US08028343B2

A nanoindenter that includes an interferometer, a rod, a force actuator and a controller is disclosed. The interferometer generates a light beam that is reflected from a moveable reflector, the interferometer determining a distance between a reference location and the moveable reflector. The rod is characterized by a rod axis and includes a tip on a first end thereof, the rod includes the moveable reflector at a location proximate to the tip. The tip is disposed in a manner that allows the tip to be forced against the surface of a sample. The force actuator applies a force to the rod in a direction parallel to the rod axis in response to a force control signal coupled to the actuator. The controller receives the determined distance from the interferometer and generates the force control signal. The invention can also be used as a scanning probe microscope.
US08028341B2

In one embodiment, the present invention provides for extended memory protection for memory of a system. The embodiment includes a method for associating a protection indicator of a protection record maintained outside of an application's data space with a memory location, and preventing access to the memory location based on the status of the protection indicator. In such manner, more secure operation is provided, as malicious code or other malware is prevented from accessing protected memory locations. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08028330B2

A client apparatus transmits environmental information acquired from an environmental information acquisition device as well as a biometric authentication information matching result to a server apparatus. The server apparatus verifies the validity of the environmental information such as a luminance as well as the validity of the biometric authentication information matching result. If an environment is problematic, the server apparatus notifies the client apparatus that the environmental information is problematic. The client apparatus overcomes the problem of the environment such as the luminance based on the notification from the server apparatus and then retries a biometric authentication. The possibility of re-failure due to the environmental problem can be reduced during a retry of the biometric authentication.
US08028329B2

A Proxy Authentication Network includes a server that stores credentials for subscribers, along with combinations of devices and locations from which individual subscribers want to be authenticated. Data is stored in storage: the storage can be selected by the subscriber. The data stored in the storage, which can be personally identifiable information, can be stored in an encrypted form. The key used to encrypt such data can be divided between the storage and server. In addition, third parties can store portions of the encrypting key. Subscribers can be authenticated using their credentials from recognized device/location combinations; out-of-band authentication supports authenticating subscribers from other locations. Once authenticated, a party can request that the encrypted data be released. The portions of the key are then assembled at the storage. The storage then decrypts the data, generates a new key, and re-encrypts the data for transmission to the requester.
US08028328B2

Configuration information is exchanged between a home entertainment system server and various wireless components by pushing a button on the server and a random button on a remote control device as it is pointed at the devices sought to be authenticated.
US08028321B2

A broadcast signal receiving apparatus 1 can display channel map information of receivable channels on a screen of a monitor display apparatus when a user desires. The broadcast signal receiving apparatus 1 comprises a channel map information updater (primary controller) 8 that updates the channel map information regularly. The channel map information includes a deletion counter for each channel registered in the channel map information which is used to judge whether channel information of the channel is deleted from the channel map information or not. The channel map information updater 8 increases a value of deletion counter of a channel by one when broadcast signal of the channel cannot be received, resets a value of deletion counter of a channel when broadcast signal of the channel can be received in each updating of the channel map information, and deletes channel information of a channel from the channel map information when the value of deletion counter of the channel reaches to a threshold.
US08028319B2

Techniques for delivering video on demand (VOD) channel content via streaming from a first edge aggregation device are provided. The first edge aggregation device receives the VOD channel content from a VOD server, and the streaming VOD channel content from the first edge aggregation device can stream down to a requestor. The streaming VOD channel content from the first edge aggregation device can also stream or up through a metro aggregation switch to a second edge aggregation device to reach the requestor. Techniques for buffering a cache of a video stream are also provided for bursting to a requestor, either after a request is made or before.
US08028315B1

Systems and methods for using an interactive television program guide application to access fantasy sports contests are presented. In some embodiments of the present invention, the interactive television program guide application may display information indicating to a user that one or more programs is related to a fantasy sports contest. In some embodiments of the present invention, the application may provide to the user a schedule of programs related to one or more fantasy sports contests in which the user participates. The application may provide additional features to fantasy sports contestants including automatic recording of programs related to a user's fantasy sports contest, playback of highlight video clips for events that affect a user's fantasy sports contest standing, and targeted advertisements for fantasy sports contests.
US08028300B2

A device driver module for supporting the use of an external device by a computing device which executes an operating system, the device driver module including an initialization portion which is called by the operating system, whereupon the initialization portion detects the presence of a driver plug-in module, obtains information from the detected driver plug-in module, and passes the information from the detected driver plug-in module to the operating system, and also including an operation portion which accesses and executes a functional portion of the detected plug-in module, receives from the operating system an event notification corresponding to the external device and, in the case that the detected driver plug-in module accepts the event notification, passes the event notification to the detected driver plug-in module.
US08028294B2

Project progress management technology is made more objective by excluding as much human subjectivity as possible. Consideration is given to levels of importance of check items and tasks. A more accurate grasp of the progress of a project is enabled even if a significant change occurs in the middle of the project. An indication of a “complete” or “incomplete” state is used as a progress indicator of the lowest order tasks of the project, and progress of a high order task is based on the progress of the lowest order tasks.
US08028292B2

Methods and apparatus for migrating and distributing processor tasks on a plurality of multi-processing systems distributed over a network. The multi-processing system includes at least one broadband entity, each broadband entity including a plurality of processing units and synergistic processing units, as well as a shared memory. Tasks from one broadband entity are bundled, migrated and processed remotely on other broadband entities to efficiently use processing resources, and then returned to the migrating broadband entity for completion or continued processing.
US08028281B2

Parallelization of loops is performed for loops having indirect loop index variables and embedded conditional statements in the loop body. Loops having any finite number of array variables in the loop body, and any finite number of indirect loop index variables can be parallelized. There are two particular limitations of the described techniques: (i) that there are no cross-iteration dependencies in the loop other than through the indirect loop index variables; and (ii) that the loop index variables (either direct or indirect) are not redefined in the loop body.
US08028278B2

The present invention is generally directed towards providing a method, system and article of manufacture for generating and utilizing debug history to improve the debugging process. By providing facilities to store and retrieve debug history records for given events, the present invention allows developers to debug code more efficiently by allowing them to leverage information stored in a debug history repository. Further, the added functionality, related to the debug history, is available via modules that work in conjunction with existing debugger applications and is provided to users via a variety of interfaces including graphic interfaces and plug-in components.
US08028277B2

Systems and methods for optimizing performance in a computing environment are provided. The system comprises means for monitoring execution of annotated logic code associated with a software component to determine whether a condition has been satisfied, wherein annotations in the logic code provide one or more details about the software component, the details being useful to a healing agent to correct a problem associated with said condition during the execution of the logic code.
US08028272B2

Methods and apparatus for configuring process, environmental, industrial and other control systems generate and/or utilize models representing configurations of control systems and/or the systems controlled by them. Records of changes to the models or the configurations represented by them are maintained, thereby, for example, providing bases for determining current states, prior states and histories of changes. Objects in the model have characteristics, such as an object type characteristic and an area characteristic. Users can have corresponding permissions. A security mechanism apparatus controls access by users to the objects. Composite objects are defined by definition objects and are displayed in encapsulated or expanded formats. Objects can include an edit control type identifier that determines how they are presented for editing. Functionality responds to user commands by transferring characteristics of a first object depicted by the graphical user interface to a second object. Configuration-time formulas contained objects are evaluated to constants prior to downloading to the control system.
US08028265B2

A method for generating an electronic circuit layout with placed circuit elements receives a user provided schematic, the user provided schematic comprising a plurality of circuit elements, each circuit element comprising general parameters. The method associates a plurality of first placement parameters with each of the plurality of circuit elements, wherein the first placement parameters comprise a cell horizontal position, a cell vertical stacking position, and a cell vertical adjacent spacing. The method retrieves, from a design library, design parameters associated with at least one of the plurality of circuit elements. The method assigns first absolute placement coordinates for each of the plurality of circuit elements based on the first placement parameters and the design parameters. The method defines and performs an adjustment operation on the placement parameters of a selected subset of circuit elements, generating adjusted placement parameters. The method assigns second absolute placement coordinates based on the first placement parameters, the design parameters, and the adjusted placement parameters and generates an electronic circuit layout with placed circuit elements based on the second absolute placement coordinates.
US08028249B2

A display system and method for operating a display and a collection of digital multimedia objects are provided. A first selection set of predefined organizational metaphors is presented and a selection of a first organizational metaphor from the first selection set is received. A second selection set of predefined organizational metaphors other than the first selected organizational metaphor is presented and a selection of a second organizational metaphor from the second selection set is received. A result is presented on the display having one of at least two group icons, each group icon indicating a group of digital multimedia objects chosen from the collection according to rules associated with the selected organizational metaphors and the content of the digital multimedia objects or any metadata associated with the digital multimedia objects. Wherein the group of digital multimedia objects indicated by each group icon are chosen according to result presentation rules.
US08028243B1

A user interface to an application processing complex data of multiple data view abstractions allows selection, placement, size and other configurable characteristics of interface components to be controlled by a user and then associated with the data abstraction and processing task. Multiple configurations may be created to simplify the interface to include only necessary controls given an abstraction level of the data view and the task on that data. The configurations may be stored using symbolic references and subsequently loaded on demand into the interface. Mechanisms may be applied to ensure that similarly referenced configurations in storage are resolved and only the desired configuration is applied.
US08028241B2

Configuring wires/icons in a diagram. The diagram may be an executable diagram such as a graphical program or a system diagram. The diagram may include a plurality of icons that are connected by wires, and the icons may visually represent functionality of the diagram. The diagram may be executable to perform the functionality. Displaying the diagram may include displaying a first wire in the diagram, where the first wire connects a first icon and a second icon. Data transfer functionality may be specified for the first wire and/or the first or second icon in the diagram. The data transfer functionality may be visually indicated in the diagram, e.g., by appearances of the first icon, the second icon, the first wire, and/or icons displayed proximate to these components of the diagram.
US08028233B1

A multiphase interactive advertisement includes a first phase having a first graphical interface and a second phase having a second graphical interface including at least a streaming media component space. In an exemplary embodiment, the second phase has a dimension that is greater than a dimension of the first phase. The multiphase interactive advertisement further includes a streaming media component incorporated into the streaming media component space of the second phase. The multiphase interactive advertisement, and specifically, the streaming media component, is generated using a software player engine that includes a core set of player variables and controls.
US08028216B1

An encoder system includes a receive module that receives a data stream. A parity generation module generates parity bits based on the data stream and a tensor-product code. A parity insertion module combines the parity bits and the data stream to generate encoded bits.
US08028214B2

A low density parity check codes decoder decodes an LDPC code with an arbitrary coding rate by the same configuration. The low density parity check codes decoder enables decoding of an LDPC code constituted by a base matrix of Mbmax rows and Nbmax columns and a permutation matrix as an element of the base matrix. It stores therein Mbmax×Nbmax validity/invalidity flags, shift amounts of valid permutation matrices, a permutation matrix size in a processing target code, and the number of rows of a base matrix in the processing target code, determined depending on a check matrix for the processing target LDPC code, and generates column addresses and a row address to be given to column processing calculation sections and a row processing calculation section that perform calculation in accordance with a BP algorithm by utilizing the stored information, so that it can process an LDPC code for a smaller base matrix than the aforementioned base matrix as well.
US08028206B2

A memory device includes a semiconductor memory including a plurality of memory cells, and a controller including a buffer which temporarily stores data, a data pattern check circuit which checks a predetermined data pattern of data that are stored in the buffer and are to be stored in a plurality of neighboring ones of the memory cells, and sends an address in accordance with a result of the check, and a data correction circuit which corrects a value of data at the address that is sent, and sends the corrected value to the semiconductor memory.
US08028195B2

A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process includes a system for indicating status of an on-chip power supply system with multiple power supplies, having a power system status register for receiving digital compliance signals, each compliance signal associated with one of the multiple power supplies, and having an associated compliance level, wherein each digital compliance signal indicates whether its associated power supply is operating at the associated compliance level, and wherein the power system status register generates a power supply status signal based on the digital compliance signals indicating status of the digital compliance signals; and an output for outputting the power supply status signal, wherein if a power supply is operating at its associated compliance level, the power supply status signal indicates that the power supply is passing, otherwise the power supply status signal indicates that the power supply is failing.
US08028194B2

A method, apparatus, and system of a sequencing technique to account for a clock error in a storage area network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system of a backup server includes a processing module to examine a data timestamped with a sequence of characters denoting a time according to a clock source, an analysis module to determine that the data has been timestamped at an earlier time than an other data previously received, a substitution module to provide the data an incremental sequence number placed with the data using an algorithm until a new data is received that includes a future timestamp with a later timestamp than the timestamp of the other data, and a storage module to store the data.
US08028192B1

A method, system and computer-readable medium for providing rapid failback of a computer system is described. The method, which operates during failback of a secondary computer to a primary computer, accesses a map to determine a location of a latest version of data corresponding to a read request, where the location may be within either a primary data storage or a secondary data storage. The system comprises a primary computer coupled to a primary data storage and a secondary computer coupled to a secondary data storage. The primary computer maintains a write log and the secondary computer maintains a map. The computer-readable medium contains instructions, which, when executed by a processor, performs the steps embodied by the method.
US08028191B2

Multiple Array Management Functions (AMFs) are connected to multiple redundancy groups over a storage area network (SAN), such as a fiber-channel based SAN. The multiple AMFs share management responsibility of the redundancy groups, each of which typically includes multiple resources spread over multiple disks. The AMFs provide concurrent access to the redundancy groups for associated host systems. When a host requests an AMF to perform an operation on a resource, the AMF synchronizes with the other AMFs sharing control of the redundancy group that includes the resource to be operated on, so as to obtain access to the resource. While performing the operation, the AMF send replication data and state information associated with the resource such that if the AMF fails, any of the other AMFs are able to complete the operation and maintain data reliability and coherency.
US08028190B2

The bus control device includes a reset control unit which resets the input and output bus in response to receipt of reset instruction; a reset inhibition unit which inhibits a reset of the input and output bus triggered by a fault occurrence in the input and output bus; a log collection unit which collects log information of an input and output device connected to a fault occurrence section in the input and output bus triggered by the fault occurrence in the input and output bus; and an input and output interface which transfers the log information collected by the log collection unit to the processor. The reset inhibition unit cancels inhibition of the reset after the collection of the log information by the log collection unit has been completed.
US08028187B2

A dual-mode communication apparatus and a method thereof are provided. The dual-mode communication apparatus comprises a microprocessor, a first tick generator, a second tick generator, and an operation system tick module that comprises a tick converter and an OS tick generator. The microprocessor receives an OS clock tick to execute a real-time program task. The first tick generator receives a first predetermined number of first clocks to generate a first clock tick when the first clock is active. The second tick generator receives a second predetermined number of second clocks to generate a second clock tick when the second clock is active. The tick converter, coupled to the first and second tick generators, converts the second clock tick such that the converted second clock tick has a converted clock tick rate substantially identical to the clock tick rate of the first clock tick. The OS tick generator, coupled to the tick converter, receives the first clock tick and the converted second clock tick to generate the OS clock tick for use in the microprocessor.
US08028186B2

An interconnection system is described where data lanes may be exchanged between lines at intervals along a transmission path so that the differential time delay between bits on a plurality of the lines is reduced when determined at a receiving location. The data lanes may be bound to the lines through the operation of a configurable switch, or by a configurable switch in conjunction with predetermined manufactured connections, or a combination of the techniques. The wiring of a connectorized node module, which may include a memory device, may be configured so that the differential time delay between pairs of input lines of a node, as measured at the output of a node, is reduced.
US08028175B2

A system and method for power sourcing equipment (PSE) detection of a powered device (PD) power failure for power backup. A PSE can power a PD at a low level of power as a backup power source. Upon a failure in the PDs primary power source, the PSE can detect a transient (e.g., current and/or voltage) on the PD load as a signal that the PD requires additional power. The PSE can then allocate increased power to the port by entering into an active state as compared to a backup state. As the PSE is responsive to the detection of the transient, the PSE need not rely on a real-time communication from the PD.
US08028172B2

