Document	Document Title
US08649649B2	Fiber distribution hub with connectorized stub cables A fiber distribution hub includes an enclosure; a splitter region; a termination region including a plurality of adapters; at least a first feeder stub cable; and at least a first subscriber stub cable routed into the enclosure. The subscriber cable includes at least two optical fibers that each have a connectorized end inserted into one of the adapters at the termination region. The subscriber cable is terminated at a remote end by a multi-fiber connector.
US08649648B2	Fiber optic adapter cassette and panel An adapter cassette including a housing and a plurality of fiber optic adapters. The fiber optic adapters being angled relative to a front plane defined by the housing. The fiber optic adapters being interconnected to a multi-fiber cable connecter by fiber optic cables located within an interior of the housing. The adapter cassette further including a quick-release cover that provides access to the interior of the housing.
US08649646B2	Coherent DUV illumination for semiconductor wafer inspection An apparatus for inspecting a specimen, such as a semiconductor wafer, is provided. The apparatus comprises a laser energy source, such as a deep ultraviolet (DUV) energy source and an optical fiber arrangement. The optical fiber arrangement comprises a core surrounded by a plurality of optical fibers structures used to frequency broaden energy received from the laser energy source into frequency broadened radiation. The frequency broadened radiation is employed as an illumination source for inspecting the specimen. In one aspect, the apparatus comprises a central core and a plurality of structures generally surrounding the central core, the plurality of fibers surround a hollow core fiber filled with a gas at high pressure, a tapered photonic fiber, and/or a spider web photonic crystalline fiber, configured to receive light energy and produce frequency broadened radiation for inspecting the specimen.
US08649643B2	Optical hybrid circuit and optical receiver An optical hybrid circuit includes: a first optical coupler including a first input channel, a second input channel, a first output channel, and a second output channel; a second optical coupler including a third input channel, a fourth input channel, a third output channel, and a fourth output channel; a third optical coupler including a fifth input channel, a sixth input channel, a fifth output channel, and a sixth output channel; a fourth optical coupler including a seventh input channel, an eighth input channel, a seventh output channel, and an eighth output channel; a fifth optical coupler including a ninth input channel, a tenth input channel, a ninth output channel, and a tenth output channel, the ninth input channel coupled to the first output channel; and a sixth optical coupler including an eleventh input channel, a twelfth input channel, an eleventh output channel, and a twelfth output channel.
US08649628B2	Adaptive PSF estimation technique using a sharp preview and a blurred image An adaptive motion estimation and deblurring technique for acquired digital images includes acquiring multiple digital images with a moving digital image acquisition device that includes an image sensor, including a relatively sharp, underexposed reference image and a blurred image. Anb initial approximate point spread function (PSF) is estimated corresponding to the moving of the device. A different DC offset point is determined and a second PSF is calculated based on the different DC offset point.
US08649620B2	Image coding method, image decoding method, image coding apparatus, and image decoding apparatus An image coding method, comprising: subtracting a prediction signal from the input image signal for each coding unit, thereby generating respective prediction error signals; performing orthogonal transform and quantization on a corresponding one of the prediction error signals for each transform unit, eventually generating quantization coefficients; and coding pieces of management information indicating a structure of the transform units and the quantization coefficients into a tree structure. Each of the transform units corresponds to a corresponding one of leaf nodes in the tree structure. In the coding, for each leaf node, management information and a quantization coefficient are coded, eventually generating a coded signal in which the coded management information and the coded quantization coefficient are arranged in succession for each leaf node.
US08649609B1	Field programmable gate array apparatus, method, and computer program An apparatus is provided that includes a plurality of modules, a plurality of memory banks, and a multiplexor. Each module includes at least one agent that interfaces between a module and a memory bank. Each memory bank includes an arbiter that interfaces between the at least one agent of each module and the memory bank. The multiplexor is configured to assign data paths between the at least one agent of each module and a corresponding arbiter of each memory bank based on the assigned data path. The at least one agent of each module is configured to read data from the corresponding arbiter of the memory bank or write modified data to the corresponding arbiter of the memory bank.
US08649607B1	Spectral ratio contrast for edge detection in spectral images Apparatus, systems, and methods integrating spectral information with spatial feature extraction of image data, providing simultaneous spatial and spectral feature selection of the image data, can be used in a variety of applications. In various embodiments, an edge signature for the edge between two materials can be defined using ratios of identified spectral bands, where the edge signature can be combined with a spatial mask to obtain a joint spatio-spectral mask. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.
US08649606B2	Methods and systems for generating saliency models through linear and/or nonlinear integration Methods and systems for generating saliency models are discussed. Saliency models can be applied to visual scenes to generate predictions on which locations in the visual scenes are fixation locations and which locations are nonfixation locations. Saliency models are learned from fixation data on the visual scenes obtained from one or more subjects.
US08649605B2	Method and apparatus for detecting foam on a liquid surface in a vessel An apparatus and method for detecting foam on a liquid surface in a vessel is presented. The vessel has an upper opening surrounded by a border. The vessel can be a tube-shaped. At least one image is taken from a region suspected to contain foam in the vessel by using an image sensing device that provides corresponding image data. An automatic evaluation of the image is performed on the basis of the image data by a data processing system using an image evaluation program. The at least one image is taken from the top of the vessel through the open upper opening onto the liquid surface. The image evaluation program of the data processing system identifies foam areas and non-foam areas in the image and provides information about the presence or absence of foam areas in the image as a result of the image evaluation.
US08649601B1	Method and apparatus for verifying answer document images Disclosed herein, among other things, are method and apparatus for verifying answer document images. According to one embodiment of a method, data collected from a scanned image of an answer document is received, the data including an indication of whether a bubble on the answer document is marked. Responses are automatically identified to have a first review, including sorting the collected data using one or more predetermined criteria. The responses are automatically forwarded to a first editor to conduct the first review, the first review including a data entry. If the data entry of the first editor varies with the indication for a particular response, the particular response is automatically forwarded to a second editor to conduct a second review, where the first editor is different from the second editor.
US08649590B2	Paper sheet management apparatus, paper sheet management method, and paper sheet management program A paper sheet management apparatus includes: a serial number recognizing unit 38A that performs a character recognition of a serial number of predetermined digits for recognizing a banknote from the banknote, obtains a character recognition result including a recognizable character and/or an unrecognizable character, and obtains a serial number recognition result including a recognizable determined character and/or an unrecognizable error character based on the obtained character, recognition result; a serial number registration condition processing unit 38B that judges whether the serial number recognition result meets a predetermined registration condition based on the determined character or the error character in the obtained serial number recognition result; and a DB control unit 38E that registers banknote detailed information including the serial number recognition result in a database 33, when the serial number recognition result meets the predetermined registration condition, and forbids registration of the serial number recognition result in the database 33, when the serial number recognition result does not meet the predetermined registration condition. Thus, needless registration of serial numbers can be avoided, and an operational burden on a user who inputs a serial number can be significantly reduced.
US08649588B2	Method for canceling impact of physical property variability on image quality performance of digital imaging system A method for canceling the impact of the physical property variability on the image quality performance of a digital imaging system, obtained during quality control (QC) analysis using a serial numbered quality control (QC) target by applying physical property deviation controlled behavior model corrections to the raw image quality performance. The serial numbered QC-target used for the QC analysis comprises target-specific, measured physical property data encoded in- or outside of QC-target.
US08649586B2	Color flow gain adjustment method and device A color flow gain adjustment method and device, and a color ultrasound imaging system using the device are disclosed.
US08649578B2	Method and system for defining a breast window A computer implemented method for defining a breast window within an image for a breast, said image containing a breast image having a breast boundary, the method comprising: identifying a center region of the breast image, where the center region is coincident with an edge of the image; defining the edge of the image as the first border of the breast window; searching from the center region along the edge of the image for the breast boundary, the breast boundary informing a second border of the breast window; searching from the center region along the edge of the image in an opposite direction for the breast boundary, the breast boundary informing a third border of the breast window; and repeatedly searching from the center region in a direction orthogonal to the edge of the image for a point on the breast boundary most distant from the edge of the image, the point on the breast boundary informing a fourth border of the breast window. In some embodiments, the image may be rotated/flipped and/or subsampled and/or thresholded to form a binary image before a breast window is searched. A method of thresholding the image is also disclosed.
US08649576B2	Arborization reconstruction A method and system comprising: generating at least one slice image by carpeting a multitude of digital images based upon a two-dimensional (2-D) reference system, each of the multitude of digital images associated with a location in the 2-D reference system and each showing a representation of an arborization and/or landmark such that digital images not showing a representation of an arborization and/or landmark are excluded; carpeting the multitude of digital images together to create a slice image; aligning the slice image with other similarly created slice images using landmark information to determine the amount of 2-D rotation and/or translation to be applied to each slice image; vectorizing the representation of the arborization on each slice image, the vectorization creating a series of segments; assigning a type to at least one of the series of segments based on a unique characteristic of arborization; and grouping related segments together.
US08649575B2	Method and apparatus of a gesture based biometric system An apparatus and method for detecting a finger are provided. The method includes capturing an image of a finger, generating a likelihood image of the finger from the captured image, localizing the finger within the likelihood image, determining a boundary of the finger, determining a location of one or more creases of the finger, and comparing the determined location of the one or more creases with crease locations of a finger image stored in a database.
US08649571B2	Finger identification apparatus An identification apparatus keeps the conditions for imaging uniform among successive identifications, and requires a user to perform only a series of simple maneuvers. The apparatus comprises a guide member, a light source, and an imaging unit. The guide member includes a pattern or structure for a user to position his/her finger thereon or to approach his/her specific finger region thereto. A contact member is located in the guide member where a fingertip is positioned. An optical opening is formed at a position coincident with where a finger to be imaged should be placed. The light source radiates near-infrared light through the portion of the finger to be imaged. The imaging means acquires an image of the finger, and the apparatus compares the image to previously registered images. The apparatus may also include dual light sources power saving functionality, and means for limiting the interference of external light sources.
US08649570B2	Biometric information processing apparatus, biometric information processing method, and biometric information processing computer program A biometric information processing apparatus includes: a biometric information acquiring unit which acquires biometric input data representing a user's biometric input information; and a processing unit. The processing unit executes: extracting a feature quantity characterizing a feature of the biometric information from the biometric input information; classifying, based on the extracted feature quantity, the biometric input information into at least one of a plurality of classes categorized according to common features of biometric information, computing a confidence level for each class into which the biometric input information has been classified; judging whether or not a maximum value of the confidence level is larger than a threshold value predefined for the class corresponding to the maximum value among the plurality of classes; and, if the maximum value is not larger than the threshold value, prompting the user to have the user's biometric information reacquired.
US08649569B2	Authentication apparatus, image capture apparatus, authentication method, and authentication program In an authentication apparatus, an input section acquires a living body image which an image capture apparatus generates by capturing an image of a living body that is an object of authentication, and outputs the living body image to an operation section. When the operation section acquires the living body image from the input section, the operation section calculates, on the basis of the living body image acquired and a registered image stored in a registered image storage section, the difference between the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the living body image and the relative position of the living body with respect to the image capture apparatus at the time of acquiring the registered image. The output section outputs guidance information for prompting a reduction in the difference in the relative position calculated by the operation section.
US08649566B2	Motion quality error detection in printing systems using documents having text or line content A method for detecting motion quality error of printed documents having text in a printing system includes: printing a document having text lines, each text line comprising a plurality of characters; scanning the printed document to generate a scanned image; detecting positions in a process direction of the printing system of one of text lines and characters in the scanned image; determining position errors in the process direction in the printed document based on the detected positions in the scanned image; determining at least one motion quality defect of the printing system in the process direction based on the determined position errors; and initiating an activity associated with said printing system in response to a motion quality error having been determined. A system for detecting motion quality error of printed documents is also disclosed.
US08649562B2	Method and system for processing a signal including at least a component representative of a periodic phenomenon in a living being A method of processing a signal including at least a component representative of a periodic phenomenon in a living being includes obtaining a sequence of images showing the living being, extracting at least one first signal having at least a component representative of a periodic phenomenon in a living being from the sequence of images using remote plethysmography. Separate data representative of at least a periodic component of motion of the living being are obtained by carrying out motion analysis of the sequence of images. The data are used at least to suppress a component of the first signal corresponding to the periodic component of motion of the living being. The method is unobtrusive to the living being, and the living being can be in motion.
US08649559B2	Method and interface of recognizing user's dynamic organ gesture and electric-using apparatus using the interface A method of recognizing a user's dynamic organ for use in an electric-using apparatus includes scanning a target image inputted through an imaging element using a window; generating a HOG descriptor of a region of the target image that is scanned when it is judged that the scanned region includes a dynamic organ; measuring a resemblance value between the HOG descriptor of the scanned region and a HOG descriptor of a query template for a gesture of the dynamic organ; and judging that the scanned region includes the gesture of the dynamic organ when the resemblance value meets a predetermined condition.
US08649557B2	Method of mobile platform detecting and tracking dynamic objects and computer-readable medium thereof Disclosed herein is a computer-readable medium and method of a mobile platform detecting and tracking dynamic objects in an environment having the dynamic objects. The mobile platform acquires a three-dimensional (3D) image using a time-of-flight (TOF) sensor, removes a floor plane from the acquired 3D image using a random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm, and individually separates objects from the 3D image. Movement of the respective separated objects is estimated using a joint probability data association filter (JPDAF).
US08649544B2	Phasing plug for a compression driver A phasing plug for a compression driver includes a base portion and a hub portion. The base portion includes a first side, a second side, and a plurality of apertures extending between the first and second sides. The hub portion extends from the base portion along an axis. The hub portion includes an outer surface and a plurality of ribs disposed on the outer surface. A plurality of recesses are defined by the outer surface and respective pairs of adjacent ribs. At least one aperture fluidly communicates with at least one of the recesses.
US08649541B2	Hearing aid with magnetostrictive electroactive sensor A hearing aid includes a magnetostrictive electroactive (ME) sensor that generates an electrical signal in response to a magnetic field or a mechanical pressure. In various embodiments, the ME sensor is used for cordless charging of a rechargeable battery in the hearing aid by generating an electrical signal in response to a magnetic field generated for power transfer, magnetic sound signal reception, and/or detection of user commands by sensing a magnetic field or a pressure applied to the hearing aid.
US08649540B2	Electronic earplug Electronic earplugs, methods of enhancing and/or attenuating sound using electronic earplugs, and kits including electronic earplugs are provided. Certain electronic earplugs provided can deliver sound to a user's ear canal at levels below, equal to, and/or above ambient sound levels for specified ambient sound level ranges. Certain electronic earplugs provided can be switched between first and second settings with different sound level delivery settings. Certain electronic earplugs provided can be coupled with or integrated into two-way communication devices. Certain of such two-way communication devices can use induction to receive and transmit audio signals. Certain electronic earplugs provided can include a receive coil configured to allow remote radio signals to be received. Certain electronic earplugs provided can block at least about 35 dB of ambient sound when fully inserted into a user's ear canal. Kits that include electronic earplugs and accessories for use with electronic earplugs are also provided.
US08649537B2	Drive device There is provided a drive device capable of driving a capacitive load with efficiency and with low power consumption while keeping quality input reproducibility for output signal. A switching drive circuit 10f repeatedly performs operations in the order of VCP charging phase PH_VCP_CH, VCP discharging phase PH_VCP_dCH, VCN charging phase PH_VCN_CH, and VCN discharging phase PH_VCN_dCH. A switching amplifier 10 allows a charging phase per cycle for an input signal VIN that is a reference for operation to be either a phase in which the slope of the input signal VIN is positive from a reference voltage REFL or greater until a maximum voltage, or a phase in which the slope of the input signal VIN is negative from a reference voltage REFH or less until a minimum voltage.
US08649533B2	Emotive advisory system acoustic environment An emotive advisory system for use by one or more occupants of an automotive vehicle includes a directional speaker array, and a computer. The computer is configured to determine an audio direction, and output data representing an avatar for visual display. The computer is further configured to output data representing a spoken statement for the avatar for audio play from the speaker array such that the audio from the speaker array is directed in the determined audio direction. A visual appearance of the avatar and the spoken statement for the avatar convey a simulated emotional state.
US08649521B2	Obfuscation of sequenced encoded data slices A method begins by a processing module receiving data to produce received data segments. The method continues with the processing module, in order of receiving the data segments, encrypting a data segment to produce an encrypted data segment, dispersed storage error encoding the encrypted data segment to produce a set of encoded data slices, buffering at least a number of encoded data slices of the set of encoded data slices to produce first buffered encoded data slices, and buffering remaining encoded data slices of the set of encoded data slices to produce second buffered encoded data slices. The method continues with the processing module outputting the first buffered encoded data slices and, at most, some of the second buffered encoded data slices in accordance with a pseudo random output sequencing order when a number of first buffered encoded data slices compares favorably to an outputting threshold.
US08649515B1	Controlled sharing of media data that are retrievable over a public computer network An owner of media data encrypts the media data using a session key. The session key is encrypted using a public key of a designated recipient of the media data. A key manager provides the encrypted session key to the recipient while the owner is sharing the media data with the recipient. The encrypted media data is published and accessed by the recipient over a public computer network. The encrypted session key and the encrypted media data are received in the recipient's computer, where the encrypted session key is decrypted into the session key using the recipient's private key and the encrypted media data is decrypted into the media data using the session key. When the owner is no longer sharing the media data with the recipient, the recipient is prevented from further receiving the encrypted session key from the key manager.
US08649507B2	Mobile communications device enclosure In some embodiments, a mobile media device enclosure can be configured to receive a mobile media device. The mobile media device enclosure can include: (a) a rigid portion, the rigid portion including a back wall and one or more sidewalls, the back wall and the one or more sidewalls defining an interior and an exterior of the mobile media device enclosure, the rigid portion configured to receive the mobile media device within the interior of the mobile media device enclosure; and (b) an ejection tab located at the back wall of the rigid portion, the ejection tab at least partially defined by a channel traversing from a first point in the rigid portion to a second point in the rigid portion, the ejection tab having a fixed portion and a moveable portion, the fixed portion of the ejection tab is mechanically coupled to the rigid portion, the movable portion of the ejection tab has a first portion mechanically coupled to the fixed portion of the ejection tab and a second portion at least partially defined by the channel. The movable portion of the ejection tab is configured to flexibly maintain a first position substantially parallel to an orientation of the back wall of the rigid portion, and the movable portion of the ejection tab is further configured to flexibly maintain a second position partially within the interior of the rigid portion when sufficient force is applied to the exterior of the rigid portion at the second portion of the movable portion of the ejection tab. Other embodiments and related methods are also disclosed herein.
US08649502B2	Protection cover mechanism with enhanced space utilization A protection cover mechanism is disclosed. A hollow hinge tube is connected to a protective cover. A first hinge cover body is connected to the hollow hinge tube and includes a positioning rib. A spring is disposed in the first hinge cover body and abuts the hollow hinge tube. A hollow driven member is movably disposed in the first hinge cover body and abuts the spring. The spring is abutted between the hollow hinge tube and the hollow driven member. The hollow driven member includes a protrusion. The positioning rib is positioned on the hollow driven member, forcing the hollow driven member to move linearly with respect to the first hinge cover body. A fixing base includes a hollow tube fit on the hollow driven member and having an annular inner guide track with an undulated profile. The protrusion abuts the annular inner guide track.
US08649500B1	Dynamic allocation of agents for outbound calling in an automated communication link establishment and management system Devices, methods and systems are disclosed herein for dynamically allocating agents during automated operation of a system performing attempts to establish communication connections between a user and a target. When human intervention is needed in order to further process an attempt to establish a communication connection between a user and a target, the system automatically selects the best available agent based upon the skills and experience of available agents in comparison to the conditions, characteristics, or requirements of the attempted communication connection.
US08649499B1	Communication analytics training management system for call center agents Technologies are generally presented herein pertaining to identifying a training topic for agents at a contact center. In various embodiments, these technologies comprise performing an analysis on communications conducted between agents at the contact center and contact parties over a time period. In particular embodiments, the analysis performed on the communications involves identifying a number of occurrences of a keyword or a keyphrase found in the communications between the agents and the contact parties. Further, in various embodiments, in response to the number of occurrences of the keyword or the keyphrase over the time period being more than a predetermined threshold, the technologies presented herein comprise automatically identifying a training topic associated with the keyword or the keyphrase, and then providing a training course to the agent.
US08649497B1	Method and apparatus for providing reliable path for direct inward dial calls A method and system for providing reliable path for Direct Inward Dial (DID) calls on networks, e.g., Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) networks, the packet networks Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Service over Internet Protocol (SoIP) networks are disclosed. In one embodiment, the present method enables the customers to request for a reliable path for Direct Inward Dial (DID) calls. For example, the present method enables a service provider to connect a customer's switch, e.g., a PBX, to two or more switches (or softswitches) via two separate DID trunk groups. The method also enables the service provider to create a DID trunk group between the two or more switches (or softswitches) connected to the customer's switch. With this architecture, the service provider is able to continue to forward DID calls towards the customer's switch even if one of the two separate DID trunk groups has failed.
US08649496B2	Call classification and forwarding A method may include receiving a telephone number mapping query from a querying device, the telephone number mapping query being associated with a call from a calling party to a called party. The method may also include retrieving address information based on the telephone number mapping query, the address information including addresses associated a number of network devices. The method may further include retrieving call type information associated with each of the addresses, and forwarding the address information and the call type information to the querying device.
US08649491B1	System and method for real-time geographical call display of automatic call distributor calls In a call center, a caller's geographical position may be mapped together with a geographical position of a call agent allocated to handle the call. A map may display tags depicting the respective positions of the caller and the call agent with a visual link indicating the call connection. The call agent may be selected dependent on the relative proximity to the caller.
US08649490B2	Remote diagnosis of beverage preparation machines A communication system (1) comprises: a beverage preparation machine (10) having a data-exchange communication module (11, 11′); a service unit (30) that is distant from the beverage preparation machine and that is arranged for exchanging data with the communication module of the beverage preparation machine; a transmission arrangement (15, 20, 35) for transmitting data between the data-exchange communication module and the service unit. The data-exchange communication module of the beverage preparation machine comprises a sound-interface (11, 11′) for exchanging data as a sound signal. The transmission arrangement comprises a telephone device (15) for transmitting this sound signal of the data towards the service unit and/or originating from the service unit.
US08649486B1	Method for providing text messaging confirmation A method for providing confirmation of a request for a target communicated using text messaging includes receiving, by a sending system, a request for a target. The method further includes selecting, by the sending system, a telephone number from a list of telephone numbers, wherein a mapping is created between the request, the selected telephone number, the target, and a target contact. Additionally, the method includes sending, by the sending system to the target contact using the selected telephone number, a text message indicating the request for the target. Moreover, the method includes receiving a reply message from the target contact using the selected telephone number, and determining that the reply message comprises a reply to the request for the target by comparing the target contact and the selected telephone number for the reply message to the mapping.
US08649482B2	X-ray imaging apparatus An X-ray imaging apparatus that performs X-ray imaging while switching a plurality of wireless sensors according to an imaging condition of an object includes: an acquisition unit that acquires examination information indicating the imaging condition of the object; a management unit that manages, as sensor information, remaining battery levels of the plurality of wireless sensors that have been registered; a control unit that assigns a priority order of wireless sensor candidates usable for performing the X-ray imaging according to the imaging condition indicated in the acquired examination information to the plurality of wireless sensors, in descending order of the remaining battery levels; and an imaging unit that performs the X-ray imaging of the object using wireless sensors sequentially consisting of those in descending order of the priority order assigned by the control unit up to a wireless sensor having a preset order number, as determined according to the imaging condition.
US08649476B2	Adjusting sampling phase in a baud-rate CDR using timing skew In described embodiments, a transceiver includes a baud-rate clock and data recovery (CDR) module with an eye sampler, and an adaptation module for adaptively setting parameters of various circuit elements, such as timing, equalizer and gain elements. Data sampling clock phase of the CDR module is set for sampling at, for example, near the center of a data eye detected by the eye sampler, and the phase of data error sampling latch(es) is skewed by the CDR module with respect to the phase of the data sampling latch. Since the error signal driving the timing adaptation contains the information of the pulse response that the CDR module encounters, the phase of timing error sampling latch(es) of the CDR module is skewed based on maintaining a relative equivalence of input pulse response residual pre-cursor and residual post-cursor with respect to the timing error sampling clock phase.
US08649467B2	Multi-symbol channel estimation method for estimating channel response in a multi-carrier modulation system A method of multi-symbol channel estimation for estimating channel response to a plurality of transmission symbols within an observation window transmitted through a time-varying channel in a multi-carrier modulation system is provided. The method is to be implemented using a channel estimation device, and includes the steps of: obtaining a window pilot receive vector according to a part of elements of each of receive symbols corresponding to pilots in a corresponding one of the transmission symbols; computing a window pilot channel trans form matrix based upon the pilots in the transmission symbols; computing an estimated value of a polynomial coefficient vector based upon the window pilot receive vector and the window pilot channel transform matrix; and for each of the transmission symbols, computing a plurality of estimated values of channel response associated with possible transmission paths in the time-varying channel according to the estimated value of the polynomial coefficient vector.
US08649463B2	Radio communication apparatus In UWB communication based on an MB-OFDM communication scheme, when a jamming interference is detected within a receiving frequency band, the frequency of a local signal LO is altered to a frequency that will cause the jamming to be converted to a frequency outside the pass band of an LPF.
US08649460B2	Techniques for multi-wire encoding with an embedded clock Techniques for multi-wire encoding with an embedded clock are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a transmitter component. The transmitter component may comprise at least one encoder module to generate a set of symbols, each symbol being represented by a combination of signal levels on a set of wires. The transmitter component may also comprise at least one signaling module to transmit one or more of the symbols over the set of wires according to a transmit clock. The transmitter component may additionally comprise control logic to restrict transmission of first and second subsets of the set of symbols to respective first and second portions of a clock cycle of the transmit clock, such that a signal differential among at least two of the set of wires exhibits a switching behavior that has a same frequency as the transmit clock.
US08649457B2	Precoding process for a transmitter of a MU-MIMO communication system A Precoding process for a transmitter of a MU-MIMO communication system comprising M antennas in the transmitter and K User Equipments (UE), said precoding being based on a Regularized Zero Forcing (R-ZF) linear precoding.
US08649453B2	Enhanced metrics for demodulation and soft information generation in the presence of a non-constant envelope modulated interferer Systems and methods utilize enhanced metrics for demodulation and/or soft bit information generation in the presence of a non-constant envelope modulated interfering signal. In one embodiment, a receiver includes a downconverter and a demodulator. The downconverter receives a radio frequency signal comprising a desired signal, noise, and a non-constant envelope modulated interfering signal, and downconverts the radio frequency signal to provide a downconverted signal. The demodulator demodulates the downconverted signal based on a demodulation metric that models the non-constant envelope modulated interfering signal as a stationary non-Gaussian random process with a probability distribution derived from a modulation constellation of a modulation used for the non-constant envelope modulated interfering signal. In one embodiment, the demodulator outputs demodulated symbols. In another embodiment, the demodulator outputs soft bit information.
US08649450B2	Method and apparatus for generating a preamble for use in cable transmission systems A method and apparatus for generating a preamble for use in DVB-C2 cable transmission standard is provided. The preamble has multiple functions including frame timing, synchronization, frequency offset estimation, system information signaling and initial channel estimation. In accordance with an implementation, a complementary sequence is inserted as a header and the complementary sequence and system signaling bits are mapped into modulation symbols for transmission on allocated even channels only of the cable transmission system.
US08649449B2	Sending apparatus, reception apparatus, wireless apparatus and transmission mode control method for sending apparatus A sending apparatus is configured to be able to support a plurality of transmission modes that use different occupied frequency bands in a channel. When user setting information indicates that electrical power consumption is reduced, a coordinator decides upon a transmission mode on a narrowly occupied frequency band side so long as a condition that a transmission rate necessary for transmission of digital information is satisfied. To make it possible to use a channel adjacent to a certain channel in sending of digital information from another sending apparatus, the coordinator changes a transmission mode whose occupied frequency band is wide to a transmission mode whose occupied frequency band is narrow for the transmission using the certain channel so long as a condition that the transmission rate necessary for the transmission of the digital information is satisfied.
US08649448B2	Demapping device and method for modified dual carrier modulation system Disclosed herein is a demapping device and method for a Modified Dual Carrier Modulation (MDCM) system. The demapping device comprises: the received signal processing unit receives an MDCM signal preprocessed by an operation preparation unit, and calculates differences between squares of distances between the received signal and a plurality of constellation points; the index search unit searches for a constellation point closest to the received signal based on the differences between squares of distances between the received signal and each of a plurality of constellation points; and the demapping operation unit searches for constellation points close to the closest constellation point, and sends demapping result data to a decoding device. The demapping result is obtained by demapping based on differences between squares of distances between the closest constellation point and the close constellation points.
US08649434B2	Apparatus, method and program enabling improvement of encoding efficiency in encoding images An image processing apparatus includes: a storage means for storing a decoded image in which pictures of a first image and a second image each having a disparity are alternately arranged, and performing local decoding, and a storage control means for performing storage control to control the storage of a reference picture in the storage means such that, from among the pictures which are encoded temporally earlier than a current picture in encoding process which is a picture to be encoded, and are capable of becoming reference pictures, a picture which is a picture of an image at the same viewpoint as the current picture in encoding process from among the first image and the second image and is closest to the current picture in encoding process in a display order is stored in the storage means.
US08649428B2	Method and apparatus for decoding received data signals Decoding logic is arranged to receive an encoded data signal. The decoding logic comprises a convolutional decoder arranged to perform convolutional decoding on the encoded data signal, to produce a decoded data signal. The decoding logic comprises header bit prediction logic arranged to predict a value for at least one header bit within the decoded data signal, and to provide the predicted value for the at least one header bit to the convolutional decoder to be applied during convolutional decoding.
US08649423B2	Methods and systems for precoder selection assisted by demodulation reference signals (DM-RS) Systems and methods according to these exemplary embodiments provide for using demodulation reference signals (DM-RSs) to obtain channel state information (CSI) for precoder selection. A method includes: receiving a DM-RS in at least one subframe, determining the CSI from the DM-RS; and using the CSI to perform at least one function.
US08649417B2	Method and arrangement in a communication system Method and arrangement in a relay node, for cancelling self-interference. The relay node is connected to one or more reception antennas, which reception antennas are configured to receive wireless signals. The method comprises receiving an analogue input signal, converting each received analogue input signal into a digital signal, processing the digital signal, extracting a cancellation signal from each respective digitally processed digital signal, combining and filtering the extracted cancellation signals into a number of combined cancellation signals, converting each combined cancellation signal into an analogue cancellation signal, and subtracting each analogue cancellation signal from the analogue input signal.
US08649413B2	High-power laser focusing apparatus with pressurized housing and aerodynamic window A high-powered laser beam focusing apparatus for use in laser welding applications that includes a laser having a beam delivery fiber for generating a laser beam and a housing adapted to receive the beam delivery fiber. The housing further includes a first internal chamber adapted to receive a flow of pressurized gas; a second internal chamber; and an aerodynamic window positioned between the first chamber and the second chamber.
US08649411B2	Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser device having relief structure The present disclosure is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) device. A relief structure is formed above or below a light emitting region by partially removing an aluminum composition layer of VCESL through an etching process. Thus, profound static performances are obtained, including low power consumption, biggest operational speed, and high ratio of data transmission to power consumption as 2.9 and 9.2 Gbps/mW under 34 and 12.5 Gbps, respectively.
US08649410B2	Semiconductor laser and method for manufacturing the same A semiconductor laser according to the present invention includes a first reflective region and a second reflective region disposed opposite to the first reflective region in a predetermined direction of an optical axis. The first reflective region has a plurality of gain waveguides each including an active layer and a plurality of refractive-index controlling waveguides each having a first diffraction grating formed therein. The gain waveguides and the refractive-index controlling waveguides are alternately arranged at a predetermined pitch in the direction of the optical axis. The second reflective region has a second diffraction grating.
US08649407B2	Surface-emitting laser device, surface-emitting laser array, optical scanning apparatus and image forming apparatus A surface-emitting laser device configured to emit laser light in a direction perpendicular to a substrate includes a p-side electrode surrounding an emitting area on an emitting surface to emit the laser light; and a transparent dielectric film formed on an outside area outside a center part of the emitting area and within the emitting area to lower a reflectance to be less than that of the center part. The outside area within the emitting area has shape anisotropy in two mutually perpendicular directions.
US08649406B2	Shunt driver circuit for laser diode with push pull architecture A shunt driver for driving an LD is disclosed. The shunt driver has the push-pull architecture with the high side driver and the low side driver. The high side driver is driven by a positive phase signal superposed with a signal with a phase opposite to the negative phase signal. The low side driver is driven by a negative phase signal superposed with a signal with a phase opposite to the positive phase signal. Adjusting the magnitude of the superposed signals, the driving current for the LD has the peaking in the rising and falling edges thereof.
US08649405B2	Heat transfer device with at least one semiconductor element, particularly a laser or light-emitting diode element, and method for the assembly thereof A semiconductor component on mutually opposing sides is joined in a first and a second bonded connection with a heat conducting body each. The heat-conducting bodies are joined in a third bonded connection in the region of the sections thereof extending away from the semiconductor element. A spacer, which with regard to the third connection, is disposed on the opposite side of the semiconductor component between the heat-conducting bodies, in conjunction with the joining zone thickness of the third connection being greater than that of the first or the second joining zone to ensure that defined joining zone thicknesses in the bonded connection is maintained during the joining process. The third connection can be used for at least partial heat transfer of the waste heat of the semiconductor component, particularly to a heat sink that is connected to the heat transfer device.
US08649403B2	Fiber laser device When an output instruction is input to a control unit, the control unit controls a seed laser light source and a pumping light source to be either in a pre-pumped state or in an output state. In the pre-pumped state, the pumping light source outputs, for a predetermined period, pumping light with an intensity determined based on the duration of the period of time from when the output state prior to the input of the output instruction to the control unit comes to an end till when the output instruction is input to the control unit. In the output state, to cause the output unit to output laser light, the seed laser light source outputs laser light, and the pumping light source outputs pumping light.
