Document	Document Title
US09658622B2	Industrial vehicle for identifying malfunctioning sequenced tag and tag layout for use therewith According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an industrial vehicle is provided comprising industrial vehicle hardware, tag reader, reader module, user interface, and vehicle controller. The tag reader and reader module cooperate to identify individual sequenced tags along an aisle path of a tag layout in accordance with a sequence list accessible to the reader module. The reader module compares a succession of sequenced tags with at least a portion of the accessible sequence list to determine if the succession of sequenced tags is in sequence along the aisle path in accordance with the sequence list and generates a missing tag signal for a malfunctioning sequenced tag when the comparison of the succession of sequenced tags with the sequence list indicates a sequence irregularity in the plurality of sequenced tags. The reader module then correlates vehicle functionality with the malfunctioning sequenced tag when a missing tag signal is generated.
US09658618B1	Systems and applications of lighter-than-air (LTA) platforms Innovative new systems and method of operating the systems, wherein the system comprises an airborne platform comprising an unmanned balloon; a payload that is separate from the unmanned balloon; a transceiver; a flight termination device; at least two separate power sources; a sensor; a processor; a pump; a valve; and an object that when broken separates the unmanned balloon and the payload, are disclosed herein.
US09658617B1	Remote controlled vehicle with a head-mounted display In some embodiments, extemporaneous control of remote objects can be made more natural using the invention, enabling a participant to pivot, tip and aim a head-mounted display apparatus to control a remote-controlled toy or full-sized vehicle, for example, hands-free. If the vehicle is outfitted with a camera, then the participant may see the remote location from first-person proprioceptive perspective.
US09658609B2	Device assisted settings adjustment for HVAC controllers In an embodiment, a method for device-assisted adjustment of a HVAC unit controller is provided. A HVAC unit controller receives a geographical location from a device over a data connection. The HVAC unit controller obtains location-specific setting information. The location-specific setting information is specific to the geographical location. The HVAC unit controller adjusts one or more settings of the HVAC unit controller in accordance with the location-specific setting information.
US09658603B2	Reversible door mounting arrangement for a timer assembly A timer assembly housing is configured to include a number of features, including but not limited to a tortuous sealing lip, adjustable hinge assembly, removable backing plate, removable pin hinge, toggle switch, and a wiring lid. The timer assembly includes a weatherproof housing having a base with a series of sidewalls and a rear wall, the base sidewalls extending forward from the rear wall to an open front, a lid having a series of sidewalls and a front wall, the lid sidewalls extending forward from the front wall, and a timer assembly positioned within the base. The lid is selectively pivotably secured to the base along one of the base sidewalls.
US09658598B2	Hairspring for a time piece and hairspring design for concentricity A method of increasing concentricity in use of a spiral hairspring mechanical timepiece; the hairspring having an inner terminal end portion for engagement with a collet, an outer terminal end portion for engagement with a stud, a first limb portion extending from the inner terminal end portion towards the outer terminal end portion, and a stiffening portion positioned at the outer turn of the hairspring and having a cross-sectional second moment of area different to that of the first limb portion such that bending stiffness of the stiffening portion has a greater bending stiffness than the single limb portion. The method includes modifying cross-sectional second moments of an area of the first limb portion and the stiffening portion by minimizing a cost function throughout the amplitude of the rotation of hairspring in use, the cost function being correlated to the net concentricity of the hairspring.
US09658588B2	Image forming apparatus, image adjustment method for the image forming apparatus, and adjustment pattern image A set of adjustment pattern images includes first adjustment pattern images and second adjustment pattern images to be formed on a first side and a second side of a recording sheet, respectively, by an image forming apparatus. The set of adjustment pattern images is employed to adjust an image forming position by the image forming apparatus such that an image forming position of the first adjustment pattern images is aligned with an image forming position of the second adjustment pattern images. The set of adjustment pattern images includes at least two first adjustment pattern images that are spaced from each other and at least two second adjustment pattern images that are spaced from each other, and the first adjustment pattern images on the first side and the second adjustment pattern images on the second side are arranged alternately with each other.
US09658583B2	Fixing device and image forming apparatus A fixing device includes a fixing belt, a pressuring member, a pressing member, a shape restricting member and an elastic body. The fixing belt is configured to be rotatable. The pressuring member is configured to be rotatable and to come into pressure contact with the fixing belt so as to form a fixing nip. The pressing member is configured to press the fixing belt to a side of the pressuring member. The shape restricting member is configured to restrict a shape of the fixing belt and having an arc-shaped insertion part to be inserted into an end part of the fixing belt. The elastic body is attached to an end part in a circumferential direction of the insertion part.
US09658582B2	Fusing device employing induction heating method and image forming apparatus using the same A fusing device is provided. The fusing device includes a heating roller having two end regions and an inner region between the two end regions, a coil module, and a controller. The coil module includes a first coil arranged along an axial direction of the heating roller; two second coils, one second coil arranged in each end region of the heating roller; and a third coil arranged in the inner region of the heating roller. The controller controls current directions of currents in the first coil, the second coils, and the third coil.
US09658578B2	Transfer device and image forming apparatus A transfer device includes a belt image bearer; a driving roller that rotates the belt image bearer; a transfer member; first and second driving motors that respectively rotate the driving roller and the transfer member; first and second speed detecting units that respectively detect rotational speeds of the belt image bearer and the transfer member; and a control unit that implements control such that the belt image bearer and the transfer member are rotated at rotational speeds corresponding to a relative speed at which a variation amount is less than a predetermined variation amount, the variation amount being the variation of values of driving torques of the first and second driving motors in a state where the belt image bearer and the transfer member are in contact, with respect to these values in a state where the belt image bearer and the transfer member are separated.
US09658574B2	Powder container, developing device, process unit, and image forming apparatus A powder container is provided. The powder container includes a powder storage and a conveyer. The powder storage stores a powder to be used for image formation and has a vent hole to pass air between an inside and an outside of the powder storage. The conveyer conveys the powder inside the powder storage. The vent hole is on an upper surface of the powder storage facing the conveyer.
US09658557B2	Semiconductive roller A semiconductive roller is provided, which is capable of uniformly electrically charging a surface of a photoreceptor body particularly when being used as a charging roller, substantially free from defective image formation due to adhesion and accumulation of external additives even if repeatedly performing a charging operation, and less liable to contaminate the photoreceptor body, and has a lower roller resistance to make it possible to form higher-definition images at a higher process speed. The semiconductive roller (1) is formed from a semiconductive rubber composition which contains a rubber component including 15 to 80 mass % of an epichlorohydrin rubber, 5 to 50 parts by mass of titanium oxide based on 100 parts by mass of the rubber component, and a potassium salt as an electrically conductive agent. The semiconductive roller (1) has an oxide film (5) provided in an outer peripheral surface (4) thereof.
US09658549B2	Toner A toner having a toner particle including a binder resin, wherein the binder resin includes a styrene acrylic resin and a vinyl-modified crystalline polyester resin, the vinyl-modified crystalline polyester resin has a crystalline polyester segment having structures of following i) or a structure of following ii), i) at least two structures selected from the group consisting of a structure derived from an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid, a structure derived from an aliphatic diol and a structure derived from an aliphatic hydroxycarboxylic acid; ii) a structure derived from an aliphatic hydroxycarboxylic acid; and the vinyl-modified crystalline polyester resin has a specific modification rate.
US09658547B2	Brilliant toner, electrostatic charge image developer, and toner cartridge A brilliant toner includes a toner particle that includes a binder resin, a flake-shaped brilliant pigment, and a layered inorganic substance, wherein a content of the layered inorganic substance is from 0.005% by weight to 2.0% by weight with respect to the toner particles, and 80% by weight or more of the layered inorganic substance is present in a portion being in a range of 5 nm to 20 nm from a surface of the toner particle.
US09658542B2	Optical element The disclosure relates to an optical assembly for a projection exposure apparatus for semiconductor lithography. The optical assembly includes at least one optical element and a mounting body for mechanically fixing the element in a supporting structure. The optical assembly also includes at least one cooling body for dissipating heat from the element. The mounting body and the cooling body are separate from one another. The optical element is connected to the cooling body via at least one heat-conducting element. The disclosure also relates to a projection exposure apparatus including an optical assembly according to the disclosure.
US09658527B2	Correction of errors of a photolithographic mask using a joint optimization process A method for correcting a plurality of errors of a photolithographic mask is provided. First parameters of a imaging transformation of the photolithographic mask and second parameters of a laser beam locally directed onto the photolithographic mask are optimized, and the plurality of errors are corrected by applying an imaging transformation using optimized first parameters and locally directing the laser beam onto the photolithographic mask using optimized second parameters. The first and the second parameters are simultaneously optimized in a joint optimization process.
US09658522B2	Reflective extreme ultraviolet mask A reflective extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask includes a mask substrate, a reflecting layer on an upper surface of the mask substrate, and an absorbing layer pattern on an upper surface of the reflecting layer, the absorbing layer pattern having an exposing region and a peripheral region, and the absorbing layer pattern including a grating pattern in the peripheral region to reduce reflectivity of light incident on the peripheral region.
US09658514B2	Camera module Disclosed herein is a camera module in which a movement of a magnet is controlled by only magnetic force between the magnet and a yoke without a spring for controlling the movement of the magnet which operates up and down. The camera module includes: a lens module; and a main frame supporting the lens module and allowing the lens module to be driven in an optical axis direction, wherein the lens module includes: a lens assembly including a plurality of lenses; and a magnet fixed to one side of the lens module, and the main frame includes: a coil facing the magnet, fixed to one side within the main frame, and generating an electric field as power is applied thereto; and a yoke disposed to face the magnet with the main frame and the coil interposed therebetween and controlling driving of the lens module by attraction with the magnet.
US09658509B2	Multi-nodal SPD controller networking A scalable apparatus and a network environment dynamically changes the light transparency of a single SPD device, a small number of SPD devices or thousands of such SPD devices installed in windows in automobiles, aircraft, trains, marine vehicles, residential homes, commercial buildings and skyscrapers. A scalable apparatus and a network environment dynamically changes the light transparency of a single SPD device or thousands of such SPD devices in the presentation of a multi-media special effects display. Textual messages, graphical images and simulated motion effects are driven. Such scalable apparatus being capable of driving and using several operational parameters of SPD's such as frequency range, AC voltage and temperature so as to provide fine control of SPD characteristics such as switching speed and power consumption.
US09658505B2	Display device A display device includes an insulating substrate, a semiconductor layer formed of polycrystalline silicon, including a first impurity area, a second impurity area, and a channel area, an insulating film which covers the semiconductor layer, a gate electrode formed on the insulating film and opposed to the channel area, a source line electrically connected to the first impurity area, an electrode electrically connected to the second impurity area, and a light-shielding film located between the insulating substrate and the semiconductor layer, disposed at a position displaced from a position opposed to the source line, and opposed to an area including a boundary between the channel area and the second impurity area.
US09658503B2	Method of manufacturing input device A method of manufacturing an input device includes a step of bonding a translucent first optical adhesive layer to one surface of a first transparent base so that a part of first lead electrodes is exposed to the outside; a step of disposing a FPC so that a predetermined gap is formed between the FPC and the first optical adhesive layer in plan view, and electrically connecting the FPC to the first lead electrodes exposed to one surface of the first transparent base; a step of bonding a surface member, which forms an input surface, to the first transparent base with the first optical adhesive layer interposed therebetween; and a step of sealing the exposed lead electrodes by injecting a resin into a space between the first transparent base and the surface member facing each other.
US09658496B2	Manufacturing method of liquid crystal display A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a step of preparing a lower panel in which a pixel electrode is formed and which is coated with a lower alignment layer including reactive mesogen; a step of preparing an upper panel in which a common electrode is formed and which is coated with an upper alignment layer including reactive mesogen; a step of forming a display panel assembly by injecting a liquid crystal between the lower panel and the upper panel and bonding the lower panel and the upper panel; a step of pre-tilting the liquid crystal by applying a voltage to the display panel assembly and primarily irradiating ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 310 nm to 380 nm; and a step of removing remaining reactive mesogen by secondarily irradiating ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 300 nm to 360 nm to the display panel assembly.
US09658488B2	Backlight module with partially overlapped film design The present invention provides a backlight module, comprising a light source module and an optical control layer disposed on the light source module. The optical control layer comprises a first optical film and a second optical film. The first optical film has a first overlap area on a first side, the first overlap area comprises first inner openings; the second optical film comprises a second overlap area near the first overlap area. The second overlap area matches the first overlap area. The second overlap area comprises second outer openings corresponding to the first inner openings.
US09658474B2	Eyewear frame having vents An eyewear frame structure for holding at least one lens thereto, includes a base frame, a front frame attached to a front of the base frame and a comfort bar attached to a back side of the base frame. The frame structure has a plurality of vent passages extending therethrough. Each vent passage includes a substantially horizontal section defined between the base frame and the front frame, and a substantially vertical section defined between the base frame and the comfort bar.
US09658471B2	Multifocal ophthalmic lens having a focal point formation region and a cancellation region and manufacturing method thereof In order to reduce halos that occur in multifocal ophthalmic lenses, the mechanism of the phenomenon was elucidated and a solution was found based on the results. Thus provided are a multifocal ophthalmic lens having a structure and a manufacturing method for the same which can effectively reduce halos. A multifocal ophthalmic lens having a focal point formation region provided to an optical portion of a lens, which forms at least two focal points, wherein a cancellation region is provided to the optical portion, the cancellation region providing diffracted light of an amplitude distribution that reduces, on the image plane of the first focal point among the focal points, the amplitudes of light other than the light that forms the first focal point.
US09658449B2	Light scanning apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same There is provided a light scanning apparatus that is free from main scanning jitter and allows size reduction of a deflector. The light scanning apparatus has a plurality of light sources, a deflector that deflects a plurality of light fluxes emitted from a plurality of light sources to scan a plurality of scanned surfaces along a main scanning direction, and a first stop arranged between the plurality of light sources and the deflector and provided with an aperture that regulates the width of the plurality of light fluxes with respect to the main scanning direction. The number of apertures of the first stop is smaller than the number of light sources.
US09658441B2	System and method for mounting a specimen on a slide A system and method for mounting a specimen on a slide, the system having an immersion chamber, a stage, a transducer, and a pump. The immersion chamber is configured to hold a liquid and includes at least one wall, a closed bottom, and an open top. The stage is configured to support the slide, and the stage is arranged within the immersion chamber such that the specimen may be supported substantially above the stage by the liquid. The transducer is configured to induce a wave in the liquid in the immersion chamber such that the wave alters the motion of the specimen. The pump is configured to draw the liquid from the immersion chamber such that the level of liquid in the immersion chamber decreases and the specimen is dispensed onto the slide.
US09658436B2	Liquid optics in a zoom lens system and imaging apparatus A high performance zoom lens system suitable for use with a camera is disclosed. The zoom lens systems includes a movable lens group and a variable power stationary lens group employing liquid optics to provide optical performance over the zoom focal length range at focus distances from close to infinity. The system also provides relatively high quality imaging capability over a wide range of focal lengths and zoom settings.
US09658434B2	Photographic lens optical system Provided is a photographic lens optical system having low manufacturing costs and high performance. A lens optical system includes: first through fifth lenses, which are sequentially arranged along a light proceeding path between an object and an image sensor where an image of the object is formed; and an aperture provided between the object and the image sensor, wherein the first lens has positive refractive power, the second lens has negative refractive power and a flat incident surface, the third lens has positive refractive power and is convex towards the image sensor, the fourth lens has negative refractive power and is a meniscus lens convex towards the image sensor, the fifth lens has negative refractive power, wherein at least one of an incident surface and an emitting surface of the fifth lens is aspheric.
US09658424B2	Optical apparatus equipped with rotation restricting mechanism for lens holding frames A mechanism which enables reduction of the diametrical size of a lens barrel of an optical apparatus. In the lens barrel, a third group lens unit has a rotation restricted portion. A fourth group lens holder rearward of the third group lens unit has a rotation restricting portion. A sixth group lens holder rearward of the fourth group lens holder has a rotation restricting portion. The rotation restricted portion of the third group lens unit and the rotation restricting portion of the fourth group lens holder are mutually engaged, whereby relative rotation between the lens unit and the lens holder is restricted, and the rotation restricted portion of the third group lens unit and the rotation restricting portion of the sixth group lens holder are mutually engaged, whereby relative rotation between the lens unit and the lens holder is restricted.
US09658422B2	Fiber optic cables with access features and methods of making fiber optic cables Cables are constructed with extruded discontinuities in the cable jacket that allow the jacket to be torn to provide access to the cable core. The discontinuities can be longitudinally extending strips of material in the cable jacket.
US09658417B2	Conductive water blocking material including metallic particles and an optical cable and method of constructing an optical cable including the same A conductive water blocking material and an optical fiber cable and method of constructing an optical fiber cable including the same. The cable includes at least one optical fiber and strength members disposed around the fiber. A conductor is disposed around the strength members. The conductive water blocking material includes a carrier material and conductive metallic particles and is provided in strength member interstices defined by the strength members.
US09658404B2	Optical bench Methods, apparatuses, and systems for design, fabrication, and use of an optical bench, as well as alignment and attachment of optical fibers are described herein. One apparatus includes an apparatus body, a first channel within the apparatus body for positioning of a first optical fiber directed along a first axis and a second channel within the apparatus body for positioning of a second optical fiber directed along a second axis, wherein the first axis is orthogonal to the second axis. The apparatus also includes a third optical fiber directed along the second axis and an optical element positioned along the first channel and second channel to focus a first light beam from the first optical fiber along the first axis and focus a second light beam from the second optical fiber along the second axis.
US09658403B2	Apparatus and methods for scalable photonic packet architectures using PIC switches Embodiments are provided for scalable photonic packet fabric architectures using photonic integrated circuit switches. The architectures use compact size silicon photonic circuits that can be arranged in a combined centralized and distributed manner. In an embodiment, an optical switch structure comprises a plurality of core photonic based switches and a plurality of photonic interface units (PIUs) optically coupled to the core photonic based switches and to a plurality of groups of top-of-rack switches (TORs). Each PIU comprises a N×N silicon photonic (SiP) switch optically coupled to a group of TORs associated with the PIU from the groups of TORs, where N is a number of the TORs in each group. The PIU also comprises a plurality of 1×P SiP switches coupled to the group of TORs associated with the PIU and to the core photonic based switches, where P is a number of the core photonic based switches.
US09658400B2	Method for fabricating a device for propagating light A method of forming a device for propagating light includes providing a substrate having a semiconductor material; placing an insulating layer on the substrate; providing a recess reaching through the insulating layer and into the substrate; filling the recess at least partially with a filler material; and arranging a waveguide in or on the filler material.
US09658397B1	Embedded universal waveguide optical splitters/couplers In one embodiment, an optical splitter/coupler may be created by i) providing an optical waveguide having a first waveguide channel core, ii) forming an angular trench at an end of the first waveguide channel core, the angular trench establishing first and second facets within the first waveguide channel core, and iii) mirroring the first and second facets, wherein the mirrored first and second facets are configured to provide optical reflection into and/or from respective second and third waveguide channel cores located at correspondingly opposing sides of the first waveguide channel core.
US09658388B2	Device for fixing quantum strip of display and display thereof The present disclosure relates to the technical field of liquid crystal display, and particularly, relates to a device for fixing a quantum strip of a display and a display thereof. The device includes: a main body, provided with a cavity used for accommodating the quantum strip; a matching surface for clamping the quantum strip, which forms at least a part of the peripheral wall of the cavity and is capable of being firmly jointed with the outer surface of the quantum strip; and a connecting structure used for fixing the main body to the display. A proper material can be used for the main body for physical protection and thermal insulation protection on the quantum strip. The connecting structure is used for fixing the device to the display at a fixed position. The display includes the device. The device and the display can prevent the overturn and translation of the quantum strip, which is to avoid the influence on the light emitting effect of the backlight source and ensure the quality of the display. In addition, the main body of the device surrounds the quantum strip, which provides thermal protection and prevents physical damage and scratch.
US09658379B2	Fiber optic display apparatus and methods of osillating illuminated optical fibers A fiber optic display device reciprocates fiber optics to create decorative optical fiber light displays. The device can include one or more optical fibers contained at one end by a holding member and left suspended freely at the other end. The holding member and optical fibers are functionally attached about a pivot point axis that is across the longitudinal axis of the fibers and the holding member, to a housing. A light source can be affixed to either the holding member or the housing, opposite the freely suspended optical fiber ends, and is oriented to expose and illuminate the optical fibers. A drive means causes the holding member and optical fibers to reciprocate back and forth about the pivot point axis of the holding member.
US09658369B2	Geometric transformation lens Provided is a geometric transformation lens which can transform a target image geometrically as desired, achieving downsizing and reducing energy consumption. Even if another target to be observed more in detail is inside the field of view, the geometric transformation lenses (20a, 20b, 20c and 20d) can magnify optically the desired region within the target projection image by supplying the magnification instruction voltage (V2,mn) to the corresponding magnifying/demagnifying electrodes (EL2,mn) simply without moving the lens itself using heavy mechanical parts motorized. This can achieve downsizing because a space for setting the existing mechanical part to control the direction of the lens and its motion can be disregarded. This also can achieve reducing energy consumption because no space is needed to move the lenses with the heavy mechanical parts.
US09658368B2	Lens array, method for manufacturing lens array, electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus A microlens array is provided with a cylindrical lens and a spherical lens which are arranged in a cell, in which the cell has at least a side, a corner section, a first region, a second region, and a third region, the second region is arranged between the first region and the side, the third region is arranged between the first region and the corner section, the cylindrical lens is formed in the second region, and the spherical lens is formed in the third region. Since the light incident on a surrounding section of the microlens is concentrated by the cylindrical lens and the spherical lens, it is possible to realize the microlens array with high light utilization efficiency.
US09658361B2	Lithology pair ratio: a ratio-based lithology indicator using pair production The present disclosure relates to borehole logging methods and apparatuses for estimating formation properties using nuclear radiation, particularly an apparatus and method for estimating a formation lithology parameter. The method may include using gamma ray count or count rate information to estimate a formation lithology parameter that may be one of, but not limited to: Z2/A, bulk density, Z2*bulk density/A, linear attenuation coefficients, and porosity. The method may include using time-dependent ratios with a pulsed radiation source. The method may also include dividing gamma ray information by time and/or by energy window. The apparatus includes a processor and storage subsystem with a program that, when executed, implements the method.
US09658358B2	Refocusing pulses and excitation pulses for NMR logging Illustrative embodiments are directed to applying a nuclear magnetic resonance sequence to a substance within an inhomogeneous static magnetic field. Various embodiments include applying a series of refocusing pulses to the substance, each refocusing pulse in the series of refocusing pulses having at least two segments, and a total pulse duration less than or equal to approximately 1.414 times T180. Various embodiments can further include applying an excitation pulse to the substance in the inhomogeneous static magnetic field, where the excitation pulse generates an initial magnetization that is aligned with a refocusing axis produced by a refocusing cycle that is performed after the excitation pulse.
US09658352B2	Method of making a standard A measurement standard suitable for measuring amounts of certain elements in pharmaceutical excipients is described. A reference standard is dissolved in a solvent, for example acetone, and mixed with a pharmaceutical excipient such as cellulose, lactose or calcium carbonate. The solvent is then evaporated to provide a dry standard.
US09658348B2	X-ray detector, X-ray imaging apparatus having the same, and method of controlling the same An X-ray detector capable of independently controlling a read-out rate for each region, an X-ray imaging apparatus having the same, and a method of controlling the same are provided. The X-ray detector includes a plurality of pixels which are two-dimensionally arranged and configured to output an electrical signal corresponding to incident X-rays, a plurality of gate lines configured to connect the plurality of pixels in a row direction, a plurality of data lines configured to connect the plurality of pixels in a column direction, a read-out circuit configured to read out the electrical signal generated by the plurality of pixels through the plurality of data lines, and a switcher configured to independently turn connections between the respective data lines in the plurality of data lines and the read-out circuit on and off.
US09658347B2	Digital X-ray detector having multi-tap pixels A digital X-ray detector is provided. The digital X-ray detector includes multiple pixels, each pixel including a pinned photodiode, and multiple readout channels coupled to each pinned photodiode, wherein each readout channel includes at least one charge-storage capacitor, an amplifier, and a transfer gate. The digital X-ray detector also includes control circuitry coupled to each pixel of the multiple pixels and configured to selectively control a flow of photocharge generated by each pinned photodiode to a respective at least one charge-storage capacitor of each respective readout channel via control of each respective transfer gate of each respective readout channel.
US09658326B2	Handheld locating device A locating device disposable on a surface has a housing, a capacitance sensor, a radar sensor, and an inductance sensor. The locating device also has a motion sensor disposed for detecting at least one motion parameter. A controller receives data from the capacitance sensor, the radar sensor, the inductance sensor and the motion sensor, and determines from the data a presence of objects disposed within or behind the surface. A display is used for displaying a graphical representation of the objects disposed within or behind the surface.
US09658321B2	Method and apparatus for reducing noise in a coded aperture radar A method and apparatus for reducing noise in a coded aperture radar system, the coded aperture radar system transmitting signals which occur in sweeps, with K sweeps utilized to cover field of view of the coded aperture radar system and Q frequency shifts or steps occurring each sweep thereof. An array of N antenna elements is provided, the array of antenna elements each having an associated two state modulator coupled therewith. Energy received at the array is modulated according to a sequence of multibit codes, the number of codes in the sequence of codes comprising at least K times Q times N, thereby reducing noise in the coded aperture radar system compared to a coded aperture radar system radar system having fewer than K times Q times N codes in its sequence of multibit codes.
US09658315B2	Location estimation for wireless devices In an example embodiment, there is disclosed herein, an apparatus comprising an interface and location determination logic coupled with the interface. The location determination logic receives data representative of measured signal strengths for a wireless device from a plurality of receiving devices at known locations via the interface. The location determination logic determines an estimated location based on the measured signal strengths and a first transmit power for the wireless device. The location determination logic determines a revised transmit power for the wireless device based on the measured signal strengths from the plurality of devices at known locations and the estimated location. The location determination logic determines a revised estimated location based on the measured signal strengths and the revised transmit power for the wireless device.
US09658314B2	System and method for geo-locating and detecting source of electromagnetic emissions A system for identifying a real-world geographic location of an emission source emitting electromagnetic energy includes a platform configured for movement and an apparatus disposed on the platform and configured to collect and process, in a passive manner and during movement of the platform, at least a pair of successive samples of the electromagnetic energy emission and define angular and spatial coordinates of the emission source. The apparatus includes at least a pair of antennas, a receiver coupled to antennas and a processor executing a predetermined logic.
US09658302B2	Apparatus and method for synchronizing clocks between devices of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system A method of synchronizing clocks between a central controlling unit and a radio frequency (RF) coil which are wirelessly connected to each other in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, which includes receiving a first clock from the central controlling unit, synchronizing a second clock of the RF coil with a received first clock, and discontinuing the receiving of the first clock from the central controlling unit when the second clock is synchronized with the first clock.
US09658295B2	Offset compensation for zero-crossing detection There is described a device for removing an offset from a signal, the device comprising (a) a frequency estimation unit (260) for estimating a frequency of the signal, (b) an offset estimation unit (222) for estimating the offset in the signal by applying an adaptive low pass filter to the signal, wherein a cut-off frequency of the adaptive low pass filter is determined based on the frequency of the signal estimated by the frequency estimation unit (260), and (c) a subtraction unit (230) adapted to subtract the offset estimated by the offset estimation unit (222) from the signal. There is also described a filter unit comprising the device. Furthermore, there is described a corresponding method of removing an offset from a signal as well as a computer program and a computer program product for performing the method by means of a computer.
US09658289B2	Power storage module state estimation apparatus, battery pack, and method for estimating the state of a power storage module According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a power storage module state estimation apparatus comprises a parameter calculator configured to calculate a parameter based on a current value of a power storage module, wherein the parameter includes at least one of a direction having a high frequency of current flowing in the power storage module, an average current value of the power storage module, and a charge and discharge capacity after the direction having the high frequency of current flowing in the power storage module is switched; and a hysteresis compensator configured to use the parameter to compensate an open circuit voltage of the power storage module.
US09658285B2	Probe apparatus A probe apparatus includes a movable mounting table for holding a test object provided with a plurality of power devices including diodes; a probe card arranged above the mounting table with probes; a measuring unit for measuring electrical characteristics of the power devices by bringing the probes into electrical contact with the test object in a state that a conductive film electrode formed on at least a mounting surface of the mounting table is electrically connected to a conductive layer formed on a rear surface of the test object; and a conduction member for electrically interconnecting the conductive film electrode and the measuring unit when measuring the electrical characteristics. The conduction member is interposed between an outer peripheral portion of the probe card and an outer peripheral portion of the mounting table.
US09658283B2	Radiator module system for automatic test equipment A radiator module system for automatic test equipment, including a test arm and a closed-loop circulating cooling device disposed on the test arm. The test arm includes a test head, and an internal channel is formed within and passing through the test head. The closed-loop circulating cooling device includes an inlet and an outlet, respectively connected to the internal channel; a conduit connecting the inlet and the outlet, such that the conduit and the internal channel form a closed-loop circulating channel in which a working fluid flows; a cooling device in contact with the conduit, configured to perform heat dissipation to the working fluid flowing within the conduit; and a driving source configured to drive the working fluid to flow within the closed-loop circulating channel. The working fluid is driven by the driving source to flow within the closed-loop circulating channel to perform heat dissipation.
US09658272B2	Method and device for determining the defect type of a partial discharge The present invention relates to a method and device for determining the defect type of a partial discharge, the method including the steps of: forming virtual spaces corresponding to n parameters generated on the basis of defect types that cause a partial discharge; arranging defect type models in the virtual spaces based on the parameter values of the n parameters; extracting parameter values of the n parameters based on a partial discharge event; arranging a partial discharge model in the virtual space based on the parameter values; calculating the distance value between the defect type models and the partial discharge model based on the position information of the defect type models and the partial discharge model; calculating the probability of the defect types based on the calculated distance value; and determining the defect type based on the probability of the defect types for the partial discharge signal event.
US09658268B2	Device for diagnosing a circuit arrangement An apparatus for diagnosing a circuit arrangement for a short circuit and/or a line interruption. The circuit arrangement has at least two load circuits which are connected in parallel. A current measuring device for providing a current signal, which represents the current in the common supply line, is connected in a common supply line to the at least two parallel-connected load circuits. A voltage measuring device detect a node point voltage of each load circuit in the two switching states of the respective switching element. An evaluation device receives the current signal and the node point voltages, converts the current signal into at least one logic current value and the node point voltages into logic voltage values, and infers the type and location of the fault on the basis of prespecified combinations of the at least one logic current value and the logic voltage values.
US09658266B2	Capacitive detection device A capacitive detection device (20) for a vehicle comprises a sensing electrode (26) for generating an oscillatory electric field in a detection space and a shielding electrode (28) arranged on a side of the sensing electrode turned away from the detection space. The capacitive detection device comprises a circuit ground and a ground connector for connecting the circuit ground to chassis ground of the vehicle. At least one shunt capacitor is connected between circuit ground and the shielding electrode. The at least one shunt capacitor has a capacitance at least 25 times higher than the capacitance between the shielding electrode and the chassis ground of the vehicle.
US09658262B2	RF power measurement with bi-directional bridge A bi-directional bridge includes a forward bridge portion, and reverse bridge portion and a shared portion that enables the simultaneous measurement of power flowing in both directions while reducing insertion losses, providing better impedance matching and/or providing improved directionality. In some embodiments, additional attenuation is provided to reduce the common mode rejection requirements of detectors used with the bridge. In other embodiments, multi-tap attenuators and steering circuits may be integrated into the forward and/or reverse bridge portions to reduce common mode signal levels while still maintaining high levels of sensitivity for measuring small input signals.
US09658259B2	System frequency measurement method, synchrophasor measurement method and device thereof Provided are a system frequency measurement method, synchrophasor measurement method and device. The synchrophasor measurement method comprises: sampling voltage and current signals based on an absolute time reference; removing out-of-band interference in the sampled voltage and current signals; first-resampling at least one of the voltage and current signals with the out-of-band interference being removed based on an estimated system frequency; calculating phasor for the signals obtained from the first resampling and updating the estimated system frequency; for a reporting timing, second-resampling the voltage and current signals with the out-of-band interference being removed based on the updated estimated system frequency; and calculating synchrophasor of the voltage and current signals obtained from the second resampling. The system frequency measurement method, synchrophasor measurement method and device are not only applicable to the stable operation of power systems but also to the dynamic operation thereof, and provide measurement result with high precision.
US09658249B2	Probe card capable of transmitting high-frequency signals A probe card which is capable of transmitting high-frequency signals provided by a DUT, and the DUT includes an output pin group and an input pin group for sending and receiving the high-frequency signals respectively. The probe card includes a first signal pin group, a second signal pin group, and a multiband circuit. The first signal pin group is made of a conductive material, and is used to contact the output pin group; the second signal pin group is made of a conductive material too, and is used to contact the input pin group; the multiband circuit is electrically connected to the first signal pin group and the second signal pin group to allow signals within a first bandwidth and a second bandwidth to pass therethrough.
