality of frequency bands, and a total energy value is determined for each frequency band. The total energy values are correlated for the files.
US08543227B1	Sensor fusion algorithm Sensor fusion algorithm techniques are described. In one or more embodiments, behaviors of a host device and accessory devices are controlled based upon an orientation of the host device and accessory devices, relative to one another. A combined spatial position and/or orientation for the host device may be obtained based on raw measurements that are obtained from at least two different types of sensors. In addition, a spatial position and/or orientation for an accessory device is ascertained using one or more sensors of the accessory device. An orientation (or position) of the accessory device relative to the host computing device may then be computed based on the combined spatial position/orientation for the host computing device and the ascertained spatial position/orientation for the accessory device. The relative orientation that is computed may then be used in various ways to control behaviors of the host computing device and/or accessory device.
US08543221B2	External systems for detecting implantable neurostimulation leads and devices, and methods of using same Embodiments herein include an external system and method to detect an implanted lead coupled to an implanted neurostimulation device (INSD). The system and method comprise a handheld probe having electrodes configured to be positioned external to a surface of a patient and proximate to a region of the patient having the implanted lead for an implanted INSD. The electrodes are configured to measure a stimulation output from the implanted lead of the INSD. The system and method include a controller coupled to the electrodes to receive measured signals from the electrodes. The measured signals represent the stimulation output of the INSD. The controller processes the measured signals to obtain lead information. The system includes a user interface to present the lead information to a user. The lead information is indicative of at least one of an operation of the lead and a position of the lead.
US08543200B2	Methods to avoid frequency locking in a multi-channel neurostimulation system using pulse placement A method and neurostimulation system for treating a patient are provided. A plurality of pulsed electrical waveforms are respectively delivered within a plurality of timing channels of the neurostimulation system, thereby treating the patient. Sets of stimulation pulses within the electrical waveforms that will potentially overlap temporally are predicted. Each of the potentially overlapping pulse sets is substituted with a replacement stimulation pulse, such that each replacement stimulation pulse is delivered within at least one of the respective timing channels, thereby preventing temporal overlap between the stimulation pulses of the respective electrical waveforms while preventing frequency locking between the timing channels.
US08543177B2	Superconducting magnet systems We describe a superconducting magnet system for generating a uniform magnetic field. The system has at least three magnets in two sets, a first of the sets comprising an oppositely disposed pair of superconducting magnets, a second of the sets comprising at least one further magnet. The further magnet is disposed such that there exists a 3D region in which a magnet field produced by the further magnet is substantially parallel to a magnetic field produced by the pair of superconducting magnets. One of the sets of magnets is configured to produce first, bulk component of the magnetic field in the 3D region and a second of the sets of magnets is configured to produce a correction to the bulk component of the magnetic field in the 3D region to reduce a non-uniformity of the bulk component of the magnetic field in the 3D region.
US08543176B1	Method and system for optimizing impedance match in a mobile communication device A mobile communication device has a number of selectable states, an antenna, and a communication circuit for transmitting and receiving communication signals. The mobile device also includes an impedance matching circuit having impedance matching networks. Each impedance matching network is associated with at least one of the selectable states of the mobile communication device and is configured to optimize the impedance match between the communication circuit and the antenna based on the selectable state of the mobile communication device with which the impedance matching network is associated. A switching network is included for coupling the antenna to the communication circuit together using one of the impedance matching networks based on a selected state of the mobile communication device.
US08543168B2	Portable electronic device A portable electronic device includes a free floating display lens having a stiffener ring mounted on a peripheral region or edge of the free floating display lens to affect modal density and modal distribution of the free floating display lens. Additionally, a piezoelectric supporting structure is attached to the stiffener ring, while surrounding a display, wherein the piezoelectric supporting structure is electrically driven to produce an acoustic signal in one mode and a vibratory haptic signal in another mode.
US08543165B2	Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and program There is provided an information processing apparatus including a transmission processing section which performs short-range one-to-one communication with a communication partner device, a reception processing section, a received data processing section which acquires information displayed by the communication partner device by communication with the communication partner device, a display processing section which performs processing for displaying information acquired by the information acquisition section, and a display section which displays the information. According to such a configuration, it becomes possible to easily and visually recognize the information displayed on the communication partner device of a connection destination.