US08649397B2	DSL terminal-exchange device connecting system and method A network device includes a media gateway to receive and process a voice over digital subscriber line (VoDSL) communication to generate voice data in a predetermined format; a terminating unit to receive another type of voice communication and output voice data in the predetermined format; and a control unit to receive the generated voice data from the media gateway and the outputted voice data from the terminating unit, where the network device exchanges at least one of the VoDSL communication to the other type of voice communication or the other type of voice communication to the VoDSL communication.
US08649392B2	Implicit reservation of resources in a point-to-multipoint or multi-point-to-multipoint network A point-to-multipoint or multipoint-to-multipoint communication network comprises at least one management center and remote traffic stations, between which radio links sharing resources allocated dynamically by the management center have been established. Each traffic station is tasked, whenever it needs additional resources to increase the useful traffic (UT) that it must transmit to the management center, with adding to the current useful traffic (UT) a first traffic (ST), known as smoothing traffic and representative of a selected margin, and a second traffic (AT), known as anticipated traffic and representative of an anticipated need for additional resources, in order to implicitly solicit the management center, then with determining whether additional resources were allocated by the management center, and, if additional resources were allocated, to increase the useful traffic (UT) by an amount corresponding as much as possible to the sum of the resources corresponding to the first traffic (ST) and allocated additional resources.
US08649390B2	Method and apparatus for allocating resource in wireless network using directional antenna A method and apparatus for allocating a resource in a wireless network using a directional antenna is provided. The method and apparatus for allocating a resource in a wireless network using a directional antenna may spatially reuse resources using the directional antenna, allocate resources to enable a maximum number of groups to be transmitted in a given time or to enable a group including a number of links to be transmitted first, and thereby may reduce communication delay and increase throughput.
US08649387B2	Method and system for fibre channel and ethernet interworking Certain aspects of a method and system for Fiber Channel and Ethernet interworking may include receiving by a central processing unit (CPU), one or more requests for discovery of one or more Fiber Channel (FC) switches based on a Fiber Channel initialization protocol (FIP). The CPU may be operable to facilitate, via a network switch, a proxy login into the one or more FC switches based on the FIP for one or more servers. The one or more servers may be operable to directly communicate and/or receive packets to/from the FC switches via the network switch. The network switch may be operable to determine a destination address of one or more servers based on the facilitated proxy login by the CPU if the one or more servers utilize fabric provided MAC addresses (FPMA) or utilize a MAC address table if the one or more servers utilize server provided MAC addresses (SPMA).
US08649382B2	Methods and systems for content access and distribution Distribution of content between publishers and consumers is accomplished using an overlay network that may make use of XML language to facilitate content identification. The overlay network includes a plurality of routers that may be in communication with each other and the publishers and consumers on the Internet. Content and queries are identified by content descriptors that are routed from the originator to a nearest router in the overlay network. The nearest router, for each unique content descriptor, generates a hash identification of the content descriptor which is used by remaining routers in the overlay network to provide the appropriate functions with respect to the content descriptor. In particular, this allows all routers in the overlay network except the nearest router to properly route content without processing every content descriptor.
US08649379B2	Method and apparatus for configuring a link aggregation group on a stacked switch Two network switches are configured in a stacked relationship to each other and include link aggregation sub-layer functionality. Switching tables are programmed on each switch with information used to forward packets ingressing to them over a redundant LAG that is identified in the switching table by a port that is a member of the redundant LAG.
US08649377B2	Methods and systems to store state used to forward multicast traffic A method and system are described to multicast with an adaptive dual state. The system receives multicast traffic over a membership tree including a first plurality of nodes connected in a first topology destined for a plurality of multicast members of a first multicast group. Next, the system determines a rate of multicast traffic that exceeds a predetermined threshold based on the receiving the multicast traffic. Next, the system generates a dissemination tree including a second plurality of nodes connected in a second topology to reduce a number of hops to communicate the multicast traffic to the plurality of multicast members of the first multicast group. Finally, the system forwards the multicast traffic to the plurality of multicast members of the first multicast group over the dissemination tree.
US08649371B2	Gateway device, communication system, and communication method A gateway apparatus 110 includes: a communication unit 111 communicating a frame signal conforming to an IuUP (Iu User Plane) protocol with a wireless base station controller connected to a circuit switching network 101; a determination unit 112 for determining whether the frame signal received by the communication unit indicates a time alignment request for a sound signal to a circuit switching network or not; a conversion unit 113, converting information included in the frame signal to information to be set in a call control signal of an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) when the frame signal indicates a time alignment request; and a call control signal transmission unit 114 transmitting the call control signal including the converted information to a communication apparatus in the IMS 102.
US08649360B2	Wireless base station and signal processing method A total of n signal processing circuits respectively constituted by independent circuit blocks process signals at the Data Link and Physical Layers. The signal processing circuits are associated with respective n groups of M/n subcarriers each, to process signals at the Data Link and Physical Layers. For example, the signal processing circuit independently processes signals of the subcarrier group at the Data Link and Physical Layers, the signal processing circuit independently processes signals of the subcarrier group at the Data Link and Physical Layers, and so on. The signal processing circuit independently processes signals of the subcarrier group at the Data Link and Physical Layers.
US08649359B2	Apparatus and method for selection of a gateway of a local area network A provided apparatus is caused to direct establishment of a connection of the apparatus with a core network via a wide area radio access network (RAN), where the core network is coupled to an external network. The apparatus is also caused to select or receive selection of a local area network that is coupled to the same or different external network via one or more local gateways (L-GWs). The apparatus is caused to request selection of a L-GW of the one or more L-GWs from the core network via the wide area RAN, and in response, receive an identity of a selected L-GW. Further, the apparatus is caused to direct contact with the selected L-GW based on the identity, and establishment of a connection of the apparatus with the selected L-GW. The apparatus may thereby be connected to the external network via the local area network and selected L-GW.
US08649357B2	Wireless communication system, mobile station apparatus, base station apparatus and wireless communication method To reduce power consumption in a mobile station apparatus in uplink, while making the system more efficient, the mobile station apparatus has a plurality of transmission antennas 7, performs wireless communications with a base station apparatus, and is provided with a PDCCH reception part 2 that receives designation information for designating the number of transmission antennas to use from the base station apparatus, a PH calculation part 5 that calculates PH (Power Headroom) indicative of a difference between maximum transmission power and transmission power required to achieve desired reception power in the base station apparatus, and a PUSCH transmission part 6 that transmits a signal including the PH to the base station apparatus using the number of transmission antennas designated by the designation information.
US08649356B2	Method of reliable handover signaling procedure in a broadband wireless access system A method for determining whether a mobile station (MS) is present in coverage of a serving base station (SBS) during a handover process and an apparatus for carrying out the same, resulting in the implementation of more reliable handover, are disclosed. A method for controlling an MS to perform a presence check procedure during handover of a broadband wireless access system includes receiving a first signal for a presence check request from an SBS, and transmitting a second signal as a response to the presence check request to the SBS. Preferably, the first signal is received after the lapse of a first time indicating a deadline at which the MS performs network re-entry to a target base station (TBS).
US08649351B2	Scheduling in a cellular system A method for scheduling a first and a second channel in a subframe includes dividing transmission resources needed for the first channel into a first set of resource groups and assigning the resource groups of the first set to subelements in the subframe in a predetermined fashion. The method also includes assigning a symbol value to all subelements in the subframe which have not been assigned a resource group of the first set and dividing transmission resources needed for the second channel into a second set of resource groups. Additionally, the method includes assigning, in a predetermined fashion, the resource groups of the second set to subelements in the subframe by means of said symbol values.
US08649349B2	Method and system for reporting power headroom report (PHR) in carrier aggregation scene A method and system for reporting PHR in carrier aggregation scenarios are disclosed. The method includes: UE encapsulating UE specific PH and/or UL CC specific PH that need to be reported into a same PHR according to a preset order, and meanwhile encapsulating indication information that indicates whether the UE specific PH and each UL CC specific PH are reported or not into the PHR, then sending the PHR to eNB; after receiving the PHR, the eNB analyzing the PHR to obtain the PH and indication information in the PHR, determining the type and quantity of the UE specific PH and/or each UL CC specific PH reported in the PHR according to the indication information and scene configured by eNB for the UE, and then extracting the UE specific PH and/or each UL CC specific PH from the PHR in combination with the preset order.
US08649348B2	Method, donor eNB and radio relay system for realizing service flows transmission of mobile terminal A method, donor eNB and radio relay system for realizing service flow transmission of a terminal are disclosed in the present invention. Wherein a relay station is connected to the donor eNB through a backhaul link, and a scheme for transmitting the service data flow on the backhaul link is: the relay station and the donor eNB transmit each service data flow of each UE on a logical channel set by the donor eNB, thereby when the Relay is configured as a scheduled entity in a Un interface, the problem that the QoS requirement of each service of UE of the Relay can not be satisfied is resolved, so that when the Relay is configured to be a scheduled entity in a Un interface, the QoS requirement of each service of UE of the relay can be satisfied.
US08649346B2	Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving signals in wireless communication system An apparatus and a method for allocating resources for transmitting an HARQ ACK/NACK signal for a downlink subframe using a PUCCH format 3 in a time division duplex (TDD) system using a single carrier are provided. Since the resources are allocated through a resource indicator transmitted using a power control field transmitted on a PDCCH of the downlink subframe, the resources for transmitting the HARQ ACK/NACK signal may be allocated by effectively using resources allocated to a duplicately transferred control signal.
US08649340B2	Wireless LAN system, device, and method, and medium having wireless LAN program stored therein A wireless LAN system, device, and method, and a medium having a wireless LAN program is provided. Wireless LAN devices are able to wirelessly communicate with each other by using a plurality of channels. A wireless LAN device is provided, including a requesting section and a post-request restoring section. The requesting section transmits a probe request by using a second channel selected from among a plurality of channels that the wireless LAN device can use, the probe request being assigned channel information indicating a first channel that the wireless LAN device currently uses. The post-request restoring section, when the second channel is not identical to the first channel, restores the channel used by the wireless LAN device from the second channel to the first channel within a first predetermined period from start of use of the second channel, after the transmission of the probe request.
US08649336B2	Method for assigning addresses to a plurality of electronic devices connected to a communication channel A method is described for assigning addresses to a plurality of electronic devices connected to a shared communication channel, in which, upon being turned on, each device generates and assigns itself an address included in a set containing a number of addresses that is equal to or greater than the number of devices connected to said channel.
US08649334B2	Radio resource reallocating method for circuit mode The present invention relates to a radio resource reallocation method based on the circuit mode. In order to efficiently use the radio resource in the packet-based data transmission system, a circuit mode radio resource is reallocated based on a rearrangement information element and a rearrangement counter information element by using the circuit mode. Accordingly, an unused region of the discontinuous radio resource that can be generated by resource de-allocation and resource change can be eliminated, and a resource allocation mismatch that can be generated by a MAP receiving error can be solved.
US08649332B2	Multiple network connection method and communication device thereof There is provided a multiple network connection method through a first communication device constituting a multiple network together with one or more second communication device, comprises: transmitting a service request message to the second communication device by the first communication device; transmitting a response message including service connection information to the first communication device by the second communication device; transmitting the service request message including the service connection information to a network management server by the first communication device; transmitting a request message to set a new connection path with the second communication device to a service providing entity or an external communication device by the network management server; and generating a new connection path between the service providing entity or the external communication device and the second communication device, and transceiving data through the new connection path.
US08649326B2	Method of handling capability information of a mobile device and related communication device A method of handling capability information of a mobile device in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method comprises setting a first device capability recognized by a legacy base station of a network of the wireless communication system, and transmitting the first device capability with a second device capability to the network, to convey the capability information to the network, wherein the second device capability is recognized by an advanced base station of the network.
US08649319B2	Method and apparatus for allocating communication resources to communicate data in a radio communication system Apparatus and method for allocating communication resources in a data radio communication system, such as an MAIO (Mobile Allocation Index Offset) communication system, e.g., a communication system that provides for Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE) data services. A multi-carrier radio resource control logic element includes an analyzer that analyzes communication resource requirements to carry out a communication service. A resource allocator allocates communication resources to be used by which to communicate the data. The communication resources are allocated across a plurality of radio carriers such that resources are allocated, during a particular time period, upon a single radio carrier of the plurality of radio carriers.
US08649304B2	Optimized selection of transmission protocol respecting thresholds In the method for management of data transmissions in a network, switching means are provided, by means of which a change can be carried out between a first data transmission type and a second data transmission type, as alternative data transmission types between a transmitter and a receiver. The change is carried out on the basis of at least one respectively predetermined criterion. The first data transmission type corresponds to a transport protocol based on rate-based overload control. The second data transmission type corresponds to a transport protocol based on RTT-based overload control.
US08649293B2	Control information transmission method and control information receiving terminal A control information transmission method and a control information receiving terminal are provided. The transmission method comprises: notifying a terminal of setting information of control information in a downlink subframe (S202); and transmitting the control information to the terminal in a preset subframe and other subframes determined according to the setting information (S204). By transmitting the control information on part of the 16m subframes and notifying the 16m terminal of the information of setting the control information, the present invention enables the 16m terminal to shut down the RF transmission at the location of a subframe where the control information is not included and no resource related to the terminal is assigned, and to enter the micro sleep mode, which reduces power consumption of the terminal.
US08649286B2	Quality of service (QoS)-related fabric control In an embodiment, one or more fabric control circuits may be inserted in a communication fabric to control various aspects of the communications by components in the system. The fabric control circuits may be included on the interface of the components to the communication fabric, in some embodiments. In other embodiments that include a hierarchical communication fabric, fabric control circuits may alternatively or additionally be included. The fabric control circuits may be programmable, and thus may provide the ability to tune the communication fabric to meet performance and/or functionality goals.
US08649283B2	Packet analysis apparatus and method thereof A method executed by a packet analysis apparatus for analyzing packets including voice packets and non-voice packets includes: capturing packets in a specific session; storing the captured packets in a storage; screening the stored packets to count up a receipt count of voice packets; determining whether packet loss has occurred in the specific session; and determining whether loss packets are voice packets in accordance with received packets adjacent to the loss packets to count up a loss count of voice packets when the packet loss has occurred.
US08649282B2	System and method for combined MAC level message with CQI channel control message for channel feedback report In one or more embodiments, a system and method of managing network channel quality in a wireless communications network includes reporting a channel quality measurement from the particular user to a base station (BS) over an available CQICH, and determining a MCS based, at least in part, upon the channel quality measurement. If a threshold network CQICH capacity is reached during a subsequent data frame such that a CQICH is no longer available, MAC level messages are generated between the BS and the particular user to trigger reporting of signal quality information to the BS by the particular user. After the next CQICH cycle commences and if a CQICH is still unavailable, the signal quality information is continued to be provided via MAC level messages. Otherwise, a CQICH is reallocated for a particular user and channel quality measurement reporting is transitioned back to the CQICH.
US08649280B2	Mobile communication system, base station, user equipment, and communication method A method for adaptively deciding number of feedback resource blocks in a downlink which comprises that a base station (500) determines a mode corresponding to the number of the feedback resource blocks which a user equipment feeds back by monitoring performance of a wireless cell and number of the user equipments (100) and transmits the mode to the user equipments (100) through signaling; the user equipments (100) listens to the mode and adaptively decides the number of feedback resource blocks by conditions of itself and feeds back downlink channel quality indicator information to the base station (500) according to Best channel quality indicator number or Threshold based feedback algorithm; and the base station (500) performs resource scheduling according to the feedback information. The present invention provides a method for adaptively deciding the number of feedback resource blocks based on base station signaling and user equipment decision, with respect to Best channel quality indicator number or Threshold based feedback algorithm in downlinks, thus insuring the performance of the wireless cell.
US08649277B2	Communication apparatus and method A packetizer sectionalizes data to be transmitted into predetermined units and packetizes them into packets. A permuter permutes the order of the packets created by the packetizer based on a designated interleave length and sends out the packets to a network. A continuous loss information collector collects information on continuous packet loss occurring on the network. An interleave length determiner determines an interleave length based on the information on continuous packet loss, collected by the continuous loss information collector and designates the interleave length for the permuter.
US08649274B2	Method of securing network access radio systems A method of providing security for network access radio systems and associated access radio security systems used with the systems. The method includes connecting an access radio having a radio link to a network; communicating between the access radio and a computer over the network using a ping application having ping commands and unique encrypted codes; and enabling operation of the access radio when the access radio is receiving ping commands. Typically, the access radio and the computer are nodes on the network and the network is a local area network (LAN). The ping application sends packets of information from the computer to the access radio and receives a response from the access radio. The ping application must be functioning (i.e., sending and receiving commands between the computer and the access radio) to enable the access radio to communicate via the radio link with a remote network.
US08649273B2	Method for reporting a transmission channel quality A method for reporting a user channel quality in a wireless telecommunication system. The user channel includes a plurality of transmission resources such as, for example, frequency intervals of an OFDM multiplex. The user terminal determines the transmission resources which would be in an outage position for a transmission with a set point bit rate. The user terminal transmits on the uplink the list of resources which would be in an outage position as well as a channel quality indicator for resources which would not be.
US08649271B2	Testing network equipment There are disclosed a system, a test module and a method for testing a network device. One or more test modules may be plugged into respective ports of the network device in replacement of respective pluggable transceiver modules. Each test module may include at least one of a traffic generator and a traffic receiver to transmit and receive, respectively, test traffic via the network device.
US08649269B2	Method of controlling resource usage in communication systems In one embodiment, the method includes receiving, at the communication node, resource usage price information. The resource usage price information characterizes a cost associated with the communication node using a resource. The communication node determines an amount of the resource to use based on the received resource usage price information.
US08649267B2	Method, system and use thereof for controlling real time contiguous data in a packet switched data stream, real time contiguous data service provided using said method A method and apparatus in a packet-switched communication network for controlling Quality of Service (QoS) for a packet-switched data stream that includes a plurality of contiguous data packages. The network normally provides the data stream to users at a first QoS level. When it is determined that a receiving user is not authorized to receive the data stream at the first QoS level, the apparatus intercepts the data stream prior to receipt by the receiving user and extracts selected data packages from the data stream to reduce the QoS level for the data stream to a lower, second QoS level to match an authorization status of the receiving user. The apparatus then forwards to the receiving user, a modified data stream with the lower, second QoS level.
US08649265B2	Low power and fast application service transmission An apparatus, method and system are provided to allow a low power and fast application service transmission (LP-FAST) engine to enhance the quality of service (QoS) and optimize the power consumption of the mobile applications operating in a mobile terminal in a service-aware, bandwidth-aware and power-consumption-aware manner.
US08649262B2	Dynamic configuration of potential links between processing elements According to some embodiments, first and second processing elements may be provided on a die, and there may be a plurality of potential communication links between the first and second processing elements. Moreover, control logic may be provided on the die to dynamically activate at least some of the potential communication links (e.g., based on a current bandwidth appropriate between the first and second processing elements).
US08649259B2	Method and apparatus for implementing control of multiple physically dual homed devices A ring control protocol is used to establish a separate control plane for a plurality of physically dual homed devices to enable collections of dual homed devices to be represented by a single pair of addresses into the attached routed Ethernet network. The gateway devices analyze the passing ring control packets to create direct mappings for data packets to the routed Ethernet network. Thus, although the dual homed devices are treated as a ring from a control perspective, the data path is implemented to be direct so that data packets continue to flow directly from the dual homed devices to each of the attached gateway devices. In one embodiment, each of the gateway devices implements a virtual switch and advertises the MAC address of the virtual switch into the routed Ethernet network rather than the MAC addresses of each of the attached Ethernet Switch Units.
US08649258B2	Relay apparatus, data relay method, and communication system A relay apparatus includes: a transfer unit to transfer data from a preceding-stage communication apparatus to a subsequent-stage communication apparatus; a receiving unit to receive abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the data transferred by the transfer unit from the subsequent-stage communication apparatus; and a switching unit to switch a transfer destination of the data by the transfer unit on a basis of the abnormality information received by the receiving unit.
US08649251B2	Multi-user multiplexing method and transmission device The present invention provides a method and apparatus for multi-user multiplexing. The method includes: a transmission apparatus performing layer mapping on data steams to be transmitted of an open-loop user and a close-loop user respectively; the transmission apparatus performing pre-coding processing on a layer data matrix of the open-loop user and the close-loop user obtained by the layer mapping; and the transmission apparatus mapping the layer data matrix after the pre-coding processing to a plurality of transmission antennas to be sent. The method of the present invention can improve frequency spectrum utilization ratio in the case of the a cell being full load or other possible scenarios, and its performance is better than the multiplexing of two close-loop users who are completely not suitable for pairing. Therefore, the method of the present invention is an optimal scheme adopted in some specified scenarios.
US08649241B2	Memory system, memory controller, and synchronizing apparatus According to one embodiment, there is provided a memory system including a bus master, a bus slave, and a memory device. The bus slave includes a synchronizing unit, and a speed-enhancing unit. The synchronizing unit is connected to a bus. The synchronizing unit receives the data in synchronism with a third clock. The third clock is in synchronous relation with a second clock and is slower than a first clock. The speed-enhancing unit enhances a transfer speed from a speed corresponding to the third clock to a speed corresponding to the second clock, by transferring the data received in the synchronizing unit to the memory device in synchronism with the second clock.
US08649231B2	Semiconductor memory device with delay circuit and sense amplifier circuit A memory cell is provided at an intersection of a word line and a bit line, and a dummy cell is provided at an intersection of a dummy word line and a dummy bit line. A delay circuit delays a signal read into the dummy bit line to generate a sense amplifier activating signal. A sense amplifier circuit starts an operation based on a change in the sense amplifier activating signal, and detects/amplifies a signal read out from the memory cell into the bit line. The delay circuit is configured having a first logical gate circuit and a second logical gate circuit alternately cascade-connected. A second delay time is longer than a first delay time, the second delay time being a time required for an output signal of the second logical gate circuit to switch from a first logical state to a second logical state, and a first delay time being a time required for an output signal of the first logical gate circuit to switch from a first logical state to a second logical state.
US08649229B2	Memory module bus termination voltage (VTT) regulation and management Embodiments of the present disclosure describe memory module bus termination voltage (VTT) regulation and management techniques and configurations. A method includes receiving, by a register, a signal that is driven over a bus to a memory device comprising a plurality of memory cells and setting, within the register, a termination voltage (VTT) for the bus based on the signal. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
US08649222B2	Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device which transfers a plurality of voltages to memory cells and method of writing the same According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, a bit line, and a voltage generator. The memory cell array includes each of a plurality of memory cells. Each of the memory cells includes a charge storage layer and a control gate and is capable of holding two or more levels of data. The bit line is capable of transferring data to the memory cells in a one-to-one correspondence. The voltage generator carries out a verify operation by applying a verify voltage to the memory cells after performing first writing by applying a first voltage and then a second voltage lower than the first voltage to the control gate.
US08649220B2	Nonvolatile semiconductor memory A nonvolatile semiconductor memory can reduce variations in an amount of current during data writing operation. This allows for the writing of data to memory cells with high precision. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory includes a plurality of memory cells, word lines connected to the memory cells, and bit lines connected to each of the memory cells. At least two of the bit lines are selected, and a current is simultaneously supplied from a power supply line to those memory cells which are connected to the selected bit lines in order to write data thereto. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory also includes charge amount measurement units for measuring respective amounts of charge stored in the memory cells. The nonvolatile semiconductor memory also includes current path switching circuits connected to the respective bit lines. Those current path switching circuits which are connected to the selected bit lines supply a current from the power supply line to the memory cells or a predetermined terminal depending on a measured value of the amount of charge measured by the charge amount measurement section.
US08649215B2	Data management in flash memory using probability of charge disturbances A Flash memory system and a method for data management using the system's sensitivity to charge-disturbing operations and the history of charge-disturbing operations executed by the system are described. In an embodiment of the invention, the sensitivity to charge-disturbing operations is embodied in a disturb-strength matrix in which selected operations have an associated numerical value that is an estimate of the relative strength of that operation to cause disturbances in charge that result in data errors. The disturb-strength matrix can also include the direction of the error which indicates either a gain or loss of charge. The disturb-strength matrix can be determined by the device conducting a self-test in which charge-disturb errors are provoked by executing a selected operation until a detectable error occurs. In alternative embodiments the disturb-strength matrix is determined by testing selected units from a homogeneous population.
US08649207B2	Sensing resistance variable memory The present disclosure includes devices and methods for operating resistance variable memory. One device embodiment includes an array of memory cells wherein a number of the cells are commonly coupled to a select line, the number cells including a number of data cells programmable within a number of target threshold resistance (Rt) ranges which correspond to a number of data states, and a number of reference cells interleaved with the data cells and programmable within the number of target Rt ranges. The aforementioned device embodiment also includes control circuitry coupled to the array and configured to sense a level associated with at least one data cell and at least one reference cell, and compare the sensed level associated with the at least one data cell with the sensed level associated with the at least one reference cell to determine a data state of the at least one data cell.
US08649206B2	Multi-bit resistance-switching memory cell A non-volatile storage apparatus comprises a set of Y lines, a set of X lines and a plurality of memory cells in communication with the set of X lines and the set of Y lines. Each memory cell of the plurality of memory cells includes a resistance element in a static resistance condition and two or more reversible resistance-switching elements. The resistance element in the static resistance condition and the two or more reversible resistance-switching elements are connected to different Y lines of the set of Y lines. The resistance element in the low resistance state and the two or more reversible resistance-switching elements are connected to a common X line of the set of X lines. One or multiple bits of data are programmed into a particular memory cell of the plurality of memory cells by causing current flow between Y lines connected to the particular memory cell.
US08649202B2	Resistance change memory including a resistive element According to one embodiment, a resistance change memory includes a memory cell array area and a resistive element area on a substrate. A first memory cell array in the memory cell array area includes a first control line, a second control line above first control line, and a first cell unit between the first and second control lines. A second memory cell array on the first memory cell array includes the second control line, a third control line above the second control line, and a second cell unit between the second and the third control lines. And a resistive element in the resistive element area includes resistance lines, and a resistor connected to the resistance lines. The resistor includes the same member as one of a member of the cell unit and a member of a contact plug.
US08649201B2	Memory device, semiconductor device, and driving method therof To provide a memory device which operates with low power consumption, has high reliability of the stored data, and is small-size, light-weight and inexpensive, and a driving method thereof. In addition, to provide a semiconductor device which operates with low power consumption, has high reliability of the stored data and a long distance of radio frequency communication, and is small-size, light-weight and inexpensive, and a driving method thereof. The memory device includes a memory cell array in which at least memory elements are arranged in matrix, and a writing circuit. The memory element has a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and an organic compound layer formed therebetween, and the writing circuit includes a voltage generating circuit for generating a voltage in order to apply at plural times, and a timing controlling circuit for controlling output time of the voltage.
US08649199B2	Low forward voltage rectifier A Low Forward Voltage Rectifier (LFVR) includes a bipolar transistor, a parallel diode, and a base current injection circuit disposed in an easy-to-employ two-terminal package. In one example, the transistor is a Reverse Bipolar Junction Transistor (RBJT), the diode is a distributed diode, and the base current injection circuit is a current transformer. Under forward bias conditions (when the voltage from the first package terminal to the second package terminal is positive), the LFVR conducts current at a rated current level with a low forward voltage drop (for example, approximately 0.1 volts). In reverse bias conditions, the LFVR blocks current flow. Using the LFVR in place of a conventional silicon diode rectifier in the secondary of a flyback converter reduces average power dissipation and increases power supply efficiency.
US08649196B2	Power converting apparatus with an output voltage that is the sum of voltages generated by individual inverters A power converting apparatus includes a first inverter (3) connected to a first DC power supply (1) and a plurality of second inverters (4A, 4B) connected in series to the first DC power supply (1). The plurality of second inverters (4A, 4B) provide compensation to an output voltage of the first inverter (3) by the sum of outputs at which a power balance becomes approximately zero. The power converting apparatus generates output voltage commands (VrefA, VrefB) for the respective second inverters (4A, 4B) upon individually making an adjustment so that DC bus voltages of the second inverters (4A, 4B) become equal to each other depending on whether charging or discharging mode is selected while keeping the sum of the individual output voltage commands (VrefA, VrefB) at a target sum voltage (Vref2).
US08649195B2	Hybrid space vector PWM schemes for interleaved three-phase converters Systems and methods for controlling a modular three-phase converter including two or more interleaved, parallel connected Voltage Source Converters (VSCs) utilizing a hybrid Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVM) control scheme are provided. For the hybrid SVM control scheme, six active vectors utilized for SVM define six sectors in a space vector plane. Each sector is divided into two or more regions having corresponding optimal SVM switching sequences. In operation, a revolving reference voltage vector is sampled to provide a reference voltage vector. The SVM controller then identifies one of the regions in one of the sectors that corresponds to an angle and, in some embodiments, a magnitude of the revolving reference voltage vector and applies the corresponding optimal SVM switching sequence to the two or more interleaved, parallel connected VSCs.
US08649191B2	Synchronous rectifier having phase lock circuit coupled to feedback loop for resonant power converters A synchronous rectifier for a switching power converter is provided and includes a power transistor, a diode, and a control circuit. The power transistor and the diode are coupled to a transformer and an output of the power converter for the rectification. The control circuit generates a drive signal to switch on the power transistor once the diode is forward biased. The control circuit includes a phase-lock circuit. The phase-lock circuit generates an off signal to switch off the power transistor in response to a pulse width of the drive signal. The pulse width of the drive signal is shorter than a turned-on period of the diode. The phase-lock circuit further reduces the pulse width of the drive signal in response to a feedback signal. The feedback signal is correlated to an output load of the power converter.
US08649189B2	Power supply with single stage converter for performing power factor correction and resonant conversion A power supply has a single stage converter for performing power factor correction to reduce high-frequency harmonics in the input current and performs resonant conversion to achieve zero-voltage switching or zero-current switching for power conversion. The inventive single stage converter includes a switching circuit, a resonant circuit, a power control circuit, and a square wave generator. The switching circuit includes at least one switch and the resonant circuit includes a LLC resonant tank. The power control circuit includes a proportional differential circuit such as a power amplifier configured in a negative feedback topology, and the square wave generator is configured to generate driving signals based on the frequency modulation control signal generated by the comparison of the sensed input current and a user-defined power level input, thereby allowing the square wave generator to regulate the switching operation of the switching circuit.
US08649186B2	Package substrate and semiconductor package having the same A package substrate includes a main body having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, a plurality of external terminals attached to the lower surface, and a plurality of grooves formed in regions of the lower surface to which the plurality of external terminals is not attached. The semiconductor package includes a package substrate, a semiconductor chip mounted on the upper surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a board providing a region mounted with the package substrate and being mounted with a plurality of mounting elements which are vertically aligned with the plurality of grooves and are inserted into the plurality of grooves.
US08649173B2	Operation processor A fan box is provided with, in addition to an intake port in the front face, a second intake port at a wall surface position upstream of a fan. An Input/output unit disposed above or below the fan box comprises an exhaust notch that is aligned with the second intake port of the fan box, as well as an intake notch that is provided further to the rear than the exhaust notch. The intake notch is in communication with an air duct that opens in the front face of the processor and that leads to a unit box. The fan discharges through an exhaust port cooling wind that has flowed into the first intake port via an operation unit, as well as cooling wind that has flowed into the second intake port via the Input/output unit.
US08649160B2	Plug-in circuit breaker assembly including insulative retainers A circuit breaker assembly includes a housing, an electrical bus structure within the housing, a number of first plug-in members coupled to the bus structure, and a number of insulative retainers coupled to the bus structure. A corresponding one of the number of insulative retainers is operatively associated with a corresponding number of the number of first plug-in members. Each of a number of circuit breakers includes a manual operator and a number of second plug-in members disposed opposite the manual operator. The number of second plug-in members electrically engage a number of the number of first plug-in members. The corresponding one of the number of insulative retainers is disposed about the corresponding number of the number of first plug-in members, in order to insulate the corresponding number of the number of first plug-in members, and to retain the number of second plug-in members.
US08649154B2	Method for producing a metal-insulator-metal capacitor for use in semiconductor devices Methods of manufacturing metal-insulator-metal capacitor structures, and the metal-insulator-metal capacitor structures obtained, are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes providing a substrate, forming on the substrate a first metal layer comprising a first metal, and using atomic layer deposition with an H2O oxidant to deposit on the first metal layer a protective layer comprising TiO2. The method further includes using atomic layer deposition with an O3 oxidant to deposit on the protective layer a dielectric layer of a dielectric material, and forming on the dielectric layer a second metal layer comprising a second metal. In another embodiment, a metal-insulator-metal capacitor includes a bottom electrode comprising a first metal, a protective layer deposited on the bottom electrode and comprising TiO2, a dielectric layer deposited on the protective layer and comprising a dielectric material, and a top electrode formed on the dielectric layer and comprising a second metal.
US08649153B2	Tapered via and MIM capacitor A chip capacitor and interconnecting wiring is described incorporating a metal insulator metal (MIM) capacitor, tapered vias and vias coupled to one or both of the top and bottom electrodes of the capacitor in an integrated circuit. A design structure tangibly embodied in a machine readable medium is described incorporating computer readable code defining a MIM capacitor, tapered vias, vias and wiring levels in an integrated circuit.
US08649144B2	Method of forming an over-voltage protection circuit and structure therefor In one embodiment, an over-voltage protection circuit is configured to have two control circuits that respond at different values of the input voltage.
US08649140B2	Voltage activated 2nd level safety circuit for permanent isolation A voltage activated 2nd level safety circuit for permanent isolation having a current activated fuse useful for class III medical devices, military applications, and any other passive loads. The battery system has a fuse current limiter and the current activated fuse maintain the fuse closed when a power cell, having a current sufficient to blow the fuse expeditiously, directs its current to the load. The power cell continues to direct its current to the load until the system detects an unacceptable battery or circuit condition. Once that unacceptable condition exists and is detected, a fuse blowing circuitry allows the power cell's current to expeditiously blow the current activated fuse. In response to the blown current activated fuse, the system's isolation switch(es) open as well to establish a permanent isolated battery.
US08649139B2	Methods, systems, and apparatus for detecting arc flash events using current and voltage A power circuit protection system includes a current sensor configured to measure a first current level through a conductor of the circuit, a voltage sensor configured to measure a first voltage level across a plurality of conductors of the circuit, and a controller communicatively coupled to the current sensor and to the voltage sensor. The controller is configured to receive a first signal from the current sensor, wherein the first signal is representative of the first current level, and receive a second signal from the voltage sensor, wherein the second signal is representative of the first voltage level. Based on the first signal and the second signal, the controller is configured to determine whether to activate a first circuit protection device or a second circuit protection device.