Systems and methods are provided for maintaining and updating a secure boot process on a computer with a trusted platform module (TPM). A boot process may be maintained by inspecting a log of TPM activity, determining data that prevented a secret to unseal, and returning the data to an original state. In situations where this type of recovery is not workable, techniques for authenticating a user may be used, allowing the authenticated user to bypass the security features of the boot process and reseal the boot secrets to platform configuration register (PCR) values that may have changed. Finally, a secure boot process may be upgraded by migrating TPM sealed secrets to a temporary storage location, updating one or more aspects of a secure boot process, and resealing the secrets to the resulting new platform configuration. Other advantages and features of the invention are described below.
US08028163B2

A hierarchical digital signature method is provided by which different levels of data elements of a data entry are processed in turn to derive function values (for example hash function values) for data elements in the level which are to form part of the digital signature. All function values for one level are combined in a further function to provide an additional function value, and the additional function value is used in the processing of data elements in the next level nearer to the root. This provides a digital signature which can use only selected data elements of a data entry, and which is not sensitive to the ordering of the data entry structure.
US08028156B2

An initialization data generator includes a task database in which task descriptions for initializing a computer are specified related with task IDs and an initialization database in which initialization data descriptions for initializing a computer are stored related with initialization data IDs. The initialization data generator takes input of the computer ID of a computer to be initialized and task data, reads task descriptions and initialization data descriptions according to task ordering related with the task data from the task database and the initialization database, based on the task IDs, task ordering, and the initialization data IDs for software modules which are loaded into the computer to be initialized by the tasks corresponding to the task IDs, specified in the task data, and generates and transfers initialization data to the computer to be initialized, thereby initializing the computer to be initialized.
US08028149B2

A method of reading a group of memory words from an integrated circuit memory of a contactless tag, comprising the sending by a remote interrogation unit to the contactless tag of a specific command for reading the group of memory words from a given start address, the initialization of an address counter for the contactless tag to the value of the given start address, and the sending by the contactless tag of the memory word at the start address, as well as an iterative process comprising in succession a first step of sending by the remote interrogation unit to the contactless tag of an incrementation marker recognizable by the contactless tag, a second step of incrementation of the address counter for the contactless tag in response to the incrementation marker, and a third step of sending by the contactless tag to the remote interrogation unit of a data frame comprising the memory word stored in the memory at the address pointed at by the current value of the address counter.
US08028148B2

Aspects of the present invention are directed at centrally managing the allocation of memory to executable images in a way that inhibits malware from identifying the location of the executable image. Moreover, performance improvements are implemented over traditional systems that enable relative addressed instruction to be resolved at runtime. In this regard, a method is provided that identifies a randomized location to load the executable image into a memory address space. Then, data that may be used to resolve the relative addressed instruction is loaded and maintained in memory. At runtime when pages that store relative addressed instructions are accessed, an arithmetic operation is performed to resolve the relative addressed instruction. As a result, only those relative addressed instructions on pages accessed during program execution are resolved.
US08028142B2

A controller of a storage device having a user area storing an operating system, the storage device developing the operating system stored in the user area on a host device in accordance with an access from the host device. The controller includes a user authentication routine storage controlling unit that stores a user authentication routine for executing user authentication before startup of the operating system, in a predetermined area inside the user area, and an access controlling unit that permits access to the predetermined area from the host device when the user authentication routine is used, while prohibiting access to the predetermined area from the host device when the user authentication routine is not used.
US08028137B2

Systems and methods of selective data mirroring are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a device is disclosed that includes a data storage medium and a controller operably coupled to the data storage medium. The controller configured to selectively enable a data mirroring function to copy data in a first data storage location of the data storage medium to one or more second data storage locations of the data storage medium when the one or more second data storage locations do not have valid primary data stored to them.
US08028134B2

A memory module (e.g. a hard drive, an optical drive, a flash drive, etc.) associated with a computer system may be imaged without substantial interruption to the operation of the overall system. The imaging may include applying an image to the memory module while execution of one or more operations and/or algorithms that require at least intermittent access to information stored initially in the memory module is ongoing. This may enable a system associated with the memory module to continue with normal, or substantially normal, operation while the image is being applied to the memory module. The image applied to the memory module may, for example, update the system, restore the system to a previous state (e.g., to its state at a previous point in time), or otherwise modify the system with which it is associated.
US08028126B2

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system for scheduling spin-up operations for a set of hard disk drives (HDDs) in a computer system. During operation, the system determines an available power of the computer system. Next, one or more HDDs are selected from the set of HDDs to be spun-up based on the available power and the power required to spin up each HDD. Then, spin-up operations are scheduled for the selected HDDs.
US08028124B2

The illustrative embodiments described herein provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for increasing efficiency associated with data access. In one illustrative embodiment a memory chip is presented comprising of a plurality of memory units for storing data; a plurality of processing units for processing the data; and a word line and a bit line external to the plurality of memory units, wherein the plurality of processing units directly access the word line and the bit line in accessing the data.
US08028116B2

A data transfer apparatus for transferring data between a system bus and a local bus at a high speed is provided. A bus bridge 101 is connected between a system bus 132 and a local bus 137. Data transferred between a CPU 133, an I/O device 136 and a main memory 135 on the system bus 132 are retained in an associative memory 106 via an associative memory control unit 105. When an access to this data from an I/O device 138 on the local bus 137 is generated, the data are transferred from the associative memory 106 to the I/O device 138. Thus, when a data transfer request from the I/O device 138 to the main memory 135 is generated, no bus cycle is generated on the system bus 132 as long as this data are retained in the associative memory 106. Consequently, the data can be transferred at a high speed.
US08028102B2

An electronic apparatus in which a memory unit containing a memory and a controller to access the memory in response to an externally input command can be installed. The electronic apparatus comprises a first acquiring section which acquires identification information from the memory unit, a second acquiring section which, on the basis of the identification information acquired by the first acquiring section, acquires one from a plurality of control programs to control the controller of the memory unit, and a setting section which sets an operating environment so as to apply the control program acquired by the second acquiring section to the process of inputting and outputting data to and from the memory unit.
US08028097B2

A method and apparatus for synchronizing streaming media devices within a PLC network. Output synchronization errors exceeding ˜30 ms become noticeable when multiple streaming media devices are outputting an audio stream. The present invention provides a system and method for isochronously sending periodic reference clocks from a master device to client devices coupled to the PLC network. The client devices set their clocks based on the reference clock. In addition the clients adjust their system clock time base in response to the average divergence of the system clock with the reference clock, or a count of the number of clocks between beacon frames. In this way the client clock is adjusted to closely track the server clock so that synchronization is maintained between each of the devices. Streaming audio shared between servers and client devices is thus output across the network with high fidelity due to the accurate synchronization.
US08028096B2

The present invention relates to a hand-held device comprising connection means for supporting an internet data transmission link between the hand-held device and the internet; browser means for fetching internet data from the internet; input means for receiving a user input; and generating means for generating a command script in response to said user input, where said command script is related to said searched internet data; where said command script, when the hand-held device is connected to a multimedia home device, can be processed to initiate a transmission of at least part of said searched internet data and/or other internet data to said multimedia home device.
US08028090B2

A system, method, and computer-readable medium for request routing based on client location information are provided. A content delivery network service provider receives a DNS query from a client computing device. The DNS query corresponds to a resource identifier for requested content from the client computing device. The content delivery network service provider transmits an alternative resource identifier in response to the client computing device DNS query. The alternative resource identifier is selected as a function of client location information. The client location information is obtained from information corresponding to a mapping of at least partial IP addresses to known locations. The client computing device then issues a second DNS query to the same content delivery network service provider. The content delivery network service provider can then either resolve the second DNS query with an IP address of a cache component or transmit another alternative resource identifier that will resolve to the content delivery network service provider. The process can repeat with the content delivery network service provider's network until a DNS server resolves a DNS query from the client computing device.
US08028087B2

A message routing system that allows applications at either end of the system to run as-is without modification. The system functions in a multithreaded environment and is capable of handling complex routing rules and message transformation. It is also capable of learning and executing new routing rules and message transformations in formats previously unrecognized by the system. The system enables precise and reliable logging of messages throughout processing and supports publication of enterprise-wide broadcast messages. The system further preferably employs cooperating inbound and outbound transport processes for consuming, routing, processing, safely storing and publishing messages in batches of logical units of work to ensure that the logical units of work are not lost in system transactions. The system also preferably utilizes a replay server for preserving and replaying messages that might otherwise fail to reach their intended destinations.
US08028078B2

A communications system may include data storage devices each using at least one of a plurality of different operating protocols. Further, at least one of the data storage devices may operate using multiple operating protocols. The system may also include mobile wireless communications devices for accessing the at least one data storage device, and each may use at least one of the plurality of operating protocols. Moreover, the system may further include a protocol interface device. The protocol interface device may include a front-end proxy module for communicating with the plurality of mobile wireless communications devices using respective operating protocols. The protocol interface may also include a protocol engine module for communicating with the data storage devices using respective operating protocols. The protocol engine module may also select a desired operating protocol for communicating with the at least one data storage device from the multiple operating protocols.
US08028071B1

A virtual computer system enabling dynamic, aggregated use of multiple TCP/IP offload engines (TOEs) by the set of guest computer systems hosted on the virtual computer system. Each of the guest computer systems includes an offload selection switch and the associated virtual machine monitor includes a first virtual context component. Second virtual context components are associated with a set of TCP/IP stacks and TOEs and interoperate with the first virtual context components to establish a virtual routing of network connections between the offload selection switches and the TOEs. The virtual context mapping retains the initially requested network connection information as well as the resolved virtual network connection established, thereby allowing the initial network connection request to be internally reapplied as required to accommodate dynamic changes in the network protocol parameters of the TOEs.
US08028070B2

Systems and methods for synchronizing task data between a mailbox server of an email system and a project server of a project management system include a project that is published on the project management system, task data for the project is sent from the project server to the mailbox server. The task data includes the attributes of the project tasks and resources assigned to the project tasks. When the mailbox server receives the task data, the mailbox server creates a task on the mailbox server for each task for which the task doesn't already exist on the mailbox server. The mailbox server inserts each created task into the mailbox of the assignee for the task. The assignee can view the task attributes and update task status using a client that accesses the mailbox server.
US08028064B2

The invention is directed to a method of transmitting a file having an advertising portion and a requested portion different from the advertising portion. 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.
US08028063B2

A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: acquiring subjective user state data including data indicating at least one subjective user state associated with a user; soliciting, in response to the acquisition of the subjective user state data, objective occurrence data including data indicating occurrence of at least one objective occurrence; acquiring the objective occurrence data; and correlating the subjective user state data with the objective occurrence data. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US08028058B2

Dynamic discovery and reporting of one or more application program topologies in a single or networked distributed computing environment allows IT professionals to maintain processes running on the network. In one embodiment, the dynamic discovery is performed by identifying one or more computers in a computer network, identifying one or more processes on each identified computer that are communicating over the network, and displaying a graphical representation of the topology of the processes communicating over the network.
US08028057B2

A computer-implemented method for facilitating ancillary use of a wireless service device is provided. A multiplicity of wireless service devices interoperable on a service network are discovered. A primary function performable by a subscriber and an ancillary function performable by a non-subscriber through use of each device through arrangement with the service network and based on availability of capacity for excess transmission bandwidth are determined. The devices that includes an available capacity to perform the ancillary function over the service network are identified. The ancillary function is performed using independent processing at least one of the devices. The ancillary function is also performed using distributed processing in conjunction with at least one other of the devices through the combination, modification and integration of data from the two or more such devices. The subscribers are compensated with payment in exchange for the performance of the ancillary function on their respective device.
US08028039B1

An asynchronous, middleware system positioned between a larger computer system and a wireless mobile hand-held computer anticipates the needs of a wireless mobile hand-held computer that is served by the middleware system. The middleware system can anticipate and process needs for a mobile hand-held computer when the hand-held computer is not “synchronized” with a larger computer network. The middleware system can be designed to prepare information for downloading from a larger computer system to a wireless mobile hand-held computer well in advance of a communication link while the hand-held computer is not “synchronized” with the larger computer network. The middleware system can provide a network architecture that is very durable, scaleable, and flexible to serve hundreds and thousands of wireless mobile hand-held computers.
US08028035B2

Creating a unique identification for each stack in partitions of a host data computer such that a plurality of partitions may share a single adapter card during an Input/Output operation wherein the adapter card is exchanging data between the host and a Local Area Network. The adapter card includes a unique identifier pool for maintaining values of unique identifiers which are available for identifying the stacks. A deleted unique identifier for a stack may be reused by newly created stacks and may be reassigned to a recreated stack, if still available, when the stack had previously been deleted by the operating system, but is then recreated.
US08028034B2

A system and method automatically learns mailbox configuration conventions. The validator module determines a valid set of configuration parameters used for accessing an electronic mailbox of a user within a mail domain after receiving configuration information from the user that is limited in the configuration parameters required for accessing the electronic mailbox. A learner module accepts from the validator module a set of configuration parameters determined to be valid and generates configuration conventions for a mail domain. A database store is the generated configuration conventions. The validator and learner modules can be operative as part of a web server.
US08028027B2

There is provided a method and system for notifying of new email received at a user's mailbox on a mail storage system. Said method includes: receiving the new email at a user's mailbox stored by the mail storage system; auto-forwarding the new email to a mail notification sender system; transmitting at least a portion of the new email to a mail notification receiver system; interrupting the transmission of the new email to the mail notification system with a pre-determined negative completion code; transmitting a bounced-mail email with said negative completion code from the mail notification sender system to the mail storage system.
US08028018B2

A cooperative processing system includes a first data processing component, existing on a first computer, that generates an output containing object having a function of outputting data contained therein to a stream, a pipeline section that causes the output containing object to output the data contained in the output containing object to a stream addressed to a second computer, and causes the second computer to generate an input containing object that receives the stream and stores data transferred through the stream, and a second data processing component, existing on the second computer, that receives the input containing object to perform a data process.
US08028013B2

The invention relates to a hardware implemented filtering method including establishing a representation DIS of the derivative of at least a part of a time-quantized input signal IS, and establishing at least one sample of a time- and amplitude-quantized output signal OS by performing filtering on the basis of at least a part of a filter representation IFC1, IFC2, IFC3 and the representation DIS of the derivative of at least a part of the input signal IS. The invention further relates to a hardware implemented decimation method for decimating a time-quantized input signal IS including dividing the time-quantized input signal IS into intervals, for each of the intervals establishing a sample of a time- and amplitude-quantized output signal OS according to the above mentioned filtering method. The invention further relates to a fast filtering means FFM implementing the above-mentioned methods.
US08028011B1

A global cylinder group (CG) cache is stored in file server memory and shared by a plurality of file systems supported by the file server. The global CG cache comprises a number CG entries which are pre-allocated in memory. As different file systems are accessed, global CG entries in the CG cache are used to store CG block information for the accesses. With such an arrangement, a file server may support multiple file systems using a single global CG cache without starvation and other the adverse performance impacts of the prior art. According to one aspect of the invention, the global CG cache is periodically scanned to reclaim memory. In contrast to the prior art, where multiple scans were periodically performed of multiple CG caches for memory reclamation, the use of a single CG cache minimizes the impact of CG cache maintenance on file server performance.
US08028008B2

A system and associated method for optimizing a write barrier in garbage collection. The method marks a bit in a bitmap corresponding to a slot when the slot content is modified to refer to a new object. The method also logs the address of the slot when the object referred by the slot is updated. The method pops the address of the slot to clean from the log and clears the bit corresponding to the slot in the bitmap and when the object referred to by the slot is not already marked, marking said object and pushing its address to the mark stack. When the slot is located within an active object range, the method puts the address of the slot in a deferred log for a later processing.
US08028005B2

A system for interfacing with a data source through a graphical interface. The system comprises a data view definitions to enable data display and manipulation for the data source. A user environment index represents descriptive information about a user who is accessing a data view. An access origin index represents a location within the graphical interface from where a request was made to open a data view. A data set index represents a data set requested for a data view. An indexing engine is configured to generate an appropriate data view based on a relationship between the requested data set from the data set index, and an access location within the graphical interface from where the data view was requested as selected through the access origin index, and the descriptive information about a user as selected through the user environment index.
US08028004B2

