US07981257B2
An apparatus and technique are provided for generating a plasma using a power supply circuit and arc detection arrangement. The power supply circuit has a cathode enclosed in a chamber, and is adapted to generate a power-related parameter. The arc detection arrangement is communicatively coupled to the power supply circuit and adapted to assess the severity of arcing in the chamber by comparing the power-related parameter to at least one threshold. According to various implementations, arc occurrences, arcing duration, intensity and/or energy are measured responsive to comparing the power-related parameter to the at least one threshold. According to further implementations, the above-mentioned measured quantities are accumulated and/or further processed. An apparatus and method are also provided for detecting arc events when the current spikes above a threshold level. The method and apparatus is also for classifying the arc events based on the voltage and current signals and the duration each is beyond a threshold value.
US07981256B2
A splitter system is disclosed that produces a product stream from a mixed stream of two materials with similar boiling points. A multi-stage heat pump compressor is used in combination with a bottoms reboiler and an intermediate reboiler resulting in reduced utility consumption. The appropriately placed intermediate reboiler enables use of a lower temperature heat source relative to the bottoms reboiler heat source. As a result, a lower pressure overhead vapor stream can be used to deliver heat to both the intermediate and bottoms reboilers, thereby conserving energy. The first stage of the multi-stage heat pump compressor delivers pressurized overhead vapor to the intermediate reboiler and the second stage provides pressurized overhead vapor to the bottoms reboiler. The disclosed design and method lessens the heat pump compressor power consumption and trim condenser duty for a propylene/propane splitter system by over 20%. A third stage of compression upstream of the overhead trim condenser may be used for purposes of making the column pressure and temperatures independent of the trim condenser temperature.
US07981248B2
A method of treating pulp on a porous surface of a rotating drum cylinder having a lower drum portion in a vat of pulp slurry and a radial array of filtrate conduits including: as the porous surface of the drum rotates through the vat, drawing filtrate from the slurry through the porous surface by the application of a suction to the filtrate conduits vacuum; draining the filtrate from the filtrate conduits into the filtrate chamber and to a filtrate suction conduit extending to an elevation below the vat; forming a pulp mat on the porous surface which passes filtrate and substantially blocks fibers in the pulp slurry; removing the pulp mat on the porous surface from the vat as the drum rotates; draining filtrate from the filtrate suction conduit, and before excessive gases passing through the porous surface enter the filtrate conduits, switching a fluid flow downstream of the filtrate conduits to a gas vent passage offset and below from a drum rotational axis.
US07981246B2
The invention relates to a film (2) which comprises a component (1) to be detached therefrom. Said film is placed in the area of the component on a detaching tool (5) that is provided with at least one supporting element (6) for the film, which extends in a plane of support (11). The film is sucked against the support element (6) and partially under the plane of support by exerting negative pressure. The area of the supporting element is provided with at least one surface section (8) which extends in the plane of support when the detaching process begins, and which can be displaced, once the component (1) is grasped by a suction tool (4), plane-parallel to the plane of support while the negative pressure is maintained. The invention allows to control the detaching process of the film in a controlled movement without damaging or displacing the component.
US07981244B2
A balloon catheter and a method of making a balloon catheter, having a balloon with a first layer and a second layer, the first layer having at least one impregnated section impregnated with a polymeric material compatible with a polymeric material forming the catheter shaft. At least a portion of the impregnated section is fusion bonded to the shaft. In a presently preferred embodiment, the impregnated section is adjacent to a section of the first layer which is not impregnated with the compatible polymeric material. The impregnated section provides improved bonding of the balloon to the catheter shaft while minimizing the effect of the bond on catheter performance characteristics such as profile and flexibility.
US07981243B2
The present invention provides an improved method of manufacturing constrained layer dampers with a vulcanized rubber viscoelastic core. The method includes the steps of: applying a first layer of adhesive to a first constraining layer; applying a layer of unvulcanized rubber solved in a solvent to the first layer of adhesive to form a first laminate structure; applying a second layer of adhesive to a second constraining layer to form a second laminate structure; laminating the first laminate structure with the second laminate structure; coiling the laminated first and second laminate structures; and increasing the temperature of the coiled first and second laminate structures to thereby vulcanize the layer of rubber.
US07981241B2
A method of forming a piece from a composite material is disclosed in which a mandrel is used that reduces relative movement between the mandrel and the piece during the curing process.
US07981239B2
A process for manufacturing an electronic display device comprising a substrate coated with a display having an active zone and a connection zone, the display being attached by an adhesive crosslinkable by radiation to a protective plate. This process comprises: a) application of the adhesive to the display and/or this plate; b) attachment, by bonding, of the plate to the display; c) radiation through the plate in order to crosslink the adhesive; then d) removal of one portion of the plate covering the connection zone, with a view to rendering the latter electrically accessible. Prior to step a) a masking layer that is opaque to the radiation is deposited so that it opposes the crosslinking of the adhesive applied opposite the sole connection zone, and after step d), removed from the connection zone is the uncrosslinked adhesive, which has not been removed with the portion of the protective plate.
US07981238B2
A method relaxing a strained thin film, secured via a first main face of an initial support, the second main face of the thin film being a contact face. The method supplies an intermediate support including a polymer layer having a main free contact face, the polymer's thermal expansion coefficient being greater than that of the thin film, adhesively brings into contact the contact face of the strained thin film with the contact face of the polymer layer, eliminates the initial support, realizing relaxation of the thin film through formation of wrinkles and revealing the first main face of the thin film, increases the polymer layer temperature to stretch the relaxed thin film and eliminate the wrinkles, secures the first main face of the thin film with one face of a receiving substrate, and eliminates the intermediate support to obtain a relaxed thin film integral with the receiving substrate.
US07981231B2
An apparatus for producing an elastomeric nonwoven laminate including a plurality of elastomeric strands joined to a nonwoven web in a controlled distribution is provided. The apparatus includes an extruder for extruding a plurality of elastomeric strands onto a cooled surface of a rotating drum, which transports the strands in parallel alignment to a nip formed between two rollers rotating about parallel axis. The drum transfers the plurality of strands to the nip in a controlled distribution where it is bonded with the nonwoven. The apparatus also includes elements which automate the apparatus for creating the elastomeric nonwoven laminate.
US07981224B2
The present invention provides a steel sheet excellent in both a balance between strength and elongation and a balance between strength and hole expandability, in other words, a multi-phase steel sheet having an excellent balance between strength and hole expandability.The present invention is a multi-phase steel sheet excellent in hole expandability characterized in that: the steel sheet contains, as chemical components in mass, C: 0.03 to 0.15%, P: not more than 0.010%, S: not more than 0.003%, and either one or both of Si and Al in a total amount of 0.5 to 4%, and one or more of Mn, Ni, Cr, Mo and Cu in a total amount of 0.5 to 4%, with the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities; the microstructure at a section of the steel sheet is composed of either one or both of retained austenite and martensite which account(s) for 3 to 30% in total in area percentage and the balance consisting of either one or both of ferrite and bainite; the maximum length of the crystal grains in the microstructure is not more than 10 microns; and the number of inclusions 20 microns or larger in size at a section of the steel sheet is not more than 0.3 piece per square millimeter.
US07981223B2
The present invention is a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet characterized in that Bi is present at 0.01 to less than 1,000 ppm in terms of mass at the interface of the substrate steel and the primary film of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheet. The grain-oriented electrical steel sheet is produced by any of the processes of: before decarburization annealing, applying preliminary annealing for 1 to 20 sec. at 700° C. or higher and controlling an atmosphere in the temperature range; controlling the maximum attaining temperature B (° C.) before final cold rolling so that the maximum attaining temperature B may satisfy the expression, −10×ln(A)+1,100≦B≦10×ln(A)+1,220, in accordance with a Bi content A (ppm) and at the same time heating the steel sheet cold rolled to the final thickness to 700° C. or higher within 10 sec. or at a heating rate of 100° C./sec. or more before decarburization annealing, or immediately thereafter applying preliminary annealing for 1 to 20 sec. at 700° C. or higher; or controlling a TiO2 amount B added in relation to MgO of 100 as parts by weight and an MgO coating amount C (g/m2) so that the expression, A0.8≦B×C≦400, may be satisfied in accordance with the Bi content A (ppm).
US07981213B2
A crystal growth method of a group III nitride includes the steps of forming a melt mixture of an alkali metal and a group III element in a reaction vessel, and growing a crystal of a group III nitride formed of the group III element and nitrogen from the melt mixture in the reaction vessel, wherein the step of growing the crystal of the group III nitride is conducted while controlling an increase rate of degree of supersaturation of a group III nitride component in the melt mixture in a surface region of the melt mixture.
US07981211B2
Surface-modified, fumed silica having the data: BET surface area, m2/g: 25-400; Average primary particle size, nm: 5-50; pH: 3-10; Carbon content, % by weight: 0.1-10; Potassium content (calculated as potassium oxide), % by weight: 0.000001-40; is prepared by subjecting a fumed silica to surface modification in the presence of potassium compounds. It can be used in LSR silicone rubber compositions as a filler.
US07981210B2
The disclosure is generally related to writing instruments capable of making markings containing large diameter glitter pigment particles, and glitter ink compositions for the same. In one embodiment, the disclosure provides a capillary-action marker comprising a glitter ink composition, a low density ink reservoir for storing the glitter ink composition, and a porous nib in fluid communication with the low density ink reservoir, wherein the glitter ink composition comprises glitter pigment particles having a particle size greater than about 12.1 microns in at least one dimension.
US07981206B2
An inkjet ink contains at least one coloring material selected from the group of C. I. Acid Yellow 23, C. I. Direct Yellow 86, C. I. Direct Yellow 132, and C. I. Direct Yellow 173, and a coloring material including a compound expressed by general formula (I): wherein in the formula (I), each M independently represents hydrogen, an alkali metal, ammonium, or an organic ammonium.
US07981204B2
The present invention relates to a porphyrazine coloring matter represented by the following formula (1) or a salt thereof: wherein, the rings A, B, C and D shown by broken lines each independently represent a 6-membered ring having aromaticity, at least 1.0 of said rings A to D is a benzene ring and at least 0.5 of them is a nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic ring, when shown as an average value; E represents an alkylene group; X and Y are each independently an anilino group having 1 to 3 carboxy groups; and b is 0 to 3.4, c is 0.1 to 3.5, and the sum of b and c is 1.0 to 3.5, when shown as an average value. The present invention can provide a porphyrazine coloring matter suitable for inkjet recording, which has characteristics of having a good hue as cyan ink, excellent fastnesses, in particular, extremely excellent water fastness when printed on plain paper, and high solubility in water or a water-soluble organic solvent.
US07981196B2
An apparatus and method for absorbing and recovering carbon dioxide from flue gas using ammonia water as an absorbent, including an absorption column and a circulation cooler connected to the absorption column so that a high-temperature absorbent is recovered from the absorption column, cooled to a preset temperature, and then supplied again into the absorption column, in order to dissipate absorptive heat generated when carbon dioxide is absorbed from the flue gas.
US07981192B2
The invention relates to a process for producing binderless briquettes from metal chips and metal dusts in which the metal chips are pressed into a cup-shaped form and the upwardly open cavity produced as a result is filled with metal dust, after which the opening is closed with a cover consisting of pressed metal chips.
US07981190B2
The Ultrafine alloy particles of an alloy includes a primary metal and one or more subsidiary metals solid-soluble in said primary metal, a content of the one or more subsidiary metals is in a range of 1 wt % to 25 wt % and the one or more subsidiary metals solid-solved in the primary metal inhibit coalescence or oxidation of the ultrafine alloy particles including the primary metal, or both. The process introduces powder materials including the primary metal and the one or more subsidiary metals for producing the ultrafine alloy particles into a thermal plasma flame under reduced pressure to form a vapor-phase mixture and introduces a cooling gas toward an end portion of the thermal plasma flame in a supply amount sufficient for quenching the vapor-phase mixture so as to generate the ultrafine alloy particles.
US07981188B2
A porous ceramic honeycomb filter manufactured from an oxide-based ceramic material having a pore size distribution with d1≧7.0 microns. Preferably, the oxide-based material is cordierite or aluminum titanate. Alternatively, the filter contains a cordierite-containing ceramic body with a narrow pore size distribution with db≦1.00, wherein db=(d90−d10)/d50. Also disclosed is a batch mixture, method and honeycomb green body made from mixture of inorganic source materials selected from the group of magnesia sources, alumina sources, and silica sources, and a pore former having a narrow particle size distribution with dps≦0.90, wherein dps={(dp90−dp10)/dp50}. The pore former is preferably selected from a group consisting of canna starch, sago palm starch, green mung bean starch, and single-mode potato starch.
US07981186B2
According to the present disclosure an air cleaner and air filter cartridge arrangement is provided. The air filter cartridge is a removable and replaceable cartridge for use in the air cleaner. The cartridge includes, among other things, an end cap having a preferred outwardly directed radial seal and a groove. The air cleaner includes a housing with a stabilizing ring projecting into an interior, positioned to project at least partially into the groove of the filter cartridge, when the filter cartridge is mounted for use. Methods of assembly and installation are described.
US07981185B2
Device for extracting droplets of a liquid agent suspended in a gaseous fluid displaced in a machine for displacement of such a gaseous fluid, the extraction device comprising a first part and a second part. The first part comprising a first element, which is of elongated shape, with a longitudinal axis termed the first axis, and is intended to ensure a filtration function inside the apparatus; and a second element, which is intended to enable at least one of the following functions, which are a function of grasping at least by hand the first part and a function of fixing this first part to the second part. The second part comprising a wall that defines a chamber which is intended to be traversed by the gaseous fluid to be filtered and receives said first element in a position termed the operational position; and comprises an opening that delimits a passageway sufficient for the insertion of the first element into the chamber.
US07981184B2
A diamond patterned tubular pleated filter element is disclosed. Also disclosed is a filter cartridge that comprises a core element having an inner diameter, two ends and apertures formed therein, a diamond patterned tubular pleated filter element having an inner and an outer diameter positioned about the core element wherein the ratio of the outer diameter to the inner diameter of the diamond patterned tubular pleated filter element is about 1.5 to about 2.5, an open end cap, for transferring fluid into or out of the core element, positioned at one end of the core, and a closed end cap, for preventing fluid from exiting therefrom, positioned at the other end of the core, the closed end cap including structure for positioning the open end cap in filtration housing. Systems and methods for manufacturing the filter cartridge and the diamond patterned tubular pleated filter media itself are also disclosed.
US07981173B2
A process of making a laminate and laminate formed thereby and a process of making an abrasive laminate and laminate formed thereby include providing a first moving sheet having a first side and a second side, applying active foaming material in a pre-mixed form to the first side, providing a second moving sheet having a first side and second side, the second sheet provided in a manner such that the first side of the second sheet contacts the foaming material to form an uncured laminate and maintaining the first sheet and the second sheet at a predetermined distance relative to one another during a curing period of the foaming material such that the foaming material bonds to the first sheet and the second sheet and upon curing forms a laminate.
US07981169B2
This invention disclosure describes a conditioned single phase hydrocarbon-based fuel, a method for producing such fuel and components useful in such method. The described conditioned hydrocarbon-based fuel is a single phase hydrous fuel with improved performance, handling and storage characteristics. A method is also is also provided for producing the conditioned hydrocarbon-based fuel using a semi-solid activator. The resulting conditioned hydrocarbon-based fuel has a volume greater than the unmodified hydrocarbon-based fuel, a BTU content greater than the BTU content of the unmodified hydrocarbon-based fuel, less particulate emissions and less non-particulate emissions than the unmodified hydrocarbon-based fuel, and a water content less than the water content of the unmodified hydrocarbon-based fuel.
US07981159B2
A knee replacement system includes a femoral component including a lateral condylar articulating portion and a medial condylar articulating portion, a tibial tray including an upper articulating surface, and a tibial insert including (i) a first articulating portion for articulating with the lateral condylar articulating portion with a first condylar dwell point, (ii) a second articulating portion for articulating with the medial condylar articulating portion with a second condylar dwell point, (iii) a lower articulating surface for articulating with the upper articulating surface, and (iv) a coupling member for coupling with the tibial tray and defining an axis of rotation about which the tibial insert rotates with respect to the tibial tray, the axis of rotation intersecting the upper articulating surface at a location posterior to a dwell axis including the condylar dwell points when the dwell axis is projected onto the upper articulating surface.
US07981124B2
A surgical instrument for applying purse string sutures to tissue is provided that includes two circular discs that each have notches within a perimeter of the disc for receiving tissue and through which a suture wire may pass. The device also includes push plates for advancing the suture wires through the notches of the two circular discs and into portions of the tissue. Suture is placed within each push plate and is connected to ends of the suture wires. Suction is applied to the circular discs through a shaft to draw the tissue into the respective notches of the circular discs so that the suture wires may be advanced through the tissue and the sutures can then be pulled through the tissue to create two purse-string sutures.
US07981116B2
A surgical tool for inserting a surgical implant in a body and a method of performing a surgical procedure, wherein the tool is composed of materials consisting essentially of radiolucent materials. In one embodiment the radiolucent materials comprise plastic. In another embodiment the radiolucent materials comprise carbon fibers. In still another embodiment the radiolucent materials comprise thin aluminum. The tool has a torque capacity of at least 6 Nm.
US07981114B2
A device for installation of a guide wire for a drilling tool in a correct positional arrangement in a bone. The device includes a tissue protection sleeve, which has at one end a laterally projecting grip or handle. A trocar is provided, which trocar can be introduced into the tissue protection sleeve from the handle end and whose other end is closed. The trocar is rotatable in the tissue protection sleeve and has a central bore hole and a plurality of eccentric axially parallel bore holes, through which a guide wire can be passed. A second handle is provided which extends approximately in the same direction of the first handle and whose one end engages the end of the trocar situated the outside of the tissue protection sleeve, so that the normally freely rotatable trocar is fixed in the direction of rotation relative to the tissue protection sleeve, when both handles are manually clamped against each other.
US07981091B2
A catheter to be passed over a guidewire, including a screw portion with a cylindrical hollow shaft and a helical thread portion extending outwardly from the hollow shaft. The screw portion is secured coaxially to a tubular portion formed from a substantially rigid material. The tubular portion has, along a portion of its length, at least two slits having a pattern geometry that limits torsional displacement. The catheter also includes a hub having a lumen joined substantially coaxially to the tubular portion.
US07981085B2
A device comprises a housing having a mounting surface adapted for application to the skin of a subject, a needle with a pointed end portion adapted to penetrate the skin the subject, the needle having a first position in which the distal end portion is retracted within the housing, and a second position in which the distal end portion projects relative to the mounting surface. The device further comprises actuatable driving means actuatable to cause activation as well as release of the driving means, thereby moving the needle from the first position to the second position. By this arrangement the needle device can be supplied to the user in a non-energized state, the energizing taking place when the device is actuated by the user which means that energy will be stored only for a period from a few seconds to a few hours or days.
US07981084B2
Some embodiments of a medical infusion pump system include a pump device and a removable controller device. When the pump device and the removable controller device are removably attached to one another, the components may provide a portable infusion pump unit to dispense medicine to a user. In particular embodiments, the removable controller device includes a user interface to readily provide information, for example, about the operation of the pump.
US07981083B2
This pump with a battery-powered drive device comprises a circular elastic diaphragm (1a) and two valves (2b, 10), which has a diameter of 3 to 25 mm and is subjected to a compressive prestress of between 1'104 and 4'104 Pa capable of enabling it to return to its rest position at a maximum working frequency of between 8 and 12 Hz with a travel of between 0.2 and 2 mm, corresponding to a maximum flow rate of 1.5 to 2.5 l/h. The drive device comprises an electromagnet (5) in direct contact with the diaphragm (1a), a standard power supply battery, the available energy of which is from 7000 to 10'000 J, means for analyzing the supply current for the electromagnet and for detecting, at each pumping drive cycle, a minimum defined intensity of the supply current corresponding to the closure of the gap of the electromagnet (5) and means for interrupting the supply current once this minimum intensity has been reached.
US07981081B2
A method and apparatus for injecting fluid into areas having high density tissue that creates a high backpressure resistance on the injection device is disclosed. The high backpressure resistance is overcome through a mechanical advantage achieved by using a secondary reservoir having a cross-sectional area smaller than the cross-sectional area of a primary reservoir. Exemplary injection device reservoir housings may comprise a primary reservoir, a secondary reservoir, a check valve, a septum penetrating cannula, travel limits, a pen needle connecting portion, sliding seal guide ribs, a sliding seal, a pen needle assembly, a needle stop, and a patient needle.
US07981080B2
Skin cooling apparatus is provided for use with a medical treatment device such as a hypodermic syringe or a skin ablation laser or other electromagnetic source. The skin cooling apparatus provides selective, localized cooling of the target area that is acted upon by the medical treatment device. Included is a support body engaging at least a portion of the medical treatment device, for supporting and orienting the medical treatment device to the target area. A solid state cooling device such as a thermoelectric or Peltier device is carried by the support body and includes a cooling surface facing the target area of a patient's skin surface. The support body may be flexible so as to allow the medical treatment device to be inclined relative to the skin surface. The support body may also include aiming structure for directing the medical treatment device to a particular point within the target area.
US07981074B2
A surgical system with irrigation and aspiration lines having different compliance or stiffness, with the irrigation line having a higher compliance than the aspiration line.
US07981058B2
An intelligent wearable monitoring system includes a wireless personal area network for extended monitoring of a patient's motor functions. The wireless personal area network includes an intelligent accelerometer unit, a personal server and a remote access unit. The intelligent accelerometer unit measures acceleration data of the patient, in real-time. The personal server processes the acceleration data, applying linear and non-linear analysis, such as fractal analysis, to generate motor function information from the acceleration data. Motor function information is transmitted to a remote access unit for statistical analysis and formatting into visual representations. A data management unit receives the formatted motor function information and displays the information, for example, for viewing by the patient's physician.
US07981044B2
A device for and a method of measuring a blood flow of a living body having blood vessels that emit bio-photons and through which blood flows, the device including a detector positioned adjacent to a predetermined portion of the living body for measuring a bio-photon emission from the living body and a processor for analyzing and displaying the blood flow of the living body based on a value of the bio-photon emission.
US07981042B2
Methods and systems provide an integrated approach to respiratory and cardiac monitoring, diagnosis and/or therapy. A medical system includes one or more cardiac electrodes coupled to an external respiratory therapy device. The cardiac electrodes sense cardiac electrical activity that is used to generate an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. Cardiac events, such as arrhythmia, myocardial infarction and/or ischemia, may be detected based on the sensed cardiac electrical activity.
US07981026B2
A medical procedure drape, for use during a diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed on a patient supported by a patient cart, including a cover and a holder for the endoscope. The cover superimposes a portion of the patient and a portion of the patient cart. The endoscope holder is fixed to a boundary of the cover and extends above the level of the patient support surface on the patient cart. The endoscope holder retains and supports the endoscope during insertion and at other such times that the endoscopist may wish to set the endoscope aside to perform other tasks.
US07981024B2
An implant for a pelvis is provided, wherein suturing is not necessary for anchoring the implant in place. The implant includes a flexible sheet and a solid frame, wherein the frame can be compressed or expanded. Upon insertion through the narrow openings of the pelvis, the frame is compressed, and upon delivery at the site, the frame is expanded, and is designed to anchor to the surrounding anatomical structures.
US07981020B2
A method and implantation tools for placing a transventricular splint including a tension member. The method includes gaining access to the patient's hearts and identifying entry or exit points for the tension member, marking those locations and delivering the tension member. Anchors for the tension member are also delivered. The length of the tensions member is measured and the walls of the heart drawn together. The pads are secured to the tension member and the tension member is trimmed to length. The pads are secured to the heart surface.
US07981016B1
The core strengthening device includes a base having a first base section and a second base section. Each of the first and second base sections includes a connection mechanism with which to connect together to form a unitary device. The connection mechanism is detachable to separate the first and second base sections to form a two-part device. The device further includes a handle connected to a top surface of each of the first and second base sections. The device further includes two or more load-bearing rolling devices such as ball transfers or casters connected to a bottom surface of each of the first and second base sections to enable smooth movement over a surface by a user via the handles of the first and second base sections, either as the unitary device or independently as the two-part device.
US07981015B2
Apparatuses, methods, and systems for increasing flexibility and/or stretching the muscles of a user generally comprise a user support set atop an enclosure. The enclosure houses mechanisms to actuate a cable system, wherein the mechanisms at least one of feed and retract a cable of the cable system. The apparatuses, methods, and systems also comprise footholds proximate to the user support to support at least the feet from a user, wherein the cable system actuates between the footholds, and wherein the footholds actuate in at least a lateral motion to further accentuate increasing flexibility and/or stretching the muscles. The apparatuses, methods, and systems also comprise a control handle coupled to the cable system for the user to grasp, wherein the cable system actuates to either one of increase and release a tension to the grasped control handle, and wherein the control handle comprises at least one control to regulate the either one of increase and release the tension.
US07981011B1
A combination exercise machine comprises a movable platform assembly to perform leg presses and extended leg calf raises, a movable user support assembly which includes an adjustable brace pad assembly to perform seated isolated calf raises, a multi-function handle bar assembly, and a wrist rolling assembly to exercise the forearms.
US07980998B2
A personal device is provided for measuring a training activity of a trainee having a body part which moves during this training activity, this movement at least partially defining said training activity. The device comprises a sensing unit adapted to repeatedly measure, during the training activity, parameters associated with the movement of the body part, and wherein the sensing unit comprising at least accelerometer means, a compass and, optimally, gyroscope means. The device further comprises means for attaching the sensing unit to the body part and a processor adapted to receive from the sensing unit the parameters and to calculate based thereon, data indicative of the training activity. In addition, there are provided a system for use by an instructor in instructing of a plurality of participants engaged in an activity, a communication system for communicating with one or more swimmers, the system comprising a transmitting module adapted to communicate in accordance with a wireless communication protocol with at least one receiving module associated with at least one swimmer, and a method for automated training one or more swimmers accordingly.
US07980996B2
An exercise system includes a local system having an exercise apparatus and an associated local computer, where the local computer controls and monitors the operation and use, respectively, of the exercise apparatus. The system further includes a remote system having a remote computer, and a transmission medium including a telephone line that couples the local system to the remote system for data communication between the local system and the remote system. The remote system may receive local system data from the local system concerning the use of the exercise apparatus, and the local system may receive remote system data from the remote system concerning the operation of the exercise apparatus. The local computer preferably controls the operation of the exercise apparatus based upon a modifiable script stored in a read/write memory of the local computer, which can be updated by the remote system. A method for controlling an exercise apparatus includes running a modifiable script on a local computer to control the use and to monitor the operation of an exercise apparatus, and communicating with a remote system to provide the remote system with data concerning the use of the exercise apparatus. The script is stored in read/write memory of the local computer and remote system data received from the remote system may include at least a portion of a new script to be stored in the read/write memory of the local computer.
US07980993B2
When a release of an accelerator is detected during a shift of an automatic transmission, instead of discharging the hydraulic pressure for engagement of an engaging device of the automatic transmission immediately after the release of the accelerator is detected during a shift, the hydraulic pressure for engagement of the engaging device of the automatic transmission is gently reduced with a remaining engine torque taken into consideration, the remaining engine torque being caused by the retardation of the decrease in the throttle opening degree. In this way, the torque capacity sufficient for the remaining torque caused by the throttle opening degree control performed when the release of the accelerator is detected during the shift is kept so that a slip in the engaging device of the automatic transmission is reduced.
US07980992B2
A torque converter including a damper assembly connected to a hub for the torque converter; a turbine clutch connected to a turbine and the damper assembly; and a torque converter clutch connected to a cover for the torque converter and the damper assembly. In an idle mode, the turbine clutch and the torque converter clutch are disengaged and the torque converter cover is rotationally disconnected from the hub. In a torque converter mode, the turbine clutch is engaged, the torque converter clutch is disengaged, and the turbine clutch rotationally locks the turbine and the damper assembly. In a lock-up mode, the torque converter clutch is engaged and the torque converter clutch rotationally connects the torque converter cover and the damper assembly.
US07980988B2
A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices include clutches and brakes.
US07980985B2
A gear train of an automatic transmission for a vehicle may include four planetary gear sets with three clutches and two brakes and realizes eight forward speeds, and the gear train of an automatic transmission for a vehicle may minimize the number of friction elements, simplify the scheme of an transmission, and enhance transmitting power efficiency and fuel efficiency. The four planetary gear sets may include a first planetary gear set including a first sun gear, a first planet carrier, and a first ring gear, a second planetary gear set including a second sun gear, a second planet carrier, and a second ring gear, a third planetary gear set including a third sun gear, a third planet carrier, and a third ring gear, and a fourth planetary gear set including a fourth sun gear, a fourth planet carrier, and a fourth ring gear.
US07980972B1
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) with a roller variator as an actuator for adjusting the speed ratio of the CVT. The CVT is of the variable-diameter pulley type and has first and second variable-diameter pulleys mechanically linked by a drive belt or other flexible drive member, the pulleys each having first and second relatively axially movable pulley portions. A roller variator is operatively connected to the first pulley, preferably the drive pulley, for control of its effective diameter. The roller variator has first and second disks mounted on the axis of the first pulley, a roller interconnecting the disks, and a roller support adapted to tilt the spin axis of the roller so as to change its points of contact with the disks and thereby change the speed ratio of the variator. The first disk is rotatably fixed with respect to the first pulley portion of the first pulley, for example, the pulley portion fixed to an engine shaft. In certain embodiments, the second disk directly drives the second pulley portion relative to the first, and, in other embodiments, the second disk drives the second pulley portion through a threaded connection, for example, one having directly engaging male and female threaded parts, or a ball screw.
US07980964B2
A hollow golf club head with a concave portion is disclosed and claimed. The club head includes a metallic portion and a light weight portion, which may be formed of plastic, composite, or the like. The concave portion allows the club designer to make a club head having very thin portions while still maintaining the requisite structural integrity. Convex bulges may optionally be provided to house weight inserts to enhance the playing characteristics of the golf club.
US07980954B2
A gaming system for playing a wagering game and a community event includes a first gaming machine and a second gaming machine. The first gaming machine determines a randomly selected community-event outcome for the community event, and sends information related to the outcome to at least one other gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines. The second gaming machine receives the information from the first gaming machine and plays the community event.
US07980952B2
Acceleration data is repeatedly acquired, and an acceleration vector having a magnitude and a direction of an acceleration represented by the acceleration data is sequentially accumulated so as to calculate an accumulation vector. A following vector which follows, at a predetermined rate, the accumulation vector calculated by the accumulation vector calculation means is calculated by using the acquired acceleration data, and a difference between the accumulation vector and the following vector is calculated as a differential vector. A position in a virtual world displayed by a display device is designated using a value determined in accordance with the differential vector so as to perform a predetermined processing by using the position.
US07980941B2
A gaming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a roulette wheel including a plurality of pockets associated with respective numbers in advance; a memory for storing a plurality of control data for controlling the gaming apparatus so as to provide a relatively high weight on a probability that a ball is housed in any of the pockets constituting a single group, the single group belonging to a plurality of groups each of which consists of a first predetermined-number of the plurality of pockets, and the plurality of control data associated with each of the groups; a plurality of stations for players to play games; and a controller, the controller programmed to execute the following processings of: (a) controlling rotation of the roulette wheel and launching of the ball by referring to a single control data out of the plurality of control data, and (b) selecting another control data different from the single control data, out of the plurality of control data, to set the selected control data as a reference target, when a bet is placed on any of the pockets belonging to a group having the relatively high ball-housing probability at a second predetermined number or more of the stations among the plurality of stations.
US07980938B2
System and method are disclosed for operating a gaming terminal. The system and method of the invention involves using a real-life video of a lottery drawing to conduct a wagering game on the gaming terminal. The wagering game may be a basic game or it may be a bonus game that is initiated on the occurrence of a certain outcome in the basic game. The real-life video of the lottery drawing may be stored locally on the gaming terminal, or it may be stored remotely on a network and subsequently streamed to the gaming terminal. The use of such a real-life video increases the entertainment value of the gaming terminal.