US09658237B2	Automatic analyzer There is provided an automatic analyzer including: a sample pipetting mechanism 7, reagent pipetting mechanisms 12A and 12B, mixing mechanisms 33A and 33B, a scattered light photometer 40, and an absorption photometer 41 all located on a transfer path of reaction cells 2 arranged circumferentially on a disk-shaped reaction disk 1, the reaction cells 2 being transferred in the circumferential direction by rotation of the reaction disk 1. Scattered light intensity and absorbance are controlled to be measured by causing the reaction cells 2 to move past a scattered light detection position and a transmitted light detection position in the same process of movement, the two positions being established beforehand on the transfer path. This makes it possible to suppress the effects on measurement results of the difference in time between scattered light measurement and absorbance measurement thereby improving measurement accuracy.
US09658233B1	Assay to measure midkine or pleiotrophin level for diagnosing a growth The invention provides methods and kits for diagnosing a growth in a subject by providing a sample of a growth taken from a subject, determining the level of midkine or pleiotrophin in the sample by an immunoassay, and comparing the level of midkine or pleiotrophin determined from the sample with a control. An increased level of midkine or pleiotrophin in the sample as compared to the control is diagnostic of a malignant growth, whereas an equivalent or decreased level of midkine or pleiotrophin in the sample as compared to the control is diagnostic of a benign growth.
US09658230B2	Antibodies or fragments thereof directed against a Staphylococcus aureus epitope of IsaA or IsaB The invention concerns antibodies or fragments thereof that are directed against a Staphylococcus aureus epitope.
US09658225B2	Automated immunoanalyzer system for performing diagnostic assays for allergies and autoimmune diseases A quantitative method for performing an automated diagnostic assay, comprising: incubating a capture reagent with a streptavidin-coated medium to form a solid phase complex; washing the solid phase complex to remove excess capture reagent; incubating the solid phase complex with a serum sample to form an immune complex; washing the immune complex to remove any unbound sample; incubating the immune complex with a conjugate to create an immune-conjugate complex; washing the immune-conjugate complex to remove any unbound conjugate; introducing a substrate capable of generating a quantifiable response; and calibrating the response generated from introducing the substrate.
US09658224B2	Phage particle diagnostic reagents The present invention relates to novel methods for detecting a member of a known binding pair in a sample, including a cell, where one member of the pair (termed the “receptor”) is expressed by a bacteriophage, which phage is then used to detect the presence of the other member of the pair (termed the “ligand” or “target”). Rather than detecting the binding of the phage using antibody-based technology, the present invention relates to detecting marker molecule associated with the phage. In one aspect, the invention relates to identifying an antigen-bearing moiety (e.g., a red blood cell antigen) of interest present on a cell, e.g., a red blood cell, using antibody-displaying bacteriophage, as well as detecting anti-red blood cell auto- or alloantibodies and/or complement in a sample, using antiglobulin reagent-displaying bacteriophage and detecting a marker molecule associated with the phage. In one aspect, the phenotype of the phage is not linked with the genotype of the phage.
US09658219B2	Microelectronic sensor device for detecting label particles A microelectronic sensor device for the detection of target components with label or magnetic particles includes a carrier with a binding surface at which target components can collect and optionally bind to specific capture elements. An input light beam is transmitted into the carrier and totally internally reflected at the binding surface. The amount of light in the output light beam is detected by a light detector. Evanescent light generated during the total internal reflection is affected by target components and/or label particles at the binding surface and will be missing in the output light beam. This is used to determine the amount of target components at the binding surface from the amount of light in the output light beam. A magnetic field generator is optionally used to generate a magnetic field at the binding surface by which magnetic label particles can be manipulated, such as attracted or repelled.
US09658218B2	Determination of total analyte concentration Methods and reagents are disclosed for determining a total amount of an analyte in an unknown sample suspected of containing the analyte in the presence of endogeneous interfering substances. The methods involve measuring an amount [Y] of the portion of the analyte in the unknown sample that is bound by endogeneous binding substances employing an assay for the analyte. An amount [Z] of analyte in the unknown sample that is not bound by endogeneous binding substances is determined by the formula: [Z]=a[Y]+b, wherein “a” and “b” are predetermined by conducting the assay on samples containing known amounts of the analyte but substantially free from endogeneous interfering substances. Adding [Y] and [Z] yields the total amount [X] of the analyte in the unknown sample.
US09658215B2	Identifying and enumerating early granulated cells (EGCs) Methods and systems for automatically identifying and enumerating early granulated cells (EGC) in blood samples are disclosed. In one embodiment a method for identifying EGC in a blood sample includes analyzing white blood cells of the blood sample using a low angle light scatter (LALS) parameter, separating the EGCs from the other white blood cells using the LALS parameter, and enumerating the separated EGCs.
US09658214B2	Method and apparatus for analyzing cells A method of analyzing cells, the method comprising: measuring a number of cells which are nuclear stained, in a to-be-determined tissue, and acquiring a histogram showing a fluorescence intensity based on a result of the measurement; analyzing the histogram, and acquiring data of predetermined parameters; comparing the data of the parameters with first thresholds predetermined for the parameters, to perform a first cancer determination for each of the parameters on the to-be-determined tissue; performing a scoring process for each of the parameters, on a result of the first cancer determination for each of the parameters, to calculate scores of the parameters; and combining the scores of the parameters with one another, thereby performing a second cancer determination on the to-be-determined tissue.
US09658212B2	Process for evaluating active agent(s) capable of preserving the functionality of epithelial stem cells The present invention relates to a process for evaluating in vitro at least one active agent capable of preserving the functionality of epithelial stem cells, in particular of maintaining or stimulating the growth and/or the density and/or the renewal of a keratin material, consisting in determining the ability of the active agent(s) to mimic a hypoxic state in the keratin material, the active agent(s) being capable of increasing the expression of at least carbonic anhydrase IX as biological marker of hypoxia, in the keratin material treated with the active agent(s) compared with the keratin material not treated with the active agent(s). It also relates to the use of such a process.
US09658205B2	Electrode array for analyzing electrical characteristics of cell spheroid An electrode array for analyzing electrical characteristics of a cell spheroid has a substrate, a groove formed concavely on a top surface of the substrate to receive at least a portion of the cell spheroid, and a plurality of electrodes formed in the substrate, coming into contact with the cell spheroid, and configured to apply or collect electrical signals. Front ends of the plurality of electrodes extend to the groove to form a holding part for holding the cell spheroid, and the cell spheroid is held in the holding part and comes into contact with the plurality of electrodes simultaneously.
US09658204B2	Stoichiometric air to fuel ratio sensor system A sensor system (36) determines the Stoichiometric Air to Fuel Ratio (SAFR) of fuel mixtures. The system includes a first electrode (12) and a second electrode (14), with the first electrode surrounding the second electrode so that a fuel mixture can flow between the first electrode and the second electrode. The electrodes are constructed and arranged to provide data for determining a conductivity and permittivity of the fuel mixture. A temperature sensor (18) is constructed and arranged to measure a temperature of the fuel mixture. A processor (19) is constructed and arranged to determine the SAFR of the fuel mixture based on the measured temperature and permittivity of the fuel mixture.
US09658199B2	Systems and methods for detecting change in species in an environment A method for determining the concentration of an analyte is provided. The method comprises: applying an alternating voltage to a first electrode and a second electrode of a sensor in the presence of the analyte; measuring a first capacitance of the sensor in presence of the analyte; irradiating the analyte for a predetermined time period at a discrete frequency within a predetermined frequency range; measuring a second capacitance of the sensor at an end of the predetermined time period; determining a difference between the first and second capacitances; and determining the concentration of the analyte based on the difference. Also, the method includes determining a composition of an analyte. The discrete frequency is associated with the difference to determine a frequency response. The frequency response is used to determine the composition of the analyte.
US09658197B2	Standard material for a particle analyzer A standard material that is used for judging an abnormal portion in a particle analyzer is described. The standard material comprises first standard particles to be fluorescence-stained by a fluorescence-staining treatment and second standard particles that have preliminarily contained a fluorescence dye. A method and an analyzer that can judge an abnormal portion in a particle analyzer by using such a standard material are also described.
US09658187B2	Underfill recognition biosensor A biosensor with an underfill recognition system assesses whether to analyze a sample for one or more analytes in response to the volume of the sample. The underfill recognition system applies polling and test excitation signals to the sample. The polling signals generate one or more polling output signals, which maybe used to detect when a sample is present and to determine whether the sample has sufficient volume for analysis. The test excitation signal generates one or more test output signals, which may be used to determine one or more analyte concentrations in the sample.
US09658185B2	Method and apparatus for operating a linear lambda probe A signal from a linear lambda probe, which signal is meant to represent an air/fuel ratio for the gas flowing in the exhaust section, specifically prior to combustion of said gas, is determined based on a pump current. A difference signal is formed based on a difference between a pump voltage signal and a Nernst voltage signal. An offset error in the measured signal is determined based on the difference signal for an approximately stoichiometrically prescribed raw setpoint value for the air/fuel ratio, with a setpoint value for the air/fuel ratio being determined based on the raw setpoint value and a forced excitation signal.
US09658182B2	Method for measuring concentration of analyte in blood sample, and biosensor system The method includes: acquiring data a related to a temperature of a blood sample on a sensor chip, based on a dimension of a current flowing in the blood sample by applying a first voltage to the pair of electrodes in contact with the blood sample, the first voltage being set so as to reduce an effect of hematocrit on a temperature measurement result; acquiring data b related to the concentration of an analyte in the blood sample, based on a dimension of a current flowing in the blood sample by applying a second voltage that is equal to or less than the first voltage, utilizing a reaction mediated by an oxidoreductase that uses the analyte in the blood sample as a substrate; and measuring a concentration that determines the analyte concentration in the blood sample based on the data a and the data b.
US09658178B2	Sensor systems for measuring an interface level in a multi-phase fluid composition A sensor includes a resonant transducer, the resonant transducer being configured to determine the composition of an emulsion. The composition of the emulsion is determined by measuring the complex impedance spectrum values of the mixture of the emulsion and applying multivariate data analysis to the values.
US09658172B2	Method of inspecting a part using a marking template for radiography A method of inspecting a part is provided that includes the steps of aligning a contoured sheet having at least one surface that corresponds to at least one surface of the part, the contoured sheet having first portions and second portions, the first portions being radiodense and the second portions being radiolucent, and at least some of the second portions corresponding to internal features of the part. The part with the contoured sheet is exposed to x-rays to produce a first radiograph with markings that correspond to the first and second portions of the contoured sheet.
US09658171B2	Optical carrier based microwave interferometric system and method An optical carrier based microwave interferometry (OCMI) system for measuring a physical, chemical, or biological property broadly comprises an optical carrier signal source, a waveguide, a microwave envelope signal source, a microwave modulator, an optical interferometer, a detector, and an analyzer. An optical carrier signal is modulated with a microwave envelope signal and transmitted through an optical interferometer. The optical signal is interrogated in microwave domain to obtain interference patterns or absorption/emission spectra corresponding to the physical, chemical, or biological property being measured.
US09658164B2	Optical sensing chip having three-dimensional nanostructure array The present invention relates to an optical sensing chip, which has various applications and may be used repetitively. The optical sensing chip can qualitatively identify different types of molecules and quantitatively analyze small molecules in minute amounts. Regarding a conventional optical sensing chip, an additional sample of known concentration is required as a reference in signal comparison for quantitative determination. In the disclosure, it is unnecessary to add the additional sample of known concentration, but the optical sensing chip itself provides a fixed optical signal that is not varied along with environmental changes to serve as a reference for quantitative determination. In addition, the optical sensing chip also possesses the ability to concentrate or filter sample in real-time.
US09658160B2	System and method for controlled intensity illumination in a bioanalysis or other system A system and method for metered dosage illumination in a bioanalysis or other system. In accordance with an embodiment, an illumination system or subsystem is described that can provide optimized amounts of excitation light within the short exposure times necessary to measure fast biological activity. The amount of light can be precisely measured to provide quantitative results. The light flux can also be precisely controlled to generate only a prescribed minimum amount of light, in order to reduce adverse lighting effects on both fluors and samples. Although the examples herein illustrate the providing of metered dosage illumination in the context of a bioanalysis system, the techniques can be similarly used to provide metered dosage illumination in the context of other types of system. In accordance with various embodiments, the technique is particularly useful in any quality-control, analysis, or assessment-based environment. Typical research and development applications can include quality control, instrument calibration, and light output standardization; while clinical and diagnostics applications can include clinical monitoring, bioassay calibration and control for diagnostics, treatment and or therapeutic evaluation.
US09658159B2	Light and shutter for a sample analyzer A sample analyzer has a support for an assay sample vessel, a detector, and a shutter assembly. The assay sample vessel contains an assay sample within an assay sample reservoir. The detector has an optical axis aligned with the assay sample reservoir, so as to detect luminescence from the assay sample. The shutter assembly includes an illuminator and is positioned between the detector and the support, intersecting the optical axis, such that the illuminator causes luminescence of the assay sample. Thus both illumination and detection occur on the same side of the assay sample vessel.
US09658157B2	Sensor using localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) The invention concerns an arrangement comprising at least one sensor nanoparticle supporting Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR), at least one sensing material and at least one separating layer which separates the at least one sensor nanoparticle from the at least one sensing material. The arrangement allows for indirect sensing studies of change in and on the surface of a sensing material or environment by the sensor nanoparticle. The arrangement may also be used for optical temperature measurements and calorimetry, optical differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), to study hydrogen storage, catalytic reactions or for NOx sensing.
US09658156B2	Method of characterizing interactions and screening for effectors This invention enables high throughput detection of small molecule effectors of particle association, as well as quantification of association constants, stoichiometry, and conformation. Given a set of particle solutions having different concentrations, dynamic light scattering measurements are used to determine the average hydrodynamic radius, as a function of concentration. The series of average hydrodynamic radii as a function of concentration are fitted with stoichiometric association models containing the parameters of molar mass, modeled concentrations, and modeled hydrodynamic radii of the associated complexes. In addition to the average hydrodynamic radii value analysis, the experimental data may be fit/analyzed in alternate ways. This method may be applied to a single species that is self-associating or to multiple species that are hetero-associating. This method may also be used to characterize and quantify the association between a modulator and the associating species.
US09658151B2	System for viewing samples that are undergoing ellipsometric investigation in real time In the context of an ellipsometer or the like, positioning a camera other than directly above a sample being investigated by an electromagnetic beam, while said camera provides an optical view of a surface of said sample which is in focus over the entire viewed extent of the sample, and wherein a contrast improving system involving two beams provided by a beam splitting system is utilized.
US09658150B2	System and method for semiconductor wafer inspection and metrology A system determines a value, such as a thickness, surface roughness, material concentration, and/or critical dimension, of a layer on a wafer based on normalized signals and reflected total intensities. A light source directs a beam at a surface of the wafer. A sensor receives the reflected beam and provides at least a pair of polarization channels. The signals from the polarization channels are received by a controller, which normalizes a difference between a pair of the signals to generate the normalized result. The value of the wafer is determined through analyzing the signal with a modeling of the system.
US09658144B1	Systems and methods for chemically testing a sample and sampling probes therefor Systems, methods, and sampling probes for chemically testing a liquid sample are provided. In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system generally includes a sample container for containing a liquid, wherein the liquid includes a chemical compound of interest and a reducing agent, and a non-corrosive sampling probe comprising a first channel for delivering a flow of gas to the liquid sample, and a second channel for purging sample fluid from the sample container, wherein at least a portion of the sampling probe is in contact with the liquid.
US09658143B1	Offline mixing A method for diluting a sample includes drawing an aliquot of the sample past a mixing junction. The method also includes supplying the sample to the mixing junction and supplying a second fluid to the mixing junction. The second fluid mixes with the sample at the mixing junction to generate a diluted sample. The method further includes supplying the diluted sample from the mixing junction.
US09658139B2	System and method for the concentrated collection of airborne particles A system and a method is described herein for the collection of small particles in a concentrated manner, whereby particles are deposited onto a solid surface or collected into a volume of liquid. The collected samples readily interface to any of a number of different elemental, chemical, or biological or other analysis techniques.
US09658136B2	Mycotoxin sample-collecting kit and method A mycotoxin sampling system including a kit and method using dry wipes that have been pre-tested on a lot basis to be clean from mycotoxins. Surfaces in an environment to be tested are wiped with a dry wipe over a particular area. The wipe is then sealed in a dry bag and sent to a laboratory for mycotoxin analysis. Results are returned by mail, email, or by telephone. The mycotoxin results are qualitative and quantitative. The kit contains all materials needed by an individual to perform mycotoxin tests and receive results. Advanced kits can contain testing reagents used to perform tests in the field in lieu of sending wipes to a laboratory.
US09658131B2	Testing apparatus for auxiliary belt system and testing system provided with the same The present disclosure provides a testing apparatus of an auxiliary belt system. The testing apparatus of the auxiliary belt system includes: a tester bracket, a torque pulse simulation motor mounted to the tester bracket, a crankshaft pulley mounted to the tester bracket and rotated by operations of the torque pulse simulation motor, an auxiliary system mounted to the tester bracket, connected to the crankshaft pulley through a belt and rotated by rotation of the crankshaft pulley and a controller controlling operations of the torque pulse simulation motor.
US09658130B2	Blowout preventer monitoring system and method of using same A monitoring system for a subsea blowout preventer is provided. The monitoring system includes a fiber optic cable (435) wrapped around preventer portions to be monitored such as rams, pistons, cylinders, housing, connector, to capture acoustic emissions from those portions during operation. The preventer is tested to determine a baseline or fingerprint of normal operation. The acoustic emissions captured during operation are compared with the baseline to detect potential anomalies that may indicate a problem.
US09658127B2	Measurement amplifying circuit for piezoelectric sensor positioned in an internal combustion engine A measurement amplifying circuit (400) for a piezo-electric sensor (100) positioned in an internal combustion engine supplying a signal to be measured, includes: a module (420) for generating a common mode voltage; a differential amplifier (410); and a subtraction module (430). The module (420) for generating a common mode voltage is to be connected to a wall (111) of the engine, the module (420) for generating a common mode voltage being suitable for supplying a common mode voltage signal (Vcm) reproducing the variations of an engine signal (Sb) received from the wall (111) of the engine.
US09658109B2	Non-contact thermal sensor module Compact thermal sensor modules, which in some implementations can be manufactured in wafer-level fabrication processes, include features composed of or coated with a low-emissivity material to reduce or prevent detection by a sensor of radiation emitted by other parts of the module. For example, spacers that separate an optics substrate and a sensor package from one another can be composed of or coated with such a low emissivity material. In some cases, the low emissivity material has an emissivity of no more than 0.1.
US09658103B2	Measuring apparatus for measuring the optical properties of a medium using a light source and light receiver as well as a dispersing element A measuring apparatus, comprising at least a first light source and a second light source for transmitting light; at least one light receiver for receiving light at least of a first received wavelength and a second received wavelength; at least one dispersing element for bending and/or refracting light; wherein the light transmitted by the light sources strikes the dispersing element and is so turned by the dispersing element that it strikes the light receiver. The first light source is arranged at a first angle relative to the dispersing element and the second light source at a second angle relative to the dispersing element, wherein the second angle differs from the first angle. The first angle is so embodied that the wavelength of the light turned by the dispersing element corresponds to the first received wavelength, and wherein the second angle is so embodied that the wavelength of the light turned by the dispersing element corresponds to the second received wavelength.
US09658099B2	Vehicle wheel speed-based determination or estimation of a load weight of a load carried by a commercial vehicle A method for determining or estimating a load weight of a load (28) carried by a commercial vehicle, in particular by an industrial truck such as a forklift truck (10), comprises: a) determining a speed ratio between a first speed of at least one first wheel (12) loaded by a load carried in a load carrier (18) of the vehicle and a second speed of at least one second wheel (14) of the operating vehicle (10) which has received the load in the load carrier, which second wheel is less heavily loaded or not loaded by a load carried in the load carrier or is relieved by a load carried in the load carrier; b) determining or estimating the load weight of the carried load (28) on the basis of the determined speed ratio and predetermined reference data. A commercial vehicle (10) comprising a control system (22) carrying out a method of this kind is also provided.
US09658094B2	Thermal flow meter In order to provide a thermal-type flowmeter highly accurate, with high reliability, and simple in construction, while being available at a lower price, a thermal-type flowmeter as proposed includes a sub-path that takes in a fluid under measurement; a sensor element that measures a flow-rate of the fluid under measurement in the sub-path; a temperature detection element that detects a temperature of the fluid under measurement; a drive circuit that controls a heating temperature of the sensor element; and a protection circuit that protects the drive circuit from noise, a cavity being formed on a substrate of the sensor element, an exothermic resistor being provided on a thin-film part on the cavity through the intermediary of an electrically insulating film, and a flow rate being detected on the basis of temperature distribution in the thin-film part.
US09658090B2	Ultrasonic flow meter unit having a fixing mechanism to fix the water-tight casing including a membrane to a housing including a measuring tube An ultrasound flow meter unit, e.g., a unit forming part of a flow meter for ultrasonic measurement of a fluid flow. The unit comprises two ultrasound transducers 206, a circuit board 202 with an electronic circuit 204 arranged for operating the ultrasound transducers 206, and a common protection membrane 132, such as a sheet of metal, for protecting the transducers 206. The common protection membrane 132 forms part of a water-tight casing, such as an IP68 class casing. The two ultrasound transducers 206 and the circuit board 202 with the electronic circuit 204 are positioned within the water-tight casing and thus protected against damaging humidity. A glass sealed feed-through 128 can be used to provide external electrical contact to the electronic circuit 204, i.e. for outputting an electric flow rate signal. Such flow meter unit is highly versatile within many applications since it provides a compact and robust unit. The unit can be used with or integrated in many types of devices, e.g. flow meters, such as used in consumption meters for charging purposes or in many other industrial or home applications.
US09658084B2	Resolver positioning system, robot and method therefor The present invention relates to a resolver positioning system for a robot, which system is connectable to a battery supply (402) and is drivable in a pulsed mode. The system comprising: a resolver (32) arranged to detect an axis position of a robot; a first comparator (80, 81) connected to the resolver for reading of a first resolver value from the resolver, wherein the first comparator comprises means (82-87) to provide two different reference levels for the first resolver value; a second comparator (80, 81) connected to the resolver for reading of a second resolver value from the resolver, wherein the second comparator comprises means (82-87) to provide two different reference levels for the second resolver value; and a controller (20) connected to the first and second comparators, wherein the controller is configured to provide a quadrant evaluation of the axis position from the first and second resolver values.
US09658080B2	In-vehicle electronic control unit An in-vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) for correcting an error introduced to a sensor output signal as a result of amplification is provided. An output voltage of first and second voltage generators and after-amplification voltages of such output voltages are respectively A/D converted for input into a linear function. A microcomputer adjusts the output voltage of the first and second voltage generators which are amplified by the amplification circuit so that the output signals of the first and second voltage generators are adjusted to increase a voltage difference between the two. The increased voltage difference allows accurate identification of the linear function and removal of the error that is introduced to the sensor output signal during the course of processing by the amplification circuit.
US09658076B2	Vehicle and electric bicycle charge monitoring interface A vehicle system includes a charging interface that is configured to connect to a bicycle battery and a processing device programmed to determine a state of charge of the bicycle battery. The processing device further estimates traveling ranges of a vehicle and a bicycle. The vehicle system further includes a navigation module programmed to generate a route to a selected destination based on the estimated traveling ranges of the vehicle and the bicycle.
US09658067B2	Velocity calculation device, velocity calculation method, and navigation device A velocity calculation device includes: a vertical direction acceleration detection portion that is mounted on a vehicle and detects an acceleration in a vertical direction generated correspondingly to undulation of a road surface; a horizontal direction angular velocity detection portion that is mounted on the vehicle and detects an angular velocity about a horizontal axis orthogonal to a travel direction of the vehicle generated correspondingly to the undulation of the road surface; and a velocity calculation portion that calculates a velocity in the travel direction of the vehicle on the basis of the acceleration in the vertical direction and the angular velocity about the horizontal axis.
US09658065B2	Physical quantity detection circuit, physical quantity detection device, electronic apparatus and moving object A detection circuit (physical quantity detection circuit) includes a digital arithmetic operation circuit (arithmetic operation processing portion) that performs an arithmetic operation process of generating an arithmetic operation signal according to a magnitude of a physical quantity, on the basis of a detection signal corresponding to the physical quantity. The digital arithmetic operation circuit performs an arithmetic operation process including a power supply voltage fluctuation correction process of correcting at least one of the detection signal and a signal which is obtained by a portion of the arithmetic operation process with respect to the detection signal, on the basis of a correction expression using a power supply voltage to be supplied as a variable.
US09658064B2	Method and system for compensating for soft iron magnetic disturbances in a heading reference system A method and system for compensating for significant soft iron magnetic disturbances in a heading reference system, such as an aircraft heading reference system, such as an integrated standby unit; or a vehicle inertial system, provides a heading correction signal to the heading reference system when a detected difference in value between a gyro heading relative to magnetic north and a magnetometer reading during a defined measurement period exceeds a predetermined acceptable threshold value of change, such as one based on the expected gyro drift over that period. Upon receipt of the heading correction signal, the gyro heading is adjusted to maintain an accurate heading relative to true magnetic north. If this threshold value is not exceeded, then the magnetometer reading is used for the heading value. This method is iteratively repeated in order to continually maintain an accurate heading and may be employed for each heading measurement axis.
US09658062B2	Target holder and method of coupling target holder to vehicle wheel A target holder that can be secured within a central aperture of a vehicle wheel includes a base defining a central axis of the target holder. The base has a first end configured to receive a target and an opposing second end. A retainer is coupled to the second end of the base. The retainer is insertable into the central aperture and engageable with the vehicle wheel to secure the target holder to the vehicle wheel. A plunger is disposed in the retainer. A lever is pivotably coupled to the base and operatively coupled to the plunger. With the retainer inserted into the central aperture, the lever is actuateable to move the plunger toward the retainer to urge a terminal end portion of the retainer to expand radially outward from the central axis of the target holder to engage an inner wall of the vehicle wheel defining the central aperture.
US09658058B1	Height measuring device An apparatus, system and method for measuring height of one or more objects/users. Once the height measuring device is calibrated, a retracting foot platform is positioned atop a user/object and its distance is captured, stored and calculated by a distance sensor to determine the resulting heights of the objects/users. The distance sensors may come in the form of a linear encoder or a rotary encoder. The height measurements may be displayed on a screen, including the screen display of the height measuring device itself, or other devices such as a tablet, smartphone or scale. The height data from each user/object may be compared to one another. The height measuring device also includes a predictive algorithm that determines the future height of one or more users.
US09658049B2	Sensor head for an encoder A sensor head for an encoder assembly includes a housing and at least two detectors. The sensor head is intended for scanning directly toward a rotatable encoding member positioned on a carrier ring. The carrier ring is intended to be installed on a shaft of a machine. The detectors are arranged on detector strips are displaceably attached to the housing.
US09658041B2	Rear-deploying mechanical broadhead Rear-deploying mechanical broadheads may be provided having stationary blades that open only through movement of a drive pin/key secured within a slot or chamber in the body of the broadhead. The drive pin/key may act as bleeder blades, thereby forming a mechanical broadhead with bleeder blades. The stationary blades may be pinned to the tip of the broadhead through blade pins, thereby keeping the blades stationary during flight toward a target and lessening the likelihood that the broadhead may be errant in its movement toward a target.
US09658040B1	Methods for extended-range, enhanced-precision gun-fired rounds using g-hardened flow control systems Methods involve using a guided munition (e.g., a mortar round or a grenade) that utilizes deployable flow effectors, activatable flow effectors and/or active flow control devices to extend the range and enhance the precision of traditional unguided munitions without increasing the charge needed for launch. Sensors such as accelerometers, magnetometers, IR sensors, rate gyros, and motor controller sensors feed signals into a controller which then actuates or deploys the flow effectors/flow control devices to achieve the enhanced characteristics.
US09658036B2	Adaptor assemblies for arrow assemblies and arrow assemblies including adaptor assemblies Adapter assemblies for arrow assemblies include an insert configured to be received within an arrow shaft and configured to be coupled to a point. The adapter assembly further includes an outer sleeve disposed around at least a portion of the insert. Arrow assemblies include an arrow shaft and an adapter assembly including an insert and an outer sleeve for coupling a point to the arrow shaft.
US09658031B1	Auto on green laser sight A combination includes a holster and a laser gun sight that is securable to a gun. The laser gun sight includes a housing including a laser aperture sized to accommodate a laser module, a laser module disposed within the laser aperture, a circuit board including circuitry configured to operate the laser module and a sensor disposed on the circuit board and configured to detect a position of the laser gun sight relative to the holster. The laser gun sight may be a green laser gun sight and may be configured to automatically turn off when holstered and automatically turn on when drawn.
US09658027B2	Compressed gas gun having built-in, internal projectile feed mechanism A compressed gas gun is provided, wherein the body houses a firing assembly and an internal, built-in projectile feed mechanism. The projectile feed mechanism is preferably formed as a rear or butt stock of the compressed gas gun. The projectile feed mechanism preferably feeds projectiles to the firing assembly via a feed ramp having an S-shaped transition portion. The compressed gas gun preferably includes a removable top feed rail assembly that can be removed to expose the interior of the compressed gas gun body for field stripping. Central control circuitry is preferably provided for controlling both the firing assembly and the projectile feed mechanism.
US09658020B2	Systems and methods for mounting barrels to firearms Systems and methods for mounting a barrel to a firearm are disclosed herein. The firearm may include a barrel, an upper receiver, a hand guard assembly, a lower receiver, a pistol grip, a buttstock, and a trigger. A barrel extension may include internal threads, mounting protrusions, mounting apertures, an elongated front barrel extension portion, an elongated rear barrel extension portion, and a barrel extension mounting flange. The barrel extension may be sandwiched and secured in between the upper receiver and the hand guard assembly via clamping screws.
US09658018B1	Airgun having integrated sound suppressor An airgun having an integrated sound suppressor with a baffle stack and barrel receiving section overmolded to a length of a barrel is provided. A shroud is disposed about a portion of the baffle stack having at least one baffle to enclose expansion gaps defined by adjacent baffles within the baffle stack.
US09658010B1	Heat shielding and thermal venting system A heat shielding and thermal venting system, having a heat shielding element comprising an elongate, tubular member extending from a first end to a second end; a primary portion formed within a cavity of the heat shielding element; a secondary portion formed within the cavity of the heat shielding element, wherein the secondary portion has a reduced inner cross-sectional area when compared to an inner cross-sectional area of the primary portion; a plurality of entry apertures formed through the heat shielding element proximate the first end; a flare portion formed at the second end; and one or more restricted portions formed along the heat shielding element, wherein each restricted portion includes a reduced inner cross-sectional area, when compared to an inner cross-sectional area of an adjacent interior portion of the heat shielding element.
US09658009B1	Bolt handle modification system and method A bolt action rifle bolt handle modification system and method replaces the original bolt handle with an assembly that allows use of a telescopic sight mounted on the top of the rifle. This system requires less skill and specialized equipment than existing handle modification methods.
US09658006B1	Devices and systems for thermal management Systems and devices may include a thermal management device that includes a high emissivity material. The high emissivity material is configured to have a high emissivity with respect to wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation in a thermal infrared spectrum. The thermal management device is arrangeable on a surface of a component of a stratospheric aerial vehicle. The thermal management device is configured such that when arranged on the component of the stratospheric aerial vehicle during flight, a first side of the thermal management device faces substantially upward with respect to ground, and the second side of the thermal management device faces substantially downward with respect to the ground. The second side is shaped to retain air that is warmer than an ambient air temperature at a stratospheric altitude.
US09658000B2	Flexible metallic heat connector A thermal connector configured to be placed within a recess of a heat sink between the heat sink and a heat generating component and transfer heat from the component to the heat sink, including a heat spreader configured to fit within the recess of the heat sink, a spring configured to sit between the heat spreader and with the heat sink and bias the heat spreader towards and away from the heat sink, a flexible membrane attached to the heat sink and the heat spreader and seal off the recess, and a phase change material that fills the recess, wherein the flexible membrane contains the phase change material and allows it to contract or expand in response to the movement of the heat spreader towards or away from the heat sink.
US09657989B2	Systems and methods for processing municipal wastewater treatment sewage sludge The present invention relates to methods and systems for processing sewage sludge using a gasification process. The gasification process takes place at high temperatures in an oxygen-starved environment, which enables carbon-containing materials in the sewage sludge to chemically react under the preferred temperature and oxygen levels, resulting in the formation of usable products, including ash, electricity, and syngas—all of which are generally environmentally benign.
US09657988B1	Drying system for protective eyewear A system is provided for drying precipitation from protective eyewear of the type worn by a motorcyclist or other person operating a vehicle when the operator is exposed to the elements. A compressor delivers compressed air to an air tank which is, in turn, connected through a conduit to the eyewear. An activation switch is operated to open a solenoid valve, which allows air to be transmitted through the conduit from the air tank to the glasses. One or more discharge openings of the conduit are directed at the lens(es) of the eyewear such that when the activation switch is closed, compressed air is delivered through the discharge opening(s) and directed toward the lens(es) to dry the eyewear.
US09657984B2	Refrigerator The present disclosure relates to the field of refrigerator equipment, in particular to a refrigerator having a height-adjustable rack, comprising a door, a guide rail on the door, adjusting grooves arranged on the guide rail, a rack and a reset device. The rack is assembled on the guide rail through a guide groove and is able to move vertically. A manipulating member and a stop block, which are interlocked, are further movably provided on the rack.