A data recording system 1 includes: a file generating part 3 for dividing digital data so as to generate a plurality of data files and recording the plurality of the data files sequentially into a recording medium 5; a management file judging part 6 for determining one management file for recording management information of the plurality of the data files; and a management information generating part 4 for recording the management information of the plurality of the data files into the determined management file. The management file judging part 6 determines the management file such that the number of the data files managed by the management file does not exceed a maximum data file number L (L is a natural number) that can be managed by the management file. Thereby, it is possible to record the plurality of the data files that are divided from the digital stream data and are recorded, such that the management of the plurality of the data files is easy.
US08028002B2

A method and system for providing naming operations. Contexts are created and organized hierarchically under an initial context. The hierarchy is retained in a non-persistent storage medium. The objects and contexts created as a result of various naming operations are removed from the naming system responsive to a reboot of a server. In one embodiment, the entire naming hierarchy is represented in nested hash tables with a nesting level of only two.
US08028000B2

Efficient data storage and retrieval (e.g., in terms of time and space requirements) is facilitated by implementing an indexing structure comprising an indexing array. That is, a functional relationship between elements of a source set and elements of a query result set can be stored in the indexing structure. This allows, for example, a query regarding whether an element is a member of a set (e.g., whether a particular website or Uniform Resource Locator (URL)) has been visited before) as well as a relationship between the member set and the query (e.g., the number of hyperlinks in the website the last time it was visited) to be resolved efficiently.
US08027994B2

A system and method of searching a database in which documents of different languages are included. The system includes a synonym or keyword dictionary which is bi-directional and allows for translation of keywords between a first language and other languages. The translated words keywords for the document are stored in an inverted index which is then used for searching, either in a selected language, a second language or in all languages, as determined by the user. This use of multiple searching and a translated synonym dictionary avoids the need for translation of the entire document and avoids inaccuracies which may result from translations.
US08027993B2

Techniques for establishing and enforcing row level database security are presented. Qualifiers are used to uniquely identify particular rows of a database table. The qualifiers are selectively combined to generate a hash value. The hash value is associated with a user. The user is permitted to accesses selective rows of the database table in response to the rows represented in the hash value, which is associated with the user.
US08027989B1

An electronic dictionary may be created by receiving a data request action for a word appearing in an electronic document, accessing information regarding the context of the word derived from within the electronic document in which the word appears, storing the definition of the word along with the context information for the word, and enabling access by the user to the definition and the context information.
US08027984B2

In one embodiment, a system and method is provided for reverse lookups using a reverse lookup hint stored in metadata associated with a file or directory. The reverse lookup hint is used to retrieve an entry, comprising a name of the file or directory, which is stored in a map structure related to a parent directory of the file or directory. In an embodiment, the reverse lookup hint comprises a hash value generated from the name of the file or directory.
US08027980B2

Methods and computer systems are provided for data assignment. A computing unit and a data object component for managing a set of data objects are provided. Data objects of the set of data objects can be divided into segments according to selectable criteria. An interface unit may also be provided to interconnect the computing unit and the data object component. The interface unit may be arranged and constructed to include an inventory assignment of segments created in the data object component such that, in case of an assignment inquiry by the computing unit, an assignment of one or more segments being inquired for is carried out in the interface unit.
US08027971B2

A method, system and article of manufacture for managing relationships in a data abstraction model abstractly describing data in a database. One embodiment provides a method of linking logical branches of data in a database based on the relationships. The method includes accessing a data abstraction model abstractly describing the data in the database. The data abstraction model defines a logical tree structure having a plurality of logical branches. Relationships between logical fields of different logical branches are identified and logical links abstractly describing the identified relationships are created.
US08027970B1

Searching stored content is disclosed. A first mapping is created from an object to one or more stored relational database tables. A second mapping is created from the object to an indexer schema. One or both of the following is done: 1) using the first mapping to translate a search request expressed in an abstract query language to a first query language associated with the relational database; and 2) using the second mapping to translate the search request to a second query language associated with the indexer schema.
US08027968B2

In order to prevent memory cells from being damaged, the present invention provides a data storage method for an electronic device including dividing a first section of a memory of the electronic device into N blocks, wherein the N blocks is a sequence of blocks from the first block to the Nth block and each block is assigned an index value, rewriting the index value corresponding to the nth block according to index values of the N blocks, and storing an input data in the nth block, wherein N is an integer greater than 1, and 1≦n≦N.
US08027967B2

A device includes, a search controlling information storing unit that stores, for each searching purpose, the search controlling information indicating whether or not the search is to be proceeded for the kinds of parts between the interfaces in the parts is defined and registered, a set information collecting unit that decides the interface of the parts to be searched, according to the search controlling information for each search object, from both the design information of the system constitution diagram and the registered information of the library database of the parts and the interfaces, and traces the connection relations of the interfaces thereby to collect the set information of the searched parts and the interfaces from the library database of the design information of the system constitution diagram, the parts and so on.
US08027965B2

A content providing system comprising a content distribution server and a content receiving terminal connected to each other through a communication channel. The content distribution server includes a content storage unit in which content items are stored in association with at least time information and attribute information concerning the time information, a search unit searching, in response to a content providing request, the content storage unit for at least one content item according to a search condition based on the time information and the accompanying information, and a distributor distributing at least one content item to the content receiving terminal. The content receiving terminal includes a time information input unit receiving the input of time information, a request sender sending a content providing request including the input time information and accompanying information to the content distribution server, and a provider providing at least one content item to a user.
US08027948B2

A method of generating an ontology includes determining plural concepts from a data set by using a first predetermined pattern, using a second predetermined pattern to determine a relationship between the plural concepts, and between a concept and a concept token in the plural concepts, and generating the ontology based on the relationship.
US08027947B2

A first set of variables is introduced into a data transaction scoring system. The first set of variables having a maturity level less than a second set of variables previously matured on the data transaction scoring system. The maturity level corresponding to an amount of exposure to the data transaction scoring system. The amount of exposure affecting a degree of precision for the data transaction scoring system. The first set of variables are introduced by expanding a data transaction profile for the data transaction scoring system including second set of variables to further include the first set of variables. Initial values are assigned for the first set of variables based on a statistical model. After such an assignment, scoring of data transactions using the expanded data transaction profile prior to maturing the data transaction system using the first set of variables can be initiated. Related apparatus, systems, techniques, and articles are also described.
US08027939B2

A method, including receiving multi-labeler data that includes data points labeled by a plurality of labelers; building a model from the multi-labeler data, wherein the model includes an input variable that corresponds to the data points, a label variable that corresponds to true labels for the data points, and variables for the labels given by the labelers; and executing the model, in response to receiving new data points, to determine a level of expertise of the labelers for the new data points.
US08027936B2

An apparatus for generating copyright information for a secondarily processed content obtained by performing secondary processing on an original content, includes a secondary processed substance acquiring unit, a default license information generating unit, and a license information editing unit. The secondary processed substance acquiring unit acquires operation substances of the secondary processing performed on the original content. The default license information generating unit obtains rights expressions for the operation substances acquired by the secondary processed substance acquiring unit to generate default license information including the rights expressions as an initial value. The license information editing unit accepts selection of a desired rights expression by a user from the rights expressions of the default license information generated by the default license information generating unit to generate license information of the secondary processed content from the selected rights expression.
US08027927B2

An on-line value bearing item (VBI) printing system that includes one or more cryptographic modules and a central database is disclosed. The cryptographic modules are capable of implementing the USPS Information Based Indicia Program Postal Security Device Performance Criteria and other required VBI standards. The modules encipher the information stored in the central database for all of the on-line VBI system customers and are capable of preventing access to the database by unauthorized users. Additionally, the cryptographic module is capable of preventing unauthorized and undetected modification, including the unauthorized modification, substitution, insertion, and deletion of VBI related data and cryptographically critical security parameters.
US08027921B1

The present disclosure attempts to migrate from a first authenticator to a second authenticator. In the most preferred embodiment, the first step is to migrate the data that is not stored encrypted by a traditional replication or transformation between the datastores of the authenticators. The new authenticator is placed in position, while the old authenticator is maintained. When a user attempts to login, servlets check to see if the user's password exists within the datastore for the new authenticator. If not, then the user is sent to the old authenticator's sign-on page. When the user enters their authentication credentials into the old authenticator, a code snippet or second servlet will capture this information and, on confirmation from the old authenticator that the user is properly authenticated, use the captured information to populate the new datastore.
US08027920B1

A transaction system comprises a plurality of transaction units each for performing a respective type of transaction. The units are interconnected via a serial link, and there is a common controller which has respective protected memory areas storing Java code for controlling the respective units.
US08027913B1

A process and a device for conducting electronic transactions provides a more effective and efficient way to make a payment over the Internet. This process and device could be used to pay, for example, a Police Administration Ticket or Police Administration Citation via the Internet.
US08027908B2

Systems and methods for chart-based order entry are described. According to one example method a chart is used to display historical market data corresponding to a tradeable object. An order entry interface is displayed in relation to the chart. The order entry interface includes a plurality of price objects for selecting price levels to be used for trade orders to buy or sell the tradeable object. According to one example method, the price levels corresponding to the price objects depend on a location of the interface in relation to the chart, and as the interface is moved in relation to the chart, the price levels are automatically updated. Upon selection of the price level on the interface, a trade order to buy or sell is submitted to a matching engine at an electronic exchange.
US08027903B2

A system and method for producing infrastructure health assessments enabling enterprises to monitor the health of individual technology portfolios and plan accordingly is disclosed. The tool uses two primary assessments to determine: 1) an infrastructure score based the general health of asset components; and 2) adaptability score based on asset components ability to interact with other elements within the asset. To generate the assessment scores, the tool accepts inventory input specific to a portfolio's assets and components. A user interacting with the tool provides classification information relating to each asset and component. The tool then calculates health assessment scores for both individual portfolio assets and for the portfolio as a whole.
US08027901B2

In an automated trading system wherein orders in an instrument in a specified currency are received and a trade in the instrument is performed when, for a certain volume of the instrument, a bid price matches an ask price, a method is provided for automatically generating an order in the instrument in said specified currency. The method comprised the steps of receiving from e.g. a currency market or a market maker a current exchange rate between a currency other than said specified currency and the specified currency; receiving from a trader an order in the instrument in said other currency; calculating a price of the order in the specified currency based on the received order and the current exchange rate; and generating the order in the instrument in the specified currency.
US08027898B2

A method and apparatus for prioritizing a listing of information providers according to a fee value and availability status indicated for the information providers, and providing a set of one or more information provider identifiers that satisfy a request for a type of information provider that has been received from a user over the Internet. The set of information provider identifiers are ranked according to their associated fee values and availability status. A set of one or more files are generated to display the set of information provider identifiers. The set of files are transmitted to the user, and the user is provided access to an information provider identified by one of the set of information provider identifiers.
US08027897B2

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for optimizing financial performance. Time series data describing the financial performance generated by corresponding marketing investments is provided to configure an econometric model. Linear coefficients of the econometric model are adjusted in accordance with the qualitative factors received as inputs from experts. The econometric model is transformed into an aggregated non-linear econometric model that includes non-linear factors that cause the financial performance to change at a varying rate as a function of the marketing investments. An allocation of the marketing investments generated by the aggregated non-linear econometric model is adjusted by applying an optimization algorithm to provide an optimized financial performance.
US08027896B2

A system and method are provided that allow for automated documentation of all advice interactions between broker representatives on one end and clients, or prospective clients, on the other. This is accomplished by providing a computer system for storing appropriate data for each advice interaction with a client. The advice interaction data can be used to assess compliance with existing regulations, as well as for analytical and training purposes.
US08027890B2

A method for processing a financial transaction such as an electronic bill payment is provided. The method includes receiving an electronic bill payment wherein the bill payment is submitted on behalf of a consumer in response to a bill associated with a biller, determining using a computer system that the received electronic bill payment is an exception payment wherein the exception payment includes the electronic bill payment submitted by the consumer having consumer entered information not matching a criterion for accepting electronic payment required by the biller, creating an exception addenda record for the exception payment using data stored within a database wherein the addenda record identifies the consumer submitting the exception payment, and posting the exception payment to an appropriate consumer account for the biller based on the addenda record.
US08027887B2

In one example, a data processing method is provided for the time-optimized calculation of a large number of result data sets at the end of a period. The calculation can be based on data. A time span can be determined for which the underlying data are to be taken into consideration. For each result data set, the probability that the data underlying the calculation of the respective result data set are changed between the calculation of the result data set and the end of the period can be detected. Result data sets within the time span can be calculated. Those result data sets of which the data underlying the calculation have a minor probability of being changed can be calculated prior to those result data sets of which the data underlying the calculation have a higher probability of being changed. The data sets can be stored.
US08027882B2

A system and method in which a buyer registers for a buyer's shipping account and uses the shipping account to pay shipping costs associated with purchases made over the Internet. When a buyer purchases merchandise over the Internet from either a retailer's website or from an individual through an online auction, the buyer is capable of controlling the shipping process by logging on to their buyer's shipping account. Among other things, the buyer can use their shipping account to select the desired type of shipping service (overnight air or ground) and populate a shipping label with shipping information such as delivery address, return address, and preferred delivery time windows. Once the shipping label has been populated and verified, the shipping label is electronically transferred to the seller for use in shipping the package. The system and methods of the present invention allow the buyer greater control over the shipping process. In many cases, the present invention will also help buyers/receivers control costs by eliminating the shipper's shipping and handling fee.
US08027881B2

The present invention includes a gift card custom messaging system for creating gift card accounts on a database that includes custom messages created by the purchaser for display on receipts of purchase transactions made by the gift card recipient to convey custom messaging information that can include a greeting, celebratory phrase or a commercial message that can include company logos and electronically sounds and animations and also includes the monetary balance remaining on the gift card to allow the recipient to more easily track the balance. The present invention further includes a variety of gift card formats and receipt display methods that allow various methods of delivery to and use by the recipient.
US08027874B2

The present invention is a system and method for delivering customized electronic advertisements in an interactive communication system. The customized advertisements are selected based on consumer profiles. and are then integrated with offerings maintained by different content providers. The preferred interactive communication system interconnects multiple consumer computers, multiple content provider computers and multiple Internet provider computers with an advertisement provider computer. Whenever a consumer directs one of the consumer computers to access an offering existing in one of the content provider computers, an advertising request is sent to the advertisement provider computer. Upon receiving the advertising request, the advertising provider computer generates a custom advertisement based on the consumer's profile. The custom advertisement is then combined with the offering from the content provider computer and displayed to the consumer. The advertisement provider computer also credits a consumer account, a content provider account and an internet provider account each time a consumer views a custom advertisement. Furthermore, the advertisement provider computer tracks consumer responses to the customized advertisements.
US08027871B2

A client transmits one or more lead records to a lead enhancement module that is configured to enhance the received lead records and return enhanced lead records to the client. The lead enhancement module may return a contactability score for each lead record, indicating a likelihood that the individual identified in the lead may be contacted using the contact information provided in the lead record and/or additional contract information located by the lead enhancement module. The lead enhancement module may also receive additional data items associated with leads from one or more data sources. Additionally, statistical models that may be customized for each client may be applied to information associated with lead records in order to determine one or more propensity scores for each of the lead records, where a propensity score indicates a likelihood that an individual will take a particular action, such as purchasing particular goods or services.
US08027869B2

A method, system, and article of manufacture for defining and managing instances of time-based organization hierarchies, and for monitoring achievement and attainment, and calculating compensation for individuals and/or groups within instances of the time-based organization hierarchies are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a user may define and/or manage one or more instances of the time-based organization hierarchy via a user interface generated on a client. Moreover, and in response to a sales data input corresponding to a transaction, an achievement and attainment monitoring process may then be executed to accumulate transaction data in one or more achievement containers, and to compile achievement containers from a specified attainment period to calculate a user's attainment. In addition, an embodiment also provides for implementation of a compensation calculation process that may utilize the transaction data accumulated in the achievement containers to calculate an individual's compensation for a specified compensation period.
US08027865B2

A system and methods which enable modeling of end consumer interests based on online activity and producing e-commerce reports is described. The method includes scoring and classifying interests and preferences of consumers in relation to various items being offered as function of time and utilizing such scores to predict purchasing activity and revenue yield for n-dimensional combinations of interest for generation of consumer lists for target marketing and merchandising. The method also includes converse modeling of the performance and behavioral profile of items offered as a function of consumer activity. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.
US08027863B2