US08649138B2	Electricity storage system and control device There is provided an electricity storage system which comprises an electricity storage device, a charge and discharge switch device which is placed connected to the electricity storage device, a control block which is a charge and discharge control device which controls charging from a power supply and discharging from the electricity storage device to an external load, and an electricity storage device breaker with transmission and reception functions which is provided between the electricity storage device and the charge and discharge switch device, disconnects connection with the electricity storage device according to detection of abnormality of the electricity storage device or according to an instruction of the control block, and notifies the execution of the disconnection to the control block. The control block comprises a hardware disconnection instruction unit in addition to a software disconnection instruction unit.
US08649122B2	Rack•pinion mechanism, an accessor, and a magnetic tape apparatus A rack•pinion mechanism in which strength of a member to form a rack can be secured and a member including a pinion can be securely moved in a predetermined direction, and an accessor and a magnetic tape apparatus each including the mechanism are provided. For this purpose, in a picker 22, a pair of projections 222a and 222b are formed to sandwich both side surfaces of a pinion 211, the projections 222a and 222b perpendicularly rising toward a base 21 and curving or bending in an intermediate position thereof; in the base 21, a pair of grooves 212a and 212b are formed on both sides of a rack 211 in a shape to engage with the projections 222a and 222b, a section sandwiched by the grooves 212a and 212b is an engage section 213 including the rack 211 in a center of a wide section 213a at a tip end thereof; and by engaging the projections 222a and 222b with the grooves 212a and 212b, the wide section 213a is held between the projections 222a and 222b.
US08649109B2	Lens holder A lens holder includes: a first barrel with a plurality of helicoidal grooves that extend from a base portion to an end portion and at positions with rotational symmetry; and a second barrel with a plurality of protrusions that respectively enter the plurality of helicoidal grooves. The helicoidal grooves are respectively divided into helicoidal groove sections in multiple stages with a helicoidal groove section on a base portion side and a helicoidal groove section on an end portion side being disposed at angles that do not overlap. The first barrel includes circumferential grooves on the middle portion and circumferential grooves on the end portion. The middle circumferential grooves connect the end on the end side of the helicoidal groove sections on the base side to the end on the base side of the helicoidal groove sections on the end side and guide the protrusions in the circumferential direction.
US08649099B2	Prismatic multiple waveguide for near-eye display A near-eye display includes a compound waveguide for presenting viewers with virtual images visible within an eyebox at a limited relief distance from the compound waveguide. The compound waveguide is assembled from a plurality of waveguides that are at least partially optically isolated for conveying different portions of the virtual image. An input couple injects the different portions of the virtual image into predetermined combinations of the waveguides, and an output coupling ejects the different portions of the virtual image from the waveguides toward the eyebox in a form that at least partially constructs a pupil within the eyebox.
US08649084B2	Color display devices The present invention is directed to a color display comprising an electrophoretic fluid comprising two types of pigment particles of contrasting colors and carrying opposite charge polarities dispersed in a clear and colorless solvent, wherein said electrophoretic fluid is sandwiched between a common electrode and a plurality of colored sub-pixel electrodes or colored pixel electrodes.
US08649082B2	Interior electrochromic mirror assembly An interior rearview mirror assembly of a vehicle includes front and rear substrates with a perimeter seal that spaces said front substrate from said rear substrate and establishes an interpane cavity therebetween for an electrochromic medium. The front substrate has a front connecting portion that extends outboard from the perimeter seal and the rear substrate has a rear connecting portion that extends outboard from the perimeter seal. The front and rear connecting portions may be established partially along the same perimeter region of the reflective element or along adjacent perimeter regions of the reflective element. Electrical connection to the transparent electrically conductive coating at the second surface of the front substrate is established at the front connecting portion of the front substrate and electrical connection to the electrically conductive coating of the third surface of the rear substrate is established at the rear connecting portion of the rear substrate.
US08649067B2	Document retrieving/printing system, digital multi-function machine, document retrieving/printing method, and program A text print instructions sheet generation unit embeds, in a text print instructions sheet, identification information for specifying a text print instructions sheet after being converted into image data. A sheet data management unit manages layout information that associates the identification information for specifying the text print instructions sheet with the identification information of a document included in a retrieval result. An image analysis unit extracts the identification information for specifying a sheet from the image data, specifies the layout information managed by the sheet data management unit based on the extracted identification information, and performs image analysis based on the specified layout information.
US08649066B2	Image display device and image forming apparatus with security control features An image display device is provided with a storage for storing an image, a display for displaying a preview of the image, a security setting receiving unit for receiving setting as to whether or not the preview of the image is to be displayed with security, an image processing unit for applying an image quality degradation process to the image for which the security setting receiving unit received the setting for displaying the preview of the image with security, and a preview display controlling unit for causing the image having the image quality degradation process applied by the image processing unit to be displayed at the time of the preview display of the image for which the setting for the security display was received.
US08649060B2	Method of halftoning for asymmetric print resolutions and a printer A method of printing an image by a printer having an asymmetric printer resolution includes multi-level halftoning the image by assigning a level out of a number of levels to each pixel of the image. The method further includes determining the number of levels on the basis of the asymmetric printer resolution, selecting for each level a collection of at least one binary pattern, each binary pattern consisting of a plurality of sub-pixels the number of which is determined by the number of levels, selecting for each pixel of the halftoned image a binary pattern from the collection selected for the level assigned to the pixel, transforming each pixel of the halftoned image into the selected binary pattern, and printing the binary patterns of the transformed pixels using the asymmetric printer resolution. A printer is configured to perform the method.
US08649045B2	Information processing apparatus, processing method thereof, and computer-readable storage medium The present invention provides an information processing apparatus that acquires image data from an image supply apparatus, and that transfers the acquired image data to an application, including: a selection unit configured to select a transfer mode when transferring the image data to the application; a first transfer control unit configured to transfer the image data to the application according to a TWAIN standard; a second transfer control unit configured to transfer an image file created based on the image data while maintaining a compression format or a non-compression format, to the application; and a transfer control unit configured to control the transfer using at least one of the first transfer control unit and the second transfer control unit based on the transfer mode selected by the selection unit.
US08649029B2	Printing apparatus and processing method therefor A printing apparatus includes a first processor which is connected to a first memory and converts print data into an image data format based on a page description language, a second processor which is connected to a second memory and performs image processing for print data of the image data format to generate data of a format interpretable by a printing unit, and a communication control unit which externally receives print data and transfers the received print data to either the first memory or second memory based on a descriptor. The second processor determines the format of received print data. When the print data has the page description language format, the first memory is set as the transfer destination in the descriptor. When the print data has the image data format, the second memory is set as the transfer destination in the descriptor.
US08649026B2	Paper-sheet management method and paper-sheet management system A first identification number obtained by performing character recognition of each of a plurality of digits of an identification number and allocating predetermined characters to digits where characters cannot be determined and a second identification number representing an identification number that is the target of character recognition processing or search processing are compared with each other by calculating a matching ratio between the two numbers. When the matching ratio is lower than a predetermined reference value, a shifted identification number obtained by shifting each character forming the first identification number one digit in a predetermined direction and the second identification number are compared with each other by calculating a matching ratio between the two numbers. If this matching ratio is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference value, subsequent processing is continued, so that the shifted identification number is treated as the first identification number.
US08649025B2	Methods and apparatus for real-time digitization of three-dimensional scenes This concerns in part the invention disclosed by co-pending application, particularly to robust determination of features in projection patterns. Disclosed are novel methods and apparatus for obtaining range frame coordinates in moving scenes, where optical radiation is projected onto a scene in the form of dots and strips, where reflected radiation is picked up by a camera and range coordinates calculated thereof.
US08649023B2	Film thickness measurement device and measurement method A film thickness measurement apparatus includes a measurement light source that supplies measurement light containing a measurement light component with a first wavelength and a measurement light component with a second wavelength to a measuring object, a spectroscopic optical system that decomposes interfering light of reflected light from the upper surface and reflected light from the lower surface of the measuring object into an interfering light component with the first wavelength and an interfering light component with the second wavelength, photodetectors that detect intensities of the first and second interfering light components at each time point, and a film thickness analysis section that obtains a temporal change in film thickness of the measuring object based on a phase difference between a first phase in a temporal change in detected intensity of the first interfering light component and a second phase in a temporal change in detected intensity of the second interfering light component.
US08649018B2	Optical cantilever based analyte detection An apparatus for detecting a presence of one or more analytes in a sample. The apparatus comprises a cantilever (205) and a grating coupled resonating structure (210). The cantilever (205) comprises an analyte selective coating that is selective to the one or more analytes. The grating coupled resonating structure (210) is positioned adjacent to the cantilever (205). The first grating coupled resonating structure comprises a first interrogating grating coupler (220) which together with the cantilever forms an optical resonant cavity.
US08649014B2	Vertical plasmonic Mach-Zehnder interferometer An optical device includes first and second optical branches. The first optical branch is formed at an interface between a first substrate and a second substrate, and the second optical branch is formed at an interface between the second substrate and an ambient medium. The second substrate defines first and second spaced apart slits that are each coupled to the first and second optical branches. The first slit is configured to receive at least partially coherent light from a light source and in response excite at least one surface plasmon polariton mode in each of the first and second optical branches. The second slit is configured to combine the surface plasmon polariton modes received from the first and second optical branches and emit scattered light into at least one of the first substrate and the ambient medium.
US08649004B2	Light sensor and lighting device with adaptable color Light sensors (1) are used in lighting applications, especially in combination with LEDs, to control and/or adapt the color point of light sources. Costs and/or performance of the light sensor (1) are essential in order to guarantee cost-effective light sources with reproducible color points. This aim is achieved by a light sensor (1) comprising a light diffuser (10), an optical non-transparent housing (11) having at least one window (12), at least one interference filter (13) and at least two photo sensors (14). The light diffuser (10) is arranged in such a way that light from outside the optical non-transparent housing (11) has to pass the light diffuser (10) so as to enter the interior of the optical non-transparent housing (11) via the window (12). The interference filter (13) and the at least two photo sensors (14) are arranged in the interior of the optical non-transparent housing (11), which interference filter (13) is arranged between the window (12) and the at least two photo sensors (14).
US08649003B2	Microrefractometer using defocusing imaging The present invention relates to a microrefractometer using defocusing imaging. The refractometer includes: a target in which a target micrometer and a reference fluid, an index of refraction of which is known, are positioned; an objective lens receiving light that has been emitted from a light source and passed through the target; an aperture including a plurality of pin holes which divide an optical path of the light having passed through the objective lens; and a camera photographing defocused images formed on an image plane of the refractometer by the light having passed through the aperture.
US08649000B1	Whispering gallery optical resonator spectroscopic probe and method Disclosed herein is a spectroscopic probe comprising at least one whispering gallery mode optical resonator disposed on a support, the whispering gallery mode optical resonator comprising a continuous outer surface having a cross section comprising a first diameter and a second diameter, wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter. A method of measuring a Raman spectrum and an Infra-red spectrum of an analyte using the spectroscopic probe is also disclosed.
US08648993B2	Combined serial/parallel light configuration and single layer PCB containing the same An LED circuit using a combination of series and parallel arrangements for optimum current sharing between LEDs. The current paths allow an LED to fail while minimizing the effect on other LEDs and noticeable luminance variance across the circuit. Some embodiments use metallic PCB technology which permits optimal thermal regulation of heat generated by the LEDs. Exemplary embodiments can be used with a single-layer PCB where only one layer of conducting material must be placed on the substrate. A constricted convection plate may be positioned behind the rear surface of the PCB to define a channel. One or more fans may be positioned to force cooling air through the channel. An LCD assembly using the same is also disclosed.
US08648992B2	Method for manufacturing thin film capacitor and thin film capacitor obtained by the same A thin film capacitor is characterized by forming a lower electrode, coating a composition onto the lower electrode without applying an annealing process having a temperature of greater than 300° C., drying at a predetermined temperature within a range from ambient temperature to 500° C., and calcining at a predetermined temperature within a range of 500 to 800° C. and higher than a drying temperature. The process from coating to calcining is performed the process from coating to calcining once or at least twice, or the process from coating to drying is performed at least twice, and then calcining is performed once. The thickness of the dielectric thin film formed after the first calcining is 20 to 600 nm. The ratio of the thickness of the lower electrode and the thickness of the dielectric thin film formed after the initial calcining step (thickness of lower electrode/thickness of the dielectric thin film) is preferably in the range 0.10 to 15.0.
US08648987B2	Transparent product that gives image only at one side A transparent product that gives an image only at one side, which can be used for an advertisement on the window or the like, which is a product that has a semi-transmissive-half-reflective layer having transmittance of 30% or higher and a reflectance of 30% or higher, a birefringent layer which is a patterned optically anisotropic layer having two or more regions of different birefringence in the form of a pattern or a driven-type optically anisotropic layer containing a liquid-crystal compound driven by voltage application to control the optical anisotropy, and a polarizing layer in this order and does not have, at the opposite side of the polarizing layer with respect to the birefringent layer, a polarizing layer, is provided.
US08648985B2	Liquid crystal display device The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal display has a lower panel including a first pixel area having a first pixel electrode and a first light leakage preventing member, a final pixel area having a second pixel electrode and a second light leakage preventing member, and middle pixel areas disposed between the first pixel area and the final pixel area, each of the middle pixel areas including a first middle pixel electrode and a second middle pixel electrode. Accordingly, light leakage may be effectively prevented at the first pixel area and the final pixel area that are disposed on the edge.
US08648978B2	Television and electronic apparatus According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a housing, a display in the housing, a diffuser, and a light guide. The housing is configured to shield light and comprises an opening. The display includes a screen exposed through the opening, a first flexible substrate, a second flexible substrate, and a liquid crystal layer between the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate. The diffuser overlaps the display. The light guide overlaps the diffuser.
US08648976B2	Display device and manufacturing method thereof A technique that can prevent breakdown of a thin film transistor due to static electricity is provided. A manufacturing method of a display device includes, in forming a plurality of thin film transistors constituting a drive circuit outside a display region as an assembly of pixels, forming a first wiring that is connected to gate electrodes of the thin film transistors to cause the thin film transistors to perform generating operation of a drive signal and a second wiring that connects gate electrodes of the thin film transistors adjacent to one another in the forming region of the drive unit in the same layer as the first wiring, and cutting the second wiring after forming the connected thin film transistors.
US08648974B2	PSA LCD panel with pixel unit of eight domains A PSA LCD panel includes a plurality of pixel units. Each of the pixel units includes a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode separated from the first pixel electrode. Each of the first and second pixel electrodes has a pattern scattered from a center in such a manner to form four domains.
US08648966B2	Terminal for broadcasting and method of controlling the same A terminal including a communication unit configured to receive a broadcasting signal, a display unit configured to display a broadcast content included in the received broadcasting signal and to display at least one widget application, and a control unit configured to determine if the received broadcasting signal includes a caption related to the broadcast content, to determine if the caption is to be displayed at a position that will overlap with at least a portion of the displayed widget application when the caption is included in the broadcasting signal, and to move a position of the widget application on the display unit if the caption is determined to be displayed at the position that will overlap with said at least the portion of the displayed widget application.
US08648960B2	Digital photographing apparatus and control method thereof Embodiments include a digital photographing apparatus and a control method thereof. The digital photographing apparatus detects two or more face regions from an input image, calculates an aperture value for focusing on all face regions to notify a user of the calculated value, and photographs all focused faces by automatically changing the aperture value, when the subject to be photographed is a plurality of persons.
US08648959B2	Rapid auto-focus using classifier chains, MEMS and/or multiple object focusing A smart-focusing technique includes identifying an object of interest, such as a face, in a digital image. A focus-generic classifier chain is applied that is trained to match both focused and unfocused faces and/or data from a face tracking module is accepted. Multiple focus-specific classifier chains are applied, including a first chain trained to match substantially out of focus faces, and a second chain trained to match slightly out of focus faces. Focus position is rapidly adjusted using a MEMS component.
US08648952B2	Timing generator and method of generating timing signals Timing generators and methods of generating timing signals are disclosed. In one implementation, a timing generator for an imaging device includes a timing generator memory configured to store timing information, a timing core coupled to the timing generator memory and configured to read the timing information from the timing generator memory, and a processor core coupled to the timing core and configured to control a plurality of counters. The timing core can be further configured to generate a plurality of timing patterns based on the timing information and the plurality of counters. The timing generator can also be configured to generate a plurality of toggle positions for a plurality of timing signals based on the plurality of timing patterns.
US08648944B2	Solid-state image sensor and camera having impurity diffusion region A solid-state image sensor including a plurality of pixels formed on a semiconductor substrate, each pixel comprising a photoelectric conversion element including a charge accumulation region of a first conductivity type, a floating diffusion of the first conductivity type, and a transfer transistor which transfers charge in the charge accumulation region to the floating diffusion, comprises an element isolation region made of an insulator and arranged to isolate adjacent pixels from each other, and an impurity diffusion region of a second conductivity type arranged inside the semiconductor substrate to isolate adjacent pixels from each other, wherein a peak position of an impurity concentration of the impurity diffusion region of one pixel is disposed within a width of the floating diffusion, of the one pixel, along a straight line passing through the photoelectric conversion element, a gate electrode of the transfer transistor, and the floating diffusion which are of the one pixel.
US08648942B2	Method of and apparatus for processing images using saturation functions A method suitable for processing a digital image is disclosed. The method comprises, for each picture element of the digital image, processing an achromatic intensity level of the picture element using a first adaptation procedure featuring a first effective saturation function of the achromatic intensity, to provide a first intermediate intensity level. The method further comprises processing the achromatic intensity level using a second adaptation procedure featuring a second effective saturation function of the achromatic intensity, to provide a second intermediate intensity level. The method further comprises combining the first and the second intermediate intensity levels to provide a new achromatic intensity level associated with the picture-element.
US08648929B2	Anti-flicker camera and image capture method thereof Anti-flicker camera and image capture method are disclosed. According to the disclosed method, exposure integrals of different lines of an image sensed by a camera device are calculated. The exposure integrals are compared with reference exposure integrals of the plurality of lines, respectively, to calculate exposure integral offsets for the lines. The reference exposure integrals are estimated from at least one reference image. The positive and negative changes of the exposure integral offsets are statistically analyzed and, accordingly, it is determined whether there is light flicker from background illumination and an auto-exposure control module of the camera device is controlled based on the determination.
US08648928B2	Imaging apparatus that preferentially suppresses occurrence of flicker in a through-the-lens image and method and computer program for controlling the imaging apparatus An imaging apparatus includes: an imaging section that captures an image of a subject; a detection section that detects flicker of a through-the-lens image as a moving image of the subject which is obtained by image capturing of the imaging section; and a control section that, when the detection section detects the flicker, controls an aperture, a shutter speed, and a gain on the basis of through-the-lens image control values as control values for controlling the aperture, the shutter speed, and the gain so as to preferentially suppress occurrence of flicker in the through-the-lens image.
US08648925B2	Control apparatus, control method, and control system for reproducing captured image data There is provided an imaging apparatus that continuously reproduces, if first moving image data is acquired by imaging in a first imaging mode for capturing a moving image for a predetermined period of time, and then automatically stopping the capturing of the moving image, second moving image data captured before the capturing of the moving image related to the first moving image data and acquired by the imaging in the first imaging mode and the first moving image data.
US08648919B2	Methods and systems for image stabilization Several methods, devices and systems for stabilizing images and correcting rolling shutter effects are described. In one embodiment, a computer implemented method for image stabilization for an image-capturing device with associated calibration data includes determining motion data for the image-capturing device using a motion-estimating device. The method also includes matching motion data to a sequence of frames captured by the image-capturing device to determine motion data for each frame, constructing a target motion path of the image-capturing device based on the motion data for each frame, and computing a desired motion correction from a motion path observed in the motion data to the target motion path.
US08648918B2	Method and system for obtaining a point spread function using motion information The present invention relates to a method and system for obtaining a point spread function for deblurring image data captured by an imaging device comprising a motion sensor. First, motion path values indicating the motion of the imaging device during the exposure time are acquired. The motion path values of the imaging device are then projected onto the sensor plane and for each sensor pixel the projected motion path values are integrated over time. Said integrated value represents for each sensor pixel an initial estimate of the point spread function. Optionally, the size of the point spread function can also be estimated based on the distance of the focused object and taken into account during the projecting step.
US08648917B2	Imaging apparatus, image processing apparatus, and image processing method, and program Disclosed is an imaging apparatus including a plurality of imaging units; a correction unit that executes a correction process for images captured by a plurality of the imaging units; and a control unit that computes a correction parameter applied to a correction process in the correction unit, wherein the correction unit executes distortion aberration correction and hand-vibration correction for each of the captured images and an image characteristic matching correction process for matching characteristics between a plurality of images captured by a plurality of the imaging units.
US08648909B2	Camera monitoring apparatus and registration method thereof A monitoring apparatus includes a display control unit configured to cause a display device to display an image captured by a camera and a registration screen which corresponds to the image, which allows a user to register an object status within the image and a registration unit configured to register the object status within the image input through the registration screen.
US08648903B2	Device for evaluating images of weld spots on a carrier material The invention relates to a device (22) for evaluating an image (20) produced on a carrier material (8) by spot welding of a weld spot (19) using an optical image-detecting unit (23), comprising a camera (24) which consists of at least one detection means (25) and one lens (26). In order to create an evaluation device (22), by means of which the optical quality testing of spot-weld joints can be improved, the image-detecting means (23) comprises an illumination device (27) with a diffusor (28) for diffusively and homogeneously illuminating an image (20) of the spot-welding on the carrier material (8). Furthermore, the invention relates to a welding tool (1) for a spot-welding plant, in particular a welding gun (2), having an evaluation device (22) for analyzing an image (20) of a spot weld (19) on a carrier material (8).
US08648899B2	Liquid crystal lenses having attenuated switching noise The invention relates to liquid crystal lenses having dynamically switchable light transmission, including: a shutter (2) including two transparent substrates (21, 22) and a nematic liquid crystal layer (20) arranged between the substrates (21, 22); and a control circuit capable of alternately applying a bias voltage or a relaxation voltage across the liquid crystal to render the shutter (2)clear or opaque, the falling edges between the bias voltage and the relaxation voltage having a duration of 80 to 900 μs.
US08648895B2	Method and apparatus for performing three-dimensional measurement A control processing unit simultaneously drives cameras to produce images of a measuring object, the control processing unit searches corresponding point on a comparative image produced by one of the cameras for a representative point in a reference image produced by the other camera, and the control processing unit computes a three-dimensional coordinate corresponding to a coordinate using the coordinate of each point correlated by the search. The control processing unit also obtains a shift amount at the corresponding point specified by the search to an epipolar line specified based on a coordinate of a representative point on the reference image side or a parameter indicating a relationship between the cameras, and the control processing unit supplies the shift amount as an evaluation value indicating accuracy of three-dimensional measurement along with three-dimensional measurement result.
US08648892B2	Image forming apparatus to detect and correct density variations in a developed image Apparatus that forms an image according to image information includes density sensors that detect image density variations in main and sub-scanning directions. A processing device generates correction data for correcting a light source output to suppress the density variations based on detection results. The processing device modifies the correction data such that the light source output after the correction is at least a minimum rated output at a position at which the output after the correction is lower than the minimum rated output, in the relation between a position on the surface of the photosensitive element in the main-scanning direction and the output after the correction, and modifies the correction data such that the light source output after the correction is at most a maximum rated output at a position at which the output after the correction is higher than the maximum rated output.
US08648890B2	Head pressurizing force adjusting device, image forming apparatus and method of adjusting head pressurizing force According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a first sensor, a second sensor, a first head, a first head pressurizing force adjusting device, a second head, a second head pressurizing force adjusting device, and a control unit. The first and second sensors detect a recording medium. The first head forms an image on a first surface of the recording medium and the second head forms an image on a second surface of the recording medium. The first head pressurizing force adjusting device adjusts a pressurizing force of the first head to the first platen and the second head pressurizing force adjusting device adjusts a pressurizing force of the second head to the second platen. The control unit controls the first head pressurizing force adjusting device and the second head pressurizing force adjusting device based on outputs of the first and second sensors.
US08648886B2	Liquid crystal display device and driving method thereof An LCD device and a driving method thereof are discussed. The LCD device can prevent a blended color within each block which is defined in an LCD panel. To this end, the LCD device divides an external image data into a plurality of block image data, generates first dimming signals opposite to red, green, and blue data with each block image data, and provides a second dimming signal opposite to a brightness data with each block image data. Also, the LCD device calculates a difference value between maximum and minimum grayscale values by analyzing histograms for the red, green, and compares the calculated difference value with a reference difference value. Furthermore, the LCD device allows one of the first and second dimming signals to be selected according to the dimming mode control signal.
US08648885B2	Method for creating gamma look-up table and display device A method for creating a Gamma look-up table (LUT) includes: calculating interpolated display characteristics of a plurality of colors by using a nonlinear interpolation algorithm based on a plurality of display characteristics of the predetermined patterns wherein the number of the display characteristics is smaller than the product of the number of the colors and the number of the interpolated display characteristics of the colors; and correcting the interpolated display characteristics of the colors on the basis of a maximum display characteristic value and a reference gamma value so that the Gamma look-up table is created. The predetermined patterns comprise a plurality of gray level patterns which one-by-one correspond to a plurality of levels, and the interval of a pair of adjacent gray level patterns among the gray level patterns is different from the interval of another pair of adjacent gray level patterns among the gray level patterns.
US08648883B2	Display apparatus and method of driving the same In a display apparatus and a method of driving the same, an active period during which one pixel is turned on is divided into a red sub frame, a green sub frame, a blue sub frame, and a white sub frame. A controller compares a gray scale of a fourth image data corresponding to the white sub frame with a reference gray scale and compensates a first image data, a second image data, and a third image data corresponding to the red, green, and blue sub frames, respectively, in accordance with the comparison result.
US08648880B2	Terminal device, display method, and application computer program product A terminal device includes a display unit having at least a first display area and a second display area, a detection unit configured to detect a viewing state in which the first display area and/or the second display area are being viewed, and a control unit configured to, when a predetermined application is executed, perform control on the basis of the viewing state detected by the detection unit, for switching between a state in which display is performed on either one of the first display area and the second display area and display is not performed on the other one of the first display area and the second display area and a state in which display is performed on both the first display area and the second display area. A method and computer program storage device holding computer readable instructions cooperate to form a system that performs these functions.
US08648865B2	Variable rendering of virtual universe avatars Avatar appearance attributes for use in rendering a first avatar within a virtual universe are associated with keys, wherein the first avatar is rendered to a second user in a virtual universe graphic user interface display with the defined appearance attribute as a function of a second avatar of the second user possessing the key. The first avatar may be rendered simultaneously to other users with an appearance attribute distinct from the defined appearance attribute rendered to the second user as a function of the other user's avatars not possessing the key. A key may be recognized as a function of an identity characteristic, and appearance attributes selected manually or as a function of a preference. Pluralities of avatar appearance attributes may be broadcast by an avatar for selection by key possession, and keys may be assigned as a function of a unique identity, a trait and an inventory asset.
US08648856B2	Omnidirectional shadow texture mapping An invention is provided for rendering using an omnidirectional light. A shadow cube texture map having six cube faces centered by a light source is generated. Each cube face comprises a shadow texture having depth data from a perspective of the light source. In addition, each cube face is associated with an axis of a three-dimensional coordinate system. For each object fragment rendered from the camera's perspective a light-to-surface vector is defined from the light source to the object fragment, and particular texels within particular cube faces are selected based on the light-to-surface vector. The texel values are tested against a depth value computed from the light to surface vector. The object fragment is textured as in light or shadow according to the outcome of the test.
US08648852B2	Method and system for providing transparent access to hardware graphic layers The present invention relates generally to computer graphics, and more specifically to methods of, and systems for, configuring, controlling and accessing multiple hardware graphics layers that are used to compose a single video display. One aspect of the invention is broadly defined as follows: in a computer environment including a software application and an operating system running on a computer, the computer including a graphics card and a video display, the graphics card being operable to render images to the video display, the improvement comprising: the operating system including a universal application programming interface (API) which supports hardware layers on graphics cards; the operating system being operable to: receive draw events via the universal API; determine what hardware layers are available on the graphics card, and what their parameters are; and respond to draw requests from the software application by rendering the draw requests selectively to any of the available hardware layers on the graphics card; whereby the computer environment allows software applications to exploit available hardware layers on the graphics card.
US08648848B2	Display device and displaying method thereof, and driving circuit for current-driven device The present invention provides a display device, a displaying method thereof and a driving circuit for current-driven device. Each pixel of the display device includes a current-driven device and a driving circuit. A first terminal of the current-driven device is electrically coupled to a first preset voltage. The driving circuit includes a switch module and a capacitor. The switch module is electrically coupled to a data signal, a second terminal of the current-driven device and a second preset voltage. The switch module is for determining whether a current is allowed to flow through the current-driven device and setting a value of the current according to the data signal. The capacitor is electrically coupled between a periodically changed resetting signal and the switch module, to couple the resetting signal into the switch module to reset a voltage at a connection node between the capacitor and the switch module.
US08648835B2	Touch screen controller A controller for a touch-screen sensor is described. The controller comprises a voltage generator for generating a first voltage signal and at least one output for outputting the first voltage signal such that the first voltage is applied across a resistive layer of the sensor in a first direction (e.g. X direction). The controller further comprises an input for receiving a second voltage signal representing the voltage on the resistive layer measured at a touch position by a measuring electrode of the sensor when the sensor is touched. A processor determines the co-ordinate in the first direction (e.g. X co-ordinate) of the touch position using the second voltage signal received during a first measuring period. Specifically, the co-ordinate is determined by determining the attenuation of the first voltage signal in the second voltage signal. The first voltage signal is generated such that the first voltage applied across the resistive layer is a time-varying voltage during the first measuring period, having at least one known characteristic. In one embodiment, voltages are applied across the resistive layer in two directions (e.g. X and Y directions) simultaneously, allowing the processor to determine the X and Y co-ordinates simultaneously.
US08648833B2	Touch panel having reduced number of interconnects and touch input/output apparatus having the same A touch panel includes first and second normally spaced apart substrates. The first substrate includes first spaced apart touch electrodes extended in a first direction and each having a first width (W1). The second substrate includes second spaced apart touch electrodes extended in a different second direction and each having a second width (W2) which is substantially narrower than the first width. One of the substrates can be flexed so that momentary shorting contact is established between corresponding first and second touch electrodes at positions where pressing touch is provided. A combination of interconnect wirings and interrogation circuits are provided for automatically determining where and when the temporary shorting contacts were made, even if plural ones are simultaneously made. The disclosed embodiments include ones where the number of interconnect wirings are reduced.
US08648827B2	Portable devices, data transmission systems and display sharing methods thereof Display sharing methods for use in a server coupled to a plurality of devices via a network are provided. Each device at least includes a touch-sensitive display unit. The server receives a plurality of determination information from the devices and determines whether the devices corresponding to the received determination information are neighboring to each other and are located on the same plane, wherein each of determination information corresponds to one device and includes first gesture information. If so, the server further determines whether first gesture information from all received determination information can be combined into a closed-loop gesture and if so, provides first display data to each device. Second display information is displayed on the touch-sensitive display units of the devices, wherein each of determination information is generated when the corresponding device detects/receives a gesture which has contacted two edges of its touch-sensitive display unit on the touch-sensitive display unit.
US08648826B2	Display device Provided is a display device with a narrowed frame capable of preventing pooling. A display device includes a display unit (69) including a liquid-crystal display panel (59), an internal frame (FM) covered with the liquid-crystal display panel (59), and a rear case (CS1) accommodating the internal frame (FM). Ribs (RB) of the rear case (CS1) support a touch panel (79) while separating the touch panel (79) from the internal frame (FM).
US08648824B2	Flat panel display integrated touch screen panel A flat panel display integrated with a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an upper substrate and a lower substrate each divided into a display region and first and second non-display regions around the display region; a plurality of sensing patterns in the display region of the upper substrate; a plurality of sensing lines in the first non-display region of the upper substrate; an FPC bonding pad unit including a plurality of bonding pads coupled with the sensing lines, in the second non-display region of the upper substrate; a sealant between the second non-display regions of the first substrate and the second substrate; and transparent conductive patterns arranged at a same distance from the sealant in the second non-display region of the upper substrate, the transparent conductive patterns overlapping the sealant.
US08648814B2	Device for controlling home automation equipment of a building Device (60; 100) for controlling home automation equipment (1a, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3a, 3b, 4a, 5a) of a building, comprising a display screen (101), in which the screen is assigned to the display of type icons (ITYP1, ITYP2, ITYP3, ITYP4, ITYP5), a type icon representing a set of home automation equipment of one and the same type, the screen also being assigned to the display of location icons (ILOC0, ILOC1, ILOC2, ILOC3, ILOC4, ILOC5), a location icon representing a set of home automation equipment installed in one and the same place in the building, which control device comprises a first selection or navigation means (103, 104, 105, 106) making it possible to position, in a reduced area (98) of the screen, either, a selected type icon or location icon, so as to display on the screen equipment icons (4, 5, 123, 123′, 125, 125′, 131, 131′) representative of the home automation equipment assigned to said selected type icon or location icon.
US08648812B2	Method for processing data quantifying force applied to one or more keys of a computer keyboard A computer receives data from a keyboard having one or more keys which cause generation of keyboard data that quantitatively describe the relative force applied to those keys. The keyboard data are transmitted in an HID report containing identifiers for one or more keys that have been pressed and force data for each key. The force data may be a multi-bit value quantifying the key force, or a null indicator signaling that the key is not force-sensing. Keyboard data messages are then prepared which identify keys pressed, contain force data, and may indicate whether the force data updates previous force data. Force updates are only provided to application programs registering for key force data. In other aspects of the invention, key repeat messages are automatically generated for a key held pressed by a user. The key repeat messages are generated at a rate controlled by the amount of force applied to the key.
US08648809B2	Reconfiguration of virtual keyboard Various embodiments for configuring a virtual keyboard on a display surface are provided. In one such embodiment, at least one coordinate value mapped to a delimited area of the virtual keyboard, is determined. The at least one coordinate value corresponds to a touch input by the user on the display surface. The at least one coordinate value is compared to at least one historical coordinate value previously obtained for the delimited area. At least one of a location of and the delimited area of the virtual keyboard as projected on the display surface is adjusted to minimize a change between the at least one coordinate value and the at least one historical coordinate value.