US07980934B2
A gaming method operates to provide expert card-counting information to some or all participants, in exchange for a premium. The premium may be a cash payment, a reduction in the prize amounts or betting odds, some combination of the foregoing, or any other useful remuneration. The house retains its edge via the premium. The method may be implemented for play at a physical or virtual card table.
US07980933B2
The invention provides an electronic video game apparatus which includes a display for displaying a video depiction of a first card game on the display. Each card in the first card game has a card suit, a card value and a card color. At least one of these cards has an additional symbol which depicts at least one outcome of an independent game of chance (e.g. roulette, craps, slot machine, etc.), and a wagering mechanism enabling a wager to be placed on an outcome which is dependent on at least the additional symbol.
US07980928B2
The present application describes an arrangement and a method for utilizing the heat of waste air for heating the bilge area of aircraft, wherein the bilge area is connected to a heat transfer unit via a first air supply pipe, through which a bilge air flow drawn in from the bilge area flows into the heat transfer unit, wherein the heat transfer unit comprises a second air supply pipe, through which a waste air heat flow to be cooled that is created at another location in the aircraft flows into the heat transfer unit in order to heat the drawn-in bilge air flow, wherein the heat transfer unit comprises a first air discharge pipe, through which the cooled waste air heat flow is discharged, and a second air discharge pipe with a bilge inlet section, and wherein at least a portion of the heated bilge flow is returned to the bilge area via the air discharge pipe and the bilge inlet section.
US07980925B2
A device for processing fish, the device comprising: an open channel through which a fish can pass; a fish processing means associated with the channel; a vertical guide plate pivotally mounted on each side of the channel, having a firing position and a retracted position; a mechanism for moving the fish processing means from a (“firing position”) to a position which allows passage of the fish through the channel after processing (“retracted position”); a mechanism for pivoting each guide plate between the firing and retracted positions (“guide plate pivot mechanism”); a trigger that when contacted by the head of the fish activates the fish processing means; and a mechanism for resetting the device after the processing of a fish, wherein the resetting mechanism is in communication with the trigger and wherein actuation of the mechanism by the trigger facilitates: activation of the fish processing means; movement of the fish processing means and guide plates from their respective firing positions to their respective retracted positions; return of the fish processing means and the vertical guide plates to their respective firing positions after they have attained their retracted positions; and priming of the at least one fish processing means.
US07980908B2
The invention describes a spark plug having an outer electrode (12), a central electrode (10), an inner conductor (2) connected to the central electrode (10) and an insulator (3) enclosing the inner conductor (2). It is provided according to the invention that the insulator (3) is produced by extrusion. The invention further relates to a method for production of a spark plug of that kind.
US07980907B1
An amphibious self-engaging paddle track propulsion system mountable on any floater, vessel or vehicle for enabling the ability to selectively travel over land or water, the system having an elongated endless paddle track, plurality of spring-loaded paddles, plurality of paddle supporting terrain treads, plurality of terrain treads, drive sprocket, chain sprocket, rear sprocket, frame, drive sprocket axle and rear sprocket axle wherein the terrain treads are secured to the paddle track and the paddles are secured to certain terrain treads wherein the halter and paddle are hinged together for allowing the retraction and extension of the paddle for land and water locomotion, respectively.
US07980905B2
A system and a method for providing power to a marine vessel and, more particularly to a tugboat is disclosed. The system includes diesel engines and generators and batteries which can be charged using power supplied by the generators, shore power or regenerated power. The tugboat is operated utilizing battery power only and the generators are used to provide additional power if needed or to recharge the batteries.
US07980901B2
A communication jack is provided with plug interface contacts that have a short conductive signal pathway between a plug-jack interface and crosstalk compensation provided on a printed circuit board within the jack. Contacts of the jack are specially designed not to take a permanent set if a six-position plug or an eight-position plug is inserted into an eight-position jack. A printed circuit board in the jack is placed at an angle, shortening the conductive pathway between plug contacts and the printed circuit board.
US07980897B2
Provided is a material capable of forming a molded product which has good mechanical properties with low warpage while being excellent in any of the performance including heat resistance and flowability, even if the molded product is an asymmetric electronic parts. Specifically, the asymmetric electronic parts is prepared by molding a liquid crystalline polymer composition comprising (A) a fibrous filler having an average fiber diameter within the range of 5 to 30 μm, having a weight average fiber length within the range of 250 to 350 μm, excluding 10 μm or shorter fiber length, and having a content of a fibrous filler being 700 μm or longer within the range of 5% by weight or less; and (B) a plate-like filler having an average particle size within the range of 0.5 to 200 μm, the total filling amount of (A) and (B) components in the composition being within the range of 40 to 60% by weight, the weight ratio of (A) component being within the range of 10 to 20% by weight, the weight ratio of (B) component being within the range of 30 to 40% by weight, the molded product having no symmetry in any of the axial plane XY, the axial plane YZ, and the axial plane XZ of the molded product.
US07980896B1
An electrical connector assembly includes a circuit board having signal vias extending at least partially through the circuit board, with the signal vias being arranged in pairs. The signal vias within the pair are open to each other through the circuit board and the circuit board has mounting pads exposed within the signal vias. An electrical connector is mounted on the circuit board. The electrical connector includes signal terminals extending into respective signal vias of the circuit board that are terminated to corresponding mounting pads. The signal terminals are arranged in pairs carrying differential pair signals. The signal terminals within the pair are arranged along a paddle supporting the signal terminals. The paddle is received in both signal vias of the corresponding pair of signal vias.
US07980893B2
A coaxial connector where a plug having a coaxial structure is connected in a direction substantially parallel with a board, the board being where the coaxial connector is mounted, the coaxial connector includes a signal contact having one end connected to a plug pin and another end bent or curved toward the board; and a ground contact having a substantially cylindrical shaped main body part, the main body part surrounding a part of the signal contact, the ground contact being connected to a plug side ground member by a first connecting part formed at one end of the main body part, the ground contact being connected to the board by a second connecting part formed at another end of the main body part, wherein the second connecting part includes a center member and an arm part.
US07980887B2
A connector includes a first housing, a second housing and a detection member. A lock band portion is elastically deformable and is provided on the first housing. A lock portion is provided on the second housing, and bends the lock band portion to allow the lock band portion to slide over the lock portion when the first and second housings are moved from a first condition to a second condition, the first condition where the first housing is not fitted to the second housing, and the second condition where the first housing is fitted to the second housing, and engages the lock band portion when the first and second housings has been moved to the second position. The detection member is disposed on an upper side of the lock band portion, and is displaced together with the lock band portion in accordance with a deforming movement of the lock band portion. A movement limitation portion is provided on the detection member, and abuts against an abutment limitation portion provided on the first housing while the first and second housings are moved from the first condition to the second condition, so that the detection member is prevented from movement in the attaching direction. When the lock portion engages the lock band portion in the second condition, an abutment of the movement limitation portion against the abutment limitation portion is canceled, so that the detection member is allowed to be moved in the attaching direction.
US07980882B2
The invention relates to an electrical plug-in connector (1) for telecommunications and data systems technology, comprising electrically interconnected elastic high-frequency contacts (4) and core connection contacts (10). At least the high-frequency contacts (4) are arranged in a housing (2) comprising a receiving opening (3) for a counter plug-in connector, and the core connection contacts (10) are arranged in two parallel rows (8, 9). The distance between adjacent core connection contacts of a row is smaller than that between core connection contacts of different rows. The housing (2) has an upper edge (5), a lower edge (6) and two lateral edges (7), the two rows (8, 9) of core connection contacts (10) being parallel to the upper edge (5) of the housing (2).
US07980873B2
A connector for electrically and mechanically connecting insulated conductor wires encapsulated in protective tubing. Embodiments of the connector provide a protective outer sheathing that circumscribes the conductive and insulating structures within the connector. The connector is formed with a plurality of tubular fitting assemblies for securely attaching the connector to down hole electrical power cables. The connector is also formed with an internal insulating boot having an internal passage adapted to surround the conductive elements of the connector to provide a reliable down hole electrical connector.
US07980872B1
An electrical splice assembly includes a conductive bus plate having a plurality of male blades, an insulative housing having a forward portion retaining the bus plate and a rearward portion defining a terminal receiving tray, a plurality of female terminals disposed in the terminal receiving tray and attached to the male blades, and a cover integrally hingedly attached to the housing. The cover includes a lock bar that projects into the terminal receiving tray to retain the terminals in connection with the bus plate when the cover is in a closed position overlying the tray. The housing further includes an intermediate portion defining a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending cavities in communication with a space defined by the tray. At least a portion of each blade and a portion of each terminal extend into respective cavities.
US07980861B2
A second electrically-conductive terminal, having flexibility, contact with a first electrically-conductive terminal. A second substrate has first and second surfaces. The second surface supports the second electrically-conductive terminal. A third electrically-conductive terminal, having flexibility, is located on the first surface of the second substrate. The third electrically-conductive terminal is connected to the second electrically-conductive terminal. A fourth electrically-conductive terminal contacts with the third electrically-conductive terminal. A third substrate has a surface supporting the fourth electrically-conductive terminal. A frame is interposed between the first substrate and the third substrate. The frame supports the outer periphery of the second substrate. The frame allows relative movement of the second substrate in the direction perpendicular to the first surface of the second substrate.
US07980858B2
A learning environment having a plurality of tables and a plurality of technology display devices distributed about the environment for use by occupants of the learning environment, the environment including a central area, the learning environment comprising at least first, second and third technology display devices that include first, second and third substantially flat display surfaces, respectively, for displaying information to occupants in the environment, the first, second and third displays supported in spaced radial relationship about the environment with the flat display surfaces substantially facing the central area, and at least first, second and third elongated tables that have first, second and third elongation axis, respectively, the tables arranged in spaced radial orientations around the environment with the elongation axis substantially extending toward the central area and so that open spaces are formed between adjacent tables for standing occupants, wherein the second and third elongation axis form angles with the second and third display surfaces in the range between seventy-five and ninety degrees.
US07980851B2
With regard to a heat treatment furnace (a solution furnace 1 and an ageing furnace 3), a furnace chamber 15 comprises a furnace body 12 opening downward and a floor body 14 closing the lower opening of the furnace body 12 and rotatably driven, and one or plural stages of mounting shelves 16 on which work pieces 8 are mounted are provided in the furnace chamber 15. Hot-air circulation equipments 20A and 20B circulating hot air in the furnace chamber 15 along the peripheral direction when viewed in plan are provided in the furnace body 12. The mounting shelves 16 are fixed to a prop 17 standingly provided on the floor body 14 and are rotated integrally with the floor body 14.
US07980849B2
An apparatus and methods for flame-perforating films. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus includes a frame, support surface attached to the frame, where the support surface includes a plurality of lowered portions, a burner attached to the frame opposite the support surface, where the burner supports a flame, and where the flame includes a flame tip opposite the burner and a film contacting the support surface, where the flame of the burner is in contact with the film, where the burner is positioned such that the distance between an unimpinged flame tip of the flame and the burner is at least one-third greater than the distance between the film and the burner.
US07980846B2
This specification discloses fiber additives for reinforcing matrix materials and an apparatus for forming the same, said fibers having flattened shanks terminated with egg-shaped nodules. The apparatus comprises a roller-former-cutter assembly that forms the fibers in a single operation from continuous filaments using compressive force and a unique cut-out and blade assembly. The fibers described are designed to have an increased pull-out resistance compared to other fiber morphologies.
US07980843B2
A concrete dispensing apparatus is used in a manufacturing process for producing pre-cast concrete structures, which are conventionally used to form a foundation for a residential or commercial building. The dispensing apparatus includes a hopper that funnels to a discharge opening extending along the entire transverse length of the dispensing apparatus. A plurality of individually controlled gates cover the entire discharge opening for selectively controlling the length and location of the discharge opening through which concrete is dispensed. The dispensing apparatus also includes a finishing mechanism including a vibratory screed and a rotational finishing roller. The form can be moved relative to the dispensing apparatus or vice versa. A form vibrator induces a vibratory motion into the form to remove air from the dispensed concrete mixture. Operative control is accomplished through an operator control panel operable to control a hydraulic system powering the operative functions of the dispensing apparatus.
US07980841B2
A pipe extrusion die may be provided having an inner flow passageway having a first cross-sectional area, and an outer flow passageway having a second cross-sectional area, both being in communication with an inlet flow passageway. A ratio adjusting tube may be movably disposed in blocking engagement between the inlet flow passageway and the inner flow passageway. The ratio adjusting tube and the outer flow passageway both may be substantially concentric with the inner flow passageway. Material may be distributed from the inlet flow passageway to the inner and outer flow passageways. The method and apparatus may allow for the manual and automatic control of the proportion of material distributed between the inner and outer flow passageways by adjusting the position of the ratio adjusting tube in relation to a passageway between the inlet flow passageway and the inner flow passageway, based on various operating parameters.
US07980837B2
A rotary piston machine has a cylinder provided with two ends to form a stator with inlet and outlet apertures, and a piston having a rotor eccentrically mounted within the stator. A vane is connected to the rotor by a hinge and forms an expanding and contracting chamber as the piston rotates. The piston is provided with a sealing means sufficient to restrict movement of gaseous/fluid matter between chambers during operation. The sealing means includes a flexible seal member with a mating lip positioned adjacent to the vane hinge. Each revolution of the eccentrically mounted piston causes the seal member to contact an inner cylinder wall to prevent the escape of displaced gaseous/fluid matter past the vane hinge. The flexible seal member contacts the cylinder wall and bends to form a lip seal resistive to the direction of pressurization.
US07980836B2
A multi-rotor compressor and method of manufacturing is provided. The compressor includes a housing with a plurality of identical planet rotors. The planet rotors are equally spaced apart at a fixed distance from a centerline. A single sun rotor is provided that is disposed to cooperate with the plurality of identical planet rotors in the compression of gas. The number and radial spacing of the plurality of identical planet rotors about said single sun rotor may be arranged in different configurations to change an output capacity parameter for said compressor.
US07980832B2
A stationary structure is mounted on the floor of an ocean or other body of water subject to wave motion. The structure provides a floatation body that moves with the waves and is able to drive a sealing plate in a compression chamber. When the water level changes, or wave action magnitude changes, a second sealing plate is able to move automatically to maintain a constant size of the compression chamber. Air compressed in the chamber is let into a tank to maintain a constant elevated pressure in the tank and the air pressure is used to power a turbine to generate electricity. In an alternate embodiment, a mechanical linkage drives the turbine directly.
US07980828B1
A microelectromechanical (MEM) pump is disclosed which includes a porous silicon region sandwiched between an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. The porous silicon region is formed in a silicon substrate and contains a number of pores extending between the inlet and outlet chambers, with each pore having a cross-section dimension about equal to or smaller than a mean free path of a gas being pumped. A thermal gradient is provided along the length of each pore by a heat source which can be an electrical resistance heater or an integrated circuit (IC). A channel can be formed through the silicon substrate so that inlet and outlet ports can be formed on the same side of the substrate, or so that multiple MEM pumps can be connected in series to form a multi-stage MEM pump. The MEM pump has applications for use in gas-phase MEM chemical analysis systems, and can also be used for passive cooling of ICs.
US07980824B2
The invention relates to a rotor of a flotation machine, particularly to a rotor, that is used for dispersing air to a slurry, and which rotor comprises alternating air ducts and slurry grooves and a collar fitted to the rotor for guiding the slurry flow into the interior of the rotor for avoiding undesired cross flow effect of the slurry flow. The rotor of the present invention efficiently prevents sanding effect and provides excellent dispersion of air into the slurry.
US07980812B2
A low pressure turbine rotor disk for a small twin spool gas turbine engine in which the rotor disk includes a forward side cavity large enough to allow for the bearing assembly that rotatably supports the rotor disk to fit within the cavity in order to shorten the axial distance between the bearings that support the inner rotor shaft on which the turbine rotor disk is secured. Minimizing the bearings spacing allows for a high critical speed for the inner rotor shaft and therefore allows for the small twin spool gas turbine engine to operate at this small scale. The turbine rotor disk also includes a plurality of axial aligned cooling air holes to allow for cooling air from the bearings to flow out from the aft end of the rotor disk. The inner surface of the cavity is an annular surface that forms a seal with knife edges extending outward from the bearing support plate also located within the cavity. The rotor disk includes an annular groove facing outward and on the rear side of the disk to allow for a tool to be inserted for removing the rotor disk from the shaft. An axial central opening in the rotor disk allows for insertion of the shaft and is formed with a bearing race abutment surface on the forward side and a nut abutment surface of the aft side used to compress the rotor disk assembly on the inner rotor shaft.
US07980804B2
A wheel lift system for efficiently lifting and positioning a wheel and tire onto a wheel hub. The wheel lift system includes a first arm and a second arm pivotally attached to one another, a plurality of caster wheels attached to the lower portion of the arms, and a first support and a second support extending from the arms respectively for supporting a wheel and tire. A bias member is preferably attached to the arms for providing a bias force that assists in elevating the wheel and tire. Alternatively, a bias unit may be attached to the arms for providing a bias force that assists in maintaining elevation of a wheel and tire.
US07980803B2
A system for the delivery of bulk material, in particular a free-flowing bulk material such as, e.g., plastic granules, comprises a discharge base (7) having recesses (8), with a discharge opening (9) being formed in each of the recesses (8), and a cover plate (11) which is arranged on the outflow side of the discharge base (7) at a distance (h) from the same, with the cover plate (11) having openings (12) which are arranged essentially in the same pattern as the discharge openings (9) of the discharge base (7). The cover plate (11) and the discharge base (7) are movable relative to each other between an opened condition in which the discharge openings (9) of the discharge base (7) and the openings (12) of the cover plate (11) overlap each other at least partially, preferably being congruent, and a closed condition in which the discharge openings (9) of the discharge base (7) exhibit such an axial offset (s) from the openings (12) of the cover plate (11) that no overlap is produced.
US07980800B2
A blind fastener for insertion through an aperture in a workpiece, the fastener including a pin, a sleeve and an abutment member; wherein the abutment member can be removed from the sleeve so that the pin and sleeve can be forced out of the aperture, to remove the fastener therefrom, wherein the sleeve has a radially expanding head, which is received in a recess of the abutment member and wherein, prior to insertion of the fastener into the workpiece aperture, the abutment member is secured to the sleeve by deformation of part of the abutment member adjacent the recess over and into contact with the sleeve head.
US07980790B2
Compressible mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall system and method for installation thereof
A compressible mechanically stabilized earth retaining wall system and installation thereof is described.
US07980788B2
The invention relates to a construction machine comprising a transmission, at least one hydraulic drive and a hydraulic circuit for supplying the hydraulic drive with hydraulic fluid, wherein at least one lubrication line is branched off from the hydraulic circuit, by means of which the transmission can be supplied with hydraulic fluid as a lubricant. The invention is characterized in that a dosing device is provided on the lubrication line, with which the supply of lubricant can be changed depending on an operating condition of the transmission.
US07980786B1
A tensioner system is described for oil and natural gas floating platforms and floating vessels having a plurality of self contained dual pressure cylinders for adjusting simultaneously low and high pressures in low pressure and high pressure channels, wherein the tensioner system is disposed on a floating structure to dampen the effects of sea waves and wind load between casing from a well and the floating structure due to movement of the sea and movement based on wind.
US07980778B2
A liquid applicator includes a liquid pressing mechanism 6 for pressurizing an application liquid 4 inside a main body 2 so as to supply the application liquid to an applying member 10 at the front end by the pressing of liquid pressing mechanism 6, wherein the applying member 10 is made of an elastic material, has a valve structure 8 which is formed with a communication path 24 for communication between the inside and outside of main body 2 and can close the communication path 24 by elasticity in the normal condition and open the communication path 24 by elastic deformation of the communication path when the application liquid is pressurized by liquid pressing mechanism 6, and, an ejection opening 24a of communication path 24 of valve structure 8 is arranged to front onto the applying portion 10a of the applying member 10.
US07980765B2
The present invention, as variously practiced, implements electrorheological fluid (ERF) as a bearing lubricant. Various modes of an inventive rolling element bearing apparatus provide for electrification of inventive electrode components, viz: (first mode) two annular disk electrodes, opposite each other and perpendicular to the two raceway surfaces; or, (second mode) electrically conductive inner and outer races, having an electrically conductive spacer therebetween; or, (third mode) plural electrodes, radially embedded in a race. An ERF lubricative coating remains on one or both raceway surfaces in accordance with Winslow effect principle (first and second modes) or edge effect principle (third mode). An inventive journal bearing apparatus provides for electrification of electrodes that are axially-longitudinally embedded in a journal bearing member, resulting in establishment of edge effect electric flux lines between adjacent electrode pairs, an ERF lubricative coating thereby remaining on the journal bearing member's inward facing surface, contiguous to the shaft.
US07980761B2
The present invention relates to a transport sleeve (1) or sack which is formed of a single fiber web or by sewing up or otherwise fastening two or more webs or sheets of fabric or fiber to form a protective cover (2,3,4) which can be wrapped around sheet material (13). The fabric or fiber cover can then be fastened in the form of a bag or sleeve to protect the sheet material. One variant of the present invention therefore relates to a sleeve in the shape of a bag which is either preformed by sewing up or otherwise fastening two or more fabric webs or sheets of synthetic material (2,3,4) together and folding them around a sheet of material (13) to be transported, or is obtained by folding over a single web of material around the sheet material.
US07980755B2
A mixing apparatus having a mixing impeller affixed to the end of a mixer shaft which is reciprocably and rotatably or non-rotatably mounted thru mixer seal structure which has surface portions adapted to be brought into sealing engagement with the open filler end of a retail off-the-shelf tube of viscous caulking or sealant compound or the like, wherein the shaft and impeller are adapted to be reciprocated thru the compound and an additive contained in the tube substantially the entire length of the tube to rapidly and intimately mix the compound with colorant or other additive added directly into the retail tube thru its filler (back) end.
US07980754B2
The present invention relates to a method for bringing a powder and a liquid component, preferably polymer and monomer, in contact with each other for mixing thereof, preferably to form bone cement, wherein the powder component (P) is placed in a mixing container (1) in which the mixing shall occur and the liquid component (M) in a liquid container (18) from which said the liquid component (M) is transferred to the powder component (P) in the mixing container (1). In this method, a vacuum is generated in the mixing container (1) and the liquid container (18) is opened by means of at least one cannula (14) or similar member through which the liquid component (M) can be brought to flow from the liquid container (18) to the mixing container (1). The vacuum is brought to suck the liquid component (M) from the liquid container (18), through the cannula (14) and into the mixing container (1) to the powder component (P) therein, and/or is the liquid component (M) pressed into the mixing container (1) through the cannula (14) while the liquid container (18) is compressed because of the pressure difference between the vacuum in the interior of the liquid container (18) and the air pressure outside the liquid container. The invention also relates to a device for carrying through the method.
US07980751B2
Light shades and lighting systems that create a spectral effect when a lighting element is illuminated within the shade, and features that reflect light originating within the shade. Embodiments of the invention incorporate hollow body having a diffraction grating thereon and an internal cavity to retain one or more lighting elements, and in some instances, to also retain one or more lengths of conductor.
US07980750B2
A backlight assembly includes a lamp assembly, a receiving container and a panel guiding frame. The lamp assembly includes a light source to generate light and a lamp cover to reflect the light. The receiving container includes a bottom and a sidewall. The sidewall includes a first sidewall portion facing the lamp cover and separated from the lamp cover by a first interval and a second sidewall portion separated from the lamp cover by a second interval narrower than the first interval. The panel guiding frame includes a first frame portion facing an end of the bottom and a second frame portion extended from the first frame portion along a side face of the second sidewall and having an opening corresponding to the first sidewall portion. Thus, the backlight assembly may have a reduced non-effective display area.
US07980747B2
The present invention relates to a light emitting diode (LED) lighting device (10). The device comprises a light guide plate (12), a plurality of LEDs (14) for emitting light into the light guide plate, a plurality of out-coupling structures (20) adapted to extract light from the light guide plate, and first and second electrodes (22, 24) connected to the LEDs. The first electrode is arranged at one side (28) of the light guide plate and the second electrode is arranged at the other side (30) of the light guide plate. Such a lighting device may have a reduced thickness.
US07980737B2
An electronic device support includes a V-shaped base, a supporting leg, a cable and a number of lights. The V-shaped base includes a pair of legs extending from an apex of the V-shaped base. The supporting leg is pivotably connected to the V-shaped base adjacent to the apex. The cable is embedded in at least one of the legs and the supporting leg and includes a connector plug electrically connected to the other end. The lights are rotatably mounted on one of the distal end of the legs of the base away from the apex of the V-shaped base.
US07980735B1
A reflector assembly includes a frame that maintains the integrity and shape of a multi-member reflector for a recessed luminaire. The members of the reflector are arranged in a geometric form, such as a rectangle. The frame is disposed around the reflector. The frame includes at least one integral member manipulated around a joint formed between adjacent members of the reflector. For example, the integral member can include a clamp or tab. The frame and the integral member secure the positions of the members of the reflector relative to one another and prevent light from leaking through joints between the members. One or more connectors are coupled to the frame for connecting the reflector assembly to a lighting fixture. For example, each connector can include a torsion spring coupled to a lever configured to engage a corresponding catch of a collar on the lighting fixture.
US07980729B2
Disclosed is an illumination device for projecting a substantially uniform light at a remote distance. The illumination device comprises a mounting assembly divided into a plurality of sections, each section comprising a plurality of light emitting sources arranged substantially equi-distant along a circumference of said assembly at an angle to project a light image at the remote distance, an contact plate connected via a central axis with, and fixed to, the mounting assembly, the contact plate providing an electrical contact to each of the light emitting devices, a plurality of lensing assemblies equal in number to plurality of sections axially aligned with the mounting assembly, the lensing assembly aligned with a select one of the light emitting sources in a corresponding section, the light emitting source being positioned in front of a focal point of the lensing assembly, each lensing assembly comprising at least one optically transparent lens determining said lensing assembly focal point, and means for shifting said contact plate and mounting assembly to align a select one of said light emitting devices with a corresponding lensing assembly. In another aspect of the invention, the lens assemblies may be positioned linearly and light emitting sources are positioned along an edge of the mounting assemblies, wherein the LEDs are positioned in front of the lensing assemblies by shifting each of the mounting assemblies.
US07980724B2
A lamp guide frame includes a frame body, a plurality of openings and a plurality of lamp socket receiving portions. The frame body guides end portions of a plurality of lamps. The openings extend in a width direction of the frame body. The openings are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the frame body. Each of the lamp socket receiving portions protrudes from a lower face of the frame body partially around an associated opening to form a receiving space receiving a lamp socket inserted into the opening. The lamp socket receiving portions are open in the width direction of the frame body. The frame body and the plurality of lamps socket receiving portions collectively define a single and continuous member. The associated opening and the receiving space of the lamp socket collectively define a continuous opening.
US07980722B2
A light assembly for an inspection tool having a mirror, the assembly having a mounting bracket attached to the mirror; a light member attached to the mounting bracket; and a power source for the light member.
US07980713B2
An elongated lighting strip is provided. The lighting strip is positioned inside of a shower or bathtub enclosure in order to both illuminate the enclosure as well as spray or diffuse and aqueous solution onto the enclosure.
US07980709B2
An optical projector includes a casing, a partition element, an optical projection module and a main board. The casing includes a main body, a first cover and a second cover. The partition element is disposed at the main body, and the first cover is detachably disposed on the main body. The first cover, the partition element and the main body together define a first accommodating space. The second cover is detachably disposed on the main body. The second cover, the partition element and the main body together define a second accommodating space. The optical projection module is disposed in the first accommodating space and the main board is disposed in the second accommodating space.
US07980702B2
An image display device of the present invention comprises projectors, a reflecting mirror, a screen, an image signal processor which performs a distortion correction, and a base for supporting the projectors, the reflecting mirror, and the screen. The projectors, reflecting mirror, and screen are assembled in one to constitute a single moving unit, and the image display device further comprises a lifting device capable of moving the moving unit in a vertical direction with respect to the base.
US07980697B2
A fundus oculi observation device comprises: a first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of a surface of a fundus oculi of an eye; a second image forming part configured to form a tomographic image having a cross-sectional position in a measurement region of the fundus oculi corresponding to a partial region of the 2-dimensional image; a display; a storage configured to store imaging condition information including characteristic information showing a characteristic of the eye; and a controller configured to match display sizes of the formed 2-dimensional image and a measurement range image showing a range of the measurement region with each other, based on the stored imaging condition information, and cause the display to display the 2-dimensional image and the measurement range image whose display sizes are matched.
US07980696B1
An ophthalmic photographing apparatus includes: an interference optical system including a splitter that splits light, emitted from a measurement light source, into measurement light and reference light, and synthesizing the measurement light reflected on an eye with the reference light to guide the synthesized light to a detector; a driving part that moves an optical member arranged in the optical path to adjust an optical-path difference between the measurement light and the reference light; an image obtaining part that obtains a tomographic image of a fundus or an anterior segment based on a light receiving signal output from the detector; and a driving control unit that controls driving of the driving part to locate the optical member in a predetermined position corresponding to either a photographing mode for photographing the tomographic image of the fundus or a photographing mode for photographing the tomographic image of the anterior segment.
US07980695B2
There is provided a technique for efficiently acquiring a tomogram of an eye portion. A diagnosis support apparatus includes a wide-area image acquisition means for acquiring a wide-area image of an eye portion, a detection means for detecting a lesion candidate on the eye portion by analyzing the wide-area image acquired by the wide-area image acquisition means, a determination means for determining a parameter associated with acquisition of a tomogram of the eye portion, based on a lesion candidate detection result obtained by the detection means, and a tomogram acquisition means for acquiring a tomogram of the eye portion based on the parameter determined by the determination means.
US07980694B2
An apparatus and a method for obtaining, in vivo, a measurement of retinal response to an optical stimuli. Light sources provide optical stimuli to the retina in accordance with predetermined stimulation sequences, and images of the retina are obtained and correlated with the predetermined stimulation sequences so as to determine responses of the retina to the optical stimuli. In one particular embodiment, optical stimuli are provided according to m-sequences and correlated with corresponding optical coherence tomography images to determine a functional response of the retina.
US07980692B2
The present invention involves the prescribing and/or dispensing ophthalmic lenses, such as progressive addition lenses, for a wearer. In one form of the invention lens usage information is obtained from a wearer and entered into a programmed computer. The programmed computer processes the lens usage information to provide a separate weighted lifestyle score for each of one or more respective lifestyle score categories, such that each weighted lifestyle score is a function of a predetermined relationship between the respective lifestyle score category and at least ophthalmic lens design feature. The programmed computer then selects or designs an ophthalmic lens design using one or more of the weighted lifestyle scores such that the selected or designed ophthalmic lens has at least one lens design feature which has been customised using one or more of the weighted lifestyle scores.
US07980683B2
In an inkjet printer where an ink recycling path for recycling ink is formed by connecting among an ink head, an upstream tank, and a downstream tank, the inkjet printer includes a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of recycling ink, a temperature changing unit that is installed in the ink recycled path and changes the temperature of the recycling ink so that the temperature of the recycling ink reaches a predetermined temperature, and an ink recycling amount changing unit that is installed at the upstream tank and changes an ink recycling amount according to the change in temperature of the recycling ink. Time required to make the temperature of the recycling ink reach the predetermined temperature can be shortened.
US07980680B2
A method for manufacturing piezoelectric actuator which includes a piezoelectric layer formed of a piezoelectric ceramics material and having a drive area, a first electrode and a second electrode arranged on both surfaces of the piezoelectric material layer respectively each at portion corresponding to the drive area, and a ceramics layer formed of a ceramics material and stacked to face the surface of the piezoelectric material layer on which the first electrode is arranged, the method including: forming a stacked body which includes the piezoelectric material layer, the ceramics layer, and the first electrode, and sintering the stacked body; forming the second electrode on the other surface, of the piezoelectric material layer after the sintering, not facing the ceramics layer; and forming elastic layers having a lower coefficient of elasticity than that of the piezoelectric material layer on both surfaces respectively of the stacked body after the sintering.
US07980679B2
A piezoelectric element includes: a lower electrode which is formed on a surface of a vibrating plate, and is one polarity of a piezoelectric element which displaces the vibrating plate; a flexurally-deformable piezoelectric body formed on a surface of the lower electrode; and an upper electrode which is formed on a surface of the piezoelectric body, and is another polarity of the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric body is formed by a vacuum deposition method. Polarization of the piezoelectric body is oriented in a direction from the lower electrode toward the upper electrode.