US09657982B2	Temperature-controlled medicinal storage devices In some embodiments, a medicinal storage container includes: a desiccant unit including external walls forming a gas-impermeable barrier around an interior desiccant region and including an aperture; a heating element; a controller operably attached to the heating element; a cooling unit; a compressor system including at least one evaporator coil unit, the compressor operably connected to the controller; a vapor conduit, the vapor conduit attached to a the desiccant unit at a first end, the vapor conduit attached to the evaporative cooling unit at a second end, the vapor conduit forming an internal, gas-impermeable passageway between the desiccant unit and the cooling unit; a vapor control unit attached to the vapor conduit and operably attached to the controller; and a medicinal storage unit including external walls encircling a medicinal storage region including a temperature sensor operably connected to the controller.
US09657981B2	Ice handling container The invention is an improved ice handling container and methods for using the container. The container includes a bottom wall with upstanding sidewalls terminating in a mouth. A bail having an apex and opposing ends is pivotally attached to opposing sidewalls of the container. The bail has a handle generally at the apex and a hook extending generally outwardly from the bail generally near the apex of the bail for hanging the container with the mouth facing generally upward. One sidewall has a handle generally adjacent the bottom wall and a hook generally adjacent the handle extending generally outwardly and upwardly from the sidewall for hanging the container with the mouth facing generally downward.
US09657978B2	Refrigerant control system for a flash tank A refrigeration system is provided, such as for use with chillers. The system uses a tube-side condenser, such as a microchannel condenser, along with a shell-side evaporator such as a falling film evaporator. A flash tank economizer is disposed between the condenser and the evaporator, and an inlet valve to the flash tank is controlled based upon subcooling of condensate from the condenser. The vapor exiting the flash tank may be fed via an economizer line to a system compressor. Liquid phase refrigerant combined with some gas phase refrigerant exits the flash tank and is directed through an orifice before entering the evaporator.
US09657975B2	Oil balancing apparatus and refrigeration device Embodiments of the present invention provides an oil balancing apparatus, applied to at least three compressors connected in parallel. The oil balancing apparatus includes a first oil balancing pipe and a second oil balancing pipe. The first oil balancing pipe connects oil sumps of all the compressors, and the second oil balancing pipe only connects oil sumps of oil-rich compressors but not an oil sump of an oil-starved compressor.
US09657972B2	Solar-biomass complementary thermal energy supply system A thermal energy supply system, including: a solar concentrating device, a solar storage tank including a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, a biomass power station including a biomass boiler, a central refrigeration and ice maker, and a central hot water supply tank. The solar concentrating device is connected to the solar storage tank. The inlet of the first heat exchanger of the solar storage tank is connected to the outlet of a feedwater pump of the biomass boiler. The outlet of the first heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of a water feeding system of the biomass boiler. The inlet pipe of the second heat exchanger of the solar storage tank is connected to the outlet pipe of a water purification plant. The outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to a thermal energy input pipe of the central refrigeration and ice maker.
US09657967B2	Rotatable support system for mounting one or more photovoltaic modules Rotatable support system for mounting one or more photovoltaic modules. The system includes a stiffener configured to be attached to the one or more photovoltaic modules, a column connected to the stiffener through at least a rotatable component, and a foot connected to the column. The column is configured to rotate from a folded position towards an unfolded position, and stop at the unfolded position separated from the folded position by an angle difference. The angle difference represents the maximum range of rotation for the column.
US09657965B2	Water heater and method of controlling a water heater A water heater is provided which comprises a water storage tank made of enameled metal, an anode electrode (e.g. an anode rod) at least partly inside the water storage tank and a corrosion protection unit configured to impress current into the anode to provide a corrosion protection for the water storage tank. The corrosion protection unit further comprises a microprocessor configured to control the impressing of the current to the anode electrode during impression process cycles and to control the operation of the corrosion protection. The corrosion protection unit furthermore comprises a battery unit or an accumulator unit configured to supply energy to the microprocessor during grid power outages. The microprocessor is configured to activate the power saving mode during grid power outages during which an amount of impressed current and/or an impression process cycle is reduced.
US09657962B2	Tower floor register A free standing tower floor register that replaces the standard in-floor register. The tower floor register's bottom extremity is inserted into the floor opening, does not require screws to bolt it to the floor, and can be relocated to other areas in a room with ease. The stackable tower sections create a vertical duct for channeling airflow upward from the floor and out into a room. The tower can be stacked to the height required to clear the vertical dimensions of obstructing furniture. Rotatable and adjustable directional vent stacks, which can be inserted into the tower directional vent stack manifold, are used to aim the airflow in the direction that provides the desired comfort level.
US09657959B2	Fan coil thermostat with fan ramping Fan coil thermostats can provide energy savings by, for example, operating a fan coil system more efficiently. Fan coil systems employing such a fan coil thermostat may be more energy efficient. A fan coil system may include a fan coil that is configured for fluid communication with a source of heated fluid and/or a source of cooled fluid, a valve that controls fluid flow through the fan coil and a fan that blows air across the fan coil. The fan coil thermostat may include a controller that implements a control algorithm that calculates an error percentage value relating to a temperature difference between the current temperature and the temperature set point. The error percentage value may include a proportional term related to the temperature difference and an integral term related to the temperature difference. The controller may regulate the fan speed in accordance with the calculated error percentage.
US09657958B2	Industrial on-demand exhaust ventilation system with closed-loop regulation of duct air velocities A closed-loop regulation method of a ventilation system using a control computer. The method includes the steps comprising: providing a ventilation system with a control computer, an exhaust fan, sensors, and gates; using the sensors to determine actual air velocities within the ventilation system; providing minimum air velocities that must be maintained throughout the ventilation system; monitoring the one or more air velocities; and maintaining by the control computer that the actual air velocities are above the one or more minimum air velocities. Preferably, the ventilation system includes a control computer that takes the measurements, makes the air flow calculations, and automatically adjusts the gates and fans to ensure that a minimum air velocity is kept in all parts of the ducts of the system. Preferably, the ventilation system is energy efficient by optimizing the air flow and lowering the amount of energy needed to run the system.
US09657953B2	Vessel attachment system for a portable stove The present invention is directed to a vessel attachment system (1) for a portable stove comprising a vessel (2) and a vessel support (3), wherein the vessel (2) comprises a first attaching means and the vessel support (3) comprises a second attaching means. The first attaching means and the second attaching means are configured to provide for a positive locking between the vessel (2) and the vessel support (3). The invention is characterized in that the first attaching means is a polygonal opening (4) in a bottom area of the vessel (2) and the second attaching means is a polygonal supporting means (5), wherein the polygonal supporting means (5) is insertable into the polygonal opening (4). Subsequent relative rotational movement between the vessel (2) and the vessel support (3) after insertion of the polygonal supporting means (5) in to the polygonal opening (4) provides for the positive locking between the vessel (2) and the vessel support (3).
US09657944B2	Assembly for fossil fuel distribution The present invention relates to the field of fossil fuel combustion arrangement. It relates in particular to a fuel distribution assembly for equal and homogenous pulverized fuel distribution in pulverized fuel conduits throughout. It also relates to a system for providing an equal and homogenous pulverized fuel distribution.
US09657935B2	Wearable devices with integrated light sources In another implementation, a signaling apparatus includes a glove that is configured to be worn on a hand of a user; a first light source that extends along and is affixed to at least a portion of a lateral side of the glove, the lateral side of the glove corresponding to a lateral side of the user's hand that includes, at least, the user's fifth digit, fifth metacarpal, and ulna bone; and a second light source that extends along and is affixed to at least a portion of a medial side of the glove, the medial side of the glove corresponding to a medial side of the user's hand that includes, at least, the user's radial bone and one or more of: (i) the user's first metacarpal and first digit, and (ii) the user's second metacarpal and second digit.
US09657933B2	Interlaced heat sink for recessed light A recessed light fixture can include a movably adjustable light source and a thermal management system that includes a movable first heat sink, and a second heat sink. The first heat sink is thermally coupled to the adjustable light source, and is connected to move with the adjustable light source. The first heat sink includes a plurality of spaced apart first thermally conductive elements, such as fins. The second heat sink includes a plurality of spaced apart second thermally conductive elements, such as fins, which are interlaced between the first thermally conductive elements of the first heat sink. The interlaced thermally conductive elements increase surface area and heat transfer pathway(s) between the two heat sinks, while reducing physical contact, and thus friction, therebetween when movably adjusting the light source.
US09657928B1	Wireless replacement LED bulb with one or more accompanying control switches A wireless replacement light bulb with one or more accompanying control switches, such as an integrated switch and/or a wireless lamp switch is provided. The bulb comprises a light source, such as an LED element, a controller, a wireless interface, and one or more accompanying control switches, such as an integrated switch and/or a wireless lamp switch. The bulb can be controlled, such as turned on or off, by a user using the integrated switch, the wireless lamp switch, or a combination thereof. The integrated switch and the wireless lamp switch does not remove power from the controller, allowing the controller to control the bulb in response to receiving a wireless control signal from a remote electronic device, such as a remote control, a smartphone, a tablet, or the like.
US09657925B2	Twist and lock mounting bracket A twist-and-lock mounting bracket may secure a lighting fixture to a mounting surface. The twist-and-lock mounting bracket may define an aperture having features corresponding to the shape of a twist-and-lock element disposed on a housing of a lighting fixture. Accordingly, the twist-and-lock element may be configured to extend through the aperture while the corresponding features of the twist-and-lock element and the aperture are aligned. The housing may then be rotated such that the tabs do not align with the corresponding features of the aperture, and the twist-and-lock element is thereby prevented from sliding through the aperture. The mounting bracket may be secured to a junction box positioned within a mounting surface, or it may be secured to a biasing bracket having one or more second resilient members configured to engage the interior of a recessed can light, such that the lighting fixture may be secured to the recessed can light.
US09657924B2	LED 3D curved lead frame of illumination device A 3D curved structure and LED 3D curved lead frame for a curved surface illumination of an illumination device. First of all, draw illumination circuit with banded structure of multilayer lead frame on 3D illumination curved surface, then spread these curved circuit into plane circuit, dismantle the banded structure of multilayer lead frame of circuit into circuit pattern of single layers, use process the prototype of circuit patterns of each layer with conductive metal charge tape, and produce the prototype of banded structure of multilayer conductive frame through repeated accumulation of multi-disc charge tapes, and install the LED chip on the installation seat to get LED flat lead frame, then flex the conductive metal into LED 3D curved lead frame with jig and paste on the luminous curved surface, and package them with transparent material.
US09657916B2	Lighting device including multiple diffusers for blending light A lighting device is disclosed, and includes at least one lighting element for emitting light, an inner diffuser, and an outer diffuser. The inner diffuser defines a lighting cavity and an outer surface, where the at least one lighting element is located within the lighting cavity. The outer diffuser surrounds the inner diffuser. The outer diffuser defines an inner surface. The outer surface of the inner diffuser and the inner surface of the outer diffuser cooperate together to define a space between the inner diffuser and the outer diffuser. The inner diffuser and the outer diffuser spread and blend the light emitted by the at least one lighting element.
US09657912B2	Lighting apparatus and automobile including the same A lighting apparatus includes: a base that is open toward a front and includes a low beam light-distribution pattern forming component; a lens body disposed forward of the base; a first light-emitting device; and a second light-emitting device. Incident light is refracted in a lower portion of the lens body, and the incident light and exiting light travel in substantially same direction in an upper portion of the lens body. The first light-emitting device is disposed behind the lower portion of the lens body, the second light-emitting device is disposed further forward than the first light-emitting device and behind the upper portion of the lens body, and the low beam light-distribution pattern forming component is disposed in front of the first light-emitting device.
US09657909B2	Self-contained, solar-powered LED illuminator modules and applications thereof A light source causes hollow objects to glow in the dark (GID), thereby extending the operating period of light-activated materials in gazing globes and other decorative or ornamental objects. The light source may be provided as part of a conversion kit, enabling objects from different manufacturers to be converted to GID objects following purchase. A base unit includes the light emitter supported to illuminate the object from the inside out. The base unit further includes at least one solar panel facing into the interior of the object, and one or more batteries charged by the solar panel to power the light emitter. A device is used to couple the base unit to the rim of the object. In the preferred embodiment, the device for coupling the base unit to the rim of the object is an elastomeric ring that stretches over the rim of the object, thereby forming a seal.
US09657907B2	Side light LED troffer tube Side light LED troffer tube. In an aspect, a side light LED tube is provided that includes a tube having at least one light receiving portion configured to receive light and gradient optics formed on the tube. The gradient optics providing a transparency gradient configured to distribute the light to achieve a selected emitted light intensity variation across a selected surface of the tube.
US09657898B1	Lubricating oil monitoring and maintenance cap with oil level monitoring system A lubricating oil reservoir has an open end closed by a cap removably coupled to the open end. The cap is formed with a sensor located in the lubricating oil reservoir. The sensor is for sensing the presence of lubricating oil that fills the lubricating oil reservoir to a recommended oil level for providing machine lubrication, and the non-presence of lubricating oil that does not fill the lubricating oil reservoir to the recommended oil level, and a signal apparatus is operatively coupled to the sensor for issuing a first stimulus in response to the sensor sensing the presence of lubricating oil for identifying a normal lubricating oil level condition, and for issuing a second different stimulus in response to the sensor sensing the non-presence of lubricating oil for identifying a low oil level condition.
US09657884B1	Sewer pipe crawler A pipe crawler for crawling inside a pipe having an inside wall includes a front leg assembly that has front legs and feet. It also includes a rear leg assembly that has rear legs and feet. The rear leg assembly is disposed at a distance from the front leg assembly. A midsection operably couples the front leg assembly to the rear leg assembly and is configured to extend and contract the distance between the front leg assembly and the rear leg assembly. A plurality of lever arms are pivotably coupled between the front legs and their corresponding assemblies. The lever arms, in response to a force applied in an orientation traveling from the front of the pipe crawler to the rear of the pipe crawler, are configured to redirect a portion of the force into a normal force between the feet and the pipe inside wall.
US09657878B2	Plug connection for connecting lines for pressurized liquids or gases A plug connection includes a first plug connector, a second plug connector which can be inserted in the first plug connector, and a detent spring fastened to the first plug connector. The detent spring engages in a groove of the second plug connector when a second plug connector is inserted. The detent spring can be moved from a locked position into an unlocked position. In the locked position the detent spring is prevented from effecting a movement radially outwards into an unlocked position. In the unlocked position the movement of the detent spring radially outwards is unblocked. A release device which can be selectively activated is provided on the first plug connector. The activated release device holds the detent spring in the unlocked position.
US09657875B2	Back ferrule having bellows-shaped elastic part Disclosed herein is a back ferrule having a bellows-shaped elastic part. The back ferrule (40) is used, for pipe connection, along with: a connector body (10) having an external thread on an outer circumferential surface thereof; a drive nut (20) having an internal thread on an inner circumferential surface thereof; and a front ferrule (30). The back ferrule (40) includes: a nose part (41) having a front-end inclined surface (41b); a tail part (42) having a rear-end inclined surface (42b); and an outer circumferential surface (43) and an inner circumferential surface (44) connecting the nose part to the tail part. An outer circumferential corrugated surface (45) and an inner circumferential corrugated surface (46) are respectively formed on the outer circumferential surface and the inner circumferential surface between the nose part and the tail part.
US09657874B2	Plumbing fitting adapter A coupling system for interconnecting a tube to a valve body is provided. The valve body has a body portion and a nipple extending from the body portion, and the nipple has a threaded external surface and an internal wall defining a bore. The coupling system further includes an adapter having opposing first and second ends, a nut defining a hole through which the first end passes, and a compression fitting located between the nipple, the adapter, and the nut such that when the nut is tightened onto the nipple, the compression fitting inhibits removal of the adapter from the valve body. The adapter defines a passageway extending from the first end to the second end, wherein the first end is received in the bore and the second end is configured to couple to the tube. The nut has an internally threaded surface configured to engage the threaded external surface.
US09657858B2	Normally-closed zero-leak valve with magnetostrictive actuator A non-pyrotechnic, normally-closed, zero-leak valve is a replacement for the pyrovalve used for both in-space and launch vehicle applications. The valve utilizes a magnetostrictive alloy for actuation, rather than pyrotechnic charges. The alloy, such as Terfenol-D, experiences magnetostriction, i.e. a gross elongation, when exposed to a magnetic field. This elongation fractures a parent metal seal, allowing fluid flow through the valve. The required magnetic field is generated by redundant coils that are isolated from the working fluid.
US09657853B2	Modular and composable device for mixing liquids with electronic control of the temperature and of the flowrate of the outlet flow The present invention is part of the field of flowrate mixing and adjusting devices and in particular relates to a new device for mixing and adjusting the flow of liquids with electronic control of the temperature and of the flowrate, for domestic and/or industrial plumbing systems. The device is modular and stackable.
US09657847B2	Pressure relief valve A pressure relief valve for pressure equalization between an essentially closed space and the surrounding atmosphere is disclosed. The pressure relief valve includes a valve housing with:—a wall defining a flow passage with an upwardly oriented outflow,—a valve body arranged to cooperate with a valve seat arranged in the outflow,—a stem configured for axial guidance of the valve body,—a damper arranged to dampen axial movement of the stem, wherein the damper is configured such that force curves of compression and expansion respectively diverge due to hysteresis loss or pronounced hysteresis loss.
US09657839B2	Reduced friction piston rings Improved liquid lubricated piston ring gas seals with reduced friction and wear compared to prior art rings are disclosed for use in internal combustion engines, gas pumps, and gas compressors. These improved rings allow independent adjustment of the parameters controlling friction and wear, and eliminate the tradeoff between friction and wear typical of prior art rings.
US09657838B2	Combined oil control ring A combined oil control ring for automobile engines capable of keeping an excellent oil-controlling function without suffering sticking between a spacer expander and side rails for a long period of operation comprises upper and lower two side rails, and an axially corrugated spacer expander having upper and lower portions; a leg portion connecting each upper portion and each lower portion of the spacer expander having a portion having an inclination angle θ of 15° or more from the axial direction.
US09657837B2	Spring loaded shift actuator assembly having a retaining mechanism The present invention is directed toward a shift actuator assembly that includes a housing having a retaining mechanism. A holding pawl is biased into engagement with the retaining mechanism. A solenoid releasably engages the pawl when the shift shaft is disposed in its first position such that once the solenoid disengages the pawl, the cam surfaces on the retaining mechanism cooperate with the holding surfaces on the pawl to drive the pawl out of engagement with the retaining mechanism thereby releasing the biasing force of the biasing mechanism to drive the housing and the shift fork axially on the shift shaft between engaged and disengaged positions with respect to the associated gear set.
US09657834B2	Vehicle control system and method Some embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for a motor vehicle having a first user-operable transmission selector means for selecting a forward operating mode of a transmission corresponding to travel in a forward direction and a reverse operating mode of a transmission corresponding to travel in a reverse direction opposite the forward direction, the control system comprising: a user-operable gear selector configured in a first functional mode to, upon receipt of a user input, select between a plurality of forward direction gear ratios, and wherein the user-operable gear selector is re-configured in a second functional mode to, upon receipt of a user input, select between the forward operating mode and the reverse operating mode.
US09657832B2	Steering rack wear compensator assembly A wear compensator assembly configured for exerting a predetermined biasing force on a rack and a pinion shaft of a steering gear assembly is disclosed. The wear compensator assembly includes a cam member having a seating surface and a biasing member seated against the seating surface of the cam member. The biasing member is configured to be compressed by a predetermined amount and to exert the predetermined biasing force.
US09657831B2	Methods and systems for improving hybrid vehicle cooling Systems and methods for improving hybrid vehicle cooling are presented. In one example, an electric pump may supply transmission fluid to a transmission and a driveline integrated starter/generator to cool, operate, and lubricate driveline components. The electric pump may be selectively operated to conserve energy and to supply driveline cooling when driveline cooling may be desirable.
US09657828B2	Driveline component having differential and park lock mechanism A driveline component with a housing, a differential case in the housing that is rotatable about an axis, and a park lock mechanism with first, second and third lock elements. The first lock element is coupled to the differential case for common rotation about the axis and has a plurality of first face teeth. The second lock element is fixedly coupled to the housing and has a plurality of first radial teeth. The third lock element has an annular body, which is disposed about the axis, a plurality of second radial teeth, which are fixedly coupled to the annular body and matingly engaged to the first radial teeth, and a plurality of second face teeth that are fixedly coupled to the annular body. The third lock element is movable between first and second positions to selectively disengage and engage the first and second face teeth.
US09657827B2	Torque limiting differential A selectively lockable differential, comprising a plurality of torque sensitive pins, an outer housing, a first side gear comprising first gear teeth, a second side gear comprising second gear teeth, a pinion shaft, two pinion gears rotationally coupled to the pinion shaft, each pinion gear comprising pinion gear teeth coupled to the first gear teeth and the second gear teeth, and a collar comprising collar teeth for selectively engaging the gear lugs of the first side gear, the torque sensitive pins operatively coupling the collar to the outer housing.
US09657824B2	Method of fabricating a torque converter with an etched clutch surface and a torque converter with an etched clutch surface A method of fabricating a torque converter, including: forming a turbine shell including a first annular portion with a first surface having a first roughness and forming a radially outermost portion of the turbine shell; fixing a first plurality of blades to the turbine shell; forming an impeller shell including a second annular portion with a second surface having a second roughness; fixing a second plurality of blades to the impeller shell; removing at least a portion the first or second surface without the use of particulate matter or a liquid; increasing the first or second roughness of the first or second surface from which the at least a portion is removed; applying an adhesive to the first or second surface from which the at least a portion is removed; and bonding, with the adhesive, friction material to the first or second surface.
US09657823B2	Torque converter with turbine mass absorber A piston plate assembly for a torque converter comprising: an aperture including a chamfer portion; and, a bushing installed in the aperture and including a radius portion proximate the chamfer portion, wherein the bushing is arranged to seal the piston directly to a transmission input shaft and the radius portion is arranged to ease assembly of the bushing onto the input shaft.
US09657822B2	Input synthesis gear system A gear system for combining inputs is provided. The gear system can includes: a first power source that generates a rotational force; a second power source that generates a rotational force identical to or different from the rotational force of the first power source; a third power source that generates a rotational force identical or different from the rotational forces of the first power source and the second power source; and a gear unit that generates a resultant output by combining the rotational forces from the first power source to the third power source, in which the gear unit generates a resultant output by combining torque of any two of the first power source to the third power source and combining a speed of the other power source. According to this configuration, it is possible to generate various outputs from various power sources having the same or different characteristics.
US09657818B2	Swash plate and production method of the same A swash plate 3 includes a substrate 11 made of an iron-based material, a hard first resin layer 12 provided to coat an end surface of the substrate 11, and a soft second resin layer 13 provided to coat the first resin layer 12. A spiral annular groove 12A is formed in a surface of the first resin layer 12, and the second resin layer 13 is provided to match the sectional shape of the first resin layer 12. With the soft second resin layer 13 on a sliding surface 3A of the swash plate 3, a swash plate 3 having a good fit in an initial stage of sliding can be provided. When the second resin layer 13 partially wears, a protrusion 12 of the first resin layer 12 of the hard resin is exposed to provide good wear resistance and good sliding properties.
US09657817B2	Deflection mechanism A steering mechanism may comprise an actuation system for one-fingered operation by a user, the system configured to move at least a distal portion of the medical device such that 360 degree articulation is achievable, and a housing coupled to the system, the housing having proximal and distal ends. The system may comprise a first lever rotatable about a first axis, the first lever coupled to a first cam and configured to move the first cam from a first position to a second position when rotated about the first axis to deflect the distal portion; and a second lever rotatable about a second axis, the second lever coupled to a second cam and configured to move the second cam from a first position to a second position when rotated about the second axis to deflect the distal portion, wherein the first lever is coupled to the second lever.
US09657809B2	Pendulum-absorber brake A crankshaft comprising a cheek, a torsion-absorbing pendulum pivotally coupled to the cheek, and a rotational speed actuated brake to oppose motion of the pendulum relative to the cheek. The brake is configured to provide greater opposition to the motion at lower rotational speeds than at higher rotational speeds.
US09657798B2	Friction material including a plurality of binder particles with friction modifying particles bound thereto One exemplary embodiment includes a friction material including a base including a plurality of fibers. The base including an engagement surface, and a plurality of binder particles and friction modifying particles at the engagement surface.
US09657793B2	Friction lining with a steel wire bow spring A friction lining with a wire bow spring including leg springs for the radially clastic support of the friction lining on a housing bridge of a brake caliper, wherein the back plate has a receptacle for a friction-lining wear sensor, and wherein a steel wire bow spring is a symmetrical to at least one longitudinal axis, and the wire bow spring is symmetrical to an imaginary transverse axis arranged rotated by a 90° with respect to the longitudinal axis, wherein the steel wire bow has a central U-bow for the friction-lining wear sensor, and wherein the U-bow is designed to be open at the top, the friction-lining wear sensor is accommodated integrated in the central U-bow and the U-bow is substantially larger than the friction-lining wear sensor, and therefore the friction-lining wear sensor can be mounted in the radial direction in the receptacle in the back plate.
US09657787B2	Selectable one-way clutch A selectable one-way clutch includes a first plate, a second plate, a claw, a selector plate and an outer shell. The second plate is placed on the same axis as the first plate. The second plate has a recessed portion. The claw is provided in the first plate and meshes with the recessed portion in a state where the claw projects from the first plate only when the second plate rotates in a predetermined direction. The selector plate is placed between the first plate and the second plate. The selector plate changes a state of claw. The outer shell covers an outer periphery of the first plate. The outer periphery of the first plate and an inner periphery of the outer shell have a tapered shape in which a diameter is gradually reduced toward a direction distance from the second plate.
US09657771B1	Connector assemblies A connector assembly includes a shank having an inner abutment proximate to an inner extremity, and an outer abutment proximate to an outer extremity. A connector includes an inner loop that encircles the shank between the inner abutment and the outer abutment and that is movable reciprocally along the shank, a first portion that extends outwardly from the inner loop to a second portion that extends from the first portion past the outer extremity and the abutment to a third portion that extends inwardly and forwardly from the second portion to a pivotally mountable outer loop. Tensioned compression springs encircle the shank between the inner abutment and the inner loop, and act between the inner abutment and the inner loop urging the inner loop toward the outer abutment.
US09657769B2	Slide bearing Provided is a slide bearing with which friction-reducing effects are obtained and the total volume of effluent oil is limited. In a slide bearing an end of the narrow groove on a downstream side of the rotation direction is disposed at the position which is adjacent to a mating surface on the downstream side of the rotation direction and not communicated with the mating surface on the downstream side of the rotation direction and an end of the narrow groove on an upstream side of the rotation direction is disposed at the position which is the upstream side from the end on the downstream side of the rotation direction and is rotated by an angle no more than 90 degrees from the mating surface on the downstream side of the rotation direction.
US09657765B2	Thread repair assembly and thread repair kit A thread repair assembly is provided. The thread repair assembly comprises a cutting-nut housing including a first axial end, a second axial end and an internal cutting-nut interface, the first and second axial ends each having an opening. The thread repair assembly further includes a cutting nut at least partially enclosed by the cutting-nut housing and including a plurality of cutting threads configured to engage a threaded element when the assembly is urged in a first axial direction and disengage the threaded element when the thread repair assembly is urged in a second axial direction opposing the first axial direction.
US09657763B2	Locking quick-release pin assembly A method and apparatus for a locking quick-release pin assembly. A cover comprises a body with an opening at a first end, a domed second end, and a plurality of tabs extending from the body. Each tab of the plurality of tabs has a hole. Each hole is concentric with another hole of another tab of the plurality of tabs.
US09657762B2	Thermally activated, shape configurable mechanical locking Z-pin A Z-pin including a first bi-metal structure having a first metal strip and a second metal strip bonded together, where the first and second metal strips have different coefficients of thermal expansion, and a second bi-metal structure having a third metal strip and fourth metal strip bonded together, where the third metal strip and the fourth metal strip have different coefficients of thermal expansion. The first and third metal strips are selectively secured together at at least one discrete location so that heating of the Z-pin causes the first and second bi-metal structures to deform relative to each other. The Z-pin is inserted into a composite laminate structure while it is in its uncured state, where curing of the composite structure causes the first and second bi-metal structures to deform relative to each other to lock the laminate layers together.
US09657754B2	Hydraulic circuit There is provided a hydraulic circuit which can further improve a responsive characteristic in a pressure reducing operation and a reliability in the pressure reducing operation of a relief valve device, when a main circuit pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure. A relief valve device for reducing the main circuit pressure in the hydraulic circuit including a hydraulic pump includes a first valve unit having a pilot spool and a pilot spring, a position of the pilot spool being determined by a balance between a throttle pressure supplied from the main circuit via a throttle oil passage and the control pressure and a biasing force of the pilot spring, and releasing the main circuit pressure outward via the throttle oil passage, and includes a second valve unit having a valve piston and a valve spring, a position of the valve piston being determined by a balance between the main circuit pressure and the throttle pressure and the biasing force of the valve spring, and releasing the main circuit pressure outward.
US09657750B1	Fluid power device, method and system A fluid power device, method and system, the device including a passive, latent, integrally formed fluid reservoir member designed for operable communication with a transmission system, the reservoir member capable of at least absorbing any pressure increases in the transmission system and providing fluid back into the transmission system.
US09657734B2	Gerotor with reduced leakage A system and method are presented for improved performance of gerotor compressors and expanders. Certain aspects of the disclosure reduce porting losses in a gerotor system. Other aspects of the disclosure provide for reduced deflection in lobes of an outer rotor of a gerotor system. Still other aspects of the disclosure provide for reduced leakage through tight gaps between components of a gerotor system.
US09657733B2	Compressor for a vehicle air supply system A compressor for a vehicle air supply system includes a manifold, a cover, a gasket, an inlet, and an outlet. The manifold and cover are fixedly stacked together, and define a fluid channel system between them. The gasket extends laterally from between the manifold and cover. The fluid channel system includes an inlet air passage extending from the inlet to a cylinder inlet, a discharge air passage extending from a cylinder outlet to the outlet for discharging compressed air to the outlet, and one or more coolant channels that can be fed with a coolant to cool at least the discharge air passage. The inlet air passage, the discharge air passage, and the coolant channel(s) extend laterally, defined by wall faces of the discharge air passage. The wall faces comprise turbulator fins protruding into the discharge air passage. The turbulator fins create turbulence in the discharged compressed air flow.
US09657728B2	Semispherical shoe for swash plate compressor and swash plate compressor It is an object of the present invention to provide a semispherical shoe which can be prevented from being subjected to seizure even in a dry lubrication state in which there is no lubricating oil at the start time of an operation, does not deteriorate in its lubricating property owing to frictional heating, and ensures sufficient durability and a swash plate compressor in which a lubricating film is not formed on a sliding contact surface of a swash plate owing to the use of the semispherical shoe. A semispherical shoe (4) makes sliding contact with the swash plate of the swash plate compressor. A surface of a planar part (4b) which makes sliding contact with the swash plate consists of a resin layer (10). A surface of a spherical part (4b) consists of a base material of the semispherical shoe. In viewing the surface of the planar part divided into three parts consisting of a central part (10a), an outer edge part (10c), and an intermediate part (10b) interposed between the central part (10a) and the outer edge part (10c) in a direction vertical to the surface of the planar part, an annular belt portion (10d) whose layer thickness is larger than that of each of the central part (10a) and the outer edge part (10c) is formed inside the intermediate part (10a).
US09657727B2	Water amusement and hydration bicycle A water amusement and hydration bicycle can include a bicycle frame and a container to contain water carried by the bicycle frame, the container having an outlet port and a multipurpose port. The bicycle can also include an amusement nozzle removably coupled to the outlet port. The bicycle can further include a drinking nozzle removably coupleable to the multipurpose port. The bicycle can still further include a water pump carried by the bicycle frame and operable to pump the water from the container through the outlet port for delivery to the amusement nozzle. In addition, the bicycle can include a gas pump operable to pressurize gas in the container to move the water from the container through the multipurpose port for delivery to the drinking nozzle when the drinking nozzle is coupled to the multipurpose port. The multipurpose port can be coupleable to a water source to provide water to the container.
US09657718B2	Extremum seeking-based control method for maximum output tracking of a wind turbine generator The present invention discloses an extremum seeking-based control method for maximum output tracking of a wind turbine generator, mainly comprising three steps of first closed-loop feedback, second closed-loop feedback, and third closed-loop feedback. The method for resisting mechanical fatigue of a double-fed variable speed constant frequency wind turbine generator by controlling mechanical torque while capturing maximum wind energy provided in the present invention is applied to a double-fed variable speed constant frequency wind turbine system by improving the control based on sliding mode extremum seeking with the following effects that, with regard to the maximum wind energy tracking effect, the rotating speed can be quickly adjusted to keep the tip speed ratio λ as its optimum value after the wind speed changes, so that the wind energy utilization coefficient is restored to the maximum value.
US09657709B2	Method for using an electric unit A power plant, and a method for using an electrical unit therefor are disclosed, wherein, an electrical machine can be connected to a power network via a converter and a block transformer. A method is disclosed for using the electrical unit, wherein the converter disconnects the block transformer from the machine in the event of a malfunction of the block transformer.
US09657704B2	Electromagnetic relay An electromagnetic relay for starting a motor of a starter includes a resistor to reduce an activation current that flows through the motor from a battery for activation of the motor, a relay contact that causes the starting current to flow while bypassing the resistor, a relay coil that forms an electromagnet when excited by energization, and a control circuit that controls an excited state of the relay coil for activation of the motor to open or close the relay contact, thus controlling energization of the motor from the battery via the resistor. The electromagnetic relay incorporates therein the control circuit.