A method for forecasting a future inventory demand includes receiving historical demand data associated with a part number and statistically analyzing the historical demand data associated with one or more part numbers to identify each part number as one of a seasonal part number, a quasi-seasonal part number, a high variability part number, or a non-seasonal part number. If the part number is identified as a seasonal part number, a first inventory requirement for a first predetermined portion of a future demand period is estimated. If the part number is identified as a quasi-seasonal part number, a second inventory requirement for a second predetermined portion of a future demand period is estimated, wherein the second predetermined portion of the future demand period is a multiple of the first predetermined portion. If the part number is identified as a high variability part number, a third inventory requirement for a third predetermined portion of a future demand period is estimated.
US08027857B2

An electronic data structure, tangibly embodied in an electronic information carrier, models a manufacturing process, and a computer-implemented method that generates and that uses the data structure. The data structure includes a header structure comprising planned time duration information for a defined manufacturing operation of the manufacturing process. The data structure also includes a resource capacity requirement structure linked to the header structure. The resource capacity requirement structure includes, firstly, planned resource capacity requirement information for a defined resource used in the manufacturing operation, and secondly, planned time refinement information that defines, within the header time duration information, a further refined timeframe during which the defined resource is estimated to be consumed.
US08027851B1

An eligibility and benefits (EB) personalization engine, metadata storage and a portal Web page are set up on a server. EB personalization profiles are set up and stored in metadata storage that specify, according to useful descriptors, personalized information that identifies the EB data of insurance companies that is relevant to particular health care providers. An EB filtering rules database is created to store the filtering rules of multiple insurance companies, where the rules are categorized by the same descriptors used in the EB personalization profiles. After receiving a provider's specific request for an insurance company's EB data for a patient's treatment, the EB personalization engine receives the full collection of EB data from the insurance company, uses the provider's EB profile and the EB filtering rules to select the correct EB data for the provider, and sends the provider that selected data.
US08027847B1

A system and method of refilling a prescription which uses a pharmacy kiosk. One embodiment of the system includes a touch screen located at a pharmacy, an input device in the touch screen or card reader for recording identification information from a customer, a barcode reader located at the pharmacy for reading a barcode containing prescription information from a previous transaction, a card reader or cash acceptor or check reader located at the pharmacy for receiving payment from the customer, and a computer located at the pharmacy for displaying a prompt to enter the identification information and scan the barcode using the touch screen, for recording the prescription information using the barcode reader, for determining corresponding price information for a refill of the prescription, and for processing payment for the refill from the customer.
US08027844B2

A method and system for processing postage payments is described. In one configuration a digital pen is utilized to provide an indication of authorization for payment of postage, while the rest of the mail handling is done using existing technology independent of the digital pen infrastructure.
US08027837B2

Systems, apparatus, methods and computer program products are described for producing text-to-speech synthesis with non-speech sounds. In general, some of the pauses or silences that would otherwise be generated in synthesized speech are instead synthesized as non-speech sounds such as breaths. Non-speech sounds can be identified from pre-recorded speech that can include meta-data such as the grammatical and phrasal structure of words and sounds that precede and succeed non-speech sounds. A non-speech sound can be selected for use in synthesized speech based on the words, punctuation, grammatical and phrasal structure of text from which the speech is being synthesized, or other characteristics.
US08027833B2

A voice enhancement logic improves the perceptual quality of a processed voice. The voice enhancement system includes a passing tire hiss noise detector and a passing tire hiss noise attenuator. The passing tire hiss noise detector detects a passing tire hiss noise by modeling the passing tire hiss. The passing tire hiss noise attenuator dampens the passing tire hiss noise to improve the intelligibility of a speech signal.
US08027831B2

An information display control apparatus includes an example sentence storage unit that stores a plurality of example sentences, an input unit that accepts a user's operation of inputting a string of characters, an example sentence search unit that, when a compound word consisting of a plurality of constituting words which are combinable and splittable is input via the input unit, searches the example sentences in the example sentence storage unit for an example sentence containing the compound word in a combined state where the plurality of constituting words are combined and an example sentence containing the compound word in a split state where the plurality of constituting words are split, and a display control unit that displays the example sentences searched by the example sentence search unit.
US08027814B2

The present invention provides methods for assessing a condition in an individual by analyzing a cerebrospinal fluid sample from the individual, for example, by spectroscopy. Further, the invention provides methods for determining an amount of blood in the cerebrospinal fluid sample; methods for determining concentrations of analytes in the cerebrospinal fluid sample; methods for determining a length of time the blood has been in the cerebrospinal fluid sample; and methods for rapidly obtaining a differential diagnosis between conditions indicated by blood in the cerebral spinal fluid. Moreover, the present invention provides instruments capable of rapidly assessing a condition in and individual by point-of-care analysis of a cerebral fluid sample from an individual.
US08027807B2

The present invention relates to diagnostic analysis of DSL circuits. In particular, it relates to methods and devices that use a rule base and automated test initiation, with excellent reduction in test technician involvement in trouble shooting, reduced truck rolls and more accurate identification of probably causes of customer complaints.
US08027795B2

A method and system for establishing a load model (120) that utilizes a measurement from a second monitor (140) to estimate a value taken by a first monitor (150). A base load value associated with a load (160) is collected. The load model (120) is applied to the base load value, yielding an estimated load value. The estimated load value is representative of at least one measured load value for the load (160).
US08027782B2

A control system includes a jerk determination module and a misfire confirmation module. The jerk determination module determines a jerk of a crankshaft associated with a firing event in an engine. The misfire confirmation module selectively confirms that a misfire detected in the engine is valid based on the jerk.
US08027777B2

A fuel supply system supplies composite fuel containing alcohol and gasoline to multiple cylinders of an internal combustion engine. The composite fuel includes main-fuel and sub-fuel. The sub-fuel is lower than main-fuel in concentration of alcohol. Each of multiple first fuel injection valves is provided to each of the cylinders for injecting fuel. Each of multiple second fuel injection valves is provided to each of the cylinders for injecting fuel. A fuel inlet portion supplies at least sub-fuel to each of the first fuel injection valves and each of the second fuel injection valves. A selector control unit selects one of main-fuel and sub-fuel supplied through the fuel inlet portion to each of the first fuel injection valves.
US08027773B2

Method and systems for automated anticipatory braking of a vehicle are provided. In one embodiment, the system comprises a vehicle accelerator movable between a maximum speed position and a minimum speed position, and a sensor configured to determine the rate of travel of the accelerator toward the minimum speed position. The system further comprises a controller configured to utilize the rate of travel of the accelerator to determine if a rapid braking condition is desired, and to provide a control signal to apply increased negative torque to the drive wheels of the vehicle prior to the user applying the vehicle brake. In some embodiments, driver history and/or other vehicle conditions are taken into account. In some embodiments, negative torque is applied via varying of valve timing, control of combustion chamber intake, control of exhaust backpressure, control of motor energy, and/or shifting of a transmission to a numerically higher speed ratio.
US08027766B2

The rotational angle correction controller includes a second correction amount-computing part that computes a second correction amount ε2 for correcting the rotational angle θ such that the phase is shifted in the steering operation direction, and the rotational angle correction controller performs the rotational angle correction by adding the computed second correction amount ε2 to the rotational angle θ. Further, the rotational angle correction controller includes a stuck steering wheel determining part that detects the significant reduction in the follow-up performance of the motor with respect to the steering operation that occurs due to the existence of the deceleration section caused by execution of the above-described electric current restriction, that is, the occurrence of the stuck steering wheel. When the occurrence of the stuck steering wheel is detected, the second correction amount-computing part changes the second correction amount ε2 to a value (ε2′) larger than the normal value.
US08027765B2

A stabilizer system for a vehicle that includes a stabilizer bar and an actuator for changing stiffness of the stabilizer bar, an electric current to be supplied to an electric motor that is a drive source of the actuator is changed based on various parameters. The supply current is made smaller in a situation in which an operational direction of the actuator is toward a neutral position, than in another situation. Further, the supply current is made smaller with an increase in a distance of the operational position of the actuator from the neutral position. Moreover, the supply current is made larger with an increase in a steering speed. In detail, when the supply current is determined by multiplying a basic supply current by a control gain, the control gain is set to change depending upon the above-indicated parameter, whereby the supply current is changed based on the parameters.
US08027748B2

The invention relates to a method and system that utilizes one or more cassettes or trays that hold medicaments for dispensing. In one embodiment, a method for dispensing includes receiving a signal at a medicament container authorizing the medicament container to dispense a medicament unit contained therein; unlocking an outlet port of the medicament container in response to the signal; dispensing the medicament unit through the outlet port in response to the signal; and locking the outlet port after the medicament unit is dispensed.
US08027745B1

A non-linear, animated, interactive assembly guide, and a method and system for creating, using, and managing non-linear, animated, interactive assembly guides to facilitate the assembly of one or more articles of manufacture. The method includes identifying the parts, tools, and test fixtures necessary to create a particular article; creating a three-dimensional graphic representing each said part, tool and test fixture; annotating said graphics; combining said graphics according to a sequence to create a non-linear, animated, interactive assembly guide; displaying said assembly guide where an assembler can observe it while assembling an article; and managing access to said guides.
US08027744B1

A design system for generating an object design for producing an engineered object, the design system includes an estimate generator, a layout drawing generator, and a design generator. The estimate generator generates a cost estimate based on at least one of a request for proposal defining the engineered object, components of the engineered object, and engineering rules and knowledge. The layout drawing generator generates a layout drawing based on at least one of the request for proposal, the engineered object, and engineering rules and knowledge. The design generator generates the object design based on a proposal and an order. The proposal is generated based on the cost estimate and the layout drawing. The order is generated based on the proposal.
US08027743B1

Systems and methods for editing digital audio data are provided. In one implementation, a method is provided that includes receiving digital audio data. Input is received selecting a noise threshold identifying a level at which one or more segments of audio data are considered to be noise. The noise threshold is associated with a plurality of parameters of the audio data and applicable to a plurality of frequency bands of the audio data. A first segment and second segment of the digital audio data are analyzed at a selected frequency band to identify noise. When the audio data in the first segment exceeds the noise threshold, the first segment is identified as including a first noise and the audio data is compressed. When audio data in the second segment exceeds the noise threshold, the second segment is identified as including a second noise and the audio data is compressed.
US08027731B2

A treatment method and device for promoting a localized increase in the flow of blood through a blood vessel in an area of the body, the method including the steps of: (a) providing a system including: (i) at least a first electrode operatively contacting a first portion of body tissue; (ii) at least a second electrode operatively contacting a second portion of body tissue; and (iii) a signal generator, operatively connected to the first electrode and the second electrode, for providing a plurality of electrical impulses to the electrodes; (b) applying the electrical impulses so as to subject the muscular tissue to at least one voltage differential, thereby inducing repeated, contracting, directional movement of muscular tissue associated within the blood vessel, so as to produce a localized increase in the flow of blood through the blood vessel.
US08027729B2

A micro integrated cardiac pacemaker includes a control unit for outputting a control signal according to cardiograph information, heart stimulating means for stimulating heart tissue in response to the control signal, cardiograph information extracting means for extracting cardiograph information and outputting it to the control unit, and a power supply unit for supplying drive power. The power supply unit is a biological fuel cell that takes out electrons by oxidation of a biological fuel. The biological fuel cell includes an anode and a cathode. An oxidase of a biological fuel and a mediator are immobilized on the cathode. Blood and/or body fluid are used as an electrolytic solution, and a biological fuel and oxygen in the blood and/or the fluid are used. The biological fuel cell is attached to the end of a catheter and implanted into the heart, and the catheter is withdrawn, without incising the breast.
US08027721B2

External pacemaker systems and methods deliver pacing waveforms that minimize hydrolysis of the electrode gel. Compensating pulses are interleaved with the pacing pulses, with a polarity and duration that balance the net charge at the electrode locations. The compensating pulses are preferably rectangular for continuous pacing, and decay individually for on-demand pacing.
US08027713B2

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus having control unit for fetching a plurality of image data and obtaining an image by a calculation. The control unit performs an unwrap processing to a plurality of regions for removing a main value of a phase rotation amount so as to obtain a distribution diagram of a phase rotation amount caused by magnetostatic unevenness, obtains a plurality of evaluation values based on the phase value between a plurality of regions, selects a desired evaluation value based on the phase value from the plurality of evaluation values, and adjusts the phase values between the regions in accordance with the desired evaluation value.
US08027707B2

A method for managing operation of a device is disclosed and may include performing the following using one or more processors and/or circuits in a handheld multistandard communication system, the one or more processors and/or circuits comprising a control device and one or more other devices: receiving from the control device, one or more power setting signals indicative of a desired power level setting. The handheld multistandard communication system may operate utilizing a NORMAL power level setting or a standby setting. The standby setting may include a LOW power level setting and a sleep mode setting. One or more corresponding power adjustment signals may be generated based on the received one or more power setting signals. Power supplied to the control device and/or the one or more other devices may be adjusted based on the generated one or more corresponding power adjustment signals.
US08027706B2

A method of acquiring a preferred ringtone for a telematics unit in a vehicle includes indicating, via a user interface panel in communication with the telematics unit, that an audio emission is related to the preferred ringtone. The audio emission emanates from a vehicle audio system operatively disposed in the vehicle. The method further includes transmitting the preferred ringtone to the vehicle via the telematics unit. The preferred ringtone notifies a user of an incoming communication.
US08027701B2

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a mobile phone including: a first timer configured to output a first time out signal representing that a first processing is to be executed by starting a system when a first given time period has elapsed; a starting unit configured to start the system; a second timer configured to determine whether time out is brought about when the system is started from a sleeping state without determining whether the time out is brought about when the system is sleeping and output a second time out signal representing that a second processing is to be executed when it is determined that a second given time period has elapsed from a time counting start time point when the system is activated; and a second processing unit configured to execute the second processing when the second time out signal is received.
US08027696B2

Disclosed is a method for dynamically allocating channel resources in a wireless communication system. A request for a channel resource by a new talkgroup call is received. Whether the new talkgroup call is associated to an associated communication based upon an operational relationship of the new talkgroup call to the associated communication is determined. The channel resource for the new talkgroup call based upon the operational relationship is allocated.
US08027689B2

A method, a wireless communication system, a tangible machine-readable medium, and a communication apparatus for transmitting a bandwidth (BW) allocation based on a multi-hop relay standard are provided. The wireless communication system comprises a BS and at least one RS. The BS transmits the at least one particular channel descriptor to the at least one RS. The least one RS transmits at least one Ack to the BS for replying the at least one particular channel descriptor. Finally, the BS transmits the at least one BW allocation to the at least one RS according to the at least one Ack in a predetermined interval.
US08027682B2

A method for performing fast base station switching in an mobile station capable of using multiple frequency assignments in a wireless communication system are provided, in which initial network entry to a base station managing at least two frequency assignments is performed in one of the at least two frequency assignments, overlay mode support information and FA information about the at least two frequency assignments are acquired by the initial network entry, the overlay mode support information indicating whether the base station supports multiple frequency assignments, the base station is notified that the mobile station will operate in an overlay mode using multiple frequency assignments based on the acquired information, and signals are transmitted and received to and from the base station in the at least two frequency assignments.
US08027673B2

A method and apparatus for reducing degradation in the sensitivity of a receiver in a mobile phone are disclosed. The sensitivity of the receiver in the mobile phone is monitored. When the sensitivity degrades below a predetermined threshold, it is determined which feature of the mobile phone is causing the detected degradation. The operation of the feature is changed to reduce the amount of degradation produced by the feature.
US08027671B2

Among other things, in controlling a download of one or more files from a server to a mobile device, account is taken of at least two of: an urgency of the file, the existence of a user-indicated preference about the download, a power status of the mobile device, and a network connectivity status of the mobile device.
US08027668B2