US08648808B2	Three-dimensional human-computer interaction system that supports mouse operations through the motion of a finger and an operation method thereof A three-dimensional (3D) human-computer interaction system that supports mouse operations through the motion of a finger and an operation method thereof are provided. In the provided system and method, a multi-view video recording device captures an image of a finger of an operator, and has an information connection with an electronic information device through an interaction handling program. After the interaction handling program is executed, a CPU of the electronic information device performs operations such as computation, synthesis, image presentation, gesture tracking, and command recognition on the captured image to interpret a motion of the finger of the user. Accordingly, the user may perform operations on an operation interface of the electronic information device by using the finger in a 3D space in a noncontact mode. The present invention is particularly applicable to application software with 3D space operations as it can perform 3D interaction with the application software.
US08648802B2	Collapsible input device In exemplary implementations of this invention, a handheld, collapsible input device (CID) may be employed by a user to input and manipulate 3D information. The CID telescopes in length. As a user presses the CID against a display screen, the physical length of the CID shortens, and the display screen displays a virtual end of the CID that appears to project through the screen into the virtual 3D space behind the screen. The total apparent length of the CID, comprised of a physical portion and a virtual portion, remains the same (after taking into account foreshortening). Thus, the user experience is that, as the user holds the physical CID and pushes it against the display screen, the end of the CID appears to be pushed through the display screen into the virtual 3D space beyond it. The CID housing may include a push button for user input.
US08648791B2	Backlight module and method of determining driving current thereof A method of determining driving currents of a backlight module includes: disposing the backlight module onto a base; defining a plurality of areas from a top area to a bottom are of the backlight module; and reducing the driving current of the area that is situated further from the base.
US08648786B2	Liquid crystal display device A liquid crystal display device includes a display panel including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, a plurality of gate lines and data lines arranged on the display area to intersect each other, so as to define a plurality of pixel regions, a plurality of thin-film transistors formed at respective intersections of the gate lines and the data lines, a plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the respective pixel regions and connected to the thin film transistors, and at least one first common line provided between the data lines and arranged parallel to the data lines.
US08648785B2	Display device for calculating and supplying a precharge potential Provided is a display device including: a control portion; a display panel including one or more pixel circuits and an image signal line connected to the pixel circuits; and an image signal line driving circuit. The control portion includes a difference acquiring circuit for acquiring difference data between a value of a gray-level potential, which is to be applied to one of the pixel circuits from the image signal line, and a value of a precharge potential based on the gray-level potential. The image signal line driving circuit calculates the precharge potential based on the value of the gray-level potential and the difference data, and supplies the image signal line with the precharge potential and the gray-level potential in sequence.
US08648784B2	Device and method for overdriving a liquid crystal display The present invention relates to a device and a method for controlling a liquid crystal display. The device comprises a luminance weighting value processor, an overdrive value generator, and an outputting unit. The luminance weighting value processor generates a weighting value according to a luminance value of a current pixel of a current frame of a video signal and a luminance value of a previous pixel of a previous frame of the video signal. The overdrive value generator generates an overdrive value according to a current pixel value of the current pixel and a previous pixel value of the previous pixel. The outputting unit generates an output pixel value according to the weighting value, the overdrive value and the current pixel value. Using the device and the method for driving a liquid crystal display according to the present invention, noise due to overdrive process can be reduced.
US08648782B2	Display device The display device includes a signal line and a pixel. The pixel includes a first switching element, a capacitor having a first electrode which is electrically connected to the signal line through the first switching element, a display element electrically connected to the first electrode of the capacitor, a second switching element, and an electric charge supply terminal electrically connected to a second electrode of the capacitor through the second switching element. A potential difference between a potential of the signal line and a potential of the electric charge supply line is applied to the capacitor. Voltage of the capacitor at the time of writing is set higher than that of the display element. Accordingly, drop in voltage held in the capacitor due to degradation of the first switching element is reduced, and desired voltage applied to the display element is maintained.
US08648775B2	Organic light emitting display having an onscreen display area controlled differently responsive to an external light, and driving method thereof An organic light emitting display and a driving method thereof capable of improving outdoor visibility by controlling the emission of the pixel. In one embodiment, the organic light emitting display includes an organic light emitting display panel; an emission control driver of the organic light emitting display panel; a sensor unit for outputting an electrical output signal by sensing an external light; a signal processing unit for determining an indoor mode or an outdoor mode in accordance with the output signal outputted from the sensor unit; an onscreen display control unit electrically connected to the signal processing unit and for controlling the emission control driver of the organic light emitting display panel; and an onscreen display area comprising a pixel circuit electrically connected to the emission control driver. Here, the pixel circuit of the onscreen display area is controlled by the emission control driver.
US08648769B2	Antenna base An antenna base provided of a hollow support body having a fixed lower portion and an upper portion aligned along a longitudinal axis, the upper portion being adapted to support an antenna and being rotationally mounted on the lower portion to rotate, in use, together with the antenna itself, about the longitudinal axis; the antenna base being further provided with an electric motor, which is adapted to rotate the upper portion and is provided for this purpose with a stator integral with the lower integral and of a rotor integral with the upper portion and coaxial with the longitudinal axis.
US08648766B2	Dual circularly polarized antenna An antenna includes a waveguide having an aperture at a first end and a conducting component at a second end, the conducting component shorting the waveguide and a first set of two orthogonal dipoles, fed in quadrature, the orthogonal dipoles located near the aperture of the waveguide operating close to its dominant mode cut off frequency.
US08648763B2	Ground radiator using capacitor A ground radiation antenna is disclosed. Herein, the ground radiation antenna provides a ground radiator inducing resonance by using the inductance of a ground. Since the ground radiator efficiently uses the inductance of the ground, the ground radiator may operate as a radiator of the ground radiation antenna by using a simple structure of combining a capacitive element with the ground. As described above, by providing an antenna radiator having a remarkably simple structure, the fabrication cost for the antenna may be decreased, and the size of the antenna may also be largely reduced.
US08648759B2	Variable height radiating aperture Provided herein are devices, systems and techniques for establishing a variable height conformal antenna array having a planar backplane. More particularly, positioning of radiating elements can be made insensitive to variable ground height by selecting a suitable radiating element, such as a flared notch and arranging them to have a profile such that their outer extremities are positioned along a conformal, curved shape. Differences in radiator heights can be taken up by the addition of parallel vertical ground planes disposed between the radiating elements and the backplane. Adjacent vertical ground planes effectively form cutoff waveguide sections that naturally isolate the backplane from the radiating elements. The vertical ground planes edges effectively form a virtual curved ground for the radiating elements, following curvature of the array profile. Accordingly, heights of radiating elements are uniform with respect to the virtual ground, while being allowed to vary with respect to the backplane.
US08648756B1	Multi-feed antenna for path optimization An antenna comprised of multiple feed ports with independent tuning of the antenna at each feed port to optimize the impedance match between the antenna and transceivers connected to the ports. Filters designed into one or several of the feed ports to provide isolation between the multiple ports and to adjust the frequency response at each port. One or multiple active components connected to the feed ports to provide dynamic tuning of the coupled or driven elements.
US08648755B2	Antenna and method for steering antenna beam direction An antenna comprising an IMD element and one or more parasitic and active tuning elements is disclosed. The IMD element, when used in combination with the active tuning and parasitic elements, allows antenna operation at multiple resonant frequencies. In addition, the direction of antenna radiation pattern may be arbitrarily rotated in accordance with the parasitic and active tuning elements.
US08648753B2	Antenna device Disclosed is an antenna device including a base having an internal thread for an external thread, a first antenna element, a first circuit board which is arranged on the base, electrically connected to the first antenna element, and amplifies a signal output from the first antenna element, a shielding case arranged on the first circuit board, the shielding case having a top board, a second antenna element arranged on the top board of the shielding case and a second circuit board which is electrically connected to the second antenna element and amplifies a signal output from the second antenna element.
US08648752B2	Chassis-excited antenna apparatus and methods A chassis-excited antenna apparatus, and methods of tuning and utilizing the same. In one embodiment, a distributed loop antenna configuration is used within a handheld mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone). The antenna comprises two radiating elements: one configured to operate in a high-frequency band, and the other in a low-frequency band. The two antenna elements are disposed on different side surfaces of the metal chassis of the portable device; e.g., on the opposing sides of the device enclosure. Each antenna component comprises a radiator and an insulating cover. The radiator is coupled to a device feed via a feed conductor and a ground point. A portion of the feed conductor is disposed with the radiator to facilitate forming of the coupled loop resonator structure.
US08648751B2	Mobile wireless device with multi-band loop antenna with arms defining a slotted opening and related methods A mobile wireless communications device may include a housing, a printed circuit board (PCB) carried by the housing. The device may also include an antenna coupled to wireless transceiver circuitry carried by the PCB. The antenna may include first and second feed legs extending upwardly from the PCB, a loop conductor spaced above the PCB and having a gap therein defining first and second ends, and a first conductor arm spaced above the PCB and extending between the first feed leg and the first end. The antenna may further include a second conductor arm spaced above the PCB and having a proximal portion between the second feed leg and the second end, and having a distal portion extending outwardly from the second feed leg. The first conductor arm and the proximal portion may define a slotted opening into an interior of the loop conductor.
US08648750B2	Antenna with U-shaped portion and extending section An antenna for transmitting a wireless signal is provided. The antenna includes a ground element, a short element and a transmitting element. The short element is connected to the ground element. The transmitting element is connected to the short element, wherein the transmitting element is a claw shaped structure, and the transmitting element includes a first section, a second section and an extending section, wherein an end of the first section is connected to the short element, and the other end of the first section is connected to ends of the second section and the extending section, and a first groove is formed between the first section and the second section, and a second groove is formed between the first section and the extending section.
US08648749B1	Estimation of multiple angles of arrival of signals received by an array of antenna elements A computer estimates multiple angles of arrival of a target signal received by an array of commutated antenna elements. In one aspect, samples of a received target signal obtained from an array of communicated antenna elements and from an element in an array of reference antenna elements are processed to make maximum-likelihood-estimations of multiple angles of arrival at which signals are received by the array of commutated antenna elements; and a display is mapped over time and frequency of the estimations, with the angle of arrival for a particular sample being represented by a variable given display feature.
US08648745B2	Electronic scanning radar apparatus, received wave direction estimating method, and received wave direction estimating program An electronic scanning radar apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a frequency resolving unit resolves beat signals into beat frequencies having a predetermined frequency bandwidth and calculates complex data based on the resolved beat signals for each beat frequency. An azimuth calculating unit estimates a number of received waves based on eigenvalues of a matrix being part of a primary normal equation having complex data as elements calculated from the beat signals, creates coefficients calculated as a solution of a secondary normal equation of a signal subspace created based on eigenvalues and eigenvectors corresponding to the number of the estimated waves, and calculates a DOA of a received wave based on the created coefficients.
US08648741B2	Systems and methods for randomizing component mismatch in an ADC Circuits and methods for converting a signal from analog to digital. A random number generator provides a random number to a memory. The memory is preconfigured to include codes of predetermined digital to analog (DAC) configurations that provide the maximum amount of DAC gradient suppression. At least one Flash reference generation DAC (FRGD) has an input coupled to the memory unit and an output providing a reference voltage level for its respective Flash comparator. The Flash comparators compare the analog input signal to their respective reference voltage and provide a digital output signal based on the comparison.
US08648740B2	Testing apparatus and method for testing analog-to-digital converter The invention provides a testing apparatus. In one embodiment, the testing apparatus receives a plurality of bit signals output by an analog-to-digital converter, and comprises a plurality of frequency counters and a comparison module. The frequency counters respectively calculate a plurality of transition frequencies of the values of the bit signals. The comparison module respectively compares the transition frequencies with a plurality of ideal transition frequencies to obtain a plurality of error frequencies. The performance analysis module estimates a performance value of the analog-to-digital converter according to the error frequencies.
US08648738B1	Apparatus and methods of rate control for a sample rate converter One embodiment relates to an apparatus for sample rate conversion. A sample rate converter is arranged to receive an input signal at an input sampling frequency and use an interpolation interval to convert the input signal to an output signal at an output sampling frequency. A rate controller is arranged to alternate between different frequency control words for use in generating the interpolation interval signal. Another embodiment relates to a method of sample rate conversion. Another embodiment relates to a rate controller circuit. Other embodiments, aspects, and features are also disclosed.
US08648730B2	Alarm connectable to an external AC power supply for standby power and comprising battery An alarm for detecting radiation and/or pollutants such as smoke, carbon monoxide or the like, the alarm comprises: an alarm circuit (12) including detection means (14) for detecting the radiation and/or pollutants, and an audible alarm (16); a power supply circuit (24) connectable to an external AC power supply for supplying standby power to the alarm circuit (12); and a battery (20) for supplying power to the audible alarm (16) when the alarm is energized. The power supply circuit (20) is configured to supply current to the alarm circuit (12) at a level less than that required to energize the audible alarm (16).
US08648713B2	Apparatus and method for enabling an automotive module device indicator in a wireless communication system An apparatus and method for enabling an automotive module indicator in a wireless communication system comprising receiving a capability inquiry message from a wireless network; determining an information content for a capability message in response to the capability inquiry message; and transmitting the capability message to the wireless network. In one aspect, the apparatus and method comprising transmitting a capability inquiry message to a mobile device; and receiving a capability message from the mobile device in reply to the capability inquiry message, wherein the capability message includes an automotive indicator field to indicate presence or absence of an automotive module.
US08648711B2	Apparatus for the wireless monitoring of linear heat detection systems for storage tank roofs An fire monitoring apparatus for large storage tanks of combustible fluids permits wireless communication between a Linear Heat Detector system and a Fire Control system. The system comprises a Communication Unit and a Remote Unit. The Communication Unit relays status and control signals between the Fire Control system and the Remote Unit. The communication between the Communication Unit and the Remote Unit is wireless. The Remote Unit is self-powered using solar cells, batteries, or a combination thereof.
US08648706B2	Alarm management system having an escalation strategy An alarm management system having an escalation strategy which may be applied to each state of an alarm and increase a level of escalation if a required action has not been taken in response to an alarm. This approach is for avoiding an overlooking of any alarms and for assuring closure of alarms as soon as possible. An alarm may be in one of several intermediate states. Each state may have a threshold which if exceeded escalates an alarm's urgency. Alarm notifications may be provided to recipients according to their preferences.
US08648696B2	Image processing device, user authentication method and program An image processing device includes an operation panel on which a plurality of operation keys is arranged, and a storage part that stores key information allocated to a predetermined operation key of a plurality of operation keys, and with which an user authentication information for authenticating a user authorized to use a function corresponding to the predetermined operation key and an authentication activation information in which conditions for user authentication to be executed when the predetermined operation key is operated are defined are associated. An authentication part reads the user authentication information and the authentication activation information based on the key information when the predetermined operation key is operated, and executes user authentication based on the user authentication information if conditions defined in the authentication activation information are met. A key operation enabling part enables a key operation of the predetermined operation key when user authentication results in success.
US08648694B2	Multiparty controlled remote security lock system A remotely controlled biometric based mechanism for security systems includes a remote security lock and uses an Onsite Controller (OC) and a plurality of Remote Controllers (RCs). Further, the OC is located at the site of the lock and the RCs may be located away from the site of the lock. The remote security lock employs 2-factor authentication mechanisms using smartcard access and biometric inputs. Randomized selection of a subset of controllers (RCs) who operate the lock is performed. The randomization enhances the scalability of the system, while keeping the security strength of the system as that of choosing the full set of controllers for operating the lock. A measure for determining the security level is also included, where the measure chosen is the number of controls that need to be broken to gain access to the controlled resource.
US08648688B2	Protection element A protection element is provided which is capable of stably retaining a flux on a soluble conductor at a predetermined position and is capable of checking a retention state of the flux, enabling a speedy blowout of the soluble conductor in the event of an abnormality. This protection element includes: a soluble conductor 13 which is disposed on an insulation baseboard 11 and is connected to an electric power supply path of a device targeted to be protected, to cause a blowout by means of a predetermined abnormal electric power; a flux 19 which is coated onto a surface of the soluble conductor 13; and an insulation cover 14 which is mounted on the baseboard 11 with the soluble conductor 13 being covered therewith. The insulation cover 14 is provided with an opening porting 20 made of a through hole which is opposite to the soluble conductor 13. The flux 19 comes into contact with a peripheral edge part of the opening portion 20, retaining the flux 19 at a predetermined position on the soluble conductor 13.
US08648683B2	Mold for making products with co-molded inserts A molding system with inserts placed on the die and/or the punch of the mold, which allows one to obtain molded products with co-molded ferromagnetic inserts on the surfaces thereof.
US08648673B2	Elastic wave apparatus with a floating wiring line on a base substrate A small-sized elastic wave apparatus in which heat generated at a portion of a cascade connection between resonators is sufficiently dissipated includes on one main surface of a piezoelectric substrate in an elastic wave filter mounted on a base substrate on which an input/output wiring line, a ground wiring line, and a floating wiring line insulated from the input/output wiring line and the ground wiring line are provided, first electrodes coupled to the input/output wiring line or the ground wiring line, second electrodes coupled to the floating wiring line, resonators, connection wiring lines connecting the resonators, and electrode wiring lines connecting the resonators and the first electrodes. The second electrodes are disposed in contact with the connection wiring lines cascading the resonators.
US08648671B2	Bulk acoustic wave resonator structure, a manufacturing method thereof, and a duplexer using the same A Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonator (BAWR), a method of manufacturing of the BAWR, and duplexer including the BAWR are provided. The BAWR may include a first substrate including a via hole formed in a predetermined area of a bottom surface of the first substrate. A first air cavity may be formed above the first substrate, and a first lamination resonating portion may be laminated above the first air cavity in sequence of a lower electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and an upper electrode. A second air cavity may be formed above the first substrate, and a second lamination resonating portion may be laminated above the second air cavity in sequence of the lower electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the upper electrode. The first lamination resonating portion and the second lamination resonating portion may be connected via either the lower electrode or the upper electrode. A first electrode portion may include a third air cavity formed on a bottom surface of either the lower electrode or the upper electrode connecting between the first lamination resonating portion and the second lamination resonating portion.
US08648669B1	Planar transmission-line interconnection and transition structures A combiner/divider circuit may include a plurality of planar transmission lines that each may have a planar signal conductor and at least a planar signal-return conductor. Ends of different ones of the signal conductors of the plurality of transmission lines may interconnect with the signal conductor of a first transmission line may be connected to the signal conductors of second and third transmission lines. Signal-return conductors of the first, fourth, and fifth transmission lines may be connected along their lengths. Vias may connect signal-return conductors of the second and third transmission lines with respective signal conductors of the fourth and fifth transmission lines. The positions of the fourth and fifth striplines relative to the first strip line may reverse in a transition region spaced from the connection region.
US08648668B2	Electrical impedance precision control of signal transmission line for circuit board Disclosed is a structure for precision control of electrical impedance of signal transmission circuit board. A substrate forms thereon a plurality of first signal transmission lines, and a first covering insulation layer is formed on a first surface of the substrate to cover a surface of each first signal transmission lines and each spacing section formed between adjacent first signal transmission lines. Each first signal transmission lines can transmit a differential mode signal or a common mode signal. At least one first flattening insulation layer is formed between a surface of the first covering insulation layer and a first conductive shielding layer so that the first flattening insulation layer fills up the height difference between the surface of each first signal transmission line and the spacing section associated with each first signal transmission line to thereby ensure a consistent distance between the signal transmission lines and the conductive shielding layer for realizing precision control of electrical impedance of the signal transmission circuit board.
US08648666B2	Multimode frontend circuit A multimode frontend circuit of the present invention comprises two transmission paths. Each of the transmission paths comprises two input/output lines, a first transmission line having one end connected to one of the input/output lines and the other end connected to the other input/output line, a second transmission line connected to the one of the input/output lines and the other end connected to the other input/output line, and one or more termination switch circuits. The termination switch circuit or circuits comprise a switch having one end connected to one of the first and second transmission lines and a termination circuit connected to the other end of the switch. Each of the transmission lines may comprise one or more short-circuiting switches. The short-circuiting switch or switches are capable of short-circuiting between the two transmission lines at positions at the same electrical length from one of the input/output lines.
US08648663B2	Oscillator having a plurality of switchable MEMS vibrators An oscillator includes: a plurality of MEMS vibrators each having a first terminal and a second terminal, and having respective resonant frequencies different from each other; an amplifier circuit having an input terminal and an output terminal; a connection circuit adapted to connect the first terminal of one of the MEMS vibrators and the input terminal to each other, and the second terminal of the one of the MEMS vibrators and the output terminal to each other; a signal reception terminal adapted to receive a switching signal used to switch a state of the connection circuit; and a switching circuit adapted to make the connection circuit switch the MEMS vibrator to be connected to the amplifier circuit based on the switching signal, wherein the MEMS vibrators are housed in an inside of a cavity, and the signal reception terminal is disposed outside the cavity.
US08648661B1	Current limiting circuit A current limiting circuit includes a power amplifier receiving an input signal through an attenuator. The power amplifier comprises one or more amplification stages and an output stage. The output stage is connected to an antenna. A mirror circuit is connected in parallel to the output stage. The magnitude of a first current flowing through the mirror circuit is proportional to the magnitude of a second current flowing through the output stage. Further, the current limiting circuit includes a comparator that compares the magnitude of the first current with a reference value to generate a control signal. The attenuator adjusts the power of the input signal based on the control signal thereby limiting the magnitude of the second current.
US08648659B2	Digital pre-distortion power amplifying apparatus and method for digitally controlling synchronization thereof A digital pre-distortion (DPD) power amplifying apparatus and a method for digitally controlling synchronization of the DPD power amplifying apparatus, which includes a power amplifier, a bias shifter and a DPD unit, are provided. The method includes acquiring a DPD path delay time at a path along which an input signal is fed back to the DPD unit; delaying an input signal incoming to the power amplifier by the DPD path delay time and acquiring synchronization by delaying a bias signal a predetermined number of times until the bias signal and the delayed input signal are synchronized with each other; and in response to synchronization between the bias signal and the delayed input signal being established, pre-distorting the input signal according to a feedback signal output from the power amplifier.
US08648657B1	Mobile device including a power amplifier with selectable voltage supply The present application discloses various implementations of a mobile device including a power amplifier (PA) having a driving stage coupled to an output stage. The driving stage is configured to be selectably powered by one of a first voltage supply and a second voltage supply. The output stage is configured to be powered by the second voltage supply. The mobile device further includes a voltage supply selection switch configured to selectably power the driving stage by the second voltage supply when an output power of the PA is less than or equal to a threshold power.
US08648654B1	Integrated circuit and method for generating a layout of such an integrated circuit An integrated circuit has a first and second voltage supply rails with first and second voltage levels and a gated voltage supply rail. Each of the circuit elements is connected either between the first and second voltage supply rails or between the gated rail and the second voltage rail. A source circuit structure comprising one or more circuit elements provides an input signal maintained at a static value during a power gated mode of operation. At least one recipient circuit structure requires receipt of the input signal at the static value during the power gated mode of operation. A distribution network comprises a first subset of circuit elements which pull their output to the first voltage level then the input signal has the static value, and a second subset of circuit elements which pull their output to the second voltage level when the input signal has the static value.
US08648652B2	Band pass filter and calibration method for band pass filter A band pass filter has a high pass filter into which an input signal is input; an amplifier having an inverting input terminal into which an output of the high pass filter is input, wherein the amplifier amplifies an input voltage between the inverting input terminal and a non-inverting input terminal and outputs an output signal to an output terminal; a first resistor connected between a non-inverting output terminal and the inverting input terminal of the amplifier; a first capacitor having a first terminal that is connected to the inverting input terminal; and an inverting amplifier that inverts a polarity of an output signal from the non-inverting output terminal of the amplifier and outputs the inverted signal to a second terminal of the capacitor.
US08648628B2	Differential output buffer According to one embodiment, a main driver is configured to shift the level of a differential signal. A bypass circuit is configured to bypass current flowing through the main driver in such a manner as to contain the change amount of current running through the main driver flowing from a high power supply potential to a low power supply potential within a fixed range upon transition between an operating state and a standby state of the main driver.
US08648621B2	Counter operation in a state machine lattice Disclosed are methods and devices, among which is a device that includes a finite state machine lattice. The lattice may include a counter suitable for counting a number of times a programmable element in the lattice detects a condition. The counter may be configured to output in response to counting the condition was detected a certain number of times. For example, the counter may be configured to output in response to determining a condition was detected at least (or no more than) the certain number of times, determining the condition was detected exactly the certain number of times, or determining the condition was detected within a certain range of times. The counter may be coupled to other counters in the device for determining high-count operations and/or certain quantifiers.
US08648614B2	Electronic circuit testing apparatus The present invention has an object to provide an electronic circuit testing apparatus that is preferable for testing an electronic circuit which carries out communications between substrates based on inductive coupling and is capable of testing the electronic circuit without using test pads, wherein a probe 15 is caused to intervene in a communications channel composed by inductive coupling based on the first and second transmitter coils 21a, 21b; and the first and second receiver coils 23a, 23b, and an LSI is tested by a tester 11, buffers 12 and 13, and a Tx/Rx switch 14. Accordingly, it is not be necessary for that the electronic circuit testing apparatus is provided with a needle that touches pads and leads of the electronic circuit, and the service life there can be lengthened.
US08648599B2	Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes an imaging unit and data processing condition setting unit. The imaging unit is configured to acquire magnetic resonance data corresponding to a sampling region asymmetric in a wave number direction in k-space from an object to generate image data based on the magnetic resonance data by data processing including phase correction and filter processing for obtaining a complex conjugate. The data processing condition setting unit is configured to set a condition for the data processing according to an imaging condition influencing a phase distribution used for the phase correction or the phase distribution.
US08648598B2	Controlling multi-channel transmitter effects on specific absorption rate Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with controlling the specific absorption rate (SAR) in a patient associated with a conductor are described. The conductor may be, for example, a wire associated with a pacemaker, a wire associated with a neurostimulator, an orthopaedic device, and so on. One example method includes calibrating a multi-channel transmitter associated with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus imaging the patient. The example method also includes controlling the MRI apparatus to transmit radio frequency (RF) energy to image the patient in a manner where the RF energy will only influence the SAR near the conductor in the patient less than a desired threshold amount.
US08648596B2	Method of and apparatus for analysis of the composition of a sample by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry employing carrier suppression Described is an electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer comprising a miniaturized radio-frequency (RF) microwave cavity resonator. The miniaturized RF microwave cavity resonator receives a carrier signal from a circulator, modulates the signal path signal, and reflects the carrier signal back to the circulator to amplify the carrier signal prior to demodulation. A mixer receives and demodulates the carrier signal and outputs an audio signal to generate an ESR spectrum for analyzing a chemical composition of a fluid sample. The ESR spectrum represents a magnetic susceptibility of the fluid sample to a magnetic resonance cause variation in a resonant frequency of the miniaturized RF microwave cavity resonator. In a desired aspect, the carrier signal is split into two paths prior to demodulation. The two paths are demodulated by different mixers to produce two separate outputs, an absorption spectrum and a dispersion spectrum.
US08648594B2	Method and device for uniform radial data acquisition in three-dimensional K-space in an MR measurement for a magnetic resonance system For radial data acquisition in three-dimensional k-space in an MR measurement for a magnetic resonance system, data in k-space are acquired along straight-line spokes. Each of the spokes is thereby defined by a point on a sphere and the center point of this sphere, wherein the center point corresponding to the center of k-space. The points are arranged on the sphere such that a distribution of the points obeys the spiral phyllotaxis, in particular the Fibonacci phyllotaxis.
US08648588B2	RF detector with crest factor measurement An RF detector configured to provide two outputs, one being a function of the true RMS power level of an RF input signal, and the other being a function of the instantaneous/peak power of the RF input signal, normalized to the average power level. The RF detector includes a variable gain detection subsystem including a single detector or detector array that provides a representation of the power level of the RF input signal. The detector or detector array is common to both the RMS power detection channel and the instantaneous/peak power detection channel of the RF detector. A method of RF detection includes providing representations of the RF input signal at different gain levels, selecting one or more of the representations, and averaging the selected signals. The gain levels of the selected representations is adjusted to provide information about the average power level of the RF input signal.
US08648583B2	Delay block for controlling a dead time of a switching voltage regulator Embodiments for at least one method and apparatus for controlling timing of switch control signals of a switching voltage regulator disclosed. One method includes generating a regulated output voltage based upon a switching voltage, generating the switching voltage through controlled closing and opening of a series switch element and a shunt switch element, and controlling, by a delay block, the closing and opening of the series switch element and a shunt switch element. The delay block control includes receiving, by the delay block, a timing signal, generating a one of a series switch control signal and a shunt switch control signal by controllably delaying the timing signal with a first delay, and generating one other of the series switch control signal and the shunt switch control signal by inverting, and controllably delaying the timing signal with a second delay.
US08648578B2	Capless low drop-out voltage regulator having discharge circuit compensating for on-chip output capacitance and response time A voltage regulator is provided having one or more discharger circuits that compensate for low on-chip output capacitance and a slow loop response time. In one embodiment, the voltage regulator includes an output transistor coupled to an output voltage line, an output voltage sensing arrangement coupled to the output voltage line for producing an output feedback voltage, and an error amplifier coupled to the output feedback voltage, the output transistor, and a reference voltage for applying feedback control to the output transistor. A first discharger circuit is coupled to the output voltage line and to a reference potential, the first discharger circuit being triggered by a steep-rise overvoltage condition. In another embodiment, a combination of fast and slow discharger circuits is used to improve the load step response—i.e., to stop the output voltage from jumping too high and to pull it back to stable value very quickly, such that the load circuits are protected.
US08648577B2	DC-DC converter The present invention provides a DC-DC converter including: a first series circuit which is connected to the two ends of a direct-current power source Vi, and in which a first switching element Q1 and a second switching element Q2 are connected together in series; a control circuit 10 configured to alternately turn on and off the first switching element and the second switching element; a second series circuit which is connected to the two ends of the first switching element, and in which a first capacitor Ci, a first reactor Ls and a second reactor Ll having a larger value than the first reactor are connected together in series; and rectifying/smoothing circuits (Do, Co) configured to rectify and smooth a voltage between the two ends of the second reactor, and to output a direct-current output voltage.
US08648575B2	Electrical machine safety system An electrical machine system including a permanent magnet assembly having a magnetic field and a plurality of conductive coils, the magnet assembly and coils arranged for relative rotation between the coils and magnetic field in the manner of an electrical generator or motor, the system further comprising a current injector electrically connected to said coils and arranged selectively to supply a current signal thereto, the current signal being asynchronous with the frequency of rotation between the permanent magnet assembly and coils so as to heat and thereby demagnetise one or more magnet within said permanent magnet assembly.
US08648574B2	Output control device for hybrid engine-driven power generator A power generator has a battery and an alternator driven by an engine. The battery assists a power energy of the alternator. An inverter circuit is connected to an output of a rectifying circuit. A DC/DC converter boosts a voltage of the battery and inputs the boosted voltage into a constant power regulator. The constant power regulator boosts an input voltage and secures a certain power. An output voltage of the rectifying circuit is monitored by a monitoring means and an output voltage of the battery is monitored by a monitoring means. When the output voltage of the rectifying circuit is equal to or less than a rated voltage, an auxiliary power value corresponding to the remaining amount of the battery is set as a power target value of the constant power regulator.
US08648567B2	Enhanced portable battery powered electrical appliance An appliance, such as a flashlight, accepts first and second batteries. The appliance also includes an electrical load, such as a light source. A first circuit, such as a DC to DC converter, receives power from the first battery and supplies power to the load. A second circuit, such as a DC to DC converter, receives power from the second battery and supplies electrical power to the load. In one embodiment, the appliance accepts batteries having multiple physical sizes.
US08648566B2	Automatic and dynamic home electricity load balancing for the purpose of EV charging A circuit breaker monitors a total present electric current consumption value for electric consumers served by the service panel and not served by the circuit breaker, compares the present electric current consumption value with a preset maximum current capacity limit, and sets an electric charging current drawn from the service panel to a value less than a difference between the maximum current capacity limit and a sum of the total present electric current consumption value and a preset current consumption value for an electric consumer that is presently not drawing current.
US08648560B2	Electric motor control apparatus In an electric motor control apparatus, an electric motor driving unit includes: a current detection unit configured to detect a current flowing through a current detection place in the electric motor driving unit. A control unit includes a current calculation unit configured to calculate a current value of a current flowing through an electric motor from an offset correction value obtained based on a first detection value detected at a time when a current flows through the current detection place and a second detection value detected at a time when a current does not flow through the current detection place. The offset correction value includes: a first offset correction value stored in nonvolatile memory of the control unit at a time of assembling the electric motor control apparatus; and a second offset correction value computed by the control unit while the electric motor is driven.
US08648558B2	Control of a brushless motor A method of controlling a brushless motor that includes exciting a winding of the motor for a conduction period over each electrical half-cycle of the motor. The length of the conduction period is defined by a waveform that varies periodically with time. Additionally, a control system that implements the method, and a motor system that incorporates the control system.
US08648552B2	Control system for an electric machine A control system for an electric machine, the control system including a position sensor and a drive controller. The drive controller generates one or more control signals for exciting a winding of the electric machine in response to edges of a signal output by the position sensor. Moreover, the drive controller generates control signals in response to an edge that occurs within a time window. The time window starts at a time when control signals are generated and has a length less than the electrical half-cycle period.
US08648548B2	Current generator A current generating circuit for providing a plurality of load current is provided. The current generating circuit includes: a plurality of operational amplifier, coupled to a reference voltage source, wherein each positive input end of the a plurality of operational amplifier receives the reference voltage source; a plurality of semiconductor switch, used for controlling the output of a plurality of load current, wherein each semiconductor switch is respectively coupled to a corresponding operational amplifier and a load, and the semiconductor switch operates according to signals outputted from the output end of the corresponding operational amplifier to output the corresponding load current; and a control unit, coupled to a plurality of operational amplifier, for outputting a control signal to control the operation of a plurality of operational amplifier.