US08543162B2	Interface and communication protocol for a mobile device with a smart battery Various embodiments are described herein for a mobile communication device that utilizes a smart battery. The mobile device includes a main processor for controlling the operation of the mobile communication device. The smart battery is coupled to the main processor and provides supply power. The smart battery includes a battery processor for controlling the operation of the smart battery and communicating with the main processor, and a battery module having one or more batteries for providing the supply power. A battery interface is provided for coupling between the main processor and the battery processor for providing communication therebetween. The battery interface comprises a data communication line and protection circuitry for protecting the main processor from electrostatic discharge. A communication protocol is also provided for communication between the main processor and the battery processor.
US08543157B1	Communication device which notifies its pin-point location or geographic area in accordance with user selection The communication device comprising a pin-point location notifying implementer, a geographic area notifying implementer, a location dependent program activating implementer, a multiple answering machine implementer, a time dependent answering machine implementer, an audiovisual storage implementer, a street address icon displaying implementer, and an audiovisual multiple recording/replaying implementer.
US08543146B2	Method and system for efficiently routing messages Efficient routing of a message over a data network. A first communication device sends a message to a telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator determines the communication protocol of the first communication device and the communication protocol of a second communication device. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator converts the message to a data format compatible with the second communication device, wherein the message is converted to one of at least three different communication protocols. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator then forwards the message for receipt by the second communication device. The telemetry gateway or short message arbitrator can convert and forward the message without completing a store and forward process.
US08543136B2	Device and method of estimating location of terminal using sequences transmitted from base stations A terminal receives a unique sequence from each of at least two base stations, and transmits a mixture of quantized unique sequences to a serving base station. The serving base station extracts components respectively corresponding to base stations from the mixture of the quantized unique sequences, and estimates a location of a terminal based on the extracted components. The serving base station may calculate a received signal strength or a delay for each of the unique sequences received by the terminal, based on the extracted components, and estimate the location of the terminal based on the received signal strength or the delay. In addition, the terminal may estimate its own location by performing an algorithm used by the serving base station.
US08543131B2	Method, system and device for location update in networks A method, system and devices are provided for location update in an e.g. WiMAX based network. An authenticator function is informed on the location of a data path function after a handover has taken place.
US08543124B2	Resource indexing for acknowledgement signals in response to receptions of multiple assignments User Equipment (UE) transmits an acknowledgement signal in response to the reception of multiple Scheduling Assignments (SAs) transmitted by a base station. The SAs consist of Information Elements (IEs) including a Transmission Power Control (TPC) IE providing adjustments for the transmission power of the acknowledgement signal. The TPC IE in a first SA of the multiple SAs is used to provide the previous adjustments and the TPC IEs in the remaining of the multiple SAs are used to provide an indication of the resource used for the transmission of the acknowledgment signal.
US08543120B2	Communication control device, terminal device, radio communication system, radio communication method, and program There is provided a communication control device including a radio communication unit communicating with a terminal device, a network communication unit accessing any one of a plurality of gateway apparatuses through a network and relaying communication between the terminal device and the gateway apparatus, and a control unit switching the gateway apparatus to be accessed by the network communication unit.
US08543118B1	Multidomain, intercarrier network-to-network interface A method, system, and network-to-network interface are provided for sharing data across networks in different domains. An embodiment of the method includes receiving from a requesting device a request for services by way of a first network in a wireless-communications-services (or other) domain; determining that the request requires information in a second network in a cable-television-services (or other) domain; retrieving the information from the cable-television-services domain; and communicating the retrieved information to the requesting device.
US08543107B1	Method and system for delivering short message service (SMS) messages using the session initiation protocol (SIP) An Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to provide communication services to mobile nodes. A short message service gateway (SMS-GW) in the IMS network receives a request to deliver a message to a mobile node. The SMS-GW determines whether the mobile node is IMS registered. If the mobile node is IMS registered, the SMS-GW may transmit a SIP MESSAGE request to a call session control function (CSCF) serving the mobile node in order to deliver the message to the mobile node. If the mobile node is SIP-capable but is not IMS registered, the SMS-GW may instead transmit a SIP MESSAGE request to the mobile node's IP address. To obtain the mobile node's IP address, the SMS-GW may query a domain name server (DNS) that stores associations between hostnames and IP addresses of mobile nodes.