A system and method is provided for handling data in wireless communication devices where data may be captured and linked to a personal journal via indexing and mapping of context data tags abstracted from captured data. The captured data may be retrieved by matching a query to one or more context data tags indexed and mapped to the personal journal. A user preference utilizing one or more of the context data tags linked to the personal journal may facilitate captured data retrieval. The captured data may include multimedia data of an event pre-tagged with indexed information such as user ID, time, date, location and environmental condition or optionally one or more user's biometric data in response to the event. The pre-tagged captured data may be stored in the local host device or transferred to a remote host or storage for later retrieval or post processing.
US08027667B2

A system and method for delivering coupon messages to a consumer wireless device utilizes a fixed communication device that functions as a base station for the consumer wireless device. The fixed communication device has limited coverage zone. When the consumer wireless device comes within the coverage zone of the fixed communication device, the consumer wireless device selects the fixed communication device as the preferred base station. Upon completion of registration, the fixed communication device transmits one or more coupon messages to the consumer wireless device. The consumer may enter the associated retail establishment and complete a transaction using the received coupon message. The consumer wireless device may be viewed manually, or the display scanned or read electronically to accept the coupon message in the retail establishment.
US08027664B2

A media distribution system includes a service provider and at least a mobile terminal. The service provider includes at least two district servers which communicate with each other through Internet. The mobile terminal is communicatively linked to at least one of the district servers for wirelessly communicating with a mobile phone of a registered user through a mobile telecommunication network, wherein the service provider forms a communication link for allowing the registered user to obtain a media information from the district server through Internet via the mobile phone of the registered user, wherein the mobile terminal obtains the media information from the district server and transmits the media information to the mobile phone of the registered user through the mobile telecommunication network so as to distribute the media information via the mobile phone of the registered user.
US08027662B1

A method for obtaining media at a first communications device (e.g., that of a parent) from a wireless communications device (e.g., one being used by a child), includes steps of receiving a message from the first device at the wireless communications device, the message causing the wireless communications device to display a prompt for the user to capture media (e.g., photo, voice sample, or biometrical sample) with the device, obtaining current location information for the wireless communications device; and automatically transmitting the media from the second device to the first device along with the current location information.
US08027657B2

A mixer 1100 with a plurality of signal paths typically requires separate clock generating hardware for each signal path. However, the redundancy of having multiple clock generating hardware significantly increases power consumption and integrated circuit area when the mixer 1100 is integrated into silicon. A method and apparatus 1125 containing a circuit for generating a set of clock signals that can be shared by the different signal paths is presented. Advantage is taken of the significant capacitance difference between different sampling capacitors in the mixer and the superposition property.
US08027648B2

An exemplary apparatus for monitoring power of RF energy includes a transmit/receive switch configured to switch an antenna between a transmitter state and a receiver state. The switch includes a diode. The exemplary apparatus can include an output device configured to monitor voltage across the diode of the switch to detect power of RF energy of the antenna. An exemplary method of monitoring power during transmission or reception of a signal can include placing a transmit/receive switch configured to switch an antenna between a transmitter and a receiver into one of a receiver state or a transmitter state. The exemplary method can include detecting voltage across a diode configured as a switching element in the transmit/receive switch to monitor power, and providing an output indicative of the monitored power.
US08027644B2

A transceiver system includes a first receive path with a first antenna configured to receive first signals, a first configuration switch, a first low noise amplifier configured to amplify the first signals, a second configuration switch, and a receiver. The first receive path is selectively configured to supply the amplified first signals to the receiver via the first antenna, the first configuration switch, the first low noise amplifier, and the second configuration switch. A second receive path includes a second antenna configured to receive second signals, a second low noise amplifier configured to amplify the second signals, the second configuration switch, and the receiver. The second receive path (i) includes fewer configuration switches than the first receive path and (ii) is selectively configured to supply the amplified second signals to the receiver via the second antenna, the second low noise amplifier, and the second configuration switch.
US08027642B2

A frequency translating repeater (200) for use in a wireless local area network includes a cancellation unit. Canceller (402) is controlled by control (401) to provide an injection signal for canceling leakage in a receive signal path. Reference coupler (403) provides a reference signal from the transmit signal, injection coupler (404) injects a correction signal, and sample coupler (405) provides a sample for feedback. A processor (510) receives the sample signal through a detector (415). Although the present invention is intended for a frequency translating repeater, it has broad applications in radio transceivers in general. One specific application is with frequency division duplex (FDD) handsets or base stations utilizing CDMA technologies such as W-CDMA and IS-2000 or 1XEV-DV/DO.
US08027632B2

Systems and methods provide for the selective prevention of data transfer from a medical device to allow the patient to have privacy when desired. These systems and methods provide medical devices that can be instructed in various ways to stop recording data and/or transmitting data to external devices and systems. These systems and methods also provide external repeater devices that can also be instructed in various ways to stop recording data being received, stop forwarding data that is being or has already been received, and/or to stop soliciting data from the medical device. These systems and methods also provide for a blocking device that may be separate from the medical device and repeater to provide instruction to the medical device and/or repeater to prevent data transfer such as by stopping the recording or transmission of data. Further, the blocking device may be alternatively configured to provide a jamming signal to prevent data transmissions from being successfully communicated between the medical device and the repeater.
US08027619B2

A toner container is mounted to an image forming apparatus in a state of containing toners. The toner container includes: a container body for containing toners; and an agitating unit provided in the container body for agitating the toners. The agitating unit includes: a cylindrical member having a cylindrical peripheral wall and rotating about an axis of cylinder; an opening formed in the cylindrical peripheral wall for allowing the toners to pass through; and a conveying section for conveying the toners in a direction of the axis of the cylindrical member.
US08027616B2

A belt unit includes: a pair of roller members spaced from and opposing each other in a first direction, each of the roller members having an axis extending in a second direction; an endless belt extending around the roller members; a plurality of transfer members arranged along the first direction between the roller members and spaced from one another so as to be enclosed by the endless belt; and a frame that rotatably supports the roller members and the transfer members. The frame includes: a pair of resin side frames spaced from each other in the second direction, each of the resin side frames extending in the first direction; and a resin bridging beam extending between the side frames.
US08027615B2

An image-forming device includes a main body and a tandem photosensitive-member unit. The tandem photosensitive-member unit includes a unit frame, a plurality of photosensitive members, a front-side grip part, and a rear-side grip. The unit frame is configured to be slidably installed to and removed from the main body in a predetermined direction. The unit frame has a leading side and a trailing side with respect to the predetermined direction. The plurality of photosensitive members is provided corresponding to a plurality of colors and is supported by the unit frame. The front-side grip part is provided at the leading side of the unit frame. The rear-side grip part is provided at the trailing side of the unit frame.
US08027603B2

Disclosed are methods of controlling a speed of a fuser cleaner web in a fuser apparatus, and the corresponding fuser apparatus. The method utilizes a fuser apparatus having a fuser roll and a web nip roll, the fuser cleaner web for cleaning the fuser roll and being disposed between the fuser roll and the web nip roll. The method determines a property of a media to be fused in the fuser apparatus, and controls a speed of the fuser cleaner web based on the determined property of the media.
US08027599B2

An image forming apparatus includes an overheat prevention device to control a heater based on a fusing temperature detected by a temperature sensor within a predetermined range when a controller generates an abnormal heater control signal.
US08027598B2

When copying control (copying/printing job) is finished, the main CPU checks whether the scanner control is being executed in the scanner portion. If the scanner control is not being executed, the main CPU checks whether there is any scanner control executing request. If there is no scanner control executing request, the main CPU locks a scanner control resource, reads out a count value of a toner residual amount stored in a non-volatile RAM, renews the control information of EEPROM of the toner cartridge through an interface, releases the lock of the scanner control resource and finishes the copying operation.
US08027592B2

An IR signaling generator and method divides the functionality of generation between software and hardware to provide a flexible way to generate IR signals, such as remote control signals. The hardware includes a clock generator for generating a carrier clock signal and a data clock signal, a buffer memory that is loaded with instructions representing an encoded data sequence; a control circuit, and a transmitter including a modulator. Each instruction contains an on/off value that is to be modulated with the data clock signal and a pulse duration value that indicates how long the on/off value is to modulate the clock signal. Using the data clock signal, the control circuit measures the amount of time the on/off value modulates the clock signal and causes the buffer to advance to the next instruction in the sequence when the measured amount of time is equal to the pulse duration value.
US08027587B1

A vector-matrix multiplier is disclosed which uses N different wavelengths of light that are modulated with amplitudes representing elements of an N×1 vector and combined to form an input wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) light stream. The input WDM light stream is split into N streamlets from which each wavelength of the light is individually coupled out and modulated for a second time using an input signal representing elements of an M×N matrix, and is then coupled into an output waveguide for each streamlet to form an output WDM light stream which is detected to generate a product of the vector and matrix. The vector-matrix multiplier can be formed as an integrated optical circuit using either waveguide amplitude modulators or ring resonator amplitude modulators.
US08027584B2

The present invention relates to a system for sensing of a disturbance on an optical link. Data traffic from an optical source with a short coherence length is transmitted along the link to a receiver station on one or more of a plurality of time-division-multiplexed channels. One of the channels is used to transmit encoded phase information relating to the phase characteristics of the optical source output. At the receiver station, the actual phase characteristics of the arriving light from the optical source is compared with the encoded phase information. Since a physical disturbance of the link is likely to alter the actual phase characteristics of the arriving light but not the encoded phase information, it is possible to determine if a physical disturbance has occurred. The system can conveniently be used to monitor an optical link carrying communications traffic.
US08027574B2

A vaporizer for receiving and vaporizing particulate material, comprising: a heater having a reticulated material structure composed of ligands that define voids adapted to receive particulate materials, wherein the voids comprise greater than 85% of the volume of the reticulated material structure so that delivery of particulate material into the voids and conduction of vaporized material from the voids is facilitated; causes heat to be produced or conducted by the ligands to cause the particulate material in the voids to vaporize and be conducted through the voids.
US08027569B2

An input signal is quantized into a quantization-resultant signal. The quantization-resultant signal is compressed into a compression-resultant signal. The compression-resultant signal is formatted into a formatting-resultant signal corresponding to a predetermined format for a digital recording disc. The formatting-resultant signal includes segments corresponding to user data areas prescribed in the predetermined format. The compression-resultant signal is placed in the segments of the formatting-resultant signal. The formatting-resultant signal is encoded into an encoding-resultant signal of a CD format. The encoding-resultant signal is recorded on a recording medium.
US08027566B2

A BD-ROM playback apparatus for selecting and playing back one among text subtitle streams together with a moving picture. PSR 48-61 store Decode Capability flags whose set values indicate, for each language, whether or not a decode capability is present. Procedure executing unit 20 judges whether each text subtitle stream can be displayed, by referring to each set value of flags. Stream selection unit 17 selects a text subtitle stream judged as being able to be decoded. Here, the decode capability for a language being present indicates presence of rendering capability for converting character codes of the language into bitmaps, and support capability for supporting properties of the language. The b16 to b23 in PSR 30 includes a permission flag indicating whether stream selection unit 17 is permitted to select an unsupported language for which rendering capability is present but not support capability.
US08027557B2

Optical fiber lasers and components for optical fiber laser. An optical fiber laser can comprise a fiber laser cavity having a wavelength of operation at which the cavity provides output light, the cavity including optical fiber that guides light having the wavelength of operation, the fiber having first and second lengths, the first length having a core having a V-number at the wavelength of operation and a numerical aperture, the second length having a core that is multimode at the wavelength of operation and that has a V-number that is greater than the V-number of the core of the first length optical fiber at the wavelength of operation and a numerical aperture that is less than the numerical aperture of the core of the first length of optical fiber. At least one of the lengths comprises an active material that can provide light having the wavelength of operation via stimulated emission responsive to the optical fiber receiving pump light. Components include a mode field adapter and optical fiber interconnection apparatus, which can be used to couple the first and second lengths of optical fiber, or can couple the fiber laser to an optical fiber power amplifier, which can be a multimode or single mode amplifier.
US08027556B2

A coupling structure of waveguide including a line defect (LD) waveguide portion having an LD waveguide, an electromagnetic field distribution matching portion (EFDMP) connected between the LD waveguide portion and a first tapered portion, the first tapered portion connected with the EFDMP, and a thin line waveguide portion connected with the first tapered portion and having a thin line waveguide. The EFDMP has a matching portion LD as the LD of a columnar photonic crystal, and the matching portion LD is connected with the LD waveguide. The first tapered portion consists of a first thin wire core, and the first LD of a columnar photonic crystal arranged along at least one side of first thin line core. At least one of the first thin line core and the first LD is connected with the matching portion line defect. The thin line waveguide is connected with the first thin line core.
US08027555B1

A cladding mode stripper for stripping cladding modes from an optical fiber is disclosed. The cladding mode stripper includes a reflective base and a block of a transparent material disposed on the reflective base. The block of the transparent material has a groove in its bottom surface for the fiber. The fiber is thermally coupled to the base and optically coupled to the groove in the block, for example using an index matching gel. The cladding mode light is reflected from the reflective base and is absorbed in a cover enclosing the block. An additional thin block of transparent heat-conductive material can be placed between the fiber and the reflective base, to prevent the index matching gel from contacting the reflective surface of the base.
US08027549B2

A system and method for searching multimedia databases using a pictorial language, input via an iconic interface and making use of trained ontologies, i.e., trained data models. An iconic graphic user interface (GUI) allows a user to specify a pictorial query that may include one or more one or more key-images and optional text input. Similarities between the query key-images and images in a multimedia database based on a pictorial edit distance are used to select the images that are the closest match to the query. The result images are returned to the user in order of their relevance to the query.
US08027547B2

Techniques are provided for compressing and decompressing image data which may reduce the distortion that may otherwise be created by the compression of data values representative of null posts, overlays or other features that differ from the underlying image. In compression, at least one coefficient generated by a forward wavelet transform may be replaced with respective replacement coefficients. The transformed image data is then subjected to an inverse wavelet transform to generate modified image data in which the data values which differ from the underlying image have been replaced by interpolated or extrapolated values. The modified image data may be compressed in accordance with wavelet-based image compression. Alternatively, wavelet image compression may be applied directly to the coefficients resulting from the modified forward wavelet transform. In decompression, the compressed image data may be decompressed and data values representative of null posts or other features may be replaced with their original values.
US08027543B2

A method and system for searching a database of graphical data are described. Embodiments of the invention use accelerated image-comparing techniques based on an adaptation of the Levenshtein algorithm for matching or searching one-dimensional data strings for use with recognizing pre-selected targets in graphical contents of 2D images.
US08027536B2

The subject application is directed to a system and method for image fog scene detection. Electronic image data is first received and divided into image regions, with each region consisting of a plurality of pixels. Next, a comparison matrix is generated corresponding to each image region based upon a comparison of minimum intensity values associated with corresponding pixels to a threshold value. An entry of at least one of the comparison matrices is then tested for a preselected value. The received electronic image data is then identified as inclusive of a fog scene based upon the output of the test on the entry of the comparison matrix. Based upon the identification, fog scene detection data representing an identified fog scene is then generated.
US08027531B2

This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for video capture of a three-dimensional region of interest in a scene using an array of video cameras. The video cameras of the array are positioned for viewing the three-dimensional region of interest in the scene from their respective viewpoints. A triggering mechanism is provided for staggering the capture of a set of frames by the video cameras of the array. The apparatus has a processing unit for combining and operating on the set of frames captured by the array of cameras to generate a new visual output, such as high-speed video or spatio-temporal structure and motion models, that has a synthetic viewpoint of the three-dimensional region of interest. The processing involves spatio-temporal interpolation for determining the synthetic viewpoint space-time trajectory. In some embodiments, the apparatus computes a multibaseline spatio-temporal optical flow.
US08027529B2

A system for improving substrate critical dimension uniformity is described. The system includes an exposing means for exposing a plurality of mask patterns on a first plurality of substrates at predetermined locations with common splits of focus ({Fj}) and exposure dose ({Ek}) for each of the first plurality of substrates to form a plurality of perturbed wafers. A measuring means is provided for measuring a critical dimension of the plurality of mask patterns at each of the predetermined locations for each of the plurality of perturbed wafers. An averaging means is provided for averaging the critical dimension measured at each of the predetermined locations over the plurality of perturbed wafers to form a perturbed critical dimension map. A second measuring means is provided for measuring a sidewall angle of the plurality of mask patterns at each of the predetermined locations for each of the plurality of perturbed wafers. A second averaging means is provided for averaging the sidewall angle measured at each of the predetermined locations over the plurality of perturbed wafers to form a perturbed sidewall angle map. The perturbed critical dimension map and the perturbed sidewall angle map can then be provided to an exposure tool.
US08027527B2