US09657699B2	Actuator with integrated flux sensor An electromagnetic actuator includes an electrical coil and a high permeability magnetic flux path. The magnetic flux path includes a magnetic core, an armature and a flux return structure. The electromagnetic actuator further includes a flux sensor which is integrated within the actuator and is configured to detect a magnetic flux within the high permeability magnetic flux path.
US09657695B2	Air filter element The invention relates to a filter element (10), comprising a filter body (12) in concentric form having a longitudinal axis (L), a first end disk (16) situated on one end face (15), and a second end disk (18) situated on the opposite end face (17), and a support tube (14) situated concentrically around the longitudinal axis (L) between the first and the second end disks (16, 18). At least one of the end disks (18) has a centering element (22) that is situated around the longitudinal axis (L), as a result of which the filter element (10) can be radially centered during installation in the housing (108). A support structure (20) is provided on the at least one end disk (18) which is concentric with respect the centering element (22) and is provided for at least axially supporting the filter element (10) in the housing (108). The invention further relates to a filter system (100) for exchangeably installing such a filter element (10).
US09657694B2	Inlet air filter device for a power plant An inlet air filter device including: at least one passage for delivering an air mass from an inlet section to an outlet section of the inlet air filter device, a water separator in the at least one passage for separating water in the air mass, the water separator positioned between the inlet section and the outlet section, a bypass element movable between a first open position in which the air mass is forced to cross the water separator and a second closed position in which the air mass flows from the inlet to the outlet section without crossing the water separator; a shutter element which is actuatable to co-operate with the bypass element for isolating the water separator from the air mass when the bypass element is in the second closed position.
US09657690B2	Flap device for an internal combustion engine A flap device for an internal combustion engine includes a flow housing comprising a flow channel, an actuating shaft, a flap body arranged on the actuating shaft in the flow channel, a housing bore arranged in the flow housing, a lever fixed on the actuating shaft, a bearing bush arranged in the housing bore, and a sealing disk comprising a surface which is at least partially spherically shaped. The housing bore has the actuating shaft protrude outwards therethrough. The lever comprises a rear wall. The bearing bush has the actuating shaft mounted therein. The surface rests under tension against the rear wall of the lever.
US09657686B2	System, apparatus, and method for a virtual blocker A virtual blocker door for use in an aircraft thrust reverser is provided. The virtual blocker door may be capable of creating a wall of air to inhibit fan air flow through a fan air duct. The wall of air may direct the fan air flow through a cascade to provide a reverse thrust. Moreover, the virtual blocker door provides for improved aerodynamic efficiency in the fan air duct by replacing traditional brackets, drag links, and doors with a wall of air.
US09657677B2	Integrated vehicle control apparatus and integrated control method An integrated control apparatus includes an internal combustion engine, a stepped automatic transmission, a power train manager, and an engine controller. The power train manager is configured to: output a target torque and a forenotice torque to the engine controller; start lowering of the target torque after a specified time elapses from a timing of an upshifting instruction; lower the forenotice torque prior to the lowering of the target torque. The engine controller is configured to: start a reduction in an air amount in accordance with a magnitude of lowering of the forenotice torque; start reducing the air amount from a time when the lowering of the forenotice torque is started until a time when the lowering of the target torque is started; and adjust an air-fuel ratio in accordance with a deviation between the target torque and a torque that is estimated from a lean air-fuel ratio and the air amount.
US09657675B1	Control of piston trajectory in a free-piston combustion engine Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards free-piston combustion engines. As described herein, a method and system are provided for displacing a free-piston assembly to achieve a desired engine performance by repeatedly determining position-force trajectories over the course of a propagation path and effecting the displacement of the free-piston assembly based, at least in part, on the position-force trajectory. In a dual-piston assembly free-piston engine, synchronization of the two piston assemblies is provided.
US09657670B2	Exhaust system temperature estimation systems and methods A control system for an engine of a vehicle includes an adder module that determines a temperature sum based on a sum of a plurality of temperatures determined based on (i) a plurality of operating parameters of the vehicle and (ii) a plurality of predetermined values calibrated for determining an estimated temperature at a location within an exhaust system of the vehicle. A temperature difference module determines a temperature difference based on the temperature sum and a previous value of the temperature difference. An estimating module determines the estimated temperature at the location within the exhaust system based on the temperature difference and a reference temperature. An actuator control module selectively adjusts at least one engine actuator based on the estimated temperature.
US09657661B2	Engine control system An engine control system is a system configured to selectively switch between first fuel and second fuel and perform an operation control of a single engine, including: a sensor configured to detect an oxygen concentration of an exhaust gas that is exhausted from the engine; and a control device configured to perform an air-fuel ratio feedback control such that an air-fuel ratio becomes a target air-fuel ratio based on an output signal of the sensor, wherein the control device calculates a correction coefficient of an air-fuel ratio feedback control during an operation with the second fuel, and further stores a fuel composition correction coefficient that is a value in a predetermined range and corrects a difference between the calculated correction coefficient and a targeted correction coefficient arising from a change in composition of the second fuel.
US09657657B2	Control device for in-vehicle internal combustion engine A control device, which is applied to an in-vehicle internal combustion engine equipped with an intake valve variable timing mechanism that varies the valve timing for an intake valve, and which intermittently operates the in-vehicle internal combustion engine by automatically stopping/restarting the engine, wherein the electronic control unit does not permit the engine operation to be automatically stopped when the intake valve variable timing mechanism malfunctions at an operating position closer to the advanced angle than the operating position for the most retarded angle of the variable range for the valve timing of intake valve, and thus preventing increased engine vibration and misfires when the engine automatically restarts, which are caused by a malfunction of the variable valve mechanism.
US09657656B2	Idle air control valve for use in a small engine and having a protective shroud with valve seat A linear actuator includes a stator assembly and a rotor assembly operatively associated with the stator assembly and mounted for rotation with respect to the stator assembly. A shaft is restricted from rotation and is associated with the rotor assembly such that rotation of the rotor assembly causes linear movement of the shaft. A capnut is associated with a distal end of the shaft for movement therewith. A shroud is coupled to the stator assembly and substantially surrounds the capnut. The shroud includes a valve seat, and an inlet communicating with an outlet through a throttle opening adjacent to the valve seat. The shaft and associated capnut are constructed and arranged to move relative to the valve seat to control air flow between the inlet and the outlet.
US09657655B2	Actuation device for controlling the power of an internal combustion engine and method for controlling the power of the internal combustion engine The subject innovation relates to a control device for controlling the power of an engine, whereby the control device has a control range in which—with the drive train closed—neither a drive torque nor a braking torque is introduced, as well as to a control device for controlling the power of an engine, whereby the control device comprises a first control range in which the engine has a continuous braking torque, as a result of which the vehicle can be decelerated, and comprises a second control range in which the engine has a continuous drive torque, as a result of which the vehicle can be accelerated. In this process, assistance is provided for locating a third control range, whereby this third control range is situated between the first control range and the second control range.
US09657648B2	Environmental air conditioning system An environmental air conditioning system is described for conditioning compressed air for supply as conditioned air. The system includes an airflow path to which the compressed air for ultimate distribution as conditioned air (i.e., airflow path compressed air) is supplied. Then airflow path has various components of an air cycle system, and also includes a power turbine outside of the air cycle that receives compressed air and discharges it as exhaust. The power turbine transfers power to a compressor in the air cycle system.
US09657645B2	Engine architecture using electric machine There is described a method for controlling an engine and a system architecture for an engine. The system architecture comprises a first electric machine having a single rotor dual stator configuration for operating as a starter-generator for the engine; a second electric machine having a single rotor dual stator configuration for operating as a motor; a dual channel motor drive unit coupled to the second electric machine; a dual channel power control unit coupled to the first electric machine and the motor drive unit; a dual channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) coupled to the dual channel power control unit and the dual channel motor drive unit; and at least two accessories coupled to the second electric machine and driven by motive power from the single rotor of the second electric machine.
US09657642B2	Turbine sections of gas turbine engines with dual use of cooling air A turbine section includes a stator assembly having an inner diameter end wall, an outer diameter end wall, and a stator vane; a turbine rotor assembly including a rotor blade extending into the mainstream gas flow path; a housing including an annular shroud that circumscribes the rotor blade and at least partially defines the mainstream hot gas flow path; a first baffle arranged to define a first cavity with the outer diameter end wall of the stator assembly; a second baffle; and a third baffle arranged to define a second cavity with the second baffle and a third cavity with the shroud. The first cavity is fluidly coupled to the second cavity and the second cavity is fluidly coupled to the third cavity such that cooling air flows from the first cavity to the second cavity and from the second cavity to the third cavity.
US09657641B2	Fluid flow machine especially gas turbine penetrated axially by a hot gas stream In a fluid flow machine, especially a gas turbine, axially penetrated by a hot gas stream, the rotor shaft is surrounded by heat shield segments or by base plates of the rotor blades on the rotor side. In the heat shield segments and in the base plates, cooling air chambers are provided, communicating with each other and with a cooling air source, which chambers communicate at least partially with gaps which extend in the longitudinal direction or peripheral direction of the rotor shaft between adjacent rotor blades or between heat shield segments and adjacent base plates of the rotor blades. These gaps are closed off by sealing bands such that a cooling air entry into the hot gas stream is only possible at the ends of the base plates of the rotor blades pointing contrary to the flow direction.
US09657635B2	Wastegate actuator gain adjustment Various methods for controlling a wastegate actuator are provided. In one example, a method comprises adjusting one or more wastegate controller gains responsive to limiting current supplied to a wastegate actuator, the current limited in response to a temperature of the wastegate actuator exceeding a threshold.
US09657633B2	Swirl-inducing intake valve arrangement First intake valve and second intake valve for an engine cylinder bore within which a piston reciprocates are arranged side-by-side in a cylinder head for motion in unison along respective intake valve axes. First intake valve axis is nonparallel to the cylinder bore axis. A first intake valve seat for the first intake valve is disposed in a plane which is non-parallel to a plane which is perpendicular to the cylinder bore axis. First intake valve seat has a first semi-circumference toward a second semi-circumference of a second valve seat for second intake valve. At least a portion of first semi-circumference is closer, as measured along a direction parallel to the cylinder bore axis, to a plane passing through the piston perpendicular to the cylinder bore axis than is the second semi-circumference as measured along a direction parallel to the cylinder bore axis.
US09657631B2	Gas leakage prevention cover and exhaust manifold having the same A gas leakage prevention cover includes an inlet having a cross section area corresponding to a cross section area of a duct into which the cover is inserted, an outlet having a smaller cross section area than the cross section area of the inlet, and a step formed at a predetermined angle in a direction toward the outlet on a predetermined position of the cover. The cover has a ring shape and is configured to enable fluid to flow through an interior space of the cover from the inlet to the outlet.
US09657622B2	Catalytic converter system with control and methods for use therewith Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a catalytic converter system that includes a catalytic converter having a plurality of passages to facilitate at least one catalytic reaction in an exhaust gas from a vehicle engine. A temperature sensor generates a temperature signal indicating at least one temperature of the catalytic converter. An electromagnetic field generator that responds to a control signal by generating an electromagnetic field to inductively to heat the catalytic converter. A controller generates the control signal based on temperature signal. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US09657619B2	Method of exhaust gas aftertreatment A method of exhaust gas aftertreatment of an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine includes pre-treating the exhaust gas pre-treated by using a thermoreactor to catalytically oxidize the exhaust gas. Preferably, the exhaust gas is catalytically oxidized in the thermoreactor.
US09657617B2	Device and method for treating an exhaust gas containing particles A device for treating an exhaust gas containing particles includes: an exhaust gas line, an emission electrode and an electric supply line for the emission electrode. The electric supply line is at least partially surrounded by an electric insulator and the electric insulator has an outer diameter, the electric insulator extending from the exhaust gas line substantially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the exhaust gas line. The outer diameter measures at most 20 mm in the terminal region towards the longitudinal axis.
US09657615B2	Silencer for internal combustion engine A silencer includes conduit with a downstream end portion configured from a tubular member which includes a conduit discharge port extending through a silencer main body and discharges exhaust gas to the outside therethrough. The tubular member includes a resonance communication hole communicating with a resonance chamber and an upstream side communication hole and a downstream side communication hole communicating with a second chamber. A barrier wall serving as a throttle portion for throttling an exhaust path at an intermediate location of the tubular member is provided in the inside of the tubular member and between the upstream side communication hole and the downstream side communication hole.
US09657600B2	Heat exchanger, a purifier, an electrode-containing pipe, a power generation system, a control method for heat exchanger and a scale removing method A heat exchanger includes an electrolytic bath and a control section. The electrolytic bath has first and second channels. A first fluid can flow through the first channel. A second fluid adapted to exchange heat with the first fluid can flow through the second channel. At least part of the first and second channels of the electrolytic bath is partitioned by anode and cathode plates to which a given potential is applied from a power source. The control section applies the given potential to the anode and cathode plates and performs polarity reversal adapted to reverse the polarity of the anode and cathode plates after having applied the given potential at given time intervals.
US09657596B2	Turbine housing assembly for a turbocharger A turbine housing assembly is disclosed. The turbine housing assembly may have a turbine housing. The turbine housing may have a turbine housing flange. The turbine housing assembly may also have a bearing housing having a boss extending from a compressor end to a turbine end opposite the compressor end. The bearing housing may also have a bearing housing flange abutting on the turbine housing flange. The bearing housing flange may be disposed between the compressor end and the turbine end. The turbine housing assembly may also have a clamping plate abutting on the turbine housing flange and the boss. Further the turbine housing assembly may have a backing plate abutting on the clamping plate. In addition, the turbine housing assembly may have a fastener disposed within the boss and attached to the backing plate.
US09657595B2	Bearing unit of turbo-charger A bearing unit of a turbocharger may be disposed on an inner side of a space in a center housing and carry axial load of a rotary shaft connecting a turbine wheel, a compressor wheel, and an electric motor. The bearing unit may include a bearing body fastened to a side of the center housing and has a through-hole substantially at a center of the bearing body, and a coupling disposed in the through-hole and on the rotary shaft, having a stepped portion in which the bearing body is inserted, and forming an oil chamber with the bearing body.
US09657588B2	Methods and systems to monitor health of rotor blades A system for monitoring health of a rotor is presented. The system includes a processing subsystem that generates a measurement matrix based upon a plurality of resonant-frequency first delta times of arrival vectors corresponding to a blade and a first sensing device, and a plurality of resonant-frequency second delta times of arrival vectors corresponding to the blade and a second sensing device, generates a resonant matrix based upon the measurement matrix such that entries in the resonant matrix are substantially linearly uncorrelated and linearly independent, and generates a resonance signal using a first subset of the entries of the resonant matrix, wherein the resonance signal substantially comprises common observations and components of the plurality of resonant-frequency first delta times of arrival vectors and the plurality of resonant-frequency second delta times of arrival vectors.
US09657582B2	Gimbaled tail rotor hub with spherical elastomeric centrifugal force bearing for blade retention and pitch change articulation A rotor hub comprises a gimbal assembly and an elastomeric centrifugal force bearing. The gimbal assembly is configured to transfer rotational movement of a mast to the rotor hub and to enable the rotor hub to flap relative to the mast. The elastomeric centrifugal force bearing is configured to withstand centrifugal force of a rotor blade when the mast is rotated and is configured to accommodate pitch changes of the rotor blade. A method comprises designing a gimbal assembly that enables a tail rotor hub to flap relative to a tail rotor mast. A centrifugal force bearing is selected that enables tail rotor blades to withstand centrifugal force and that allows for tail rotor blade pitch change articulation. Then, instructions are provided to use the gimbal assembly and the centrifugal force bearing in an in-plane tail rotor assembly.
US09657580B1	Brazing tape and method of forming microchannels in a thermal barrier coating A method of forming micro channels in a thermal barrier coating includes placing a brazing tape on a substrate. The brazing tape has a first side and a second side with a plurality of ceramic members attached thereto. The first side is placed in contact with the substrate. A brazing step brazes the brazing tape to the substrate. An applying step applies a bond coat to the second side of the brazing tape. Another applying step applies a thermal barrier coating (TBC) onto the bond coat. A removing step removes the plurality of ceramic members by exposing the plurality of ceramic members to a ceramic solvent. A plurality of micro channels are formed in the thermal barrier coating by voids left from the plurality of ceramic members.
US09657579B2	Cooled vane of a high-pressure turbine The invention relates to a movable vane of a turbomachine comprising a blade (12) with inner cooling cavities and a root (11) by which means the vane can be mounted on a rotor disk, the root comprising at least two channels (11a) communicating with said inner cavities and leading to the base (11b) thereof, said base comprising at least two openings (11b1, 11b2) through which the channels open up, and a calibrating plate (20) provided with calibrated perforations (21, 22) corresponding to said openings being attached to the base (11b) of the root. The vane is characterized in that a mechanical means (25, 26; 11m1, 11m2) forming a sealing barrier between the two openings is arranged between the plate and the base of the root.
US09657574B2	Rotor of rotary machine and rotary machine A rotor (10) of a rotary machine (T1) according to the invention includes a plurality of rotor members (20, 30, and 40) which are joined to each other in the axial direction in which the axis (P) extends, and among the plurality of rotor members (20, 30 and 40), the first rotor member (30) in hydraulic fluid injection portions (3a and 3b) of a passageway (3) is formed of Ni-based alloy so that the inside thereof is hollow throughout the entire length in the axial direction.
US09657573B2	Mixed flow turbine An object is to provide a mixed flow turbine, wherein intermediate blades having an intermediate height are provided between main blades of the mixed flow turbine, thus improving an impulse blade turbine characteristic and reducing the moment of inertia for a rotor blade as a whole, thereby improving the efficiency and transient response. The mixed flow turbine includes: a turbine rotor blade 11; a turbine housing 3; a scroll partition wall 17 dividing a scroll chamber 13; a shroud-side inflow passageway 35 formed on the side of a shroud-side partition wall surface 25; and a hub-side inflow passageway 29 formed on the side of a hub-side partition wall surface 23, wherein the rotor blade 11 includes: main blades 37 formed with a height spanning the entire extent between a hub outer circumferential surface 31 and the inner periphery surface of a shroud portion 15; and intermediate blades 39 arranged in the circumferential direction between the main blades 37 and arranged so as to extend from the inlet portion of the main blades 37 to an intermediate portion and having an intermediate height with respect to the height of the main blades 37, wherein a fluid from the hub-side inflow passageway 29 flows in through front edges of the intermediate blades 39.
US09657566B2	Downhole tool with expander ring In at least some embodiments, a downhole tool includes a tool body defining a tool centerline, and a recessed ring guide intermediate to ends of the tool body. The downhole tool also includes an expander ring having an asymmetric wall thickness and rotatable around the recessed ring guide between a reduced tool profile orientation and an expanded tool profile orientation. The downhole tool also includes an actuator configured to rotate the expander ring between the reduced profile orientation and the expanded profile orientation.
US09657563B2	Communication between downhole tool and surface location A system for communicating between a downhole tool and a surface location. The system may include a downhole tool disposed within a subsea riser. The downhole tool may include a device that actuates between first and second positions. An internal transducer may be coupled to the downhole tool and transmit a signal indicative of the position of the device. An external transducer may be positioned on an exterior of a riser. The external transducer may receive the signal from the internal transducer through the riser. A transponder may be positioned on an exterior of the riser and coupled to the external transducer. The transponder may transmit a signal to a surface location indicative of the position of the device.
US09657562B2	Methods and systems for downhole temperature logging A downhole temperature logging method includes deploying a temperature logging device into a borehole, the temperature logging device having a mechanical drive and at least one shape memory alloy (SMA) unit. The method also includes deforming the SMA unit in response to a temperature or temperature range, wherein the deforming causes marks to a medium. The method also includes retrieving the medium and analyzing the marks.
US09657556B2	Metal bellows with guide rings A well pump assembly has a pump driven by an electrical motor. A seal section reduces a pressure difference between a dielectric lubricant in the motor and a hydrostatic well fluid pressure. The seal section has a housing containing a guide tube concentric with the axis. Contractible and extensible inner and outer bellows surround the guide tube. An inner bellows guide ring is secured to the inner bellows between ends and has an inner surface with an inner diameter smaller than a minimum inner diameter of the inner bellows for sliding engagement with an outer surface of the guide tube as the inner bellows lengthens and contracts. The outer bellows has a guide ring secured between ends and having an outer surface with an outer diameter larger than a maximum outer diameter of the outer bellows for sliding engagement with an inner surface of the housing.
US09657554B2	Downhole filtration tool A downhole filtration tool to remove sand and other solid particles from production fluid in a subterranean well. The downhole filtration tool includes a perforated mandrel surrounded by at least one filter element made of an open weave polymeric fiberglass material. In addition, the downhole filtration tool may include an additional screen or mesh installed in a separating annulus intermediate of the mandrel and the filter element to provide a filter having improved permeability and resistance to chemical and physical forces.
US09657546B2	Expansion limiter for expandable seal An expandable seal has at least one travel stop designed to engage the surrounding tubular to limit expansion of the ring shape of the seal and in so doing limit the stress of circumferential ribs that extend from the ring base shape as they engage the surrounding tubular. The travel stop can be a solid ring or segments and can have a rounded outer surface designed to engage the surrounding tubular in a flush relationship. Alternatively the outer surface can also have hardened particles for a bite into the wall of the surrounding tubular before the blunt portions of the travel stop come into contact with the inside wall of the surrounding tubular.
US09657545B2	Chemical-injection management system An apparatus that includes a chemical-injection management system. The chemical-injection management system may include a tree interface configured to couple the chemical-injection management system to a tree and a positive-displacement flow meter.
US09657542B2	Wireline crawler tractor A well tractor for use in inserting a bottom hole assembly into a wellbore, the well tractor including a tractor body, and two or more wheels connected to the tractor body by pivot arms and having a retracted position and a deployed position, the at least two wheels moveable between the retracted and deployed positions by hydraulic cylinders attached to the pivot arms. The well tractor further includes a track creating a loop around at least two wheels and engaged with the wheels, so that when the wheels rotate, the track also rotates around the wheels. When the wheels are in the retracted position, the track is maintained in close proximity to the tractor body, and when the wheels are in the deployed position, the track extends radially away from the tractor body and into contact with surfaces of the wellbore.
US09657541B2	Method of using a downhole tool with erosion resistant layer This disclosure is related to downhole tool having an erosion resistant material metalurgically bonded to portions of the downhole tool. The downhole tool can have the erosion resistant material can be disposed on predetermined portions of inner and outer surfaces of the downhole tool. The disclosure is also related to a method of using the downhole tool described herein.
US09657531B2	Merlin drilling riser assembly An improved drilling riser assembly including a male drilling riser assembly section and a female drilling riser assembly section that form a connection joint when mated. The drilling riser assembly sections having an internal stab type main drilling riser connector. The drilling riser assembly sections each have main drilling riser flanges that have helically threaded rings on an outer edge of the flange. A box and pin connector each have an inner helically threaded ring that mates with the outer helical flange ring of a drilling riser assembly section. The box and pin connectors extend towards each other and make up an enclosed compression joined mating section around the stab type connectors of the drilling riser assembly.
US09657524B2	Drilling apparatus The invention relates to a small drilling apparatus for producing bores in the ground, comprising, a main carrier 4, a telescopic mast 7 with an adjustable length, a rotating device 6, by which the telescopic mast 7 is pivotable relative to the main carrier 4 around a vertical axis A1.
US09657522B2	Methods of beneficiating drilling fluids comprising low- and high-quality clays Beneficiating drilling fluids that comprise low-quality clay and high-quality clay may be performed by adding a polymer and a high-quality clay to a fluid that comprises an aqueous base fluid and a low-quality clay, so as to yield a drilling fluid, wherein the ratio of the low-quality clay to the high-quality clay is about 90:10 to about 80:20.
US09657518B2	Extension ladder toolbox An extension ladder toolbox which can be attached to the existing holes on the ends of the rungs in such a way that it does not interfere with the users use of the ladder yet it allows for easy access to necessary tools and equipment.
US09657517B2	Window shade and actuating system thereof The structures described herein use an actuating system that can selectively switch between a lower and a raise mode of operation by rotating a rod assembly, and use a downward displacement of a pull member to lower and raise the window shade depending on whether its switching state. The actuating systems are simple to operate, allow convenient adjustment of the window shade, and are safe as the pull member has a limited length of extension.
US09657502B2	Door latch activator for trailers or truck bodies A door latch activator system for a trailer or truck body coupled to a door latch, including: a plunger installed in a path of the door latch; a switch configurable into one of an open or closed position by the plunger; and a pneumatic valve configured to control flow of pressurized air through the pneumatic valve depending on the position of the switch, wherein the plunger is moved toward or away from the roller switch by the door latch operating in the path, which activates the pneumatic valve to control the pressurized air flowing through the pneumatic valve.
US09657494B2	Method for producing a tower construction from reinforced concrete The invention relates to a method for producing a tower construction (1) from reinforced concrete. A tower has at least one cavity (35) that extends in the longitudinal direction within the tower. Double-wall elements (2) are arranged along a periphery of the tower, each comprising an external plate (3) as well as an internal plate (4) in vertical or inclined position, forming vertical external joints (5) as well as vertical internal joints (6) between the external plates (3) and the internal plates (4). A reinforcement (9) is installed in the area of the vertical external joints (5) in-between the external plates (3) as well as the vertical internal joints (6) in-between the internal plates (4). The vertical external joints (5) and the vertical internal joints (6) in-between the double-wall elements (2) are closed and the double-wall elements (2) are filled with concrete (23).
US09657484B2	Rapid deployment communications tile Various embodiments are described that relate to a rapid deployment communications tile. As opposed to running various data and/or power wires, a construction crew can use set of tiles that have built in data and/or power transmission capabilities. These tiles can be keyed such that they interlock together to form a relatively uniform surface, such that the surface can also be used as a floor. Further, the tiles can have hardware components that enable the data and/or power transmission capabilities. These hardware components can be environmentally protected such that their performance is not subject to environmental factors.
US09657483B2	Mechanical locking system for floor panels Building panels, especially floor panels, which are provided with a locking system including several separate strip parts connected to the panel edge. A strip part, configured to lock panels horizontally and to be fixed to a panel edge, including a strip body with an inner part configured to be fixed under the panel edge and an outer part configured to extend outside the panel edge, wherein the inner part comprises a fixing element configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge in a horizontal direction, wherein the outer part including a locking protrusion, located above the strip body and configured to lock the strip part to the panel edge vertically and a locking element configured to lock the panels in a horizontal direction, and wherein the inner part includes a cavity formed in the strip body and located between the fixing element and the locking protrusion.
US09657474B2	High thermal resistance and permeance insulation material A low-emittance material having improved energy efficiency protection against air infiltration and moisture build-up in buildings is disclosed. The aforementioned low-emittance material utilizes existing framing openings or without increasing the wall profile of a building. The present invention provides a low-emittance material which may be implemented on traditional 2×4 framing having R-15 mass insulation material within existing or newly constructed framing cavities. The material of the present invention also meets requirements for serving as a water resistive barrier as defined by ICC AC38.
US09657468B1	Dual air admittance valve An apparatus to allow or stop an air flow into an enclosed environment or piping system comprises (a) a housing having an upper flow passage, a middle flow passage, a lower flow passage; (b) a first valve seat; (c) a first valve diaphragm; (d) a second valve seat; and (e) a second valve diaphragm.
US09657464B2	Flow control system A fluid flow control system having a fluid inlet configured to be operatively coupled to a fluid source, a fluid outlet in fluid communication with the fluid inlet such that fluid may exit the system therethrough, a proximity sensor for detecting the position of an object within a region adjacent the sensor, and a flow control device configured to regulate fluid flow between the inlet and outlet in response to object detection by the sensor, wherein the flow control device varies the fluid flow proportional to the detected distance of an object from the sensor. A water flow control system for use in a shower environment is also provided, as well as a shower control system, methods for controlling water flow based on sensing of the presence and location of an object, and methods for reducing water consumption.
US09657456B2	Wheel loader A wheel loader is provided with a cab, a ladder, a vehicle body cover, an engine, an air cleaner, and an expansion member. The ladder has first to third steps. The air cleaner is disposed to the outside of the vehicle body cover and above and to the rear of the ladder. The expansion member is able to assume an expanded posture and a retracted posture. The expansion member abuts at least one step in the expanded posture.
US09657448B2	Bridge maintenance vehicle with hinge-connected type hanging bracket and capable of avoiding bridge-side obstacles A bridge maintenance vehicle with a hinge-connected hanging bracket for avoiding bridge-side obstacles comprises an unwheeling and a suspension arm. The unwheeling comprises a vehicle frame chassis. The suspension arm is a C-shaped hanging bracket. The vehicle frame chassis is connected to a lower end of a strut in a hinged manner through a longitudinal shaft hinge and a longitudinal shaft. A protruding end of a lower cross beam of the C-shaped hanging bracket is provided with at least a fixing point for a lifting rope or a lifting rope winding/unwinding device. A vehicle frame stringer is fixed at an upper end of the strut. A hanging bracket longitudinal beam is fixed at an upper end of a vertical rod of the C-shaped hanging bracket. The hanging bracket longitudinal beam and the vehicle frame stringer are movably connected with each other into a whole through at least two cross beams.
US09657442B2	Aqueous glyoxyl-based insolubilizer composition for the surface treatment of paper and cardboard The invention relates to an aqueous insolubilizer composition intended for the surface treatment of paper and cardboard, comprising a mixture composed of glyoxal and of at least one alkali metal orthophosphate, and also its use.
US09657439B2	Method for producing a strand or cable A method for producing a strand or cable, in which fibers and/or wires are twisted at a twisting point to form the strand or cable. The fibers and/or wires are coated with a liquefied matrix material before and/or at the twisting point and are embedded in the matrix material during twisting. The fibers and/or wires are immersed in the matrix material before and/or at the twisting point and the formed strand or the formed cable is cooled after the twisting in order for the matrix material to solidify, preferably by air or in a cooling liquid, for example water.
US09657437B2	Fibers sized with polyethereketoneketones Fibers sized with a coating of amorphous polyetherketoneketone are useful in the preparation of reinforced polymers having improved properties, wherein the amorphous polyetherketoneketone can improve the compatibility of the fibers with the polymeric matrix.
US09657433B2	Dryer and controlling method thereof The present invention relates to a dryer and a controlling method of a dryer, which can sense whether there is a malfunction or can precisely sense a drying rate of laundry. A dryer comprising a drum that laundry is stored in and a heater that supplies hot air to the drum, the dryer includes a sensing circuit that outputs a pulse signal based on contact with the laundry; and a micom that controls the dryer, wherein the micom determines a drying rate of the laundry or whether there is a malfunction in the dryer based on the pulse signal outputted from the sensing circuit.
US09657430B2	Condensing type clothes dryer having a heat pump cycle and a method for controlling a condensing type clothes dryer having a heat pump cycle A condensing type clothes dryer having a heat pump cycle is provided that may include a drum in which an object to be dried may be accommodated; a circulation duct that forms a circulation passage such that air may circulate via the drum; and a heat pump cycle. The heat pump cycle may include a plurality of evaporators provided adjacent to each other in the circulation duct; a condenser provided at a downstream side of the plurality of evaporators and spaced therefrom, that absorbs heat of air discharged from the drum through the plurality of evaporators, and transfers the heat to air introduced into the drum through the condenser, using an operation fluid, which may circulate via the plurality of evaporators and the condenser; a plurality of divergence pipes that form a divergence passage, such that the operation fluid discharged from the condenser may be introduced into each of the plurality of evaporators; a plurality of electronic expansion valves provided at the plurality of divergence pipes, respectively, that opens and closes the plurality of divergence passage; and a controller that controls a flow amount of the operation fluid to be introduced into each of the plurality of evaporators by controlling an open degree of the divergence passage based on a super heat degree of the operation fluid passing through each of the plurality of evaporators.
US09657428B2	Drain pump and washing machine having the same A washing machine includes: a cabinet; a tub; a pump case provided so as to drain washing water; a pump filter that filters foreign substances in washing water and is able to be detached from the pump case; and a pump filter head that is combined with one side of the pump filter and causes the pump filter to rotate, wherein the pump filter head includes: a first head having a first state in which the first head is engaged with one side of the pump case and is combined with the pump case and a second state in which the first head is released from the pump case; and a second head that is positioned at front of the first head and is rotatable separately from the first head in the first state. A user can recognize whether the pump filter is fully fastened to the pump case.
US09657418B2	Sewing machine A needle drive assembly for a sewing machine includes a drive shaft rotatable about a drive shaft axis and a needle drive cam operably connected to the drive shaft and rotatable therewith. A needle drive race is slidably connected to the needle drive cam via a cam pin secured to the needle drive cam and at least partially extending through the needle drive race. A needle is assembly affixed to the needle drive race and includes a needle bar and a needle secured to the needle bar. Rotary motion of the drive shaft and needle drive cam about the drive shaft axis is translated into a needle path via the needle drive race, the needle path including a substantially vertical downstroke from a stroke peak to a stroke depth, a horizontal carry portion from the stroke depth and a curvilinear or linear upstroke from the horizontal carry portion to peak.
US09657416B2	Circular weaving machine A circular weaving machine has warp-tape guide elements arranged around a circular reed to supply a multiplicity of warp tapes. Weaving-shed forming devices group the fed warp tapes into two warp-tape groups and impart thereon mutually opposed alternating movements, with the result that a weaving shed is opened and closed between the two warp-tape groups. A weaving shuttle moves on an orbit in the opened weaving shed and, in the process, introduces a weft tape from a weft-tape bobbin carried thereby into the weaving shed, with the result that a fabric is formed. The fabric is drawn off through a weaving ring. The weaving shuttle keeps the bobbin axis of the weft-tape bobbin at an angular position which deviates by at most +/−15°, preferably at most +/−10°, from a normal to a surface which contains the geometric connecting lines between the warp-tape guide elements and the weaving ring.