US08648544B2	Illumination lighting apparatus, illumination apparatus, and illumination system An illumination lighting apparatus is connected to, as an external apparatus, any of a human body sensing sensor configured to detect presence/absence of a person, an illuminance sensor configured to detect space illuminance, and a dimmer which arbitrarily adjusts the space illuminance, and is configured to produce an output control signal for controlling an optical output of a light source based on a signal output from the external apparatus. The illumination lighting apparatus includes: an external apparatus determining unit configured to determine which kind of the external apparatus is connected based on the signal output from the external apparatus; and a signal processing unit configured to produce the output control signal based on the signal output from the external apparatus.
US08648542B2	Ballast circuit for LED lamp The ballast circuit for a light-emitting diode (LED lamp) includes a surge absorber circuit that includes a capacitor (C3) and a resistor (R3) serially connected between both ends of the bridge diode (BD), a resistor (R5) and a capacitor (C4) serially connected with each other, and a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), the SCR being connected to the resistor (R5) and capacitor (C4) in parallel, the resistor (R5), capacitor (C4) and silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) being connected to the positive (+) terminal of the bridge diode (BD), thereby protecting the LED from a surge occurring. LED arrays connected to an output terminal of the surge absorber circuit, each array having a plurality of forward LEDs and LED arrays connected to the negative (−) terminal of the bridge diode (BD), each array having a plurality of reverse LEDs, the reverse LEDs being connected serially with one other.
US08648537B2	Methods and apparatus for driving LED-based lighting units A plurality of switching units interleaves with a plurality of LED-based lighting units to configure the interconnection of the LED-based lighting units for providing multiple lighting modes. Each switching unit disposed between a leading lighting unit and a trailing lighting unit is separately controlled by a controller. The switching unit can be configured to connect the two LED-based lighting units in parallel or in series, or to bypass the leading LED-based lighting unit. All the LED-based lighting units are connected in series when an input voltage supply is at a maximum voltage level, and connected in parallel when the input voltage supply is at a minimum voltage level. As the input voltage level decreases, the number of LED-based lighting units connected in parallel increases, and vice versa.
US08648535B2	Vehicle lamp control apparatus In a vehicle lamp control apparatus, a control unit controls sub lamps in a first condition based on a main information signal including a turn signal or a steering angle signal, and in a second condition based on a sub information signal. A noticeability of the second condition is lower than a noticeability of the first condition.
US08648533B2	Overmoded cavity bounded by first and second grids for providing electron beam/RF signal interaction that is transversely distributed across the cavity An overmoded distributed interaction network is provided that generates high peak and average RF power amplification at high frequencies. A series of overmoded cavities are bounded by parallel or concentric grids that may be separated by metallic spacers adapted to function as a photonic bandgap circuit to suppress competing electromagnetic modes. The selected electromagnetic modes have wavelengths much shorter than the lateral dimension of the grids, allowing the beam-wave interaction to be distributed transversely for improved interaction efficiency. The grids may optionally be slotted and arranged to provide a serpentine traveling wave tube configuration.
US08648531B2	High pressure discharge lamp and method of manufacturing high pressure discharge lamp A high pressure discharge lamp has a sealing portion that is made of glass and a sealing metal piece. In a method of manufacturing the high pressure discharge lamp, the sealing metal piece is irradiated with laser beam whose pulse width is 1×10−9 seconds or less, so as to carry out a surface treatment of the sealing metal piece. The sealing metal piece may have a groove that is 120 to 600 nm in depth and 450 to 1,200 nm in width.
US08648528B2	Electroluminescent device, method for manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus The invention provides a low-profile electroluminescent (EL) device, a method for manufacturing the same, and a low-profile electronic apparatus. The EL device can include first electrodes, EL layers disposed on the first electrodes, a second electrode to cover the EL layers, and a barrier layer in contact with the second electrode. At least the surface of the second electrode facing the barrier layer can be composed of an inorganic oxide. At least the surface of the barrier layer facing the second electrode can be composed of an inorganic compound.
US08648514B2	Rotary electric motor and blower that uses the same In a rotary electric motor a first stator core and a second stator core are disposed coaxially so as to be separated by a predetermined distance axially and such that circumferential positions of teeth are aligned, and a first rotor core and a second rotor core on which salient poles are disposed at a uniform angular pitch circumferentially are fixed coaxially to a rotating shaft so as to be positioned on inner peripheral sides of the first stator core and the second stator core, respectively, and so as to be offset circumferentially by a pitch of half a salient pole from each other. A first permanent magnet that is magnetically oriented such that a direction of magnetization is radially inward is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of a core back of the first stator core, and an outer peripheral surface of the first permanent magnet and the outer peripheral surface of the core back of the second stator core are linked by a frame that is made of a magnetic material.
US08648495B2	Smart-grid combination power system The embodiments shown and described herein relate to a portable clean power generation and aggregation system. The system comprises a plurality of power generation units operable to generate DC electrical power, a power storage device, an inverter unit, and a main controller. The plurality of power generation units may include a solar power generation unit, a wind power generation unit, a hydro power generation unit, and a fuel-based power generation unit. The main controller is electrically coupled to the plurality of power generation units, the inverter controller, and the power storage device, and monitors DC electrical power generation by the plurality of power generation units, monitors DC electrical power received by the inverter, measures charge of the power storage device, and directs DC electrical power from the power storage device to the inverter. The nature of the system and its applications allows the effective use of wireless communications systems and the like where they would otherwise not be possible.
US08648491B2	Passive impedance matching Methods, devices, and systems for passive impedance matching are provided. An example of a method of passive impedance matching includes provided a substantially equivalent impedance between a source and a load for three single-phase power supplies via a geometry of a busbar. The busbar can be coupled to the three-phase power supplies as the source and coupled to a plurality of electronic machines as the load.
US08648489B2	Power supply control device for vehicle A power supply control device for a vehicle includes a plurality of electrical loadings installed in a vehicle; a feeding part configured to supply electric power to the electrical loadings; and a presumption part configured to presume an electrical power demand for operating the electrical loadings based on sign information for foreseeable operations of the electrical loadings. Electrical power supply from the feeding part to each electrical loading is adjusted based on the result of presumption by the presumption part.
US08648488B2	Wind turbine A wind turbine connected to a utility grid includes a nacelle, at least one transformer for feeding generated power to the utility grid, and a flexible suspension arrangement connected to a load carrying structure of the nacelle and suspending the transformer above a floor level of the nacelle.
US08648484B2	Power generating device and braking device Power generation efficiency is improved with a simple configuration. A braking device is provided with a brake rotor which rotates on a central axis, and friction portions which are in frictional contact with the brake rotor. A coil is wound around the outer peripheral portion of the brake rotor. A friction portion has the north pole of a magnet, and a friction portion has the south pole of a magnet. The braking device generates electricity by using an electromagnetic induction phenomenon and an electrostatic phenomenon that are caused by the interaction between the outer peripheral portion and the friction portion, for example, at the time of braking. As a result, the configuration can be simplified and the amount of power generation is not likely to be limited by a motor capability because there is very little need to use the motor as a generator. Furthermore, the friction energy itself converted from the kinetic energy of the brake rotor can be converted into electrical energy to suppress the friction energy from being lost as heat energy.
US08648479B2	Epoxy resin composition for semiconductor encapsulant and semiconductor device using the same According to the present invention, an epoxy resin composition for semiconductor encapsulant including (A) an epoxy resin, (B) a curing agent, (C) an inorganic filler, and (D) a compound in which a copolymer of a 1-alkene having 5 to 80 carbon atoms and maleic anhydride is esterified with an alcohol having 5 to 25 carbon atoms in the presence of a compound represented by General Formula (1), wherein R1 in General Formula (1) is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a halogenated alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, and an aromatic group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms is provided.
US08648478B2	Flexible heat sink having ventilation ports and semiconductor package including the same A heat sink includes a first adhesive layer, and a heat dissipation layer disposed on the first adhesive layer, and has ventilation ports that extend therethrough including through the first adhesive layer and the heat dissipation layer. The heat sink forms an outermost part of a semiconductor package. Thus, when the heat sink is bonded via its adhesive layer to underlying structure during a manufacturing process, the ventilation ports allow air to pass therethrough. As a result, air is not trapped in the form of bubbles between the heat sink and the underlying structure.
US08648473B2	Chip arrangement and a method for forming a chip arrangement A chip arrangement is provided. The chip arrangement includes: a first chip electrically connected to the first chip carrier top side; a second chip electrically connected to the second chip carrier top side; and electrically insulating material configured to at least partially surround the first chip carrier and the second chip carrier; at least one electrical interconnect configured to electrically contact the first chip to the second chip through the electrically insulating material; one or more first electrically conductive portions formed over and electrically contacted to at least one of the first chip carrier top side and second chip carrier top side, and one or more second electrically conductive portions formed over and electrically contacted to at least one of the first chip carrier bottom side and second chip carrier bottom side.
US08648461B2	Semiconductor device A semiconductor device includes a wiring substrate, a semiconductor element mounted on the wiring substrate, a first radiator member arranged on and thermally coupled to the semiconductor element, and a second radiator member arranged on and thermally coupled to the first radiator member. The second radiator member includes projections which project out toward the first radiator member. The projections are formed on a circumference of a concentric circle with respect to a center point of the second radiator member. The first radiator member includes grooves in which the projections are movable. The grooves are formed on a circumference of a concentric circle with respect to a center point of the first radiator member. The projections are fitted to terminating ends of the grooves with the center point of the first radiator member and the center point of the second radiator member coincided.
US08648456B1	Embedded integrated circuit package and method for manufacturing an embedded integrated circuit package A embedded integrated circuit package is provided, the embedded integrated circuit package including: at least one chip arranged over a chip carrier, the at least one chip including a plurality of chip contact pads; encapsulation material formed over the chip carrier and at least partially surrounding the at least one chip; a plurality of electrical interconnects formed through the encapsulation material, wherein each electrical interconnect is electrically connected to a chip contact pad; and a structure formed between the electrical interconnects of the embedded integrated circuit package, wherein the structure increases the creepage resistance between the electrical interconnects.
US08648450B1	Semiconductor device including leadframe with a combination of leads and lands In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor package or device including a uniquely configured leadframe sized and configured to maximize the available number of exposed lands in the semiconductor device. More particularly, the semiconductor device of the present invention includes a die pad (or die paddle) defining multiple peripheral edge segments. In addition, the semiconductor device includes a plurality of leads and lands which are provided in a prescribed arrangement. Connected to the top surface of the die pad is at least one semiconductor die which is electrically connected to at least some of the leads and lands. At least portions of the die pad, the leads, the lands, and the semiconductor die are encapsulated by the package body, with at least portions of the bottom surfaces of the die pad and the lands being exposed in a common exterior surface of the package body.
US08648443B2	Bipolar transistor with improved stability Instability and drift sometimes observed in bipolar transistors, having a portion of the base extending to the transistor surface between the emitter and base contact, can be reduced or eliminated by providing a further doped region of the same conductivity type as the emitter at the transistor surface between the emitter and the base contact. The further region is desirably more heavily doped than the base region at the surface and less heavily doped than the adjacent emitter. In another embodiment, a still or yet further region of the same conductivity type as the emitter is provided either between the further region and the emitter or laterally within the emitter. The still or yet further region is desirably more heavily doped than the further region. Such further regions shield the near surface base region from trapped charge that may be present in dielectric layers or interfaces overlying the transistor surface.
US08648431B2	Acoustic semiconductor device According to one embodiment, an acoustic semiconductor device includes an element unit, and a first terminal. The element unit includes an acoustic resonance unit. The acoustic resonance unit includes a semiconductor crystal. An acoustic standing wave is excitable in the acoustic resonance unit and is configured to be synchronously coupled with electric charge density within at least one portion of the semiconductor crystal via deformation-potential coupling effect. The first terminal is electrically connected to the element unit. At least one selected from outputting and inputting an electrical signal is implementable via the first terminal. The electrical signal is coupled with the electric charge density. The outputting the electrical signal is from the acoustic resonance unit, and the inputting the electrical signal is into the acoustic resonance unit.
US08648430B2	Microelectromechanical system having movable element integrated into substrate-based package A semiconductor-centered MEMS device (100) integrates the movable microelectromechanical parts, such as mechanical elements, flexible membranes, and sensors, with the low-cost device package, and leaving only the electronics and signal-processing parts in the integrated circuitry of the semiconductor chip. The package is substrate-based and has an opening through the thickness of the substrate. Substrate materials include polymer tapes with attached metal foil, and polymer-based and ceramic-based multi-metal-layer dielectric composites with attached metal foil. The movable part is formed from the metal foil attached to a substrate surface and extends at least partially across the opening. The chip is flip-assembled to span at least partially across the membrane, and is separated from the membrane by a gap.
US08648419B2	ESD protection device and method An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection clamp (21, 21′, 70, 700) for protecting associated devices or circuits (24), comprises a bipolar transistors (21, 21′, 70, 700) in which doping of facing base (75) and collector (86) regions is arranged so that avalanche breakdown occurs preferentially within a portion (84, 85) of the base region (74, 75) of the device (70, 700) away from the overlying dielectric-semiconductor interface (791). Maximum variations (ΔVt1)MAX of ESD triggering voltage Vt1 as a function of base-collector spacing dimensions D due, for example, to different azimuthal orientations of transistors (21, 21′, 70, 700) on a semiconductor die or wafer is much reduced. Triggering voltage consistency and manufacturing yield are improved.
US08648417B1	LDMOS transistors with improved ESD capability A laterally-diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor (LDMOS) transistor includes a first well of a first conductivity type, a source of a second conductivity type formed in the first well, a drift region of the second conductivity type formed in the first well, and a second well of the second conductivity type formed in the first well and below the drift region. The drift region is separated from the source. The LDMOS transistor further includes a drain of the second conductivity type formed in the drift region, and includes a concentrator of the second conductivity type formed in the drift region and separated from the drain. A distance between the concentrator and the source is less than a distance between the drain and the source.
US08648416B1	LDMOS sense transistor structure for current sensing at high voltage An integrated circuit includes a high voltage n-channel MOS power transistor integrated with a high voltage n-channel MOS blocking transistor. The power transistor and the blocking transistor have electrically coupled drain contact regions. In one embodiment, a drain area of the power transistor is separate from a drain area of the blocking transistor. In another embodiment, the drain area of the power transistor is contiguous with the drain area of the blocking transistor. The power transistor and the blocking transistor have drain extensions with drift areas. The power transistor drift area is laterally adjacent to both sides of the blocking transistor drift area. The drift areas are aligned so that breakdown does not occur between the power transistor and the blocking transistor. The body of the blocking transistor is isolated from the substrate.
US08648415B2	Semiconductor device with impurity region with increased contact area A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, an impurity region in the semiconductor substrate, and a conductive layer contacting a top surface of the impurity region and at least a side surface of the impurity region.
US08648406B2	Single poly EEPROM having a tunnel oxide layer A single poly EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), which may include at least one of the following: (1) A second conductive type well formed on and/or over a semiconductor substrate. (2) A first conductive type source and drain regions formed in the second conductive type well. The single poly EEPROM may include at least one of: (a) A tunnel oxide layer formed on and/or over the second conductive type well. (b) A floating gate formed on and/or over the tunnel oxide layer and doped with second conductive type impurity ions. (c) A first conductive type impurity region formed in the second conductive type well adjacent to the floating gate. The floating gate may be configured such that a concentration of a region of the floating gate adjacent to the drain region is higher than that of the other region of the floating gate adjacent to the impurity region.
US08648405B2	Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device including memory cells formed to have double-layered gate electrodes A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of floating gate electrodes respectively formed above a semiconductor substrate with first insulating films disposed therebetween, and a control gate electrode formed above the plurality of floating gate electrodes with a second insulating film disposed therebetween. In each of the plurality of floating gate electrodes is formed to have a width of an upper portion thereof in a channel width direction which is smaller than a width of a lower portion thereof in the channel width direction and one of contact surfaces thereof on at least opposed sides which contact the second insulating film is formed to have one surface, and the second insulating film has a maximum film thickness in a vertical direction, the maximum film thickness being set smaller than a distance from a lowest surface to a highest surface of the second insulating film in the vertical direction.
US08648400B2	FinFET semiconductor device with germanium (GE) fins The present disclosure provides a FinFET element. The FinFET element includes a germanium-FinFET element (e.g., a multi-gate device including a Ge-fin). In one embodiment, device includes a fin having a first portion including Ge and a second portion, underlying the first portion and including an insulating material (e.g., silicon dioxide). A gate structure may be formed on the fin.
US08648399B2	Bipolar junction transistor for current driven synchronous rectifier A Reverse Bipolar Junction Transistor (RBJT) integrated circuit comprises a bipolar transistor and a parallel-coupled distributed diode. The bipolar transistor involves many N-type collector regions. Each N-type collector region has a central hole so that P-type material from an underlying P-type region extends up into the hole. A collector metal electrode covers the central hole forming a diode contact at the top of the hole. When the distributed diode conducts, current flows from the collector electrode, down through the many central holes in the many collector regions, through corresponding PN junctions, and to an emitter electrode disposed on the bottom side of the IC. The RBJT and distributed diode integrated circuit has emitter-to-collector and emitter-to-base reverse breakdown voltages exceeding twenty volts. The collector metal electrode is structured to contact the collector regions, and to bridge over the base electrode, resulting in a low collector-to-emitter voltage when the RBJT is on.
US08648398B2	Electronic device and a transistor including a trench and a sidewall doped region An electronic device can include a first layer having a primary surface, a well region lying adjacent to the primary surface, and a buried doped region spaced apart from the primary surface and the well region. The electronic device can also include a trench extending towards the buried doped region, wherein the trench has a sidewall, and a sidewall doped region along the sidewall of the trench, wherein the sidewall doped region extends to a depth deeper than the well region. The first layer and the buried region have a first conductivity type, and the well region has a second conductivity type opposite that of the first conductivity type. The electronic device can include a conductive structure within the trench, wherein the conductive structure is electrically connected to the buried doped region and is electrically insulated from the sidewall doped region. Processes for forming the electronic device are also described.
US08648395B2	Integrated CMOS porous sensor A single chip wireless sensor (1) comprises a microcontroller (2) connected by a transmit/receive interface (3) to a wireless antenna (4). The microcontroller (2) is also connected to an 8 kB RAM (5), a USB interface (6), an RS232 interface (8), 64 kB flash memory (9), and a 32 kHz crystal (10). The device (1) senses humidity and temperature, and a humidity sensor (11) is connected by an 18 bit ΣΔ A-to-D converter (12) to the microcontroller (2) and a temperature sensor (13) is connected by a 12 bit SAR A-to-D converter (14) to the microcontroller (2). The device (1) is an integrated chip manufactured in a single process in which both the electronics and sensor components are manufactured using standard CMOS processing techniques, applied to achieve both electronic and sensing components in an integrated process.
US08648384B2	Light emitting device A light emitting device is disclosed. In the light emitting device, the structure of a barrier layer of an active layer is changed, and a band gap energy of an intermediate layer is varied, thereby improving hole injection efficiency of the active layer and thus light emission efficiency.
US08648383B2	Light emitting device and light emitting device package having the same Disclosed are a light emitting device and a light emitting device package having the same. The light emitting device includes a light emitting structure including a first conductive type semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second conductive type semiconductor layer, a first electrode disposed in an opening portion of the light emitting structure and contacted with a portion of the first conductive type semiconductor layer, an insulating layer covering the first electrode, a second electrode disposed on the insulating layer and connected to the second conductive type semiconductor layer, a first electrode layer under the second electrode.
US08648379B2	LED lamp assembly Provided is a light emitting diode (LED) lamp assembly having an increased light incidence angle by fixing unit LED lamps fixed on a substrate at various angles. The LED lamp assembly includes a substrate having a socket portion and an LED mounting portion, first unit LED modules installed on both surfaces of the substrate and irradiating light onto the both surfaces of the substrate in a frontward direction, and second unit LED modules irradiating light onto the both surface of the substrate in directions other than the frontward direction. In the LED lamp assembly, since first and second unit LED modules having light irradiation units formed at different positions are installed on both surfaces of a single substrate, light can be irradiated in a radial direction.
US08648378B2	Nitride-based semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same A nitride-based semiconductor light-emitting device 100 includes a GaN substrate 10, of which the principal surface is an m-plane 12, a semiconductor multilayer structure 20 that has been formed on the m-plane 12 of the GaN-based substrate 10, and an electrode 30 arranged on the semiconductor multilayer structure 20. The electrode 30 includes an Mg layer 32, which contacts with the surface of a p-type semiconductor region in the semiconductor multilayer structure 20.
US08648368B2	Optoelectronic component with a protected passivation layer An optoelectronic component, includes a carrier, a metallic mirror layer arranged on the carrier, a first passivation layer arranged on a region of the metallic mirror layer, a semiconductor layer that generates an active region during electrical operation arranged on the first passivation layer, a second passivation layer including two regions, wherein the first region is arranged on a top face of the semiconductor layer, and the second region which is free of the semiconductor layer is arranged on the metallic mirror layer, and wherein the first and second regions are separated from one another by a region which surrounds the first passivation layer and which is free of the second passivation layer.
US08648367B2	LED comprising a multiband phosphor system An LED module comprising at least one blue LED and a color conversion layer that is applied thereto and emits a mixed light of the blue light of the LED and the converted spectrum of the color conversion layer. The color conversion layer has at least three different phosphors which at least partially convert the light of the blue LED into red, green, and yellow or yellowish-green light. The phosphor for conversion into red light is a doped nitride compound, preferably a nitridosilicate.
US08648362B2	Solid state imaging device, method of producing solid state imaging device, and electronic apparatus A solid state imaging device includes: a substrate; a photoelectric conversion unit that is formed on the substrate to generate and accumulate signal charges according to light quantity of incident light; a vertical transmission gate electrode that is formed to be embedded in a groove portion formed in a depth direction from one side face of the substrate according to a depth of the photoelectric conversion unit; and an overflow path that is formed on a bottom portion of the transmission gate to overflow the signal charges accumulated in the photoelectric conversion unit.
US08648344B2	Organic light-emitting display device and method of manufacturing the same An organic light-emitting display device comprises: a lower substrate; an upper substrate facing the lower substrate; and a spacer formed in a sealed space between the lower substrate and the upper substrate and dividing the space into two or more sections; wherein air holes are formed in the spacer and allow air to flow between the sections of the space.
US08648342B2	Waveguide-integrated graphene photodetectors A photodetector includes a waveguide on a substrate, and a photodetection portion connected to the waveguide. The photodetection portion includes a first semiconductor layer, graphene on the semiconductor layer, and a second semiconductor layer on the graphene. A first electrode and a second electrode separated from the first ridge portion and electrically connected to the graphene.
US08648333B2	Triarylamine compounds for use in organic light-emitting diodes This invention relates to triarylamine compounds that are useful in electronic applications. It also relates to electronic devices in which the active layer includes such a compound.
US08648332B2	Phenyltetraene-based nonlinear optical chromophores Alkoxy-substituted phenyltetraene nonlinear optically active compounds, films and devices that include the compounds, and methods for making and using the compounds, films, and devices.
US08648329B2	Light-emitting device and projector A light-emitting device includes a first layer, a second layer, and a semiconductor body interposed between the first and second layers, wherein the semiconductor body has a first fine-wall-shape member, a second fine-wall-shape member, and a semiconductor member interposed between the first and second fine-wall-shape members, the first and second fine-wall-shape members have a third layer, a fourth layer, and a fifth layer interposed between the third and fourth layers, the fifth layer is a layer that generates light and guides the light, the third and fourth layers are layers that guide the light generated in the fifth layer, and the first and second layers are layers that suppress leakage of the light generated in the fifth layer.
US08648327B2	Stackable non-volatile resistive switching memory devices A memory device includes a first plurality of memory cells arranged in a first crossbar array, a first thickness of dielectric material overlying the first plurality of memory cells, and a second plurality of memory cells arranged in a second crossbar array overlying the first thickness of dielectric material. The memory device further includes a second thickness of dielectric material overlying the second plurality of memory cells. In a specific embodiment, the memory device further includes a Nth thickness of dielectric material overlying an Nth plurality of memory cells, where N is an integer ranging from 3 to 8.
US08648317B2	Reading mechanism for dosimeter Described is a method comprising the following steps: (a) moving a selected optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) sensor of two or OSL sensors mounted on a dosimeter sled to a reading position for an OSL reader; (b) reading the selected OSL sensor at the reading position using the OSL reader to measure a radiation dosage to which a dosimeter in which the dosimeter sled has been mounted has been exposed; and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) for each of the two or more OSL sensors, wherein each OSL sensor comprises an optically stimulated luminescent material (OSLM) mounted in one or more cylindrical cup-shaped energy compensating filters, and wherein the dosimeter sled is part of a dosimeter.
US08648308B2	IR camera system and method An Infra Red (IR) camera and method of operating the same is disclosed. The camera includes a detector having an infrared focal plane array (IRFPA). The camera is operated in such a fashion, implemented in software, to maximize the detector operating temperature under varying scene temperature and atmospheric conditions in order to achieve a predetermined and adequate level of sensitivity and operability from the detector.
US08648301B2	Particle beam system having a hollow light guide A system includes a particle optical system and a photosensitive detector. The particle optical system includes a charged particle beam source and an objective lens. The charged particle beam source is configured to generate a charged particle beam that travels along a particle beam path, and the objective lens is configured to focus the particle beam onto an object plane of the particle optical system. The system is configured such that a light beam path of the system extends from the object plane to the photosensitive detector.
US08648293B2	Calibration of mass spectrometry systems A method for operating a mass spectrometer (MS) includes establishing a pressure differential across a membrane wherein an upstream pressure in a calibrant gas inlet line on an upstream side of the membrane is greater than a downstream pressure in an ion source on a downstream side of the membrane; flowing a calibrant gas from the calibrant gas inlet line, through a nano-scale orifice of the membrane, and into the ion source; and maintaining the upstream pressure at a constant value. The calibrant may be flowed at a low flow rate. An MS system includes a membrane interposed between a calibrant gas introduction system and a mass spectrometer. The membrane may include an orifice of nano-scale diameter.
US08648291B2	Projection system having a virtual mask and a projection area with a shape defined by surrounding graphics A projection system includes a projection screen defining a shape and a projector configured to project an image onto the projection screen. The projector may project a static or dynamic image that has substantially the same shape as the projection screen or otherwise block portions of the projected image that are projected outside of the projection screen with the aid of a virtual mask. The virtual mask and the projection screen may be created based on a virtual shape template that defines the desired shape for the projection screen, such as with a vector outline. In some embodiments, the virtual mask and the projection screen are created based on the same virtual shape template. The virtual shape template may define a cutting path for extracting the projection screen from a suitable material.
US08648287B1	Image sensor using single photon jots and processor to create pixels An imaging system has an imager comprising a plurality of jots. A readout circuit is in electrical communication with the imager. The readout circuit can be configured to facilitate the formation of an image by defining neighborhoods of the jots, wherein a local density of exposed jots within a neighborhood is used to generate a digital value for a pixel of the image.
US08648276B2	Method for fabrication of a quadrupole mass filter or quadrupole ion trap using electrode discharge machining A method for fabricating a quadrupole mass filter (QMF) or quadrupole ion trap (QIT) capable of generating a hyperbolic electric field. The method comprises: (a) cutting four elongate erodible metal workpieces axially at opposing extremities; (b) parallel mounting the four elongate erodible metal workpieces axially in an elongate slot in an insulating housing in a mutually spaced apart disposition such that an axial bore is formed therebetween whereby a first part of each elongate erodible metal workpiece is freely inward facing and the cutting forms a recess remote from the axis of the insulating housing; (c) electrically connecting the erodible metal workpieces; and (d) generating electrical discharges between the erodible metal workpiece and a wire electrode as the wire electrode passes through the axial bore to erode the erodible metal of the first part of the erodible metal workpiece to a hyperbolic profile.
US08648275B2	Power supply device for sinker electric discharge machining A power supply device comprises a DC power supply (12), a current sensor (14) for detecting gap current (Igap) flowing through the machining gap, a first switching element (16) connected in series between the DC power supply and the tool electrode (2), a first reverse current prevention diode (22) connected in parallel with the DC power supply and connected in series with the first switching element (16), a second switching element (18) connected in series between the DC power supply and the workpiece (3), a second reverse current prevention diode (24) connected in parallel with the DC power supply and connected in series with the second switching element (18), and a pulse controller (20) for controlling the first and second switching elements in response to gap current (Igap). From a first time (t1) when electric discharge is generated across the machining gap, until a second time (t2) when the gap current reaches the peak current during the ON time, both of the first and second switching elements are on. At the second time (t2) only one of the first and second switching elements is turned off.
US08648273B2	Switching installation with arc protection and arc protection method A switching installation including a gas-filled enclosure, an input conductor, an actuator and a short-circuit device. The actuator is arranged to actuate the short-circuit device upon the occurrence of a first arc in the enclosure. The short-circuit device creates, upon being actuated, a short-circuit through the solid insulation between the input conductor and the enclosure or a separate ground point. The actuator can be arranged to react on an increase in pressure in the enclosure upon the occurrence of the first arc. The gas can be air or SF6. The short-circuit device can create, upon being actuated, the short-circuit through a section of a solid cable insulation isolating the input conductor from the enclosure.
US08648252B2	Solar cell using low iron high transmission glass and corresponding method A high transmission low iron glass, that is highly oxidized, is provided for use in solar cells or the like. In certain example embodiments, the glass composition used for the glass is a low-iron type glass composition which is highly oxidized thereby permitting the glass to realize a combination of high visible transmission (Lta or Tvis), high ultraviolet (UV) and/or infrared (IR) transmission, and high total solar (TS) transmission. These features may be achieved without the need for antimony in certain example instances. The glass substrate used in a solar cell may be patterned in certain example embodiments of this invention.
US08648249B1	Geo-cooled photovoltaic power converter A geo-cooled photovoltaic power conversion apparatus including a cooling system having liquid-to-earth sub-grade heat exchanger, multiple cooling loops, and a coolant reservoir which provides thermal storage for the cooling system.
US08648243B2	Musical tone generation control device and method A tone generation control device sets a setting value for crosstalk cancellation. When vibration generated in a target striking surface is detected, a value indicative of the degree of crosstalk that the target received from comparison striking surfaces is calculated. The calculated value is displayed regardless of whether a tone generation instruction has been output. Meanwhile, setting values used for crosstalk cancellation for the respective striking surfaces are also displayed. Therefore, the user can observe and understand as to whether the vibration generated at the target is vibration caused by crosstalk received from the comparison striking surface, such that setting values to be used for crosstalk cancellation can be suitably set.
US08648240B2	Virtual tuning of a string instrument In an un-tuned state, the strings of a string instrument are excited, and a standard adjustment factor is determined for each string. When a pitch is generated as a result of a string being strummed (e.g., during normal playing of the instrument), the pitch generated by the string is adjusted by the standard adjustment factor and an intonation adjustment factor that accounts for intonation errors. An adjusted pitch is output that is in-tune and has accurate intonation.
US08648239B2	Rigid plectrum for stringed instruments A rigid plectrum (1) for stringed instruments, of the type having a spearhead shape with a pointed front part (2) and a broadened rear part (3) in which, at the lateral walls (4) and (5) forming the pointed part, a first facet (4a) and a second facet (5a) are made, covering the entire thickness of the respective lateral wall; the facets being set at an angle α to the thickness of the respective lateral wall, each facet starting on one face of the plectrum which is opposite the face from which the other facet starts, and finishing on the other face of the plectrum; the facets also being set at an angle β to the face of the plectrum, from the rear part to the front part.
US08648238B1	String instrument A stringed musical instrument is disclosed for preferentially adjusting sound harmonics. The stringed musical instrument includes a body having a soundboard with a soundhole formed through the soundboard, a bridge, including a string support saddle mounted thereon, for supporting a plurality of instrument strings, a vertical member disposed within the body attached to the bridge through apertures in the soundboard, wherein the vertical member is further attached to an flexible member configured to affect rotation of the bridge, and a safety stop component disposed with in the body and configured to restrict movement of the vertical member. The soundboard is attached to the body via a side binding and unattached to internal support members within the body.
US08648235B1	Maize variety hybrid X8K864 A novel maize variety designated X8K864 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing hybrid maize variety X8K864 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X8K864 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X8K864, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X8K864. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X8K864.
US08648233B2	Hybrid artichoke variety NUN 4021 AR The invention provides a new and distinct hybrid variety of globe artichoke, NUN 4021 AR or Opera F1, which is characterized by producing high quality, purple heads for the fresh market and/or the processing industry.
US08648227B2	Method for extracting pure styrene from a pyrolysis benzine fraction The invention relates to a method for extracting styrene, having a polymerization quality, from pyrolysis benzol fractions containing styrene by means of extractive distillation. The pyrolysis benzol fraction is separated in a separating wall column in a C8-core fraction, a C7 fraction and a C9+-fraction, the obtained C8-core fraction is subjected to selective hydrogenation of the phenylacetylene C8H6 which it contains. Subsequently, the obtained C8-fraction undergoes extractive-distillative separation in a styrene fraction and a fraction which is low in styrene.
US08648221B2	Integrated process to co-produce trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene, trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, and 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane Disclosed is an integrated process to co-produce trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoro-propene (1233zd(E)), trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (1234ze(E)), and 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane (245fa). Overall the co-production is a three-step process. The chemistry involves the steps of: (1) the reaction of 240fa with anhydrous HF in excess in a liquid-phase catalyzed reactor in such a way as to co-produce primarily 1233zd(E) and 244fa (plus byproduct HCl); (2) the 244fa stream can then be used to directly produce any of the three desired products; (3a) the 244fa stream can be dehydrochlorinated to produce the desired second product 1234ze(E); and/or (3b) the 244fa stream can be dehydrofluorinated to produce 1233zd(E) if more of that product is desired; and/or (3c) the 244fa stream can be further fluorinated to form 245fa.
US08648215B2	Spiroenone and uses thereof The present invention provides novel spiroenones extracted from an alcohol extract of dehulled adlay seeds. The present invention also provides a process for the preparation of the spiroenones and a method for treating breast cancer in a subject, which method comprises administering to said subject an effective amount of the spiroenone and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient.