The distribution states of defects are analyzed on the basis of the coordinates of defects detected by an inspection apparatus to classify them into a distribution feature category, or any one of repetitive defect, congestion defect, linear distribution defect, ring/lump distribution defect and random defect. In the manufacturing process for semiconductor substrates, defect distribution states are analyzed on the basis of defect data detected by an inspection apparatus, thereby specifying the cause of defect in apparatus or process.
US08027526B2

X-ray images are recorded of a patient's heart and the heartbeat phase is registered as that is done. The heartbeat phases are coarsely divided into intervals and all X-ray images that have been assigned heartbeat phase from the interval are used for reconstructing a 3D image dataset. The movement fields of the other 3D image datasets are then calculated for one of said 3D image datasets. Movement fields are vector fields indicating the movements of similar structures from one local area to the other. A departure is then made from the coarse interval division, and for each heartbeat phase a movement field is interpolated individually or at least for fairly short intervals from the movement fields determined in advance, which field is used for generating a deformed 3D image dataset that has been imaged onto a reference heartbeat phase. The deformed 3D image datasets are then added together.
US08027525B2

An image display method and an image display apparatus realize prevention of misdiagnosis which is caused by corruption of a part of at least one type of information including identification information, information on a series of images, and diagnosis-report information. The image display method and the image display apparatus perform an operation using a predetermined hash function on patient information ID1, examination information ID2, a series of images I1 to In acquired by an intra-subject information acquiring apparatus to generate and add hash data h. Thereafter, the image display method and the image display apparatus, when using case 15a-1, perform an operation using a predetermined hash function to generate new hash data, compare each piece of the hash data h already added and newly generated hash data, and determine whether two pieces of hash data match with each other. Based on the result of determination, the use of the case data is canceled, or display of corrupted image is restricted, for example, so that the misdiagnosis is prevented.
US08027524B2

An image diagnosis support apparatus according to the invention comprises an adipose distribution data computing device which figures out adipose distribution data measured of a desired site in a subject from at least one medical image; an abnormal shadow candidate detecting device which detects an abnormal shadow candidate based on the figured-out adipose distribution data; and a display device which displays the abnormal shadow candidate detected by the abnormal shadow candidate detecting device and the medical image in a manner of being related to each other.
US08027519B2

An imaging module for biometrics authentication comprises: a light source irradiating a living body with light capable of passing through the living body; a prism having an incidence surface including an incidence area for taking in light emerging from the living body, two or more reflecting surfaces for reflecting the light taken in through the incidence area, and an outlet surface for outputting the light reflected by the reflecting surfaces; and a camera module including a lens for focusing the light emerging from the outlet surface of the prism and an image pickup device for converting the light focused thereon by the lens into an electric signal and outputting the electric signal.
US08027506B2

The presently claimed invention relates generally to encoding imagery and video. One claim recites a method including: obtaining data representing an image or video captured from an aerial platform; and utilizing a multi-purpose computer processor configured to: control communication of the data; and steganographically encode the data to include information representing polynomial coefficients associated with at least one geographic dimension. Other combinations and claims are provided as well.
US08027498B2

A speaker capable of emitting light includes a housing, a plurality of light generators, and a speaker core. The housing formed by material capable of conducting light, used as a speaker chamber of the speaker, has a first opening and a second opening. The plurality of light generators is formed nearby the second opening for generating light. The speaker core is set in the first opening of the housing for generating sound.
US08027497B2

A hearing device that is operated with a rechargeable battery pack has at least one contact element that is fashioned to accept a charging current in electrical connection with an external charging device. The contact element is resiliently mounted at the hearing device and can be pressed onto a charging contact of the external charging device during a charging state under the application of a positive force. The contact element is located in a first position in an operating state or rest state of the hearing device, and is moved into a second position in the charging state.
US08027493B2

A biplane line array speaker includes a line array of tweeters mounted substantially directly in front of a line array of woofers. The tweeter line array is arcuately shaped to provide controlled vertical dispersion above and below the boundaries of the speaker cabinet. The woofers are displaced from the tweeters in stepped manner. The speaker cabinet is a rectangular box, allowing efficient wall mounting in single or multiple unit columns. In multiple unit columns, the individual units acoustically couple to each other.
US08027490B2

An audio control method and audio processing system utilize an ADC to sample an analog audio input signal and convert it to a digital audio signal. A control module determines input signal level from the digital audio signal. Based on different input signal levels, output gain range of the amplifier can be set. In this way, the present invention can prevent speakers being burned out or volume being too low.
US08027488B2

Ultrasonic signals are used to transmit sounds from a modulated ultrasonic generator to other locations from which the sounds appear to emanate. In particular, an ultrasonic carrier is modulated with an audio signal and demodulated on passage through the atmosphere. The carrier frequencies are substantially higher than those of prior systems, e.g., at least 60 kHz, and the modulation products thus have frequencies which are well above the audible range of humans; as a result, these signals are likely harmless to individuals who are within the ultrasonic fields of the system. The signals may be steered to moving locations, and various measures are taken to minimize distortion and maximize efficiency.
US08027484B2

Microphone is arranged at an evaluation point at the front seat; a signal for controlling vibration noise at this position is sent out from speaker at the front seat; secondary sound for canceling an influence of secondary sound at the front seat on the rear seat is sent out from speaker at the rear seat; microphone is arranged at an evaluation point at the rear seat; a signal for controlling vibration noise at this position is sent out from speaker; and secondary sound for canceling an influence of secondary sound at the rear seat on the front seat is sent out from speaker at the front seat.
US08027475B2

An information handing system provides a method for recovering encryption keys. The method includes providing a first recording medium of a plurality of recording media in a first drive of a plurality of drives. A first key is requested from a primary key manager (PKM) associated with the first drive, wherein the first drive provides a first key identifier (ID) to the PKM. If it is determined that the PKM provides the first key corresponding to the first key ID, a first identifying information for the PKM is stored in a memory for the first recording medium.
US08027471B2

An article of manufacture includes a machine-readable medium that stores a multimedia content file in a first format and multiple program sets. Each program set is a version of software that, when executed by a respective electronic system, produces the multimedia content file in a second format for use in the respective electronic system. A first program set is compatible with a first operating system executed by a first electronic system and a second program set is compatible with a second operating system executed by a second electronic system. The second operating system is distinct from the first operating system.
US08027463B2

The cradle and the telephone body are configured to be separable from and couplable to each other. The cradle and the telephone body are coupled to each other with a space interposed therebetween.
US08027454B1

A method is provided for reserving trunks on a trunk group for designated class of service calls. The trunks available for a denominated class of service is specified, and the trunks remaining are enumerated and designated as of no class and available for all calls. When the no class trunks are in use and a new call is a denominated class of service, it is allocated to a trunk and the trunks available is reduced accordingly. If the no class trunks are in use and a new call is not of a denominated class of service, the new call is allocated to a further trunk group. When a call is released and the number available is reduced below a specified number, the number of available trunks increases. If the number of trunks available is not reduced below a specified number, the released trunk is made available for all calls.
US08027451B2

A telephone exchange (1) arranged to communicate with communication units (2, 3, 4, 5, 7) and to provide a plurality of electronic call assistants to the communication units, a first electronic call assistant (12) being provided to a first communication unit (2) and a second electronic call assistant (14) to a second communication unit (4), the first electronic call assistant (12) having access to a distinct first database (36), the second electronic call assistant (14) having access to a distinct second database (38), wherein the first (12) and second (14) electronic call assistants share a common database (40).
US08027445B2

A method includes receiving a query at a telephone number mapping (ENUM) server, the query identifying an emergency telephone number associated with a subscriber to an emergency contact service. The method also includes retrieving from the ENUM server, in response to the query, one or more emergency contact Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs) associated with the subscriber, where each of the emergency contact URIs has an associated emergency contact indicator. The method also includes initiating routing of a communication to destination devices associated with each retrieved emergency contact URI via an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
US08027438B2

Systems for translating text messages in an instant messaging system comprise a translation engine for translating text messages into a preferred language of a recipient of the text messages. The systems are configured to send and receive the text messages and to determine whether the text messages that are received in a source language are in the preferred language of the recipients so that the text messages are displayed in the preferred language of the recipients of the text messages, including an indication of whether or not the received message is translated. Other systems and methods are also provided.
US08027433B2

An x-ray imaging system includes a detector positioned to receive x-rays, and an x-ray tube coupled to a mount structure. The x-ray tube is configured to generate x-rays toward the detector and includes a target, a cathode cup, an emitter attached to the cathode cup and configured to emit a beam of electrons toward the target, the emitter having a length and a width, and a one-dimensional grid positioned between the emitter and the target and attached to the cathode cup at one or more attachment points. The one-dimensional grid includes a plurality of rungs that each extend in a direction of the width of the emitter, and the plurality of rungs are configured to expand and contract relative to the one or more attachment points without substantial distortion with respect to the emitter.
US08027429B2

Disclosed are a method and a device for real-time mark for a high-energy X-ray dual-energy imaging container inspection system in the radiation imaging field. The method comprises the steps of emitting a first main beam of rays and a first auxiliary beam of rays having a first energy, and a second main beam of rays and a second auxiliary beam of rays having a second energy; causing the first and second main beams of rays transmitting through the article to be inspected; causing the first and second auxiliary beams of rays transmitting through at least one real-time mark material block; collecting values of the first and second main beams of rays that have transmitted through the article to be inspected as dual-energy data; collecting values of the first and second auxiliary beams of rays that have transmitted through the real-time mark material block as adjustment parameters; adjusting the set of classification parameters based on the adjustment parameters; and identifying the substance according to the dual-energy data based on adjusted classification parameters. The method according to the invention simplifies the mark procedure for a substance identification subsystem in a high-energy dual-energy system while improves the stability of the material differentiation result of the system.
US08027418B2

To improve an S/N of an AM signal in a diversity reception circuit while suppressing an increase in a circuit size of A/D conversion circuits therein. In the diversity reception circuit, a single AM signal is supplied to each of the A/D conversion circuits provided for A/D converting a plurality of FM signals, and a plurality of obtained results of the conversions are added by an adding circuit, thereby improving the S/N.
US08027417B2

A level of interference affecting signal components of received communication signals is estimated and used to weight the signal components. The signal components in a each of a number of groups of signal components are weighted based on respective interference estimates to thereby adjust signal components for colored interference, which may vary significantly between different groups of signal components. Each group of signal components may include a single component or components within a relatively narrow sub-band of the communication signals, such as a coherence bandwidth of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal.
US08027401B2

An iterative detection and decoding method in a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system includes detecting entire MIMO nodes to generate soft decision values; decoding a first soft decision value among the soft decision values; determining whether to perform an iterative detection and decoding by measuring reliability of the decoded first decoding signal; generating a soft decision value by performing a redetection of a MIMO node containing the soft decision value, when the decoded soft decision value is iteratively detected and decoded; and decoding a second soft decision value among the soft decision values.
US08027400B2

In a transmitting portion of a wireless communication apparatus, hopping pattern generating portions 16 and 17 produce hopping patterns independent from each other and specific to a transmitter. Subcarrier assigning portions 18 and 19 assign transmission symbol sequences to subcarriers 1 to R in accordance with the hopping patterns and produce frequency hopping signals. In a receiving portion of the wireless communication apparatus, a MIMO demodulating portion 37 combines and decomposes a FFT signal and produces a demodulated signal. Hopping pattern generating portions 38 and 39 produce unique hopping patterns corresponding to transmitters 1-1 to 1-K, respectively. Subcarrier extracting portions 40 and 41 extract, from the demodulated signal, components corresponding to the hopping patterns and produce the components as partial demodulated sequences, respectively.
US08027398B2

The method contains the following steps. First, in a MCM system with N sub-carriers, the baseband signal blocks Xj, j=1, 2, . . . ,B are supplemented with zeros and processed with LN-point IFFT, respectively, to obtain L-time oversampled time-domain signal blocks xj, j=1,2, . . . ,B. Then, xj undergoes Q Time Domain Circular Shifts or Frequency Domain Circular Shifts to obtain Q signal blocks {tilde over (x)}j(ij), ij=1, Λ, Q. Subsequently, a B×B unitary transform is performed against ( x1, {tilde over (x)}2(i2), . . . , {tilde over (x)}B(iB)). After the unitary transform, for each (i2, . . . , iB) a combination having B time-domain signal blocks is obtained as follows: ({tilde over (y)}1(i2, . . . , iB), {tilde over (y)}2(i2, . . . , iB), . . . , {tilde over (y)}B(i2, . . . ,iB))=( x1, {tilde over (x)}2(i2), . . . , {tilde over (x)}B(iB)) cU where U is the B×B unitary matrix, and c is an arbitrary constant (c≠0). Finally, the total QB−1 combinations are compared against each other to select a best candidate for transmission that could produce the lowest peak value, or the smallest PAPR, or the lowest clipping noise power.
US08027387B2

In a moving picture coding apparatus, a first determining section determines whether the parameter is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold and a first measuring section, for each divided blocks, measures time duration while the first determining section is determining that the parameter is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold. After that, a second determining section determines whether the time duration comes up to a predetermined condition. Then, a coding control section forcibly sets intra-coding for a block, if the second measuring section determined that the time duration has come up to the condition.
US08027377B2

In a transceiver, a transmitter circuit is provided substantially the same common-mode voltage regardless of whether the transceiver is in a transmitting or receiving mode. In one embodiment, the transmitter circuit includes a driver circuit which, in the transmission mode of the transceiver, drives an output differential signal, and which, in the receiving mode of the transceiver, provides a termination circuit for an input differential signal. A variable resistor is provided to connect between a supply voltage and the driver circuit, the resistance of the variable resistor is selected such that the common-mode voltage of the output differential signal of the transmission mode substantially equals the common-mode voltage in the input differential signal of the receiving mode.
US08027373B2

Quick frequency tracking (QFT), quick time tracking (QTT), and non-causal pilot filtering (NCP) are used to detect sporadically transmitted signaling, e.g., paging indicators. For QFT, multiple hypothesized frequency errors are applied to an input signal to obtain multiple rotated signals. The energies of the rotated signals are computed. The hypothesized frequency error with the largest energy is provided as a frequency error estimate. For QTT, coherent accumulation is performed on the input signal for a first set of time offsets, e.g., early, on-time, and late. Interpolation, energy computation, and non-coherent accumulation are then performed to obtain a timing error estimate with higher time resolution. For NCP, pilot symbols are filtered with a non-causal filter to obtain pilot estimates for one antenna for non-STTD and for two antennas for STTD. The frequency and timing error estimates and the pilot estimates are used to detect the signaling.
US08027364B2

The electricity distribution network comprises a plurality of interconnection lines for the distribution of electricity among a plurality of interconnection boxes. At least some of said interconnection boxes are combined with a control unit for detection of stray voltage, comprising a transmitter to transmit to a receiver of at least one collecting unit a signal relating to any dispersion.
US08027362B2

A network management system is provided for allowing a user to interface with network management data provided by a network agent via a network. Application level logic obtains and formats the network management data to thereby create a display presented to the user. A library of software processing structures for sharing data with the network agent is provided, and an abstraction layer distinct from the library is configured in communication with the application level logic. The abstraction layer includes a pusher feature configured to facilitate the writing of data from the application level logic to the network agent and a puller feature configured to facilitate the reading of data from the network agent to the application level logic. The abstraction layer uses the library to communicate with the network agent via the network while isolating the application level logic from the library.
US08027353B2

The present invention relates to a communication system (SYS), a gateway apparatus (HiGA) and a method for allowing services of a first type provided by a communication server (IMS-S) to be provided to terminal devices (T1, T2, . . . Tn . . . TN) of a home network (CPN) independent of the fact whether the terminal devices are of a first type or a second type (IMS-based or non-IMS-based). The gateway apparatus (HiGA) comprises one or more service-specific mapping applications (AS) for adapting the control plane (SIP) used between the second type terminal devices (T2) to the control plane (HTTP) used between the gateway apparatus (HiGA) and the communication sever (IMS-S).
US08027350B1