US09657414B2	Method and device for operating a drawing line or drawing unit A method and device for operating a drawing line or drawing unit for drawing cables from polymer threads using a plurality of driven drawing rollers. According to the invention, each drawing roller is controlled to a prescribed motion value. To this end, each drawing roller is associated with a separately controllable drive device.
US09657410B2	Method for producing Ga2O3 based crystal film A Ga2O3 crystal film is epitaxially grown on a Ga2O3 crystal substrate using an MBE method, while controlling the n-type conductivity with high accuracy. Provided is a method for producing a Ga2O3 crystal film, wherein a conductive Ga2O3 crystal film is formed by epitaxial growth using an MBE method. This method for producing a Ga2O3 crystal film comprises a step wherein a Ga2O3 single crystal film containing Sn is grown by producing a Ga vapor and an Sn vapor and supplying the Ga vapor and the Sn vapor to the surface of a Ga2O3 crystal substrate as molecular beams. The Sn vapor is produced by heating Sn oxide that is filled in a cell of an MBE apparatus.
US09657408B2	Apparatus for manufacturing ingot Disclosed is an ingot manufacturing apparatus that includes: an inner wall which has a growth zone where an ingot IG grows from molten silicon; a crucible which surrounds the inner wall; and a heat reflector which is formed convexly toward an interface between a surface of the molten silicon of the growth zone and the inner wall.
US09657405B2	Removable mask for a turbomachine blade or distributor sector platform A removable mask for a platform or a nozzle sector of a turbine engine blade, the blade or sector configured to be covered in an electrolytic deposit, the mask including a mechanism to engage on the platform and a mechanism to cover outer surfaces of the platform that are not to be covered by the electrolytic deposit.
US09657404B2	Method of forming metallic pattern on polymer substrate A method of forming a metallic pattern on a polymer substrate is provided. A mixture layer is formed on a polymer substrate surface. The mixture layer includes an active carrier medium and nanoparticles dispersed in the active carrier medium. A laser process is performed to treat a portion of the mixture layer to form a conductive pattern on the surface of the polymer substrate. A cleaning process is performed to remove an untreated portion of the mixture layer to expose the surface of the polymer substrate, while the conductive pattern is remained on the surface of the polymer substrate. Then, the conductive pattern on the polymer substrate is subjected to an electroplating process to form the metallic pattern over the conductive pattern on the polymer substrate.
US09657398B2	Corrosion inhibiting compositions Compositions for inhibiting the corrosion of metals in contact with an aqueous system are provided. The corrosion inhibiting compositions may be used to maintain effective amounts of (1) an amino acid-based polymer, such as a polyaspartic acid compound, and (2) a dispersible and/or soluble tin compound in the aqueous system. The corrosion inhibiting compositions include the amino acid-based polymer and a dispersible and/or soluble tin compound and may optionally include a polycarboxylic acid chelating agent and/or a carboxylate/sulfonate functional copolymer.
US09657389B2	Target for spark vaporization with physical limiting of the propagation of the spark The present invention relates to a target for an ARC source having a first body (3) of a material to be vaporized, which essentially comprises in one plane a surface which is intended to be vaporized, wherein the surface surrounds in this plane a central area, characterized in that in the central area a second body (7) is provided, which is preferably in the form of a disk and is electrically isolated from the first body (3), in such a way that the second body (7) can essentially provide no electrons for maintaining a spark.
US09657382B2	High-strength hot rolled steel sheet A high-strength hot rolled steel sheets with excellent stretch flangeability has small variations in mechanical properties in individual coils. Variations in strength from place to place in a coil are decreased by minimally reducing the Si and Mn contents to suppress the occurrence of problems such as segregation. Further, the microstructure of the steel sheets is configured such that a ferrite phase represents an area ratio of not less than 95%, the ferrite crystal grains have an average grain size of not less than 1 μm, and the ferrite crystal grains contain TiC with an average particle size of not more than 7 nm dispersed in the crystal grains.
US09657379B2	Forging steel This invention provides a forging steel excellent in forgeability, which forging steel comprises, in mass %, C: 0.001 to less than 0.07%, Si: 3.0% or less, Mn: 0.01 to 4.0%, Cr: 5.0% or less, P: 0.2% or less, S: 0.35% or less, Al: 0.0001 to 2.0%, N: 0.03% or less, one or both of Mo: 1.5% or less (including 0%) and Ni: 4.5% or less (including 0%), and a balance of iron and unavoidable impurities; wherein Di given by the following Equation (1) is 60 or greater: Di=5.41×Di(Si)×Di(Mn)×Di(Cr)×Di(Mo)×Di(Ni)×Di(Al) (1)
US09657369B2	Monazite ballast separation and recovery method The invention relates to a separation and recovery method for radioactive waste slag and specifically relates to a separation and recovery method for monazite slag. The separation and recovery method comprises the following steps: acid leaching, pressure filtration, water washing, extraction of valuable components and treatment of filtration slag. The separation and recovery method provided by the invention performs low-acid and low-temperature leaching on monazite slag, so that a liquid phase and a solid phase are easy to separate; after an ore dressing process is adopted for performing ore dressing and alkali decomposition on secondary slag, closed-loop circulation and recovery of uranium, thorium and rare earth is realized; and simultaneously, extraction raffinate waste acid is recycled, so that the emission of waste water is reduced, the consumption of sulfuric acid and fresh water and the treatment cost of the waste water are reduced, the production cost is reduced, the recovery rate of the valuable elements, namely the uranium, the thorium and the rare earth is more than 97%, and the whole process has no emission of the radioactive waste water and waste slag.
US09657368B2	Metal leach and recovery process The present invention relates to a metal leach and recovery process. The process involves subjecting a metal bearing material to a reactive process by combining said metal bearing material with a leaching agent to liberate at least one metal value and forming a first aqueous leach pulp. This first aqueous leach pulp is subjected to a solid liquid separation step thereby providing a first clarified aqueous leach solution and a second aqueous leach pulp. The first clarified aqueous leach solution is then subjected to solvent extraction thereby obtaining the first aqueous raffinate. The second aqueous leach pulp is subjected to at least two further solid liquid separation steps of which some or all are in a counter current decantation (CCD) arrangement. Each of the solid liquid separation steps of the CCD arrangement results in an aqueous liquor and aqueous suspension of solids wherein each aqueous suspension of solids resulting from each solid liquid separation step of the CCD arrangement is passed to the subsequent solid liquid separation step and the suspension of solids resulting from the final solid liquid separation step is removed from the process. Further, each aqueous liquor resulting from each solid liquid separation step of the CCD arrangement is passed to the previous solid liquid separation step. The further solid liquid separation steps result in at least one further clarified aqueous leach solution. The at least one further clarified aqueous leach solution is/are subjected to solvent extraction thereby obtaining at least one further aqueous raffinate. At least a portion of the one or more of the at least one further aqueous raffinates is fed into the final solid liquid separation is of the CCD arrangement. The process provides a flocculation system comprising either: (i) addition of an organic polymeric flocculant to or prior to at least one solid liquid separation step, which polymeric flocculant is formed from 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulphonic acid (ATBS) or salts thereof as a homopolymer or copolymer with at least one water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer; or (ii) addition of an organic polymeric flocculant and at least one support agent to or prior to at least one solid liquid separation step, which at least one support agent is selected from at least one of the group consisting of oxidizing agents, reducing agents, irradiation and free radical producing agents. The process provides significantly improved metal extraction and recovery.
US09657361B2	Broad detection of dengue virus serotypes Processes for detecting Dengue virus (DENV) nucleic acid in a sample are provided including producing an amplification product by amplifying DENV nucleotide sequence and detection of an amplification by hybridization of a probe or other technique. The processes use primers or probes with introduced mutations and or degenerate bases that provide excellent superiority in detection and serotyping of DENV in a sample.
US09657352B2	Compositions and methods for detecting BV-associated bacterial nucleic acid Disclosed are nucleic acid oligomers, including amplification oligomers, capture probes, and detection probes, for detection of a 16S rRNA or its encoding gene from bacterial species associated with bacterial vaginosis. Also disclosed are methods of specific nucleic acid amplification and detection using the disclosed oligomers, as well as corresponding reaction mixtures and kits.
US09657351B2	MRNA-based gene expression for personalizing patient cancer therapy with an MDM2 antagonist Use of at least an MDM2 gene panel, preferably a four gene MDM2 gene panel, as a biomarker for predicting the response to a MDM2 antagonist.
US09657338B2	Method for immobilizing nucleic acids on a support The present invention relates to a method for immobilizing nucleic acids on a support, comprising the provision of a nucleic acid with a stretch of nucleotides of only one basetype and the immobilization of said nucleic acid on a support by crosslinking by light, wherein said crosslinking by light is performed at a wavelength of about 300-500 nm, preferably at a wavelength of 365 nm. The present invention further relates to a method for the analysis of nucleic acids immobilized according to the invention, which comprises the hybridization of the immobilized nucleic acid with complementary and mismatch segments. Furthermore, the present invention relates to immobilized nucleic acids obtainable by the method of the invention, the use of accordingly immobilized nucleic acids for the production of nucleic acid arrays and a diagnostic kit, comprising an array of nucleic acids which are immobilized according to the present invention.
US09657336B2	Systems and methods for detecting and quantifying a sequence of nucleotides Methods and systems of quantifying a target material in solution include detection of a size change of a hybridized nanoparticle. In particular, the examples include functionalizing a plurality of nanoparticles to adapt the nanoparticles to hybridize with a species-specific target material, measuring the size of the functionalized nanoparticles to predetermine a standard distribution of non-hybridized nanoparticles, introducing the functionalized nanoparticles in a solution containing species-specific target materials and/or non-target materials, and hybridizing the functionalized nanoparticles with the species-specific target material if present in the solution. The size of the nanoparticles in solution are then measured after hybridization, and the presence or non-presence of the species-specific target material is detected and/or quantified by comparing the measured size of the nanoparticles after hybridization to the standard distribution of non-hybridized nanoparticles.
US09657332B2	Probes for improved melt discrimination and multiplexing in nucleic acid assays Methods and compositions for the detection and quantification of nucleic acids are provided. In certain embodiments, methods involve the use of primers or probes that comprise a non-natural nucleotide linked to a reporter. Target nucleic acids are detected by the polymerization of a complementary probe or primer that incorporated a cognate non-natural nucleotide linked to a quencher.
US09657325B2	Glucose dehydrogenase Provided is a flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent glucose dehydrogenase comprising a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence with 78% or more identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3, and having glucose dehydrogenase activity.
US09657313B2	Isoprene oligomer, polyisoprene, processes for producing these materials, rubber composition, and pneumatic tire The invention relates to an isoprene oligomer that contains a trans structural moiety and a cis structural moiety, which can be represented by the following formula (1), wherein at least 1 atom or group in the trans structural moiety is replaced by another atom or group. The invention also relates to a polyisoprene, which is biosynthesized using the isoprene oligomer and isopentenyl diphosphate. Further, this invention provides a rubber composition comprising the isoprene oligomer and/or the polyisoprene, and a pneumatic tire, including tire components (e.g., treads and sidewalls) formed from the rubber composition. wherein n represents an integer from 1 to 10; m represents an integer from 1 to 30; and Y represents a hydroxy group, a formyl group, a carboxy group, an ester group, a carbonyl group, or a group represented by the following formula (2):
US09657312B2	Replication competent pseudo-type retrovirus vector system The present invention provides a vector system in which a MuLV-Gag gene, a MuLV-Pol gene, and a GaLV-Env gene are expressed in two separate vectors. The vector system is capable of inserting a therapeutic gene to these two separate vectors, and in this raged, the size of an inserted gene is not limited and a variety of foreign therapeutic genes may be inserted to the vectors. Accordingly, the foreign therapeutic gene may be delivered in a safe and efficient manner to desired tissue of cells of aberrant proliferation. Therefore, the vector system is applicable in a composition for delivering a gene targeting the aberrantly dividing cells of aberrant proliferation, wherein the composition includes a retrovirus produced by cell line transfection. The vector system is also applicable in a composition for preventing or treating a disease caused by cells of aberrant proliferation of, such as cancer cells.
US09657310B2	Expression vector Disclosed are a novel expression vector for efficient expression of recombinant proteins in mammalian cells, a mammalian cell transformed with the vector, and a method for production of the mammalian cell. The expression vector is an expression vector for expression of a mammalian protein and includes a gene expression regulatory site, and a gene encoding the protein downstream thereof, and an internal ribosome entry site further downstream thereof, and a gene encoding a glutamine synthetase further downstream thereof, and a dihydrofolate reductase gene downstream of either the same gene expression regulatory site or another gene expression regulatory site in addition to the former.
US09657309B2	Recombination system The present invention relates to a method for carrying out recombination at a target locus.
US09657300B2	Polynucleotides having leader sequence function The present invention relates to isolated polynucleotides having leader sequence function. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods using the polynucleotides for production of polypeptides.
US09657298B2	Recombinant nitrogen-fixing bacterial strain, inoculum containing the same and application methods Recombinant bacterial strains comprising heterologous nif genes in its genome, and capable of fixing nitrogen. The strain may be, for example, a recombinant Pseudomonas fluorescens strain comprising heterologous nif genes in its genome. An inoculum and a method for increasing plant productivity are further described.
US09657278B2	Methods to produce bunyavirus replicon particles The invention relates to methods of producing infectious bunyavirus replicon particles. These bunyavirus replicon particles are safe and can be used outside a biosafety containment. The invention further relates to recombinant bunyavirus replicon particles and uses of these recombinant bunyavirus replicon particles.
US09657277B2	Bacteriophage and antibacterial composition comprising the same Provided is a novel bacteriophage ΦCJ19 (KCCM11361P). In addition, the present invention relates to an antibacterial composition including the bacteriophage ΦCJ19 (KCCM11361P) as an active ingredient. Further, the present invention is a method of preventing and/or treating infectious diseases by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in animals except for humans using the bacteriophage ΦCJ19 (KCCM11361P) or the antibacterial composition containing the bacteriophage ΦCJ19 (KCCM11361P) as an active ingredient.
US09657270B2	Human disc tissue This invention provides disc stem cells, processes for obtaining and culturing disc stem cells, and methods for repairing damaged or diseased disc tissue comprising the use of the disc stem cells of the invention.
US09657262B2	Fermentation apparatus that uses biomass as feedstock An apparatus for treating a biomass feedstock at a high temperature, includes a cooling device 90 for cooling a biomass treated liquid at a high temperature; an enzymatic saccharification tank 103 for saccharifying a cooled treated liquid 101B with an enzyme; a solid-liquid separation apparatus 112 for removing water-slightly soluble substances contained in a saccharide solution 104 taken out from the enzymatic saccharification tank 103 and a foreign substance removing unit 113 provided with a microfiltration (MF) membrane 113a; a dilution tank 132, disposed downstream of the foreign substance removing unit 113, for diluting the saccharide solution from which the water-slightly soluble substances are removed by adding water thereto; a water separation unit 116, provided with a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane 116a, for removing water 114 from the diluted saccharide solution so as to obtain concentrated saccharide solution 115.
US09657261B2	Systems, methods, and devices relating to a biomimetic cellularized nephron unit Disclosed herein are systems and devices for culturing cells in a biomimetic environment of a cellularized nephron unit, and methods for fabricating and using the cellularized nephron unit.
US09657257B2	Colorant neutralizer A composition for a medium that can discharges organic unsaturated colorant molecules that may stain is described. The composition can quickly and effectively neutralize a discoloration that results from, in particular, blood or blood-based, ink, or grease stains. The composition can remove the stain within, typically about 20-30 minutes, and can achieve color contrast of a ΔE value of about 15-20 or greater. The composition can be adapted for different uses and embodied in various cleaning, stain-fighting, cosmetic, personal hygiene, or medical products.
US09657256B2	Environmentally safe porcelain cleaning formulation, method and kit A cleaning composition for porcelain comprises abrasive material and a carrier, wherein the carrier is water-based. The abrasive material comprises pumice with a particle size distribution such that at least 35 percent of the particles fall are 250 to 750 microns and wherein the carrier comprises a biodegradable gum in an amount sufficient to act as a thickener and suspending agent for the pumice. The cleaning composition further comprises glycerin and further comprises between 30% and 60% by weight pumice. The cleaning composition further comprises between 0.8% and 2.5% biodegradable gum and a thickener selected from one or more members of the group consisting of guar gum, locust bean gum, tara gum, xanthan, carrageenan, gellan gum and vegetable gum.
US09657253B2	Tricresyl phosphate-free oil, lubricant or turbine oil The present invention relates to a tricresyl phosphate-free oil which can be used as lubricant or hydraulic oil. The oil is distinguished by extremely low human toxicity. In particular, the oil is suitable as turbine oil, i.e. as lubricant oil in aircraft turbines, with which, in the case of a fume event, symptoms of the aerotoxic syndrome in aircraft passengers can be prevented. In addition, the present invention relates to the corresponding use of the turbine oil according to the invention for the prophylaxis of the aerotoxic syndrome in the case of a fume event. In addition, the invention describes a turbine which contains a corresponding turbine oil as lubricant. Furthermore, the method for operating a turbine is indicated.
US09657250B2	Modified alkyl-phenol-aldehyde resins, use thereof as additives for improving the properties of liquid hydrocarbon fuels in cold conditions Modified alkylphenol-aldehyde resins include one or more alkylamines, having preferably at least one primary amine type group as well as their use for improving the flow properties of motor fuels and hydrocarbon fuels, such as in particular jet fuel, gas oil, fuel oil domestic, heavy fuel oil.
US09657248B1	Systems, devices, compositions, and/or methods for de-sulphurizing acid gases Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, reacting reactants comprising a ferric/ferrous chelate and a sour gas stream.
US09657246B2	Process for natural gas liquefaction A natural gas liquefaction process suited for offshore liquefaction of natural gas produced in association with oil production is described.
US09657236B2	Process for hydrotreating heavy raw oils The present invention relates to a catalyst combination for hydrotreating raw oils and a process for hydrotreating raw oils with the catalyst combination. The catalyst combination comprises one or both of at least one hydrogenation protection catalyst I and at least one hydrogenation demetalling catalyst I; at least one hydrogenation demetalling catalyst II; and at least one hydrogenation treatment catalyst III.
US09657229B2	Liquid crystal compound having difluoromethyleneoxy, liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display device To provide a liquid crystal compound satisfying at least one of physical properties such as high stability to light, a high clearing point, a low minimum temperature of a liquid crystal phase, small viscosity, suitable optical anisotropy, large dielectric anisotropy, a large dielectric constant in a minor axis direction, a suitable elastic constant and excellent compatibility; a liquid crystal composition containing the compound; and a liquid crystal display device including the composition.The compound is represented by formula (1). For example, R1 is alkyl having 1 to 15 carbons, ring A1 to ring A4 are 1,4-cyclohexylene or 1,4-phenylene, Z1 to Z4 are a single bond, —(CH2)2—, —COO— or —CH2O—, X1 is halogen, —C≡N, —CF3 or —OCF3, L1 and L2 are hydrogen or fluorine, Y1 and Y2 are fluorine; a, b, c and d each are 0 or 1, and a sum thereof is 1 or 2.
US09657223B2	Method of stabilizing alpha-sialon phosphor raw powder, alpha-sialon phosphor composition obtained therefrom, and method of manufacturing alpha-sialon phosphor Disclosed herein is a method of stabilizing alpha-sialon phosphor, including the steps of: mixing raw powder including Si3N4, AlN, a rare-earth metal oxide and calcium nitride (Ca3N2) as a calcium source; heat-treating the raw powder to convert the calcium source into Ca—Al—Si—N based compound comprising CaAlSiN3 or CaAl2Si4N8; and sintering the heat-treated raw powder thereby forming alpha-sialon phosphor. This method is advantageous in that a reliable alpha-sialon phosphor having high photoluminescence intensity can be manufactured regardless of weather, season, environment and the like.
US09657220B2	Scintillating material composition to provide high light output Embodiments of the subject invention relate to high efficiency plastic scintillators that emit intense light when exposed to ionizing radiation. Specific embodiments of the subject invention pertain to material compositions for providing high-intensity, scintillation light output in the presence of ions, which can be used for making scintillators more sensitive to the presence of ionizing radiation.
US09657217B2	Gellable treatment fluids comprising amino group gel-time modifiers Gellable treatment fluids comprising: an aqueous base fluid; a base polymer comprising an acrylamide monomer unit; an organic crosslinking agent comprising a crosslinkable polymer; and a gel-time modifier. The organic crosslinking agent comprising a crosslinkable selected from the group consisting of polyethyleneimine, polyvinylamine, any derivative thereof, any salt thereof, and any combination thereof. The gel-time modifier comprising at least one amino group, any salt thereof, any derivative thereof, or any combination thereof.
US09657190B2	Seeding composition with color and foaming indicators A composition for coating seeds and related methods of manufacture are provided; and the composition comprises: at least one foaming agent and at least one color indicator.
US09657183B2	Multifunctional coated powders and high solids dispersions A coated powder comprises (a) nanoparticles, and (b) a coating, on the surface of the nanoparticles. The coating comprises (1) silica moieties, (2) organo oxysilane moieties selected from the group consisting of mono-organo oxysilane moieties, bi-organo oxysilane moieties and tri-organo oxysilane moieties, and (3) poly(dialkyl)siloxane moieties.
US09657178B2	Anti-reflective coating composition comprising siloxane compound, and anti-reflective film using same The present invention relates to an anti-reflective coating composition, to an anti-reflective film using the same, and to a method for manufacturing the anti-reflective film, wherein the anti-reflective coating composition can form a coating layer having a low refractive index. More particularly, the present invention relates to an anti-reflective film and to a method for manufacturing same, wherein the reflectance of the anti-reflective film is minimized by using an anti-reflective coating composition comprising a siloxane compound prepared by reacting organosilane, which has a fluoroalkyl group and alkoxy silane, as a binder to form a coating layer. The anti-reflective film using the anti-reflective coating composition has excellent anti-reflective effects. Thus, it is expected that the present invention can be applied to various display devices such as those which include touch films.
US09657176B2	C.I. pigment yellow 74 (insoluble AZO pigment), and coloring composition using same A C.I. Pigment Yellow 74 as an insoluble azo pigment is provided. This C.I. Pigment Yellow 74 is crystalline particles. The ratio (26.6°/11.7°) of a diffraction intensity of a peak at 26.6° to a diffraction intensity of a peak at 11.7° in terms of Bragg angle (2θ±0.2°) as measured by powder X-ray diffraction using CuK α-radiation is 0.85 to 1.12, and the average primary particle size is 20 to 130 nm. The use of this C.I. Pigment Yellow 74 as a colorant in a coloring composition enables to provide the coloring composition with excellent dispersibility and good particle size stability and storage stability compared with conventional pigments. The use of this coloring composition enables the formation (recording) of images having excellent clarity and transparency of such high levels that have not been achievable by conventional technologies.
US09657171B2	Flame retardant composition A flame retardant composition contains the flame retardant described in Claim 1, aromatic polyester, a styrene polymer, rubber having a siloxane bond, and a fluorine compound.
US09657170B2	Strapping and methods of making the same An article includes about 85.5 wt % to about 99.85 wt % of a polyester, and about 0.15 wt % to about 4.5 wt % of a polyolefin co-polymer, where the polyolefin co-polymer is polymerized from monomers including about 10 wt % to about 90 wt % of propylene or one or more (meth)acrylates, and about 10 wt % to about 90 wt % of an olefin other than propylene or a (meth)acrylate, where the article is a strapping article.
US09657169B2	Graft copolymer, thermoplastic resin composition, and molded article of said resin composition This graft copolymer is obtainable by polymerization of a vinyl-based monomer mixture (m1) including an aromatic vinyl compound and a vinyl cyanide compound, in the presence of: an ethylene.α-olefin copolymer (A) which has a mass average molecular weight (Mw) of 17×104 to 35×104 and a distribution of molecular weight (Mw/Mn) of 1 to 3; or a cross-linked ethylene.α-olefin copolymer (C) obtainable by cross-linking treatment of the ethylene.α-olefin copolymer (A).
US09657166B2	Polymeric compositions and processes for molding articles The present invention is directed to a polymeric article comprising a blend of (a) a first polymeric component; (b) a second polymeric component the second polymeric component including an α-olefin multilock interpolymer present in the amount of about 20 percent or less by weight of the second polymeric component; and (c) at least one reinforcement material; wherein the concentration of the second polymeric component is greater than about 20 wt. % based on the total concentration of the first polymeric component and the second polymeric component. The polymeric articles desirably have one or more of the following characteristics: a soft touch feel, a low gloss appearance, or a high surface durability.
US09657165B2	Polypropylene resin composition and molded article A polypropylene resin composition affords a molded article good in rigidity, impact resistance, and tensile elongation at break. This composition contains 75-98 wt % of a propylene-based material (A) and 2-25 wt % of a propylene-ethylene random copolymer (B). Material (A) contains 50-100 wt % of a polymeric material (A-1) produced by multistage polymerization and composed of a propylene homopolymer component (i) and a propylene-ethylene random copolymer component (ii), and 0-50 wt % of a propylene homopolymer (A-2). The content of (i) in material (A-1) is 55-90 wt %, and the content of (ii) is 10-45 wt %, (ii) in material (A-1) contains >40 wt % but ≦80 wt % of ethylene units and ≧20 wt % but <60 wt % of propylene units, and the content of (ii) in material (A) is 5-35 wt %. Copolymer (B) contains 88-95 wt % of propylene units and 5-12 wt % of ethylene units and has an MFR of 0.5-10 g/10 minutes measured at 230° C. and a load of 2.16 kgf.
US09657159B2	Polyamide resin composition The present invention relates to a polyamide resin composition comprising polyamide (X) comprising a diamine unit containing 70 mol % or more of a metaxylylenediamine unit and a dicarboxylic acid unit and an alkali compound (A), wherein the following equations (1) to (4) are satisfied: 10≦([COOH]—[NH2])≦80 (1) 0.32≦P<6.46 (2) 0.50≦M<17.00 (3) 2≦M/P≦3 (4) wherein [COOH] represents a concentration (μeq/g) of a terminal carboxyl group in the polyamide (X); [NH2] represents a concentration (μeq/g) of a terminal amino group in the polyamide (X); P represents a mole concentration (μmol/g) of a phosphorus atom contained per g of the polyamide resin composition; and M represents a sum (μmol/g) of values obtained by multiplying a mole concentration of an alkali metal atom and a mole concentration of an alkaline earth metal atom each contained per g of the polyamide resin composition by valencies thereof respectively.
US09657155B2	Containers and materials with improved punctureability The present description includes containers having an improved puncture design that can be punctured without substantial deformation of the container. Such containers are particularly suitable for use in preparing beverages using automatic machines, particularly those used for preparation of single serve beverages. Also provided are thermoplastic materials having improved punctureability for use in containers, containers for preparation of a beverage, and methods for preparing a beverage using such containers.
US09657146B2	Methods for treating lignocellulosic materials The present invention relates to methods of processing lignocellulosic material to obtain hemicellulose sugars, cellulose sugars, lignin, cellulose and other high-value products such as asphalt and bio oils. Also provided are hemicellulose sugars, cellulose sugars, lignin, cellulose, and other high-value products such as asphalt and bio oils.
US09657142B2	Polyarylene sulfide resin and manufacturing method therefor, poly(arylene sulfonium salt) and manufacturing method therefor, and sulfoxide The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a polyarylene sulfide resin comprising: reacting a sulfoxide represented by the following formula (1) with a particular aromatic compound to obtain a poly(arylenesulfonium salt) having a particular constitutional unit; and dealkylating or dearylating the poly(arylenesulfonium salt) to obtain a polyarylene sulfide resin having a particular constitutional unit, wherein R1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, etc.; Ar1 and Ar2 each independently represent an arylene group optionally having a substituent; and Z represents a direct bond, etc.
US09657121B2	Rubber composition for tire, tire member, method for producing biomass-derived rubber, and pneumatic tire The present invention provides rubber compositions for tires capable of providing tire components and pneumatic tires having low-temperature properties and abrasion resistance that are equivalent to those of tire components and pneumatic tires formed from conventional synthetic rubber, respectively, while meeting the demand for a sound material-cycle society. The present invention relates to rubber compositions for tires containing a biomass-derived rubber obtained by polymerizing a biomass-derived monomer component, the biomass-derived rubber having a pMC (percent modern carbon) value of 1% or greater as determined in conformity with ASTM D6866-10, and having a Tg (glass transition temperature) value of −120° C. to −80° C.
US09657114B2	Electrically chargeable encapsulated particles Methods of encapsulating particles (260) in polymer (280, 382, 384) and compositions of matter using such encapsulated particles (260). Methods include mixing particles (260) of one or more materials with one or more initial radical polymerizable monomers (265) and one or more initial charge-generating components (270) to form a first suspension of monomer-wetted particles (260/265/270), mixing the first suspension with an aqueous dispersant medium (275) to form a second suspension, adding one or more initial reaction initiators to at least one of the first suspension and the second suspension, subjecting the second suspension to homogenization sufficient to form a stable submicron emulsion having an aqueous continuous phase (275), and reacting available radical polymerizable monomers (265) of the emulsion to encapsulate the particles (260) in one or more layers of polymer (280, 382, 384) and to incorporate ionic species from available charge-generating components (270).
US09657111B2	Humanized monoclonal antibodies against activated protein C and uses thereof Provided are humanized antibodies that selectively bind to and inhibit activated protein C without binding to or inhibiting unactivated protein C. Methods of treatment employing these antibodies are described herein.
US09657108B2	Dosage and administration of anti-EGFR therapeutics Methods for optimizing a therapeutic response in a patient (e.g., a cancer patient) to an anti-EGFR therapy, and methods for preventing or ameliorating infusion reactions in a patient receiving an anti-EGFR therapy are disclosed.
US09657103B2	Methods of treating and preventing Staphylococcus aureus infections and associated conditions The present invention relates to methods of treating and preventing Staphylococcus aureus infection and/or a condition resulting from a S. aureus infection a subject that involves administering a CD11b inhibitor. The present invention further relates to a non-human transgenic animal expressing human CD11b and its use in methods of identifying novel therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infection and/or a condition resulting from a S. aureus infection.
US09657101B2	FC mutants The present invention provides reagents, methods and systems for predicting the inhibitory activity of an antibody or variant thereof comprising: determining a binding affinity of the antibody or variant thereof to a Fc activating receptor; determining a binding affinity of the antibody or variant thereof to a Fc inhibitory receptor, and calculating the ratio of said activating binding affinity to said inhibitory binding affinity (A/I ratio), wherein the magnitude of said ratio is less than one (1).
US09657091B2	Humanized tau antibody The present invention provides methods and compositions for the therapeutic and diagnostic use in the treatment of diseases and disorders which are caused by or associated with neurofibrillary tangles. In particular, the invention relates to humanized antibodies, which specifically recognize and bind to phosphorylated pathological protein tau-conformers to methods and compositions involving said antibodies for the therapeutic and diagnostic use in the treatment of tauopathies including Alzheimer's Disease (AD).
US09657086B2	Whole egg protein peptides, preparation method and use thereof Provided are whole egg protein peptides and the preparation method thereof, wherein the whole egg protein peptides are obtained by adopting compound proteases composed of pawpaw protease, fig protease and pineapple protease to enzymatically hydrolyze the whole egg protein powder. The whole egg protein peptides can be used for manufacture of products for enhancing immunity.
US09657083B2	Composition comprising a mixture of CD95-Fc isoforms The present invention relates to a composition comprising a mixture of fusion protein isoforms, each fusion protein comprising an extracellular CD95 domain or a functional fragment thereof or an Fc domain or functional fragment thereof, formulations providing such composition in a stable form as well as a method for producing such a composition.
US09657082B2	PD-L1 and PD-L2-based fusion proteins and uses thereof Provided are fusion proteins comprising a first domain and a second domain, wherein the first domain comprises a polypeptide that binds to and triggers PD-1 and the second domain comprises a polypeptide that binds to and triggers a TRAIL receptor or Fas. In some embodiments, the polypeptide that binds to and triggers PD-1 comprises at least a portion of the extracellular domain of PD-L1 or PD-L2 and the second domain comprises at least a portion of the extracellular domain of TRAIL or Fas ligand. Also provided are methods for treating autoimmune, alloimmune or inflammatory diseases, and methods for treating cancer, using the fusion proteins.
US09657079B2	Truncated GLP-1 derivatives and their therapeutical use The invention relates to truncated GLP-1 analogs, in particular a GLP-1 analog which is a modified GLP-1(7-35) (SEQ ID No 1) having: i) a total of 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8, or 9 amino acid substitutions as compared to GLP-1(7-35), including a) a Glu residue at a position equivalent to position 22 of GLP-1(7-35), and b) an Arg residue at a position equivalent to position 26 of GLP-1(7-35); as well as derivatives thereof, and therapeutic uses and compositions. These analogs and derivatives are highly potent, have a good binding affinity to the GLP-1 receptor, also to the extracellular domain of the GLP-1 receptor, which is of potential relevance achieving long-acting, stable GLP-1 compounds with a potential for once weekly administration.