US08648197B2	Substituted piperazinyl-pyrrolidine compounds useful as chemokine receptor antagonists The present invention relates to compounds useful as Chemokine Receptor antagonists. Compounds of general formula I are provided: or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The invention also provides pharmaceutically acceptable compositions comprising said compounds and methods of using the compounds and compositions for the inhibition of Chemokine Receptors and also for the treatment of various diseases, conditions, or disorders, including acute or chronic inflammatory disease, cancer or osteolytic bone disorders.
US08648191B2	Cyclohexyloxy substituted heterocycles, pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds and processes for preparing them The present invention relates to cyclohexyloxy-substituted heterocycles of general formula (I) the tautomers, the stereoisomers, the mixtures thereof and the salts thereof, particularly the physiologically acceptable salts thereof with inorganic or organic acids, which have valuable pharmacological properties, particularly an inhibitory effect on signal transduction mediated by tyrosine kinases, the use thereof for the treatment of diseases, particularly tumoral diseases as well as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), diseases of the lungs and airways and the preparation thereof.
US08648189B2	Method for the preparation of rivoraxaban The present invention relates to the use of a compound having the formula (II) for the preparation of a compound having the formula (V). Methods of preparing the compound having the formula (V) using the compound having the formula (II) are also described. Individual reaction steps as well as intermediates are additionally claimed.
US08648182B2	Polynucleotides encoding antibodies to cytokine receptor zcytor17 Novel polypeptides, polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and related compositions and methods are disclosed for zcytor17, a novel cytokine receptor. The polypeptides may be used within methods for detecting ligands that stimulate the proliferation and/or development of hematopoietic, lymphoid and myeloid cells in vitro and in vivo. Ligand-binding receptor polypeptides can also be used to block ligand activity in vitro and in vivo. The polynucleotides encoding zcytor17, are located on chromosome 5, and can be used to identify a region of the genome associated with human disease states. The present invention also includes methods for producing the protein, uses therefor and antibodies thereto.
US08648180B2	Compound Smilaxchinoside F Smilaxchinoside F compound and its separation method are disclosed. The compound has the structure as following. The use of Smilaxchinoside F in the manufacture of a medicine for treating abnormal angiogenesis and its relating diseases is also disclosed.
US08648176B2	Engineered proteins with high affinity for DOTA chelates The present invention features, inter alia, compositions and methods for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. The compositions include engineered proteins that specifically bind a metal chelate and may be bispecific. For example, the engineered proteins may bind (a) a target (e.g., a cellular protein) on a cancerous cell or a pathogen and (b) a metal chelate comprising DOTA, or an active variant thereof, and a metal ion such as a radionuclide. By virtue of the multiple binding sites, the engineered protein effectively delivers a metal chelate to a cell one wishes to destroy.
US08648173B2	Inhibition of tumor metastasis by anti neuropilin 2 antibodies The application provides Nrp2 antagonists, such as anti-Nrp2 antibodies, and their use in the prevention and treatment of tumor metastasis.
US08648172B2	Anti-MUC1 α/β antibodies The present invention provides antibodies that simultaneously bind the α- and β-subunits of an intact MUC1 protein, and methods for making and using such antibodies.
US08648164B2	Low-k, flame-retardant, bi-functional benzoxazine and method for making the same Disclosed is a method for making a low-k, flame-retardant, bi-functional benzoxazine. The method includes the steps of dissolving phosphoric diamine with various functional groups, phenolic adamantane and paraformaldehyde in a solvent at 72° C. to 88° C. for 7 to 9 hours, and cooling and introducing the solution in n-hexane to separate the low-k, flame-retardant, phosphoric, bi-functional benzoxazine.
US08648163B2	High molecular weight, random, bisphenol based copoly(phosphonate carbonate)s Disclosed are random copoly(phosphonate carbonate)s with the high molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution exhibiting a superior combination of properties compared to prior art.
US08648160B2	Optical semiconductor sealing material The present invention provides an optical semiconductor sealing material comprising a radically polymerized polymer of a methacrylate ester having an alicyclic hydrocarbon group containing 7 or more carbon atoms, e.g. an adamantyl group, a norbornyl group, or a dicyclopentanyl group; and an optical semiconductor sealing material comprising a radically polymerized polymer of 50 to 97 mass % of the methacrylate ester and 3 to 50 mass % of acrylate ester having a hydroxyl group. The optical semiconductor sealing material of the present invention is highly transparent and stable to UV light and thus does not undergo yellowing. In addition, the material exhibits excellent compatibility between heat resistance and refractive index, does not undergo deformation or cracking during heating processes such as reflow soldering, and shows high processability. The material can be preferably used as a sealing material for light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements of optical semiconductor devices (semiconductor light-emitting devices).
US08648154B2	Phosphorus-containing phenol novolac resin, hardener comprising the same and epoxy resin composition This invention relates to a novel phosphorus-containing phenol novolac resin, use of the phosphorus-containing phenol novolac resin as a halogen-free flame retardant epoxy hardener, and an epoxy resin composition having high phosphorus content because it includes the phosphorus-containing phenol novolac resin, thereby exhibiting superior flame retardancy and heat resistance.
US08648150B2	Method for producing water absorbent resin The present invention is a method for producing a water absorbent resin which method is a method for producing surface cross-linked water absorbent resin particles, the method including the successive steps of: (a) adding a surface cross-linking agent and water to a particulate water absorbent resin in a mixer; and (b) reacting the resulting water absorbent resin mixture taken out from the mixer with the surface cross-linking agent in a reactor by heating or active energy ray irradiation, water vapor being used as part or all of the water added in the mixer. This makes it possible to provide a method for producing a water absorbent resin in which method a surface cross-linked water absorbent resin that has excellent properties can be obtained efficiently at low cost with high productivity.
US08648148B2	Low gloss mass polymerized rubber-modified monovinylidene aromatic copolymer composition Disclosed is a mass polymerized rubber-modified monovinylidene aromatic copolymer composition with an excellent balance of aesthetic, physical and mechanical properties, in particular good impact with low consistent gloss across an injection molded textured part, and a method for preparing such a composition.
US08648144B2	Crosslinked fibers and method of making same by extrusion The present disclosure relates to a method of forming fibers. First and second precursors, each possessing a core and at least one functional group known to have click reactivity, are mixed. The mixed precursors are then extruded under heat to cross-link during fiber production.
US08648139B2	Method of making an elastic film, in particular for a hygienic article An elastic film for a hygienic article is made by first premixing polymer components to form a polymer composite that contains styrene block copolymers and then extruding the polymer composite to make at least one layer. During the premixing or the extruding zeolites are added having pores of a size larger than 2.5 Angstrom and smaller than 5.5 Angstrom.
US08648133B2	Rubber composition for golf ball The invention provides a rubber composition for golf balls which includes (A) a base rubber containing a polybutadiene having a cis-1,4 bond content of at least 60 wt %, (B) an unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or a metal salt thereof, and (C) a thiourea of the general formula wherein R is independently at each occurrence a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbons. The golf ball rubber composition of the invention enables a high-quality molded and crosslinked product having a suitable hardness and a high resilience to be obtained.
US08648131B2	Process for the preparation of an artificial latex Accordingly, the invention provides a process for the preparation of an artificial latex, comprising the steps: (a) emulsification of a cement comprising a rubber dissolved in a suitable organic solvent, together with an aqueous surfactant solution, thus forming an oil-in-water emulsion; (b) step-wise reduction of the solvent content of the oil-in-water emulsion in two or more stages resulting in an artificial latex. In addition, the invention provides a continuous stirred vessel for removing an organic solvent from an oil-in-water emulsion comprising rubber dissolved in an organic solvent.
US08648127B2	Self decontaminating chemical and biological agent resistant coating The disclosure provides for a self decontaminating coating and method. The coating comprises a polyurethane component having a solids content in the range of about 10 weight percent to about 100 weight percent and having at least one volume percent free space, a chemical active, and a biological active. In another disclosed embodiment, a method of reducing the transportation of chemical contaminants and biological contaminants is provided comprising the steps of providing a self decontaminating coating comprising a polyurethane component having a polyurethane component having a solids content in the range of about 10 weight percent to about 100 weight percent and having at least one volume percent free space, a chemical active, and a biological active, and applying the coating to a surface of an aircraft, rotorcraft, vehicle, item of equipment, or architectural structure.
US08648111B2	N1-2-thiophene-2-ylethyl-N2-substituted biguanide derivate, preparation method thereof, and pharmaceutical composition containing the same as active ingredients The present invention provides an N1-2-thiophen-2-ylethyl-N2-substituted biguanide derivative of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, a method for preparing same, and a pharmaceutical composition comprising same as an active ingredient. The inventive N1-2-thiophen-2-ylethyl-N2-substituted biguanide derivative exhibits improved blood glucose level- and lipid level-lowering effects even with a reduced dosage as compared to conventional drugs, and thus, it is useful for preventing or treating diabetes, metabolic syndromes such as insulin-independent diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis, or a P53 gene defect-related cancer.
US08648107B2	Ketorolac tromethamine compositions for treating or preventing ocular pain Compositions comprising ketorolac tromethamine at a therapeutically effective concentration of less than 0.5% are disclosed herein. Methods of treating or preventing ocular pain using said compositions are also disclosed herein.
US08648106B2	Dexmedetomidine premix formulation The presently disclosed subject matter relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising dexmedetomidine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof wherein the composition is formulated as a liquid for parenteral administration to a subject, and wherein the composition is disposed within a sealed container as a premixture. The pharmaceutical compositions can be used, for example, in perioperative care of a patient or for sedation.
US08648103B2	Nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclyl compound The present invention provides a compound having excellent regulating action on blood lipid level that is represented by the following general formula (I) or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof, wherein, in one embodiment, A represents a 5-membered nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclyl group; R1 represents COOH; each R2 represents an alkyl; each R3 represents an optionally substituted phenyl, an optionally substituted phenylalkyl; m represents 0, 1, 2, or 3; n represents 0 or 1; each of R4, R5, R6, and R7 represents H, an alkyl; and B represents an optionally substituted naphthyl, an optionally substituted aromatic heterocyclyl, or a group represented by the following formula (II) wherein each of B1 and B2 represents an optionally substituted phenyl or an optionally substituted aromatic heterocyclyl.
US08648102B2	Compounds for treatment of cell proliferative diseases The present invention concerns compounds and their use to treat cell proliferative diseases such as cancer. Compounds of the present invention display significant potency as kinase inhibitors, cause the downregulation of c-myc, and inhibit the growth and survival of cancerous cell lines.
US08648095B2	Methods for treating multiple myeloma using 3-(4-amino-1-oxo-1,3-dihydroisoindol-2-yl)-piperidine-2,6-dione in combination with proteasome inhibitor Methods of treating, preventing and/or managing cancer as well as and diseases and disorders associated with, or characterized by, undesired angiogenesis are disclosed. Specific methods encompass the administration of an immunomodulatory compound alone or in combination with a second active ingredient. The invention further relates to methods of reducing or avoiding adverse side effects associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy or immunotherapy which comprise the administration of an immunomodulatory compound. Pharmaceutical compositions, single unit dosage forms, and kits suitable for use in methods of the invention are also disclosed.
US08648087B2	N4-phenyl-quinazoline-4-amine derivatives and related compounds as ErbB type I receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases This invention provides compounds of Formula I wherein B, G, A, E, R1, R2, R3, m and n are as defined herein, which are useful as type I receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and methods of use thereof in the treatment of hyperproliferative disorders in mammals.
US08648076B2	Cysteine protease inhibitors and their therapeutic applications The present invention concerns new compounds of formula (I), their process of preparation and their therapeutic use.
US08648075B2	Substituted pyrido[2,3-b]pyrazines and an agrochemical composition thereof The present invention is to provide an oxopyrazine derivative having an excellent herbicidal activity and besides exhibiting high safety for useful crops and the like, or a salt thereof, and a herbicide containing the same.The present invention relates to an oxopyrazine derivative represented by formula [I]: wherein X1 represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom; X2 represents CH or N(O)m; m represents an integer of 0 or 1; R1 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-C12 alkyl group and the like; R2 represents a halogen atom, a cyano group and the like; R3 is a hydroxyl group, a halogen atom and the like; A1 represents C(R4R5); A2 represents C(R6R7) or C═O; A3 represents C(R8R9); R4 to R9 represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, or a salt thereof, and a herbicide containing these compounds.
US08648068B2	Heterocycloalkyl-containing thienopyrimidines for pharmaceutical compositions The present invention relates to novel pharmaceutical compositions comprising thienopyrimidine compounds. Moreover, the present invention relates to the use of the thienopyrimidine compounds of the invention for the production of pharmaceutical compositions for the prophylaxis and/or treatment of diseases which can be influenced by the inhibition of the kinase activity of Mnk1 and/or Mnk2 (Mnk2a or Mnk2b) and/or variants thereof.
US08648065B2	Antibacterial medicinal composition of enhanced oral absorptivity An objective of the present invention is to provide a cefditoren pivoxil pharmaceutical preparation which can safely be administered to a patient and not only improves wettability of cefditoren pivoxil, but also further improves absorbability through the intestinal tracts by maintaining amorphous particles having a high oral absorbability in a liquid for a long period of time. The present invention is a pharmaceutical composition comprising amorphous cefditoren pivoxil and a sucrose fatty acid ester, which is obtainable by mixing or wet-granulating particles containing amorphous cefditoren pivoxil with the sucrose fatty acid ester while amorphous cefditoren pivoxil maintains its particle state.
US08648064B2	Metal complexes of N-heterocyclic carbenes The present invention generally relates to metal complexes of N-heterocyclic carbenes that contain one or more additional active moieties and/or groups therein. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to metal complexes of N-heterocyclic carbenes that contain an anti-fungal and/or anti-microbial moiety and/or group in combination with one or more additional active moieties and/or groups selected from fluoroquinolone compounds or derivatives thereof; steroids or derivatives thereof; anti-inflammatory compounds or derivatives thereof; anti-fungal compounds or derivatives thereof; anti-bacterial compounds or derivatives thereof; antagonist compounds or derivatives thereof; H2 receptor compounds or derivatives thereof; chemotherapy compounds or derivatives thereof; tumor suppressor compounds or derivatives thereof; or C1 to C16 alkyl heteroatom groups where the heterotatom is selected from S, O, or N. In still another embodiment, the present invention relates to metal complexes of N-heterocyclic carbenes that contain an anti-fungal and/or anti-microbial moiety and/or group in combination with two or more additional active moieties and/or groups selected from fluoroquinolone compounds or derivatives thereof; steroids or derivatives thereof; anti-inflammatory compounds or derivatives thereof; anti-fungal compounds or derivatives thereof; anti-bacterial compounds or derivatives thereof; antagonist compounds or derivatives thereof; H2 receptor compounds or derivatives thereof; chemotherapy compounds or derivatives thereof; tumor suppressor compounds or derivatives thereof; or C1 to C16 alkyl heteroatom groups where the heterotatom is selected from S, O, or N.
US08648059B2	Use of epicatechin and derivatives and salts thereof for cardiac protection of ischemic myocardium and to ameliorate adverse cardiac remodeling The disclosure provides a method of reducing infarct size in the heart following permanent ischemia or ischemia/reperfusion (IR) event or method for delaying, attenuating or preventing adverse cardiac remodeling comprising administering a drug selected from the group consisting of epicatechin, derivatives thereof and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein the subject is a human or a veterinary animal. Additionally the disclosure provides a method of treating subarachnoid hemorrhage or atrial fibrillation or of enhancing or preserving migration, seeding, proliferation, differentiation and/or survival of stem cells in injured heart tissue comprising administering a drug selected from the group consisting of epicatechin, derivatives thereof and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The effects of epicatechin administration are sustained over time.
US08648056B2	Composition for local anesthesia A composition for local anesthesia which comprises a local anesthetic as an active ingredient and an agent for maintaining anesthetic action selected from the group consisting of acidic mucopolysaccharides such as sodium chondroitin sulfate and cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, and does not contain catecholamines, which has durability of anesthetic action suitable for minor dental operations such as tooth extraction, and can be used as a safe composition for local anesthesia used for oral surgery or dental treatment.
US08648044B2	FKBP52-tau interaction as a novel therapeutical target for treating the neurological disorders involving tau dysfunction Candidate compounds for use in neuro-protection and repair in neurological disorders involving Tau dysfunction (including Alzheimer's disease) are identified from a direct interaction between proteins FKBP52 and Tau. The method for screening a drug for the prevention and treatment of neurological disorders involving Tau dysfunction includes determining the ability of a candidate compound, to modulate binding between a Tau polypeptide and a FKBP52 polypeptide, and selecting positively the candidate compound that modulates binding.
US08648042B2	Pharmaceutical compositions A pharmaceutical polymer and a method for quenching free radicals is described. The pharmaceutical polymer comprises a glycopeptide covalently bound to an aminothiol moiety. The pharmaceutical polymer and method can be applied before or after the occurrence of radiation exposure.
US08648041B2	Double-acylated GLP-1 derivatives The invention relates to a derivative of a GLP-1 analogue, which analogue comprises a first K residue at a position corresponding to position 37 of GLP-1(7-37) (SEQ ID NO: 1), a second K residue at a position corresponding to position 26 of GLP-1(7-37), and a maximum of ten amino acid modifications as compared to GLP-1(7-37), wherein the first K residue is designated K37, and the second K residue is designated K26, which derivative comprises two albumin binding moieties attached to K26 and K37, respectively, wherein the albumin binding moiety comprises a protracting moiety selected from:Chem. 1, Chem. 2, Chem. 3 or Chem. 4; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, amide, or ester thereof.
US08648040B2	Amino acid composition for improving glucose tolerance Disclosed are compositions, including low-calorie beverages or liquids, comprising isoleucine, leucine, valine, cysteine, and methionine, in specified amounts, weight ratios, or both. The compositions are especially useful in treating individuals afflicted with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes.
US08648036B2	Use of nutritional compositions including lactoferrin and one or more prebiotics in inhibiting adhesion of pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract A method for inhibiting the adhesion of at least one pathogen in the gastrointestinal tract of a human is disclosed herein. In certain embodiments, the method involves administering to the human a nutritional composition including a fat or lipid source, a protein source, a prebiotic composition that includes galactooligosaccharide and/or polydextrose and lactoferrin produced by a non-human source.
US08648034B2	Method and applications of peptide-mediated mitochondrial delivery system The present invention relates to a method using a cell penetrating peptide (Pep-1) for labeling and delivering mitochondria separated from healthy cells to replace damaged mitochondria. At present, microinjection of mitochondria into cells can only process one cell at a time, and therefore, this technique is limited to embryo related research and relevant applications. The advantages of the said peptide-mediated mitochondrial delivery system (PMD) include less steps with more efficiency, where a number of cells can be treated following one labeling process; the delivery process can be easily controlled, there is no cell toxicity after delivery under appropriate conditions, and delivery efficiency is over 80% depending on different cell types. Mitochondria delivered by the PMD system will move to the original mitochondrial location in the cells and will not be catalyzed in lysosomes; thus, the therapeutic effects can last at least one week.
US08648026B2	Composition comprising an alkanesulfonic acid for dissolving and/or inhibiting deposition of scale on a surface of a system A composition for dissolving and/or inhibiting deposition of scale on a surface of a system comprises an acidic component, a wetting agent, and a corrosion inhibitor. The composition may further comprise water. The acidic component comprises an alkanesulfonic acid, e.g. methanesulfonic acid (MSA). The wetting agent comprises a surfactant. The corrosion inhibitor comprises an amphoteric surfactant. The alkanesulfonic acid is present in an amount of at least about 50 weight percent (wt %), the surfactant is present in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 30 wt %, and the amphoteric surfactant is present in an amount of from about 0.025 to about 20 wt %, each based on 100 wt % of the alkanesulfonic acid, the surfactant, and the amphoteric surfactant combined. A method of dissolving and/or inhibiting deposition of scale on the surface of the system comprises the step of contacting the surface of the system with the composition.
US08648019B2	Materials as additives for advanced lubrication This invention relates to carbon-based materials as anti-friction and anti-wear additives for advanced lubrication purposes. The materials have various shapes, sizes, and structures and are synthesized by autogenic reactions under extreme conditions of high temperature and pressure. The lubricant compositions comprise carbon-based particles suspended in a liquid hydrocarbon carrier. Optionally, the compositions further comprise a surfactant (e.g., to aid in dispersion of the carbon particles). Specifically, the novel lubricants have the ability to significantly lower friction and wear, which translates into improved fuel economies and longer durability of mechanical devices and engines.
US08648016B2	Array with extended dynamic range and associated method A system and method of quantitating the concentration of a molecule of interest in one embodiment includes establishing a plurality of test environments at a plurality of test sites, each of the plurality of test environments associated with one of a plurality of response curves, each of the plurality of response curves different from the other of the plurality of response curves, storing a combined response curve resulting from a summation of the plurality of response curves, exposing the plurality of test sites to a sample having a concentration of a molecule of interest, obtaining a plurality of quantitation signals, each of the plurality of quantitation signals associated with one of the plurality of test sites, associating a summation of the plurality of quantitation signals with the stored combined response curve, and generating a signal related to the concentration of the molecule of interest based upon the association.
US08648009B2	Method for the synthesis of porous carbon materials Nanoporous and mesoporous carbon materials are fabricated in a pyrolysis process in which a starting mixture including a carbonizing polymer and a pyrolyzing polymer are employed. In one instance, the carbonizing polymer and pyrolyzing polymer are joined together in the form of a block copolymer. In another instance, the carbonizing polymer is a polyfurfuryl alcohol and the pyrolyzing polymer is polyethylene glycol diacid. These two polymer materials are mixed together and not copolymerized. The pore structure of the material may be controlled by controlling the molecular weight of various of the polymer components.
US08647996B2	Optical glass, preform for precision press molding, optical element, methods for manufacturing the same, and image pickup device The present invention relates to an optical glass, a preform for precision press molding, methods for manufacturing the same, and an image pickup device. The optical glass of the present invention not only has a high refractive index, a high dispersion property, and good precision press moldability, but also has good stability with respect to devitrification when reheated (referred to as “devitrification stability upon reheating”), and is an optical glass with a good partial dispersion ratio (Pg, F).
US08647992B2	Flowable dielectric using oxide liner Methods of forming silicon oxide layers are described. The methods include mixing a carbon-free silicon-containing precursor with a radical-nitrogen precursor, and depositing a silicon-and-nitrogen-containing layer on a substrate. The radical-nitrogen precursor is formed in a plasma by flowing a hydrogen-and-nitrogen-containing precursor into the plasma. Prior to depositing the silicon-and-nitrogen-containing layer, a silicon oxide liner layer is formed to improve adhesion, smoothness and flowability of the silicon-and-nitrogen-containing layer. The silicon-and-nitrogen-containing layer may be converted to a silicon-and-oxygen-containing layer by curing and annealing the film. Methods also include forming a silicon oxide liner layer before applying a spin-on silicon-containing material.
US08647987B2	Method for improving uniformity of chemical-mechanical planarization process The invention provides a method for improving uniformity of chemical-mechanical planarization process, comprising the steps of: forming features on a substrate; forming a first dielectric isolation layer between the features; planarizing the first dielectric isolation layer until the features are exposed, causing the first dielectric isolation layer between the features to have a recess depth; forming a second dielectric isolation layer on the features and the first dielectric isolation layer, whereby reducing the difference in height between the second dielectric isolation layer between the features and the second dielectric isolation layer on the top of the features; planarizing the second dielectric isolation layer until the features are exposed. According to the method for improving uniformity of chemical-mechanical planarization process of the invention, a dielectric isolation layer is formed again after grinding the dielectric isolation layer on the top of the features, such that the difference in height between the dielectric layer between the features and the dielectric layer on the top of the features is effectively reduced, and the recess of the features is compensated, the within-in-die uniformity is effectively improved.
US08647983B2	Simplified copper-copper bonding A method for bonding a first copper element onto a second copper element including forming a crystalline copper layer enriched in oxygen on each of surfaces of each of the first and second elements through which the elements will be in contact, the total thickness of both layers being less than 6 nm, which includes: a) polishing the surfaces so as to obtain a roughness of less than 1 nm RMS, and hydrophilic surfaces, b) cleaning the surfaces to suppress presence of particles due to the polishing and the major portion of corrosion inhibitors, and c) putting both crystalline copper layer enriched in oxygen in contact with each other.
US08647978B1	Use of graphene to limit copper surface oxidation, diffusion and electromigration in interconnect structures A contiguous layer of graphene is formed on exposed sidewall surfaces and a topmost surface of a copper-containing structure that is present on a surface of a substrate. The presence of the contiguous layer of graphene on the copper-containing structure reduces copper oxidation and surface diffusion of copper ions and thus improves the electromigration resistance of the structure. These benefits can be obtained using graphene without increasing the resistance of copper-containing structure.
US08647977B2	Methods of forming interconnects Some embodiments include methods of forming interconnects. A first circuitry level may be formed, and a first dielectric region may be formed over such first level. A second level of circuitry may be formed over the first dielectric region. An interconnect may be formed to extend through such second level. A second dielectric region may be formed over the second level of circuitry, and a third level of circuitry may be formed over the second dielectric region. The third level of circuitry may be electrically connected to the first level of circuitry through the interconnect. Some embodiments include constructions having interconnects extending from a first level of circuitry, through an opening in a second level of circuitry, and to a third level of circuitry; with an individual interconnect including multiple separate electrically conductive posts.
US08647968B2	Method for producing a semiconductor layer A method for producing a semiconductor layer is disclosed. One embodiment provides for a semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate containing oxygen. Crystal defects are produced at least in a near-surface region of the semiconductor substrate. A thermal process is carried out wherein the oxygen is taken up at the crystal defects. The semiconductor layer is deposited epitaxially over the near-surface region of the semiconductor substrate.
US08647964B2	Temporary wafer bonding method for semiconductor processing A method for temporary wafer bonding employs a curable adhesive composition and a degradation agent combined with the curable adhesive composition. The adhesive composition may include (A) a polyorganosiloxane containing an average of at least two silicon-bonded unsaturated organic groups per molecule, (B) an organosilicon compound containing an average of at least two silicon-bonded hydrogen atoms per molecule in an amount sufficient to cure the composition, (C) a catalytic amount of a hydrosilylation catalyst, and (D) a base. The film prepared by curing the composition is degradable and removable by heating.
US08647962B2	Wafer level packaging bond The present disclosure provides a method of bonding a plurality of substrates. In an embodiment, a first substrate includes a first bonding layer. The second substrate includes a second bonding layer. The first bonding layer includes silicon; the second bonding layer includes aluminum. The first substrate and the second substrate are bonded forming a bond region having an interface between the first bonding layer and the second bonding layer. A device having a bonding region between substrates is also provided. The bonding region includes an interface between a layer including silicon and a layer including aluminum.
US08647957B2	Method for making semi-conductor nanocrystals A method for making semi-conductor nanocrystals, including at least the steps of: forming solid carbon chemical species on a semi-conductor thin layer provided on at least one dielectric layer, the dimensions and the density of the carbon chemical species formed on the semi-conductor thin layer being a function of the desired dimensions and density of the semi-conductor nanocrystals; annealing the semi-conductor thin layer, performing a dewetting of the semi-conductor and forming, on the dielectric layer, the semi-conductor nanocrystals.
US08647938B1	SRAM integrated circuits with buried saddle-shaped FINFET and methods for their fabrication SRAM ICs and methods for their fabrication are provided. One method includes depositing photoresist on a first oxide layer overlying a silicon substrate, forming a pattern of locations, using said photoresist, for the formation of two inverters, each having a pull up transistor, a pull down transistor, and a pass gate transistor on said oxide layer. The method involves anisotropically etching U-shaped channels in the oxide layer corresponding to pattern, and thereafter isotropically etching U-shaped channels in the silicon layer to form saddle-shaped fins in the silicon. A second oxide layer is deposited over the saddle-shaped fins, and a first metal layer is deposited over the second oxide layer. A contact metal layer is formed over the first metal layer and planarized to form local interconnections coupling the gate electrodes of one inverter to a node between the pull up and pull down transistors of the other inverter and to a source/drain of one of the pass gate transistors.
US08647926B2	Method of fabricating semiconductor plastic package including a core board, build-up insulation layer, printed circuit, and semiconductor chip A method of fabricating a semiconductor plastic package can include: providing a core board, which includes at least one pad, and which has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 9 ppm/° C. or lower; stacking a build-up insulation layer over the core board; forming an opening by removing a portion of the build-up insulation layer such that the pad is exposed to the exterior; and placing a semiconductor chip in the opening and electrically connecting the semiconductor chip with the pad. This method can be utilized to provide higher reliability in the connection between the semiconductor chip and the circuit board.
US08647925B2	Surface modification for handling wafer thinning process A wafer is provided with a through via extending a portion of a substrate, an interconnect structure electrically connecting the through via, and a polyimide layer formed on the interconnect structure. Surface modification of the polyimide layer is the formation of a thin dielectric film on the polyimide layer by coating, plasma treatment, chemical treatment, or deposition methods. The thin dielectric film is adhered strongly to the polyimide layer, which can reduce the adhesion between the wafer surface and an adhesive layer formed in subsequent carrier attaching process.
US08647914B2	Solar cell and method of fabricating the same A method of fabricating a solar cell includes forming an emitter layer of a second conductive type on a front surface and a back surface of a substrate of a first conductive type opposite to the second conductive type, forming an anti-reflection layer on the front surface of the substrate, partially removing the anti-reflection layer and the emitter layer to form an isolation groove dividing the emitter layer into a plurality of regions, removing a portion of the emitter layer formed on the back surface of the substrate, and forming a passivation layer covering the isolation groove and the back surface of the substrate.
US08647909B2	Array of alpha particle sensors An array of radiation sensors or detectors is integrated within a three-dimensional semiconductor IC. The sensor array is located relatively close to the device layer of a circuit (e.g., a microprocessor) to be protected from the adverse effects of the ionizing radiation particles. As such, the location where the radiation particles intersect the device layer can be calculated with coarse precision (e.g., to within 10 s of microns).
US08647896B2	Process for producing a substrate for a liquid ejection head Provided is a process for producing a substrate for a liquid ejection head, including forming a liquid supply port in a silicon substrate, the process including the steps of (a) forming an etch stop layer at a portion of a front surface of the silicon substrate at which portion the liquid supply port is to be formed; (b) performing dry etching using a Bosch process from a rear surface side of the silicon substrate up to the etch stop layer with use of an etching mask formed on a rear surface of the silicon substrate to thereby form the liquid supply port; and (c) simultaneously removing the etch stop layer and a deposition film formed inside the liquid supply port.
US08647894B2	Method for generating graphene structures A method for depositing graphene is provided. The method includes depositing a layer of non-conducting amorphous carbon over a surface of a substrate and depositing a transition metal in a pattern over the amorphous carbon. The substrate is annealed at a temperature below 500° C., where the annealing converts the non-conducting amorphous carbon disposed under the transition metal to conducting amorphous carbon. A portion of the pattern of the transition metal is removed from the surface of the substrate to expose the conducting amorphous carbon.
US08647884B2	Organic chemical sensor with microporous organosilicate material Multi-layered optical sensor films are disclosed. The sensor films include a first reflective layer, a detection layer over the reflective layer, and optionally a second reflective layer over the detection layer. The detection layer contains a hydrophobic, amorphous, substantially microporous, analyte-sensitive organosilicate composition. The analyte-sensitive organosilicate composition provides an optical change in the film upon analyte exposure.
US08647879B2	Peptide probe for rapid and specific detection of β-amyloid aggregation A peptide probe that generates fluorescence signals rapidly upon recognition of various Aβ aggregates without significant perturbation of samples. The present peptide probes display an increase in fluorescence signals upon coincubation with Aβ oligomers, but neither monomeric/dimeric species nor fibrils. The detection can occur within an hour or two without any additional sample preparation and incubation steps.
US08647872B2	Human embryonic stem cell line prepared by nuclear transfer of a human somatic cell into an enucleated human oocyte An embryonic stem cell line derived from a nucleus-transferred oocyte prepared by transferring a nucleus of a human somatic cell into an enucleated human oocyte may differentiate into various desired cell types.
US08647871B2	Endogenous expression of HLA-G and/or HLA-E by mesenchymal cells Methods and compositions are provided for the identification and isolation of mammalian HLA-G+ MSC, HLA-E+ MSC, or HLA-G4VHLA-E+ MSC. The methods of the invention provide a means to obtain enriched HLA-G+ MSC, HLA-E+ MSC, or HLA-G+/HLA-E+ MSC populations.
US08647868B2	Compositions and methods for increasing production of recombinant gamma-carboxylated proteins Methods and cell lines for overexpressing functional gamma-carboxylated proteins are disclosed by way of genetically engineered cell lines which over-express VKORC1. Also disclosed is the antisense inhibition of expression of calumenin in conjunction with overexpression of VKORC1 which also increases expression of functional gamma-carboxylated proteins. Gamma-carboxylated proteins of interest may include blood coagulation factors such as human clotting factors IX and VII.
US08647867B2	Cell cultivation method and cell culture Provided is a cell cultivation method in which the cell is cultured using a peptide hydrogel as a scaffold, for carrying out high-dimensional culture of a cell such as porcine hepatocyte, human hepatocyte, porcine pancreatic islet or human pancreatic islet for a long period under conditions where cell survival, cell morphology and cell functions are maintained. Also provided are a cell culture including a cell and a peptide hydrogel obtained by the above-described cultivation method, a bioreactor including the cell culture, and a cell preparation including the cell culture.
US08647864B2	Compositions and methods for generating an immune response utilizing alphavirus-based vector systems Compositions and methods are provided for Eukaryotic Layered Vector Initiation Systems and Alphavirus replicon particles for introducing heterologous sequences into cells for generating immune responses.
US08647855B2	Genetically engineered yeast for the production of biofuels Compositions and methods are provided for generating biofuels by fermentation from carbon sources other than glucose using genetically engineered yeast strains. For example, a Saccharomyces strain which is capable of converting glucose to ethanol but not of metabolizing N-acetyl glucosamine is genetically engineered to utilize N-acetyl glucosamine as a nutrient carbon source.
US08647849B2	Biodiesel production method The present invention relates to a process for obtaining a mixture of fatty acid esters, suitable as a combustible or fuel in diesel cycle engines, comprising: a) the obtaining of a microbial biomass with a triglyceride content equal to or greater than 20% by dry weight, by means of the use of an oleaginous microorganism using glycerin as a carbon source; and b) the conversion of the triglycerides contained in the biomass obtained in step a) into a mixture of fatty acid esters. The invention likewise relates to said oleaginous microorganism, to a process for its selection and to polynucleotides obtained therefrom.