A communication system establishes a communication path between users through separate TDM nodes and a packet system. The communication system removes the packet system from the communication path during the communication session. To accomplish the removal, the communication system connects the separate TDM nodes within the TDM system and removes the portion of the communication path that traverses the packet system. If the packet system connects a service node to the communications path, then the communication system effectively removes the service node from the communications path during the session.
US08027345B2

The embodiments of the present invention provide methods, devices, and systems that automatically provide quality of service to one or more packets, typically by determining whether packets are connection-worthy and accordingly providing connection specifications.
US08027342B2

A method and apparatus that establishes peer-to-peer communications is disclosed. The method may include determining a group to which a first device belongs, determining the identity of other devices in the group, sending an initial communication to the other devices to indicate that the first device will be joining the group, informing the other devices of applications that are available at the first device, and informing the applications about each equivalent application that is available in other devices in the group.
US08027333B2

Providing enhanced emergency services (E-911) to an IP Telephony-based PBX or similar system, by utilizing aspects of the intelligence of end-user SIP client devices to address challenges and difficulties associated with E-911-like services in LAN-based telephony environments.
US08027323B2

Disclosed is technique for avoiding packet reflection between home agents. According to the technique, a MN 10 includes a home address (HoA1) assigned thereto from a home network 12, and a home address (HoA2) assigned thereto from a home network 14. CoA is further acquired from a foreign network 15. Then, the MN uses the home addresses as care-of addresses, and performs binding-update including HoA1-HoA2 for the HA 12 and binding-update including HoA2-HoA1 as well as HoA2-CoA for the HA 14. A packet transmitted from a CN 16 to HoA1 is encapsulated by the HA 12 and transferred to the HA 14. The HA 14 refers to a source address of the received encapsulated packet and selects CoA as a transfer destination address instead of HoA2 having the same prefix.
US08027318B2

A method of acquiring a remote node in a communication network includes sending a first acquisition command from a hub to the remote that instructs the remote to send an acquisition response and includes a first frequency (S100). The method also includes sending a first acquisition response based on the first acquisition command from the remote to the hub using the first frequency (S106) and sending a second acquisition command from the hub before receiving the first acquisition response at the hub (S102). A related method of acquiring a remote node in a synchronous communication network and a related hub apparatus, remote apparatus, computer program product and system each include similar features.
US08027316B1

A communications system includes a first PTT network, and a second PTT network having a plurality of interoperability gateways. A method for efficiently selecting an interoperability gateway for PTT calls terminated at the second PTT network includes receiving a PTT call request from the first PTT network, the PTT call request identifying a target subscriber unit on the second PTT network and forwarding the PTT call request to a first interoperability gateway. Notification is received if the request has succeeded, and the notification includes an identification of the target and a second interoperability gateway. This information is stored in cache for directing subsequent PTT calls to the same target to the corresponding second interoperability gateway. In one embodiment, the first PTT network is an iDEN network and the second PTT network is a HPPTT network and the PTT call is a HPPTT call.
US08027309B2

A communications system for providing a user's mobile station (MS) with an Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, has an IP network gateway for allocating an IP address to the MS to enable it to access an IP network. First and second base stations are respectively configured to support communications of the MS over first and second radio access networks using different radio access technologies. A first access gateway provides an interface between the IP network gateway and the first radio access network, whereas a second access gateway provides an interface between the IP network gateway and the second radio access network. A handover interface is provided between the first access gateway and the second access gateway for enabling the MS to switch between the first and second radio access networks with minimum latency.
US08027300B2

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate mitigating ringing effects of a voltage-controlled oscillator upon turning on a transmitter. A receiver generates at least one frequency offset estimate subsequent to an antecedent frequency offset estimate that is potentially erroneous due to ringing effects. The receiver extrapolates a phase error on upcoming symbols based upon a delta between the subsequent and antecedent frequency offset estimates. The phase error is employed to correct the upcoming symbol for ringing effects. In addition, the transmitter can detect a packet in advance of being ready for transmission and power up upon detection to allow the ringing to settle.
US08027299B2

Methods and systems for hybrid point to multipoint communication systems having multiple downlink channels and a single uplink channel, including the steps of: centrally allocating bandwidth to, and synchronizing communications with, a first and a second wireless clients; transmitting, over a shared signal wired distribution line, a first downlink signal transported over a first frequency, a second downlink signal transported over a second frequency, and an uplink signal transported over a fifth frequency; converting the frequency of the first downlink signal to a third frequency, and bi-directionally wirelessly communicating with a first wireless client over the third frequency; converting the frequency of the second downlink signal to a fourth frequency, and bi-directionally wirelessly communicating with a second wireless client over the fourth frequency; and converting and superpositioning a first received wireless uplink signal having the third frequency and a second received wireless uplink signal having the fourth frequency to the uplink signal that is transmitted over the shared signal wired distribution line using the fifth frequency.
US08027292B2

A method for configuring carrier resources and reporting carrier information of a multi-carrier cell includes a radio network controller (RNC) that configures each carrier with a carrier processing module (CPM) ID in Node B, and Node B allocates a CPM for each carrier based on CPM ID received. The RNC configures a CPM ID for each newly added secondary carrier. Node B allocates a CPM for the secondary carrier based on the CPM ID received. The audit response message and the resource state indication message, which Node B sends to the RNC contains one or more resource state information (RSI) elements of the CPM, and each RSI element contains the ID of the CPM corresponding to it. The configuration of the carrier resources and the report of the carrier RSI during the cell setup, cell reconfiguration, resource indication and audit response of the multi-carrier cell system are realized.
US08027289B2

The systems and methods described herein include, among other things, processes for providing low latency packet transport in ad hoc networks. To this end, the systems, in certain embodiments, employ an architecture for communication nodes in MANETs, in which the delay introduced in “routing” or “relaying” the packet is reduced. In these systems invention, the data plane of the OSI stack at relay nodes is collapsed so that bits entering the node are re-energized “on-the-fly”, with only a brief pause. A transit key in each packet, inserted by the originator of the packet, is used to index into a transit table to determine one of three actions to perform—drop, keep, or retransmit the packet. A control plane determines, for each packet, whether it should be re-energized or not. The control algorithm ensures that only nodes along the path from the source to the destination re-energize (relay) the packet.
US08027286B2

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method for a multi-layer multi-hop wireless system. In one example, the method includes dividing information to be sent from a source node to a destination node via a relay node into at least first and second segments. A signal containing the first and second segments is generated for transmission from the source node, where the first and second segments are encoded differently within the signal. The signal containing the first and second segments is sent from the source node to the relay node and the destination node. Only the first segment is recovered from the signal by the destination node, while the first and second segments are recovered by the relay node. The second segment is sent by the relay node to the destination node, which combines the first and second segments to reconstruct the information.
US08027278B2

In ARQ where a plurality of mobile stations share and use a single channel for response signals (ACK/NACK signals), a wireless communication base station apparatus can prevent failure of the ARQ control. In this apparatus, a CRC part (114) performs an error detection using CRC for an uplink data, and generates, as a response signal, an ACK signal in a case of CRC=OK or a NACK signal in a case of CRC=NG. A retransmittal determining part (115) determines whether the response signal is for an initially transmitted data or for a retransmitted data. A constellation control part (116) controls, in accordance with a determination result of the retransmittal determining part (115), a constellation pattern to be used in a modulation in a modulating part (105). The modulating part (105) modulates the response signal for the retransmitted data in accordance with the constellation pattern controlled by the constellation control part (116), that is, a constellation pattern obtained by reversing the constellation pattern of the response signal for the initially transmitted data.
US08027272B2

A portable telecommunications system (PTS), and discovery and update protocol provides an ad-hoc system in which PTS systems can detect one another over a wide area network (WAN). The system may be compact in a way that allows mobility and rapid deployment with minimal on-site configuration. PTS systems exchange multicast packets and peer-to-peer data exchanges. A protocol manager sets up these communications channels, manages exchanges between PTS systems, and passes the data to or from internal system nodes. The protocol manager also performs key oversight functions such as signaling to other systems that a PTS is joining or leaving the community, keeping track of which other PTS systems are in the community and active, and determining when data needs to be updated and exchanged.
US08027268B2

A multiprocessor system used in a car, home, or office environment includes multiple processors that run different real-time applications. A dynamic configuration system runs on the multiple processors and includes a device manager, configuration manager, and data manager. The device manager automatically detects and adds new devices to the multiprocessor system, and the configuration manager automatically reconfigures which processors run the real-time applications. The data manager identifies the type of data generated by the new devices and identifies which devices in the multiprocessor system are able to process the data.
US08027266B2

A method for displaying RF coverage information includes providing formatting data for displaying the radio frequency coverage information on a client. The formatting data is executed on the client. First radio frequency coverage raw data is provided to the client. The first radio frequency coverage raw data is utilized by the formatting data to construct an overall radio frequency coverage representation of a site. Subject to a subsequent request from the client, second radio frequency coverage raw data representative of radio frequency coverage is provided for a portion of the site. The second radio frequency coverage raw data is utilized by the formatting data on a supplemental basis.
US08027262B2

An arbitrary node that belongs to a virtual LAN sends a request packet including a count value indicating the number of communication hops across nodes to each of its adjacent nodes that belong to the virtual LAN and are adjacent. Upon receiving the request packet, each of the adjacent nodes sends the request packet in which the count value is incremented or decremented to each of its adjacent nodes that belong to the virtual LAN and are adjacent to the node, excluding a sender of the request packet received, and sends a reply packet including the sender's address, an address of the node that is a replying node, and the count value to a given return destination. The return destination collects reply packets sent thereto and keeps track of the topology of the nodes constituting the virtual LAN from information contained in the reply packets.
US08027261B2

Network parameters are tracked in a communication network, particularly in a packet-based IP network. A traffic matrix for the network is regularly ascertained and a blocking probability for traffic subject to an access control is determined from a current traffic matrix. A check determines whether the blocking probability satisfies a criterion for scheduled network operation. If the criterion is not satisfied and/or redetermination for limits used as part of the access controls using the current traffic matrix does not result in a blocking probability satisfying the criterion then the current traffic matrix is used to determine a new link/cost metric for optimizing traffic transport through the network. New values for limits used as part of the access controls are determined based on the new link/cost metric. If the criterion is then satisfied with the limits fixed at the new values, the link weights are configured with the new link/cost metric in the network and the limits are stipulated at the new values.
US08027254B2

A method of limiting the bit rate going to a network service having a target bit rate, data packet traffic to the service coming from at least one contributor, and a bit rate being associated with the portion of the traffic coming from said contributor. The method includes sending the packet from the contributor to the service if the bit rate of the traffic of the contributor is below a threshold that is a function of the target bit rate and a current data packet traffic to said service, the bit rate of the traffic from the contributor being measured on the current data packet traffic.
US08027252B2

A system and method comprise a first buffer having a first capacity and a first threshold level adapted to store data frames having the lowest priority, a second buffer having a second capacity greater than the first capacity and a second threshold level greater than the first threshold level adapted to store data frames having a medium priority, a third buffer having a third capacity greater than the second capacity and a third threshold level greater than the second threshold level adapted to store data frames having the highest priority. The system further includes means for differentiating a data frame as having lowest, medium or highest priority and storing the data frame in the respective first, second or third buffer, and discarding the data frame in response to the first, second or third buffer reaching the respective threshold level.
US08027244B2

A base station apparatus in a radio communications system is disclosed. The base station apparatus communicates with a mobile station using an OFDM scheme in downlink. The base station apparatus includes a sync signal generating unit which generates a secondary sync channel; a multiplying unit which multiplies a scramble code with the secondary sync channel; and a transmitting unit which transmits the secondary sync channel with which the scramble code is multiplied. Cell-specific information is detected by the secondary sync channel.
US08027241B2

The optical storage medium comprises a substrate layer, and a data layer having a mark/space data structure with data arranged in tracks on the substrate layer, , wherein between neighboring tracks alternatingly a groove section or a land section without a groove is arranged. The tracks, groove sections and land sections may be arranged by providing a single spiral, two spirals, or four spirals on the optical storage medium. The optical storage medium is in particular an optical disc comprising a nonlinear layer with a super-resolution structure arranged above the data layer.
US08027240B2

An information recording medium such as DVD-R, DVD-RW or the like is provided with a user information recording area in which user information can be recorded. The user information recording area has pre-recorded areas for preventing recording/reproduction of the user information, in a plurality of portions. The user information recording area is divided by the pre-recorded areas into a plurality of partial recording areas including a partial recording area smaller than a unit area in which record information of a read-only recording medium is recorded.
US08027238B2

The invention relates to a data support (1) with a core layer (15) and at least one adjacent layer (14a), laminated to the core layer and a corresponding production method, said core layer being embodied from a holographic data store in the form of a volume hologram (5). The surface (141) facing the core layer, on the layer directly adjacent to the core layer, has a roughness (19), before lamination to the core layer, which affects the wavelength shift of the image reconstructed by the volume hologram.
US08027230B2

An apparatus having switchable servo gains and offsets for an optical disk drive adjusts its gains and offsets through the coupling of a servo signal and a switch with several changeable paths. The servo signals are either designated to undergo signal reduction with respect to a first offset, through the switch and then be output after a first gain unit performed proportional conversion, or designated to undergo signal reduction with respect to a second offset and then be output after a second gain unit performed proportional conversion. The switch is switched on/off in the light of the working status of the pick-up head, for example, seeking or tracking, at a data area or at a blank area, and at a groove area or at a land area, so as to choose different offsets and gains to have the conversion of the servo signals.
US08027227B2

An optical-disc apparatus comprising: a laser-light source; an objective lens; an aberration-correction lens to be moved in an optical-axis direction according to a cover-layer thickness of an optical disc; a stepping motor; a driving unit to generate a driving pulse for the motor; a storage unit to store current-position information of the aberration-correction lens based on the number of the pulse; and a control unit to control the driving unit so that the aberration-correction lens is moved between a first position set in a mechanical-movable range of the aberration-correction lens and a second position set on the objective-lens side relative to the first position, the driving unit being controlled so that the aberration-correction lens is moved to the second position when stop of disc rotation occurs, and is moved to a start position between the first-and-second positions according to the thickness based on the information when the stop is cancelled.
US08027226B2

An optical disc recording device includes: an optical disc device to record optical recording data onto an optical disc; a recording data assigning unit to divide a recording region on the optical disc into multiple divisions, part as a data region, assign optical recording data thereto; a redundancy data calculating unit to calculate redundancy data for restoring recorded data; a redundancy data assigning unit to take divided regions other than the data region as a redundancy region, and assign the corresponding redundancy data thereto; a recording/playing device having a recording capacity greater than the data region; and a recording control unit configured to record optical recording data in the data region and also at least a part thereof in the recording/playing device, cause the recording/playing device to play the optical recording data recorded therein at the time of calculating redundancy data, and record calculated redundancy data in the redundancy region.
US08027221B2

A memory device that can include a power-supply voltage detector that detects power-supply voltage values and that outputs a detection result indicating which power-supply voltage value is detected; a data-rate setter that sets data rates corresponding to the detection result of the power-supply voltage detector, in synchronization with a rising edge or falling edge of a clock signal; and a memory cell array that performs reading/writing at the data rates set by the data-rate setter.
US08027220B2

An oscillation device includes a first setting unit that outputs an oscillation period designation signal, a calculating unit that performs an arithmetic operation on the oscillation period designation signal, and an oscillating unit that generates an oscillation signal having a period based on the oscillation period designation signal subjected to the arithmetic operation.
US08027217B2

A supply voltage distribution system for distributing a supply voltage through a semiconductor device, the supply voltage distribution system comprising: a first supply voltage distribution line arrangement and a second supply voltage distribution line arrangement, said first supply voltage distribution line arrangement and said second supply voltage distribution line arrangement being adapted to receive from outside the semiconductor device a semiconductor device supply voltage and to distribute a supply voltage to respective first and second portions of the semiconductor device; a voltage-to-voltage conversion circuit connected to the first supply voltage distribution line arrangement, wherein the voltage-to-voltage conversion circuit is adapted to either transfer onto the first supply voltage distribution line arrangement the semiconductor device supply voltage received from outside the semiconductor device, or to put on the first supply voltage distribution line a converted supply voltage having a value different from the semiconductor device supply voltage, wherein the voltage-to-voltage conversion circuit further comprises means selectively activatable for causing the first supply voltage distribution line arrangement to be electrically coupled to said second supply voltage distribution line arrangement.
US08027212B2