US07980673B2
An inkjet nozzle assembly comprises: a nozzle chamber for containing ink, the nozzle chamber having a nozzle opening defined in a roof thereof; and a bubble-forming heater element positioned in the nozzle chamber. The heater element is suspended in the nozzle chamber and parallel with a plane of the roof. The heater element is comprised of solid material having a total mass of less than 10 nanograms.
US07980670B2
An inkjet printhead includes a substrate having an array of nozzles grouped in nozzle pairs. Each nozzle pair has a common nozzle chamber and a single actuator configured to selectively eject ink from one or other of the nozzles in the nozzle pair.
US07980664B2
A pagewidth printhead includes a printhead controller; a wafer substrate defining a plurality of inlets; and a plurality of micro-electromechanical nozzle arrangements on the wafer substrate and under control of the controller. Each nozzle arrangement includes side walls disposed on the wafer substrate with a roof portion attached to said side walls to define a printing fluid chamber in fluid communication with one inlet, the roof portion defining an ejection port; and at least two heater elements suspended between the side walls in the fluid chamber for forming a vapour bubble in response to electrical actuation energy being applied thereto, whereby a pressure increase in the chamber is effected and fluid in the fluid chamber ejected therefrom via the ejection port. The controller is configured to actuate the at least two heater elements individually to facilitate ejection of weighted ink drop volumes from the nozzle arrangement. A size of a first of the at least two heater elements is different to a size of a second of the at least two heater elements.
US07980652B2
A printing apparatus and a calibration method are provided which, by using a small-capacity memory, can perform a high-speed calibration processing on data used to eject ink of the same color from a plurality of nozzle arrays. By ejecting ink of the same color from the plurality of nozzle arrays, patch is printed and, based on the printed result of the patch, a content of a print data correction processing is changed.
US07980644B2
A home-bar door apparatus includes a home-bar door that selectively opens or closes an opening formed in a home-bar frame and has rotational shafts protruding at both sides of a lower portion thereof and a catching step formed along a lower end thereof, dampers that are installed on a rear face of the home-bar frame and control an opening/closing speed of the home-bar door by receiving the rotational shafts of the home-bar door therein so that the rotational shafts of the home-bar door can be relatively rotated, and a stop rib that is formed laterally along a lower end of a groove formed around a periphery of the opening and has stopping steps formed at positions corresponding to both ends of a catching step of the home-bar door so that the catching step can be caught by the stopping steps.
US07980642B2
A drawer assembly including a drawer and a sliding guide rail system for slidably opening and closing the drawer within an article of furniture is provided. A support bracket for supporting the drawer is provided at each side of the drawer. The sliding guide rail system includes a pull-out rail disposed within each of the support brackets. One of the support brackets has a slot and the pull-out rail disposed within one of the brackets has a recess. A stabilizer arrangement for stabilizing the sliding movement of the drawer is also provided. The stabilizer arrangement includes a guide bracket and a lever. The guide bracket has a protrusion engageable within the support bracket slot. The guide bracket has a resilient grip portion that allows for the guide bracket protrusion to be adjustable laterally within the support bracket slot when the guide bracket is locked onto the support bracket.
US07980637B2
A vent valve made from a standard emergency brake valve portion. It includes an emergency portion body with an interface to be mated with the emergency portion interface of the pipe bracket. The body includes a casting with at least one cover and the casting including all the cast cavities and passages for an emergency portion. A vent valve selectively connects a first brake pipe port to a vent port on the body, A vent piston controls the vent valve and a discharge valve pneumatically controls the vent piston. An emergency piston is responsive to brake pipe pressure for controlling the discharge valve. The body does not include at least one of an inshot valve and an accelerated application valve.
US07980636B2
An automated gate control system for a vehicle with a load carrying portion capable of carrying a load of material selectively distributable through a gate comprises a driver-accessible control module and a gate actuating mechanism. The driver-accessible control mechanism is positionable within reach of a driver of the vehicle. The gate actuating mechanism is controllably linked to and responsive to control signals from the driver-accessible control module to open and to close the gate to distribute material through the gate as desired. As a result, the driver need not exit the vehicle to move the gate before, after or during a material distribution operation.
US07980635B2
An auxiliary mechanism for a seat belt apparatus includes a support portion and a guide portion. The support portion supports a webbing in a manner drawable to the front of a seat back. The support portion is movable between a storage position, which is near the seat back, and a projection position, which is spaced further apart from the seat back than the storage position to draw out the webbing toward the front of the seat back. The guide portion guides the movement of the support portion between the storage position and the projection position, and then continuously guides the movement of the support portion along a vertical direction of the seat back at the storage position.
US07980629B2
A recreational vehicle such as a snowmobile, personal watercraft, or all-terrain vehicle has a removable straddle-type seat that includes a base having a flexible portion that includes an aperture. The base is used in conjunction with a fuel tank or vehicle frame having a protrusion protruding therefrom. The flexible portion is flexed to allow the aperture therein to pass over the protrusion on the fuel tank or vehicle frame such that removal of the seat is quick, easy and requires no tools.
US07980620B2
A hardtop folding roof for an open motor vehicle includes an upper roof part and a rear roof part having a rear window. The roof parts can be transferred from a closed position into a storage position via respective lateral link mechanisms. Each link mechanism includes two main links. A first main link is assigned to an associated roof pillar of the rear roof part, and a second main link is coupled at least indirectly to the upper roof part at a distance in front of the associated first main link. A rear window holder of the rear window can be moved relative to the roof pillars during the transfer of the folding roof, and the second main links of each link mechanism are assigned to the rear window holder of the rear window.
US07980619B1
An improved tarpaulin bow for use primarily on a vehicle trailer in which the bow is selectively movable in a downward direction. The bow is preferably arched and attached to the sidewalls of a typical open-bed trailer. The arched shape enables the trailer to assume a greater load capacity and a multiplicity of the bows support a tarpaulin which protects the contents of the trailer. The bow comprises two sections connected by spring elements. Downward pressure on either section extends the spring elements allowing the bow to move downward without breaking. Once the downward pressure is removed, the spring elements compress and return the bow to its original position and shape.
US07980618B2
A center seat provided rightward in a left seat is detached from a center seat retention base when a seatback is caused to fold so that the thickness direction of the seatback coincides with the thickness direction of a seating cushion. Then, the folded center seat is caused to move on a floor forward in the vehicle, and is housed into a center seat-housing portion in a console box.
US07980610B2
A slinging device for a piece includes a sling with a nonextensible part and a section with a spring device, enabling an elastic lengthening or shortening of the sling under load by a limited amplitude in response to a limited change in the load on the piece, the device including a frame and a floating support, the spring device holding the floating support in the absence of application of force to the piece along a vertical axis, in a position of equilibrium centered vertically with respect to the frame under the weight of the piece, and a way for regulating and adapting the position of equilibrium of the floating support depending on the weight of the piece.
US07980606B2
In a vehicle bumper structure, an optical fiber sensor (32) is provided in a vehicle width direction on the front surface of a front-bumper reinforcement (30). A front-bumper absorber (28) is provided in front of the optical fiber sensor (32), the front-bumper absorber (28) formed of a soft absorber (54) and a hard absorber (56). The hard absorber is disposed at the bumper center region where the thickness of the bumper is increased. Accordingly, the thickness of the soft absorber (54) becomes substantially uniform in the vehicle width direction, so that a substantially uniform load is inputted to the optical fiber sensor (32) regardless of the collision position of the bumper with an object. As a result, variations in the output of the load-sensing unit are reduced.
US07980603B2
A locking system wherein the latch is rotatable to provide either a first beveled surface for use as a ramp in latching or a second beveled surface for use as a ramp in unlatching. An entire latch module may be rotated about its axis by a rotary solenoid to achieve this function, and the first and second ramping surfaces are physically the same surface repositioned by rotation 180°. Alternatively, a releasable latch has a beveled surface for engaging a striker plate during bolt entry and a non-beveled surface for locking. The latch is pivotable to allow the non-beveled surface to become the beveled ramp for unlocking. The releasably pivotable latch mechanism may be used with a deadlock. The mechanism is readily incorporated into a rim exit device for releasably securing a door such as an emergency exit and may be actuated either electrically or manually.
US07980592B2
A bi-lobular air bag (14) has first and second lobes (232 and 234) defined at least partially by a central recess (230). The air bag (14) includes a central panel (210) formed in an endless loop and including a longitudinal slit (276) that at least partially defines an opening (270) in the central panel. First and second side panels (212 and 214) have peripheries (290) interconnected with respective edge portions (250 and 252) of the central panel (210). A recess panel (216) has a periphery (286) interconnected with portions of the center panel on opposite sides of the longitudinal slit (276). The recess panel (216) is folded and has overlying portions interconnected to form a pleat (306) that helps define the first and second lobes (232 and 234) of the air bag (14).
US07980591B2
The invention relates to a gas bag module (10) for a vehicle safety system, including a gas bag (48), a gas generator (12), a module housing (46), and a pyrotechnical actuator unit (16) which is fitted to a module component by an attachment section (22), the space which is acted upon with an internal pressure upon an activation of the gas generator (12) and is at least partly limited by the gas bag interior being defined as a gas bag chamber (52). After its activation, the actuator unit (16) breaks into the attachment section (22) fixed at the module component and at least one separated fragment (24), the separated fragment (24) being situated outside of the gas bag chamber (52), and a restraint element (30) being provided which limits the freedom of movement of the separated fragment (24).
US07980586B2
A front passenger seat airbag apparatus 12 includes an airbag 15, a case 25 supporting the airbag 15, and an airbag cover 50 covering the airbag 15. The case 25 includes a tubular inner wall portion 29. A plurality of claw portions 37 are arranged along a vehicle widthwise direction on the upper edge of a front inner wall 31 and a rear inner wall 32 of the tubular inner wall portion 29. The airbag cover 50 includes a tubular outer wall portion 53 having a plurality of engaging holes 57. The tubular outer wall portion 53 is engaged with the case 25 by inserting and engaging the claw portions 37 in the engaging holes 57. The front inner wall 31 and the rear inner wall 32 each include connected portions 66, to each of which a claw portion 37 is connected, and non-connected portions 65, to which no claw portion 37 is connected, along the arrangement direction of the claw portions 37. Two non-connected portions 65 are located on both sides of each connected portion 66. At least one of the non-connected portions 65 has cutout portions 61, 62 that extend from the upper end of the corresponding inner wall to a position lower than the tips 37A of the claw portions 37.
US07980585B2
Mounting assemblies can be used to retain an inflatable curtain airbag in a packaged configuration and attach the inflatable curtain airbag to a vehicle structure. The mounting assemblies can have a mounting structure and a wrapper that are both coupled to inflatable curtain airbag. The mounting structure is attached to a vehicle structure and the wrapper wraps and retains the inflatable curtain airbag in a packaged configuration. During airbag deployment, the wrapper releases the airbag so that the airbag can adopt a deployed configuration, wherein the mounting structure continues to anchor the inflatable curtain airbag to the vehicle structure.
US07980584B2
A portable commode, shower, and bath wheelchair apparatus comprising a first support frame, a second support frame, a mechanical interface interconnecting the first support frame to the second support frame thereby forming a first contiguous support rail and a second contiguous support rail. A seat assembly is slidingly attached to both the first contiguous support rail and to the second contiguous support rail.
US07980576B2
A vehicular suspension arm is provided in which an arm main body (1) includes a main plate (2) press-formed as a main part of the arm main body and having a short cylindrical part (EB) provided integrally with one end by flanging, and a reinforcing plate (H) superimposed on one of upper and lower faces of the main plate (2) and reinforcing the main plate (2). The reinforcing plate (H) has an eye-shaped head part (Ha) formed in an annular shape and arranged coaxially with the short cylindrical part (EB), and a tail part (Hb) extending integrally from the eye-shaped head part (Ha) along the longitudinal direction of the main plate (2), is formed from a single plate material that is thicker than the main plate (2), and has at least the tail part (Hb) welded to the main plate (2). A bush press-fit portion (P1) is formed from an inner peripheral face of the eye-shaped head part (Ha) and an inner peripheral face of the short cylindrical part (EB). This ensures that the cross-sectional shape of a transition section from the bush press-fit portion to the plate-type arm main body is adequate, thus enabling the rigidity and strength required for the transition section to be easily guaranteed and, furthermore, it becomes possible to meet a requirement for increasing the strength of the arm without specially increasing the space around the outer periphery of the bush press-fit portion.
US07980575B2
A four-point link for suspending a vehicle axle (36) on a vehicle frame (35) of a vehicle (11). The four-point link includes four link arms (2, 3, 4 and 5) which are fixed to one another by a central region (6) and which extend away from the central region (6) to form a cross. Two first link arms (2, 3) may be connected, in an articulated manner, to the vehicle frame (35) and two second link arms (4, 5) may be connected, in an articulated manner, to the vehicle axle (36). Each of the link arms (2, 3, 4, 5) has an H-shaped profile (13) which is open transverse or vertically with respect to the cross plane (20).
US07980574B2
There is provided a torque rod bracket assembly for an axle assembly of a motor vehicle. The torque rod bracket assembly has a torque rod mounting bracket engaging plates with a plate connector. The torque rod mounting bracket has a base, a first sidewall, and a second sidewall. A receiver wall located between the first sidewall and the second sidewall has a centrally located recess. Slots are located in the receiver wall between the recess and the sidewalls. Axle mounts mount the torque rod bracket assembly to the axle housing of the axle assembly.
US07980558B2
A vacuum control assembly for use in an image production device is provided. The assembly has a plenum, a perforated plate, a plurality of valve assemblies, and a controller. Each valve assembly has a rotating valve having a vacuum passage, and a chamber body having a plurality of chambers. Each valve is rotatable between a first position that fluidly connects the vacuum passage with at least one of the chambers to complete a fluid path between the plenum and the perforated plate, and a second position at which the vacuum passage connects the plenum with none of the chambers. The controller controls the plurality of valve assemblies to provide vacuum to a first predetermined portion of the perforated plate while also providing no vacuum to a second predetermined portion of the perforated plate.
US07980556B2
An image forming apparatus has an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; a discharging roller pair that discharges the sheet, on which the image is formed, onto a stacking portion with a rotation in a first direction, and conveys the sheet to a re-conveying path for conveying the sheet to the image forming unit again with a rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and a skew feed correction member that is provided in the re-conveying path, and contacts against a leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the rotation in the second direction to correct skew feed of the sheet. The sheet conveying force when contacting the leading edge of the sheet against the skew feed correction member is smaller than sheet conveying force of the discharging roller pair when discharging the sheet onto the stacking portion.
US07980553B2
A method for measuring dimensions of a stack of medium in a media input location of an imaging system, includes emitting light along a direction that is at a predetermined angle with respect to the normal of the planar surface of the media input location. An array of photosensors are disposed along an array direction that lies in a plane defined by the direction of the light and the normal of the planar surface. The photosensors receive a spatially-varying pattern of light reflected from a surface that is substantially parallel to the planar surface of the media input location to provide corresponding electronic signal data from the photosensor array for subsequent transmission to a printing system controller. The varying electronic signal data is used to provide a measurement of the one or more dimensions corresponding to the stack of medium.
US07980545B2
An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit to form an image on a sheet, includes a sheet inserting unit configured to insert one or more of a first insertion sheet and a second insertion sheet at one or more predetermined insertion positions in a plurality of sheets, in a case where the plurality of sheets are output by the image forming unit. The image forming apparatus also includes a control unit configured to control the sheet inserting unit to prevent the sheet inserting unit from inserting both the first insertion sheet and the second insertion sheet at the same predetermined insertion position in the plurality of sheets.
US07980541B2
A device for distributing successive products of a product flow, particularly the successive folding products produced by a cross cutting device by dividing a material web, to two branch flows, with a wedge arrangement which is arranged in a stationary manner in the transporting plane of the product flow and which engages between two cam rollers which flank it and which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center working plane. The device is characterized in that the wedge arrangement engages between two guide plates which flank it and which, together with the wedge arrangement, define a path fork. The guide plates have slots through which they are alternately penetrated by cams of the respective adjacent cam roller which are associated with the slots, so that the penetrating cams and the guide plate which is not penetrated form a feed for a belt guide associated with a branch flow.
US07980538B1
An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a jig for holding a workpiece using forces provided by a clamp having a first clamping member, a second clamping member, and a connecting member operable for moving the first clamping member relative to the second clamping member. The jig includes an elongated base member and an elongated support member extending upward from the base member. The support member has a clamp engagement surface for engaging the first clamping member of the clamp, a generally vertically oriented upper surface disposed opposite of the clamp engagement surface for engaging a lateral side of the workpiece, a generally horizontally oriented support surface extending from the support member disposed below the upper surface for engaging a bottom side of the workpiece, and an aperture sized and arranged to accept the connecting member of the clamp.
US07980534B1
A barrier, such as fence panel, is formed from a plurality of channel-shaped rails and plurality of upright members. Each upright member traverses the rail channels of the rails forming the barrier and is mechanically connected to the rail, such that the upright member is selectively tiltable with respect to the rail within an angular adjustment range. The mechanical connection between rail and upright member may be formed by a weld, such as a resistance weld, by a permanent adhesive, or with a fastener such as bolt or screw. A tab that extends from the rail web may be used to connect a rail to an upright member. The tab may depend from a bracket installed within the rail channel, or may be cut out and bent into the channel from the web. The tab is rotatable about an axis situated at or adjacent the web.
US07980532B2
A leveling device for vehicle wheels comprising a first integral planar member for mating with one or more additional integral planar members of substantially the same shape and dimension in releasable relationship. All integral members have four sides and an upper surface divided into a plurality of vertically projecting rows of pins with a row of projections situated up front. The bottom surface of each of the integral planar members include rows of sockets, each of which is conformable in shape and size to receive an individual pin in releasable frictional engagement. Each planar member also includes one partially beveled side with a sloped projection with one or more openings conformable to the shape and dimensions of the individual pins. Two or more integral planar members are adapted to stack one upon the other by mating pins and sockets of respective planar members so that the sloped projections overlap one another and are positioned in parallel relation. The sloped projections of stacked planar members may also be disposed in a laterally offset relation. Both embodiments enable substantial alignment of the inclined planes to facilitate movement of a vehicle wheel up on to the surface of the device and back down.
US07980525B2
A locking device for a rail adjustment system of a vehicle seat, with a number of locking bolts and with a lever element, which is pivotable about a pivoting axis, for unlocking the locking bolt is provided, wherein the locking bolts can be unlocked by an application of force to an adjusting surface of the lever element in the unlocking direction. Furthermore, a rail adjustment system is provided which comprises an upper rail which can be connected to a vehicle seat, a lower rail which can be mounted in a positionally fixed manner, an articulation shaft and a locking device of the type mentioned at the beginning.
US07980524B2
A suspension trauma relief device includes a member extending from a ring to which the safety harness and lanyard are attached. The member provides a support for the wearer so that the wearer can take his/her weight off of the safety harness, and particularly the leg straps on the safety harness, to allow blood circulation and prevent suspension trauma. Preferably the member includes at least one foot support allowing at least one of the wearer's feet to be placed in the foot support to take the wearer's weight off the safety harness and avoid any constriction of the straps of the safety harness on the person's blood flow.
US07980522B2
A blade clamp for a helicopter blade having a width and leading and trailing edges includes a first clamping part, a first flexible liner attachable to the first clamping part, a second clamping part, a second flexible liner attachable to the second clamping part, a hinge mechanism to pivot the first clamping part and the first flexible liner with respect to the second clamping part and the second flexible liner and a connector provided opposite to the hinge mechanism. The flexible liners evenly distribute clamping force upon the blade clamp to prevent damage to the blade. The hinge mechanism allows the first and second clamping parts to open wide enough to safely and easily accommodate a helicopter blade during removal and installation of the blade.
US07980520B2
A garden item hanger assembly. The assembly has an upright with a first and second portion. The first end of the first portion and the second end of the second portion can be connected together by using a medial connection portion which provides a flush surface. The assembly also has a ground engaging stake with a self centering socket and a plurality of set screws to set the upright. The ground engaging stake utilizes a plurality of moment resisting surfaces to maintain an upright position against both a first and second moment about the ground engaging stake applied by the item load.
US07980517B2
A neutral field tray includes an attachment portion for removably attaching the tray to a mayo stand, a base coupled to the attachment portion, two sidewalls extending upward from opposite sides of the base, a distal endwall extending upward from a distal end of the base, a cover extending between the sidewalls above the base adjacent the distal endwall, and support for positioning a single instrument above the base with a distal end of the instrument underneath the cover and a proximal end of the instrument elevated relative to the distal end of the instrument. A method is also provided for using the neutral field tray.
US07980511B2
A device for the transport and medical care of patients as well as for the provision of emergency medical care in an aircraft, which can be arranged and permanently installed inside the passenger cabin of an aircraft, and has a stretcher and medical care equipment, and screens the patient from the environment at least partially by means of lateral elements. The device is enveloped on all sides by lateral elements, and forms a separated compartment relative to the passenger cabin, the volume of which can be temporarily enlarged by shifting at least one lateral section between the first, emergency medical care mode, and a second, expanded mode for patient transport, wherein the stretcher can be horizontally arranged within the compartment in the first mode, and space is available for a medical assistant inside the compartment.
US07980509B2
Thrust systems for passenger aircraft provide at least one flight engine and a taxi engine wherein all flight engines together provide, in total, a takeoff thrust arranged in a takeoff thrust direction and the taxi engine provides a taxi thrust which does not exceed 15% of the takeoff thrust and is directed substantially the same as the takeoff thrust direction. The taxi thrust is thereby sufficient to taxi the aircraft along a taxi path. In a system embodiment, the taxi thrust does not exceed 7.5% of the flight thrust. In another system embodiment, the flight engines have, in total, a flight engine weight and the taxi engine has a taxi engine weight that does not exceed 10% of the flight engine weight. In a system embodiment, the taxi engine weight does not exceed 7.0% of the flight engine weight. In another system embodiment, the taxi engine has a rated thrust and is configured so that the taxi thrust is within 40% and 100% of the rated thrust. In another system embodiment, the taxi engine includes a rotatable engine portion to divert the taxi thrust over an azimuth angle to assist taxiing along the taxi path. The taxi engine significantly reduces fuel costs because when flight engines are used for taxiing, they operate in a very inefficient region of their rated thrust and consume excessive fuel. The taxi engine also significantly reduces the brake repair and adjustment that is incurred when the flight engines are used for taxiing and the brakes are frequently engaged to counter their high thrust.
US07980508B1
A V/STOL aircraft includes an aft by-pass powerplant 28 having an aft, rearwardly directed nozzle 30 and twin transverse vectorable nozzles 32. A duct 29 extends forwardly of the powerplant and terminates in a vectorable nozzle 16. The duct supplies relatively cool by-pass air to the nozzle.
US07980506B2
A dispenser for rolls of flexible sheet material, each of the rolls having spindle elements extending axially outwardly beyond the ends thereof, wherein a first roll is located in a dispensing position. Alternatively, a second roll may be located in a reserve position. The dispenser further includes a stub roll position arranged to receive a first roll exhausted to a predetermined extent. Retaining elements are arranged on both sides of the stub roll position to support the spindle elements inserted into each end of a roll, wherein the retaining elements arranged for simultaneous release of the spindle elements when the dispenser is opened.
US07980498B2
A machine for distributing insulation from a bag of insulation is provided. The machine includes a chute having an inlet end and an outlet end. The chute is configured to receive the bag of insulation. The inlet end of the chute has a cross-sectional shape that is substantially vertical and the outlet end of the chute has a cross-sectional shape that is substantially horizontal. A plurality of shredders is mounted at the outlet end of the chute and is configured to shred and pick apart the insulation. A discharge mechanism is configured for distributing the insulation into an airstream. The chute has a cross-sectional shape that approximates the cross-sectional shape of the bag of insulation and the plurality of shredders and the discharge mechanism are positioned beneath the outlet end of the chute.
US07980494B2
The present invention provides an integral system for recycling post consumer motor-oil plastic containers. Oils and especially motor-oil, physically attaches to its HDPE (high density polyethylene) containers demanding a unique recycling process. As described by this patent, oil-contaminated plastic containers are thermally drained and mechanically freed from their labels and aluminum sealing rings. Unlabeled containers are further shredded through oil-free flake-cutting process, in which, plastic melting is minimized, thus preventing oil to be trapped inside the plastic structure. A hot water bath of sulfonic acid and/or detergents, containing the shredded flakes, is subjected to a very high turbulence in the absence of air (water sealed), which induces liquid cavitation. High rotational turbulence combined with cavitation impacts (generated by fast evaporation/condensation/implosion) supply enough surface energy to liberate the strongly attached oil molecules, which are further trapped by the detergent bath. The bath can be regenerated indefinitely. Centrifugation of the washed flakes, hot and cold water rinsing and further hot-air drying, complete the process before re-pelletizing industrial quality HDPE with the full characteristics of new material.
US07980488B2
A rotary sprinkler includes: a shaft having a cam, the cam having a plurality of radially outwardly projecting cam lobes; a rotatable water distribution plate adapted to be impinged upon by a stream emitted from a nozzle causing at least the water distribution plate to rotate; a hesitator assembly including a stationary housing having a sealed chamber at least partially filled with a viscous fluid, with at least the cam and the cam lobes located within the chamber; a rotor ring located within the chamber in substantially surrounding relationship to the cam, the rotor ring loosely located within the chamber for rotation and translation, the rotor ring provided with at least two hesitator lobes projecting radially inwardly and movable laterally into and out of a path of rotation of the cam lobes, and a first plurality of radially outwardly projecting teeth selectively engageable with a second greater plurality of teeth provided on an inner wall of the housing; and wherein rotation of water distribution plate is slowed during intervals when one of the cam lobes engages and pushes past a respective one of the hesitator lobes, the cam lobe exerting both rotation and translation forces on the rotor ring, with one of the first plurality of teeth on the rotor engaging one of the second plurality of teeth on the housing wall.
US07980487B2
A texture spray pump unit (100) having a tank (140) with an outlet for providing texture material to a pump (120), for delivery to a texture spray gun. The spray pump unit (100) also has an air source (180) for providing power to the pump (120) and air to deliver the texture material from the gun. A frame supports the tank (140), air source (180) and pump (120). The tank (140) is removable from the frame, and has a self closing valve to block leakage from the tank (140) when removed from the frame. The valve may have a pair of helper springs urging the valve closed. Mating portions on the frame and tank (140) guide engagement of a tank outlet with a pump inlet tube.
US07980485B2
A fuel injector for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The fuel injector includes a housing, a valve seat, a metering orifice disc, and a needle. The housing has an inlet, an outlet, and a longitudinal axis extending therethrough. The valve seat is disposed proximate the outlet and includes a passage having a sealing surface and an orifice. The metering orifice disc is located at the outlet and has a plurality of metering openings extending therethrough. The needle is reciprocally located within the housing along the longitudinal axis between a first position wherein the needle is displaced from the valve seat, allowing fuel flow past the needle, and a second position wherein the needle is biased against the valve seat, precluding fuel flow past the needle. A generally annular channel is formed between the valve seat and the metering orifice disc. The channel tapers outwardly from a large height to a smaller height toward the orifice openings. A method of generating turbulence in a fuel flow through a fuel injector is also disclosed.
US07980484B1
An anti-slabbing device pivotally coupled above a material conveyor and configured to drop down onto material conveyed and further configured so as to vibrate the leading edge of the material as it reaches the end of the conveyor to create a more consistent flow of material from the end of the conveyor down onto a spinner for distributing the material.
US07980482B2
A thermostatic expansion valve includes a valve body having an evaporator inlet port, an evaporator outlet port, a suction line port, and a liquid line port. A sensor chamber formed within the valve body is disposed between the evaporator outlet port and the suction line port. A valve is disposed within the valve body controls a flow of refrigerant from the liquid line port to the evaporator inlet port. A diaphragm separates a charge chamber and a pressure chamber where a pressure differential between a charge chamber and a pressure chamber controls the positioning of the valve. A restriction flow passage located to provide fluid communication between the sensor chamber and the pressure chamber is configured to limit a flow rate from the pressure chamber to sensor chamber, thereby slowing the opening of the valve resulting in a reduction of noise generated following an initial startup of a compressor.
US07980465B2
A method, system, and program provides for hands free contact database information entry at a communication device. A recording system at a communication device detects a user initiation to record. Responsive to detecting the user initiation to record, the recording system records the ongoing conversation supported between the communication device and a second remote communication device. The recording system converts the recording of the conversation into text. Next, the recording system extracts contact information from the text. Then, the recording system stores the extracted contact information in an entry of the contact database, such that contact information is added to the contact database of the communication device without manual entry of the contact information by the user.
US07980460B1
An automated banking machine operates using data included on user cards. The machine accepts checks and dispenses cash to users. The automated banking machine operates to acquire image and magnetic data from deposited checks and to determine the authority of a user to receive cash for such checks.
US07980456B2
The present invention includes a system and method for monitoring a user's pace and providing an indication of the user's average pace in conjunction with performing an activity. The method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes monitoring a user's pace relating to the performance of the activity and calculating pace data relating the user. In response to a first signal, the method stores the pace data and in response to a second signal retrieves the pace data. The method then calculates an assistance pace for the user over a defined time interval and transmits an output signal reflecting the assistance pace based the pace data, such as in the example of a golf club assisting in the swinging pace of the golf club.
US07980443B2
In various embodiments, an anvil of a disposable loading unit including a first member having staple pockets for deforming staples, a first cover plate secured to the first member, and a second cover plate secured to at least one of the first member and the first cover plate, wherein the first and second cover plates can be configured to support the first member. In at least one embodiment, an anvil can include a first member inserted into a second member, where at least one of the first and second members can be deformed to retain one to the other. In various embodiments, a surgical stapling instrument can include a disposable loading unit comprising a staple cartridge, an anvil, and a sleeve, wherein the sleeve can be configured to be slid relative to the staple cartridge and the anvil to hold the anvil in a closed position.
US07980440B2
A combustion-engined setting tool (10) for driving fastening elements in a workpiece includes a combustion chamber (11), a drive piston (15) displaceable in a piston guide (17) and driven by expanding gases produced in the combustion chamber (11), and a device for returning the drive piston (15) in its initial position as a result of pressure difference between chambers formed on opposite axial sides of the piston head (115), and including a pump (20).
US07980428B2
A dispensing gun for viscous material including a stock supporting a push rod which is advanceable along a keep in which a cartridge of a material can be mounted. The rod is advanced by means of a catch plate and a locking plate prevents the rod retreating with the catch plate. The locking plate is carried by the rod between a first and a second position so that it acts as a lost motion brake once force is removed from the trigger in one configuration of the dispensing gun, taking the dispensing force off the cartridge to prevent leaking when the trigger is not depressed. In an alternative configuration, the lost motion is reduced, for example to zero, to allow a continuous dispensing action by maintaining the pressure in the cartridge using a pumping action of the trigger.
US07980420B2
A card dispensing apparatus having a compact configuration has a housing to support a stack of cards on a fixed base. Openings in the base member can permit surfaces from a conveying member to extend into the housing and contact a surface of the lowest card. The conveyer member can move horizontal to a release point and retract beneath the base member to return to an initial position. A movement unit provides a cyclic looping movement of the conveyer member into and out of the housing for transporting cards. A feed unit positioned at the dispensing point of the cards can grasp and release the cards from the card dispensing apparatus.
US07980410B2
The invention relates to a foldable bag that can be unfolded from an essentially flat initial state into an unfolded final state, provided with at least a first, a second and a third sheet for forming, respectively, a first, a second and a third wall of the foldable bag. The first sheet is joined to the second sheet via the third sheet, which third sheet in the initial state is folded along a fold line, wherein the fold line in the initial state is between the first and the second sheet. The foldable bag furthermore has an opening in the first sheet. The fold line of the third sheet in the initial state extends underneath the opening to form a channel between the first and second sheet past the opening. The invention furthermore relates to a combination of a container and empty bag as well as method for the use thereof, wherein the bag is fixed to the peripheral wall of the container by means of a first and a second fixing.