US09657071B2	IgE peptide vaccine It is intended to provide an IgE peptide vaccine that can be used in the prevention or treatment of allergic diseases in animals other than mice, such as humans or dogs. The present invention provides a peptide consisting of (i) the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 28, or (ii) an amino acid sequence consisting of at least 10 consecutive amino acids in the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 28, wherein the peptide, when administered to an animal, is capable of specifically binding to a CH3 region in an IgE antibody of the animal and thereby blocking the binding of the IgE antibody to an IgE receptor.
US09657053B2	Modulators of retinoid-related orphan receptor gamma Methods for modulating (inhibiting or stimulating) retinoid-related orphan receptor γ (RORγ) activity. This modulation has numerous effects, including inhibition of TH-17 cell function and/or TH-17 cell activity, and inhibition of re-stimulation of TH-17 cells, which are beneficial to treatment of inflammation and autoimmune disorders. Stimulation of RORγ results in stimulation of TH-17 cell function and/or activity which is beneficial for immune-enhancing compositions (e.g., vaccines).
US09657048B2	Enantiomers of the 1′,6′-isomer of neplanocin A Enantiomers of 1′,6′-isoneplanocin, including derivatives of the enantiomers of 1′,6′-isoneplanocin, are disclosed along with novel synthetic methods. In particular, a substituted cyclopentane epoxide is synthesized into the enantiomers of 1′,6′-isoneplanocin. Enantiomers of carbocyclic nucleoside analogs of 3-deazaneplanocin to provide D- and L-like 1′,6′-iso-3-deazaneplanocin are also disclosed. The small molecule chemotherapeutic compounds beneficially provide DNA and RNA antiviral activity, demonstrating activity towards, for example, human cytomegalovirus, measles, Ebola, norovirus, dengue, vaccinia and HBV. Compounds exhibiting reduced S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase inhibitory effects are disclosed and provide improved toxicity profiles in comparison to neplanocin. The invention provides improved prophylactic and/or therapeutic antiviral efficacy.
US09657042B2	Silane compounds and use of same for functionalizing solid supports and immobilizing biological molecules on these supports The invention relates to novel silane compounds corresponding to the formula (I) below: A-E-X (I) in which: X represents a silyl group capable of creating a covalent bond after reaction with the hydroxyl or hydride functional groups of a support; E represents an organic spacer group; A represents a group chosen from the groups of formulae below: in which: Z1 to Z5 independently represent a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom; Z6 and Z7 represent a group for protecting the phosphonic acid functional group, a hydrogen atom or a monovalent cation; Z8 to Z12 independently represent a group for protecting the carboxylic acid functional group, a hydrogen atom or a monovalent cation; and Z13 represents an imidazole, N-hydroxysuccinimide, nitrophenyl, pentafluorophenyl or acid anhydride group. Use of these silane compounds for functionalizing solid supports and for immobilizing biological molecules on these supports.
US09657033B2	Tetrahydronaphthyridine and related bicyclic compounds for inhibition of RORγ activity and the treatment of disease The invention provides tetrahydronaphthyridine and related compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, methods of inhibiting RORγ activity, reducing the amount of IL-17 in a subject, and treating immune disorders and inflammatory disorders using such tetrahydronaphthyridine and related compounds.
US09657032B2	Phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor with a zinc binding moiety The invention provides a compound of Formula I, Pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds and the use of such compounds in the treatment of phosphoinositide 3-kinase related diseases and disorders such as cancer. The instant application further relates to the the treatment of histone deacetylase related disorders and diseases related to both histone deacetylase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase.
US09657029B2	Method of preparing oxymorphone The invention relates to an improved method of preparing oxymorphone or a salt thereof from oripavine. In particular, the invention relates to a method of preparing oxymorphone with a content of alpha-beta-unsaturated ketones (ABUK)<10 ppm, wherein the content of 8,14-dihydroxydihydromorphinone in the prepared oxymorphone is >10 ppm.
US09657027B2	Processes for making hydrocodone, hydromorphone and their derivatives Improved processes for making hydrocodone and hydromorphone as well as their 8,14-dihydrothebaine and 8,14-dihydrooripavine derivatives and salts are disclosed.
US09657013B2	Inhibitors of hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA formation and their method of use Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention comprise covalently closed circular DNA formation inhibitors having a disease-modifying action in the treatment of diseases associated with the formation of covalently closed circular DNA that include hepatitis B infection, and any disease involving formation of covalently closed circular DNA.
US09657012B2	FAAH inhibitors The present disclosure relates to compounds useful as inhibitors of the enzyme Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH). The disclosure also provides pharmaceutically acceptable compositions comprising the compounds of the disclosure and methods of using the compositions in the treatment or prevention of various disorders. Compounds of the invention are described in Table 1.
US09657011B2	Chemical process The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of umeclidinium bromide, and to processes for preparing intermediates used in the preparation of umeclidinium bromide.
US09657007B2	Substituted aminopyrimidine compounds and methods of use The invention relates to the preparation and use of new aminopyrimidine derivatives as drug candidates in free form or in pharmaceutically acceptable salt form and formulations thereof for the modulation of a disorder or disease which is mediated by the activity of the PI3K enzymes. The invention also provides pharmaceutically acceptable compositions comprising such compounds and methods of using the compositions in the treatment of disorders or diseases, such as disorders of immunity and inflammation in which PI3K enzymes play a role in leukocyte function, and hyperproliferative disorders associated with PI3K activity, including but not restricted to leukemias and solid tumors, in mammals, especially humans.
US09657006B2	Macrocyclic factor VIIa inhibitors The present invention provides compounds of Formula (I) as defined in the specification and compositions comprising any of such novel compounds. These compounds are Factor VIIa inhibitors which may be used as medicaments.
US09657005B2	Substituted 3-(5-membered unsaturated heterocyclyl-1, 3-dihydro-indol-2-one's and derivatives thereof as kinase inhibitors The present invention relates to organic molecules capable of modulating tyrosine kinase signal transduction in order to regulate, modulate and/or inhibit abnormal cell proliferation.
US09656998B2	Intermediates for preparing triazole agonists of the APJ receptor Compounds of Formula V, salts thereof, tautomers thereof, and salts of the tautomers are useful intermediates in the synthesis of agonists of the APJ Receptor. Compounds of Formula V have the following structure: where the definitions of the variables are provided herein.
US09656994B2	Substituted benzimidazoles as nociceptin receptor modulators The invention provides modulators of the nociceptin receptor (NOP), including both agonists and antagonists. A compound of the invention can be a selective modulator of NOP with respect to the μ- and κ-opioid receptors (MOP and KOP), thus providing a therapeutic method for the treatment of conditions wherein selective NOP modulation is medically indicated and MOP or KOP modulation may be less desirable. A compound of the invention can be a NOP full agonist, partial agonist, inverse agonist, positive or negative allosteric modulator, or a functionally biased agonist. A compound of the invention can be used for the treatment of an anxiety state, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictive disorders (including overuse of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs of abuse such as cocaine, amphetamines, and opitates), misregulated food intake and/or energy expenditure, cough, sleep disorders, migraine, pain, depression, or neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinsons disease or Alzheimers disease.
US09656987B2	Process for preparing 3-[(S)-7-bromo-2-((2-oxopropyl)amino)-5-pyridin-2-yl-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl]Propionic acid methyl ester A process for preparing 3-[(S)-7-bromo-2-(2-oxo-propylamino)-5-pyridin-2-yl-3H-1,4,-benzodiazepin-3-yl]propionic acid methyl ester at a high conversion rate with good reproducibility by oxidizing 3-[(S)-7-bromo-2-(2-hydroxy-propylamino)-5-pyridin-2-yl-3H-benzo[e][1,4]diazepin-3-yl]propionic acid methyl ester in the presence of an oxidation catalyst is provided by defining the ammonium ion content of 3-[(S)-7-bromo-2-(2-hydroxy-propylamino)-5-pyridin-2-yl-3H-benzo[e][1,4]diazepin-3-yl]propionic acid methyl ester.
US09656983B2	Process for starting up a gas phase oxidation reactor A process for preparing carboxylic acids and/or carboxylic anhydrides by gas phase oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons, in which a gas stream comprising at least one aromatic hydrocarbon and molecular oxygen is passed continuously over a catalyst thermostatted by a heat carrier medium, which comprises keeping the temperature of the heat carrier medium constant during the startup of the reactor for at least 24 hours, during which neither the loading of the gas stream with hydrocarbons nor the gas stream volume is increased by more than 3%.
US09656982B2	Acid dianhydride, method for preparing same, and polyimide prepared therefrom The present invention relates to a novel acid dianhydride, a method for preparing the same, and a polyimide prepared therefrom. More specifically, the acid dianhydride according to the present invention is useful as a colorless transparent polyimide unit exhibiting excellent thermal stability and a low dielectric ratio, and the polyimide of the present invention has excellent solubility to an organic solvent compared with the conventional polyimide.
US09656976B2	Mediator for test sensor A method of forming a 3-phenylimino-3H-phenothiazine or a 3-phenylimino-3H-phenoxazine mediator includes providing a first reactant including phenothiazine or phenoxazine, providing a first solvent, providing a second reactant and providing a second solvent. The first reactant, first solvent, second reactant and second solvent are combined to form a reactants solution. Sodium persulfate is added to the reactants solution to couple the first and second reactants resulting in a reaction solution including the 3-phenylimino-3H-phenothiazine or the 3-phenylimino-3H-phenoxazine mediator.
US09656975B2	Bicyclo[3.2.1]octyl amide derivatives and uses of same The present invention provides bicyclo[3.2.1]octyl amide derivatives of formula (I): wherein L, R1 and R2 are as defined herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and pharmaceutical compositions and methods using the same.
US09656974B2	Oxazine derivatives The present invention provides, for example, a compound mentioned below as a medicament for treating or preventing the diseases induced by production, secretion or deposition of amyloid-β proteins.A compound of the formula (I): wherein R1, R2a, R2b, R3, R4a, R4b, ring A and the dashed lines are defined in the specification, its pharmaceutically acceptable salt or a solvate thereof.
US09656967B2	Method for producing halohydantoin compound A production method of the present invention is a method for producing a halohydantoin compound in which method a composition including a halohydantoin compound and an impurity is treated, the method including the step of adding the composition to a mixed solvent of water and an organic solvent and washing the composition.
US09656951B2	Polymorphs of CDDO ethyl ester and uses thereof The present invention relates to polymorphic forms of the compound of Formula I (i.e., ethyl 2-cyano-3,12-dioxoIeana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oate (CDDO ethyl ester)) and methods of using them for treating a variety of disease states such as cancer and condisitons associated with inflammation.
US09656942B2	Method of manufacturing diethyl carbonate A method manufactures diethyl carbonate by reaction distillation where transesterification and distillation are simultaneously performed in a multistage reaction distillation column provided with a catalyst introduction port and a raw material introduction port located below the catalyst introduction port, wherein: (a) the reaction is performed in a countercurrent flow format in which contact is brought about between a transesterification catalyst, dimethyl carbonate, and ethanol; (e) 1 to 250 mmol of catalyst is used per mole of dimethyl carbonate; (f) the ratio of the volume of air in the catalyst introduction port and the raw material introduction port regarding the volume of air in the reaction distillation part is 0.1 to 0.9; (g) the recirculation ratio in the reaction distillation column is 0.5 to 10; and (h) the temperature of the top part of the column and the reaction distillation part is 60 to 100° C.
US09656933B2	Process for the conversion of saccharide-containing feedstock The invention provides a process for the catalytic conversion of a saccharide-containing feedstock in a reactor, wherein saccharide-containing feedstock is provided to the reactor as a feed stream through a feed pipe and is contacted with a catalyst system in the reactor, wherein the saccharide-containing feedstock in the feed pipe is maintained at a temperature below the degradation temperature of the saccharide contained therein and a section of the wall of the reactor at the point where the feed pipe enters the reactor is cooled to a temperature below the temperature of the bulk of the reactor and the reactor contents.
US09656929B2	Co-extraction systems for separation and purification of butadiene and isoprene Co-extraction techniques for separating and purifying butadiene and isoprene from a C4 hydrocarbon mixture including butadiene and a C5 hydrocarbon mixture including isoprene are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a system includes a dimerization heat exchanger, a C5 purification column; an extraction zone including a mainwasher column, a rectifier column and an afterwasher column; a distillation zone; a degassing zone; and an isoprene finishing column. The system can further include a C5 washer column, an absorption column, and a distillation column.
US09656918B2	Hydraulic binder based on ground granulated blast furnace slag having improved setting improved curing Disclosed are a hydraulic binder composition containing at least 50% by weight of ground granulated blast furnace slag and a system for activating the slag, the system containing at least calcium sulphate, at least one product chosen from a source of Portland clinker and lime, at least one aluminum derivative and at least one alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt; containing a ready-to-mix building material composition comprising such a hydraulic binder and aggregates of inert material capable of being agglomerated in the presence of an aqueous phase; and a process for employing the ready-to-mix composition containing a stage of mixing the said composition with water for the purpose of the preparation of a building material, such as a concrete or mortar, and in particular an adhesive mortar, pointing mortar or levelling mortar or coating.
US09656906B2	Glass for chemical tempering and chemically tempered glass To provide chemically tempered glass which is less likely to break even if scratched. Chemically tempered glass, which comprises, as represented by mole percentage based on the following oxides, from 56 to 72% of SiO2, from 8 to 20% of Al2O3, from 9 to 25% of Na2O, from 0 to 2% of K2O, and from 0 to 15% of MgO, and which has a surface compressive stress of at least 900 MPa and an internal tensile stress of at most 30 MPa. Glass for chemical tempering, which comprises, as represented by mole percentage based on the following oxides, from 56 to 69% of SiO2, from 8 to 16% of Al2O3, from 9 to 22% of Na2O, from 0 to 1% of K2O, from 5.5 to 14% of MgO, from 0 to 2% of ZrO2, and from 0 to 6% of B2O3.
US09656897B2	Dual return activated sludge process in a flow-equalized wastewater treatment system A common final clarifier is provided downstream of a two-stage activated sludge (AS) system that includes a flow equalization basin (FEB) reactor and a nitritation reactor as the first AS stage and an anammox reactor as the second AS stage. A first return activated sludge (RAS) flow is conducted from the final clarifier to the first AS stage with a low flow rate and a second segregated RAS flow is conducted to the second AS stage with a high flow rate. The FEB reactor is operated as an anoxic reactor to achieve carbonaceous BOD removal; conversion of organic nitrogen to ammonia nitrogen; and, denitrification of recycled nitrite or nitrate nitrogen. The nitritation reactor is operated as an aerobic reactor to achieve oxidation of ammonia nitrogen to nitrite nitrogen by biological nitritation. The anammox reactor is operated at zero or very low dissolved oxygen concentration to achieve nitrogen removal by deammonification.
US09656890B2	Treatment of arsenic contaminated soil and water The present invention is directed to a method for the treatment of an environmental medium contaminated with arsenic, comprising treating such medium with an effective amount of persulfate and zero valent iron.
US09656886B2	Electrical purification apparatus and methods of manufacturing same An electrical purification apparatus and methods of making same are disclosed. The electrical purification apparatus may provide for increases in operation efficiencies, for example, with respect to decreased residence times and higher purity water.
US09656884B2	Bipolar cell for a reactor A bipolar cell for a reactor for treatment of electrolyte such as waste water and effluent or for electrosynthesis comprises end electrodes and at least one bipolar electrode therebetween. The or each bipolar electrode comprises a diamond sheet. The cell includes a porous support structure, for example in the form of spacers, a lattice of plastic rods, or a woven mesh, between each end electrode and the adjacent diamond sheet, there being porous support structure between the or each pair of adjacent diamond sheets, the support structures acting to contact or support the or each diamond sheet.
US09656879B2	Method for treating titanium-containing feedstock A method for producing titanium tetrachloride is provided, in which valuable materials such as unreacted titanium-containing raw material, carbon raw material and chlorine can be recovered from solid recovered material generated in chlorinating process of titanium-containing raw material, and titanium-containing raw material can be efficiently used. The treatment method of titanium-containing raw material includes the steps: separating and removing impurities selectively from the titanium-containing raw material as chlorides so as to obtain high titanium-containing raw material, producing titanium tetrachloride using the high titanium-containing raw material, and performing separating process of impurities from solid recovered material byproduced in the production of titanium tetrachloride, together with selective chlorinating treatment of the titanium-containing raw material. Thus, the high titanium-containing raw material can be produced while recovering chlorine and impure oxides.
US09656874B2	Method for producing metal oxide-containing particles, and method for producing aggregates of metal oxide colloidal particles A method for producing particles containing a metal oxide is provided, and the method includes: feeding a metal oxide sol having a pH of 7 or higher and containing metal oxide colloidal particles as dispersoids and water as a dispersion medium, into a liquid containing a solvent having a solubility in 20° C. water of 0.05 g/100 ml or more and having a relative permittivity of 30 or lower (protic solvent) or of 40 or lower (aprotic solvent) at 20° C., and thereby forming aggregates of the metal oxide colloidal particles in the liquid; and subjecting the aggregates to a treatment such as drying and heating, and thereby converting the aggregates into particles that are insoluble in water. By appropriately selecting the solvent, particles can be obtained in the form of flakes, fibers, spheres, and the like.
US09656873B2	Purification of tungsten carbide compositions In one aspect, methods of purifying WC compositions are described herein. A method of purifying a WC composition comprises contacting the WC composition with an electrolyte solution comprising a cationic metal oxidant and oxidizing one or more metal impurities of the WC composition with the cationic metal oxidant to solubilize the one or more metal impurities in the electrolyte solution.
US09656872B2	Production of graphene A method of producing graphene by the electrochemical insertion of alkylammonium cations in a solvent into graphite is disclosed.
US09656869B2	Process for the preparation of trisilylamine from monochlorosilane and ammonia The present invention relates to a specific process for producing trisilylamine from monochlorosilane and ammonia in the liquid phase. The invention further relates to a plant in which such a process can be carried out with advantage.
US09656868B2	Boron-nitride powder and resin composition containing same Provided is a boron-nitride powder that is suitable for use in a resin composition for transmitting heat from a heat-producing electronic component such as a power device to a heat-dissipating member. The boron-nitride powder reduces thermal-conductivity anisotropy and thermal contact resistance, resulting in high thermal conductivity, and contains boron-nitride particles each consisting of hexagonal boron-nitride primary particles joined together. The boron-nitride powder, which is an aggregate of said boron-nitride particles, exhibits a mean sphericity of at least 0.70, a mean particle diameter of 20-100 μm, a porosity of 50-80%, a mean pore diameter of 0.10-2.0 μm, a maximum pore diameter of at most 10 μm, and a calcium content of 500-5,000 ppm. Under X-ray powder diffraction, the graphitization index of the boron-nitride powder is preferably between 1.6 and 4.0, inclusive, and the peak intensity ratio (I(002)/I(100)) between the (002) plane and the (100) plane is preferably at most 9.0.
US09656864B2	Method for producing hydrogen fluoride The present invention provides a novel method for producing hydrogen fluoride, which is capable of using various calcium fluoride sources and preventing a second pasty state from occurring, effectively.In a method for producing hydrogen fluoride by reacting calcium fluoride with sulfuric acid, following steps are conducted: (a) a step for mixing and reacting calcium fluoride particles having an average particle diameter of 1-40 μm with sulfuric acid at a sulfuric acid/calcium fluoride molar ratio of 0.9-1.1 under a temperature of 0-70° C. to obtain a solid-state reaction mixture; and (b) a step for heating the solid-state reaction mixture to a temperature of 100-200° C. to react with itself, and thereby producing hydrogen fluoride in a gas phase.
US09656862B2	High surface area nano-structured graphene composites and capacitive devices incorporating the same A carbon composite material, including a plurality of spaced graphene sheets, each respective sheet having opposed generally planar surfaces, and a plurality of functionalized carbonaceous particles. At least some functionalized carbonaceous particles are disposed between any two adjacent graphene sheets, and each respective at least some functionalized carbonaceous particle is attached to both respective any two adjacent graphene sheets. Each respective graphene sheet comprises at least one layer of graphene and at least portions of respective any two adjacent graphene sheets are oriented substantially parallel with one another.
US09656854B2	MEMS microphone with dual-back plate and method of manufacturing the same Disclosed herein are a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone with a dual-back plate, and a method of manufacturing the same. The MEMS microphone according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a substrate having a first back plate formed at a central portion thereof; a membrane plate disposed on first support parts formed at both sides on the substrate and vibrated depending on external sound pressure; and a second back plate disposed on second support parts formed at both sides of the membrane plate.
US09656852B2	CMOS-MEMS device structure, bonding mesa structure and associated method The present disclosure provides a CMOS-MEMS device structure. The CMOS-MEMS device structure includes a sensing substrate and a CMOS substrate. The sensing substrate includes a bonding mesa structure. The CMOS substrate includes a top dielectric layer. The sensing substrate and the CMOS substrate are bonded through the bonding mesa structure, and the bonding mesa structure defines a bonding gap between the CMOS substrate and the sensing substrate.
US09656849B2	Modular valve array having a single dispense point The invention relates to a valve dispensing system that can be used in a beverage dispenser. In particular, the valve dispensing system has individual valve module components that control the flow of a beverage or beverage component, and a plurality of valve module components may be combined to form a system capable of dispensing a plurality of beverages and/or beverage components.
US09656845B2	Aerial lift with secure control console The aerial lift includes a chassis equipped with elements for moving over the ground surface, a mast, a platform (10) supported by the mast, a control console mounted on the platform and including elements for controlling movements of the platform, and a safety bar mounted so as to tilt or slide relative to the console, designed to control the operation of the control elements. This safety bar is intended to assume a first, idle position where the safety bar does not prevent the operation of the control elements, and a second position, wherein the safety bar inhibits the operation of the control elements. When it tilts or slides between the first position and the second position, the safety bar assumes an intermediate position where it does not prevent the operation of the control elements and wherein it activates warning elements.
US09656844B2	Hoist safety lock mechanism A hoist safety lock mechanism includes a pair of pawls formed on terminal ends of each corner of a pallet support structure. The pawls are biased outward to an extended position and include a lower support surface adapted to rest on a support surface. The pawls may be pivotally deflected downward (but not upward) due to impact on a top surface of the pawl. Each pawl is configured to be received within a respective parallel column of slots formed on inwardly-facing sides of the vertical posts forming the lifting frame of the hoist. The slots within each column are vertically offset and separated by separators which can vertically deflect the pawls. Because the slots are vertically offset, and because each terminal end includes a pair of pawls, there is always at least one pawl engaged within the slot even if the other of the pair is deflected by contact with a separator. Thus, any failure of the hoist will cause the pallet support structure to only fall to the next lower separator before the pawl catches it.
US09656839B2	Jack and support device A jacking device for lifting and supporting earthmoving equipment or vehicles, the jacking device including: a base; a jacking leg mounted to the base, the jacking leg for lifting a load to an elevated position; a top plate mounted to the jacking leg, the top plate for engaging the load; and, a support member mounted directly or indirectly to the base, wherein the support member is positionable to engage the top plate and thereby provide additional support to the load in the elevated position.
US09656835B2	Elevator car door locking apparatus In an elevator car door locking apparatus, a doorstop-side blade is disposed on a car door by a linking mechanism, and is displaceable horizontally between a locked position, and an unlocked position that is further away from a door pocket than the locked position. A balance weight is disposed on an opposite side of the pivoting shaft of the link from the doorstop-side blade. The doorstop-side blade comes into contact with a landing door engaging member and displaces, and the balance weight also displaces away from the doorstop-side blade, due to the car door moving toward the door pocket side when a car is in position at a floor.
US09656833B2	Modular direct drive system for powered hose reels A hose reel includes a hose reel frame, a hose reel spool rotatably mounted on the hose reel frame for rotation about a rotational axis, a drive coupling attached to the hose reel spool and aligned with the rotational axis, a drive mount attached to the hose reel frame, and a drive module mounted on the drive mount that has a drive shaft connected to the drive coupling.
US09656831B2	Traverse device and traverse method The invention makes it possible to perform regular winding of a wire easily, inexpensively, and reliably. During traversing a winding position in the reel axis direction, while a guide roller 2 is held at a position where the distance (D) from the wound surface on the outer circumference of a reel body 1a is in a range of more than 0 mm to 30 mm or less, it is kept at an orientation where a roller radial center line P is perpendicular to a reel axis R at a position apart from a border with a reel flange 1b, and gradually inclined, with movement of a reel 1 in the reel axis direction, in a direction in which the roller outer edge goes away from the reel flange 1b ahead in the traverse direction on the side apart from the reel body 1a relative to a rotation center C, as a fulcrum, located near the outer edge on the side near the outer circumference of the body of the reel 1 at a position of the border of the reel flange 1b.
US09656827B2	Portable and detachable dispenser The present invention discloses a portable and detachable dispenser. The dispenser of the present invention comprise a base portion which is lodged in the inner circumference part of the roll and provides an anchoring support to the dispenser, and a top portion that essentially lies over and above the outer circumference of the roll to allow the free end of the reeled product to pass through it and rest on a raised area which comprises of a cutting means. Further, the dispenser of the present invention, in its construction and placement on the roll, provides a unique locking mechanism that keeps it securely placed even with a diminishing diameter of the roll. Lastly, the dispenser of the present invention is easier to lodge and dislodge from the roll and is much lighter and convenient to use.
US09656826B2	Sheet post-processing apparatus and image forming system including same A sheet post-processing apparatus includes a processing tray, a shift member, a discharge tray, a discharge roller pair, and a pressing member. The shift member moves a sheet loaded on the processing tray in a sheet width direction. The discharge roller pair discharges a sheet on the processing tray onto the discharge tray. The pressing member presses down a sheet discharged onto the discharge tray. The pressing member has an arm portion which rotates in the sheet conveyance direction about a rotation fulcrum, and a roller which is attached to the arm portion to be rotatable in the sheet width direction, and the pressing member is selectively disposed in a first position where the roller presses down the upstream-side end part of a sheet discharged onto the discharge tray, or in a second position where the roller contacts a lower surface of a sheet on the processing tray.
US09656812B2	Device for sterilizing plastic parisons The invention relates to a device (100) for sterilizing plastic parisons (1), with a sterilization chamber (3) and a transport device (2) disposed at least partially inside the sterilization chamber (3) for moving the plastic parisons (1) within the sterilization chamber (3), wherein the transport device (2) has at least one gripping system (4) for engaging round and supporting the plastic parisons (1) by means of a gripping clamp (41), wherein the gripping system (4) has a displacement means (5) for displacement during sterilization within the sterilization chamber of contact surfaces (1A) of the plastic parisons (1) which are shielded by the gripping system (4) from a sterilizing medium and/or sterilizing radiation.
US09656810B1	Tilted conveyor systems and related methods A conveyor system is for intended use in conjunction with the conveyance of articles, such as for being sorted for downstream processing. The system comprises a conveyor, which may be an endless conveyor including a forward run and a return run. The conveyor may have a tilted conveying surface for supporting the articles being conveyed. A low friction guide extends along the conveyor for engaging the articles being conveyed by the conveyor, which may include rollers for providing rolling contact for the articles during conveyance. Related methods are also disclosed.
US09656807B2	Hydrogen cavern pad gas management A method of pad gas management in an underground storage volume including storing a first compressible fluid, determining a transient minimum operating pressure (Ptrans), measuring the pressure (Pact), removing at least a portion of the first compressible fluid, concurrently, introducing an incompressible fluid, thereby producing a transient pressure condition controlled by the flow rate of the incompressible fluid, such that Ptrans
US09656797B2	Display panel storing device The present invention provides a display panel storing device, having a framework; two support frames, which are opposite to each other and slidably connected to the framework, for supporting a display panel therebetween; and a driving unit for driving the two support frames to move towards or away from each other to change the distance between the two support frames. The display panel storing device can simplify the adjustment procedure, increase efficiency, and reduce manpower cost, and is unnecessary to detect the symmetry of the two support frames.
US09656795B2	Child-resistant medicate container and method of shipping same A method of shipping at least one child-resistant medicate container via a carrier includes providing or obtaining at least one child-resistant medicate container including a front sidewall, and an opposing rear sidewall, a right sidewall, an opposing left sidewall, and at least one locking mechanism. The method also includes creating or obtaining a flat-rate shipping package from a carrier, inserting the at least one child-resistant medicate container into the package, and closing the package to enclose the at least one child-resistant medicate container within the package so that the package is generally flat and acceptable by the carrier for a flat-rate shipping. The method also includes causing the closed package to be shipped or transported by the carrier at a flat-rate.
US09656793B2	Process for forming an insulated container having artwork A container is formed to include and interior region and a mouth opening into the interior region. The container includes a floor, a side wall coupled to the floor to define the interior region between the floor and the side wall, and artwork on the side wall.
US09656792B2	Produce display pad A monolithic display device for the point-of-sale display of produce manufactured out of a closed cell foam material and of solid construction, with a plurality of pockets formed into the top surface of the device and arranged in horizontal rows separated by upwardly extending horizontal dividing members, with upwardly extending intermediate dividing members separating adjacent pockets within each row. The display device is used in a retail setting by first being placed onto a table or other means of support, and then having produce placed onto the top surface within the pockets. The horizontal dividing members and the intermediate dividing members hold the produce in place on the device, while the foam construction of the device protects the produce from damage. In some embodiments different sized pockets are formed into the lower surface of the device so that the device can be used with different sized produce.
US09656787B2	Packaging article The invention relates to a packaging article for use in form-fill-seal, flow wrap and lidding. In particular, the invention concerns such an article sealed with a biodegradable film having a peel sealable coating thereon, and coated filmic lids for sealing polylactic acid (PLA) trays and specifically PLA trays used for packaging.
US09656781B1	Transport structure and method A 3D Z-axis fiber composite pallet, comprising a Z-axis reinforced sandwich panel including a bottom surface with a plurality of bolted-on and/or structurally bonded blocks that accommodate forks of a forklift there between, and a tough coating applied to surfaces of the 3D Z-axis fiber composite pallet.
US09656780B1	Container seal with dual tabs A container seal that allows a user to select at least one of two or more different sized openings from which to dispense a liquid product from a container. The container seal includes at least a base layer, and may further include a polymer layer attached to the base layer at one or more locations. The container seal may further include a pull tab. Pulling the pull tab forms an opening within the base layer. Various seal configurations allow one, two, or more different sized openings from which to dispense a liquid product from the container depending, for example, on the user's preferred method of dispensing the liquid product from the container. In one configuration, a pull tab may form one, two, or three or more openings in the container seal.
US09656774B2	Suspension for a sealing jaw and method for calibrating sealing jaws A sealing jaw assembly for a sealing unit, and in particular an arrangement for suspending a sealing jaw in a socket is disclosed. The arrangement is based on a first and a second spring arrangement wherein the action of the first spring arrangement onto the sealing jaw may be activated and deactivated.
US09656772B2	Container with pour spout A container includes a neck finish extending from a body and having at least two thickened wall portions circumferentially spaced apart and extending radially inwardly, and including interior surfaces disposed radially inwardly of a neck finish interior surface to at least partially establish an internal trough, and axially facing shoulders axially recessed with respect to a sealing lip of the neck finish.
US09656770B2	Method of filling a container with animal litter A filling method for filling a container with animal litter, whereby large-sized granules and small-sized granules can be easily filled into containers in a predetermined blending ratio, and essentially the same blending ratio can be maintained for different containers. In a supply step in which the animal litter is supplied to a hopper, the animal litter is allowed to freely drop from above the storage space of the hopper, and in the storage space there are formed a first region in which the blending ratio of the small-sized granules with respect to the large-sized granules in a unit mass of the animal litter is equal to or less than the predetermined blending ratio and a second region in which the ratio is greater than the predetermined blending ratio, in an arrangement along the lengthwise direction of the storage space. Also, in a filling step in which the animal litter is filled into containers, delivery holes capable of delivering the animal litter of the first region and delivery holes capable of delivering the animal litter of the second region are selected, and the animal litter is delivered in the predetermined amount at least once each from each of the selected delivery holes, filling the containers so that the large-sized granules and small-sized granules in the unit amount are in the predetermined target blending ratio.
US09656766B2	Track transport system for loading and unloading an airplane galley A rail transport system comprising at least two runners having a shaped profile, a transport rail, and a transport carriage, the runners with a shaped profile being extended over a staircase or over a flat section and the transport carriage being moved along the transport rail. The transport carriage is provided with at least one electric motor. The runners having a shaped profile and the transport rail are stored in the transport carriage. A method for constructing a rail transport system and for transporting at least one container for loading or unloading the galley of an airplane, and a system for simultaneously loading and/or unloading the galley of an airplane.
US09656755B2	Air cycle machine pack system and method for improving low inlet pressure cooling performance An air cycle machine (ACM) pack system for an aircraft with an improved low inlet pressure cooling performance is provided. The ACM pack system has an air cycle machine (ACM) with at least one compressor mechanically coupled to at least one turbine in series on an ACM shaft. The ACM pack system further has a pack heat exchanger coupled to and in fluid communication with the at least one compressor of the ACM. The ACM system further has a bypass air flow assembly coupled in a parallel operation path to the ACM and has a bypass air flow regulating element. The bypass air flow assembly transfers energy extracted by the bypass air flow assembly to the ACM to aid the ACM pack system in cooling performance at a low inlet pressure, resulting in an improved low inlet pressure cooling performance of the ACM pack system.