US08647848B2	Enzymatic synthesis of sphingolipids The invention relates to the enzymatic synthesis of sphingolipids and compositions that contain sphingolipids from lysosphingolipids and carbonic esters, and to cosmetic, dermatological or pharmaceutical formulations containing said sphingolipids or compositions.
US08647839B2	Method for production of glutathione or gamma-glutamylcysteine The invention provides a process for producing glutathione or γ-glutamylcysteine by culturing in a medium a microorganism with a higher activity of a protein having an activity to transport intracellular glutathione to the outside of cells, and a higher activity of a protein involved in glutathione or γ-glutamylcysteine biosynthesis, compared with that of the parent strain, forming and accumulating glutathione or γ-glutamylcysteine in the medium, and recovering the glutathione or γ-glutamylcysteine from the culture.
US08647831B2	Cobalamin assay The present invention provides a specific binding partner for holoTC having a specificity for holoTC over apoTC of at least 40-fold and an assay method for assaying for holoTC in a sample, the method comprising contacting the sample with a specific binding partner for holoTC and detecting the resultant conjugates.
US08647830B2	Method for determining amino-terminal proANP in patients having a cardiac disease or being suspected of developing or having a cardiac disease The present invention relates to an in vitro method for medical diagnosis, prognosis and therapy follow-up for patients having a cardiac disease or being suspected of developing or having a cardiac disease comprising the steps of: providing a sample of a patient having a cardiac disease or being suspected of developing or having a cardiac disease, determining amino-terminal proANp or partial peptides thereof having from 12 to 98 amino acids in said sample using at least one antibody that binds specifically to a partial sequence of amino-terminal proANP, attributing the determined amino-terminal proANP level or the level of partial peptides thereof to a clinical picture wherein the attribution is carried out independent of the BMI of the patient. The present invention further concerns a rapid test assay and a kit for conducting the method of the present invention and the use of antibodies suitable for the method and assays according to the present invention.
US08647826B2	Nucleic acid and corresponding protein entitled 125P5C8 useful in treatment and detection of cancer A novel gene (designated 125P5C8) and its encoded protein, and variants thereof, are described wherein 125P5C8 exhibits tissue specific expression in normal adult tissue, and is aberrantly expressed in the cancers listed in Table I. Consequently, 125P5C8 provides a diagnostic, prognostic, prophylactic and/or therapeutic target for cancer. The 125P5C8 gene or fragment thereof, or its encoded protein, or variants thereof, or a fragment thereof, can be used to elicit a humoral or cellular immune response; antibodies or T cells reactive with 125P5C8 can be used in active or passive immunization.
US08647824B2	Microbial reductive dehalogenation of vinyl chloride Compositions and methods are provided that relate to the bioremediation of chlorinated ethenes, particularly the bioremediation of vinyl chloride by Dehalococcoides-like organisms. An isolated strain of bacteria, Dehalococcoides sp. strain VS, that metabolizes vinyl chloride is provided; the genetic sequence of the enzyme responsible for vinyl chloride dehalogenation; methods of assessing the capability of endogenous organisms at an environmental site to metabolize vinyl chloride; and a method of using the strains of the invention for bioremediation.
US08647823B2	Polynucleotide synthesis on a modified surface The present invention relates to a method for the synthesis of a polynucleotide on a modified surface of a substrate, wherein the modified surface is obtained by chemically modifying with macromolecules in which a plurality of termini of the branched region are bound to the surface and a terminus of the linear region is functionalized.
US08647819B2	Association of the progesterone receptor with fertility A single nucleotide polymorphic site at position 59752 of the bovine PGR gene is associated with improved fertilization rate or early embryo survival. Disclosed are nucleic acid molecules, kits, methods of genotyping and marker assisted bovine breeding methods.
US08647796B2	Photoactive compound gradient photoresist A system and method for forming photoresists over semiconductor substrates is provided. An embodiment comprises a photoresist with a concentration gradient. The concentration gradient may be formed by using a series of dry film photoresists, wherein each separate dry film photoresist has a different concentration. The separate dry film photoresists may be formed separately and then placed onto the semiconductor substrate before being patterned. Once patterned, openings through the photoresist may have a tapered sidewall, allowing for a better coverage of the seed layer and a more uniform process to form conductive materials through the photoresist.
US08647791B2	Seal structure for fuel cell and method for producing same In order to prevent decrease of power generation due to a narrow MEA reaction region, an MEA (2) arranged between a pair of separators (5), a rubber sheet (6) arranged on its planar extension at the outer circumferential side of the MEA (2), and a gasket-like lip line (7) formed at the opposite sides of the rubber sheet (6) integrally therewith to closely contact with the separators (5) are provided, a rubber impregnated portion (8) for integrating the rubber sheet (6) with the MEA (2) by impregnation of a part of rubber composing the rubber sheet (6) into the GDL (4) constituting the MEA (2) is provided at the circumferential edge of the MEA (2), and a GDL constricted portion (9) for regulating the rubber impregnated portion is provided at the immediately inner circumferential side of the rubber impregnated portion (8) in the plane of the MEA (2).
US08647783B2	Auto-learning of base stack resistance for HFR based RH control A method for determining membrane humidification by determining the membrane protonic resistance of a fuel cell stack at humidified conditions, and normalizing the base resistance of the fuel cell stack against the base resistance of a reference fuel cell stack.
US08647778B2	Process for preparing electroactive insertion compounds and electrode materials obtained therefrom A process for preparing an at least partially lithiated transition metal oxyanion-based lithium-ion reversible electrode material, which includes providing a precursor of said lithium-ion reversible electrode material, heating said precursor, melting same at a temperature sufficient to produce a melt including an oxyanion containing liquid phase, cooling said melt under conditions to induce solidification thereof and obtain a solid electrode that is capable of reversible lithium ion deinsertion/insertion cycles for use in a lithium battery. Also, lithiated or partially lithiated oxyanion-based-lithium-ion reversible electrode materials obtained by the aforesaid process.
US08647777B2	Mixed material of lithium iron phosphate and carbon, electrode containing same, battery comprising such electrode, method for producing such mixed material, and method for producing battery Disclosed is a mixed material of lithium iron phosphate and carbon, which contains secondary particles as aggregates of lithium iron phosphate primary particles and a fibrous carbon which is present inside the secondary particles. An electrode containing such a mixed material, a battery comprising such an electrode, a method for producing such a mixed material, and a method for producing a battery are also disclosed.
US08647774B2	Non-aqueous electrolytic batteries containing an active material including a monoclinic B-type titanium composite oxide According to one embodiment, an active material for batteries includes a titanium composite oxide, wherein the titanium composite oxide includes a monoclinic β-type titanium composite oxide as a main phase, and when an integral intensity of the main peak of the monoclinic β-type titanium composite oxide obtained with a wideangle X-ray diffraction method having a CuKα-ray as an X-ray source is 100, the relative value of the integral intensity of the main peak that presents the range of 2θ=25.1 to 25.5° attributed to at least one sub-phase selected from anatase-type TiO2 and H2Ti8O17 is 30 or less, and the titanium composite oxide has a crystallite diameter of 5 nm or more as calculated from the main peak of the monoclinic β-type titanium composite oxide obtained with the wideangle X-ray diffraction method.
US08647762B2	Battery cell module A battery cell module includes an enclosure having an electrically non-conductive perimeter and at least one cover formed from a thermally conductive material. The cover has a substantially flat inner surface and sealingly engages the electrically non-conductive perimeter. A plurality of series-interconnected battery cells are placed together into facing contact with each other, an exterior one of the battery cells in facing contact with the inner surface of the cover to facilitate heat transfer therethrough and to provide a desired compression against the series-interconnected battery cells. A first end of the series-interconnected battery cells includes a positive terminal end, and a second end of the series-interconnected battery cells including a negative terminal end, the series-interconnected battery cells the positive and negative terminal ends extending through the electrically non-conductive perimeter.
US08647752B2	Thermal interface material assemblies, and related methods A thermal interface material (TIM) assembly is provided for use in conducting heat away from heat generating components. The TIM assembly generally includes a substrate, a metal alloy coupled to at least one side surface of the substrate, and a coating material covering at least part of the substrate and at least part of the metal alloy. The substrate may include a metal foil, a heat dissipating unit, a heat generating component, etc. The metal alloy may include a low melting metal alloy coupled to the substrate to form multiple bumps along the substrate in a pattern. The pattern may be generic such that the TIM assembly may be used with multiple different heat generating components to effectively conduct heat away from the multiple different heat generating components, or it may correspond to particular locations on a heat generating component away from which heat is to be conducted.
US08647751B2	Coated valve retainer During engine operation, valve retainers and valve springs are constantly rubbing and impacting each other resulting in heat and wear. The purpose of this invention is to provide a surface coating onto the valve retainer to reduce the friction with the valve spring and thus improve durability. Specifically, this invention teaches a method to thermally apply coatings to the surface of the valve retainer. Although typically fabricated from steel, the usage of lighter weight titanium valve retainers is increasing for high performance, or racing engines. The reduced mass allows valves to move more readily and requires less spring pressure to operate, producing more power and a faster revving engine, however titanium is typically not as wear resistant as the steel it replaces. In one embodiment, a porous molybdenum or other oleophilic metal is applied to the surface of the valve retainer. In another embodiment, hard coatings of cermets, carbides, and super alloys are applied as coatings to valve retainers.
US08647745B2	Powder coating compositions having a substantially non-zinc containing primer Corrosion and chip-resistant coatings for high tensile steel components, such as automotive coil springs, are formed from a coating composition comprising a substantially non-zinc containing primer and a topcoat. The primer includes an epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent weight of about 860 to about 930, a polyhydroxyl functional phenolic curing agent having a hydroxyl equivalent weight of about 200 to about 500, and a filler material. The topcoat includes an epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent weight of about 520 to about 930, an elastomer-modified epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent weight of about 1000 to about 1600, a carboxyl functional polyester with an acid number of about 45 to about 75 mg KOH/g, a foaming agent and a reinforcing fiber.
US08647744B2	Graphite clay composite material, process for producing the same, gasket or packing comprising the composite material, and clay dispersion used for the composite material To provide a composite that can find application to various uses in a wide spectrum of fields, for example, sealing members, such as a joint sheet, a gasket and a packing, for use in junction portions, etc. of pipings of power plant and chemical plant, radiation sheets, electromagnetic wave shielding members, soundproof sheets, etc., and provide a process for producing the composite; a gasket or packing based on the composite and a clay dispersion liquid used for the composite. There is provided a composite composed mainly of graphite and clay and having the structure of graphite laminated with and/or impregnated with clay. The composite is produced by subjecting an exfoliated graphite sheet or film or a molding therefrom to coating with and/or immersion in a clay dispersion liquid with clay particles dispersed therein, or by laminating together of an exfoliated graphite sheet and/or film and a sheet and/or film composed mainly of clay. Further, a gasket or packing is produced by molding the composite.
US08647742B2	Diagnostic gel composition, method for making a diagnostic gel composition The invention relates to a diagnostic gel composition for use as a diagnostic element in diagnostic devices. The diagnostic gel composition is derived from a compound having a formula D-Sp-Po wherein D is a diagnostic group; Sp is a hydrophilic spacer group; and Po is a polymerizable group. The diagnostic gel composition of the invention has dimensions ranging from about 250 nanometers to about 1000 micrometers, and a Young's modulus ranging from about 10 kilopascals to about 200 kilopascals. The invention also provides method for making the diagnostic gel composition. The method comprises providing a composition comprising a porogen, an initiator and a compound having a formula D-Sp-Po; polymerizing the composition to form a polymerized composition; and washing the polymerized composition to form the diagnostic gel composition.
US08647741B2	Polypropylene fiber, method of producing the same and utilization of the same The present invention aims to provide a polypropylene fiber (PP fiber) excellent in strength, heat resistance, and water-absorption properties, a method of producing the same, and a hydraulic composition, a rope, a sheet-shaped fiber structure, and a composite material with an organic polymer each using the PP fiber. The present invention provides: a PP fiber having a fiber having a fiber strength of 7 cN/dtex or more and having either or both of (i) DSC properties such that the endothermic peak shape by DSC is a single shape having a half width of 10° C. or lower and the melt enthalpy change (AH) is 125 J/ g and (ii) irregular properties such that the single fiber fineness is 0.i to 3 dtex and irregularities are formed on the surface.
US08647739B2	Transparent flat article made of nanostructured acrylic materials The present invention relates to the field of nanostructured acrylic polymer materials having both very good optical properties and good mechanical and surface properties. The invention relates to an acrylic resin composition containing a PMMA matrix (component 1) having a glass transition temperature of greater than 0° C., dispersed in which is an acrylic block copolymer (component 2). Characteristically, the composition of the invention contains from 60 to 80% by weight of said PMMA matrix, and from 20 to 40% by weight of said block copolymer. According to another aspect, the invention relates to a transparent flat article containing the aforementioned acrylic resin composition, having the following features: a thickness ranging from 300 to 900 microns, preferably from 400 to 700 micrometers; a light transmission at least equal to 91%; a haze of less than or equal to 2%; and no appearance of haze when the temperature rises to 80° C.
US08647733B2	Adhesive-backed polymeric film storage method and assembly An adhesive-backed polymeric film assembly that comprises: a polymeric film having one layer or multiple layers, a back surface and a front surface, with an adhesive bonded to the back surface; and a release liner having an outer surface and an inner surface releaseably bonded to the adhesive, wherein the assembly is wound into a roll, with the outer surface of the release liner facing outwardly and the front surface of the polymeric film facing inwardly.
US08647732B2	Anti-mold film assembly An anti-mold film assembly has an absorptive sheet, a metallic coating and two first films. The absorptive sheet absorbs vaporizable ingredients and has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side of the absorptive sheet. The metallic coating is connected with the first side of the absorptive sheet and has a surface opposite to the absorptive sheet. The first films are ventilative and are respectively connected with the second side of the absorptive sheet and the surface of the metallic coating. Because the metallic coating is capable of drawing sulfhydryl groups of enzyme proteins contained in bacteria and killing the bacteria, the antibiotic effect of the anti-mold film assembly is greatly enhanced.
US08647730B2	Hydrogenated norbornene-based ring-opening polymerization polymer, resin composition, and molded object A hydrogenated norbornene ring-open polymer obtained by hydrogenating 80% or more of main-chain carbon-carbon double bonds of a ring-open polymer obtained by ring-opening polymerization of 2-norbornene. The hydrogenated norbornene ring-open polymer has a weight average molecular weight determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of 50,000 to 200,000, a molecular weight distribution of 1.5 to 10.0, and a melting point of 110 to 145° C. A hydrogenated norbornene ring-open polymer obtained by hydrogenating 80% or more of carbon-carbon double bonds of a ring-open polymer obtained by ring-opening copolymerization of 2-norbornene and a substituent-containing norbornene monomer, wherein the proportion of a repeating unit (A) derived from the 2-norbornene with respect to all repeating units is 90 to 99 wt % and the proportion of a repeating unit (B) derived from the substituent-containing norbornene monomer with respect to all repeating units is 1 to 10 wt %. A resin composition and a molding material.
US08647721B2	Part marking of coated plastic substrates A plastic panel assembly having a permanent mark therein at a subsurface location and formed after substantial manufacture of the panel assembly. The plastic panel includes a substrate and a coating over the substrate, the coating including a surface that defines an exterior surface of the panel assembly. A mark is located beneath the exterior surface of the panel assembly. In making the panel assembly, a plastic substrate is provided and a protective coating is applied to the substrate. After the step of applying the protective coating, a subsurface portion of panel assembly is exposed to a laser light. The laser light opacifies a subsurface portion of the panel assembly, thereby rendering the mark within the panel assembly.
US08647718B2	Wet lubricant surface coating having excellent durability, method for surface coating, and a medical device having the surface coating A lubricant surface coating having good lubricity and high durability, comprising (A) an urethane polymer layer comprising (a) 40 to 80% by weight of at least one component selected from an aromatic diisocyanate, an aliphatic diisocyanate and an alicyclic diisocyanate and (b) 20 to 60% by weight of a polyol having at least trifunctionality and (B) a hydrophilic polymer layer provided as the outer layer for the urethane polymer layer which comprises a polyalkylene glycol and/or a monomethoxypolyalkylene glycol; and a medical device having the surface coating.
US08647704B2	Method for the translation of a white light color palette to a black light color palette One particular implementation of the present invention may involve a method for creating a color sample that provides a first color under white light and a second color under UV or black light. In general, the first color and second color may each include a perceived hue and value (shade and tint). However, the second color may also include a luminous effect under the UV light. In some implementations, the hue and value of the first color and the second color may be the same such that the difference between the first color and the second color is a luminous effect of the color sample under the black light. In another implementation, the hue and value of the first color and the second color may differ, such that the color scheme appears as one color under white light and glows a separate color under black light.
US08647702B2	Maintaining a fixed distance by providing an air cushion during coating of a medical device System and method for coating an expandable member of a medical device comprising a support structure to support the expandable member and an applicator positioned with at least one outlet proximate a surface of an expandable member. A drive assembly establishes relative movement between the at least one outlet and the surface of the expandable member to apply fluid on the surface of the expandable member along a coating path. A positioning device maintains a substantially fixed distance between the at least one outlet and the surface of the expandable member during relative movement therebetween by ejecting a pressurized medium against the surface of the expandable member.
US08647695B2	Aerated food products The present invention has as an objective to provide aerated food products containing solid particles at the gas bubble interface, and proteins which do not interfere with the solid particles, and of which the texture remains stable during storage. This objective is met by an aerated food product which contains aggregated protein particles which are not surface active.
US08647693B2	Fast rehydrating noodle The invention relates to an instant noodle which can be rehydrated at a lower temperature and/or in a shorter period of time, while taste and mouthfeel of the noodle are at least as good as those of conventional instant noodles. The invention widens the scope of possibilities for supply and consumption of instant noodles, e.g. in vending machines, even or air dried instant noodles.
US08647687B2	Isoamyl acetate for weight management Described is the use of isoamyl acetate in food compositions for weight management and/or weight control. Further described is a beverage containing isoamyl acetate.
US08647683B2	Whitening composition for external skin application containing Oldenlandia diffusa willd, Rheum undulatum, and Broussonetia kazinoki extract Disclosed is a whitening composition for external skin application. Containing one or more of Oldenlandia diffusa Willd extract, Rheum undulatum extract and Broussonetia kazinoki extract as an effective ingredient, the whitening composition for external skin application exhibits superior melanogenesis inhibition and skin whitening effect. Accordingly, it may be used in various skin whitening cosmetics.
US08647669B2	Dosage forms for tamper prone therapeutic agents A dosage form from which a burst release of a drug contained within a tampered dosage form is reduced or retarded by the presence in or on the dosage form of a TPTA (Tamper Prone Therapeutic Agent) trap. If the dosage form has not been tampered with, the TPTA trap does not significantly interfere with the rate of release of the drug from the dosage form. However, if the dosage form has been physically tampered with, the TPTA trap reduces or retards burst release of the drug from the dosage form.
US08647658B2	Contact lens products The present invention relates to improved contact lens products which not only have initial insertion comfort but also are comfortable to wear for more than about 6 hours. The invention is achieved by packaging and storing a hydrogel lens with two or more leachable polymeric lubricants incorporated therein in a relatively viscous packaging solution including a relatively low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a viscosity-enhancing hydrophilic polymer. The present invention also provides methods for making contact lens products of the invention.
US08647657B2	Polymeric devices for controlled release of active agents Polymeric devices for controlled release of an active agent of interest are provided. The active agent is provided within a biodegradable polymer system to supply a polymeric device for controlled release of the active agent. The polymer system is a copolymer or a polymer blend comprising a hydrophobic component and a hydrophilic component, and the polymer system does not form a hydrogel when contacted with, or immersed in an aqueous system, for example when the device is implanted in a subject. When the device is administered to a subject, for example, when it is implanted, the device releases the active agent in a controlled fashion without a lag period, or with a minimal lag period. Methods for producing the polymeric devices are also provided, as are methods of using the polymeric devices to provide for controlled release of an active agent in a subject.
US08647656B2	Orally disintegrating tablet compositions of lamotrigine The compositions of the present invention composition comprise a therapeutically effective amount of particles comprising lamotrigine, in combination with granules comprising a disintegrant, and a sugar alcohol and/or a saccharide. These compositions are useful in treating epilepsy and bipolar disorder, particularly for patients with dysphagia, and to improve compliance with bipolar patients.
US08647645B2	Enhanced moisture barrier immediate release film coating systems and substrates coated therewith The present invention is directed to immediate release film coating systems for use on oral dosage forms such as compressed tablets and other orally-ingestible substrates which have improved moisture barrier properties. The film coating systems can be applied either directly to a substrate or after the substrate has been coated with a subcoat. In preferred aspects, the moisture barrier film coating is prepared as a dry powder mixture containing polyvinyl alcohol, a polymer with pH dependent solubility, a plasticizer, a glidant, and, optionally, a detackifier, an alkalizing agent and a pigment. Film coating compositions containing an aqueous suspension of the powder mixtures, methods of applying the coatings to substrates and the coated substrates are also disclosed.
US08647644B1	Methods of using capped mesoporous silicates The invention provides an article having a mesoporous silicate matrix, such as a particle, having one or more pores; and one or more releasable caps obstructing one or more of the pores for delivery of one or more agents to plant cells or other chlorophyll containing cells, or fungi.
US08647643B2	Farnesoid-X-receptor antagonist as a vaccine adjuvant The invention provides novel adjuvants and pharmaceutical composition comprising of an adjuvant alone. The invention also provides novel vaccine compositions comprising of an antigen and a novel adjuvant. The novel adjuvant as per present invention is farnesoid-X-receptor (FXR) antagonist. The invention also relates to an adjuvant for variety of antigens. The adjuvant improves antibody production specific to incorporated antigen. The adjuvant also induces cell mediated immune response.
US08647633B2	Recombinant F1-V plague vaccine Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a purified fusion protein comprising all or part of F1 antigen of Yersinia pestis fused to the amino terminus of all of V antigen of Yersinia pestis, Yersinia enterocolitica, or Yersinia pseudotuberculosis that is isolated from its expression vector.
US08647626B2	Compositions comprising TNF-specific antibodies for oral delivery In accordance with the invention, the development and use of antibodies within the digestive tract is provided. Antibodies are described that are used to treat disorders associated with altered permeability of the digestive tract. Antibodies are described with increased stability within the environment of the digestive tract. Antibodies are described with enhanced permeability to a compromised digestive tract.
US08647624B2	Treatment of immune disorders with anti-CD70 antibody Disclosed are CD70 binding agents, such as anti-CD70 antibodies and derivatives, that induce a cytotoxic, cytostatic or immunosuppressive without conjugation to a therapeutic agents, as well as pharmaceutical compositions and kits comprising the antibody or derivative. Also disclosed are methods for the treatment and prevention of CD70-expressing cancers and immunological disorders comprising administering to a subject the CD70-binding agent.
US08647610B2	Use of melanin biosynthesis inhibitors from korean ginseng and the cosmetic composition containing thereof for skin whitening Disclosed herein is a whitening cosmetic composition containing plant-derived ginsenoside F1 (20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxatriol) as an active ingredient. More specifically, the ginsenoside F1 is obtained from particularly a ginseng extract using an acid, a base, an enzyme or microorganism, and a whitening cosmetic composition containing the ginsenoside F1 has an excellent effect of inhibiting melanin biosynthesis, and thus provides an excellent skin whitening effect.
US08647607B2	Patches for teeth whitening The present invention relates to a dry type tooth-whitening patch comprising peroxide as a tooth whitening agent. In particular, disclosed is a dry type tooth-whitening patch in which peroxide is contained, as a teeth whitening agent, in a matrix type adhesive layer. The adhesive layer includes, as a base polymer thereof, a hydrophilic glass polymer, which provides a strong adhesion to teeth while releasing the tooth whitening agent when hydrated on the enamel layers of teeth in the moist oral cavity.The dry type patch according to the present invention is convenient in use, as compared to wet type patches. Further, it exhibits a superior adhesion while being maintained in a state attached to the teeth for a lengthened period of time so as to assure an enough contact time between the whitening agent in the patch and stains on the teeth, thereby giving a sufficient whitening effect.
US08647602B2	Method for making aluminosilicate zeolite SSZ-56 Aluminosilicate zeolite SSZ-56 is directly prepared using a 1-butyl-1-(3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)piperidinium cation as a structure directing agent.
US08647599B2	Process for producing a thermostable TiO2/SiO2 mixed oxide and mixed oxide produced therefrom The present invention relates to a process for preparing TiO2/SiO2 mixed oxides or the hydrates and/or oxide hydrates thereof comprised of 0.5 to 95 wt % SiO2 and the balance as TiO2, each referring to the completely calcined product, by using titanium alcoholates and aqueous silica sol. Moreover, the invention relates to the use of these mixed oxides as catalyst carriers.
US08647597B1	Process of preparing mineral material with particular ceria-containing zirconium oxide grinding beads, obtained products and their uses An object of the present invention is to provide a process to grind at least one mineral material in the presence of ceria (CeO2)-containing zirconium oxide grinding beads having a specific ceria content (of between 14 and 20% by weight relative to the total weight of said bead, preferably of between 15 and 18%, and most preferably of approximately 16%), and a specific average grain size (of less than 1 μm, preferably of less than 0.5 μm, and most preferably of less than 0.3 μm), wherein such beads are more resistant to wear than conventional beads of the prior art. Another object of the present invention lies in the ground material in the form of an aqueous suspension and in the form of a dry product. Another object of the present invention lies in the uses of such products in any sector making use of mineral materials, and notably in the paper, paint and plastic industries.
US08647590B2	Optical detection cell with micro-fluidic chip The present invention relates to an optical detection cell for micro-fluidics. The detection cell provides a first layer, a detection cell layer contacting the first layer, a third layer contacting the detection cell layer, a micro-fluidic chip having a fluidic port and a detection channel defined through the detection cell and being in fluid communication with the fluidic port of the chip, the detection channel serving as a light path for receiving light for detecting a molecule. Methods of detecting molecules and making the detection cell are also disclosed.
US08647589B2	Flow cell and method for manufacturing the same An object of the invention is to provide various flow cells and a method for manufacturing the same, in which formation of a groove on a substrate and formation of components such as an electrode, auxiliary parts such as a pump are not necessary. The inventive flow cells are capable of realize complicated chemical analysis or synthesis or the like. A channel of a porous member provided on a sample-incompatible substrate is formed; the porous member is composed of an air non-contact region having a network structure and an air contact region covering the air non-contact region and having a lower pore density than the air non-contact region; in which a capillary force to be generated within the porous member is a drive force for pumping a liquid.
US08647588B2	Tip tray assembly for optical sensors An apparatus and method for packaging of an optical sensing fiber is disclosed. The apparatus includes a substrate with a plurality of openings, and each opening is configured for holding an optical sensing assembly. The assembly is positioned in the opening with a tip of the assembly extending through the opening to be suspended from the substrate. In addition, openings are arranged so the assembly positioned therein avoids contacting another assembly positioned therein. The apparatus can include a support member for supporting the substrate and positioning the substrate so the tip of the assembly suspended from the opening in the substrate contacts solution in one of a plurality of wells in a container adjacent to the substrate. The assembly can be configured for preparing of the optical assembly for assay. An agitation assembly for agitating the container to create flow of the solution in the container wells over an optical sensing assembly is also disclosed.
US08647586B2	Device for conversion of biomass to biofuel Described is an apparatus to convert carbonaceous materials, particularly biomass and those biomass resources which are remotely located, into a high performance solid fuel. The biomass processing system, provides a continuous process which can be completely powered by the energy contained in the biomass. The heat, mechanical power and electrical power are provided from the energy in the biomass, through the methods described. In this way, the apparatus is free to operate in remote locations, where no power or auxiliary fuel sources are available.
US08647585B2	Microwave plasma sterilisation system and applicators therefor A sterilization system having a controllable (e.g. adjustably modulatable) non-ionising microwave radiation source for providing microwave energy for combining with a gas (e.g. an inert gas or a mixture of inert gases) to produce atmospheric low temperature plasma for sterilizing biological tissue surfaces or the like. A plasma generating region may be contained in a hand held plasma applicator. The system may include an impedance adjustor e.g. integrated in the plasma applicator arranged to set a plasma strike condition and plasma sustain condition. The gas and microwave energy may be transported to a plasma generating region along an integrated cable assembly. The integrated cable assembly may provide a two way gas flow arrangement to permit residual gas to be removed from the surface. Invasive surface plasma treatment is therefore possible. The plasma applicator may have multiple plasma emitters to produce a line or blanket of plasma.
US08647580B2	Gas abatement System for treating an effluent fluid stream from a process tool including a vacuum pump (16) for drawing an effluent stream from the process tool chamber, an abatement device (12) for treating the effluent stream and a liquid ring pump (14) for at least partially evacuating the abatement device (12). During use, the abatement device (12) converts one or more components of the effluent stream, for example F2 or a PFC, into one or more liquid-soluble a compounds, for example HF, that are less harmful to the environment. The liquid ring pump (14) receives the effluent stream and a liquid, and exhausts a solution of the liquid and the liquid-soluble component of the effluent stream. The liquid ring pump (14) thus operates as both a wet scrubber and an atmospheric vacuum pumping stage.
US08647578B2	Device to detect analytes in a biological sample Device to detect at least an analyte, comprising a transparent substrate (2), having a first surface (3) with which a light source (7) is associated, and a second surface (4) on which a plurality of biological protein probes (12) are disposed, a layer (6) of polymer being interposed between said second surface (4) and said biological protein probes (12). A marker (fluorophore) is associated with said analyte, having determinate characteristics of fluorescence and/or phosphorescence correlated to the emission wavelength of the light source (7). Said light source (7) is suitable to emit a light radiation in a range of wavelengths equal to 400-550 nm, inside which range the absorption peak of said marker (fluorophore) used is comprised. The value of the distance (“s”) between the wavelength corresponding to the absorption peak of the marker (fluorophore) and the wavelength corresponding to the emission peak of fluorescence (phosphorescence) is comprised between 25 and 150 nm.
US08647569B1	Paracorporeal respiratory assist lung A paracorporeal respiratory assist lung is configured with an annular cylindrical hollow fiber membrane (fiber bundle) that is rotated at rapidly varying speeds. Fluid (for example, blood) is introduced to the center of the device and is passed radially through the fiber bundle. The bundle is rotated at rapidly changing velocities with a rotational actuator (for example, a motor or magnetic coupling). The rotation of the fiber bundle provides centrifugal kinetic energy to the fluid giving the device pumping capabilities and may create Taylor vortexes to increase mass transfer. Rotation of the fiber bundle increases the relative velocity between the fluid and the hollow fibers and increases the mass transfer. The porosity of the fiber bundle may be varied to enhance gas exchange with the blood. Alternatively, a rotating core may be used with a stationary fiber bundle.
US08647563B2	Press tool When compressing a part, stress concentrations are prevented when it is removed from the mold by lowering an insert so as to release the top of a fine, flexible inner tube in such a way that it can expand in the location where the part will be removed from the mold, and can partially release the inner stresses in the part, in the area of the portion which has been removed from the mold.
US08647561B2	Composite cutting inserts and methods of making the same Embodiments of the present invention include methods of producing a composite article. A method comprises introducing a first powdered metal grade from a feed shoe into a first portion of a cavity in a die and a second powdered metal grade from the feed shoe into a second portion of the cavity, wherein the first powder metal grade differs from the second powdered metal grade in chemical composition or particle size. Further methods are also provided. Embodiments of the present invention also comprise composite inserts for material removal operations. The composite inserts may comprise a first region and a second region, wherein the first region comprises a first composite material and the second region comprises a second composite material.
US08647551B2	Process for producing moldings with an increase in the melt stiffness A process for producing moldings with condensing-up of a polyamide molding composition whose polyamide component contains, as a result of the method of preparation, at least 5 ppm of phosphorus in the form of an acidic compound by means of a compound having at least two carbonate units, wherein a) from 0.001 to 10% by weight, based on the polyamide, of a salt of a weak acid is added to the polyamide molding composition prior to compounding or during compounding, b) a mixture of the finished composition and the compound having at least two carbonate units is prepared, c) the mixture is, if appropriate, stored and/or transported and d) the mixture is subsequently processed to produce the molding, with the condensing-up occurring only in this step, effects a significant increase in the melt stiffness combined with moderate processing pressures, which considerably simplifies, in particular, the production of hollow bodies and hollow profiles having large diameters.
US08647550B2	Process for introducing an additive into a polymer melt A process includes introducing a base polymer into an extruder, heating to a temperature sufficient to form a polymer melt, introducing a liquid comprising water and at least one additive consisting of an NO donating compound with mixing and subsequent vaporization and venting of the liquid to produce an extrudate having a uniform distribution of preferably uniformly small additive particles.
US08647544B2	Method for manufacturing school bus seat with energy absorber and using same A method and an apparatus for manufacturing an envelope style bus seat back cushion includes the steps of opening a hinged mold and then spraying the cavity of the mold with an elastomeric skin. The hinged mold includes first and second sides having a cavity in each of the sides. The cavities of the mold combine to form a mold cavity. The sides of the mold include interengaging faces, ridges and recesses. The faces, ridges and recesses interengage to seal the mold. Once the first and second sides of the hinged mold are closed and intermate, the steps of injecting a urethane foam into the mold cavity of the closed hinged mold are inserting, quickly, a center core insert into the mold cavity of the closed hinged mold; curing the urethane foam; removing the center core insert from the mold cavity; opening the first and second sides of the mold cavity; and, removing and demolding the envelope style bus seat back cushion from the mold.
US08647541B2	Apparatuses and methods for the simultaneous production of microfibers and nanofibers Described herein are apparatuses and methods of creating fibers, such as microfibers and nanofibers. The methods discussed herein employ centrifugal forces to transform material into fibers. Apparatuses that may be used to create fibers are also described. The apparatuses and methods described herein may be used to simultaneously create microfibers and nanofibers.
US08647540B2	Apparatuses having outlet elements and methods for the production of microfibers and nanofibers Described herein are apparatuses and methods of creating fibers, such as microfibers and nanofibers. The methods discussed herein employ centrifugal forces to transform material into fibers. Apparatuses that may be used to create fibers are also described. Described herein are fiber producing devices that have various types of outlet elements coupled to the fiber producing device.