US07980398B2
A theft deterrent dispensing unit particularly for use with cans includes a conveyor section that leads to a dispensing head. A shroud extends over the forward edge of the conveying section. The dispensing head pivots downwardly allowing the leading can to be grasped without interference of the shroud. The rear edge of the dispensing head pivots upwardly, preventing the next adjacent can from moving immediately into the dispensing head until the dispensing head rotates back to a closed position. Likewise, when the dispensing head is rotated to an open position, a barrier is pulled down from the top of the shroud, again preventing an individual from reaching in and grabbing the next adjacent can. A locking mechanism is positioned on the side of the dispensing units to prevent two adjacent dispensing units from being opened at the same time. Finally, the speed at which the dispensing heads move from an open to a closed position is regulated to prevent rapid removal of cans from a single dispensing unit.
US07980397B2
A glass plate packaging pallet includes a pallet base formed by integrating a base part and a backside part rising from a rear side of the base part, and a mount body formed by integrating a pedestal part and a backrest part, the pedestal part being placed above the base part and supporting from below a plurality of glass plates disposed so as to be stacked with an upright posture, the backrest part being placed in front of the backside part and supporting the glass plates resting thereagainst, and is configured such that a rear surface of the backrest part and a front surface of the backside part are fixed together so as to face each other along the same plane, and that the pedestal part is positioned in a non-connected state with respect to the base part.
US07980395B2
An apparatus and method for filtering working fluid in an appliance with a cross-flow filter located within a recirculation circuit.
US07980390B2
A display card (200) including a front layer (230) and a back layer (210), wherein at least a portion of the front layer (230) is connected to at least a portion of the back layer (210), a blister (220) supported by at least one of the front layer (230) and the back layer (210), and at least one support tube (240) defined by the front layer (230) and the back layer (210), wherein the support tube is formed by folding the front layer (230) relative to the back layer (210).
US07980382B2
The present invention relates to a method for uniformly filling a relatively large container (5) with relatively delicate products, wherein the products are supplied at a first level using a feed conveyor (17), and these products are transferred by means of a guiding device which guides the products in restrained manner from the first level to a second level, wherein at the second level the products are released into a distributing device (3) for distribution in the container. The invention further relates to a guiding device (2) for guiding products from a feed conveyor, comprising: —at least one transfer member (11) comprising means for receiving the products at a speed which can be adjusted to the speed of the feed conveyor, —a guide member (12) which is arranged substantially along a part of the outside of the transfer member for guiding the products in the transfer member.
US07980373B2
A viscous fan drive with a front-mounted fan and electrical actuation without a tethered harness. The mechanical package includes an inverted viscous clutch, a drive pulley and a split electromagnetic actuator with the electrical portion mounted to a stationary mounting member. An axially moveable valve member controls the flow of viscous fluid.
US07980371B2
A clutching device includes an outer race, an inner race, a plurality of rollers and an actuator plate. The outer and inner races have axial ridges to define opposed outer and inner race pockets. The rollers are positioned in the outer and inner race pockets. The clutching device further includes an axial projection coupled for rotation with one of the inner and outer race. An actuator plate is coupled for rotation with one of the inner and outer race and axially moveable between a first position wherein the actuator plate engages the axial projection and a second position wherein the actuator plate does not engage the axial projection.
US07980370B2
A lockup device 7 of a torque converter 1 is formed of a piston 75, a clutch plate 80, and a damper mechanism 9. The clutch plate 80 has a first passage P1 connecting an inner space S3 on the radially inner side to a space S1 formed axially between the front cover 11 and the clutch plate 80, and a second passage P2 connecting the inner space S3 formed on the radially inner side to a space S2 formed axially between the piston and the clutch plate 80.
US07980369B2
The present invention comprises a lash prevention spring of unique design having a plurality of spring legs shaped into an s-curve and an inner circumference formed into at least one spline. The invention also comprises a lash prevention assembly in which the disclosed lash spring is attached to a damper hub and is biased against the several teeth from a turbine hub that extend through the damper hub from its opposite side.
US07980357B2
Methods, systems, and apparatuses for exhaust silencers for engines, such as microturbines, are described. An exhaust silencer reduces noise produced by an engine. While passing through an exhaust silencer, an exhaust stream from the engine makes one or more turns, thereby reducing turbine noise. An exhaust silencer includes a body, a cavity in the body, a baffle plate that partially divides the central cavity, an inlet port formed in a first surface of the body, and an outlet port formed in a second surface of the body. The inlet port is configured to receive an exhaust stream that flows through the cavity, around the baffle plate. The outlet port is configured to discharge the exhaust stream from the body.
US07980353B2
A steering system is provided for controlling the turning angle of the steering wheels of a vehicle. The steering system includes two electro-hydraulic circuits each including an actuator, both actuators being mechanically coupled and acting simultaneously on the turning angle of the wheels. A first circuit is displacement-controlled relative to a position set point while a second circuit is stress controlled. The set point applied of the second circuit includes a component developed from the filtering of the position set point applied to the first circuit.
US07980352B2
A materials handling vehicle is provided comprising a frame comprising an operator's compartment, wheels supported on the frame, at least one of the wheels being a steerable wheel, and a steer-by-wire system associated with the steerable wheel to effect angular movement of the steerable wheel. The vehicle further comprises a control apparatus.
US07980342B2
A method for operating a vehicle may include operating a motor and an engine to propel the vehicle, and increasing consumption of fuel as a residence time of the fuel stored on-board the vehicle increases. The residence time of the fuel stored on-board the vehicle can provide an indication of fuel degradation, enabling the duty cycle of the engine to be selectively increased to enforce fuel use conditions, particularly in the context of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle where fuel use may be less frequent.
US07980338B2
A power take off (PTO) driveline shaft of an agricultural implement may be securely stowed when not in use using a PTO driveline storage device. The storage device is pivotably mounted to the frame of the agricultural implement, such as the hitch, and may be rotated from its own stowed position to a position to provide support for the PTO driveline shaft when the PTO driveline shaft is not connected to the PTO of a tractor or other machine having a PTO output. The storage device includes an arm having a first end that is mounted to the hitch and has a second end that is adapted to fit against the PTO driveline shaft when the device is being used to stow the PTO driveline shaft. When not in use, the storage device may be rotated clear of the PTO driveline shaft and pivoted to a position where it may be securely stowed.
US07980332B1
In one aspect of the invention, a downhole centrifugal drilling fluid separator has a bore within a tubular body comprising a central axis. The bore is formed to receive drilling fluid comprising particulate matter. At least one fin rigidly fixed within the bore and at least one port formed in a wall of the tubular body. As the drilling fluid flows through the tubular body the at least one fin creates a rotary motion within the drilling fluid forcing a portion of the particulate matter away from the central axis and through the at least one port in the tubular body.
US07980331B2
A drill string component includes a downhole power assembly and a center mandrel with a through-bore adapted to accommodate a flow of drilling fluid. The downhole power assembly includes a tubular battery cage disposed around the center mandrel. At least one battery is disposed in at least one bay formed in the tubular battery cage and a tubular sleeve is adapted to slide over and cover the tubular battery cage.
US07980328B2
The invention provides rotary steerable devices and methods for use of rotary steerable devices. One aspect of the invention provides a rotary steerable device including: a cylinder configured for rotation in a wellbore, the cylinder having a slot and a gauge; and at least one cam received in the slot. The cam is configured for selective actuation between a first position, wherein the cam lies within the gauge of the cylinder, and a second position, wherein the cam is displaced out of the gauge of the cylinder.
US07980326B2
A method and system of subterranean excavating that estimates a buoyancy force applied to a downhole excavating system from drilling fluid. The estimated buoyancy force is used to derive a true weight on bit (WOB) at the borehole bottom. The derived realized WOB is compared to a target WOB to obtain a change in WOB. Based on the change in WOB, the excavating system is adjusted so the realized WOB approximates the target WOB. The excavating system adjustment includes applying a compensating force to the string. Compensating forces can be produced by manipulating a block assembly or deploying a thruster device in the string.
US07980324B2
A power tool including a motor, an output member and a transmission disposed between the motor and the output member. The transmission includes a ring gear with opposite axial end faces. The power tool also includes a clutch for limiting an output of the transmission. The clutch includes an annular clutch face disposed about the ring gear. At least a portion of a side of the ring gear is configured such that an included angle between the annular clutch face and the at least a portion of the side of the ring gear is about ninety five degrees to about one hundred fifty degrees.
US07980323B2
A post driver having a dampening device adapted to isolate the hands and arms of the user from shock.
US07980315B2
A selectively communicatable hydraulic nipple is provided which includes an upper and lower communications component adapted to communicate with tools landed inside the hydraulic nipple. Each communications component communicates with a control line used by the hydraulic nipple. An operator is allowed to selectively communicate with tools landed inside the nipple via the upper and lower communications components via the nipple control line. As a result, should the TRSCSSV control line loose integrity, the operator has the option of utilizing the nipple control line to continue oil and gas production without the need for well modifications. Alternatively, an operator could land a chemical injection tool, with an injection string suspended therefrom, in the nipple and inject chemicals into the well via the nipple control line.
US07980307B2
An apparatus for finding a pre-existing downhole window includes a body having a deflector ramp and a cavity, and an extendable dog disposed in the cavity, the dog mechanically moveable between a retracted position and an extended position into the pre-existing window. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes an axially moveable sleeve disposed adjacent the extendable dog. A downhole window finding apparatus includes a deflector including a window finding assembly, and a running tool removably coupled to the deflector, wherein the window finding assembly includes an extendable member and an axially moveable sleeve retaining the extendable member. In certain embodiments, a fluid flow path extends through the running tool and the deflector to the window finding assembly. In some embodiments, a shear bolt removably couples the running tool to the deflector and includes a fluid passage fluidicly coupling a flow line in the running tool to a flow line in the deflector. A method of finding a pre-existing downhole window is also disclosed.
US07980287B2
A substrate bonding apparatus includes a first chamber including a first surface plate on which a first substrate is supported, a second chamber spaced from the first chamber and including a second surface plate on which a second substrate to be bonded to the first substrate is supported, an adhesive module provided on the first surface plate and including a plurality of adhesive rubber areas holding the first substrate, and a lift module for lifting at least one of the plurality of adhesive rubber areas.
US07980280B2
A pneumatic tire having improved wear resistance, especially improved uneven wear resistance (such as river wear), is offered. The tire that is a rib-pattern tire has five ribs extending circumferentially of the tire. The ribs include a center rib and intermediate ribs located on the opposite sides of the center rib that is located on the equator line of the tire. Closed sipes are formed at least in the center rib and in the intermediate ribs. Each sipe is located in the lateral center of the corresponding rib. Both ends of each sipe terminate within the corresponding rib. The closed sipes are successively offset circumferentially among the ribs and arranged in a periodic pattern on the outer surface of the tire. The closed sipes in the ribs are so arranged that when they are optically projected onto the equator line of the tire, the sipes do not overlap circumferentially of the tire among the ribs.
US07980274B2
A dobby includes two controlled latches for coupling a drive element mounted to a main drive shaft of the dobby and an actuator element in rotation. A first resilient element resiliently biases each of the latches towards a configuration in which their respective bearing surfaces are engaged with corresponding surfaces of the actuator element. Control members are provided for moving the latches against the action of the first resilient element and that act directly on the first latch and indirectly on the second latch so as to move the first latch against the first resilient element to thereby disengage its bearing surface with a corresponding surface of the actuator element while the second latch remains in a configuration in which its bearing surface is engaged with another corresponding surface of the actuator element.
US07980268B2
The present invention relates generally to fluid control valves and, more particularly, to a mixing valve for use within a faucet.
US07980263B2
The present invention relates to a tray for use with a walker. The tray includes a generally rigid tray base having an essentially rectangular shape with a front long side, a back long side, a first short side and a second short side, and wherein the tray has a length that extends to or past the essentially horizontal support member; a ridge extending along the sides of the tray, wherein the ridge has a height of at least about a ½ inch; a strap having a hook and loop fastener wherein the strap is positioned at or near the back long end; and a first hinge and a second hinge, the first and second hinges are positioned, when the tray is in use, at or near the front leg of the first and second support, respectively. The length of the tray is greater that the distance between the support member of the first support and the support member of the second support; and the width of the tray is less than the length of the support member of the first support or second support. The present invention further includes methods of using the tray, and system and kits that include the tray.
US07980255B2
In a first aspect, a module is provided that is adapted to process a wafer. The module includes a processing portion having one or more features such as (1) a rotatable wafer support for rotating an input wafer from a first orientation wherein the wafer is in line with a load port to a second orientation wherein the wafer is in line with an unload port; (2) a catcher adapted to contact and travel passively with a wafer as it is unloaded from the processing portion; (3) an enclosed output portion adapted to create a laminar air flow from one side thereof to the other; (4) an output portion having a plurality of wafer receivers; (5) submerged fluidnozzles; and/or (6) drying gas flow deflectors, etc. Other aspects include methods of wafer processing.
US07980251B2
A pouched tobacco product includes a lined pouch material of a web and a water-soluble liner adjacent the web and a tobacco component contained within the lined pouch material. The water-soluble liner is interposed between the web and the tobacco component. The liner preferably reduces staining of the web by the tobacco component. Additionally, the liner may include a flavorant.
US07980250B2
A tobacco smoke filter which has a tar retention of at most 50% and comprises a relatively high draw resistance downstream filtering plug of at most 50% tar retention, a relatively low draw resistance upstream filter plug of at most 22% tar retention spaced longitudinally upstream therefrom, and a filter wrapper engaging around and joining the spaced plugs to define a cavity therebetween.
US07980249B2
This invention relates to a protective mouthguard for use by athletes that incorporates a color customizable feature, allowing users to customize the visible color of the mouthguard. The invented protective mouthguard has a u-shaped base that will fit inside of a user's mouth. The front surface of the mouthguard can be visible when the mouthguard is worn by the user inside of his mouth. A colorable strip is placed inside a cavity in the front wall of the mouthguard and is visible through holes that are placed in the front wall.
US07980240B2
A breaking apparatus (1) including a movable mass (3) for impacting on a striker pin (4), a housing (2) and a striker pin (4) configured to partially protrude through the housing (2), the apparatus (1) characterized in that the striker pin (4) is configured to be beatable in a plurality of retaining locations relative to the housing (2).
US07980217B2
A valve train of an internal combustion engine with at least one camshaft (1) on which at least one rotatable cam (2) is arranged fixed in the axial direction, wherein a rotationally fixed connection of the at least one cam (2) with the camshaft (3) can be selectively established and released by an associated coupling-like locking device (3). So that the valve train has a compact construction and low production costs and nevertheless low wear in operation, it is provided that the locking device (3) is held within the cam (2) and has a spring-loaded, annular locking collar (12) that can move in the axial direction on the camshaft (1) and, as a counter part to the locking collar (12), locking shoes (11, 11′) coupled with the cam (2), wherein, in a locking position, the locking collar (12) is pressed against the locking shoes (11, 11′) by contacting, ramp-shaped boundary surfaces (19, 20) formed on the locking collar (12) and the locking shoes (11, 11′), so that radial projections (15) arranged on the locking shoes (11, 11′) engage in adjacent, pocket-shaped receptacles (16) of the camshaft (2) by a radial force and, in an unlocked position, the locking collar (12) is released from the locking shoes (11, 11′) by a force acting against the radial force.
US07980208B2
A reciprocating engine (10) operating on the two stroke cycle, comprising a pair of stationary and substantially concentrically aligned mutually opposed pistons (13, 15) and a sleeve (11) adapted to reciprocate about these static pistons. The reciprocating sleeve (11) defining two cavities, each cavity being operatively connected to one of the pistons to define a chamber. The first chamber being a pre-charge chamber (21) and having at least one inlet port (25), and the second chamber being a combustion chamber (19) and having at least one outlet port (35), the two chambers being separated by a pressure operated transfer valve (23). The reciprocating motion of the sleeve (11) can be converted into rotary motion.
US07980207B2
A multi-link engine has a piston that moves inside a cylinder. A piston pin connects the piston to an upper link, which is connected to a lower link. A crank pin of a crankshaft supports the lower link thereon. The lower link is pivotally connected to one end of a control link, which is connected at another end to the engine block body by a control shaft. The control shaft is lower than a crank journal of the crankshaft, and disposed on a first side of a plane that is parallel to a cylinder center axis and that contains a center rotational axis of the crank journal. The cylinder center axis is located on a second (i.e., opposite the first side) plane. The control link has a center axis that is parallel to the cylinder center axis when the piston is near top and bottom dead centers.
US07980194B2
A process and apparatus for preparing a surface coating composition for an animal food. The process involves combining, in-line along a food processing line, liquid fat and a dry additive to provide a liquid fat-dry additive composition, which then is combined with a liquid additive to provide a surface coating composition. The composition is coated on the food.
US07980188B2
A cloth-holder frame transfer apparatus for a sewing machine includes a carriage detachably attachable to a cloth-holder frame holding workpiece cloth, a carriage driving mechanism including an actuator moving the carriage in two directions intersecting each other on a horizontal plane, an external force detector which detects an external force applied by an operator to the cloth-holder frame attached to the carriage, an assisting force output device which produces force assisting the movement of the cloth-holder frame by the external force, and a control device controlling the assisting force output device based on the external force detected by the external force detector. The carriage driving mechanism includes first and second direction movement actuators provided with first and second direction displacement sensors respectively. The first and second direction movement actuators include respective stepping motors, and the first and second direction displacement sensors include respective rotary encoders.
US07980181B2
A drag racing roller coaster amusement ride has at least two sets running rails, each set having at least one running rail and an embark point. At least two carriers (109) are arranged to carry at least one rider on a respective set of running rails with the rider(s) in a substantially prone position. Each carrier is arranged to slidingly engage with the respective set of running rails to enable the carriers to traverse the ride. The ride has an indicator (109) to provide a ride commencement indication. A launch system is configured to provide a powered initial motion to each carrier. Each carrier has a ride activator controllable by a rider of the carrier to trigger the launch system to commence the ride for the carrier following the ride commencement indication. Launch systems are also disclosed.
US07980173B2
A hydraulic compactor system includes a portable container adapted to be transported by a truck and having a chamber for receiving a waste material to be compacted. The container has a self-contained compacting ram actuated by a hydraulic cylinder, and a remote hydraulic power supply unit is connected to the hydraulic cylinder by flexible hydraulic hoses. Each of the hoses is provided with a breakaway hydraulic coupling having two sections connected by tension releasable coupling means with the sections having spring biased valves which are open when the sections are coupled together and automatically close when the sections separate due to a predetermined tension force on the hoses. Each breakaway coupling compensates for increases in hydraulic fluid pressure to prevent separation of the coupling sections when the fluid pressure increases to actuate the hydraulic compacting cylinder.
US07980170B2
The invention relates to a method for making coffee-based drinks and to an arrangement in an apparatus for making coffee-based drinks. In this process, coffee is made by means of a so-called expresso method using hot water. High pressure and a short boiling time. According to the method, a strong coffee concentrate is stored in a hermetically sealed heat vessel and the concentrate is either used as such or it is diluted so as to obtain a desired strength at the moment of serving by adding a suitable amount of water to the concentrate in a mixing tank. According to the invention, both expresso-based specialty coffees and ordinary coffee are made by means of the same equipment. The invention also makes it possible to quickly serve large amounts of coffee.
US07980168B2
A process for making a hot beverage, such as coffee or tea, includes placing ground coffee or tea into a filter, inserting the filter into a filter basket to support the filter with respect to a reservoir that is to receive a brewed beverage; introducing water into the filter; and repeatedly deforming the filter to alter its shape as water passes through the filter and ground coffee or tea en route to the reservoir. A device for making a hot beverage includes a drive and a filter basket. The filter basket defines a filter basket chamber for receiving an associated filter. The filter basket includes a movable component operably connected to the drive and movable for deforming the associated filter. The movable component is operable between a first operating position where the filter chamber has a first dimension and a second operating position where the filter chamber has a second dimension that is smaller than the first dimension.
US07980166B1
A ballistic barrier incorporates a flexible ballistic blanket having a threat side and a protected side, opposing top and bottom edges, and opposing side edges. A plurality of spaced-apart elongated stiffening elements extend longitudinally between opposing top and bottom edges of the ballistic blanket. An elongated structural brace extends laterally between opposing side edges of the ballistic blanket, and is arranged to support the ballistic blanket in a desired lateral configuration.
US07980163B2
A saw includes a rotatable cutting blade having a first side, a second side, an outer edge and a front end region, a motor for driving the cutting blade, and a blade guard covering at least a portion of the blade. The saw has an air deflector assembly positioned in proximity to the front edge region of the cutting blade, the air deflector assembly having a first deflector device positioned substantially adjacent to, but spaced apart from, the first side of the rotatable cutting blade, and a second deflector device. The second deflector device is movable between an operating position whereby the second deflector device is positioned substantially adjacent to, but spaced apart from, the second side of the blade, and a non-operating position wherein the second deflector device is spaced apart from the blade by a greater distance than in the operating position.
US07980160B2
A deep throat chuck jaw system adapted to be used with a lathe with or without a headstock hole is provided. The system includes a set of jaw extension members having an inboard end supported from a face of a master chuck jaw coupled to a lathe chuck. The jaw extension members also include an outboard end. The set of jaw extension members are operable to grip an outer surface of a part having an outer diameter greater than the headstock hole with a clamping assembly clamped around the outboard end.
US07980129B2
A bin monitoring system functions both as a device for lifting the bin and as a weighing system for monitoring or measuring the level of feed in a feed bin. Various embodiments having a suspended load cell and methods of retrofitting the bin monitoring system to existing bins are provided. Further, the accuracy provided by various embodiments enables one to accurately predict when the feed bin will be empty. Thus, the feed mill can be aware of anticipated needs days in advance, allowing the feed mill to better optimize its scheduling and deliveries.
US07980128B2
In order to provide an improved level monitoring system for monitoring the electrolyte fill level of an accumulator, the present invention proposes a level monitoring system having a level monitoring device and a signal output device (10) which is arranged in a separate housing, receives signals representing the fill level of the electrolyte from the level monitoring device and outputs at least one corresponding fill level signal.
US07980127B1
A flow meter includes a transparent holder with an inlet and an outlet connected to a first, second and third fastening portions through a first, second, third and fourth connection ribs, a first and second fastening assemblies screwed respectively with the inlet and outlet, a butting member located at one end of the transparent holder, a flow scale plate located on a recess of the transparent holder, and a regulation member coupled to the inlet. The three fastening portions with respectively a first, second and third fastening hole are integrally formed with the inlet and outlet. Through the first and second fastening holes, the transparent holder is firmly fastened to a machine. Thus hydraulic pressure generated in the inlet and outlet does not cause loosening due to screw fastening of the three fastening portions. The structural strength of the transparent holder is increased and assembly is easier.
US07980122B2
A rotation detecting device for detecting the rotational speed of a gear in a transmission without increasing the width of the gear in the axial direction, using any expensive sensor and not limiting the location of a shift drum. An internal combustion engine includes a crankcase in which a crankshaft and a transmission are accommodated. The transmission includes a plurality of gears for shifting, an input shaft for inputting a rotational drive force from the crankshaft, and an output shaft wherein the rotational drive force is transmitted from the input shaft through the gears and to the output shaft to a drive wheel. The internal combustion engine includes rotation detecting devices for respectively detecting the rotational speeds of the gears. The rotation detecting devices respectively include detecting portions opposed to the gears rotating with the rotation of the input shaft and positioned in the axial direction of the transmission.
US07980120B2
A fuel injector diagnostic system includes a fuel pump control module, a pressure sensor, and a diagnostic module. The fuel pump control module disables delivery of fuel to a fuel rail of an engine. The pressure sensor measures a first pressure of the fuel rail before an injection event and a second pressure of the fuel rail after the injection event on at least one of a plurality of injectors when the engine is running. The diagnostic module diagnoses a fault in the at least one of the injectors based on the first pressure and the second pressure.
US07980119B2
An auto-sampler cleaning mechanism is provided, which is capable of maintaining the supply of a liquid in a non-time-consuming manner when a cleaning solution is supplied. The auto-sampler cleaning mechanism of the present invention includes: a sample-metering sample loop 14 having a sample-injecting needle 15 at a front end thereof, a metering pump 24, a multi-ported valve 11a, a multi-position valve 11b, and a liquid-supply valve 11c. A diaphragm pump 25 is disposed between the port of the multi-position valve 11a and the port of the liquid-supply valve 11b, and used to supply a cleaning solution 26 or a mobile phase 20 to the sample loop 14.
US07980110B2
Apparatus for continuous extrusion of an aluminium sheathing free from imperfections or discontinuities onto a core cable, such as an insulated copper cable, includes a rotatable wheel formed with a pair of circumferential grooves arcuate tooling bounding radially outer portions of the respective grooves, a die body provided with divergent exit apertures discharging laterally to an extrusion chamber through 90° elbows and short divergent passages at diametrically opposed locations. An electrical induction heater includes coils of copper tubing connected to an electrical power source and to a coolant circulating device is positioned at a radially outer portion of the die body and is energizable to supply heat to the die body to maintain a uniform temperature of approximately 480° C., controlled by signals from thermocouples around the extrusion chamber.
US07980105B2
A wafer-type tumbler cylinder comprises a sleeve, a cylinder, a plurality of first and second wafers, some springs and some U-shaped fixtures. The wafer-type tumbler cylinder is an integral cylindrical shaft having indentations, fixing slots and riveting plates made in a consistent operation. After the placement of every pair of first and second wafers and one shared spring into the cylindrical shaft, the riveting plates are pressed into a horizontal position to secure the wafers and spring; furthermore, all the indentations, first and second wafers, springs and riveting plates are installed on one side, or on both sides of the cylindrical shaft. The improved structure of riveting plates, U-shaped fixtures and shared spring for every pair of first and second wafers enables the key to move forward and backward smoothly, and also enables the users to lock and unlock easily and successfully.
US07980099B2
A filament forming apparatus has a bushing that includes structural components and non-structural components. The structural components are formed of a first material having a high creep strength and the ability to withstand corrosive effects of molten mineral materials. The non-structural components are formed of at least a second material that is different from the first material.
US07980094B2
Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems and heat exchangers are provided which include dissimilar tube spacing configurations. The heat exchangers include multiple sets of multichannel tubes in fluid communication with each other. One set of multichannel tubes contains a plurality of tubes spaced apart at one spacing while the another set of multichannel tubes contains a plurality of tubes spaced apart at a different spacing. The different spacing between the multichannel tubes allows each set of tubes to be configured to the properties of the refrigerant flowing within the tubes.
US07980093B2
A compressor for a refrigerant is integrally contained in a housing with a positive displacement pump for a secondary coolant. Both the compressor and pump are driven by a common motor. In one embodiment, a linear compressor includes a reciprocating piston rod coupled at one end to a refrigerant compressor and at an opposite end to a positive displacement liquid pump. The pump circulates a secondary coolant through a thermal storage unit and heat exchanger associated with an evaporator. The evaporator is coupled to a condenser, in turn, coupled to the compressor. A conventional rotary compressor may also have a positive displacement pump coupled to the motor to provide circulation for a secondary coolant circuit.
US07980091B2
A refrigeration device comprising two refrigerated regions, whose temperature is independently regulated and which are supplied with cold air from a common evaporator chamber. A flap is situated in one branch of a cold air conduit, which connects the refrigerated regions to the evaporator chamber, said flap being pivotable between two positions, each of which seals a respective branch of the conduit. The pivoting displacement of the flap is driven by an eccentric cam.
US07980083B2
An embodiment of the present invention may provide a variable speed booster, which receives air from a compressor of a gas turbine through an intercooler, to supply air at a relatively constant pressure to an air processing unit. An embodiment of the present invention may provide an external power source to energize the variable speed booster; which provides air at a relatively constant pressure to an air processing unit.
US07980080B2
FCHTMC engine defines a new device, not any makeover. Some instances of conflict, which may arise in general claims for the Stirling or all other engines, are, therefore, of no consequences. This engine improves over the power, efficiency, size, weight, complicity, and versatility of the Stirling and other engines—all known to this date. This application makes the use of the specific refrigerant, Duracool™, for propulsion, not cooling, and the use of the specific ceramic Z500. Multiple horizontal layers describe the engine inner configuration within these layers, defining the space for internal components, providing a simplicity of assembly/dis-assembly and the pipes' usage in structure. The meaning—pipes are incorporated inside of the device, excluding external piping. This style of construction defines the unimpeded access to improve manufacturing costs. This device is a single-hot cycle, multi-cylinder, and none-rotary engine without any vibratory or gyroscopic reactions.
US07980077B2
A method for retrofitting a cooling system of a turbocharged engine system. The method comprises reconfiguring the cooling system so that at least some coolant flows from a first radiator to a second radiator, and from the second radiator to an inlet of an intercooler without first passing through a lubricant cooler. The method may be applied to a cooling system originally configured so that at least some of the coolant would flow through the first and second radiators in parallel, and from the first and second radiators to the lubricant cooler, before flowing to the inlet of the intercooler.
US07980067B2
A method to detect drive cycles of a vehicle and modify engine operation according to the detected drive cycles to effect regeneration of exhaust components, particularly the Diesel Particulate Filter.
US07980059B2
An object is to estimate the degree of deterioration of an NOx catalyst with improved accuracy in an exhaust gas purification system having the NOx catalyst provided in an exhaust passage. According to the present invention, an NOx sensor is provided downstream of an NOx catalyst, and the difference between an estimated value of the NOx concentration in the exhaust gas in the exhaust passage upstream of the NOx catalyst and a detection value of the NOx sensor at a time when NOx in the exhaust gas is not removed in the NOx catalyst is calculated. In addition, in estimating the degree of deterioration of the NOx catalyst, the estimated value of the NOx concentration in the exhaust gas in the exhaust passage upstream of the NOx catalyst is corrected based on this difference, and the degree of deterioration of the NOx catalyst is estimated based on the difference between this corrected value and the detection value of the NOx sensor.
US07980057B2
An integral composite rocket motor nozzle. The novel nozzle includes a first layer of a first reinforcement material, a second layer of a second reinforcement material, and a common matrix material surrounding the first and second reinforcement materials such that the reinforcement materials and matrix material form a single integral composite structure. In an illustrative embodiment, the first reinforcement material includes graphite fibers for providing structural support, and the second reinforcement material includes glass or quartz fibers for providing thermal insulation on a first side of the first layer. The nozzle may also include a third layer of a third reinforcement material for providing thermal insulation on a second side of the first layer. In a preferred embodiment, the first layer is shaped to form an integrated dome and nozzle structure.
US07980054B2
A tip turbine engine (10) includes a combustor (30) radially outward of a fan. In order to reduce the heat transfer from the combustor and the high-energy gas stream generated by the combustor, a cold air ejector (38) radially outward of the combustor extends from a forward end of the nacelle (12) to a point rearward of the combustor and an exhaust mixer (110). The cold air ejector includes an annular inlet (17) at the forward end of the nacelle. The cold air ejector draws air over the outer engine case (39) to provide a boundary between the nacelle and the hot outer engine case. The layer of air being pulled past the engine case ejects the heat, thereby preventing the heat from escaping into the nacelle or engine bay.
US07980049B1
An improved shield panel for use in the top shield of a rotary disc cutterbar equipped mower that features a twin sheet, vacuum formed plastic panel with a steel frame that interfaces with existing hinge and mounting structures on the mower to enable the plastic shield panel to directly replace a steel shield panel. Stiffening ribs formed into the plastic shield provide the necessary strength for the shield panel while the resiliency of the plastic material enables the plastic shield panel to better withstand impacts from flying debris generated from cutterbar operation. Molded receptacles in the exterior surface of the shield panels are configured to receive connectors for the mower front shield curtain and any stiffening members necessary for attachment to the mower. The predominate use of plastic reduces weight and lowers production costs compared to a comparable steel panel with a plastic protective liner.
US07980046B2
An apparatus for filling a container includes an enclosure (11) having an opening for receiving a container (14). The apparatus may include a shuttle assembly (15), a wash station (20), a fill station (21), and a seal station (16) contained within the enclosure (11). The shuttle assembly (15) may include a frame structure (23) and a shuttle (22). The shuttle (22) may advance along a path of travel and facilitate the washing, filling, and sealing of the container (14). The apparatus may be employed in a method for consecutively washing, filling, and sealing at least one container in an enclosed housing. The method includes the steps of providing at least one container, washing the container, filling the container, and sealing the container. The method may be conducted along a path of travel.