US08543101B2	Wireless communication system, wireless base station, mobile station, and wireless communication method A mobile station that includes a mobile station controller which performs a process of responding to a call signal and a wireless base station that includes a base station controller which performs a determination of a priority of the call signal to be transmitted to the mobile station and a baseband unit that transmits a first call signal having a first priority to the mobile station and that stores a second call signal having a second priority in a queue and performs a transmission process wherein when the second call signal has been discarded, the baseband unit notifies the mobile station of information representing that the second call signal has been discarded and the mobile station controller executes, when deciding the second call signal has been discarded, a processing of an inquiry response to the wireless base station.
US08543093B2	Age-based control of content provided via a mobile communication terminal A method of updating age restriction settings for content on a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising requesting authentication data, in response to determining that a first age restriction value associated with a first content on the mobile communication terminal is greater than a first threshold value; and providing the first content via the mobile communication terminal and setting the first threshold value equal to the first age restriction value, in response to determining that the authentication data is valid.
US08543092B2	Access method of network terminals, access system and gateway An access method of network terminals, an access system and gateway are provided. In the access method of the present invention, providing an access proxy to the service network system for a network terminal initiating an access request but not configured with the subscriber certification information to the service network system by the use of subscriber certification information to a service network system configured on a network terminal. The access system of the present invention includes a digital gateway configured with a gateway multimedia service processing module. By sharing the subscriber certification information to the service network system configured on the network terminal connected to the digital gateway, the network terminal not configured with the subscriber certification information to the service network system can realize the access certification to the service network system.
US08543087B2	Systems and methods to facilitate repeated purchases Systems and methods are provided to facilitate repeated purchase and payment transactions. In one aspect, a system includes an interchange and a data storage facility configured to store payment transaction records associated with phone numbers. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats and to communicate with the common format processor in a common format. The common format processor is configured to identify a prior payment transaction associated with a phone number in response to a message from a mobile phone having the phone number, communicate with a merchant to repeat a purchase according to the prior payment transaction, and transmit via one of the converters premium messages to the mobile phone to collect funds for a payment to repeat the purchase.
US08543085B2	Quality of experience estimation Technologies are generally described for estimating a quality of experience (QoE) based on movements of a mobile device in a telecommunication system. In some examples, a mobile device may include a detection unit configured to detect a first movement of the mobile device and a second movement of the mobile device, a timer configured to measure a time interval between the first movement and the second movement detected by the detection unit, and a decision unit configured to determine whether the first and second movements are related to telecommunication quality of the mobile device based on the time interval measured by the timer.
US08543084B2	Systems and methods for providing multiple simultaneous calls from the same prepaid account Prepaid services include associating a plurality of users with a prepaid services account. The account is configured to track a prepaid balance associated with the account as well as to allow at least a subset of the plurality of users associated with the account to draw down the prepaid balance at least generally at the same time. Drawing down the prepaid balance includes allocating a portion of the prepaid balance to each respective user, monitoring a provision of service, and repeating, selectively, the allocating and monitoring.
US08543079B2	Receiver and integrated AM-FM/IQ demodulators for gigabit-rate data detection Provision of gigabit-rate data transmission over wireless radio links, using carrier frequencies in the millimeter-wave range (>30 GHz). More specifically, a circuit for detection of amplitude-shift keyed (ASK) or other amplitude modulations (AM) which can be easily incorporated into an integrated circuit receiver system is described, making the receiver capable of supporting both complex IQ modulation schemes and simpler, non-coherent on-off or multiple-level keying signals. Several novel radio architectures are also described which, with the addition of a frequency discriminator network, have the capability of handling frequency shift keyed (FSK) or other frequency modulations (FM), as well as AM and complex IQ modulation schemes. These radio architectures support this wide variety of modulations by efficiently sharing detector hardware components. Disclosed herein are architecture for supporting both quadrature down-conversion and ASK/AM, ASK/AM detector circuit details, AM-FM detector architecture, and an AM-FM/IQ demodulator system and FSK/FM detector circuit details.
US08543078B2	Harmonic mixer circuit A circuit includes: a first line to which input and output signal terminals are connected; a first transistor having a first terminal connected to the first line, a second terminal connected to a ground potential, and a control terminal supplied with a first oscillation signal, the first transistor outputting the first signal and its harmonic component; a second transistor having a first terminal connected to the first line, a second terminal connected to the ground potential, and a control terminal supplied with a second oscillation signal, the second transistor outputting the second signal and its harmonic component; a first harmonic generator connected to the control terminal of the first transistor and generates a harmonic component including the harmonic component by the first transistor; and a second harmonic generator connected to the control terminal of the second transistor and generates a harmonic component including the harmonic component by the second transistor.

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