US09656751B2	Modular cabin segment, cabin for a vehicle and vehicle with a cabin A modular cabin segment for a vehicle includes a first lateral segment module accommodating a first toilet arrangement with a toilet compartment, a second lateral segment module, and at least one central module, wherein in each case an outer lateral face of the first segment module and of the second lateral segment module is designed to adapt in each case to an inner wall of a cabin of the vehicle so as to correspond to the aforesaid. At least one of the modules includes a cabin attendant seat that on one side is held on the at least one module so that it can be pivoted on an axis. In this manner very good integration of many different functions in the manner of a construction kit is achieved in order to be able to accommodate a greater number of passenger seats elsewhere within the limited space provided in a cabin.
US09656745B2	Magnetorheological actuator with torsional spring According to one embodiment, a trim actuator for a pilot input device includes a driven member and a driving member configured to receive mechanical energy from a power source. A magnetorheological (MR) fluid is disposed between the driving member and the driven member and configured to transmit a variable amount of mechanical energy from the driving member to the driven member such that the driven member moves in a first direction. An output member configured to be coupled between the driven member and the pilot input device. A spring is in mechanical communication with the output member and configured to apply a force in a second direction opposite of the first direction. A magnetic circuit is configured to control movement of the pilot input device by varying the strength of a magnetic field delivered towards the first MR fluid.
US09656734B1	Outboard motor In an outboard motor, a feed passage, through which a lubricating oil that flows upward from a gear mechanism due to rotation of the gear mechanism is fed upward from a gear chamber, includes a first feed passage, extending from the gear chamber to a connection passage via a first upstream passage, a spiral passage, and an interior of an upper bearing, in that order, and a second feed passage, extending from the first upstream passage to the connection passage while bypassing the spiral passage via a bypass passage. The bypass passage is positioned farther outward than the spiral passage in a radial direction of the driveshaft. A diameter of a cross section of the bypass passage that is orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to a center line of the driveshaft is smaller than a maximum diameter of the driveshaft.
US09656727B1	Anchor pole securement device A boat anchoring system that includes a base, a pulley attached to the base, a line, and an anchor pole. The line extends over the pulley, through the first hole, and is attached to the lower end portion of the anchor pole. The line controls the relative position of the anchor pole in the second hole for raising and lowering the anchor pole. The line can extend to the cockpit of the boat so that the position of the anchor pole is controllable from the cockpit.
US09656725B1	Watercraft A watercraft with a rigid outer hull having a substantially circular shape in plan view and a rounded bottom surface for contacting a body of liquid, and a rigid top surface disposed opposite said bottom surface and integrally formed with the outer hull, the top surface having an annular stability portion with convex walls in cross -section and a recessed flat-bottomed deck portion adapted to receive a person, and an edge of the recessed deck portion being disposed inwardly from an outermost edge of the top portion by a distance, and a method for using same.
US09656720B2	Bicycle pedal A bicycle pedal is provided with a pedal body having a front cleat retainer and a rear cleat retainer. The rear cleat retainer is pivotally coupled to the pedal body about a rear pivot axis. The front cleat retainer has a forward cleat stopping point facing towards the rear end of the pedal body. The rear cleat retainer has a rear cleat step-in point facing away from the pedal body. The forward and rear cleat stopping points and the rear pivot axis define a triangle with a first side interconnecting the forward and rear cleat stopping points, a second side interconnecting the rear cleat step-in point and the rear pivot axis, and a third side interconnecting the forward cleat stopping point and the rear pivot axis, with an interior angle of ninety degrees or less between the first and second sides of the triangle.
US09656714B2	Recumbent bicycle with improved rear wheel support and pedal locating method A recumbent bicycle or recumbent tricycle with a removable rear fork that can be swapped with another rear style fork. The rear fork is clamped so that is cannot turn but can be easily swapped. The rear fork can be swapped according to riding conditions or for aesthetics. The rider may use one fork for stiff characteristics, another shock absorbing fork for off-road, or for any style or color at the discretion of the rider, thus allowing greater flexibility. Also, the bicycle includes removable tandem seat for a second rider with a removable pedal assembly for the second rider. In this way the same bicycle can be single or tandem capable. Another feature is a removable pannier rack assembly which adds more choices and capabilities for the rider. These various combinations are highly appealing to the cyclist community.
US09656711B2	Saddle type vehicle A saddle type vehicle is provided wherein the visibility thereof can be improved. The saddle type vehicle includes a headlamp configured to illuminate the front of the vehicle and position lamps configured to emit light for the visibility of the vehicle or act as blinkers. The position lamps are disposed in a left and right pair in front of the headlamp. Further, the left and right position lamps are disposed in such a manner as to sandwich the headlamp therebetween as viewed in front elevation.
US09656709B2	Swing scooter A swing scooter includes a frame, a riser bar, a handlebar, a front wheel, at least two carrier rods, a flexible linking mechanism, at least two rear wheels, at least two pedals, at least two auxiliary wheels and at least two swinging modules. The auxiliary wheels are installed at the rear of the rear wheels. When the front wheel and the rear wheels touch the ground, the auxiliary wheels are situated at an appropriate height from the ground, and the swinging module is coupled between the carrier rods and the rear wheels. During use, the front and rear wheels situated at the general using status touch the ground, or the front of the scooter is tilted, such that the rear wheels and the auxiliary wheels touch the ground to add more fun to the use of the scooter.
US09656707B2	High speed metal face seal A face seal assembly and rotating assembly for a track machine are disclosed. The face seal assembly includes a first seal ring, an annular housing, a second seal ring, and a bias member. The first seal ring is fixed to a rotating part for rotation about an axis. The first seal ring includes a seal face and a radially outer surface press-fittingly confronting an annular bore in the rotating part. The annular housing is spaced axially inward from the first seal ring and rotationally fixed. The annular housing includes an axially inner surface and a radially inner surface. The second seal ring is disposed axially between the first seal ring and the annular housing. The second seal ring includes a seal face confronting the seal face of the first seal ring. The bias member is compressed between the annular housing and the second seal ring.
US09656702B2	Fifth wheel hitch support assembly A fifth wheel mounting assembly comprises first and second support members adapted to couple to frame members and support assembly that comprises first and second portions slidably engaging the first and second support members and adjustable along a length thereof, the first and second portions including an upwardly-opening recess, first and second mounting members coupled to the first and second portions and configured to pivotably support the fifth wheel hitch plate, and a center portion having a first and second end received within the recesses of the first and second portions, wherein the recesses of the first and second portions are configured to receive the ends of the center portion subsequent to the first mounting member being coupled to the first mounting portion and the second mounting member being coupled to the second mounting portion.
US09656699B1	Trailer fairing access panel A trailer having an aerodynamic skirt that includes a valve access panel is disclosed. The trailer includes a tank for transporting cargo and a valve at the base of the tank for accessing unloading the cargo from the trailer. The aerodynamic skirt extends along a first side of the trailer body that includes the valve and a valve access panel that is configured to cover the valve when closed and to allow access to the valve when open. The apparatus also includes a trailer brake interlock that is communicatively coupled to the valve access panel and a trailer brake to restrict motion of the trailer when the valve access panel is open and to permit motion of the trailer when the valve access panel is closed.
US09656697B2	Tailgate latching architecture for cost and performance A vehicle includes a cargo box having an opening and opposed apertures on opposite sides of the opening. The vehicle further includes a tailgate having locks retaining a pair of outwardly-biased pins in retracted positions when the tailgate is open. The locks engage the cargo box and release the pins when the tailgate is closed whereby the pins shift outwardly into the apertures when the tailgate is closed. A release lever selectively retracts the pins to permit the tailgate to be opened.
US09656690B2	System and method for using gestures in autonomous parking A method of providing parking assistance in a vehicle includes identifying with a controller in a vehicle a plurality of available parking spaces for the vehicle, generating with a video output device operatively connected to the controller an interface with a graphical depiction of the vehicle and the plurality of available parking spaces, receiving a first input gesture with a gesture input device to select one parking space from the plurality of available parking spaces, and operating the vehicle to park the vehicle in the one parking space using the controller configured with a parking assistance service in the vehicle.
US09656688B2	All-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle An all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle is disclosed. The all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle includes a vehicle body and two wheels coupled with the vehicle body. The vehicle body includes a support frame, a pedal disposed on the support frame, a first position sensor, and a controller. The first position sensor is configured to detect attitude information of a user standing on the pedal. The controller is configured to drive the wheels to rotate according to the attitude information. The all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle can detect attitude information of a user standing on the pedal and drive the wheels to rotate according to the attitude information. Furthermore, sitting or even standing on one foot, the user can still manipulate the all-attitude human-machine interaction vehicle, which further adds to the fun in manipulation.
US09656681B2	Circuit arrangement for revealing light signal errors A circuit arrangement for revealing light signal errors, in particular for railway safety systems, includes an electronic signal generator, which can be disconnected in a reversible manner in the event of an error, and a control part, configured for incandescent lamps, for controlling and monitoring the signal generator. The device for revealing errors includes an error differentiator between the line-related interference voltage and error of the signal generator. The reliability of the error differentiation is improved and rendered independent of capacitive intermediate energy storage devices, in that the signal generator is connected to a resistance arrangement such that the signal generator voltage is greater, in high-resistance signal generators, than an interference voltage.
US09656677B2	Method and device for ascertaining a driver state A variable that represents at least the alertness of the driver in a current vehicle operating cycle is ascertained as a function of at least one of (i) the variable representing the alertness of the driver determined in a preceding vehicle operating cycle, and (ii) at least one value used for ascertaining the variable representing the alertness of the driver determined in a preceding vehicle operating cycle.
US09656671B2	Coast switch for an electrified vehicle An example method of controlling an electrified vehicle includes activating a coast switch to a place an electrified vehicle in a coast mode.
US09656665B2	Methods and systems for a driveline dual mass flywheel Systems and methods for improving operation of a hybrid vehicle are presented. In one example, compensation is provided for a dual mass flywheel positioned in a vehicle driveline. The approaches may reduce driveline torque disturbances.
US09656660B2	Control system for vehicle drive system having supercharger and accessories A drive system includes a drive belt, an engine, a motor, and a supercharger for delivering compressed air to an intake of the engine, and a controller for setting the operational mode of the drive system. The engine and motor are selectively engageable with the drive belt, and the supercharger is selectively engageable with the motor. A method of controlling an operational mode of such a drive system includes detecting a throttle position. Thereafter, the method includes selectively engaging the engine with the drive belt or the drive belt with the motor or the motor with the supercharger, based at least in part on the throttle position.
US09656658B2	Power transmission device for hybrid vehicle and hybrid system A power transmission device for a hybrid vehicle includes: a power distribution mechanism including a plurality of rotation components; a friction engagement device which is interposed between the engine and the rotation component connected to the engine; and a control device which performs a stop control for the engine and a release control for the friction engagement device so as to cause the vehicle to travel only by the power of the second rotary machine and performs an engagement control for the friction engagement device while the vehicle travels only by the power of the second rotary machine so as to perform a push-start of the engine, and the control device controls the first rotary machine so that the friction engagement device is maintained in a half engagement state at a differential rotation speed higher than a predetermined rotation speed during the push-start of the engine.
US09656657B2	Controlling a clutch between an engine and an electric machine in a hybrid vehicle A parallel hybrid vehicle includes an engine and a motor separated along a driveshaft by a clutch. The motor can operate (either alone or in combination with the engine) to provide positive drive torque to the wheels. The motor can also act as a generator and provide negative torque when converting mechanical energy from the driveshaft into mechanical energy to be stored in a battery. The clutch selectively couples the motor to the engine. Torque and its effects on the clutch can vary dramatically when the motor changes from providing positive and negative torque, and vice versa, while the engine is running. At least one controller in the vehicle is programmed to, while the engine is running, initiate an increase in pressure at the clutch in response to an anticipated change in torque provided by the motor from positive to negative or from negative to positive.
US09656646B2	Integrated electro-hydraulic brake system An integrated electro-hydraulic brake system includes a power source unit storing a pressure, discharging oil from a reservoir to an accumulator, and a motor driving the pump; and an integrated hydraulic control device including a master cylinder and generating a hydraulic pressure, a reservoir connected above the master cylinder and storing oil, an in-valve and an out-valve controlling pressure delivered from the accumulator to a wheel cylinder. The power source unit is provided as a separate unit to isolate operating noises, and the integrated hydraulic control device and the power source unit are connected by an external pipe, and the out-valve is provided as a normally open type-solenoid valve that is used at low current ranges, normally maintains an open state in order to reduce heat generation, but is closed when a close signal is received, compared to a normally close type-solenoid valve that normally maintains a close state.
US09656637B2	Trailer stabilization and restraint A parked freight trailer stabilizer and restraint comprising: (a) a kingpin receiver configured to lock onto a kingpin of a parked freight trailer; (b) a jack operatively coupled to the kingpin receiver, the jack repositionable between a retracted position and an extended position; (c) a tail hold operatively coupled to the kingpin receiver, the tail hold repositionable between a stowed position and a restraining position, the tail hold configured to engage a ground mount; and, (d) a transport receiver configured to engage a transport vehicle.
US09656636B2	Drive A drive with a motor and devices for coupling the motor to a driving object. The coupling devices include a centrifugal mass which is movable by the motor, and an impact stop, which is connected to the driving object, for the centrifugal mass.
US09656634B2	Wiper blade device A wiper blade device with a holding unit (10) which is provided at least for holding a wiper strip (12), and with at least one end cap (14). The holding unit (10) has at least one vertical recess (16) for receiving the end cap (14) in a vertical direction (18).
US09656633B2	Methods and systems for a vehicle computing system to communicate with a device A smartwatch having at least one controller in communication with an user interface and a transceiver. The transceiver configured to communicate with a nomadic device. The at least one controller configured to, in response to a wireless signal having a unique user identifier received at the nomadic device, receive a control function from an application corresponding to the unique user identifier. The at least one controller may be further configured to configure the user interface based on the control function.
US09656627B2	Hood bumpers to absorb loading A hood bumper for a vehicle includes a foundation, a pair of legs extending from the foundation in a first direction, a support extending from the foundation in a second direction, and a head adhered to the support. At least a portion of the support is a first material and the head is a second material such that the first material is harder than the second material. The support includes first and second portions extending between the foundation and the head which are mirror images. The head is designed to deform and the support is designed to collapse under force. In alternate embodiments, the foundation and/or support are designed to fracture under force. The hood bumper is coextruded so the base and head have fixed heights and cross sections.
US09656626B2	Gas generator A gas generator includes a lower shell as a housing, an igniter including a squib cup and a plug, and a fixing portion formed from a resin molding for fixing the igniter to the lower shell. The squib cup includes a contact portion in contact with the plug and a non-contact portion not in contact with the plug. The fixing portion includes a cover portion secured to an outer circumferential surface of the squib cup, and the cover portion has a lower-side annular cover portion covering a part of the contact portion and an upper-side annular cover portion covering a part of the non-contact portion. A thickness t2 of the upper-side annular cover portion is smaller than a thickness t1 of the lower-side annular cover portion, and the cover portion is formed in a stepped shape having a substantially two-dimensionally annular step-formed surface orthogonal to an axial direction of the squib cup.
US09656622B2	Apparatus for fixing pipe of vehicle An apparatus for fixing a pipe of a vehicle may include: a clip adapted that a fixation hole and an assembly hole are formed at a first end thereof and a mounting portion is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape at a second end thereof bent and extended from the first end to insert the pipe into the hollow; a first rubber member being fixed to a vehicle body by a bush on a state of being inserted into the fixation hole of the clip; a second rubber member being inserted into the hollow of the mounting portion on a state of surrounding the pipe; and an insulation member adapted that a first side thereof is inserted into the assembly hole and a second side thereof formed in a bellows shape is supported to the vehicle body.
US09656620B2	Backup store with center tap for vehicle onboard power supply system A vehicle has a first partial onboard power supply system and a second partial onboard power supply system which is electrically connected with the first partial onboard power supply system at at least a first nodal point. The first partial onboard power supply system includes a first group of electric consumers and the second partial onboard power supply system includes a second group of electric consumers. The first partial onboard power supply system includes a starter, an onboard power supply system accumulator connected parallel to the starter and a first switch between the first group of consumers and the onboard power supply system accumulator. The second partial onboard power supply system includes a first direct-voltage controller, an electric support accumulator connected parallel to the second group of electric consumers at a second modal point, and an interface of the first direct-voltage controller connected with the second nodal point. The electric support accumulator has an electric center tap, and the center tap is connected with the first nodal point by way of a second switch.
US09656615B2	Push-up ledge for trim panel A trim panel assembly for a vehicle is provided having a pillar and a trim panel adapted to attach to at least a portion of the pillar. The trim panel having an upper edge and a lower edge. At least one ledge extending generally orthogonally away from the lower edge of the trim panel. The assembly further includes a headliner, the upper edge of the trim panel abutting the headliner to compress the headliner when the trim panel is in an installed position. The trim panel is adapted to closely abut a headliner wherein the ledge provides the installer to apply a greater force to the trim panel during installation to provide for a greater headliner crush. In order to finish installing the trim panel, the installer must push upwards on the ledges thereby creating greater interference with the headliner to properly secure the trim panel.
US09656614B2	Trim assemblies for mounting working subassemblies A trim assembly includes a first trim portion spaced apart from an opposed second trim portion, a first surface on the first trim portion, a first magnet connected to the first trim portion so as to be hidden when the user views the first surface and a second surface on the first trim portion, a second magnet connected to the second trim portion so as to be hidden when the user views the second surface. When the working subassembly is configured to span between the first trim portion and the second trim portion, the working subassembly magnetically connectable through the first and second surfaces to the respective first and second magnets.
US09656602B2	Adaptive zone of safety Various systems and methods for providing an adaptive zone of safety are described herein. An apparatus comprises a projector to project a lighted shape on a travel surface, the lighted shape demarcating the adaptive zone of safety; a monitor to monitor a path of a pedestrian travelling over the travel surface; and a computing module to adaptively adjust the lighted shape based on at least one of the travel surface or the path.
US09656598B1	Vehicle badge A badge for a vehicle is provided herein. The badge includes a substrate attached to a housing having a viewable portion. A light directing member defining a first light tunnel and a second light tunnel is disposed rearwardly of the viewable portion. The first light tunnel has a different cross-sectional geometry than the second light tunnel. A first light source is operably coupled with the first light tunnel. A second light source is operably coupled with the second light tunnel. The viewable portion is configured to illuminate in a first color from the first light source and in a second color from the second light source on the viewable portion.
US09656594B2	Headlight light distribution control device and method Speed of a vehicle is acquired from a speed detecting device, and then a beam switching threshold, according to the acquired speed, of an irradiation direction of a headlight is initially set. When the number of appearance (i.e. frequency of appearance) of a light source in a predetermined time detected by a light source detection means have become the beam switching threshold or more, the headlight is switched to a low beam. When a predetermined time (beam switching prohibition time Tp) has been passed after the irradiation direction of a headlight was switched to the low beam, the irradiation direction of the headlight is switched to a high beam.
US09656587B2	Tiltloader for transferring cargo A device and method for moving tilt frame and transfer bed portions of a cargo transfer system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the invention may include a table and a pin secured to the transfer bed. The table may pivot on a horizontal axis allowing the transfer bed to be placed in a horizontal orientation during inclination of the tilt frame. The table may also pivot on a vertical axis so that the transfer bed may swing side-to-side, and may also pivot on a z-axis enabling the transfer bed to roll side-to-side relative to the table. An adjustable carriage with independently movable stabilizer legs may be used to level the transfer bed on uneven ground. The tilt frame may also include an extendable boom and a retractable roller system to facilitate loading and unloading of material such as flat rack platforms and pallets.
US09656585B2	Tether with J-shaped hook A trim cap with a tether. The trim cap includes a cap with a tether. The tether has a distal end with a living hinge and a J-shaped hook extending from the living hinge. An assist grip with an attachment section having a tether aperture is also included. The J-shaped hook and the living hinge allow for the J-shaped hook to lay directly against the tether in an install position such that the distal end and J-shaped hook can pass through the tether aperture of the attachment section. The J-shaped hook and the living hinge spring into a release position after the J-shaped hook has passed through the tether aperture. Also, the J-shaped hook is spaced apart from the tether and cannot pass back through the tether aperture. In this manner the trim cap is tethered to the level one part during installation of the component.
US09656579B2	Headrest and vehicle seat A headrest comprising a pad member that includes a recess shaped housing portion open to a rear side when the headrest is assembled to a vehicle seat and that is a resilient body that supports the head of an occupant; and an attachment member that has a portion housed in the housing portion, that is formed with an opening portion for attaching a display device to, and that further has an outer peripheral portion of the opening portion that is disposed further to the rear side than the pad member.
US09656571B2	Battery enclosure having T-shaped guides on the outer surface for stiffeners and impact absorbing elements A battery housing for a traction motor battery of a vehicle is disclosed that includes attachments retained by parallel T-shaped guides on the outer surface of the walls of the enclosure. The attachments are oriented to extend either in a horizontal orientation or vertical orientation. The depth of the attachments and shape of the attachments may be selected to meet impact force requirements and packaging space limitations imposed by the structure of the vehicle.
US09656568B2	Method and arrangement for error detection during charging of an energy storage system A method for error detection during charging of an energy storage system in a vehicle is provided, the vehicle including an electric machine which is arranged for propulsion of the vehicle. The method includes requesting a charging pattern from an external power supply, by a vehicle control unit, upon connection of the energy storage system to the external power supply; and supplying the charging pattern to the energy storage system by an external charging control unit forming part of the external power supply. The method furthermore includes providing a predetermined modulation of the requested charging pattern; evaluating whether the charging pattern supplied to the energy storage system includes the predetermined modulation; and, if this is not the case, indicating that the charging of the energy storage system is erroneous. An arrangement for error detection during charging of an energy storage system, and a vehicle including an electric machine and having such an arrangement are also provided.
US09656567B2	Electric vehicle charging station dynamically responding to power limit messages based on a recent history of power provided An electric vehicle charging station charging electric vehicles dynamically responds to power limit messages. The charging station includes a charging port that is configured to electrically connect to an electric vehicle to provide power to charge that electric vehicle. The charging station also includes a power control unit coupled with the charging port, the power control unit configured to control an amount of power provided through the charging port. The charging station also includes a set of one or more charging station control modules that are configured to, in response to receipt of a message that indicates a request to limit an amount of power to an identified percentage and based on a history of power provided through the charging port over a period of time, cause the power control unit to limit the power provided through the charging port to the identified percentage.
US09656565B2	Method and apparatus for cancelling a charge reservation of an electric vehicle A method and apparatus for controlling a charge of an electric vehicle are provided. The method includes generating, by a controller, a release command of the charging reservation based on a switch signal generated by operating a cover open/close switch. In addition, the controller is configured to change a setting of the charging inlet to a charging state based on the release command of the charging reservation in an opened state of a charging inlet cover.
US09656564B2	Adaptive wireless energy transfer system Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power transfer using magnetic resonance in a coupling mode region between a charging base (CB) and a remote system such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV). The wireless power transfer can occur from the CB to the remote system and from the remote system to the CB. Load adaptation and power control methods can be employed to adjust the amount of power transferred over the wireless power link, while maintaining transfer efficiency.
US09656557B2	Battery charging apparatus and method of electric vehicle A battery charging apparatus and method of an electric vehicle are provided. The battery charging apparatus includes a temperature sensor that is configured to sense a temperature of a battery. In addition, a controller is configured to discharge the battery and then charge the battery using any one of a low voltage converter and a motor based on the temperature.
US09656540B2	Method for increasing travel time for open-air carts without requiring battery charging A battery reserve system for open-air carts and a method for its use are taught. The system contains a reserve battery bank and custom designed brackets, compatible with and attachable to small, low-speed car frameworks currently structured to hold only a single battery bank, to support the reserve batteries while maintaining the cart's balance and stability and for use with newly built enlarged carts. The reserve battery system increases the currently available cart's travel distance to minimally twice the distance provided by the cart's single battery bank without requiring battery charging. One currently available electrically powered golf cart is a Yamaha DRIVE®. The reserve bank of batteries can be a 48-Volt bank of any desired configuration. A battery disconnect switch for connecting or disconnecting the reserve battery bank with the initial battery bank of the electrically powered golf-cart is provided. Space for golf bags and other accessories is maintained.
US09656537B2	Bent windowpane A vehicle glazing is described. The vehicle glazing has at least one windowpane having a height from 900 mm to 1650 mm, a top upper edge, a side edge of a pillar, a body edge, and two rectangular surfaces A and B. The surface A has an extent of 800 mm800 mm and the surface B has an extent of 1000 mm700 mm. Surface A and surface B are centrally bounded by the lowest contact point of the at least one windowpane with the body edge horizontally with respect to the ground, and the lowest contact point and the point of the top upper edge at the shortest distance from the contact point form a Y0 axis and the points at the furthest distance with respect to the width of the windowpane form a Z0 axis.
US09656529B2	Suspension group in particular for motorized vehicles Suspension group for motorized vehicles comprising a main spring which extends between a first and a second end of the group, a main damper connected in parallel to said main spring said main spring being pre-loaded by pre-loading means which together press the spring in compression and impose a rest length thereon, namely the length assumed by the spring when there are no further external loads on the first and/or on the second end of the group except for the pre-load caused by the pre-loading means, wherein the first and second end are connected kinematically to a first and a second mass of the motor vehicle respectively, the first mass being a mass suspended by the suspension group and the second mass being a non-suspended mass.
US09656527B2	Suspension member lower arm bracket structure A lower arm bracket is provided. A portion of the lower arm bracket is an upper panel that includes a first surface wall, a second surface wall, a third surface wall, a first coupling surface wall connecting the first surface wall and the second surface wall together, and a first vertical wall extending toward the vehicle lower side from a position including an end portion in the length direction of the first coupling surface wall. A portion of the lower arm bracket is configured by a lower panel that includes a fourth surface wall, a fifth surface wall, a sixth surface wall, a third coupling surface wall connecting the fourth surface wall and the fifth surface wall together, and a second vertical wall extending toward the vehicle upper side from a position including an end portion in the length direction of the third coupling surface wall.
US09656514B2	Paint pal assembly The main components of the Paint Pal assembly is an oversized an inner paint pan, an organizer tool tray for storing tools, and a storage container with an airtight sealed lid. The container is adapted and dimensioned to store the inner paint tray and the organizer tool tray therein. The organizer tool tray has a plurality of compartments for storing several brushes and a specific compartment designed to store the paint roller. The inner paint tray is larger than the conventional paint tray and has legs which allow the pan to sit level on a flat surface. The inner tray is tapered and walled. The assembly further comprises specially designed ergonomic paint brushes.
US09656512B1	Circumferential magnetic device covers and methods of manufacture A decorative magnetic cover is provided. The cover includes a plurality of octagonal and triangular openings, allowing the cover to securely attach to a rounded item without kinking or otherwise unsightly attachment. The cover includes a magnetic sheet having a magnetic face and nonmagnetic face, and a decorative element attached to the nonmagnetic face. The cover is manufactured by scoring the nonmagnetic face of the magnetic sheet and applying the decorative element to the nonmagnetic face. The resulting magnetic element is the cut to form the octagonal and triangular openings.
US09656506B1	Precious metal composite useful as a medium of exchange A medium of exchange that is not separated from the backing item of value, has variable value and authentication protections sufficient to retain the trust of consumers is formed as a laminate having a backing layer and a precious metal foil layer. The precious metal foil layer has a predetermined weight and the laminate is dividable into multiple portions each one of which is a determinable fraction of the predetermined weight. An authentication seal is formed in an obverse side of the instrument and each one of the multiple portions contains indicia on a rear side thereof identifying the determinable fraction.
US09656501B2	Coating compositions A coating composition includes pigments or a mixture of pigments, a surface active substance and a metal containing polymeric complex. The metal containing polymeric complex contains a metallic salt, a polymeric latex and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), wherein the polyvinyl alcohol has a molecular weight ranging from about 10,000 to about 65,000.
US09656500B1	Image recording medium and method for preparing image recording medium An image recording medium includes an image supporting member that has a ruggedness on a surface and has a surface roughness Rz of 3 μm or more, an image receiving layer that includes a first thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature of 60° C. or more and a second thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature of 15° C. or less, and a transparent supporting member, in this order, wherein an image formed of an image forming material is provided between the image supporting member and the image receiving layer and a ruggedness corresponding to the ruggedness of the image supporting member is formed on an outermost surface of the image recording medium on a side of the transparent supporting member.
US09656498B2	Heat-sensitive recording body The present invention provides a heat-sensitive recording material having a high recording density, excellent plasticizer resistance in recorded portions, and excellent resistance to thermal background fogging in high-temperature environments. The heat-sensitive recording material includes a heat-sensitive recording layer containing a specific sulfonamide compound.
US09656490B2	External table height adjustment for printer systems An external table height adjustment technique for a printer system is disclosed. An operator can align an image gap between a printer table of the printer system and a printhead carriage via a height adjustment mechanism. The operator can perform the table height adjustment while a belt is installed on the printer table and media is loaded on top of the printer table. A height adjustment assembly is secured onto a supporting frame of the printer table such that an adjustment component exposed beyond an edge of the belt can raise or lower a portion of the printer table where the height adjustment assembly is secured.
US09656485B2	Conveyor line system and conveying container A conveyor line system, including: an image processing device configured to irradiate a recording part with laser light to record or erase, or record and erase an image, wherein the conveyor line system is configured to manage a conveying container containing the recording part, and wherein the following formula is satisfied at a wavelength of the laser light emitted from the image processing device when recording the image: A+50>B where A is an absorbance of the recording part, and B is an absorbance of the conveying container.
US09656479B2	Machine and method of operation A labelling machine comprises a first motive apparatus configured to advance a label web along a label web path; an encoder arranged to output a sensor signal which is indicative of a rate of movement of said label web along said label web path; and a printer configured to print on said label web, the printer including a second motive apparatus configured to advance a print ribbon along a ribbon path. The labelling machine further comprises a controller configured to receive said sensor signal and control the second motive apparatus based on the sensor signal. The controller is configured to supply a pulsed control signal to the second motive apparatus, the intervals between pulses of the pulsed control signal being a function of a desired rate of movement of the print ribbon along the ribbon path. The controller is configured such that if the controller is controlling the second motive apparatus to advance the print ribbon at a first rate of movement having a first series of intervals between pulses, and the controller receives said sensor signal being indicative of the label web moving along label web path at a second rate of movement greater than the first, then the controller supplies a re-timed pulse to the second motive apparatus at a time which is before a next pulse defined by the first series of intervals.
US09656478B2	Ink ribbon cassette, ink ribbon cartridge, printing device and control method for printing device An ink ribbon cartridge may include a supply roll; a winding roll; and a power transmission mechanism to transmit power from a drive source to the supply roll and the winding roll. A direction in which an ink ribbon is wound by the winding roll is a ribbon winding direction and a direction in which the ink ribbon is wound by the supply roll is a ribbon rewinding direction. The power transmission mechanism may include a winding side one-way clutch to transmit a driving force in the ribbon winding direction to the winding roll and cut off transmission of the driving force in the ribbon rewinding direction to the winding roll; and a supply side one-way clutch to transmit the driving force in the ribbon rewinding direction to the supply roll and cuts off transmission of the driving force in the ribbon winding direction to the supply roll.
US09656472B2	Liquid cartridge A liquid cartridge is configured to be inserted into a liquid consuming apparatus in a first direction along a horizontal direction against an urging force directed in a second direction opposite the first direction, and thereby to be mounted to the liquid consuming apparatus. The liquid cartridge is configured to pivot about a pivot center in the liquid consuming apparatus. The liquid cartridge includes a rear face, and the rear face includes a first portion and a second portion positioned further in an upward direction than the first portion. The first portion includes a portion positioned further in a downward direction than the pivot center, and the first portion is positioned further in the first direction than the second portion.
US09656457B2	Method for cleaning a print-related surface A method for cleaning a rotating surface of a printing press cylinder or a rotating surface of a printing press roller, or a rotating surface of a print form or a transfer form arranged on a printing press cylinder within a printing unit includes the steps of: applying a liquid, water-based washing agent, containing at least 60% water and the rest at least surfactants, onto the surface to be cleaned within the printing unit; dissolving contaminations from the surface to be cleaned within the printing unit with the help of the washing agent and a cleaning device; and removing the dissolved contaminations from the surface to be cleaned within the printing unit, at least with the help of the cleaning device.
US09656456B2	Machine and method for printing material webs The invention describes a machine for printing material webs (4), which comprises a station (1, 11, 41) for monitoring the printed material web (4), with the station (1, 11, 41) for monitoring the material web (4) comprising a sensor (3, 13) for monitoring the web (4) and at least one counter support (2, 12) for guiding the web (4), with at least one counter support (2, 12) being located on the side of the web (4) facing away from the sensor (3, 13).The invention is characterized by a device for providing blow air, which shows jets (6, 7) extruding blow air in the area of the station (1, 11, 41) for monitoring the material web (4) at the side of the material web (4) facing the sensor (3, 13).
US09656455B2	Drive device for stamping foil, unwinding module and stamping machine thus equipped Drive device for unwinding a reel of foil in an unwinding module of a stamping machine, having an inactive position, and an active position in engagement with the reel, and comprising: a belt, having an inactive configuration, and an active configuration for contacting a portion of the reel and driven by a driver of the module so as to unwind the reel, rollers, maintaining the belt in the inactive and the active configuration, a translatable roller, which engages the belt and compensates for variations in length when the belt moves from the inactive to the active configuration, and a biasing arrangement, attached to the roller and thereby keeping the belt tensioned in both the inactive and the active configuration, and the biasing arrangement is actuated and disengaged from the belt, to move the belt from the inactive to the active configuration and vice versa.