US07980042B2
A molded panel is provided, which includes a body and a plurality of supporting members. The body includes a generally planar top surface and a bottom surface. The supporting members extend from the bottom surface of the body to define a support structure. The support structure includes a top surface adjacent to the bottom surface of the body, a generally planar bottom surface and at least one edge extending therebetween. The support structure also includes at least one channel extending along a central x-axis of the support structure, and at least one additional channel intersecting the at least one central channel and extending along a y-axis of the support. The y-axis is generally perpendicular to the x-axis. A connection system for the molded panel, systems including the molded panel, and methods related to the molded panel are also described.
US07980040B2
Attachment devices are described for attaching and locating overlapped anchor sheets while allowing for some relative movement as to expansion and contraction. Generally, the devices are a male/female connection on corresponding sheets and expansion openings or apertures surrounding either the male or female part to provide for areas of flexibility to provide for possible movement of either the male or female part.
US07980039B2
A device for connecting and locking two building boards, in particular floor panels, on their longitudinal sides and/or transverse sides in the horizontal and vertical direction through an essentially vertical joining movement. The building boards have a top side and an underside. On their lateral edges to be connected to one another are provided with profiles corresponding to one another. A locking element with a locking projection is provided in the profile of the first building board. The locking projection interacts with a locking depression provided in the profile of the second building board such that the two building boards are automatically locked in the vertical direction with the joining movement. The locking element is embodied in an essentially rigid manner and the locking projection can be brought into the locking depression through a rotary motion of the locking element.
US07980024B2
Certain embodiments and aspects of the present invention relate to a photobioreactor including photobioreactor units through which a liquid medium stream and a gas stream flow. The photobioreactor units are floated on a body of water such as a pond or a lake. The liquid medium comprises at least one species of phototrophic organism therein. Certain methods of using the photobioreactor system as part of fuel generation system and/or a gas-treatment process or system at least partially remove certain undesirable pollutants from a gas stream. In certain embodiments, the photobioreactor units are formed of flexible, deformable material and are configured to provide a substantially constant thickness of liquid medium. In certain embodiments, a barrier between the photobioreactor unit and the body of water upon which the unit is floated facilitates thermal communication between the liquid medium and the body of water.
US07980021B2
An improved self-engaging bait fish rig and assembly device which does not require the use of any sort of tool or device to engage the fish is disclosed. The rig is made of pliable metal prongs which have sufficient strength to hold a bait fish once engaged. The prongs are formed in a bent fashion with acute angles turned inward and upward towards the center of the rig. The rig attaches to the hook by way of rubber o-ring, which allows for movement of the rig along the hook. The prongs of the rig are spring-biased, thereby resetting the spring action to the closed position while in use. Such spring closure is reinforced by a rubber o-ring that encircles both prongs allowing for flexibility in stretching the prongs apart for insertion into the body or eyes of the fish.
US07980019B2
The fishing lure is formed in a variety of configurations mimicking various prey animals to which game fish might be attracted. Each lure is formed of relatively soft plastic or rubber for flexibility, although the head or forward end of the lure may optionally be formed of harder material. The lure includes a pair of laterally opposed notches or grooves between the head and body, and a series of longitudinally staggered notches or grooves across the upper and lower body or tail portion. These notches or grooves provide even greater flexibility for the lure, allowing the lure to undulate due to hydrodynamic force when drawn through the water. The hook is installed in the forwardmost portion of the lure with the tip oriented above and/or forwardly of the remainder of the lure, to avoid reduction of body flexibility due to being penetrated by the relatively stiff shank of the hook.
US07980013B2
A postcard includes: a front postcard panel having first and second surfaces, the first surface having a stamp, address, and message-writing regions; and a rear postcard panel attached to the second surface of the front postcard panel and including at least one stand cutout that is releasably adhered to the second surface of the front postcard panel and that is detachable from the remainder of the rear postcard panel and the second surface of the front postcard panel.
US07980010B2
Footwear includes a shaft and a shell connected to the shaft. The shaft includes an expandable portion adapted to expand to facilitate ease of entry and exit of a heel of a foot into and out of the shell. The expandable portion is surrounded by a material forming the shaft.
US07980008B2
Disclosed herein is footwear for three-beat rhythm walking. The footwear includes an outsole (S) having a first landing part (100) for landing a heel, a second landing part (200) for landing a center of a foot, and a third landing part (300) for landing a toe. The first landing part (100) includes a landing guide groove (110) which is curved inwards from a junction (C) of the first landing part and the second landing part (200) in such a way as to extend widthwise and forms a first beat of the heel landing on a ground. A rolling landing surface (120) is connected to the landing guide groove (110) to form a continuous curve, thus guiding rolling and landing of the heel. An air cushion (130) is provided in the first landing part, and absorbs shocks of the heel, which rolls and lands using the rolling landing surface (120).
US07980001B2
Fabric conditioner dispensers capable of being maintained with one hand.
US07979995B2
Measurement of a track position is carried out in successive measurement sections (15), wherein the relative track position is registered in each case with the aid of a long chord (17), formed by a laser beam (16), which serves as reference line of a measuring system (9). During this; an angle enclosed by the two long chords (17) of two successive measurement sections (15) is measured in order to thereby obtain a spatial curve reproducing the actual position of the track.
US07979988B2
By finding a range of an allowable error of maximum meshing position of a worm shaft in an axial direction relative to a worm wheel, that is higher than that of a worm shaft of a conventional worm gear unit, a worm gear unit of the present invention is provided.
US07979980B2
A press frame for attaching connectors to workpieces such as cables and pipes is described. The press frame is adapted to be releasably attached to a hand-held, battery powered press tool. The press frame includes selectively interchangeable components that enable a wide range of different styles, sizes, and configurations of electrical connectors to be attached to cables.
US07979968B2
A membrane puller for pulling a sheet of membrane material over an underlying surface has a frame with a lever arm pivotally attached to the frame for pivotal movement between a first position and a second position. A foot actuatable clamp assembly is carried by the frame for relative movement with the frame in response to pivotal movement of the lever arm. A cable has one end adapted for operable attachment to the lever assembly and another end adapted for operable attachment to the clamp assembly. The clamp assembly moves conjointly with the body via the cable and in response to pivotal movement of the lever arm toward its second position to pull the membrane material toward the front of the membrane puller.
US07979965B2
The present invention relates to a safe pacifier clip, mainly composed by a base sheet, a pulling member, a latching member and a tying tool. When a sheet button of the pulling member is pulled, the sheet tenon is rotated in the tenon slot provided at the inner wall of the retaining sheet, and the pressing section provided behind the sheet tenon is optionally moved to the tilting section or the plane section that has a height difference with respect to the height of the tilting section, and the resilient tenon provided against the bottom surface of the convex edge is driven to release or store energy by the latching member according to the height difference between the plane section and the tilting section, and the other end of the clip sheet is driven to be outwardly pulled or inwardly fallen by the latching member around the axial core defined by the connecting location where the latching member and the retaining sheet are pivotally connected, so a gap or an engaging status is formed between the clip teeth and the sheet teeth.
US07979963B2
A holder for securing eyeglasses, sunglasses or other personal items that may be securely incorporated into an article of clothing at the time the article is manufactured. The holder includes a base member that can be inserted into an article of clothing. The base member can be securely attached to/by a fastening device. The fastening device may have one end threaded through the article of clothing and securely affixed to the base member and the other end securely affixed to the external part of the holder. The external part of the holder can include a hanger with a support base and a loop. The holder allows a wearer to insert a temple piece of a pair of eyeglasses, or a hook attached to another personal item, through the loop and allows the item to assume a secure and relatively flat position against the wearer's body. The holder may also in include an RFID tag. The holder may also include a covered loop. The covering may be either internal or external. The covering may include a design, logo or monogram.
US07979957B2
A vacuum cleaner attachment useful to collect dispersed packing particulates and the like comprises a thin-walled polymeric enclosure defined by a plurality of generally planar panels surrounding at their free edges a receiving opening through which the particulates are collected by the vacuum draw against a perforated screening structure. As the particulates accumulate in the enclosure the large pressure drop across the outer ranks thereof produces inward pressure forces across the panels, resulting in the inward flexures thereof to assist in the retention of the particulates in the enclosure as it is moved over a collection receptacle.
US07979954B2
The subject invention provides a vacuum unit and a waste container. The vacuum unit applies a vacuum to clean an area to collect debris and the waste container collects waste by a user separate from debris collected by the vacuum unit. The vacuum unit includes a battery for powering a motor of the vacuum unit. The vacuum unit also includes an exhaust port which exhausts air in an exhaust path. The battery is disposed in the exhaust path to provide for cooling of the battery.
US07979950B2
A windscreen wiper device comprising an elastic, elongated carrier element, as well as an elongated wiper blade of a flexible material, which can be placed in abutment with a windscreen to be wiped, which wiper blade includes opposing longitudinal grooves on its longitudinal sides, in which grooves spaced-apart longitudinal strips of the carrier element are disposed, wherein neighboring ends of said longitudinal strips are interconnected by a respective connecting piece, which windscreen wiper device comprises a connecting device for an oscillating arm, wherein said oscillating arm is pivotally connected to said connecting device about a pivot axis near one end, with the interposition of a joint part, wherein said joint part comprises at least one resilient tongue engaging in a correspondingly shaped hole provided in said oscillating arm, and wherein said resilient tongue is rotatable along an hinge axis between an outward position retaining the wiper blade onto the oscillating arm and an inward position releasing the wiper blade from the oscillating arm, characterized in that said resilient tongue is forced in the outward position under the influence of a moment in case a force is exerted on the wiper blade in a direction away from the oscillating arm.
US07979949B2
An actuator for rotating an oscillating disk is mounted on a rear door. A pivot shaft provided with a lever is rotatably supported on a rear door glass. The lever is provided with a first elastic portion and second elastic portions. When the rear door glass is open, the first elastic member contacts the lever between the first restrictor and the lever. As a result, the rotation of the lever toward the outside of a first angle range by a first rotational force or less is restricted. The second elastic portion contacts the lever between the first restrictor and the lever even if the lever rotates toward the outside of a second angle range by a rotational force greater than the first rotational force.
US07979947B2
A toothbrush having a head with a first end and a second end with peripheral edge regions extending between the first end and the second end is described. The head includes a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface includes raised portions and depressed portions, wherein the depressed portions are adjacent the peripheral edge regions. A first plurality of cleaning elements protrude from the first surface, and a second plurality of cleaning elements protrude from the first surface. Each of the first plurality of cleaning elements protrudes from a depressed portion and has a cross section. Each of the depressed portions has the same cross section as each of the first plurality of cleaning elements.
US07979944B1
One or more tubular cleaning devices and methods for cleaning a tubular are provided herein. The tubular cleaning device can include an inner tubular member having an inner tubular member inner bore formed therethrough. The inner tubular member can include a stop formed on a first portion thereof, a first connection end adjacent the stop, and a second connection end opposite the first connection end.
US07979939B2
The invention is directed to a dental cleaning device. It relates in particular to a handle section of an electric toothbrushing device, with a coupling section for coupling various cleaning tools thereto, a drive mechanism for driving the coupled cleaning tool, and a control device for controlling the drive mechanism. The invention further relates to such cleaning tools. According to the invention the handle section includes an electronic interlock device which is deactivated by an encoded interlock canceling element on the cleaning tool only when the cleaning tool is coupled to the handle section.
US07979930B2
A quiet, non-binding collapsible spring mechanism for resiliently supporting a mattress includes a system of collapsible, sinuous springs, each having hooked ends for silencing the mechanism during use or collapse, as well as central offset portions for enabling the sinuous springs to compress to a greater extent than heretofore. Both rigid and yieldable support structures connect the spring mechanism to an item of furniture.
US07979924B1
Methods of cleaning a swimming pool using a swimming pool cleaning head. A first method may include intermittently raising a nozzle head under water and ejecting a stream of water under water, incrementally rotating the nozzle head in a clockwise direction, retracting the nozzle head, sliding a cam reverser, and reversing the direction of rotation of the nozzle head with the cam reverser to counterclockwise. A second method may include rotating a stem by sliding at least one pin coupled to the stem through at least one channel in a cam, the stem configured to release a stream of water under water in a swimming pool. The method may further include reversing the direction of rotation of the stem by sliding a slidable section of the cam with the at least one pin.
US07979920B2
A sports-type cap comprises a crown structure and a bill attached at its first edge portion to a crown structure's lower edge portion. A fabric strap is secured at its first end portion within an interface between the crown structure and the bill, and extends outwardly from the interface over the bill's upper surface. A first magnet is attached to a second end portion of the fabric strap. A second magnet is attached to the bill adjacent its second edge portion. A third magnet is attached to the crown structure at a location above the interface. The magnets are jointly positioned and configured to allow the first magnet to be selectively engaged with/disengaged from the second magnet for securing the fabric strap in a stowed orientation and to allow the first magnet to be selectively engaged with/disengaged from the third magnet for securing the fabric strap in an eyeglass-securing orientation.
US07984515B1
A storage area network (SAN) license validator manages data collection policies (DCPs) in deployed SAN agents by identifying data collection policies corresponding to unlicensed features, and disabling the DCPs for the unlicensed features. Thus, the agents need not expend computational and memory resources to gather data for unlicensed features that will not be queried. Agents receive a set of data collection policies (DCPs) for licensed features for which the corresponding data will be gathered and reported to the MODB. DCPs for unlicensed features are disabled in the agents that would have executed them, either by removing or canceling from an active DCP list or by omitting the unlicensed DCPs from the startup sequence of the agent. In this manner, agents operate with only the DCPs for licensed products and corresponding features, and need not gather extraneous data. Users do not observe a designated unavailable screen icon or selection, as unavailable data selections are simply omitted from the GUI display.
US07984512B2
Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to providing and restricting access to content. In aspects, information (e.g., a URL) that identifies content and a user is provided to a user. In conjunction with providing the information to a user, a data structure (e.g., an access control list) is updated to indicate that the user has access to the content. The user may use the information to access the content and/or may send this information to other users. The other users may use the information (e.g., by pasting it into a browser) to access the content and may be added to the data structure so that they may subsequently access the content without the use of the information. Access to the content via using the information may be subsequently revoked.
US07984509B2
The present invention provides systems and methods for secure transaction management and electronic rights protection. Electronic appliances such as computers equipped in accordance with the present invention help to ensure that information is accessed and used only in authorized ways, and maintain the integrity, availability, and/or confidentiality of the information. Such electronic appliances provide a distributed virtual distribution environment (VDE) that may enforce a secure chain of handling and control, for example, to control and/or meter or otherwise monitor use of electronically stored or disseminated information. Such a virtual distribution environment may be used to protect rights of various participants in electronic commerce and other electronic or electronic-facilitated transactions. Distributed and other operating systems, environments and architectures, such as, for example, those using tamper-resistant hardware-based processors, may establish security at each node. These techniques may be used to support an all-electronic information distribution, for example, utilizing the “electronic highway.”
US07984507B2
This disclosure provides a document access method and system. The document access method and system are based on a social network model which interconnects members of the social network as a function of trust. This framework provides a basis for documents to be accessed by members which are not directly specified by a document's owner, while providing a certain degree of document security.
US07984506B2
A digital rights management system (1) includes a content server (30) that stores contents created by content creators, a mobile device (21, 22) that acquires and uses a desired content from the content server, and a data preservation server (40) that preserves the content used by the mobile device so as to enable the content to be uploaded and downloaded. The content server is configured to create rights information for the content, the rights information containing availability of backup saving of the content in the data preservation server, and to deliver the content and the rights information to the mobile device in response to a request from the mobile device. The mobile device is configured to create backup data when using the content based on the availability of backup saving and transmit the backup data to the data preservation server for preservation of the backup data.
US07984505B2
An arrangement for managing a media file having an associated DRM license is provided by enabling the copying of the media file stored on a source medium to a target medium only when both the source medium and the target medium are held in custody by a media server. The media server writes a copy of a media file and a copy of the associated DRM license from the source medium to the target medium. Upon confirmation that the copy of the DRM license was successfully written to the target medium, the DRM license and media file on the source medium are overwritten. The result is that the target medium contains both the media files and the DRM licenses which are locked to the target medium.
US07984503B2
A system, method and computer program product are provided for scanning files. A plurality of file names in a registry of a computer is identified. By this identification, files associated with the file names are scanned. Another system, method and computer program product are further provided. In particular, a change in a registry of a computer is first identified. Then, a scan is conditionally performed based on whether the change in the registry is identified.
US07984501B2
A method and system analyzes the state of security of a web application based on the structure of its components and its behavior against a well determined set of fingerprints. The system searches for components while parsing the web application, applying the well determined procedures to identify the server side technologies involved. Based on information stored in memory, the system elaborates a set of security checks to determine any vulnerabilities.
US07984498B2
In one embodiment, the methods and apparatuses select a primary group name; identify a first device associated with the primary group name wherein the first device is a member of the primary group name; specify a privilege associated with the member of the primary group name; and store the primary group name, the first device, and the privilege within a profile.
US07984496B2
A method of secure communication between a wireless device and a target network is presented, comprising receiving a communication addressed to a target network, the communication comprising a data payload and originating from a wireless device on a trusted wireless network, establishing a secure channel with the target network and sending the communication to the target network over the secure channel. The method can further comprise negotiating secure channel parameters with the target network, encrypting the data payload, adding data integrity protection to the communication, encapsulating the communication according to a VPN protocol, authenticating the wireless device as an authorized user of the private network and granting access to a target network resource.
US07984492B2
An apparatus and associated method is provided for facilitating policy decision in a communication system, wherein the apparatus receiving a message, the message comprising a first destination device identification of a first destination device, determining a second destination device identification of a second destination device by accessing a location information of a wireless terminal, and replacing the first destination device identification with second destination device identification.
US07984485B1
Aspects of the present invention may be seen in a method and system for the ingestion of update package containers (or other types of containers, in general) into a distribution network. In an embodiment of the present invention, update package containers (UPC) from several different sources may be transferred into a distribution network such as a carrier network via a standardized SOAP interface. A logical repository may be assumed to exist in the distribution network. A standardized interface to such a logical repository may facilitate the integration of ingestion methods from several software originators into such a distribution network.
US07984478B2
A method and apparatus relating to a receiver/decoder in a digital television environment, including logical devices (including logical demultiplexer devices) for representing physical and other devices in the receiver/decoder. The method includes the instantiation of devices by the receiver/decoder as required to support functionality thereof. The method further includes the use of multiple demultiplexers/remultiplexers, for example in the recording of more than one service simultaneously; and a control word device for the management of control word operations; the use of two or more tuners. Various elements of a digital television system (such as a receiver/decoder and a set top box) are also disclosed.
US07984476B2
The invention is an efficient computerized method for generating generic scenes for interactive satellite television applications, comprising the steps of maintaining a database of individual scene resources of different types, and obtaining a list of scenes comprising the scene resources via at least one loop for each scene resource. The invention only updates those scene resources that have been updated since the last compilation of scene resources. The scene resources include one or more of the following list: button, text box, static display, animation, photograph, visual element, audio clip and other computer gadget. The invention alleviates the need for writing new source code for each television application.
US07984473B1
A system and method allowing a broadcaster to deliver short-term cyclic data along with the main content of the broadcast stream, synchronized with that main content, and for allowing users to have access to that information for longer periods than a typical data broadcast system would allow. Additional data content is added to the main content stream and is broadcast along with it. The additional data content is initially broadcast shortly prior to the time of its relevance to the main content and is buffered upon reception. In addition, it is rebroadcast cyclically over a short period, allowing viewers who tune in late to take advantage by acquiring the material during and briefly after the time of its initial relevance. If a viewer tunes in after the cyclic broadcast period has elapsed or if there was an error in the receiving or buffering of the additional data content, a return channel can be used to request that the material be retransmitted. If an insufficient number of viewers request a particular piece of material, it may be narrowcast to those viewers over their telephone lines. For a larger number of requests, a rebroadcast will be scheduled.
US07984460B2
A disk drive according to the present invention includes: a mechanical chassis; a pickup for reading and/or writing information from/on a disk storage medium; a rotation drive section with a turntable to mount and rotate the storage medium thereon; a pickup supporting member having a bottom portion for supporting the pickup and the rotation drive section and a standup wall that stands upright from the bottom portion toward the turntable, the pickup supporting member being supported on the mechanical chassis so as to turn around an axis of rotation that is defined through the standup wall; and a pickup raising/lowering portion, which is provided for the mechanical chassis in order to drive the pickup supporting member to either a first position in which the pickup is ready to perform a read or write operation on the storage medium that is mounted on the turntable or a second position in which the turntable has been retracted so as to avoid contact with the storage medium being inserted or ejected.
US07984442B2
System and method for interpreting ASCII code fetched from a code space of a task partition that is part of memory shared by a host processor and a multitask controller (MTC). The MTC includes a scheduler unit, a data flow unit, an executive unit, and a resource manager unit. The shared memory also includes a system partition containing a code space. The fetched code is monitored for adjacent ASCII alphabetic characters and if at least two are found and the fetched code is terminated by an ASCII space character, the code table in the code space of the system partition is scanned to find a command that matches the fetched code. The byte in the table immediately following the matched fetched code and having a bit set indicating that it is interpreted is obtained and written over the ASCII space character in the code space of the task partition.
US07984434B1
Techniques and mechanisms are provided for patching software, such as software for implementing parameterizable processor cores and peripherals on a programmable chip. Software components constructed using various shared modules can be updated without affecting other components using the same shared modules. In one example, a software component includes a manifest for identifying the implementations that should be associated with the various modules. When a patched implementation is provided for a particular module, the component manifest is changed to associate the patched implementation with the component. The pre-patch implementation is preserved so that other components using the pre-patch implementation may be kept unchanged.
US07984431B2
According to one example embodiment, there is disclosed herein uses partial recurrence relaxation for parallelizing DOACROSS loops on multi-core computer architectures. By one example definition, a DOACROSS may be a loop that allows successive iterations executing by overlapping; that is, all iterations must impose a partial execution order. According to one embodiment, the inventive subject matter may be used to transform the dependence structure of a given loop with recurrences for maximal degree of thread-level parallelism (TLP), where the threads can be mapped on to either different logical processors (in a hyperthreaded processor) or can be mapped onto different physical cores (or processors) in a multi-core processor.
US07984423B2
A system and method for creating and using configuration diagrams for configuring distributed systems. The methods described herein may be used for various types of operations in configuring distributed systems, including creating programs, managing programs in the distributed system, deploying programs to various distributed devices, configuring remote execution or inter-operation of distributed programs, and executing distributed applications. Embodiments of the invention utilize graphical iconic-based techniques for performing the above operations. The configuration diagram may include device icons which represent devices and program icons which represent programs. Device icons and program icons may be associated with each other to accomplish various program creation and deployment operations. Device icons and program icons may also interact with graphical program nodes or icons. Context sensitive device connections and/or program connections are displayed. An asynchronous data flow node may be used to facilitate asynchronous data flow between two graphical programs. The distributed system may also support distributed graphical debugging.
US07984421B2
A user accessing a first web application can request to clone that application to form a second web application, where the first web application may be owned by another user. The cloning operation involves copying at least part of a directory for the first web application to a new directory for the second web application. For example, non-private content types, queries, and/or hard-coded images and strings can be copied from the parent directory to the clone directory. The clone web application is then rendered in accordance with the content in its directory.
US07984412B1
A method (100) of estimating a performance characteristic of an integrated circuit (IC) design having an intellectual property (“IP”) core pre-characterizes an element type of the IC design to provide an estimation result of the element type (102-108). Mid-level elements of the IP are acquired (116). A user selects a value of a parameter of the IP core and the IC design is run on a design tool using the estimation result to model the mid-level elements of the IP core (118) to return a performance value of the IC design (120).
US07984411B2
An iterative technique is used to automatically route nets and alter spacing of an integrated circuit design to achieve a fully routed and compact result. After identifying cells rows and channel, which are gaps between the rows, the technique determines which nets should be routed in which areas. Spine routing is used for nets than span more than one row or channel. Alter the space between rows, larger or smaller, which will allow routing of the nets.
US07984409B2
Design structure embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing a design. The design structure comprises an insulating layer of a dielectric material, an opening having sidewalls extending from a top surface of the insulating layer toward a bottom surface of the insulating layer, and a conductive feature disposed in the opening. The design structure includes a top capping layer disposed on at least a top surface of the conductive feature and a conductive liner layer disposed between the insulating layer and the conductive feature along at least the sidewalls of the opening. The conductive liner layer of the design structure has sidewall portions that project above the top surface of the insulating layer adjacent to the sidewalls of the opening.
US07984402B1
A multi-pass method of implementing a testbench can include, during a pre-processing pass, randomly selecting a configuration of the testbench and generating configuration data specifying the randomly selected configuration of the testbench. During a subsequent processing pass, the method can include compiling the testbench in accordance with the configuration data. Simulation can be performed using the testbench.
US07984392B2
The present invention relates to a matching method of pattern layouts from inverse lithography, which makes the pattern cells in the same groups identical to avoid a repeated verification and to improve the yield. The method comprises the step of: analyzing a target designed layout by hierarchy; categorizing the pattern cells with the same shape into a group; inversing the target designed layout by inverse lithography; inspecting the inversed pattern cells in the group with each other and replacing the variant ones to make all the inversed pattern cells identical.
US07984389B2
A Web browsing and visualization system and method wherein: (i) Web data is retrieved and displayed in real-time (i.e., Web data is not pre-recorded), (ii) browsing and visualization are synchronized together in the same interface, (iii) a tree-based, rings-type visualization engine, (iv) space-efficient display of visualization, and (v) the amount of resources needed from the host computer is comparatively modest. In addition, the tree-based rings engine used to create the visualization displays the information in a smaller area than previous systems. Thus, the system requires less screen space to display the same amount of information as comparable systems. Alternatively, it can display more information to the user in the same amount of screen space as comparable systems. Moreover, although the present invention is disclosed herein in connection with visualizing Web data, it can be applied to portray any information hierarchy.
US07984388B2
A partially collapsing hierarchical display system aids information navigation by providing a dynamic mechanism for labeling items with one or more states. In one embodiment, states comprise “hidden”, “visible” and “unmarked”. An expanded list of items displays all items. A partially expanded list of items displays all visible and unmarked items, removing hidden items from the display. A further collapsed list of items displays all visible items. A completely collapsed list of items hides all items. Users customize the amount of detail displayed in a sub-tree, reducing the display size of the sub-tree. Expansion of a hierarchical structure is combined with filtering, allowing users to partially collapse or partially expand a sub-tree structure. Partially collapsed lists comprise one or more focus points, allowing users to view several relevant sections of a hierarchical structure concurrently. Displayed sizes or other visual characteristics of items within the hierarchical structure are automatically adjusted to reflect the states designated by the user.
US07984387B2
A widget is incorporated into a user interface associated with a processing system to provide the user with a display of the entered data, together with any added text or other data modifications that result from application of a default format. The display thus enables the user to determine whether or not the default format can be used with the entered data, before the data is processed. The widget also provides a toggle capability, to allow the user to override the default behavior of the processing system and select a different valid format for use with the entered data, from a format priority list contained in the widget. The display and toggle capabilities cause the entered data to be processed by the system as intended by the user.
US07984386B1
Print page user interface is described, including receiving a request to open a printing interface, the printing interface being substantially transparent such that content positioned underneath the printing interface is visible, determining a print area, the print area comprising a portion of the content visible in a print zone, the print zone being an area of the printing interface used to identify the portion and to configure the portion to print on no more than one sheet of paper, and sending a request to print the print area on the no more than one sheet of paper.
US07984382B2
A system for processing user interface actions generated from a user interface device, including generating a freshness status for the user interface action. The freshness status indicates a freshness state associated with the user interface action. The freshness status is associated wit the user interface action.
US07984380B2
Book definitions can be dynamically created based on content provided by a user. Such dynamic creation can include organization of user-supplied content into appropriate form, adjustment of book cover properties to match the user-supplied content, and verification that the user supplied content is appropriate for presentation in book form. Various interfaces can also be provided which allow users to generate a book definition based on a minimum of information.
US07984377B2
Systems and methods for presenting media items in a display environment. A plurality of media items are selected. Instances of each of the selected media items are generated. The instances of the selected media items can be scaled and concurrently transitioned through a display environment along one or more paths.
US07984375B1
Automatic detection and implementation of modifications to an application are described. A new base model of the application is generated using the edited version of the application. This base model is simulated to a selected state, resulting in a new presentation model that includes a tree of multiple objects described by the new base model at the selected state, and a pointer for each node of the tree that points back to the associated node in the new base model. The pointers of each node of the new presentation model are compared to the nodes of the previous presentation model of the application and then replaced with those corresponding nodes in the previous presentation model when the nodes are equivalent. Otherwise, the nodes of the new presentation model are maintained.
US07984371B2
A method and system for the graphical modeling of calculations in a spreadsheet that provides a graphical representation of formulas and data contained in a spreadsheet. The graphical representation consists of nodes and edges connected in a tree or graph structure. The nodes represent operators and operands of a formula and are arranged in an expression hierarchy based on operational precedence. Formulas containing cell references are represented through a compound expression hierarchy consisting of an expression hierarchy that includes a descendant expression hierarchy representing the contents of each referenced cell. Expression hierarchies that share similar nodes can be represented through a shared graphical representation to reduce the number of items displayed concurrently within a view and to simplify multiple formula edits. The expression hierarchies and the formulas they represent are kept consistent so that changes made to either can be reflected in both the spreadsheet and graphical representation.
US07984370B2
A meeting data conversion application executed in a PC successively obtains the first and last images and an image immediately before reduction of display content, among a plurality of images arranged in chronological order. Among the obtained images, an image immediately before reduction of display content by a prescribed amount or more and the last image are registered as delimiting images. Among the obtained images, the images from the image immediately after the delimiting image to the next delimiting image are processed as one image group.
US07984365B2
An iterative decoding device for a communication receiver includes a decoder for decoding received encoded data blocks by a next iteration initialization, a controller to choose one of the first and second hard decision bits in order for the validity of a CRC field, associated to this received data block, to be checked, and a first memory. The controller, when the CRC field of a block is invalid, orders the decoder to store the final stakes associated to the block in the first memory to require the transmission of a redundant version of the block, and when the redundant version is received, to initialize the decoder with the stored final stakes before it applies the next iteration initialization mechanism to the received redundant version.
US07984361B2
Disclosed is an apparatus for recovering data in the case of single or double failures of N partial data blocks generated by dividing the data where N is a natural number greater than 1. The apparatus recovers the data on the basis of a Galois field product computation table including first and second search key data, and products of the first and second search key data. The first search key data includes possible symbol values. The second search key data includes a weighting value set and an inversed weighting value set. The weighting value set includes weighting values each assigned to one of the N partial data blocks and different from each other, and is closed under addition in the Galois field. The inversed weighting value set includes multiplicative inverses of the weighting values included in the weighting value set.
US07984358B1
A system includes a first circuit generating error-correction (EC) bits based on test data. Memory comprises a plurality of memory lines each including a data portion storing the test data and an error-correction (EC) portion storing corresponding ones of the EC bits. An input receives the test data. A switching device selectively outputs one of the test data from the input and the EC bits and the test data from the first circuit to the memory. The test data comprise T pairs of test vectors. A first test vector of each of the T pairs of test vectors is an inverse of a second test vector of each of the T pairs of test vectors. Each of the first test vectors in the T pairs of test vectors is unique and each of the second test vectors in the T pairs of test vectors is unique. T is an integer greater than one.
US07984356B2
Various example embodiments are discloses. According to one example embodiment, a method may include sending a packet to both a relay station and a destination station in a wireless network, receiving a relay station acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK) from the relay station during an ACK/NACK frame, and receiving a destination station ACK or NACK from the destination station during the ACK/NACK frame. The relay station ACK or NACK may either acknowledge or negatively acknowledge successful receipt of the packet by the relay station. The destination station ACK or NACK may either acknowledge or negatively acknowledge successful receipt of the packet by the destination station.