US08647526B2	Two component etching The object of the present invention is a new inkjet printable etching composition comprising an etchant, which is activated by a second component. Thus, a further object is the use of this new composition in a process for the etching of surfaces semiconductor devices or surfaces of solar cell devices.
US08647525B2	Ferrite composition and electronic component A ferrite composition includes a main component having 46.0 to 49.8 mol % of an iron oxide in terms of Fe2O3, 5.0 to 14.0 mol % of a copper oxide in terms of CuO and 8.0 to 32.0 mol % of a zinc oxide in terms of ZnO, and a remainder of the main component is composed of a nickel oxide; and as subcomponents, with respect to 100 wt % of the main component, 0.5 to 6.0 wt % of a silicon oxide in terms of SiO2 and 0.01 to 2.0 wt % of a boron oxide in terms of B2O3. Further, as a subcomponent, 0.01 to 0.17 wt % of potassium oxide in terms of K2O or 0.3 to 2.0 wt % of tin oxide in terms of SnO2 may be included.
US08647523B2	Etching composition This disclosure relates to an etching composition containing at least one sulfonic acid, at least one compound containing a halide anion, the halide being chloride or bromide, at least one compound containing a nitrate or nitrosyl ion, and water. The at least one sulfonic acid can be from about 25% by weight to about 95% by weight of the composition. The halide anion can be chloride or bromide, and can be from about 0.01% by weight to about 0.5% by weight of the composition. The nitrate or nitrosyl ion can be from about 0.1% by weight to about 20% by weight of the composition. The water can be at least about 3% by weight of the composition.
US08647522B2	Methods of wet etching a self-assembled monolayer patterned substrate and metal patterned articles Method of patterning a substrate are described including a method of providing a substrate comprising a metalized surface having a self-assembled monolayer patterned region and unpatterned region; and wet etching the metalized surface in a liquid etchant agitated with bubbling gas to remove metal from the unpatterned regions to form a metal pattern. Also described are metal patterned article including an article comprising a substrate and an etched microcontact printed metal pattern disposed on the substrate wherein the pattern has a thickness of at least 100 nanometers and a pattern feature uniformity of at least 50% for an area of at least 25 cm2.
US08647518B2	Resin coated copper foil, method for manufacturing same and multi-layer circuit board A method for manufacturing a resin coating on copper foil includes following steps. Firstly, two diamines of 2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl] propane and 4,4′-oxydianiline, and two acid anhydrides of pyromellitic diandydride and oxydiphthalic anhydride are added into a polar aprotic solvent and the solvent is stirred to form a mixed solution. Secondly, the mixed solution is heated to a temperature of about 170° C.-190° C. to allow a cross-linking reaction to be completed between the two diamines and the two acid anhydrides, thereby forming a thermoplastic polyimide adhesive fluid. The thermoplastic polyimide adhesive fluid is coated on a copper foil and cured to form a thermoplastic polyimide adhesive layer on the copper foil, thereby obtaining a resin coated copper foil. This disclosure also relates to resin coated copper foil and a method for manufacturing a multi-layer circuit board.
US08647514B2	Method for removing impurities from water and a device for carrying out said method A standing wave in a water current, which is subject to purification, is swirled in the lower mass-exchange chamber in order to create negative pressure along the central axis, the atmosphere air intake and crating of two countercurrents interacting with each other, resulting in a standing wave and oxygenation of the water current. A cylindrical mixing chamber, which is divided into the upper mass-exchange chamber and the lower mass-exchange chamber by dividing walls with a coaxial orifice towards the air-supply pipe and peripheral bypass channel. In the lower mass-exchange chamber, water, which is subject to purification, is swirled and under the negative pressure in the center it intakes air from the air-supply pipe, creating hydrosol and reaction area of ion exchange due to forming of the standing acoustic wave. Part of the processed current is outlet into the volume through a permeable wall in the side surface of the upper mass-exchange chamber. In the volume there is at least one cylindrical mixing chamber. In the lower part of the volume there are branch pipes for outputting undissolved impurities and clean water. In the upper part of the volume there is a branch pipe for outputting spent air.
US08647511B2	Method for recovering corrosion preventive agent in electrodischarge machining liquid supply apparatus Disclosed is a method for recovering a corrosion preventive agent in an electrodischarge machining liquid supply apparatus. The method includes the step of passing a first electrodischarge machining liquid having a corrosion preventive agent added there to through, an ion exchange resin column to maintain a suitable specific resistance of the first liquid, and the step of passing a second liquid free from a corrosion preventive agent through the ion exchange resin column to desorb the corrosion preventive agent adsorbed in the ion exchange resin column. The second liquid is, for example, tap water or a machining liquid having a low corrosion preventive agent concentration. The corrosion preventive agent is, for example, adenine which is a purine base.
US08647509B2	Seawater desalination plant and production of high purity salt The present invention discloses an integrated desalination and salt plant for the production of a salt or slurry product of high purity. The reject stream from the desalination plant is used as the feed stream for the salt plant. The salt plant feed stream is filtered to effectively remove sulfate, which prevents scale formation in the salt plant equipment. The filtering may also reduce the level of calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, or other components of the feed which may also prevent scale formation in the salt plant equipment. The salt plant produces a high purity salt product without the use of chemical purification.
US08647508B2	System and method for processing samples A system and method for processing samples. The system can include a loading chamber, a detection chamber positioned in fluid communication with the loading chamber, and a fluid path defined at least partially by the loading chamber and the detection chamber. The system can further include a filter positioned such that at least one of its inlet and its outlet is positioned in the fluid path. The method can include positioning a sample in the loading chamber, filtering the sample in the fluid path to form a concentrated sample and a filtrate, removing the filtrate from the fluid path at a location upstream of the detection chamber, moving at least a portion of the concentrated sample in the fluid path to the detection chamber, and analyzing at least a portion of the concentrated sample in the detection chamber for an analyte of interest.
US08647504B2	Filter and filter handle for use in water filtration systems A filter to remove debris from a pool, the filter including a basket defined by a bottom and a side wall, the side wall including a plurality of first apertures; and a handle with first and second ends, the first end of the handle connected to the side wall, in which the first end of the handle includes an opening in communication with the first apertures in the side wall, and the handle further includes a hollow neck disposed between the first and second ends, the neck including a plurality of second apertures.
US08647497B2	Method and system for hydrogen sulfide removal A system for hydrogen sulfide removal from a sour gas mixture including hydrogen sulfide. The sour gas mixture is reacted with a transition metal compound in a scrubber. Sulfide from the hydrogen sulfide is oxidized to form elemental sulfur and the transition metal is reduced to form a reduced state transition metal compound. An electrochemical redox reaction is performed including the reduced state transition metal compound to regenerate the transition metal compound in an electrolyzer including a power source. During the electrochemical redox reaction a voltage from the power source applied to the electrolyzer is controlled to regenerate the transition metal compound at a rate sufficient to match a flow rate of hydrogen sulfide into the scrubber or maintain a predetermined maximum hydrogen sulfide level out from the scrubber. The transition metal compound regenerated is returned to the scrubber for the reacting.
US08647493B2	Electrochemical co-production of chemicals employing the recycling of a hydrogen halide The present disclosure is a system and method for producing a first product from a first region of an electrochemical cell having a cathode and a second product from a second region of the electrochemical cell having an anode. The method may include a step of contacting the first region with a catholyte comprising carbon dioxide. The method may include another step of contacting the second region with an anolyte comprising a recycled reactant. The method may include a step of applying an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode sufficient to produce a first product recoverable from the first region and a second product recoverable from the second region. The second product may be removed from the second region and introduced to a secondary reactor. The method may include forming the recycled reactant in the secondary reactor.
US08647487B2	System and methods for automatically recognizing a control solution Methods and devices for automatically distinguishing between a control solution and an actual patient/user sample in a biosensor are provided. The solution is introduced into an electrochemical cell having a working and counter electrode. Electric pulses are applied to the cell and resultant signals are measured. Based on a comparison of the measured signals, a meter can determine whether the sample is a control solution or an actual patient/user sample.
US08647479B2	Stand-alone integrated water treatment system for distributed water supply to small communities Provided is a standalone integrated water treatment system for a distributed water supply. A filter input receives water to be treated. A coagulation system is in operative connection with the filter input, wherein the water which has been filtered is subjected to a coagulation process performed by the coagulation system to create pin floc from suspensions in the water. A maturation buffer tank is in operative connection with the coagulation system, wherein floc is aggregated in size within the water. A spiral separator is in operative connection with the maturation buffer tank, and the water is separated into two water streams, a first stream of water having most of the floc removed, and a second stream of water which includes a concentrated amount of the floc. An optional filtration system is in operative connection with the spiral separator and is configured to receive the first stream of water and to perform a filtration operation on the first stream of water. A sterilization system is in operative connection with the optional filtration system and is configured to perform a sterilization operation on the first stream of water. The water is then output from the sterilization system as potable water.
US08647475B2	Roll coating roll and method for its manufacture A roll coating is manufactured having fiber and polyurethane made from aromatic isocyanate. The roll coating incorporates fiber having improved strength during the manufacturing stage, and so does not crack, as a result of which the coating can be manufactured in a simple, efficient and inexpensive manner. A roll of a fiber web machine has a roll body having a coating of fiber and polyurethane that is made from aromatic isocyanate, on the roll body.
US08647461B2	Method for manufacturing multilayer foam A method for manufacturing multilayer foam where easy generation of dead air and improvement in foam magnification is offered. Multilayer resin that has non-foam layer outside foam layer is pushed out, the innermost side of the multilayer resin is bonded mutually, and multilayer resin laminating body is formed. Multilayer resin laminating body is clamped in the empty space between outermost side of multilayer resin laminating body and cavity side with metal mold. Multilayer resin laminating body is molded in the shape along cavity side, and the multilayer foam is molded.
US08647456B2	Process for production of a reinforcement for composite material with a variable resistance profile, reinforcement obtained The object of the invention is a process for production of a reinforcement (10) for composite material comprising at least two layers (12, 14) intended to be embedded in a polymer matrix, characterized in that at least one (14) of the layers is comprised of continuous filaments (16) in one main direction F and in that these filaments are positioned with variable spacing along this main direction F.
US08647449B2	Alloys for hardbanding weld overlays Disclosed herein are iron-based alloys having a microstructure comprising a fine-grained ferritic matrix and having a 60+ Rockwell C surface, wherein the ferritic matrix comprises <10 μm carbide precipitates. Also disclosed are methods of welding comprising forming a crack free hardbanding weld overlay coating with such an iron-based alloy. Also disclosed are families of alloys capable of forming crack-free weld overlays after multiple welding passes.
US08647443B2	Methods for cleaning an automatic biochemical analyzer A method of cleaning an automatic biochemical analyzer, wherein the cleaning solution includes: at least one anionic surfactant, at least one nonionic surfactant, an alkali metal hydroxide, an alkali metal citrate, and a buffering agent stabilizing the pH value above 13.0. In some embodiments, the cleaning solution provides low residual rate of proteins, low residual rate of lipids, desirable within-batch repeatability in clinical testing, low level of cross-contamination, and low level of reactant deposit after cleaning, without affecting test results of the biochemical analyzer. In some embodiments, the cleaning solution has no corrosive effects on the liquid path and reaction cup of the analyzer. The ingredients of the cleaning solution may also be biodegradable.
US08647437B2	Apparatus, tool and methods for depositing annular or circular wedge coatings An apparatus for depositing annular or circular wedge coatings with arbitrary dependence of thickness versus position includes a coating tool in which at least one substrate is disposed in a line of sight arrangement vs. least one deposition source, each substrate having an axis of symmetry and associated with a single mask having an aperture and positioned between the substrate and the least one deposition source, the mask and the substrate arranged to perform a relative rotation around a common axis to follow a law of motion which results in the deposition of a coating with a desired law of variation of thickness vs. position on the circumference of the substrate. The relative rotation is imparted by a motor. In embodiments in which there are a plurality of substrates and associated single masks, the substrates are positioned on a planet carrier independently rotatable by another motor.
US08647433B2	Germanium ingots/wafers having low micro-pit density (MPD) as well as systems and methods for manufacturing same Systems and methods are disclosed for crystal growth including features of reducing micropit cavity density in grown germanium crystals. In one exemplary implementation, there is provided a method of inserting an ampoule with raw material into a furnace having a heating source, growing a crystal using a vertical growth process wherein movement of a crystallizing temperature gradient relative to the raw material/crucible is achieved to melt the raw material, and growing, at a predetermined crystal growth length, the material to achieve a monocrystalline crystal, wherein monocrystalline ingots having reduced micro-pit densities are reproducibly provided.
US08647431B2	Catalyst composition which is intended for use with pozzolan compositions A catalyst composition for pozzolan compositions, includes: a) one or more chlorides, selected from the group consisting of: sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, strontium chloride, barium chloride and/or ammonium chloride, preferably ammonium chloride; b) aluminum chloride, and c) one or more metal oxides, preferably selected from the group consisting of: oxides from metals from Group II of the Periodic Table, oxides from metals from Group VIII B of the Periodic Table (e.g. iron oxide), more preferably oxides from metals from Group II of the Periodic Table, even more preferably magnesium oxide or calcium oxide, most preferably magnesium oxide. The use of the catalytic composition for addition to cement for oil well cementing, and for lowering the pH of cement, a method for obtaining a composition for reinforcing cement, a binder composition and a construction composition are also described.
US08647428B2	Color powder for coating A method for producing a color powder, the method comprising dry mixing a pigment powder with a base powder while applying heat, so as to bring the base powder to an adhesive state while the pigment powder remains in a stable state, thereby forming a color powder having agglomerates essentially each comprising a component of the base powder and a component of the ground pigment powder.
US08647424B2	Phase change inks comprising inorganic nucleating agents A solid ink composition suitable for ink jet printing, including printing on coated paper substrates. In particular, the solid ink composition comprises a crystalline compound, an amorphous compound, and an inorganic nucleating agent, which provides for a robust and fast printing ink.
US08647420B2	System and method for recovering carbon dioxide from flue gas [Problem] To provide a system for recovering carbon dioxide from flue gas, in which a reboiler in a regenerator can be compactly installed, and a method therefor, in facilities where CO2 or the like contained in flue gas is recovered.[Solving Means] To include an absorber 1006 that absorbs CO2 contained in flue gas 1002, a regenerator 1008 that strips CO2 from CO2 absorbent (rich solution) 1007 to regenerate absorbent, internal shells 101 provided at a bottom of the regenerator 1008 with a predetermined interval therebetween, into which regenerated CO2 absorbent is introduced by a feeding unit 102 from a bottom side thereof so that the CO2 absorbent overflows from an upper end of the internal shell thereof toward the bottom of the regenerator, and a reboiler that is inserted into the internal shells 101 in a direction orthogonal to a vertical axis and includes a heat-transfer tube 103 that reboils absorbent. Steam separated from CO2 absorbent reboiled by the heat-transfer tube 103 is transferred to an upper part of a regenerator, condensed absorbent is caused to overflow from an upper end of the internal shell and to be discharged from a bottom side of a regenerator, and the absorbent is fed to the absorber 1006 as regenerated CO2 absorbent (lean solution) 1009.
US08647419B2	Sorption filter material and use thereof The invention relates to a sorption filter material, in particular an adsorption filter material, which is suitable in particular for producing protective materials of all types (such as protective suits, protective gloves, protective shoes and other protective clothing as well as protective coverings, e.g. for transporting patients, for sleeping bags or similar) and for producing filters and filter materials. Said material is suitable for both military and civilian use, in particular for ABC applications.
US08647418B2	Adsorption tower of dry exhaust gas treatment device An exhaust gas dry treatment device comprises an adsorption tower having: a box-shaped tower body; a plurality of reaction chambers have moving beds therein; a plurality of vertical partition plates which sequentially close between the end parts of the plurality of reaction chambers and between the end parts of the reaction chambers and the inner wall of the tower; an exhaust gas supply port allowing the inside of an inlet side wind box space which is formed in the tower body between the front tower wall and the reaction chamber end part to communicate with the inside of an exhaust gas supply duct; and an exhaust gas discharge port allowing the inside of an outlet side wind box space which is formed in the tower body between the rear tower wall and the reaction chamber end part to communicate with the inside of an exhaust gas discharge duct.
US08647414B2	Apparatus and process for the separation of process condensate in steam reforming An apparatus is provided for drying a gas by gradually releasing and condensing the moisture in various chambers of a column, different pressures and different temperatures thus being present in the chambers of the column. The gas to be dried is first fed into the bottom chamber, where the largest amount of the water contained in the gas is condensed, and the gas is then discharged from the bottom chamber via a nozzle. Subsequently the gas is cooled and fed into at least one more chamber located above the first chamber, where further moisture is condensed before the resulting condensate is fed via a pipe—preferably shaped like a siphon—into the bottom reservoir to prevent the gas from flowing from the chamber below into the chamber above. A process which enables a gas to be dried is also described.
US08647406B2	Dual salt fertilizer giving enhanced crop yields Multiple-component fertilizer materials and methods of use are provided, wherein the fertilizer materials include first and second fertilizer products respectively including an ammoniacal fertilizer (e.g., urea) in combination with a partial calcium salt of a selected copolymer, and a phosphorous fertilizer (e.g., DAP) in combination with a partial sodium salt of a selected copolymer. The copolymer fractions of the first and second fertilizer products are most preferably copolymers of itaconic acid and maleic anhydride. The fertilizer materials give synergistically enhanced crop yields when applied to soil or growing plants.
US08647402B2	Processes for gasification of a carbonaceous feedstock The present invention relates to processes and continuous processes for preparing gaseous products, and in particular, methane via the catalytic gasification of carbonaceous feedstocks in the presence of steam. In one aspect of the invention, the processes comprise at least partially combusting a first carbonaceous feedstock with an oxygen-rich gas stream in an oxygen-blown gasifier, under suitable temperature and pressure, to generate a first gas stream comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide and superheated steam; and reacting a second carbonaceous feedstock and the first gas stream in a catalytic gasifier in the presence of a gasification catalyst under suitable temperature and pressure to form a second gas stream comprising a plurality of gaseous products comprising methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide. The processes can comprise using at least one catalytic methanator to convert carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the gaseous products to methane and in certain embodiments do not recycle carbon monoxide or hydrogen to the gasifier.
US08647401B2	Steam reformation system A gasification system and method for converting organic materials into a usable syngas are provided. The gasification system includes a kiln for receiving a feedstock; a means for heating the kiln; a steam reforming reactor; and means for inductively heating the steam reforming reactor to drive the gasification reactions. In one preferred embodiment, the fuel processing system includes a steam reforming reactor that is at least partially filled with thermal transmitters which receive electromagnetic energy and generate heat within the steam reforming reactor. The organic material to be used as feedstock may include but will not be limited to petrochemical streams, refinery streams, natural gas, crude oil, coal, plastics, municipal wastes, toxic and hazardous wastes, biomass, medical wastes, and automobile wastes. The syngas that is produced in this process may consist primarily of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane.
US08647400B2	Beneficiation process to produce low ash clean coal from high ash coals A beneficiation process to produce low ash clean coal from high ash coals, including: preparing a coal slurry from fine coal and water and discharging it to a first reactor; preparing an alkali solution and discharging it to a first reactor; carrying-out a leaching reaction inside the first reactor; transferring the reaction mixture to a second reactor for filtration and washing to produce a filter cake; preparing a diluted acid solution and delivering it to a second reactor; preparing a diluted alkali solution and delivering it to a second reactor; feeding a coal slurry prepared from the filter cake into the second reactor for washing and transferring to a second filtration unit; transferring the product after filtration to a third reactor; carrying-out different leaching reaction sequences in the first, second, and third reactors; and transferring to a fifth tank the treated coal filter cake for drying.
US08647398B2	Production of renewable biofuels A process and system for separating and upgrading bio-oil into renewable fuels is provided. The process comprises separating bio-oil into a light fraction and heavy fraction based on their boiling points. The heavy fraction is then subjected to hydrotreatment, while the light fraction is not subjected to hydrotreatment. At least a portion of the un-hydrotreated light fraction and at least a portion of the hydrotreated heavy fraction are blended with petroleum-derived gasoline to thereby provide a renewable gasoline, and at least a portion of the hydrotreated heavy fraction is blended with petroleum-derived diesel to thereby provide a renewable diesel.
US08647392B2	Articulable anchor Embodiments disclosed herein relate to devices implantable into a human lung, for example to reduce the volume of air trapped in a diseased portion of the lung to prevent inhalation while permitting expiration out of the diseased portion. In some embodiments, the device comprises a distal portion with an anchor system that may anchor the device into tissue of an air passageway wall, and the distal portion may be connected to a proximal portion via a flexible portion that permits the distal portion to articulate substantially with respect to the proximal portion, such that the distal portion and the proximal portion may be non-collinear along a longitudinal axis of the distal portion. This may facilitate implantation of the device into a non-linear air passageway.
US08647381B2	Stents, valved-stents, and methods and systems for delivery thereof Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to stents, valved-stents, (e.g., single-stent-valves and double stent/valved-stent systems) and associated methods and systems for their delivery via minimally-invasive surgery. The stent component comprises a first stent section (102) a second stent section (104) a third stent section (106) and a fourth stent section (108).
US08647370B2	Uniplanar bone anchor system The present teachings provide one or more surgical implements for repairing damaged tissue, such as in the case of a spinal fixation procedure. A uniplanar bone anchor system for a fixation procedure is provided. The system can include a bone fastener including a head with a bearing surface and an engagement surface, and a shaft adapted to engage an anatomy. The system can include a saddle, which can include a first bore that receives the bone fastener and a coupling bore defined transverse to the longitudinal axis. The system can include a pressure cap received within the first bore having an engagement surface in contact with the engagement surface of the bone fastener. The system can further include a coupling system that can be received through the at least one coupling bore and can cooperate with the pressure cap to permit the bone fastener to move in only one plane.
US08647365B2	Carrier tube for vascular closure device and methods A vascular closure device (200) includes a carrier tube (202), an anchor (208), a sealing pad (210), and a suture (204). The carrier tube defines a first lumen (268) and comprises a distal portion (260) and a proximal portion (262). The carrier tube is insertable through an insertion sheath (216). The anchor is positioned outside of the carrier tube. The sealing pad is positioned inside the first lumen. The suture couples the sealing pad to the anchor. The distal portion of the carrier tube has a different material composition from the proximal portion.
US08647362B2	Device with deflectable distal end and related methods of use A deflecting method and deflecting apparatus allows the distal end of device, for example an endoscopic medical device, to be remotely and adjustably deflected from a straight configuration to a deflected configuration. Manipulating a proximal handle causes the deflection, controls actuation of an end effector assembly on the distal end, and straightens the deflecting apparatus back to its original configuration.
US08647354B2	Arthroscopic soft tissue plication systems and methods A system and method for repairing soft tissue comprises introducing an instrument having a shaft into an operative site, such as a human shoulder. Then, a flexible grasper is advanced from the instrument to capture a portion of soft tissue. The flexible grasper is then retracted so that the captured tissue lies in a pathway for a needle in the instrument. The needle is advanced along the pathway through the captured tissue, and then a portion of suture is captured with the needle, distally of the captured tissue. The needle is retracted proximally through the captured tissue, to thereby pass the suture therethrough and plicate the tissue. The plicated tissue is then released from the grasper.
US08647346B2	Devices and methods for tissue modification Methods and apparatus are provided for selective surgical removal of tissue. In one variation, tissue may be ablated, resected, removed, or otherwise remodeled by standard small endoscopic tools delivered into the epidural space through an epidural needle. The sharp tip of the needle in the epidural space, can be converted to a blunt tipped instrument for further safe advancement. The current invention includes specific tools that enable safe tissue modification in the epidural space, including a barrier that separates the area where tissue modification will take place from adjacent vulnerable neural and vascular structures. A nerve stimulator may be provided to reduce a risk of inadvertent neural abrasion.
US08647342B2	Surgical apparatus for tissue sealing and cutting A surgical apparatus for coagulating and cutting tissue includes a handle assembly having a housing. A tool cartridge is receivable in the housing. The tool cartridge includes a first jaw and a second jaw for grasping tissue therebetween. The first jaw is hingably movable between an open position and a closed position. A first jaw connection wire is operatively connected to the first jaw. A sheath encompasses at least part of the longitudinal portion of the jaw connection wire. A grip is disposed around at least part of the sheath. A piston is disposed within the sheath and operatively connected to the grip such that the grip and piston move in relation to one another. The jaw connection wire is operatively connected to the piston for moving the first jaw in response to movement of the grip.
US08647339B2	Balloon catheter system It is an object of the present invention to provide a radiofrequency thermal balloon catheter system capable of precisely predicting the surface temperature of a balloon which directly heats a target tissue without allowing a temperature sensor to directly contact with a balloon membrane. In the radiofrequency thermal balloon catheter system, a vibrational wave W is applied to an inside of the balloon 6 through a solution transport path 11 by means of a vibration generator 42. An in-balloon temperature sensor 8 is insulated from the electrode 7 for delivery of radiofrequency current to be fixed in the vicinity of a distal end of an inner tube 3 and then the temperature of the swirls S flowing along the inner surface of the balloon 6 is detected. In the present system, the surface temperature of the balloon 6 can be predicted by measuring the temperature of the swirls S approximate to the surface temperature of the balloon 6 by means of the in-balloon temperature sensor 8 while applying a radiofrequency current.
US08647331B2	Shaft connector A shaft connector configured to connect a shaft that has to be partly inserted through the skull of patient to the skull of the patient, the shaft connector comprising a skull connecting part, a shaft bush with a shaft clamp to fixate a shaft within the shaft bush, a bush clamping device to fixate the shaft bush relative to the skull connecting part so that a settable direction of the bush channel axis relative to the central axis is fixated as desired, an operating provision including a first and a second handle configured and arranged to be engaged by a single hand, the operating provision being configured to bring the bush clamping device from the release position in the clamping position by movement of the first handle relative to the second handle without exerting a force on the skull via the skull connecting part.
US08647323B2	Catheter shaft with multiple reinforcing layers and method of its manufacture A catheter shaft includes an inner layer of a first polymeric material, an intermediate layer of a second polymeric material, an outer layer of a third polymeric material, a first wire reinforcing layer encapsulated between the inner and intermediate layers, and a second wire reinforcing layer encapsulated between the outer and intermediate layers. Typically, the first wire reinforcing layer includes one or more metallic wires helically wound in one direction and the second wire reinforcing layer includes one or more metallic wires helically wound in the opposite direction. The intermediate layer is bonded to the inner and outer layers, as by extruding layers over one another or by thermal lamination or reflow bonding. Typically, the intermediate layer has a larger yield strain and/or a lower flexural modulus and/or a lower durometer than at least one of the inner layer and the outer layer.
US08647311B2	Biologics infusion system A system for moving particles suspended in a first fluid, and for infusing them into the stream of a second fluid, includes a catheter with a multi-lumen distal tip. The tip is formed with a plurality of parallel lumens, wherein each lumen has a predetermined diameter. Importantly, the diameter of each lumen is dimensioned to sequentially receive particles therethrough, to prevent the particles from flocculating before they enter the stream of the second fluid. A valve, affixed to the outside of the catheter, can be provided to regulate flow of the second fluid and thereby facilitate entry of the particles into the stream of the second fluid.
US08647306B2	Injection device The invention relates to an injection device (1), which comprises a support housing (2), an activating sleeve (9), a cartridge (3) containing a medicine (14), a first drive unit (4), a safety device (5), a needle arrangement (6), a needle protection element (7) and a second triggerable drive unit (8), whereby the latter moves the needle protection element (7) from the non-effective position into the position covering one needle end (21) of a cannula (20). The support housing (2) is surrounded over most of its longitudinal extension between its distal and proximal end (11, 12) by the activating sleeve (9), whereby the needle protection element (7) with the second drive unit (8) cooperating therewith is arranged radially between the support housing (2) and the activating sleeve (9), as viewed in axial cross section.
US08647304B2	Implant and method for its manufacture An implant for percutaneous implantation through the abdominal wall for encircling and engaging an externalized length of a body duct of a human or animal patient. The implant has an exterior ring section protruding outwardly from the abdominal wall with a free end which serves for mounting of a detachable device, and an interior section extending through the abdominal wall and inside the patient for internal fixation of the implant. The exterior ring section and interior section have a common axis. The internal circumference of at least a part of the exterior ring section above the interior section is arranged with a biocompatible, integrated ingrowth means for the exterior surface of the body duct wall.
US08647298B2	Surgical apparatus with expandable structure and electrode for treating body tissue A surgical apparatus having an expandable structure including first, second and third spines forming a basket, movable between expanded and contracted positions. Each of the spines has first, second and third lumens, wherein an electrode element is movable within the first lumen of the first, second and third spines through a first opening in the spine. The second lumen of the first and second spines carries a temperature sensing element, the temperature sensing element exposed through a second opening in the spine positioned between the first and second lumens. The second lumen of the third spine is configured to receive a guidewire, and the third lumen of the first, second and third spines is connectable to a tube for carrying cooling fluid therethrough.
US08647295B2	Method for use of microdialysis Very accurate measurements of mass transfer can be made rapidly by permitting diffusion of an agent desired to be measured into or out of a small, very precisely known volume of a microdialysis probe, then rapidly pumping or flushing (“pulsing”) the probe with a known volume of fluid as a single pulse. The diffusion and pulsing may be repeated. The method, hereinafter called pulsatile microdialysis (PMD) to distinguish it from prior art continuous flow microdialysis, is useful for measurements in a number of processes, including protein binding, adsorption to binding agents such as activated charcoal, release from microemulsion drug delivery systems, determination of drug diffusion coefficients and concentrations, and for various other purposes.The method is based on mathematical manipulation of Fick's Laws. Resulting equations were verified against experimental data using methazolamide, warfarin and benzocaine as test drugs.
US08647292B2	Systems, devices, and methods including catheters having components that are actively controllable between two or more wettability states Systems, devices, methods, and compositions are described for providing an actively-controllable disinfecting implantable device configured to, for example, treat or prevent an infection in a biological subject.
US08647288B2	Moldable injury therapy device and method A multi-phase orthopedic system including a moisture-impervious sleeve, a moldable splint including a covered resin-impregnated substrate, an elongate removable wrap for retaining the splint on the limb, and a removable cast for application to the limb during a subsequent treatment phase including a cast body having an interior side and exterior side, and a flap carried by the body and movable between an open position, and a closed position overlying a part of the cast body to be applied to a treatment area of the limb, the flap adapted to cover and retain between the cast body and the flap the splint worn by the patient during the initial treatment phase in the same position as the location of the splint during the initial treatment phase. A method of immobilizing a limb in multiple treatment phases utilizing the multi-phase orthopedic system.
US08647282B2	Apparatus and method for measuring blood pressure with motion artifacts elimination The invention discloses an apparatus and method for measuring a blood pressure. In particular, the method and apparatus according to the invention are capable of eliminating motion artifacts induced by, for example, talking, irregular breathing, frequent swallowing, coughing, shaking, and so on motions of a subject. The method and apparatus according to the invention utilizes a set of fuzzy logic rules and a curve-fitting way to eliminate the motion artifacts.
US08647281B2	Systems and methods for making and using an imaging core of an intravascular ultrasound imaging system An imaging assembly for an intravascular ultrasound system includes a catheter, an imaging core, and at least one transducer conductor. The imaging core is insertable into the catheter and extendable from a distal end of the catheter. The imaging core includes a rotatable magnet, a tilted reflective surface, and at least one fixed transducer all disposed in a body. The rotatable magnet is configured and arranged to rotate by a magnetic field generated external to the catheter. The tilted reflective surface rotates with the magnet. The at least one transducer is configured and arranged for transforming applied electrical signals to acoustic signals and also for transforming received echo signals to electrical signals. The at least one transducer conductor is electrically coupled to the at least one transducer and is configured and arranged to extend into the catheter when the imaging core is extended from the catheter.
US08647275B2	Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and program An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes an image synthesizing unit for performing the following processings. That is, the image synthesizing unit performs a multiple resolution analysis for the respective images of a plurality of frames by a predetermined transform processing, performs a filter operation processing for each of the coefficients corresponding among the images of a plurality of frames, in each coefficient of each resolution obtained by the multiple resolution analysis, and performs an inverse transform processing of the predetermined transform processing for a result of the filter operation processing to generate an image of one frame.
US08647257B2	Cannulotome Systems and methods for treating spinal stenosis include endoscopic access devices and bone removal devices used to perform a foraminotomy or other bone removal procedures. A bone removal device includes a cannulotome with an endoscopic imaging lumen. Optionally, an endoscope retaining device can be used to facilitate advancement of the endoscope through the cannulotome.
US08647245B2	System for passive stretching A system for assisting in the performance of passive stretches includes a stretching device and a control mechanism. The stretching device includes an inflatable component. The control mechanism enables a user to control the degree of inflation of the inflatable component. The stretching device may optionally include one or more user contact surfaces attached to an outer layer or formed within an outer layer. The system may also include a support for supporting the stretching device at a particular height. The support may compressively hold the stretching device at the particular height when the inflatable component is inflated.
US08647244B2	Exercise machine An exercise apparatus includes a disk rotatable in first and second directions against a frictional force and a device disposed between a cable and the disk. The device is responsive to tensioning and movement of the cable in the first direction for coupling the cable to the disk whereupon the disk rotates against the frictional force with movement of the cable in the first direction. The device is also responsive to release of the tension in the cable in the first direction for uncoupling the cable from the disk. A rewind arm coupled between the disk and the device is also responsive to the release of the tension in the cable in the first direction for tensioning and moving the cable and the device in the second direction.
US08647233B2	Accessory drive and engine restarting A method for controlling a drive system includes driveably connecting an engine to a variator, using a pulley to transmit rotating power from an electric machine through a gearset that increases speed of an input of the variator relative to a speed of the pulley, controlling a speed ratio of the variator, and transmitting power through the gearset and variator to the engine.
US08647228B2	Gear train of automatic transmission for vehicles A gear train of an automatic transmission for vehicles has the advantages of simplifying structures of the automatic transmission and improving power delivery performance and fuel economy as a consequence of realizing at least nine forward speeds and one reverse speed by combining three simple planetary gear sets with four clutches and three brakes.

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