US09656454B2	Screen printing method and screen printing device A screen printing method includes performing a destaticizing action that removes static electricity with which a screen mask is charged, through a mask support member, which is positioned on a lateral side of a circuit board, before bringing the circuit board into contact with a lower surface of the screen mask, by bringing the conductive mask support member into contact with a lower surface of the screen mask as a result of raising the mask support member. The method includes subsequently performing screen printing by bringing the circuit board into contact with the lower surface of the screen mask as a result of raising the circuit board.
US09656453B2	Monitoring composite manufacturing and repair processes using chromatic films A composite structure is processed using heat and pressure. A chromatic film is placed in proximity to the composite structure and is used to monitor at least one of the temperature of the heat and the pressure during processing.
US09656441B2	Transdermal patch A transdermal patch includes a protective layer, a matrix layer, an adhesive layer, and a cover layer. The cover layer is at least partially bi-elastic, and the adhesive layer comprises an acrylic copolymer having hydroxyl functional groups. The matrix layer comprises a physiologically effective amount of buprenorphine or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
US09656429B1	Systems and methods for structurally analyzing and printing parts Methods and systems are disclosed for structurally analyzing and/or three-dimensional printing a part. The method may comprise receiving a model of the part for three-dimensional printing from a material comprising a matrix, receiving one or more properties for the material, and using the model, determining a print head tool path for use during the three-dimensional printing of the part. The method may also comprise determining a trajectory of at least one stiffness-contributing portion of the material based at least in part on the print head tool path, determining a performance of the part based at least in part on the one or more properties and the trajectory, and electronically outputting the performance of the part.
US09656424B2	System for adjusting platform height during three-dimensional printing of an object A three-dimensional object printer uses a mechanical system to adjust a vertical height of a platform that supports a substrate for formation of a three-dimensional object in the printer. The mechanical system includes a Geneva mechanism operated by a rack and pinion arrangement to drive differential screws and adjust a vertical distance between the platform and a printhead in the printer.
US09656412B2	Method and device for producing a fibre composite component The present invention provides a method for producing a fiber composite component, the method comprising arranging a first and a second mold in relation to one another in such a way that these together form a first cavity; laying a fiber material on the first and/or second mold; filling the first cavity with a casting material and solidifying the casting material in order to seal the first and second molds to one another and/or to interconnect them; and infiltrating the fiber material with a matrix and curing the matrix to form the fiber composite component.
US09656411B2	Separating device of material of absorbent article A separating device separates liquid absorbent fibers from a material including the liquid absorbent fibers of an absorbent article and impurities. The separating device includes: a case; an insertion port for inserting the material into the case on an airflow; a rotation member in the case for agitating and opening the material; and a discharge port for discharging the liquid absorbent fibers from inside the case on an airflow. The rotation member rotates around a center axis from the insertion port to the discharge port, and the rotation member has protruding sections protruding outward in a direction that intersects with the center axis in a plurality of positions in the axial direction. A regulating member is provided in a predetermined position between the insertion port and the discharge port in the case, and the regulating member regulates movement of the material from the insertion port to the discharge port.
US09656407B2	Article and method for spreading a substance about a surface An article and method for spreading a substance about a surface is disclosed. The article includes a hollow, frangible shell having an opening. The shell is filled with a substance and a plug closes. A user throws the article at the surface where the substance is desired to be spread. Upon impact, the shell shatters scattering the substance.
US09656405B2	Verifying calibration points against mark lines on workpiece surfaces Methods for verifying calibration points against mark lines on workpiece surfaces are disclosed. Other embodiments including related systems are also disclosed. A material removal component may precisely remove extraneous material from a workpiece when calibration points of the material removal component along a predetermined trajectory are aligned with a mark line upon a marked surface of a workpiece. The marked surface of the workpiece may be disposed opposite of the material removal component. By employing an optical device aligned with the material removal component, calibration points may determined along the marked surface of the workpiece and verified against the mark line. In this manner, the extraneous material may be efficiently removed while minimizing rework and/or destruction of the workpiece.
US09656402B2	Grip-type cutter knife A cutter knife body having a grip portion, the grip portion including a trigger lever, a cutting blade provided on an end of the cutter knife body, a pin rotatably supporting the cutting blade in the cutter knife body, a locking member placed in an opening formed in the cutter knife body, and a pair of cutting blade protector flanges, each protector flange being disposed on a side of the cutting blade, each cutting blade protector flanges having an outward protrusion from a surface of the flange, the grip type cutter knife including a pair of springs located between the pin and each of the outward protrusion from the flange surface, the pair of flanges being slidably supported in the cutter knife body by the pin and the pair of springs.
US09656401B2	Personal-care appliance and method of assembly A personal-care appliance having a handle defining a cavity. A fluid connector is positioned within the cavity. A fluid reservoir is positioned within the cavity. The fluid reservoir has a frangible seal that is spaced apart from the fluid connector. A cover is mounted to the handle over the cavity.
US09656400B2	Hair cutting techniques for automated hair cutting system Various aspects of automated grooming systems and cutting devices are disclosed. One embodiment of an automated grooming system comprises a computing device; a cutting device comprising a handle having a proximal and distal end and a cutting head positioned near the distal end of the handle; and a plurality of positioning sensors configured to send signals to the computing device relaying the position of the cutting head relative to a surface having hair extending therefrom. The computing device may be configured to receive the signals from the positioning device and prepare instructions for actuation of the cutting device. In some embodiments, the cutting device comprises a processor configured to receive the prepared instructions from the computing device and actuate the cutting device according to the prepared instructions.
US09656389B2	Apparatus and method for enabling rapid configuration and reconfiguration of a robotic assemblage Modular components form a robotic assembly, the mod-components include modules and tools, each have a set of functions and capabilities, are rapidly configured-reconfigured to function cooperatively, creating a configurable robotic assemblage. Each mod-component incorporates a standardized connector mating with any other standardized connector in an interchangeable manner providing mechanical stability, power, and signals therebetween. Each mod-component incorporates a processor, data storage for mod-component identity, status, and programmable functionality, and for responding to commands. Storage is reprogrammed while the robot is operational, altering both commands and responses. After interconnection, inter-module power and communication are established and each modular component identifies itself and its functionality, thereby providing “plug and play” configuration.
US09656384B1	Toolbox A toolbox includes a body having multiple recesses defined in each of two facing insides thereof, and a groove is defined in each of the two facing insides of the body and located above the recesses. At least one bit receiving unit is pivotably connected to the body by pivotably engaging two pivots on two ends of the bit receiving unit with the recesses of the two facing insides. Two protrusions extend from each of the two ends of the at least one bit receiving unit and are located above the pivot corresponding thereto. When the bit receiving unit is pivoted upward, the protrusions are engaged with the grooves of the two facing insides of the toolbox so that the bit receiving unit is well positioned. When the bit receiving unit is positioned horizontally, the protrusions are engaged with the recesses of the two facing insides of the toolbox.
US09656379B2	Multi-purpose drywall installation tool A multi-purpose tool that provides a hammer, a hatchet, a cutting blade, a lift support, a screw puller and a rasp for use in the installation of drywall sheets used in constructing walls within buildings.
US09656374B2	Automotive assembly line body chip and scratch reducing bumper An automotive assembly line tool system and method utilizing a heat-shrinkable bumper disposed around a portion of an assembly line tool for absorbing kinetic energy between the portion of the tool and a work-piece on an assembly line. The bumper may be a chemically cross-linked polyolefin heat-shrinkable material having a shore D hardness of 42 or less after being heat-shrunk. The bumper may be a tubular bumper that has a continuous outer surface around its circumference and a heavy wall that is highly split-resistant. The bumper may have a life term of at least one year in an automotive assembly line environment. By protecting the tools and equipment, chips and scratches on a work-piece on the assembly line may be reduced.
US09656369B2	Brush-type deburring machine for multiple cutting with individual deburring The invention relates to a deburring machine for ends of sections (3, 51) of an elongate profile which are cut to length, with a receiving means (4) for a stack (2) or a bundle (50) of sections (3, 51) and a separating device for the sections (3, 51) of the stack (2) or the bundle (50), with a conveying device for the separated sections (3, 51) and at least one brush (40) which is arranged along the conveying device and which is in contact with the ends of the separated sections (3, 51) during the conveying thereof and which deburrs the ends.
US09656350B2	Removal of selected portions of protective coatings from substrates A method for selectively removing portions of a protective coating from a substrate, such as an electronic device, includes removing portions of the protective coating from the substrate. The removal process may include cutting the protective coating at specific locations, then removing desired portions of the protective coating from the substrate, or it may include ablating the portions of the protective coating that are to be removed. Coating and removal systems are also disclosed.
US09656343B2	Article including a weld joint An article is provided and includes a first part having a first edge defined at an intersection of first and second surfaces where the first and second surfaces form a first angle, a second part having a second edge defined at an intersection of third and fourth surfaces where the third and fourth surfaces form a second angle which is different from the first angle and a weld joint formed at locations where the first surface contacts the third surface.
US09656328B2	Cutting tool Disclosed is a cutting tool, including: a cutting edge including a coating from a rake face to a flank face, and has a relief angle of not less than 15 degrees, a material of the coating having a higher wear resistance than a base material of the cutting edge, and during cutting of a work, an edge of the coating on the rake face at a top of the cutting edge is worn by friction with the work; with a progress of a wear inward in a radial direction, an edge of the coating on the flank face at the top of the cutting edge is removed by friction with the work to expose the base material thereunder; and the exposed base material is worn by friction with the work to retract the flank face inward in the radial direction.
US09656324B2	Cartridge for a grooving tool holder, corresponding grooving tool holder, kit and assembly thereof A cartridge for a grooving tool holder extends along a mid-thickness plane by being bordered in the mid-thickness plane by peripheral surfaces of the cartridge. The peripheral surfaces of the cartridge include a clamping surface, a back surface for the fixation to the grooving tool holder along a screwing direction, and a front surface. The cartridge has a coolant channel extending along a direction from the back surface to the front surface. The screwing direction and the direction of extension of the coolant channel are both included in the mid-thickness plane of the cartridge. A grooving tool holder includes an upper front surface for fixation by screwing to the back surface of the cartridge.
US09656322B2	Method for producing silver nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, and silver coating material composition The present invention provides silver nano-particles that are excellent in stability and develop excellent conductivity by low-temperature calcining, a method for producing the silver nano-particles, and a silver coating composition comprising the silver nano-particles. A method for producing silver nano-particles comprising: mixing a silver compound with an aliphatic amine comprising at least a branched aliphatic hydrocarbon monoamine (D) comprising a branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group and one amino group, said branched aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 4 or more carbon atoms, to form a complex compound comprising the silver compound and the amine; and thermally decomposing the complex compound by heating to form silver nano-particles.
US09656320B2	Method for simultaneously producing first and second piston parts A method and apparatus for simultaneously producing a first piston part and a second piston part via a forging device may include an upper die, at least one intermediate die, and a lower die. A first billet may be placed between the upper die and the intermediate die, and a second billet may be placed between the intermediate die and the lower die. The upper die and the lower die may be configured to be moved toward each other, whereby the first piston part is forged from the first billet and the second piston part is forged at the same time from the second billet. The upper die and the lower die may then be configured to be moved apart, and the piston parts may be removed.
US09656318B2	Methods for joining more than two panels together and assemblies formed by the methods An assembly for a vehicle and a method of making an assembly including more than three panels stacked together and joined by self-piercing rivets or by clinch joints. A first panel and a second panel are joined together at a first attachment point. A third panel and the first panel are joined together at a second attachment point. A fourth panel and the third panel are joined together at a third attachment point. The first, second and third attachment points are spaced apart to avoid interference between the self-piercing rivets or the clinch joints.
US09656314B2	Press die A press die includes block rows arranged in parallel in a frame. Each block row is formed by die blocks. The block rows include a first block row and a second block row that are adjacent to each other. A joint portion between adjacent two blocks belonging to the first block row faces a side surface of a die block belonging to the second block row.
US09656313B2	Original plate material for heat-exchanging plate, and method for fabricating original plate material for heat-exchanging plate An original plate material for a heat-exchanging plate fabricated by press working and a method for fabricating the original plate material are provided. An original plate material for a heat-exchanging plate is a flat plate material made of titanium on the surface of which convex parts and concave parts are formed, and the heat-exchanging plate is fabricated by press working the original plate material. The convex parts and the concave parts are formed in a manner such that the shape parameter defined by (Rz×L/P) is 12 μm or less, where Rz (μm) denotes the height of the convex parts, L (μm) denotes the width of the concave parts, and P (μm) denotes the pitch between neighboring convex parts.
US09656311B2	Dithiocarbamate functionalized dendrimer with alkylenediamine core as soil heavy metal immobilization amendment and preparation method thereof A dithiocarbamate functionalized dendrimer with an alkylenediamine core, a dithiocarbamate pendant functional group and a dithiocarbamate end functional group, as a soil heavy metal immobilization amendment, and a preparation method thereof are provided. The dithiocarbamate functionalized dendrimer has a chemical formula of (CH2)a{N[CH2CH2COOCH2C(C2H5)(CH2OCOCH2CH2N(CSSM)CH2(CH2)bCH2N(CSS M)2)2]2}2, wherein a is a positive integer larger than 2; b is a positive integer at a range of 0-4; and M is Na+, NH4+ or K+. The dithiocarbamate functionalized dendrimer with the alkylenediamine core is used for an in-suit immobilization remediation for soil contaminated by heavy metals, and has advantages of a small dosage, high efficiency, safety and rapidness. The dendrimer is able to effectively immobilize exchangeable and carbonated bound forms of the heavy metals, in such a manner that the immobilized heavy metals are able to resist an influence from natural environment for a long term, such as an acid rain.
US09656304B2	Washer device for breast pump accessories A washing device for washing breast pump accessories and baby bottles, by spraying water in jets of high pressure, includes a washing enclosure; a water inlet; a drain outlet; a tube network; a wash pump; a heating element; a tray; a top sliding mesh lid; a breast shield clamp, including a clip, a clamp base, and extender arm, and adjustable side arms; a distribution valve; a plurality of water dispensing components, including spray pipes, a top spinner, a bottom spinner, side spinners, side nozzles. Spray pipes can be height adjustable, and can include spray nozzles, which can be flexible or rotating. Side nozzles can be adjustable or rotating. The washing device can further include a steam generator or an ultraviolet sterilizer lamp for sterilizing contents placed in the tray.
US09656303B2	Device and method for cleaning conveying surface Labor saving and automatization of cleaning work of a conveyance face for articles or materials are intended to reliably and quickly execute the cleaning work. A cleaning apparatus has a cleaning implement (10) located on the upper side of a conveyance element (R). The cleaning implement includes a cleaning face (11) to be in contact with a conveyance face (S). The cleaning apparatus also has a traction device (6,7) which applies a tractive force (T) to the cleaning implement, in a direction (E) opposite to a conveyance direction (D) of a conveyance passage. The cleaning implement has a weight (P) for keeping the cleaning face in contact with the conveyance element in operation of the conveyor device, and cleans the conveyance face by means of contact and separation of the cleaning face and the conveyance face, and relative displacement therebetween (V1, V2, V3).
US09656299B2	Method and circuit arrangement for determining a working range of an ultrasonic vibrating unit Provided is a method for determining an operating range of an ultrasonic vibrating unit (7), which ultrasonic vibrating unit (7) is supplied with electrical power by a generator (2) via an output (2a) and is excited to vibrate ultrasonically, wherein at least constituent parts of the ultrasonic vibrating unit (7), preferably an ultrasonic transducer (8) contained therein, and constituent parts of the generator (2), preferably a matching network (2b) on the output side, form a tuned circuit (2c, 2d). The method is characterized in that a measuring circuit (3) is connected upstream of the output (2a) of the generator (2), via the measuring circuit (3), a voltage (U) is applied to the tuned circuit, and by the measuring circuit (3), at least the phase, preferably magnitude and phase, of an impedance of the tuned circuit are measured, and at least the phase, preferably the phase and magnitude, of the impedance are evaluated in order to determine the working range. The invention further relates to a circuit arrangement for carrying out the aforementioned method.
US09656289B2	Automatic painting on pliable items Aspects relate to systems and methods for dispensing paint uniformly on pliable items. The system comprises at least one paint application device having at least one nozzle, at least one infrared heating unit, and a conveyance mechanism. Other aspects of the system will also comprise a mask exchanger, a mask cleaner, and/or at least one base jig. The base jig retains a masked pliable item having exposed and covered portions. The base jig moves on a conveyance mechanism through a series of paint application devices and infrared heating units. Each paint application device dispenses a thin layer of paint on the exposed portions of the masked pliable item and each infrared heating unit heats the thin layer of paint to create a solid base for a next layer of paint.
US09656288B2	Dispensing device for conveniently dispensing material According to embodiments of the invention, apparatuses and devices are provided for a liquid compound dispensing device. Generally, the dispenser includes a frame for carrying a composition, a plunger shaft having a piston at one end for urging the composition out of the frame, and one or more plunger driving assemblies for driving the actuator shaft to expel the compound. The plunger driving assemblies may have one or more downwardly extending handles, and the assembly includes one or more triggers extending upwardly within the housing. One or more triggers may be pressed to expel compound. Further, one or more triggers and/or handles may be movable to different portions of the dispensing device.
US09656287B2	Handheld valve dispensers and related methods A handheld valve dispenser includes a barrel having proximal and distal ends and a fluid chamber adapted to store a fluid. A dispense tip is coupled to the distal end of the barrel and includes a piercing element and a valve seat. The piercing element is configured to pierce the seal and establish an aperture therethrough when the dispense tip is first coupled to the barrel. A valve stem is received within the fluid chamber and is movable between a closed position in which the valve stem sealingly contacts the valve seat to prevent fluid dispense, and an open position for dispensing fluid. The barrel may include an outer barrel member and a disposable inner barrel liner removably received within the outer barrel member.
US09656275B2	Centrifuge having a stopping step between centrifuging steps A centrifuge including a rotor, a rotor chamber accommodating therein the rotor and having an opening, a motor configured to rotate the rotor, a door configured to close the opening of the rotor chamber, an input unit configured to receive an input of an operation condition, a display unit configured to display an operating status, and a control unit configured to control rotation of the motor, wherein the control unit is configured to perform a program operation under an operation condition including a plurality of steps, and wherein the control unit is configured so that a specific step of stopping the rotation of the rotor and permitting the door to be opened or closed can be set as at least one of the plurality of steps.
US09656272B1	Precious metal separation A system for precious metal separation includes a feeder that provides a granular mixture to a precious metal separator device. The feeder includes an inlet port, a storage area, and an outlet port. The feeder provides the granular mixture to the precious metal separator device at a rate at which the precious metal separator device processes the granular material. As the feeder provides the granular mixture to the precious metal separator, a remover removes ferromagnetic material from the provided granular mixture before the provided granular mixture reaches the precious metal separator.
US09656271B2	Guided transport of magnetically labeled biological molecules and cells Presented herein is a method and devices for identifying biological molecules and cells labeled by small magnetic particles and by optically active dyes. The labeled molecules are typically presented in a biological fluid but are then magnetically guided into narrow channels by a sequential process of magnetically trapping and releasing the magnetic labels that is implemented by sequential synchronized reversing the magnetic fields of a regular array of patterned magnetic devices that exert forces on the magnetic particles. These devices, which may be bonded to a substrate, can be formed as parallel magnetic strips adjacent to current carrying lines or can be substantially of identical structure to trilayered MTJ cells. Once the magnetically labeled molecules have been guided into the appropriate channels, their optical labels can be detected by a process of optical excitation and de-excitation. The molecules are thereby identified and counted.
US09656269B2	Wood chipper, control system therefor, and method thereof A wood chipper includes a frame, an infeed system, a rotatable cutting system, and at least one feed wheel disposed between the infeed system and the cutting system to feed wood material to the cutting system. The wood chipper also includes a winch which includes a winch line having a first end, and a collar disposed adjacent the first end of the winch line. The wood chipper further includes a detector adapted to detect a first and a second position of the winch line, wherein the detector is adapted to allow operation of the at least one feed wheel and prohibit operation of the winch when the first position of the winch line is detected, and to allow operation of the winch and allow operation of the at least one feed wheel in a predefined manner when the second position is detected.
US09656267B2	Magnetic rack A magnetic rack includes a bottom plate; a top plate mounted onto the bottom plate, the top plate having therein a first plurality of tube holes for retaining one or more tubes, each tube hole having an opening and a supporting wall extending from the opening between the top plate and the bottom plate; and a second plurality of magnetic assemblies distributed between at least a portion of the first plurality of tube holes, each magnetic assembly being configured to produce a magnetic field in one or more tube holes adjacent thereto.
US09656266B2	Assay testing diagnostic analyzer A diagnostic system with a handling system that has a loading bay to receive and hold a plurality of carriers. An identification device is configured to identify an identifying feature of the carriers to determine the type of contents loaded on each carrier. A transporter transports the carriers from the loading bay to a first or second location depending on the determined type of contents on each carrier. The transporter has random access to the plurality of carriers in the loading bay. A diagnostic process is conducted using the contents. A carrier, such a for reagents, has one or more holding portions, at least one of which can be moved or rotated with respect to the body of the carrier for mixing or stirring the contents of a container coupled therewith. Also, a retention member can be associated with a positioning device, such as a carousel, to lock and unlock the carrier with respect thereto.
US09656264B2	Biological sample holder and method of assembling same Embodiments of the invention relate to a biological sample holder and for holding biological samples. Conventionally, processing of biological samples, which may be stored on a biological sample storage medium, is done manually with samples being tested individually. However, handling of the samples is difficult and time consuming; greater demand for storage and extraction of genetic material has led to a requirement for greater throughput. In embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a biological sample holder comprising a chamber holding a biological sample storage medium, the chamber comprising one or more openings for receiving a liquid when inserted therein. This provides a means of holding a biological sample which is easy to handle and suitable for automation, for example in an array of such holders, allowing processing of multiple biological samples in parallel.
US09656262B2	Microfluidic grid-based design for high throughput assays Microfluidic devices have been developed to perform a range of high-throughput biochemical and cell-based assays over recent years. A design for a microfluidic device has been developed that resembles a microtiter plate, by placing the test chambers (each test chamber contains cells) and top-loading drug inlets (at least one per test chamber) in a grid according to the ANSI/SBS standards, yet offers the miniaturization and fluid handling advantages of microfluidics. This ensures that the device design is compatible with fluid handling and imaging equipment already in use for drug screening. A range of topologies have been determined that allow placement of various elements of this microfluidic network within the grid alignment constraints. A resistance equalization methodology has also been developed to reduce variability across assays run in different chambers of the microfluidic device. Additionally, it offers orders of magnitude miniaturization over multiwell plates, and potentially more reliable fluid handling.
US09656250B2	Method for preparing iodine-doped TiO2 nano-catalyst and use thereof in heterogeneously catalyzing configuration transformation of trans-carotenoids The present invention relates to a method for preparing an iodine-doped TiO2 nano-catalyst and use of the catalyst in heterogeneously catalyzing configuration transformation of trans-carotenoids. The iodine-doped TiO2 nano-catalyst is prepared by a sol-gel process using a titanate ester as a precursor and an iodine-containing compound as a dopant in the presence of a diluent, inhibitor and complexing agent. The catalyst exhibits high activity for isomerization of the trans-carotenoids into their cis-isomers within a short catalytic time. The catalyst can be easily prepared and is highly efficient, economical, recyclable and environmentally friendly.
US09656249B2	Exhaust gas purification catalyst [Summary][Purpose]To provide an excellent exhaust gas purification catalyst with satisfactory NOx selective reductive purification performance at lower temperature, and having a satisfactory N2O formation rate.[Solution Means]A selective reduction catalyst for exhaust gas purification, represented by the formula: CoxMn(1−x)TiO3 (where x in the molar ratio is a value greater than 0 and 0.2 or less).
US09656243B2	Mesoporous silicon synthesis and applications in Li-ion batteries and solar hydrogen fuel cells We provide a mesoporous silicon material (PSi) prepared via a template-free and HF-free process. The production process is facile and scalable, and it may be conducted under mild reaction conditions. The silicon may be produced directly by the reduction of a silicon-halogenide precursor (for example, SiCl4) with an alkaline alloy (for example, NaK alloy). The resulting Si-salt matrix is then annealed for the pore formation and crystallite growth. Final product is obtained by removal of the salt by-products with water.
US09656235B2	Operation method for multichannel apparatus and multichannel apparatus A method of operating a microchannel reactor, in which a reaction channel is formed, includes generating a reaction product by causing a chemical reaction in a raw material fluid while causing the same to flow through a reaction channel. If the flow rate of the raw material fluid and/or the reaction product fluid flowing through a reaction channel decreases, a fluid which is inert to the raw material fluid and the reaction product is mixed into the fluid flowing through the reaction channel, in a flow rate corresponding to the decreased flow rate and at a position downstream of the introduction position of the raw material fluid into the reaction channel.
US09656233B2	Reversible microcapsule filter cake The invention teaches a method of efficiently dewatering a microcapsule slurry to form a water re-suspendable filter cake of microcapsules. The process comprises providing an aqueous slurry of microcapsules dispersed in an aqueous solution; adding an agglomeration agent and dispersing the agglomeration agent into the aqueous slurry; adjusting the pH to a pH level sufficient to agglomerate the dispersed microcapsules; and filtering the aqueous slurry of microcapsules by gravity, vacuum or pressure filtration to thereby form a filter cake of dewatered microcapsules. The agglomeration agent is sodium polyphosphate, sodium tetrapolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, and/or sodium tripolyphosphate; or with anionic microcapsules or coatings even alkaline earth metal salts such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride or barium chloride, or even aluminum salt such as aluminum chloride.
US09656231B2	Continuous production of titanium tetrachloride from titanium-bearing slags This disclosure relates to an improved method to produce titanium tetrachloride continuously from titanium-bearing materials containing high concentrations of alkaline earth metal impurities through fluidized-bed carbochlorination. Agglomerated heavy particles in a reaction are taken out continuously from a chlorination reactor without clogging and stopping. The reactors and related methods disclosed apply to the chlorination of titanium slag containing high content of alkaline earth metal oxides of up to 15% by weight.
US09656230B2	Process for upgrading heavy and highly waxy crude oil without supply of hydrogen A continuous process to upgrade heavy crude oil for producing more valuable crude feedstock having high API gravity, low asphaltene content, and high middle distillate yield, low sulfur content, low nitrogen content, and low metal content without external supply of hydrogen and/or catalyst. Heavy crude oil having substantial amount of asphaltene and heavy components is mixed with highly waxy crude oil having large amount of paraffinic components and water to decompose asphaltene compounds and remove sulfur, nitrogen, and metal containing substances under supercritical conditions. Product has higher API gravity, lower asphaltene content, high middle distillate yield, lower sulfur content, lower nitrogen content, and lower metal content to be suitable for conventional petroleum refining process.
US09656228B2	Device and method for making solid beads A method of making solid beads is disclosed, said method comprising: (i) providing a microfluidic device comprising a carrier fluid conduit and a functional fluid conduit which meet at a junction region; (ii) providing a laminar flow of a functional fluid comprising a solvent and a solute along the functional fluid conduit and providing a laminar flow of a carrier fluid along the carrier fluid conduit so as to form droplets of functional fluid in a flow of carrier fluid; (iii) cooling the segments of functional fluid in a conduit of the microfluidic device to form cooled (preferably frozen) droplets; and (iv) providing a liquid into intimate admixture with the cooled droplets so as to cause said solvent to exit said cooled droplets, thus forming solid beads. A microfluidic device for use in such a method is also disclosed.
US09656223B2	Mixing unit and device, fluid mixing method and fluid A mixing unit has a stacked member having mixing elements that are stacked in a stacking direction and that extend in an extending direction, a first plate, and a second plate disposed opposite the first plate. The stacked member is sandwiched between the first plate and the second plate. Each of the mixing elements has first through holes. The second plate comprises an opening portion that communicates with the first through holes in the stacked member.
US09656221B2	Systems and methods for treating fluids A liquid treatment method includes mixing a liquid with an agent to form a mixture, aging the mixture to obtain to a predetermined condition in at least one of the liquid and the agent, and dispensing the aged mixture. An interaction between the liquid and the agent causes the predetermined condition to occur. Also, a majority of the aging occurs while the mixture is in a dynamic state. A related system includes a mixer receiving a liquid and a drag reducing agent and an aging module connected to the mixer. The mixer disperses the drag reducing agent in the liquid to form a mixture and the aging module has a flow path along which the mixture flows. The flow path has a distance sufficient for a majority of the aging to occur while the mixture is in a dynamic state, wherein the aging changes the drag reducing agent to a predetermined condition.
US09656217B2	Disperser Disclosed herein is a disperser which can be easily installed without any air pump, a transfer pope and a porous disperser in such a way to install an impeller, which is employed to discharge water and at the same time to suck air, at an end portion after a shaft employed to transfer the driving force of a driving motor has been connected underwater, wherein the disperser of the present inventive concept is easy to maintain without cleaning due to the plugging, whereupon maintenance is easy and the applicability of the product is good.
US09656215B2	Hydrogen generation assemblies and hydrogen purification devices Hydrogen generation assemblies, hydrogen purification devices, and their components, and methods of manufacturing those assemblies, devices, and components are disclosed. In some embodiments, the devices may include frames with membrane support structures and/or may include a microscreen structure configured to prevent intermetallic diffusion.
US09656210B2	Internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine, including at least one exhaust-gas line having at least one device for the after-treatment of the exhaust gas and at least one urea-water solution tank, whereby the urea-water solution tank 3 is located close to the engine, is provided.
US09656209B2	Three-way catalyst and its use in exhaust systems A three-way catalyst is disclosed. The three-way catalyst comprises a palladium component comprising palladium and a ceria-zirconia-alumina mixed or composite oxide, and also comprises a rhodium component comprising rhodium and a zirconia-containing material. The palladium component and the rhodium component are coated onto a silver-containing extruded molecular sieve substrate. The invention also includes an exhaust system comprising the three-way catalyst. The three-way catalyst results in improved hydrocarbon storage and conversion, in particular during the cold start period.
US09656208B2	Exhaust gas treatment unit for an exhaust gas recirculation line and internal combustion engine and motor vehicle having an exhaust-gas treatment unit An exhaust gas treatment unit includes a substantially cylindrical exhaust gas treatment body having a main axis and, on at least one opening side of the exhaust gas treatment unit, at least one of the following connecting devices or connectors: an offset compression zone or a molded structure for form-locking engagement. An internal combustion engine includes at least one exhaust gas treatment unit and at least one exhaust gas conducting line. The at least one exhaust gas treatment unit is completely introduced in the at least one exhaust gas conducting line. A motor vehicle having at least one exhaust-gas treatment unit is also provided.
US09656202B2	Method and device for separating a gas mixture by means of pressure swing adsorption Method for separating a gas mixture according to a pressure swing adsorption process (PSA process), and apparatus for performing this method, the apparatus comprising a plurality of vessels, wherein each vessel has at least one inlet and one outlet, an adsorbent mass is provided in each of said vessels for adsorbing at least one gas component, and the inlet of each of said vessels is connected to a storage vessel for an off-gas, and the inlet of each of said vessels and the storage vessel are further connected to an off-gas consuming device.
US09656200B2	Fabric filter system and method for cleaning the same The invention relates to a fabric filter system, having a first fabric filtering device in the form of elongated tubular fabric bag; a first gas tank for providing compressed gas; a first pulsing gas duct fluidly connected between the first fabric filtering device and the first gas tank through a first pulsing valve for cleaning the first fabric filtering device. The fabric filter system further includes a second gas tank for providing compressed gas. The second gas tank is fluidly connected with the first gas tank through a control valve. The first pulsing valve is opened to introduce the compressed gas into the first filtering device for cleaning when the control valve remains open. The control valve is closed after a predetermined time. A method for cleaning the fabric filter system is disclosed.
US09656189B2	Centrifuge process for dewatering oil sands tailings A process for dewatering oil sands tailings is provided, comprising providing a tailings feed having a solids content in the range of about 10 wt % to about 45 wt %; adding a flocculant to the tailings feed and mixing the tailings feed and flocculant to form flocs; and centrifuging the flocculated tailings feed to produce a centrate having a solids content of less than about 3 wt % and a cake having a solids content of at least about 50 wt %.
US09656182B2	Ornament manufacturing method, ornament and stick toy A method of manufacturing an ornament includes: providing a pair of continuous regions facing one another in a flexible sheet; forming a plurality of slits between the pair of continuous regions to form a plurality of ornament strips, wherein the plurality of ornament strips are separated from each other while both ends of the plurality of ornament strips are integrally formed with the pair of continuous regions; and reversing the plurality of ornament strips with respect to the pair of continuous regions such that the plurality of ornament strips radiate to form into an arc between the pair of continuous regions, while coupling each of the pair of continuous regions to be formed into a ring.
US09656174B1	Purchasable tournament multipliers A system and method configured to enhance gameplay between users in an online game. In some implementations, the system and method include executing an instance of an online game and determining the value of a gameplay parameter for a user reflecting progress by that user within the online game. The system and method includes conducting an event in the online game that takes place during an event time period and determining, for individual users, values of an event parameter based on changes in the values of the gameplay parameter determined for users during the event time period and determining relative positions of users based on respective values of the event parameter and distributing awards based thereon. Users are further presented with offers to sell virtual items usable in the online game where the offers include an offer to sell virtual items, wherein the virtual items are usable by a user to enhance the value of an event parameter such that a scoring multiplier is applied to the determination of the value of the event parameter based on change in the value of the gameplay parameter subsequent to the use of the virtual item.

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