US07984354B2
Improved responses can be generated to scan patterns (e.g., test patterns) for an electronic circuit designs having timing exception paths by more accurately determining the unknown values that propagate to observation points in the circuit, where the response is captured. For instance, the responses are determined more accurately by analyzing the effect of sensitizing a timing exception path during each time frame associated with a scan pattern. Path sensitization can be determined based on observing whether values injected at starting points of the timing exception paths due to signal transitions and glitches propagate to their end points. The response can be updated by masking the affected end points and propagating unknown values further in the circuit to determine whether they are captured at observation points of the circuit. For instance, the methods and systems described herein may result in reduced unknowns, improved test coverage and test compression.
US07984347B2
A system and method for sharing a communications link between multiple protocols is described that comprises a system comprising a communications interface configured to exchange information with other systems using at least one of a plurality of protocols; a protocol select register that stores a value that selects a protocol from among the plurality of protocols to become an active protocol; and a state machine accessible to the communications interface, the state machine used to control the exchange of information through the communications interface according to the active protocol. The active protocol is used by the communications interface to exchange information while the remaining protocols of the plurality of protocols remain inactive. The state machine sequences through a series of states that cause the communications interface to operate according to the active protocol, and that are designated as inert sequences under the remaining protocols.
US07984343B2
Inter-device connection test circuit generating method, generation apparatus, and its storage medium
A test circuit can use a simple test pattern data without customization for each substrate and considerably reduce a test preparation process. A connection test circuit is generated by receiving the input of the data of the connection relation indicating the devices mutually line-connected among a plurality of devices, the number of connection lines corresponding to the respective connection relations, and the device outputting a test result, sequentially searching for a connection destination device from the output terminal of an output device, and embedding a test circuit module in a test route.
US07984342B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for detecting and identifying network faults. The method includes recording cyclic redundancy check (CRC) errors gathered by a data stream analyzer, if the number of CRC errors exceeds a threshold, sending a notification to an automated fault manager which (1) analyzes the number of CRC errors, (2) determines a cause of the CRC errors, and (3) takes appropriate corrective action based on the analysis. The method can further include storing CRC error measurements in a log organized by date and time, analyzing stored CRC error measurements to anticipate future CRC errors, and taking preventive action in advance of anticipated future CRC errors. The automated fault manager can be a rule-based fault/performance management system. The notification can be a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trap. The data stream analyzer can be an MPEG transport stream analyzer. The automated fault manager can be a video provider or a part of a network management system. The threshold can be either dynamic or static and can be based on video stream priority.
US07984334B2
A method of diagnosing a fault condition within software can include, responsive to a fault condition within a computing system belonging to an organization, automatically sending call-stack information for the fault condition to a first server within the organization. Within the first server, the call-stack information for the fault condition can be compared with call-stack information from prior fault conditions that occurred within the organization to determine whether the call-stack information for the fault condition matches call-stack information from one of the prior fault conditions. The method further can include sending the call-stack information to a second server for comparison with call-stack information from prior fault conditions that occurred within at least one different organization if the call-stack information for the fault condition does not match.
US07984333B2
A method, and system employing the method, initiates proactive maintenance of computer systems and/or devices in a computer network. The method determines the subsystems of the computers and network devices and analyzes their configuration data including their respective subsystems. The method generates maintenance characteristics for the devices, and determines a maintenance event for devices using the maintenance characteristics and the configuration data of the devices. The method initiates a maintenance solution of a device determined to have a problematic configuration.
US07984330B2
Systems, methods, and computer program products are described that are capable of recovering an asynchronous process after an error occurs with respect to the process. For example, the process may be re-initiated upon detection of the error. The re-initiated process is capable of not repeating tasks of the process that were completed prior to the occurrence of the error.
US07984319B2
The invention reduces the pin terminal number of a controller that in parallel or simultaneously accesses a synchronous memory and an asynchronous memory. When a column address is latched to an SDRAM, immediately after that, access to FLASH is started, and a shared bus controller outputs the write/read address with respect to FLASH on the address bus. Then, after the end of data transfer on the data bus, either the shared bus controller outputs the write data, or FLASH can output the read data on the data bus by means of a strobe signal. Then, the input of address is established by FLASH, and, as the shared bus controller asserts a strobe signal, either FLASH fetches the write data on the data bus, or the shared bus controller fetches the read data on the data bus.
US07984313B2
The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for reducing power consumption involving data storage devices. One embodiment involves a process for storing data in a first memory, and in response to the first memory exceeding a first threshold, migrating the data from the first memory to a second memory. In response to the second memory exceeding a second threshold, the process then involves migrating the data from the second memory to the third memory, wherein the second memory is sized and configured to store data targeted for the third memory to intelligently maintain a portion of the third memory in an inactive state.
US07984302B2
An apparatus includes a digital signature verification data embedding unit and a signing unit. The digital signature verification data embedding unit is configured to embed digital signature verification data for use in verification of a digital signature for an electronic document into the electronic document. The signing unit is configured to sign the electronic document with a digital signature whose validity can be verified using digital signature verification data embedded in the electronic document.
US07984300B2
A system and method of authenticating a digital still image captured using a digital image capture device. To process the digital still image for later authentication, a signature data is transmitted from a remote location to the digital image capture device. Upon capturing the digital still image, an image identification is associated with the digital still image. The signature data is then applied to the captured digital still image to produce an authentication signature representative of the captured digital still image. The authentication signature is associated with the image identification and transmitted from the digital still image to the remote location for storage at the remote location. To verify the authenticity of the digital still image, the digital still image is transmitted to the remote location. The signature data for the transmitted digital still image is accessed and applied to the transmitted digital still image to produce a verification signature. The authentication signature and the verification signature are compared to determine the authentication of the transmitted digital still image. In an alternate embodiment, the signature data and image identification are sent to the image capture device to generate the verification signature, which is transmitted to the remote location for comparison with the authentication signature.
US07984285B2
A port securing module includes a power gate that is operable to be coupled in series to a power source and to a load. A resistor is coupled in parallel to the power gate. An operational amplifier includes an inverting input and a non-inverting input that couple the operational amplifier in parallel to each of the power gate and the resistor. The operational amplifier also includes an output that is operable to indicate whether a load is coupled to the power gate and, if a load is coupled to the power gate, supply a voltage to activate the power gate such that power is supplied to the load.
US07984275B2
In a logically partitioned host computer system comprising host processors (host CPUs), a facility and instruction for discovering topology of one or more guest processors (guest CPUs) of a guest configuration comprises a guest processor of the guest configuration fetching and executing a STORE SYSTEM INFORMATION instruction that obtains topology information of the computer configuration. The topology information comprising nesting information of processors of the configuration and the degree of dedication a host processor provides to a corresponding guest processor. The information is preferably stored in a single table in memory.
US07984273B2
A system and method for assigning values to elements in a first register, where each data field in a first register corresponds to a data element to be written into a second register, and where for each data field in the first register, a first value may indicate that the corresponding data element has not been written into the second register and a second value indicates that the corresponding data element has been written into the second register, reading the values of each of the data fields in the first register, and for each data field in the first register having the first value, gathering the corresponding data element and writing the corresponding data element into the second register, and changing the value of the data field in the first register from the first value to the second value. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07984272B2
A design structure embodied in a machine readable storage medium for designing, manufacturing, and/or testing a design for forwarding data in a processor is provided. The design structure includes a processor. The processor includes at least one cascaded delayed execution pipeline unit having a first and second pipeline, wherein the second pipeline is configured to execute instructions in a common issue group in a delayed manner relative to the first pipeline, and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to determine if a first instruction being executed in the first pipeline modifies data in a data register which is accessed by a second instruction being executed in the second pipeline, and if the first instruction being executed in the first pipeline modifies data in the data register which is accessed by the second instruction being executed in the second pipeline, forward the modified data from the first pipeline to the second pipeline.
US07984266B2
A computer array (10) has a plurality of computers (12) for accomplishing a larger task that is divided into smaller tasks, each of the smaller tasks being assigned to one or more of the computers (12). Each of the computers (12) may be configured for specific functions and individual input/output circuits (26) associated with exterior computers (12) are specifically adapted for particular input/output functions. An example of 25 computers (12) arranged in the computer array (10) has a centralized computational core (34) with the computers (12) nearer the edge of the die (14) being configured for input and/or output.
US07984250B2
In some embodiments, a memory control device includes a sensor positioned remotely from a memory device, a register to store an offset value, the offset value corresponding to a difference between a temperature reading of the sensor and an estimated actual temperature of the memory device, and a controller to control an operation of the memory device, wherein the controller is configured to read the offset value from the register and control the operation of the memory device in accordance with the offset value. The controller may be configured to dynamically update the offset value during an operation of the memory device. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
US07984246B1
A multiprocessing system includes, in part, a multitude of processing units each in direct communication with a bus, a multitude of memory units in direct communication with the bus, and at least one shared memory not in direct communication with the bus but directly accessible to the plurality of processing units. The shared memory may be a cache memory that stores instructions and/or data. The shared memory includes a multitude of banks, a first subset of which may store data and a second subset of which may store instructions. A conflict detection block resolves access conflicts to each of the of the banks in accordance with a number of address bits and a predefined arbitration scheme. The conflict detection block provides each of the processing units with sequential access to the banks during consecutive cycles of a clock signal.
US07984237B2
A method according to one embodiment may include retrieving selected data from one or more mass storage devices, based at least in part on historical device access information of at least one requester of data. A method according to another embodiment may include retrieving, by an integrated circuit, device data layout information from one or more mass storage devices, and storing, by the integrated circuit, the device data layout information in cache memory. Of course, many alternatives, variations, and modifications are possible without departing from this embodiment.
US07984229B2
A cache design is described in which corresponding accesses to tag and information arrays are phased in time, and in which tags are retrieved (typically speculatively) from a tag array without benefit of an effective address calculation subsequently used for a corresponding retrieval from an information array. In some exploitations, such a design may allow cycle times (and throughput) of a memory subsystem to more closely match demands of some processor and computation system architectures. Our techniques seek to allow early (indeed speculative) retrieval from the tag array without delays that would otherwise be associated with calculation of an effective address eventually employed for a corresponding retrieval from the information array. Speculation can be resolved using the eventually calculated effective address or using separate functionality. In some embodiments, we use calculated effective addresses for way selection based on tags retrieved from the tag array.
US07984226B2
Routing circuitry for automatically routing either a first set of USB signals derived from an Ethernet local area network (LAN) at an Ethernet connector or a second set of USB signals derived from a USB host at a USB connector to an output connector which can interface with a data processing device.
US07984224B2
A storage router and method for providing virtual local storage on remote storage devices to devices are provided. Devices are connected to a first transport medium, and a plurality of storage devices are connected to a second transport medium. In one embodiment, the storage router maintains a map to allocate storage space of the discovered storage devices to devices connected to the first transport medium by associating representations of the devices connected to the first transport medium with representations of the storage space and controls access from the devices connected to the first transport medium to the discovered storage devices in accordance with the map and using native low level block protocols.
US07984218B2
A processor 1 provided with a plurality of cores, an interrupt operation dedicated core 20 which is used only for an interrupt operation; a normal core 11 to 1n which outputs an interrupt request when an interrupt source is generated; and an interrupt control part 30 which, upon receipt of the interrupt request, assigns an operation by an interrupt vector to the interrupt operation dedicated core 20.
US07984216B2
Methods and systems for a RFIC master are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include configuring an on-chip programmable device that may function as a master on a bus that has at least one device interface, for example, RFIC interface, coupled to the bus. The on-chip programmable device may generate at least one signal to control at least one device coupled to at least one device interface. The on-chip programmable device may communicate the generated signal via the bus upon receiving an input timer signal and may be configured by writing at least one event data and an index-sample data to the on-chip programmable device. The index-sample data may comprise at least a count value and an event data index. When the count value equals a value of the timer signal, event data may be fetched and executed starting with the one specified by the event data index.
US07984212B2
A system and method for sharing peripheral first-in-first-out (FIFO) resources is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system for utilizing peripheral FIFO resources includes a processor, a first peripheral FIFO controller and a second peripheral FIFO controller coupled to the processor for controlling buffering of first data and second data associated with the processor respectively. Further, the system includes a merge module coupled to the first peripheral FIFO controller and the second peripheral FIFO controller for merging a first FIFO channel associated with the first peripheral FIFO controller and a second FIFO channel associated with the second peripheral FIFO controller based on an operational state of the first FIFO channel and an operational state of the second FIFO channel respectively. Also, the system includes a first FIFO and a second FIFO coupled to the merge module via the first FIFO channel and the second FIFO channel respectively.
US07984209B1
Interface circuitry that is used to interface data between two different clock regimes that may have somewhat different speeds includes the ability to determine which of the clock regimes is faster. Depending on which clock regime is found to be faster, the baseline (nominal difference between data write and data read addresses of a FIFO memory in the interface circuitry) is shifted (i.e., toward the full or empty condition of the FIFO, as is appropriate for which of the clock regimes has been found to be faster). Adjustments may also be made to the threshold(s) used for such purposes as character insertion/deletion and overflow/underflow indication. This technique may allow use of a smaller FIFO and reduce latency of the interface circuitry.
US07984208B2
According to one embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a port having a plurality of lanes, a plurality of protocol engines. Each protocol engine is associated with one of the plurality of lanes, and processes tasks to be forwarded to a plurality of remote nodes. The apparatus also includes a first port task scheduler (PTS) to manage the tasks to be forwarded to the one or more of the plurality of protocol engines. The first PTS includes a register to indicate which of the plurality of protocol engines the first PTS is to support.
US07984197B2
A CEC on the fly modification function, operated by a manipulating switch including at least three HDMI-CEC ports, enables the manipulating switch to receive a CEC block comprising a CEC address according to the initiator's HDMI-CEC network; modify on the fly the CEC address in the received CEC block to match the follower's HDMI-CEC network view; and supply the modified CEC block to one or more devices.
US07984196B2
A wireless communication apparatus recognizes whether an information input apparatus is in a wirelessly communicable state at periods shorter than a disconnection waiting time in an information transfer protocol which transfers information between the information input apparatus and an information output apparatus. If the wireless communication apparatus recognizes that the information input apparatus is not in the wireless communicable state, it permits and expedites processing of a request for connection with the information output apparatus sent from another information input apparatus over a wireless network.
US07984195B2
A Point-of-Sale networked computing system includes a workstation with a first Personal Computer (PC)-based controller, a workstation with a second industrial PC-based controller having different performance characteristics than the first controller, and an Ethernet network coupling the workstations. The Ethernet network may include home-run or star Ethernet topology, and the controllers may be TCP/IP addressable. The computing system may be used in a restaurant, kitchen, shop, or department store. The computing system may also include a bump bar keyboard or keypad and a monitor coupled to the controllers Another Point-of-Sale networked computing system includes at least two workstations, each of which includes an industrial non-PC-based controller, and an Ethernet network coupling the workstations. Yet Another Point-of-Sale networked computing system includes a workstation with an industrial PC-based controller, a workstation with an industrial non-PC-based controller, and an Ethernet network coupling the workstations.
US07984194B2
A switch is provided which is dynamically configurable via a network port thereon. One switch is employed to establish point-to-point electrical connections between devices under test (DUTs) and host devices coupled to upstream ports and downstream ports on the switch respectively. Two switches coupled to a network are employed to facilitate a distributed test lab. DUTs are coupled to upstream ports on a first switch which, based on communication with a test controller over the network, establishes a logical connection between the upstream port coupled to a particular DUT and the network. Host devices are coupled to downstream ports on a second switch which, based on communication with the test controller over the network, establishes a logical connection between the downstream port coupled to a particular host device and the network. A logical connection is also established across the network between the particular DUT and host device.
US07984180B2
Roughly described, a network interface device is assigned a maximum extent-of-search. A hash function is applied to the header information of each incoming packet, to generate a hash code for the packet. The hash code designates a particular subset of the table within which the particular header information should be found, and an iterative search is made within that subset. If the search locates a matching entry before the search limit is exceeded, then the incoming data packet is delivered to the receive queue identified in the matching entry. But if the search reaches the search limit before a matching entry is located, then device delivers the packet to a default queue, such as a kernel queue, in the host computer system. The kernel is then responsible for delivering the packet to the correct endpoint.
US07984177B2
A circuit for use in a multimedia server module includes an encoder module that encodes a multimedia signal to produce an encoded signal that includes a sequence of packets having a packet size. An RF server transceiver module, coupled to the encoder module, that produces a channel signal that includes the encoded signal, and that wirelessly transmits the channel signal at a link data rate over a wireless communication path to at least one client module The RF server transceiver module includes a quality of service module that adjusts the packet size based on first RF performance signals determined by the RF transceiver, based on second performance signals received from a client module and/or based on adjustments made to the link data rate.
US07984174B2
In one embodiment, the invention is a method of transferring data. The method includes receiving a first video data stream at a first machine. The method also includes multicasting the first video data stream in uncompressed and raw form through a network. The method further includes receiving the first video data stream at a second machine. The method also includes playing the first video data stream on the second machine.
US07984165B2
A data transmission device includes: a sending unit that sends data according to one of a plurality of communication protocols; a data obtaining unit that obtains data; a communication address obtaining unit that obtains plural communication addresses assigned to a destination to which the obtained data is to be sent; a determining unit that determines a communication protocol to be used for sending the obtained data to the destination from among one or more communication protocols that are included in the plural communication protocols to which the sending unit is adapted, and that correspond to one of the obtained plural communication addresses; and a transmission control unit that causes the sending unit to send the obtained data according to the determined communication protocol to a communication address corresponding to the determined communication protocol, the communication address being included in the obtained plural communication addresses.
US07984156B2
An exemplary data stream includes value information for use by consumers of global computing resources in making requests for global computing resources. An exemplary method includes receiving information about data center resources from one or more data centers, based at least in part on the information estimating value information for consumption of computing resources of the one or more data centers and streaming the value information via a network. An exemplary medium or media includes instructions to instruct a computing device to receive, from a data stream, value information for computing resources of one or more data centers, to format the value information for display and to issue requests for consumption of at least some of the computing resources. Other methods, devices and systems are also disclosed.
US07984132B2
Wireless communications devices, e.g., peer to peer mobile wireless terminals in and ad-hoc peer to peer communications network, support multiple modes of peer discovery operation. In different peer discovery transmit modes peer discovery information is transmitted at different rates. In different peer discovery receive modes peer discovery information is monitored at different rates. Performing peer discovery operations at a higher rate has the benefit of reducing discovery latency at the cost of utilizing more communications resources and expending more power. A communications device dynamically changes its mode in response to changing conditions and/or needs. Transitions between modes are in response to a determined change condition trigger occurrence. Various change condition triggers include, e.g., a user event, an application event, information received over the air interface, information derived from information received over the air interface and/or temporal information.
US07984129B2
A system and method for high-performance profiling of web-enabled application events are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes registering a profiler as a provider to an event tracer. Information associated with an event is captured using the profiler, the event is associated with a web-enabled application. A function token is associated with the captured information, which is communicated to the event tracer.
US07984128B2
A system for managing an information technology (IT) resource comprises a managed object that represents the resource. At least one management interface is associated with the managed object. The management interface is configured with at least one component that represents a management feature for the resource. An attribute associated with the at least one component in the management interface indicates the presence of the management feature to a manager. The system provides a common, consistent facility for accessing management features of resources represented by a managed object configured with one or more management interfaces. The management interfaces allow manager to access information to monitor, audit, and control various aspects of the resources. Managers can also use information in the management interfaces to determine management attributes and relationships among related managed objects.
US07984124B2
In order to prevent unnecessary APIPA process from being executed in a LAN environment which does not adopt APIPA, an ICMP echo request for a predetermined IP address is broadcast. Whether there are more than N apparatuses using APIPA is checked based on the replies, and if there are, IP address setting by APIPA is executed. In a LAN environment which adopts APIPA, whether the IP address to be assigned to an apparatus is already being used by another apparatus is checked. If the date and time when the another apparatus was assigned the IP address is earlier than the date and time when the apparatus was assigned the IP address, APIPA is executed to decide the IP address of the apparatus.
US07984107B2
A proxy service for simulating real assembly features on a remote device is described. A data stream including reflection data of a real assembly is generated. The reflection data stream may include data associated with proxy types without including the code from the real assembly. A client obtains the reflection data stream. The reflection data stream facilitates the generation of a proxy assembly on the client and allows the client to instantiate features of the real assembly on the client without the code for the real assembly.
US07984102B1
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for selective presence notification are provided. In one general aspect, a plurality of presence notification messages are monitored. Each presence notification message may include address information identifying at least one of a recipient or a sender of the presence notification message. Based on the address information a determination is made as to whether a presence notification message is allowable. If it is determined that the presence notification message is allowable, the transmission of the presence notification message is allowed.
US07984098B2
Systems and techniques for transferring electronic data between users of a communications system by receiving, at an instant messaging host, a video file from a sender and intended for a recipient; authenticating the video file; and sending the video file to the intended recipient.
US07984097B2
In one implementation a method of transmitting a file having an advertising portion and a requested portion different from the advertising portion is provided. The method includes receiving a request to transmit the file, via a streaming protocol allowing non-sequential access, transmitting the advertising portion of the file, receiving a request to transmit a portion of the requested portion of the file prior to completing transmitting the advertising portion of the file, completing the transmission of the advertising portion of the file, and transmitting the requested portion of the file. In another implementation a method of transmitting streaming data from a server to the data storage medium of a device having a multimedia player is provided. The streaming data having at least one advertising-sponsored content portion and at least one associated obligatory advertising portion. Upon the server determining that the playing of all or part of the obligatory advertising portion is attempting to be avoided by the multimedia player, the server sends to the multimedia player or device a message with data storage medium control information for the purpose of inhibiting the advertising-sponsored content portion stored in the data storage medium from being played by multimedia player.
US07984091B1
Interpolators for quadratic approximation for sinusoids are described. A sample source providing first order derivatives of sub-sampled sets of phase factor samples is used. A differentiator is coupled to receive the first order derivatives and configured to provide second order derivatives of the first order derivatives. A first scaling device is coupled to receive each of the first order derivatives. A second differentiator is coupled to receive each of the first order derivatives and configured to respectively provide second order derivatives of the first order derivatives. A second scaling device is coupled to receive the second order derivatives. A first integrator is coupled to receive output from the first scaling device for preloading, and to receive output from the second scaling device for integration. A third scaling device is coupled to receive output from the first integrator. A second integrator is coupled to receive output from the third scaling device.
US07984083B2
A garbage collection system that needs to meet real-time requirements uses an eager read barrier that performs a forwarding operation as soon as a quantity is loaded. The barrier maintains a to-space invariant by including a forwarding pointer in the header of objects to be moved or accessed that normally points to the object itself. However, if the object has been moved, the forwarding pointer points to the new object location. The eager read barrier maintains the registers and stack cells such that the registers and stack cells always point into to-space. Barrier-sinking and common sub-expression elimination are used to minimize the overhead associated with the read barrier.
US07984068B2
In some implementations, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a search query, at an information provider, from a mobile device; generating a plurality of search results that are responsive to the search query and directed to corresponding content providers that are external to the information provider; identifying one or more search results from the plurality of search results that are directed to partners of the information provider; and providing, to the mobile device, the plurality of search results, wherein the one or more search results directed to partners of the information provider include location information that is stored in a profile maintained by the information provider and associated with the mobile device, wherein the location information is passed to the corresponding partners upon selection of the one or more search results.
US07984067B2
A system and method for a network operating system includes a complex data medium that enables the continuous reconciliation of the collaborative information process and product. The system and related methods generally increases productivity by enabling a network dynamic among knowledge workers. In another aspect, system and related method may unify e-mail and shared filed management, synchronous and asynchronous collaboration, serial and parallel work flow, top-down and bottom-up collaboration, and information lifecycle management, for examples. Moreover, a managed exclusion may be applied and/or released to control access sharing.
US07984066B1
Restricting access to managed content to users that are both (1) members of one or more required groups identified in an ACL associated a content item to which access is requested and (2) otherwise granted access under the ACL, e.g., by virtue of their individual identity, role, or group membership is disclosed. In some embodiments, an ACL is configured to identify one or more groups as being a “required” group, membership in which is required for a user to be granted access to a content item with which the ACL is associated. If a user is not a member of a required group, the user is denied access (or denied access above a certain level), even if the user is otherwise delegated access rights in the ACL.
US07984043B1
A system and method for distributed query processing may compile and optimize query plans for incoming query requests independent of hardware configurations and/or physical locations of data partitions in a distributed storage system (e.g., a data grid). The query plan may be divided into segments, and each segment may be instantiated on a remote query processing node of the distributed system by a query coordinator node according to metadata accessed at runtime by remote sub-query operators in the query plan. The metadata may include an indication of the physical locations of data partitions in the system and may be stored on one or more of the query processing nodes. The remote query processing nodes may execute the query plan segments and return results to the requestor. Cached query plans may be re-executed without recompilation, according to current metadata, even in the event of a node failure or data partition move.
US07984038B2
Novel data structures, methods and apparatus for finding the longest prefix match search when searching tables with variable length patterns or prefixes. To find the exact match or the best matching prefix, patterns have to be compared a bit at a time until the exact or first match is found. This requires “n” number of comparisons or memory accesses to identify the closest matching pattern. The trees are built in such a way that the matching result is guaranteed to be a best match, whether it is an exact match or a longest prefix match. Using the trail of all the birds and associated prefix lengths enables determination of the correct prefix result from the trail. By construction, the search tree provides the best matching prefix at or after the first compare during walking of the trail or tree.
US07984037B2
A method of retrieving a plurality of resource fragments from a audio-visual resource that is encoded using a hierarchical addressing model for the class of resources of which the audio-visual resource is a member is disclosed. The method comprises inputting a URI reference (1407) comprising a Universal Resource Identifier (1401) and a complex fragment identifier (1402) comprising a plurality of audio-visual resource specific location steps. Thereafter the method comprises a step of locating the audio-visual resource using the Universal Resource Name, and establishing (2023) a logical representation (2040) of the structure of the audio-visual resource. Then the method iteratively evaluates the fragment identifier location steps (1110) against the logical representation (2040) to resolve the complex fragment identifier (1402) into a set of explicit fragment references (1406) configured to explicitly address each of the plurality of resource fragments.
US07984036B2
System and computer program product for processing a text search query in a collection of documents. A full posting index is generated that has first index terms and a full posting list for each first index term, enumerating occurrences of the first index terms in the documents of the collection. A text search query includes search conditions search terms. The search conditions are translated into conditions on the first index terms to provide translated conditions. At least one short posting index is generated, which includes second index terms and a short posting list for each second index term, enumerating documents in which the second index terms occur. Filter conditions and complementary conditions are generated to represent the translated conditions. The filter conditions approximate the translated conditions, and are processed using the short posting index. The complementary conditions are processed using the full posting index to provide a query result.
US07984031B2
Query testing is enabled across one or more query languages utilizing an abstract representation of a query. From this abstract representation, queries associated with one or more specific query languages are generated. Further, a verification scheme can be implemented for a specific store and/or query language to facilitate generation of an expected result for comparison with an actual result of test query evaluation. Further yet, data driving and/or modeling can be leveraged to further aid query testing.
US07984024B2
Disclosed is a technique for maintaining statistics. A query is received. Column group generation is performed to form one or more column groups. Column group refinement is performed based on statistics data generated for a previously received query. A statistics check is automatically performed. A statistics collection command is generated to obtain statistics.
US07984022B2
Provided are techniques for space recovery with storage management coupled with a deduplicating storage system. A notification is received that one or more data objects have been logically deleted by deleting metadata about the one or more data objects, wherein the notification provides storage locations within one or more logical storage volumes corresponding to the deleted one or more data objects, wherein each of the one or more data objects are divided into one or more extents. In response to determining that a sparse file represents the one or more logical storage volumes, physical space is deallocated by nulling out space in the sparse file corresponding to each of the one or more extents.
US07984019B2
Date-warehouse systems are populated using an enhanced Extraction-Load-Transform (ETL) process and system by employing three ideas: Out-of-order-fill ETL, relative-ordering index (ROI), and dependent queries. Out-of-order-fill ETL allows a data warehouse to accept the loading of data files in any order, and does not require the loading of any previous backup data files in order to provide some functionality to end users under the view that some functionality or data access is better than none at all. Dependent queries are processes that use defined data structures for use in constructing, extracting, and validating each record to be written in said data-warehouse system in order to ensure that referential integrity is maintained and that no orphaned data is pushed into the data warehouse. Finally, ROI is a process wherein a value is determined, based on the constraints of the source data, which indicates the relative newness of the data.
US07984010B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, an action agenda determining apparatus for determining an agenda of action to be taken with reference to surrounding situation is provided. An action agenda determining apparatus includes a matching model storage unit for storing an action agenda determining model that has learned in advance relation between time-sequence of prescribed feature information related to human motion extracted from surrounding images and action agenda to be taken, and a model reference unit for forming the time-sequence of prescribed feature information from the surrounding motion images and referring to the action agenda determining model stored in the matching model storage unit, for determining the action agenda to be taken. Sound may be included as part of the feature information.
US07984007B2
A proactive problem resolution system, method of proactive problem resolution and program product therefor. User sensors extract data from user interaction with a computer terminal and pass extracted data to a sniffer agent. The sniffer agent checks for an indication of a user problem by comparing user behavior data against behavior data from previously encountered problems. When the sniffer finds a match, the computer terminal user may be asked if assistance is needed or the user may be automatically referred to the help desk. If a solution already exists for a problem that corresponds to the user behavior, that solution(s) is(are) presented at the computer terminal. Computer terminal users automatically receive problem support, even before it would otherwise be requested.
US07984004B2
Described herein is a system that facilitates assigning indications of usefulness to query suggestions. The system includes a query suggestion generator component that receives a query and generates a query suggestion based at least in part upon the received query. A model component outputs an indication of usefulness with respect to the query suggestion, wherein the model component is a machine-learned model of user behavior with respect to query suggestions.
US07984003B2
A method and system for automated learning through repetition. The method and system may improve automated learning of information studied for religious, academic purposes or pleasure by presenting pre-determined patterns selected specifically based on a belief system for a learner for an optimal learning for of N-pieces of electronic information (e.g., audio tracks, etc.).
US07983996B2
A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for simulating human behavior. Source code for predicting human behavior is located on a storage system in a network data processing system. An interpreter executing on hardware in the network data processing system includes a language interpreter and a communications module. The language interpreter executes a simulation with the source code using artificial intelligence to generate a new definition and interpreted source code. A graphical user interface processor receives the interpreted source code from the language interpreter and generates device dependent output. Devices display the device dependent output, receive user input, and send received user input to the graphical user interface processor. The communications module receives user input from the graphical user interface processor and the new definition from the language interpreter and modifies the source code to form modified source code, executed by the language interpreter.
US07983994B2
A server is operable to receive a media device identifying number (ID) and establish an association between a media device and a payment account and, in one embodiment, supports at least one of payment authorization and payment clearing based at least in part on the media device ID and the payment account. A network and system includes a payment card processor server that is operable to receive a payment authorization request and to determine if an authorized media device generated a purchase selection message and to determine to approve a received payment authorization request based, in part, if the media device was authorized for the purchase selection based upon a received media device ID. The system is further operable to perform a key rotation to protect payment account information.
US07983992B2
An online card-present transaction system facilitates card-present type transactions with a merchant over a public network. A host system is configured to accept authentication data from a user via an authentication device. The host system, after authenticating a user is configured to retrieve the user's account information from a user database system and translate a user account number into a temporary transaction number. The temporary transaction number is then transmitted directly from the host system to the merchant, thereby eliminating the need for the user to send to the merchant over the internet, the user's transaction account number.
US07983988B2
The invention relates to a system (1), a method, and a standard framework (11) for usage-dependent licensing. When use is made of additional functionality, further instances, or specific adapters (131 . . . n), the system (1) will detect whether such use has been authorized by means of a license. If authorization has not yet taken place, a time-limited license will be generated automatically and the manufacturer (21) of the standard framework (11) or, as the case may be, a user (22p) who has implemented additional functionality on the basis of the framework will be informed and can generate a license key. The system (1) will disable the functionality after a specific period of time if a license fee is not paid by a user (22p, 22s).
US07983983B2
A financial product is based on a first fund that is traded on a trading marketplace in a first country. The financial product is registered in the first country. The first fund has the characteristics of being based on an index of securities that are traded in a second, different country. The first fund is arbitragable with a second fund that is based on the index and which is registered in a second different country. The first fund has a creation unit basis that is substantially the same basis as a creation unit basis for the second fund. The calculation of the net asset value of the first fund occurs at essentially or exactly the same time that second country fund has its NAV calculated.
US07983973B2
A method for assessing the performance of a company is provided. The method may include receiving financial data about the company and determining a future value of the company. Next, the future value is decomposed into a plurality of future value components, where the plurality of future value components includes an economy component that defines an implied amount of growth of the company attributable to the growth of the economy in general. Finally, the method may include displaying at least one of the future value components to advise a user of the performance of the company relative to the economy in general.
US07983972B2
A system and method for managing a construction payment process. One graphical user interface embodying the invention can include a project schedule progress bar and a funds disbursed progress bar. The project schedule progress bar indicates progress with respect to calendar dates of a construction project, and the funds disbursed progress bar indicates progress with respect to a budget dollar amount of a construction project. Another graphical user embodying the invention can include an organization form, a project form, a budget form, a draw initiated notification, an enter request for payment form, a sign lien waiver notification, and a payment disbursed notification for notifying the plurality of participants that a payment has been disbursed for the pending draw to each of the plurality of participants based on the payment information received from each of the plurality of participants.
US07983971B1
A computerized accounting system is described herein. At least a portion of the accounting system may have a service oriented architecture. The accounting system may include an accounting service that is capable of storing versioned accounting policies. The various accounting policies may be used to process accounting data to determine the effect of the various accounting policies on the financial results. Also, the accounting system may include an event processing framework which, in one embodiment, may be used to amortize loans, securities and/or guaranty fee items.
US07983969B2
A money market trading platform provides institutional investors with comprehensive on-line analysis, account management, and on-line money market trading capabilities. An institutional investor's computer is connected via a communication network to a bank or broker's computer. The bank or broker's computer is connected via a communication network to a money market trading system or to a financial services, and stores information about the institutional investor and the accounts held in that investor's name. The trading platform allows institutional investors to log on, check account balances, transfer funds within accounts and from outside accounts, research money market investments, and purchase, redeem and exchange shares of money market funds.
US07983963B2
Systems, program product, and methods of electronic communication network guided navigation which allow users to obtain more relevant product search results much more quickly, are provided. An example of a system can allow a user to enter or start a product search request for a relatively broad term in a search engine and quickly start looking for relevant information by assisting the user in narrowing the product search results in a more efficient guided search. The results can be displayed to a user in a row of boxes, which focus the user on categories of potential intentions or meanings behind the product search request term or terms so that the user's intent can be quickly ascertained and the user directed to results more closely aligned with or coinciding with the user's intent behind the product search request.
US07983955B2
A method of selling products and/or services using an interactive entertainment system. The method includes steps of: providing access to interactive content to a user at a first level of access over a computer network; selling a product and/or service to the user; responsive to the selling, providing access to the content at a second level of access over the network; receiving consent from the user to display advertisements along with the content; and responsive to the selling and the receiving, providing access to the content at a third level of access over the network. The first level of access provides first access privileges, the second level of access provides second access privileges that are excluded from the first level of access, and the third level of access provides the second access privileges and third access privileges that are excluded from the second level of access.
US07983954B2
Disclosed herein is a real-time auction method that is based on an auction server for performing a process of an auction and wired and wireless terminals of participants. The method includes the auction screen providing step of providing an auction screen, on which auction information is displayed, to wired and wireless terminals of participants participating in the auction, the ranking displaying step of displaying bidding prices on the auction screen in order of ranking in the case where the participants present the bidding prices, the bidding extending step of extending a bidding time if a highest bidding price is lower than a predetermined desired bidding price or a difference between a highest bidding price and a next highest bidding price is less than a predetermined difference when a first set bidding time ends, and allowing only bidders presenting the highest bidding price and the next highest bidding price to participate in the extended auction, and the successful bid determining step of displaying a successful bidding price and a successful bidder when a finally set bidding time ends.
US07983952B1
A data processing system generates recommendations for on-line shopping by scoring recommendations matching the customer's cart contents using by assessing and ranking each candidate recommendation by the expected incremental margin associated with the recommendation being issued (as compared to the expected margin associated with the recommendation not being issued) by taking into consideration historical associations, knowledge of the layout of the site, the complexity of the product being sold, the user's session behavior, the quality of the selling point messages, product life cycle, substitutability, demographics and/or other considerations relating to the customer purchase environment. In an illustrative implementation, scoring inputs for each candidate recommendation (such as relevance, exposure, clarity and/or pitch strength) are included in a probabilistic framework (such as a Bayesian network) to score the effectiveness of the candidate recommendation and/or associated selling point messages by comparing a recommendation outcome (e.g., purchase likelihood or expected margin resulting from a given recommendation) against a non-recommendation outcome (e.g., the purchase likelihood or expected margin if no recommendation is issued). In addition, a probabilistic framework may also be used to select a selling point message for inclusion with a selected candidate recommendation by assessing the relative strength of the selling point messages by factoring in a user profile match factor (e.g., the relative likelihood that the customer matches the various user case profiles).
US07983951B2
A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage to implement a lending system for use with electronic commerce web sites such as auction sites. A seller may receive a cash loan for items placed for sale but not yet purchased by a buyer. The seller can be required to pay back the loan after a predetermined amount of time or as soon as the item for sale is sold and payment is received from the buyer. The lender would charge interest or commission for the loan. In this manner, sellers can receive cash for items listed on auction sites before those items are actually sold, generating additional cash flow for the seller.
US07983946B1
Computer implemented methods and systems are provided for identifying high to high complexity projects. Some method embodiments include defining proposed project data for identified factors, calculating a planning team index for a project associated with the proposed project data, and identifying the project as complex when the planning team indicator falls on one side of a breaking point. The factors are those identified as determinative of project complexity.
US07983943B2
In a method of managing workflow, a selected node is modified. The modifications to the selected node are saved in a save event. At least one related node is determined for the selected node in response to a save event. The modifications are propagated to the at least one related node.
US07983930B1
A system and method for efficiently providing high-quality medical diagnostic service is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a computer-controlled diagnostic device is placed in a location, such as a primary care clinic, where the device can be the most timely used. The device is linked by a computer network to a computer accessible by an expert diagnostician, who is qualified to express diagnostic opinions based on his or her review of the test data from the test device. The linkage can be either direct, moderated by an intermediate computer, which distributes diagnostic tasks to a team of diagnosticians, facilitates remote control and troubleshooting of the test devices by qualified personnel and remote training of the end-users of the test device, and manages billing by the clinics, diagnosticians and the provider of the diagnostic service system. Timely testing of patients in an economical manner is thus achieved.
US07983924B2
Apparatus (method implemented with a machine, the machine, and the method for making the machine, and products produced thereby). The computer system can, for example, be structured (e.g., including programmed) to carry a method including: controlling, with at least one application computer program, a server system to create, and to maintain, multiple sites on a wide area network, each said site providing electronic greeting cards, each said site corresponding to an independent party.
US07983919B2
Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer readable media for performing speech synthesis. The method embodiment comprises applying a first part of a speech synthesizer to a text corpus to obtain a plurality of phoneme sequences, the first part of the speech synthesizer only identifying possible phoneme sequences, for each of the obtained plurality of phoneme sequences, identifying joins that would be calculated to synthesize each of the plurality of respective phoneme sequences, and adding the identified joins to a cache for use in speech synthesis.
US07983913B2
In one embodiment, the present system recognizes a user's speech input using an automatically generated probabilistic context free grammar for street names that maps all pronunciation variations of a street name to a single canonical representation during recognition. A tokenizer expands the representation using position-dependent phonetic tokens and an intersection classifier classifies an intersection, despite the presence of recognition errors and incomplete street names.
US07983911B2
The invention relates to a speech recognition process implemented in at least one terminal (114), the speech recognition process using a language model (311), comprising the following steps: detection (502) of at least one unrecognized expression in one of the terminals; recording (503) in the terminal of data representative of the unrecognized expression (309); transmission (603) by the terminal of the recorded data to a remote server (116); analysis, (803) at the level of the remote server, of the data and generation (805) of information for correcting the said language model taking account of at least one part of the unrecognized expression; and transmission (806) from the server to at least one terminal (114, 117, 118) of the correcting information, so as to allow future recognition of at least certain of the unrecognized expressions. The invention also relates to corresponding modules, devices (102) and a remote server (116).
US07983909B2
A method for processing audio data includes determining a first common scalefactor value for representing quantized audio data in a frame. A second common scalefactor value is determined for representing the quantized audio data in the frame. A line equation common scalefactor value is determined from the first and second common scalefactor values.
US07983904B2
A scalable decoding apparatus capable of providing decoded audio signals of high quality having less degradation of a high frequency spectrum even when decoding audio signals by generating the high frequency spectrum by use of a low frequency spectrum. In the apparatus, an amplitude adjusting part uses different adjustment coefficients in accordance with the characteristic of first layer spectrum information to adjust the amplitude of a first layer decoded signal spectrum, and then outputs the amplitude-adjusted first layer decoded signal spectrum to a pseudo-spectrum generating part. Using amplitude-adjusted first layer decoded signal spectrum received from the amplitude adjusting part, the pseudo-spectrum generating part generates and outputs a pseudo-spectrum of high frequencies to a scaling part. The scaling part scales the spectrum received from the pseudo-spectrum generating part and then outputs it to an adder.
US07983899B2
An apparatus for analyzing Chinese according to one aspect of the present invention includes a dependency structure analyzer analyzing a dependency relationship between words by extracting a parent word being a dependency destination of each of the words and a child word being a dependent from each of the words. The words are obtained by dividing a Chinese sentence. The apparatus also includes a lihe-word processor referring to lihe-word information that includes a first word and capable of being a part of a lihe-word and a second word forming the lihe-word with the first word. The lihe-word processor detects the first word and the second word from the words analyzed, and then changes a dependency destination of a word depending on both the first word and the second word to the lihe-word formed by combining the first word with the second word.
US07983896B2
Methods, systems and program product are disclosed for determining a matching level of a text lookup segment with a plurality of source texts in a translation memory in terms of context. In particular, the invention determines any exact matches for the lookup segment in the plurality of source texts, and determines, in the case that at least one exact match is determined, that a respective exact match is an in-context exact (ICE) match for the lookup segment in the case that a context of the lookup segment matches that of the respective exact match. The degree of context matching required can be predetermined, and results prioritized. The invention also includes methods, systems and program products for storing a translation pair of source text and target text in a translation memory including context, and the translation memory so formed. The invention ensures that content is translated the same as previously translated content and reduces translator intervention.
US07983892B2
A system includes a server configured to generate a request for status information and/or diagnostic information associated with a field device in a process control system. The system also includes an interface component having (i) an emulator configured to emulate a device manager associated with the field device and (ii) a communication manager configured to communicate with the field device over a communication link using a specified protocol. The server is configured to provide the request to the communication manager through the emulator, receive the status information and/or the diagnostic information from the field device through the communication manager and the emulator, and generate a user interface based on the status information and/or the diagnostic information. The communication manager could represent a communication Device Type Manager (DTM), and the emulator could emulate at least some functions of a device DTM.
US07983883B2
Methods and systems to reduce or eliminate numerical oscillations in solutions that occur when using conventional MPFA when modeling flow in a reservoir are provided. The technique may be referred to as enriched multi-point flux approximation (EMPFA) and may be used to improve the consistency and accuracy in constructing pressure interpolations in cells for the purpose of determining flux equations used in predicting flow in a reservoir.
US07983879B1
A mechanism for configuring an inspection component in a real-time model is disclosed. The inspection component includes user-configurable parameters that control the acquisition of data for the real-time model. The data acquisition and logging logic is set up using graphical blocks that are part of the larger real-time application model. When code generation is done for the model, the data acquisition logic is also automatically generated, and runs as part of the execution of a real-time task.
US07983878B1
Tracks of sensed targets are associated into groups and updated over time while tending to maintain their relationships. A two-pass clustering or grouping method includes a first pass groups targets into convoy or swarm groups. In the second pass, groups of targets converging at a common time at high-value-asset(s) are identified as coacting. The association of targets with groups over time is formulated as a constraint optimization problem and solved using a forward-reverse auction to tend to reduce the number of extraneous groups. In one version, countermeasures may be taken against the coacting groups.
US07983867B2
Systems and methods of processing data generated using multi-gain detectors are disclosed. These systems and methods include separate gain images and separate offset images associated with each dynamic range of a multi-gain detector. These images are applied to multi-gain raw data to generate multi-gain corrected data. Some embodiments of the invention further include systems and methods of generating and using a multi-gain look-up table configured for generating viewable data from multi-gain corrected data. Some embodiments of the invention further include systems and methods of generating a global gain ratio for converting multi-gain data to non-multi-gain data.
US07983863B2
In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for battery capacity estimation. A profile table may be used that relates a plurality of battery profile values with a plurality of operating parameter values. The profile table may be accessed to translate one or more measured operating parameters into one or more corresponding battery profile values. One or more of the battery profile values may be adjusted by a correction factor to generate a corrected battery profile value. The available capacity of the battery may be calculated using the corrected battery profile value. The correction factor may then be automatically calibrated by using an estimated battery profile value calculated from the one or more measured operating parameter.
US07983855B2
A meter electronics (20) for generating a drive signal for a vibratory flowmeter (5) is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The meter electronics includes an interface (201) and a processing system (203). The processing system is configured to receive the sensor signal (201) through the interface, phase-shift the sensor signal (210) substantially 90 degrees to create a phase-shifted sensor signal, determine a phase shift value from a frequency response of the vibratory flowmeter, and combine the phase shift value with the sensor signal (201) and the phase-shifted sensor signal in order to generate a drive signal phase (213). The processing system is further configured to determine a sensor signal amplitude (214) from the sensor signal (210) and the phase-shifted sensor signal, and generate a drive signal amplitude (215) based on the sensor signal amplitude (214), wherein the drive signal phase (213) is substantially identical to a sensor signal phase (212).
US07983853B2
Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) data processing system, for acquiring and processing data from two-phase flows, comprising a dual-plane sensor, a plurality of digital signal processing modules configured in a data pipeline processing arrangement and a plurality of data acquisition subsystems in communication with a first one of said digital signal processing modules.
US07983850B2
Provided herein is a method for gene expression profiling multiple myeloma patients into distinct subgroups via DNA hybridization and hierarchical clustering analysis of the hybridization data where the results may further be used to identify therapeutic gene targets. Also provided is a method for controlling bone loss in an individual via pharmacological inhibitors of DKK1 protein. In addition provided herein is a method for diagnosing multiple myeloma using a 15-gene model that classifies myeloma into groups 1-7.
US07983839B2
A vehicle comprises memory for storing map data and a global positioning system (GPS) module that transmits vector and location data and that receives traffic reports from a remote traffic monitoring system. An adaptive map building module includes a path determining module that determines a travel path of the vehicle based on the vector and location data, a comparing module that compares the travel path to roads defined by the map data, and an identifying module that selectively identifies new roads based on the comparison.
US07983831B2
A fuel feed chamber and a residual fuel chamber that are connectable to each other via a shutoff valve are provided in a fuel tank. When the fuel tank is refueled, the fuel feed chamber and the residual fuel chamber, which have been connected to each other so far, are disconnected and then fuel is fed only into the fuel feed chamber to refuel the fuel tank. When the engine is restarted after the refueling, only the fuel in the residual fuel chamber is supplied to the engine while the fuel feed chamber and the residual fuel chamber remain disconnected from each other, and the engine is controlled in accordance with the property of the fuel in the residual fuel chamber, which has been determined in advance.
US07983825B2
The invention concerns a method and a transmission arrangement for changing gears in a transmission with a hydrostatic transmission and a manual gearbox (4) connected downstream from it. First the output torque of a hydrostatic motor (9) is reduced. After the reduction of the output torque of the hydrostatic motor (9), an engaged gear (12, 13) of the manual gearbox (4) which is connected downstream is disengaged. An output rotational speed of the hydrostatic motor (9) corresponding to the gear (13, 12) to be engaged is determined. The gear ratio of the hydrostatic transmission is then adjusted, so that the output rotational speed of the hydrostatic motor (9) is higher than the determined corresponding output rotational speed. After this increased output rotational speed is reached, the gear (13, 12) to be engaged is engaged.
US07983822B2
A range selection system for a vehicle including an automatic transmission and an internal mode switch (IMS) assembly. The range selection system includes a housing that is rotatable around a core, a first set of switches that induce a first current based on a rotational position of the housing and a second set of switches that induce a second current based on a rotational position of the housing. A control module determines first and second voltages based on the first and second currents, respectively and determines a range of the automatic transmission based on the first and second voltages.
US07983821B2
The systems and methods of the present invention employ either a sensor in communication with the auger or a sensor in the form of a switch operated by the user of the auger. When the sensor detects that the auger is operating or the switch is operated by the auger operator, an indication of auger operation is published to a remote location. The indication may be in the form of an aural or visual indication or in the form of a wireless transmission.
US07983809B2
An aircraft integrated support system (ISS) downloads Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS) data from an aircraft, processes the downloaded data to infer a status of aircraft systems and displays maintenance information via an Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM). The ISS integrates a maintenance and support environment to bind the information flow among the various aircraft and logistics networks for a fully integrated systemic approach which optimizes aircraft operation, maintenance, and support through data collection and analysis to maximize aircraft readiness.
US07983804B2
A system for minimizing damage on collision to a vehicle having at least one self-propelled wheel is disclosed. The system comprises a motor in a wheel of said vehicle which drives the vehicle, means for measuring the speed of said wheel, means for measuring the torque of said motor, means for monitoring the ratio of the torque of the motor to the speed of the wheel, and means for stopping said motor when torque:speed ratio exceeds an acceptable value.
US07983803B2
Methods and an apparatus are provided for controlling a wiper system of a type that can operate in an automatic mode wherein the wiper system is deactivated automatically and in a manual mode wherein the wiper system is deactivated by a user, the wiper system including at least one wiper configured to move across a surface of a vehicle. The apparatus comprises a motor coupled to the at least one wiper for moving the at least one wiper across the surface and a processor in operable communication with the motor. The processor is configured to detect when the wiper system is operating in the automatic mode and return the at least one wiper to a predetermined position, and deactivate the wiper system, if the wiper system is operating in the automatic mode and the vehicle is turned off.
US07983800B2
An apparatus for controlling a fan motor of an air conditioner comprises: a hybrid induction motor (HIM) for discharging warm air outwardly by a control signal; a temperature detecting unit for detecting a temperature of an evaporator; and a controlling unit for comparing the temperature of the evaporator with a preset temperature, and outputting a control signal to control the HIM based on a result of the comparison.
US07983794B2
A robot recording a message on a wireless tag which includes: a voice recognition unit recognizing a voice input by a voice input unit which inputs a voice of a person; a message extraction unit extracting the message from the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit based on a fixed phrase provided for obtaining a message; a recording unit recording the message extracted by the message extraction unit on the wireless tag provided on an object.
US07983788B2
A method allows analyzing and describing the reflective properties of a three-dimensionally structured original surface. The topology of the original surface is determined and the topological data are stored in the form of a depth map in a first data record and evaluated with respect to the influence of the data on the reflective properties. Each surface element is assigned a reflective value in accordance with the evaluation and the value is stored in a second data record and made available to other machining or inspection systems. There, the reflection values of the second data record are divided into classes and the depth values of the first data record, assigned to the classified reflection values, are varied in accordance with the classification. Finally, the changed depth values are employed as parameters for electronically controlling a tool in order to machine the artificially produced surface.
US07983787B2
A method for creating a sculpture includes obtaining a profile of a person or thing, using the profile to create a three dimensional object in which the profile is revolved about an axis. The resulting sculpture shows the profile in positive space over its entire surface. Exemplary apparatus for carrying out the method include 3D printers and CNC lathes.
US07983783B2
An embroidery data creation apparatus and program acquires closed region data of a target unit pattern with a sewing order specified by a unit pattern counter and position data of a sewing endpoint of a preceding unit pattern to be sewn immediately prior to this target unit pattern. Based on the closed region data and the position data of the sewing endpoint, it is determined whether a sewing endpoint of the preceding unit pattern is present in a sewing region of the target unit pattern. If it is determined that the sewing endpoint is present in the sewing region of the target unit pattern, thread-cutting operation at this sewing endpoint is set not to be performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the sewing endpoint is not present in the sewing region of the target unit pattern, thread-cutting operation at this sewing endpoint is set to be performed or withheld.
US07983782B2
A sewing machine includes a spool pin stand having spool pins to which thread spools are attachable and seats corresponding to the spool pins, respectively, thread passage defining members located on a thread passage, a sewing data storage unit storing sewing data including at least thread color information about colors of the needle threads, thread supply display units which are located on the spool pin stand so as to correspond to the spool pins respectively, the thread supply display units being configured to produce light which transmits through at least ones of the spool pins and the seats and displaying the thread colors in a color-variable manner, respectively, and a thread color information control unit controlling the thread supply display units based on the thread color information so that thread colors corresponding to the spool pins are displayed by the thread supply display units, respectively.
US07983776B2
The present invention is one or more implementations is a method of fabricating a semiconductor for improved oxide thickness control, defining a process tool, determining and evaluating performance variables, determining a performance impact factor and thereafter modifying control of the process tool in the fabrication process to operate in direct relation to the determined results of the present invention. The present invention sets forth definitive advantages in reducing engineering time, improving process controls and improving cycle-times.
US07983770B2
An arrangement for controlling a system generated noise level such that the same is adapted to an actual ambient noise level of the system environment. Internal noise generators will thus not run at a needlessly lowered rate than actually needed. For instance, by permitting a fan to run at a generally higher speed, the system will not needlessly undergo significant internal temperature increases. By the same token, CPU performance, to the extent that it represents a noise generator, will not be needlessly throttled.
US07983762B2
Systems and methods for enhancing or affecting neural stimulation efficiency and/or efficacy are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system and/or method may apply electromagnetic stimulation to a patient's nervous system over a first time domain according to a first set of stimulation parameters, and over a second time domain according to a second set of stimulation parameters. The first and second time domains may be sequential, simultaneous, or nested. Stimulation parameters may vary in accordance with one or more types of duty cycle, amplitude, pulse repetition frequency, pulse width, spatiotemporal, and/or polarity variations. Stimulation may be applied at subthreshold, threshold, and/or suprathreshold levels in one or more periodic, aperiodic (e.g., chaotic), and/or pseudo-random manners. In some embodiments stimulation may comprise a burst pattern having an interburst frequency corresponding to an intrinsic brainwave frequency, and regular and/or varying intraburst stimulation parameters. Stimulation signals providing reduced power consumption with at least adequate symptomatic relief may be applied prior to moderate or significant power source depletion.
US07983756B2
A high-density multichannel microwire electrode array is disclosed. The array can comprise a variable number of electrodes. A method of assembling the array is further disclosed. Additionally, a plurality of devices employing the array are disclosed, including an intelligent brain pacemaker and a closed loop brain machine interface.
US07983754B2
An implantable medical device system that includes a housing containing an electrical circuit and a connector header mounted on the housing. A first inner surface of the connector header forms a connector bore adapted for receiving a lead connector assembly for electrically coupling a medical lead to the circuitry contained in the housing, and one of the connector header and the lead connector includes a visibly modified surface for facilitating visual verification of full insertion of the medical lead connector assembly in the connector bore.
US07983749B2
A cardiac rhythm management system includes a time-dependent frequency response for sensed heart signals. A change in the frequency response of a sensing circuit is triggered by a sensed or evoked event to make it less sensitive to the detection of a subsequent event for a period of time. For example, a passband bandwidth is reduced, then increased during the time period triggered by the event. For even more event-triggered selectivity, a gain is reduced, then increased during the time period triggered by the event. This provides better discrimination between particular events included in a heart signal so that appropriate therapy can be delivered to the patient based such events.
US07983747B2
A device for treating viral infections. Embodiments of the device can include a housing, a power supply component disposed inside the housing, an electrical signal source, and a disposable head for connecting with the housing in a detachable manner. The disposable head can comprise an application surface for application to the skin or mucosa of a patient, and at least two embedded electrodes adapted for respectively connecting with the at least two output terminals of the electrical signal source. The device may include at least four embedded electrodes. The electrical signal source generates electrical pulses, and these electrical pulses are applied to the patient through the embedded electrodes of the disposable head.
US07983739B2
A scanned beam imaging system including a radiation source configured to provide a beam of radiation, a movable element configured to direct the beam of radiation onto a scanned area, and a collector configured to receive radiation returned from the scanned area. The imaging system further includes a housing that houses the movable element therein and a reference mark coupled to or received in the housing. The reference mark is positioned such that at least part of the radiation from the radiation source is directable at the reference mark.
US07983735B2
A nuclear medicine imaging simulator system is provided for simulating nuclear imaging of a target within a phantom using a selected pharmacokinetic model. The system includes a processor assembly having at least one processor receiving a digital phantom model and a digital pharmacokinetic model, and a dynamic integration module executable on the processor assembly for integrating the pharmacokinetic model with the phantom model to generate a dynamic phantom data representing activity of the pharmacokinetic model within the phantom model over simulated time. The system further includes an imager module executable on the processor assembly for generating a digital imager model representing a nuclear imager in accordance with at least one selectable imager parameter that controls activity of the imager model relative to simulated time, and an imager simulator module executable on the processor assembly for processing the dynamic phantom data with the imager model for simulating at least one imaging process of the dynamic phantom data in accordance with the at least one imager parameter and generating respective simulated sensed data in accordance with individual imaging processes of the at least one imaging process.
US07983726B2
A generator that comprises at least one ferromagnetic core including a gap, a magnet capable of producing a normal magnetic field within said gap and at least one coil positioned within the normal magnetic field on the core. At least one diamagnet that is positioned to pass through said gap on said core, wherein the diamagnet momentarily blocks the normal magnetic field causing a voltage to be induced within said coil.
US07983723B2
A method and apparatus for providing an improved user interface for a wireless communication device is described herein. The wireless communication device comprises a main body including a first user interface, and a movable cover including a second user interface. When the movable cover is closed relative to the main body, the movable cover conceals at least a portion of the first user interface. To provide some of the functionality associated with the first user interface without having to open the movable cover, the present invention maps a soft key associated with the second user interface to a function assigned to a selected control or key of the first user interface.
US07983720B2
A wireless telephone having an array of microphones and a digital signal processor (DSP) and a method of processing audio signals from a wireless telephone having an array of microphones and a DSP. The wireless telephone includes an array of microphones and a DSP. Each microphone in the array is configured to receive sound waves emanating from the surrounding environment and to generate an audio signal corresponding thereto. The DSP is coupled to the array of microphones. The DSP is configured to receive the audio signals from the array of microphones, to detect a direction of arrival (DOA) of a sound wave emanating from the mouth of a user based on the audio signals and to adaptively combine the audio signals based on the DOA to produce a first audio output signal.
US07983718B1
A wireless telephone includes one or more keys incorporating a programmable display. The display may display an image file (e.g., a photo of a parent or friend), such as a photo captured by a camera incorporated into the telephone. The image file may be displayed directly on the key or it may be cropped or downsampled as appropriate. The user interface allows the user to program the key to dial a particular telephone number. In one embodiment, during a multi-party conference call the keys display images of the conference call participants. The participant currently speaking can be displayed on a main display of the phone. When the conference call is over, the key displays revert back to their previous display state.
US07983717B2
A method for fast recovery of normal services on repeatedly traversed routes is disclosed. A mobile device searches for recent cell information when the mobile device loses normal services. When the recent cell information is found, the mobile device may retrieve designated cells information associated with the recent cell information. The designated cells information identifies a set of designated cells from which the mobile device has most recently regained normal services. The mobile device then scans the set of designated cells to determine whether a designated cell is available to the mobile device and then acquires normal services from the available designated cell.
US07983716B2
In a radio access network, novel systems and methods reduce processing delay, and improve integration with IP networks, by separating user data from connection management and control data at a Node B or at a base station. The user data are routed to an IP (Internet Protocol) switch, whereas the connection management and control data are routed to a centralized radio network controller (RNC). Pursuant to a second embodiment of the invention, a centralized RNC provides improved radio resource management (RRM) functionality by handing all connection management and control data for a plurality of Node B's, thereby simplifying the switching of user data throughout the radio access network. Pursuant to a third embodiment of the invention, a smart IP switch is equipped to switch user data without core network (CN) involvement. Downlink user data are switched independently of uplink user data.
US07983702B2
In an ad hoc peer-to-peer communications network, timing synchronization is facilitated between two or more nodes. A node can establish an original symbol timing and receive a first timing synchronization symbol from a peer node. A timing adjustment can be calculated based in part on the first timing synchronization symbol. An adjusted symbol timing can be established by adjusting the first symbol timing by the calculated timing adjustment amount. The adjusted symbol timing can be conveyed to one or more peer nodes, in order to facilitate timing synchronization among the nodes.
US07983700B2
A mobile communication terminal comprises a display for displaying broadcast content; a controller for extracting broadcast information about broadcast content displayed on the display unit and for storing the broadcast information in a first message; and a transceiver for transmitting the first message to a second mobile communication terminal, such that the second mobile communication terminal is configured to display the broadcast content based on the broadcast information.
US07983696B1
A mechanism for dynamically setting paging transmission power for a given mobile station based on the mobile station's paging slot frequency. For a mobile station that is set to operate at a higher paging slot frequency (e.g., lower slot cycle index), a wireless serving network transmits a page message to the mobile station at a higher power level, in order to increase the likelihood that the mobile station will successfully receive the page message. On the other hand, for a mobile station that is set to operate at a lower paging slot frequency (e.g., a higher slot cycle index), the network transmits a page message at a lower power level.
US07983693B2
A communications system of networked communications devices, method and program product for such a system. Location and presence information about system users is stored, e.g., in a central storage. An identity context reminder service monitors location and presence status for the communications devices for inconsistencies with stored user location and presence information. The identity context reminder service provides a reminder to a respective communications device for each inconsistency. An identity context reminder client may reside on the communications devices to facilitate managing identity context reminder notifications and stored location and presence information.
US07983691B1
This specification describes technologies relating to geographically localizing mobile communication devices. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a method that includes receiving information corresponding to a location of a wireless landmark in a mobile communication network. The method also includes communicating with the wireless landmark to estimate the location of a first node in the mobile communication network proximate to the wireless landmark. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
US07983685B2
Methods and apparatus for global wireless sensor network architecture and protocol for remote supervision, asset control and operational management based on localized clusters of autonomous sensor/supervision/operational sensor nodes capable of ad hoc interconnection with nearby nodes and connection to gateway nodes with increased network functionality. These localized cluster nodes send data to gateway nodes either directly or through multi-hop transactions. The gateway nodes are, in turn, connected to other gateway nodes and operations control centers either through wireless or wired data communications links. Utilizing the Internet for long range interconnectivity, the network is scaleable to a global level. The resulting network is based on an ad hoc mesh topology to allow flexibility in network modification and expansion and is comprised of a tiered structure defined by increasing functionality. A current application for this technology is the remote control and supervision of lighting systems for facilities and municipalities on a local, national and/or global basis from centralized regional operations centers.
US07983682B2
A system for automatically creating a preferred wireless connection medium order in a wireless communication device (WCD) for connecting to a network. A server on the network detects when a new device has entered a designated space, identifies the device, determines its capabilities and creates a wireless connection medium order for the device. The preferred connection medium order may be determined in view of a device profile corresponding to the WCD. The server may then set the preferred medium order in the WCD. The server may also control further information synchronization once the WCD is connected to the network.
US07983680B2
Systems and methods for providing services for stations supported by a residential gateway are provided. The residential gateway can support one or more fixed-line station and/one or more mobile stations. The mobile stations can be supported by a wireless macro network and/or the residential gateway. Services such as simultaneous ringing, distinctive ringing, call transfer, extension functionality, and the like can be provided for the mobile station and the fixed-line station.
US07983677B2
An apparatus and method of location-based wireless messaging wireless devices is described. The method includes the receipt of a location-based message request from a user of a wireless device desiring to receive a location-based message. Once the request is received, a spatial location of the wireless device is monitored. Once a current spatial location of the wireless device is identified, as a spatial location of a message delivery location, a location-based message is communicated. In one embodiment, a user, via a location-based message request, may request the delivery of the location-based message to a destination wireless device. In a further embodiment, a wireless device may periodically transmit the current spatial location of the wireless device to a predetermined destination wireless device. In a further embodiment, a wireless device may be notified when a selected wireless device is within a predetermined proximity. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07983673B2
The mobile communication network system having a plurality of mobile communication systems each including a base station performing wireless communications with a mobile station, comprises a storage unit storing location information of the mobile station, an acquisition unit acquiring, when receiving a location registering request from the mobile station, a communication-enabled mobile communication system in the mobile station as a sender of the location registering request, a specifying unit specifying a base station existing within the acquired communication-enabled mobile communication system and existing in the periphery of the base station receiving the location registering request, and a control unit storing the storage unit with information of the base station receiving the location registering request and information of the specified base station as location information about the sender mobile station of the location registering request.
US07983672B2
Communication is initiated with a radio access network through a first private access point according to a first air interface standard based on a first identifier corresponding to the first private access point. A second identifier corresponding to the first private access point is determined by using a roaming list. The second identifier is associated with the first identifier in the roaming list. A set of one or more carrier frequencies for communication according to a second air interface standard is determined using the roaming list. The second identifier is mapped to the set of one or more carrier frequencies in the roaming list. Based on the roaming list, initiation of communication with the radio access network is attempted through the first private access point according to the second air interface standard based on the second identifier at one carrier frequency of the set of one or more carrier frequencies.
US07983670B1
Techniques are disclosed for implementing wireless fallback of wireline service. Network interface units [405] may be installed in subscriber buildings in a residential or business neighborhood. The NIUs [405] may include a wireless transceiver [407] and a switch [410]. During normal operation, the switch provides the subscribers with wireline network connectivity. In the event of a local failure of the wireline connectivity, the NIUs may provide fallback network connectivity through the wireless transceiver [407], which communicates with other wireless transceivers installed at other local subscriber locations.
US07983668B2
The present invention is in the field of base station and network infrastructure maintenance. One embodiment is a method, comprising: collecting base transceiver station performance data into a performance analysis and data collection application; transmitting the base transceiver station performance data wirelessly to a mobile application on a mobile device; and uploading the base transceiver station performance data from the mobile application on the mobile device wirelessly over an internet through a mobile network into a web application. One embodiment is a system, comprising: a base station analyzer for measuring base transceiver station performance, wherein the base station analyzer has wireless access to a mobile application on a mobile device; and the mobile application on the mobile device, wherein the mobile application on the mobile device has wireless access through the internet across a mobile network to a web application.
US07983660B2
In one embodiment, a method comprises a mobile node receiving an incoming wireless call; the mobile node determining whether enhanced services are available for the incoming wireless call based on outputting a DTMF tone on a voice channel associated with the incoming wireless call and determining whether a notify message, indicating a server providing the enhanced services has received the DTMF tone, is received on a data channel during the incoming wireless call; and the mobile node selectively initiating the enhanced services for the incoming wireless call with the server in response to determining the enhanced services are available for the incoming wireless call.
US07983648B2
The present invention provides a low intermediate frequency receiver for receiving radio frequency signal and provides the sampling method thereof. The low intermediate frequency receiver firstly samples the radio frequency signal so as to convert it into digital signal of non-zero frequency domain. Secondly it compensates the digital signal of non-zero frequency domain to filter out the interfering signal therein. Finally, the compensated digital signal is frequency-shifted to the zero frequency domain. By using the low intermediate frequency receiver and the sampling method thereof according to the present invention, the interference at the zero frequency, like DC drift and intermodulation component, could be easily filtered out without imposing any great influence on the useful signals.
US07983642B2
A system and method is provided for reducing signal distortion and saturation within an RF receiver which may be operated in an environment under the presence of interfering signals such as in a WiMAX environment. In an embodiment, a first gain stage and a second gain stage are selectively lowered to predetermined lower levels, assuring that if there is a blocker present, it would not cause signal distortion and saturation in the receiver. The loss of the gain in the first gain stage and second gain stage is compensated by a third gain stage which selectively amplifies the signals of interest. If a blocker is not detected, the maximum allowable gain of the first gain stage and the second gain stage is set to a predetermined upper limit allowing for maximum receiver sensitivity. Accordingly, with this system and method a direct conversional receiver can operate in the presence of interfering signals without signal distortion and saturation.
US07983630B2
Provided are a digital IF wireless transmitter, an RF modulator, and an RF modulating method. A digital IF wireless transmitter includes an IF up-converting unit up-converting a baseband I signal and a baseband Q signal on the basis of a first IF, a first operating unit subtracting the first IF-up-converted I signal and the first IF-up-converted Q signal, a D/A converting unit analog converting an output signal of the first operating unit, an IF modulating unit separating the same first and second signals from the output signal of the D/A converting unit, and modulating the first and the second signals on the basis of a second IF, a high-pass filtering unit passing a single sideband of the modulated first signal, a miss-matching correcting unit correcting an error of the modulated second signal, a second operating unit subtracting an output signal of the high-pass filtering unit and an output signal of the miss-matching correcting unit, a feedback unit receiving a feedback signal output from the second operating unit, detecting an error of the feedback signal, and providing the detected error to the miss-matching correcting unit, and an RF up-converting unit up-converting the output signal of the second operating unit on the basis of an RF.
US07983626B2
A device for matching an antenna impedance in a portable radio telephone having transmission and receiving circuits, a foldable casing enclosing the radio, the foldable casing movable between an unfolded position and a folded position, an antenna movable between an extracted position from the foldable casing and a retracted position into the foldable casing includes means for sensing whether the foldable casing is in the unfolded position and for sensing whether the antenna is in the extracted position, and for providing a sensing signal in response thereto, and means for matching an impedance of the antenna and an impedance of the radio in response to the sensing signal, thereby making an optimal matching of impedances between the antenna and the radio according to the states of the folder casings and the antenna, and according to the transmission/reception mode.
US07983624B2
An RF module adapted for direct surface mounting to the top surface of the front end of the motherboard of a picocell. The module comprises a printed circuit board having a plurality of direct surface mounted electrical components defining respective signal transmit and receive sections for RF signals. The signal transmit section is defined by at least a transmit bandpass filter, a power amplifier, an isolator, a coupler, and a duplexer. The signal receive section is defined by at least the duplexer, a receive low pass filter, a low-noise amplifier, and a receive bandpass filter. A lid covers selected ones of the electrical components except for at least the power amplifier. A plurality of through-holes defined in the printed circuit board below the amplifier allow for the dissipation of heat created by the amplifier. At least one aperture in the board is adapted to accept a screw or the like for securing the module to the motherboard of the picocell.
US07983622B1
A method and system is disclosed for using phase shift to determine valid neighbors in a wireless communication system. A phase difference, measured at an access terminal, between an expected phase and an observed phase of a pilot signal from a given wireless service site is used to determine a differential distance. The differential distance corresponds to a difference between (i) the distance from the access terminal to the given wireless service site and (ii) the distance from the access terminal to a serving wireless service site. The expected phase is taken to be that of a known neighbor site of the access terminal, based on a postulation that the given site is the neighbor site. Upon a determination that the differential distance does not exceed a threshold distance, the given wireless service site is confirmed as being the neighbor site.
US07983620B2
An information processing apparatus and a communication apparatus for accurately recognizing at the base station the current receiving quality of the mobile terminals for improving the throughput of the base station. A mobile terminal determines its own receiving quality based on the signal received from the base station for generating the receiving quality message indicating the receiving quality and generates the power control information requesting the transmission power of the base station. The receiving quality message is transmitted at a frame rate and power control information is transmitted at the slot rate to the base station. Based on both the receiving quality message and power control information, the base station estimates the current receiving quality of the mobile terminal and adaptive modulation and coding is performed based on the estimated value.
US07983618B2
An electronic appliance having a communication function conforming to a wide band wireless communication system is disclosed. The electronic appliance includes: an EMI pattern information storage part configured to store EMI (electromagnetic interference) pattern information unique to the electronic appliance itself or EMI pattern information unique to an electronic appliance of the same type; an EMI standard value information acquiring part configured to acquire EMI standard value information valid in a relevant nation or region based on location information of the electronic appliance itself; and a communication condition setting part configured to set a communication condition relating to a wide band wireless communication based on the result of comparison between the acquired EMI standard value information and the EMI pattern information.
US07983616B2
Wireless personal area network (Zigbee, Bluetooth, UWB) and wireless identification technologies (Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)) are implemented in particular client server functions and communications. Connected with an Authentication Server, a wireless HUB authenticates user identification and provides the user with access to secure data communication with a wireless terminal such as a cellular phone or a PDA. A Location Server provides user locations via methods such as RSSI, TDOA, and GPS and sends location information to a Center Control Server and the Authentication Server. With location information, the Center Control Server initiates and optimizes secure information processes and coordinates the functions of servers and user terminals.
US07983614B2
Playback of a media work is handed over from a source playback device to a target playback device while the source playback device is in a play mode. The target playback device continues playback of the media work at a current location in the media work being played. Handover of audio and video playback allows the user to enjoy continuity in playback of the media work when transitioning between playback devices.
US07983612B2
A portable media player that provides for wireless connectivity is disclosed. In some examples, the portable media player contains a button that causes the player to search for, connect with, and disconnect from wireless networks. In some examples, the button provides indicators of the connectivity of the player, such as different colors or modes of illumination. In some examples, the functionality of the button changes depending on the connectivity of the player or characteristics of the playback or navigation of media within the player. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US07983603B2
A toner cartridge includes: a toner holding container having an outlet formed thereon; a partition wall separating the inside of toner holding container to a toner discharging portion in which the outlet is formed and a toner stirring portion other than the toner discharging portion; a toner discharging member axially and rotatably supported in the toner discharging portion for carrying the toner contained in the toner discharging portion to the outlet; a toner stirring member axially and rotatably supported in the toner stirring portion for stirring and carrying to the toner discharging portion the toner in the toner stirring portion; and an upper lid with a recess formed to surround, like a tunnel, the toner discharging member at a portion above the outlet, together with the partition wall and the toner holding container.
US07983602B2
A toner cartridge is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus and supplies toner to the image forming apparatus. The locking mechanism is positioned either at a locking position or at a non-locking position. Shortly after the toner cartridge has been attached to the image forming apparatus, the locking mechanism is at a non-locking position. When a user operates a driving member of the toner cartridge after the toner cartridge has been attached to the image forming apparatus, the operating lever engages the locking mechanism to cause the locking mechanism to move to a locking position. When the locking mechanism is at the locking position, the locking mechanism limits the driving member to move relative to the engagement portion, so that the toner cartridge is not allowed to be detached from the image forming apparatus.
US07983597B2
A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus having an apparatus main body to which a plurality of cartridges are detachably mounted adjacently in one direction for forming a color image on a recording medium, wherein each of the plurality of cartridges has a gripping portion disposed on a rear end of the corresponding cartridge in a mounting direction in which the cartridge is mounted to the apparatus main body, the gripping portion being protruding from the rear end to an upstream side, wherein when the corresponding cartridge is mounted to and detached from the apparatus main body, a user grips the gripping portion, and wherein in a state in which the plurality of cartridges are mounted to the apparatus main body, at least one gripping portion is disposed out of line with a gripping portion of an adjacent cartridge in a direction orthogonal to the mounting direction.
US07983596B2
A housing structure includes a first structure, which has body frames and a first shaft supported by the body frames, a second structure to be movably supported between an opened position and a closed position by the first shaft, and a positioning device to position the second structure in relation to the first structure in the closed position. The positioning device includes a first engagement portion provided on the first structure, a second engagement portion provided on the second structure and engaged with the first engagement portion in the closed position, a first biasing device to bias the second engagement portion toward the second structure, and a second biasing device to bias the second engagement portion toward the first structure. The positioning device positions the second structure in relation to the first structure by biasing forces of the first biasing device and the second biasing device.
US07983591B2
An image forming apparatus, includes: an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image; a toner carrier roller that is provided, on a surface thereof, with a plurality of convex sections and a concave section which surrounds the convex sections, is shaped approximately like a cylinder, is arranged opposed to the image carrier, and rotates while carrying a toner layer of charged toner on the surface thereof; a bias applier that applies a developing bias voltage to the toner carrier roller; a toner collector that collects the toner carried on the surface of the toner carrier roller at a place downstream to an opposed position facing the image carrier in a rotation direction of the toner carrier roller; a seal member that is interposed between the toner carrier roller and the toner collector, and abuts on the surface of the toner carrier roller to prevent leakage of toner from the toner collector; and a controller that is adapted to perform a toner removal operation which removes toner adherent to the seal member by rotating the toner carrier roller while the toner carrier roller abuts on the seal member, in a condition that at least a part of respective surfaces of the convex sections do not carry toner so as to be exposed.
US07983589B2
A developing apparatus detachably mountable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a latent image forming unit provided below a photosensitive drum in the gravitational direction. The apparatus includes a first member and a second member. The first and second members receive falling and flying developer. As a result, contamination in the image forming apparatus caused by the developer falling and flying from the photosensitive drum, the developing roller, a developing blade, and a sealing member of a developing end is reduced.
US07983585B2
A printing apparatus includes a printing control unit that performs, between printing on a first printing side of a paper sheet and printing on a second printing side thereof, to print on the first printing side of a next paper sheet; a determination unit that determines, when the printing on the first printing side of the paper sheet is finished, whether a process of processing print data for the next paper sheet has been completed; and a standby control unit that causes a printing unit to delay a printing process on the second printing side of the paper sheet until printing on the first printing side of the next paper sheet is finished if it is determined that the process of processing the print data for the next paper sheet has not been completed.
US07983583B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet of recording medium, a sheet feed tray selecting unit, a medium size selecting unit that selects a first medium size, a medium type selecting unit that selects a medium type. A determining unit determines operation of the image forming unit based on a search result of a first sheet feed tray corresponding to the first medium size selected by the medium size selecting unit, a search result of a second sheet feed tray corresponding to the medium type selected by the medium type selecting unit, a selected tray selected by the sheet feed tray selecting unit, and resetting values specified for the operation of the image forming unit.
US07983580B2
An image forming apparatus and a control method thereof to improve quality of an image in consideration of a change in posture of a print media. The image forming apparatus can include a transferred unit on which a visible image is formed, a transferring unit to form a transfer region through which the visible image is transferred onto a print medium, along with the transferred unit, a bias supplying unit to supply bias to the transferring unit so that a transfer electric field is produced in the transfer region, and a controller to control the bias supplying unit to supply different first to third biases to the transferring unit while at least first to third regions of the print medium pass through the transfer region, respectively.
US07983578B2
An image forming device includes an image forming section; a storage section that stores a target darkness of a standard image; a measurement section that measures the darkness of the image formed by the image forming section; a user calibration section that causes the image forming section to form a standard image causes the measurement section to measure the darkness of that standard image, and if there is a discrepancy between the darkness of the standard image specified by the measurement of the physical quantity and the target darkness stored in the storage section, adjusts the image formation conditions to eliminate the discrepancy; a manual darkness adjustment section that changes the image formation conditions to content that is specified by the user; a control section that causes the image forming section to follow image formation conditions that do not reflect the content changed by the manual darkness adjustment section.
US07983564B2
A wavelength division multiplexing system according to the present art adjusts the amount of dispersion compensation (the amount of dispersion compensation of an NZ-DSF and a DCF) every all spans on the basis of the time slot when an intensity modulation signal transmitter outputs an intensity modulation signal and the wavelength interval when a wavelength coupler multiplexes a phase modulation signal (output from a phase modulation signal transmitter) and the intensity modulation signal.
US07983561B2
An optical pulse time spreading device includes S optical pulse time spreading elements that spread input optical pulses into trains of (N×j) chip pulses, where j is an integer greater than zero, S is an integer greater than one, and N is an integer equal to or greater than S. In the chip pulse trains output by the n-th optical pulse time spreading element (n=1, 2, . . . , S), the light in successive chip pulses is shifted in phase by successive integer multiples of the quantity 2π{a+(n−1)/N}, where a is an arbitrary constant (0≦a<1). In an optical code-division multiplexing system, this optical pulse time spreading device produces an autocorrelation wave with a high energy and a high signal-to-noise ratio.
US07983552B2
A camera flash lens for a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on a board and serving as a light source of a camera flash, includes a plurality of annular lenses corresponding to the plurality of LEDs, respectively. The plurality of annular lenses each include an edge portion extending toward the board to reflect and collect light emitted from the edge of a corresponding LED of the plurality of LEDs, and a central portion having an inner surface with a Fresnel shape or a curved shape to collect light emitted from the top of the corresponding LED.
US07983547B2
An imaging apparatus includes a shake detector configured to detect a shake applied to the imaging apparatus, a first calculation unit configured to calculate a first shake correction amount based on an output of the shake detector, a vector detector configured to detect a motion vector on an imaging surface, a first integration unit configured to integrate an output of the vector detector, a second calculation unit configured to calculate a second shake correction amount based on the output of the vector detector, a shake correction unit configured to correct an image-shake based of the first shake correction amount and the second shake correction amount; and an angle-of-view change determination unit configured to detect an angle-of-view changing operation of the imaging apparatus, wherein the angle-of-view change determination unit determines the start of the angle-of-view changing operation when a signal obtained based on the output of the shake detector is greater than a predetermined value or an output of the first integration unit is greater than a predetermined value.
US07983539B2
When the fan inserted in the fan header is a 4-pin fan, the control chip outputs PWM signals with different duty factors to the control pin of the fan header, to automatically change the rotary speed of the 4-pin fan. When the fan inserted in the fan header is a 3-pin fan, the control chip outputs the PWM signals whose duty factor changes with temperature of a chip under the fan to control the first power source to provide a voltage to the adjusting circuit. The adjusting circuit rectifies the voltage output from the first power source as an analog voltage signal to the control circuit. The control circuit controls the third power source to output a changeable driving voltage to the power pin of the fan header to control the rotary speed of the 3-pin fan.
US07983536B2
There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data.
US07983534B2
There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data.
US07983532B2
There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data.
US07983531B2
There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data.
US07983526B2
An information storage medium of this invention comprises a first representation object, and a first time map wherein playback management information which controls simultaneous reproduction of the first representation object and a second representation object in at least a specific period includes first reference information to refer to the first time map, the first time map includes second reference information to refer to second management information including first management information about the first representation object, the first management information includes third reference information to refer to the first representation object, the playback management information includes fourth reference information to refer to a second time map, and the second time map has a data structure including fifth reference information to refer to the second representation object.
US07983523B2
With a digital camera 100, a photographed image 31 is displayed on a liquid crystal display and the user selects a desired image and specifies print specifications of the number of print sheets, a print paper size, a print color mode, etc., then print image data is prepared. The prepared print image data is transmitted from the digital camera 100 to a color printer of an output unit. An image is printed at the color printer in accordance with the print image data.
US07983522B2
A hand-held battery powered data transfer and repository device for transferring data between one or more flash memory modules and a large capacity digital storage device, which may be either external or internal to the device. The device includes one or more slots to accept a flash memory module into a housing which includes processing and logic circuitry disposed within the housing for transferring data between the flash memory module and the large capacity digital storage device. Ports are disclosed for transferring data between the repository and data transfer device to a host device, which may be a wide range of digital appliances including a digital computer, a digital camera, a camcorder or a personal digital assistant.
US07983520B2
Disclosed are fiber optic assemblies having at least one optical fiber and a water-swellable powder within a tube and/or cavity and methods for making the same. Fiber optic assemblies of the present invention use relatively low-levels of water-swellable powder while still effectively blocking the migration of tap water and/or saline solutions of 3% by weight along the tube and/or cavity. Furthermore, cleaning of the optical fibers is not necessary before connectorization like with conventional fiber optic cables that use a gel or grease. Generally speaking, at least some of the water-swellable powder is transferred to the inside surface of the tube, cavity, optical fiber or the like; rather, than being a loose powder that is able to migrate within the tube or cavity. Moreover, the existence of water-swellable powder within the fiber optic assembly or cable is nearly transparent to the craft since relatively low-levels are possible.
US07983511B1
Methods and apparatus for reducing or removing noise in digital images. Image noise reduction methods are described that may be applied to grayscale and color images, for example RGB images. An image noise reduction method may, before applying a noise filtering technique, transform the image values from linear space to flat noise space in which the noise is independent of the signal. An edge-preserving noise filtering technique may then be applied to the image in flat noise space. After noise filtering is applied, the image is transformed from flat noise space back to linear space. For color images, the flat noise space may be converted from linear color space to luminance-chrominance space before applying the noise filtering technique so that different filters can be applied to luminance and color channels. After applying the noise filtering technique, the image is converted back to linear color space.
US07983510B2
The invention discloses a noise reduction device for adjusting gray levels of a video sequence to reduce noises. The noise reduction device of the invention includes a motion detector and a first noise reduction module. The motion detector is used for determining whether an inputted pixel is a motion pixel or a static pixel. If the pixel is a motion pixel, the first noise reduction module directly outputs the pixel without adjustment. If the pixel is a static pixel, the first noise reduction module adjusts the gray level of the pixel according to previous image frame. Because the invention only stores previous image frame, and does not utilizes multiple continuous image frames to adjust the present image frame. Therefore, the display system of the invention needs only to be installed with one buffer, and hardware resource can be further saved.
US07983505B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for receiving pixel data for a portion of an image including a blocking artifact, calculating an artifact strength based on a difference between a two pixels on opposite sides of the blocking artifact, performing a local adaptability check using the artifact strength and values multiple pixels on the opposite sides, performing deblocking based on a result of the local adaptability check, applying a soft threshold to the artifact strength to adjust a value of the artifact strength, and re-aligning one or more pixels on the opposite sides based on the original value of the pixels and a pixel index value. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07983504B2
A method for contour reduction in a digital picture is disclosed. The method generally includes the steps of (A) buffering a plurality of luma samples in a current line of the digital picture, each of the luma samples having a respective input value, (B) calculating a plurality of horizontal sum-of-signs along the current line, wherein each of the horizontal sum-of-signs comprises a sum of a plurality of amplitude differences between pairs the luma samples from the current line and (C) generating a plurality of output value based on the horizontal sum-of-signs, one of the output values for each one of the luma samples.
US07983501B2
A method of filtering noise from a picture may include determining a set of pixel noise metrics for a set of selected pixels in the picture based solely on information from the set of selected pixels in the picture. The method may also designate as valid a subset of pixel noise metrics in the set of pixel noise metrics those associated pixels are not located at an edge or are not located in a complicated area of the picture. A set of block noise metrics may be calculated from the valid subset of pixel noise metrics, and a global noise metric for the picture may be ascertained from the set of block noise metrics. The picture may be filtered using the global noise metric to generate a filtered picture.
US07983499B2
A method and apparatus prioritizing video information during coding and decoding. Video information is received and an element of the video information, such as a visual object, video object layer, video object plane or keyregion, is identified. A priority is assigned to the identified element and the video information is encoded into a bitstream, such as a visual bitstream encoded using the MPEG-4 standard, including an indication of the priority of the element. The priority information can then be used when decoding the bitstream to reconstruct the video information
US07983498B1
Systems and methods for representing low dynamic range data in compressed formats with a fixed size block allow low dynamic range data to be stored in less memory. The compressed formats use 8 bits per pixel to represent 24 bits of low dynamic range data for each pixel. The compressed format includes four or six endpoint values, a partition index that specifies a mask for each pair of the endpoint values, and an index for each pixel in the block. The indices are compressed to allow more bits for the endpoint values. Mode bits are included to distinguish between the different encodings and various blocks within a single compressed image may be encoded differently. Compressed low dynamic range values may be efficiently decompressed in hardware.
US07983495B2
An image processing device for use with a storage circuit processes image data for a frame formed by a plurality of pixels. The image processing device includes a first functional macro performing first image processing on the image data, generating first processed image data, and temporarily storing the first processed image in a predetermined region of the storage circuit. A second functional macro performs second image processing following the first image processing. The second functional macro reads the first processed image data from the predetermined region of the storage circuit, performs the second image processing on the first processed image data, and generates second processed image data. A monitor circuit, arranged in the first or second functional macro, monitors a frame processed by the other one of the functional macros and a number of a data line in the frame that is being processed.
US07983493B2
The present invention provides a method of adaptively selecting an optimal pixel block within an image frame. The method comprises the activity of selecting an optimal block size for fast and accurate motion estimation. The traditional block is extended into an overlapped region to form an extended pixel block. Statistical region information of the non-overlapped region and the overlapped region of the respective extended pixel block is then measured. The optimal block, either the standard (or smaller size) non-overlapped block or the boundary extended overlapped block, is then selected in response to the measured statistical region information.
US07983489B2
A system, method, and computer-readable media are presented for presenting similar images of a selected image in a user interface. One embodiment of the method can include identifying a selected first image and identifying a selected direction from the first image. Additionally, the method can include calculating a best neighbor metric for each of one or more other images to determine a best neighbor image in the selected direction. Furthermore, the method can include presenting the best neighbor image to a user in a user interface.
US07983477B2
A method of generating a stereoscopic image is disclosed. The method includes defining at least two, three or more regions in a scene representing a region of interest, a near regions and/or a far region. This is followed by forming an image pair for each region, this image pair containing the information relating to objects in or partially in their respective region. The perceived depth within the regions is altered to provide the idea or best perceived depth within the region of interest and acceptable or more compressed perceived depths in the other regions. The image pairs are then mapped together to form a display image pair for viewing on a display device.
US07983475B2
A vehicular actuation system installed in a vehicle includes an actuation device that includes an operation member manipulated by a vehicle occupant. The system also includes a detecting unit for detecting a three-dimensional image in an operational area of a predetermined range about the operation member. The system also includes a control unit that determines based on the detected three-dimensional image whether or not a palm or back of a hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The control unit operates the actuation device when the palm or back of the hand of the vehicle occupant is present in the operational area. The system includes a first operation mode in which the operation member is directly manipulated by the hand of the vehicle occupant to operate the actuation device and a second operation mode in which the actuation device is operated by the control unit.
US07983469B2
Systems and methods for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure, such as inconsistency density-per-unit area. In one implementation, a method is disclosed for determining an inconsistency characteristic of a composite structure. The method involves determining a first distance from a first reference point of the composite structure to an inconsistency; determining a second distance from a second reference point of the composite structure to the inconsistency; using the first and second distances to establish a reference area of the composite structure; and considering each inconsistency detected within the reference area and producing therefrom an inconsistency characteristic representative of the composite structure.
US07983466B2
The invention provides a microscope apparatus, used for identifying the cell phases of a plurality of cells mounted on a stage, including an analysis/observation optical system used for acquiring an observed-image of the cells and a stimulus optical system used for applying an optical stimulus to prescribed cells. Using these optical systems, the cell phases of the cells mounted on the stage are identified, an optical stimulus is applied to the cells, and the state of the cells before and after applying the stimulus is observed.
US07983460B2
A method of evaluating changes in contrast of an image using a diagnostic imaging system is provided. The method provides acquiring raw image data of an organ or tissue, calculating a baseline of data based on the raw image data acquired before arrival of an agent, and determining changes in a signal intensity of the agent based on changes in the raw image data compared to the baseline. The agent may be an imaging agent, a contrast agent, a biomedical agent, a needle, a catheter, a biomedical device, and the like.
US07983457B2
A method and system for automatically determining regions in scanned object are provided. The method includes performing a scout scan of an object and automatically determining regions within the object based on attenuation information from the scout scan.
US07983456B2
Image processing adapts to speckle. Speckle is identified from signal transitions. For example, peaks, valleys or mean crossings of image signals as a function of space or spatial location are identified. A speckle characteristic, such as speckle size, is estimated from the signal transitions. The estimation may be limited to soft tissue regions to reduce the effects of specular targets and noise on speckle estimation. The speckle is estimated for local regions or an entire image. By estimating speckle for local regions, image processing may account adaptively for regional variation in speckle size.
US07983455B2
A person making a handwritten signature performs a series of three-dimensional movements with a plane graphical finality. The movements generate kinetic information perceived by a special pen that the signature is performed with (the writing and digital acquisition device for the primary bio-kinetic information). The information, concordant to the afferent bio-kinetic pattern, is collected by included MEMS type acceleration sensors in the pen. The system analyzes the generated information (the signals) and determines the dynamic-biometrical characteristics based upon the biometrical dimension of the information. The characteristics are transformed into data vectors and invariants that are stored in a database. Based on algorithms, the system performs the required comparisons between the spatial kinetics of the specimens and the kinetics of the entrances and obtains distance-type answers. In statistical terms, the results are related to the entire subject database, by interpreting and sampling methods.
US07983450B2
A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided for recognizing a gesture in which one or more relationships are determined between a plurality of body parts and the gesture is then determined based upon these relationships. Each relationship may be determined by determining an angle associated with at least one joint, determining one or more states of a body part based upon the angle associated with at least one joint, and determining a probability of a body part being in each respective state. The gesture may thereafter be determined based upon the one or more states and the probability associated with each state of the body part. Directions may be provided, such as to an unmanned vehicle, based upon the gesture to, for example, control its taxing and parking operations.
US07983444B2
A system and method for client-side watermarking of digital content using hybrid Intra-Frames (I-Frames) are provided. In general, a content source provides a compressed video stream and a hybrid I-Frame stream to a client device via a network. The hybrid I-Frame stream includes a number of low-loss I-Frames corresponding to select ones of the I-Frames in the compressed video stream to be used for client-side watermarking. The client device watermarks the I-Frames in the hybrid I-Frame stream, optionally compresses the watermarked I-Frames, and replaces the select ones of the I-Frames in the compressed video stream with the watermarked and optionally compressed I-Frames to provide a watermarked version of the compressed video stream.
US07983440B1
A system and method are provided for selecting frames of a compressed video stream that may be used for client-side watermarking. In general, a content source evaluates a number of Intra-Frames (I-Frames) in the compressed video stream using a sample watermark that is similar to actual watermarks that may be used for client-side watermarking. More specifically, each of a number of I-Frames in the compressed video stream is evaluated by first watermarking the I-Frame with the sample watermark. Associated frames in the compressed video stream are then decoded using the watermarked I-Frame. An error value for the decoded video frames is then computed. If the error value is outside of a predetermined error threshold range, the I-Frame is selected as an I-Frame that may be used for client-side watermarking.
US07983439B2
Headset for fitting an earpiece that has a lock housing in or on which a fixing device is provided. A flexurally rigid and elastic ear loop which forms a loop for accommodating the outer ear of a user, and one end of the ear loop is received longitudinally displaceable in the fixing device of the lock housing, and for adjusting the size of the loop is adjustably received in various length positions, creating a fixing effect. There is a control device for receiving and outputting electrical signals and a signal interface for receiving and/or outputting electrical signals to and/or from the control device.
US07983431B2
The object is to provide a bone conduction device and its tympanum, wherein the bone conduction device can be efficiently mounted without generating a dead space in a case having a limited installation space such as a cellular phone's case having a large display screen. A magnetic sound converter device has an outer magnetic structure wherein a voice coil (3) is mounted on a center magnetic pole (2) of a yoke (1) and a magnet (4) is arranged on the outer side of the voice coil (3). The yoke (1) and the center magnetic pole (2) thereof are vertically long, the magnet (4) is arranged on the short side edge parts on the both sides of the yoke, and a tympanum fixing part (6) is arranged on the outer side of each magnet (4) on a magnet arrangement axis.
US07983424B2
The envelope of a decorrelated signal derived from an original signal can be shaped without introducing additional distortion, when a spectral flattener is used to spectrally flatten the spectrum of the decorrelated signal and the original signal prior to using the flattened spectra for deriving a gain factor describing the energy distribution between the flattened spectra, and when the so derived gain factor is used by an envelope shaper to timely shape the envelope of the decorrelated signal.
US07983419B2
A system and method are disclosed for providing encryption of location data transmitted from a wireless device to a wireline network server. In one embodiment, the wireless device encrypts a payload, adds a header to the payload to form a data packet, encrypts the payload and the header of the data packet, and transmits the encrypted data packet.