A high-density dynamic memory device with compact sense amplifier circuit is described. The memory device achieves high density through the use of a compact sense amplifier circuit that employs a single transistor to sense stored dynamic data. Functionality of the device is enabled by an architecture and method of operation that support a compact sense amplifier circuit. Enabling techniques include sequential sensing of memory columns, a two-pass write operation, a two-step refresh operation, a reference scheme that uses reference data stored in regular memory cells, and the application of digital signal processing to determine sensed data and cancel crosstalk noise.
US08027209B2

A non-volatile storage system connects a signal driver to a first control line that is connected to a first non-volatile storage element, charges the first control line using the signal driver while the signal driver is connected to the first control line, disconnects the signal driver from the first control line while the first control line remains charged from the signal driver, connects the signal driver to a second control line that is connected to a second non-volatile storage element, charges the second control line using the signal driver while the signal driver is connected to the second control line, and disconnects the signal driver from the second control line. Charging the control lines causes the respective non-volatile storage elements to experience a program operation. The disconnecting of the signal driver from the first control line, the connecting the signal driver to the second control line and the charging of the second control line are performed without waiting for the first non-volatile storage element's program operation to complete.
US08027200B2

Methods for reducing quick charge loss effects, methods for programming, memory devices, memory devices, and memory systems are disclosed. In one such method, a programming pulse is applied to the word line to increase the threshold voltage of the memory cells being programmed. A negative voltage pulse is applied to the word line after the programming pulse to force any electrons trapped in the tunnel oxide of memory cells being programmed back into the tunnel region. After the negative pulse, a program verify operation is performed.
US08027194B2

One embodiment of a nonvolatile memory device includes a memory cell array including a plurality of multi-level cells, and a control unit configured to determine a characteristic of data to be stored in the memory cell array. The control unit is configured to select one of plural multi-bit programming methods based on the determination. Data is stored in the memory cell array according to the selected multi-bit programming method, and at least one of the plural multi-bit programming methods maintains least significant bit data when there is a program fail of most significant bit data.
US08027187B2

The present disclosure includes devices, methods, and systems for sensing memory, such as resistance variable memory, among other types of memory. One or more embodiments can include a method for generating currents to be used in sensing a memory cell, the method including providing a number of initial currents, and generating a number of reference currents by summing particular combinations of the initial currents.
US08027177B2

A transformer includes a first secondary winding, a second secondary winding, and a third secondary winding. The second secondary winding and the third secondary winding are wound to include the same number of turns and to have opposite magnetic polarities. A low-pass filter includes a second inductor defined by a leakage inductance of the second secondary winding connected in series with the second secondary winding, a second inductor defined by a leakage inductance of the third secondary winding connected in series with the third secondary winding, and a second capacitor. An output voltage is output from an output terminal of the low-pass filter.
US08027176B2

In a RCC type switching power supply circuit, a sensing coil connected magnetically closely with an output coil is equipped in a fly-back transformer. The sensing coil is connected with a timing condenser through a Zener diode and an alternate current voltage output from the sensing coil is rectified and smoothed. Then, the difference between a detection voltage detected as a direct current voltage of the secondary side and the basic voltage of the Zener diode is supplied to the timing condenser to change the discharge/charge time and then change the timing of the switching of a first switching element in order to control the switching time of the first switching element. At the same time, applying the voltage which results from rectifying and smoothing the output voltage from the sensing coil, the charge and discharge of the timing condenser at the non-loading time is controlled in order to prolong the cycle of the switching oscillation and consequently, reduce the power loss.
US08027168B2

An electrical assembly comprises a mounting bracket lift assembly and an electrical center. The electrical center is attached to the mounting bracket lift assembly for plugging wiring harness end connectors into the electrical center. The electrical center comprises a lower housing, a circuit board sub-assembly, an upper housing, electrical components such as fuses and relays that plug into the upper housing and a cover. The circuit board sub-assembly includes a power bus bar that provides a power path for the various electrical circuits of the vehicle via the circuit components carried on the circuit board. Three power bus bars that are configured, oriented and located to reduce the foot print of the electrical center and/or to improve the dissipation of heat generated by the electrical center are disclosed.
US08027153B2

A lead frame for a quad flat no-lead package includes a plurality of units arranged in a matrix manner and each having four comers. Each of the corners extends outwards to define an attaching portion for attachment to a UV tape such that four sides of each of the units won't fly off when the sides are cut off.
US08027148B2

Disclosed are electrochemical double-layer capacitors having an electrode with a substrate and an electrolyte/quaternary ammonium salt capable of penetrating the substrate. Such salts have a moiety of the following formula: In one form all of the R groups are methyl. These electrodes appear particularly suitable for use at high voltages in applications such as electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
US08027147B2

A method for producing an ultracapacitor includes the steps of: providing a negative porous electrode in contact with a negative conducting plate; providing a positive porous electrode in contact with a positive conducting plate; providing an ultracapacitor separator being a microporous material that separates the negative porous electrode from the positive porous electrode; providing an electrolytic solution that impregnates the negative porous electrode, the positive porous electrode, and the ultracapacitor separator; and curing the ultracapacitor at a temperature of at least 200° C.
US08027139B2

A system for ramping-down a superconducting magnet includes an electrically conductive lead connectable to a superconducting magnet and a plurality of diode assemblies arranged in series and coupled to the electrically conductive lead. Switches are arranged in parallel with the plurality of diode assemblies, with each switch having a first position and a second position and wherein each switch, when in the first position, forms an electrical short between first and second nodes of a corresponding diode assembly. A controller receives a magnet parameter value indicative of a present state of the superconducting magnet, determines a number of diode assemblies through which current from the electrically conductive lead is desired to pass based on the magnet parameter value, and selectively actuates the switches coupled to the determined number of diode assemblies to the second position to pass current from the superconducting magnet through the determined number of diode assemblies.
US08027133B2

A power plate for driving a robot is provided herein. The power plate is capable of driving the robot in a stable manner. This stable drive of the robot is achieved by preventing a whole system paralysis phenomenon, which is caused by a local short-circuit occurring in a certain part of the power plate. The whole system paralysis is prevented by selectively breaking power supplied to a power supply pattern in association with the part where the short-circuit occurs.
US08027131B2

An electronic circuit device is provided which comprises an electronic circuit unit, an ESD protection unit connected in parallel to the electronic circuit unit and configured to clamp a supply voltage of the electronic circuit unit, at least one input clamp unit configured to clamp input voltages applied at at least one input terminal of the electronic circuit unit, and at least one ESD clamp provided at the at least one input terminal and configured to protect the electronic circuit unit against electrostatic discharges.
US08027130B2

A fan system is electrically connected to a power source, and the fan system includes a power reverse protection apparatus, a voltage regulator, a driver, and a fan. The power reverse protection apparatus, electrically connected to the power source, includes a voltage regulator switch and an activating device. The voltage regulator switch receives an input signal and outputs a first output signal according to the input signal. The activating device is electrically connected to the power source and the voltage regulator switch for receiving the input signal and the first output signal, respectively. The activating device outputs a second output signal to the fan according to the first output signal. The voltage regulator is electrically connected to the power source for receiving the input signal from the power source and outputting a regulating signal according to the input signal. The driver is electrically connected to the voltage regulator for receiving the regulating signal and outputting a driving signal according to the regulating signal. The fan is electrically connected with the driver and the power reverse protection apparatus and operates according to the driving signal and the second output signal.
US08027124B2

A system in one embodiment includes first and second modules, each module having a substrate, a closure, and a gap situated therebetween, the gap comprising transducers selected from readers and writers; wherein the closures face each other, wherein the closure and the substrate of each module form a flat tape bearing surface, wherein a module spacing is defined as a distance from a point proximate to the transducers in the gap of the first module to a point proximate to the transducers in the gap of the second module, wherein the module spacing is less than 1.3 mm and greater than 0 mm.
US08027123B2

A windage blocker integrated with a base for a hard disk drive is disclosed. One embodiment provides a cavity portion comprising a planar surface defining an inner bottom surface of the cavity, the cavity portion for receiving an actuator assembly, the actuator assembly comprising a flex cable. The cavity includes at least one windage blocker integrated with the planar surface of the cavity of the base, the windage blocker for reducing detrimental local excitation of an airflow encountering the flex cable.
US08027118B2

According to one embodiment, an apparatus for controlling a head includes a transmitting module and a controller. The transmitting module is configured to transmit a write signal to a magnetic head having a spin torque oscillator at the time of recording data. The controller is configured to supply a drive signal that has a level higher than the ordinary level for a prescribed effective time, to the spin-torque oscillator in response to an input write gate that instructs the recording of data. During a period other than prescribed effective time, the controller supplies a drive signal having the ordinary level to the spin-torque oscillator.
US08027116B2

A method of manufacturing of a hard-disk drive using a bulk eraser for erasing recorded information on a magnetic-recording disk. The method includes providing a bulk eraser that produces magnetic-flux density in a gap sufficient to erase recorded information from a magnetic-recording disk, a hard-disk drive, a disk-stack having at least one magnetic-recording disk, and a drive motor for rotating the magnetic-recording disk. The method also includes configuring a plurality of magnets and a structure of the bulk eraser such that magnetic-flux density is oriented parallel to and in a radial direction of the magnetic-recording disk; and rotating the magnetic-recording disk. The method further includes inserting the hard-disk drive into the gap of the bulk eraser; and erasing recorded information from the magnetic-recording disk located in the gap; and removing the hard-disk drive from the gap.
US08027110B1

A measurement circuit system of a magnetic field measurement apparatus of the present invention includes an amplifier, a mixer circuit and a band-pass filter that are connected in order on an output end side of a microstrip line or a coplanar wave guide, which is an in-plane high frequency magnetic field intensity measurement element, a frequency immediately before being inputted in the band-pass filter is down-converted by the mixer circuit to a frequency so that a band width of the band-pass filter can be used, the band-pass filter uses a narrow band of ±0.5-±10 KHz (1 KHz-20 KHz as a bandwidth) centering a fundamental frequency selected from 5-20 MHz that is down-converted by the mixer circuit as a center peak passing frequency, and the measurement circuit system is configured to obtain 3 dB or greater of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that is a ratio of S with N; where S represents the reproduction voltage (reproduction output) of the high frequency reproduction signal induced by the in-plane high frequency magnetic field intensity measurement element, and N represents a total noise voltage of a circuit noise including a noise generated by the in-plane high frequency magnetic field intensity measurement element. Therefore, the in-plane high frequency magnetic field that a microwave-assisted magnetic head generates can be measured with high reliability and precision.
US08027104B2

A lens module includes a barrel and at least one lens. The barrel defines a through hole bounded by an inner circumference surface thereof. The inner circumference surface includes at least one first circumference latching surface. The at least one lens includes at least one second circumference latching surface corresponding to the at least one first circumference latching surface. One of the first circumference latching surface and the corresponding second circumference latching surface is a ring-shaped concave surface, and the other is a ring-shaped convex surface latchable with the ring-shaped concave surface.
US08027103B2

A lens assembly has: optical members including lenses and spacing rings; and a ceramic lens frame into which the optical members are inserted. A solid lubricant is applied to at least one of a part of the inner peripheral surface of the ceramic lens frame, which part is to be in contact with at least the outer peripheral surfaces of the optical members, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the optical members. Subsequently, the lenses and spacing rings are alternately inserted into the ceramic lens frame and then pressed by a pressing ring.
US08027087B2

A wire-grid polarizer includes a wire-grid layer disposed over a substrate. A plurality of contiguous dielectric-grid layers are contiguous with one another and disposed directly on top of the wire-grid layer. The plurality of contiguous dielectric-grid layers includes different materials with different indices of refraction. The array of dielectric material elements and the array of metal elements are oriented substantially parallel with one another, and the arrays having substantially equal periods.
US08027085B2

A microscope comprising a main objective having a lens assembly movable in the direction of the optical axis of the main objective for focal length change and comprising an illuminating unit with illumination deflector elements for deflecting an illuminating beam path for generating an illuminating beam path directed onto an object plane. The position of the illumination deflector elements is adjustable dependent on a focal length change of the main objective for centering the illumination, and the illumination deflector elements are designed as at least partly integrated into the movable lens assembly of the main objective. For this purpose, in particular a part of the lens surface of the movable lens assembly can be made reflective.
US08027083B2

The embodiments of the invention include a microscope having a transparent specimen holder and a digital imaging device positioned within the transparent specimen holder. The digital imaging device can include a wireless transmitter. The transparent specimen holder can have a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the transparent specimen holder is completely transparent between the top surface and the bottom surface. Thus, the transparent specimen holder is completely transparent above and below the digital imaging device. Furthermore, a processor is operatively connected to the digital imaging device, wherein the processor produces an image of a specimen positioned on the specimen holder. A display is operatively connected to the processor, wherein the display displays the image.
US08027073B2

An image forming apparatus includes a light source to emit a laser beam; a resonant scanning mirror, including a reflection surface to reflect the laser beam emitted from the light source, to scan the reflected laser beam by oscillating the reflection surface; at least one detector to detect the reflected laser beam during the scanning of the reflected laser beam, and generate a synchronizing signal each time the reflected laser beam is detected; and at least one light selection unit to restrict a path over which the reflected laser beam is incident on the at least one detector to a predetermined path.
US08027072B2

An optical device includes: a movable plate disposed in a distribution range of light input from outside, and having a light reflecting surface adapted to reflect the light; a shaft member adapted to support the movable plate so that the movable plate can swing around a predetermined axis; a permanent magnet associated with the movable plate; and a coil generating an electromagnetic force to swing the movable plate. An upper surface of the coil is opposite to the permanent magnet, and the upper surface of the coil is formed as a plane having a predetermined angle with respect to a plane parallel to the movable plate.
US08027057B2

A print control device is capable of processing print job data having a first file format and print job data having a second file format which is different from the first file format. The print control device includes a judging unit configured to judge whether the print data has the first file format or second file format, a converting unit configured to convert the print data having the first file format to the print data having the second file format, an adjusting unit configured to apply a print area adjustment to the print job data converted by the converting unit only when the judging unit judges that the print job data has the first file format, and a data processing unit configured to apply a data processing to the print job data having the second file format.
US08027056B2

An image area of a main scanning line is segmented into a plurality of regions, with a first image being formed that has a first number of pixels in each of the plurality of regions, and a second image being formed that has a second number of pixels in each of the plurality of regions that differs from the first number of pixels. A scaling factor of an image in each of the plurality of regions is derived thereafter, in accordance with a difference in size between the first image and the second image in each region, and a differential between the first number of pixels and the second number of pixels. A determination is made with respect to a number of pixels to be either added to, or subtracted from, each of the plurality of regions, in accordance with a total number of correction pixels in order to adjust the size of the image of the main scanning line, and the scaling factor. The image data of each of the plurality of regions is corrected in accordance with the determined number of pixels in each region.
US08027047B2

An information processing apparatus according to this invention acquires function restriction information used to restrict the use of functions of an image processing apparatus. The apparatus acquires job log data of a job which is processed using the functions of the image processing apparatus. The apparatus changes the acquired function restriction information. The apparatus calculates a cost incurred upon using the functions of the image processing apparatus within a designated period, based on unit price information indicating the unit prices of the resources consumed upon using the functions of the image processing apparatus, the job log data, and the changed function restriction information. The apparatus outputs the calculation result.
US08027045B2

Systems and methods are presented for assessing whether a print job is likely to result in print system clutching by actual or modeled processing of a portion of the print job according to assessed processing rate information and to the print rate of a print engine, and selectively refraining from printing the job based on the comparison of the processing rate information and the print rate.
US08027037B2

In a measuring system, a method for evaluating parameters of a workpiece includes measuring a periodic structure, such as a grating, on the workpiece to produce image data. An orientation of features in the image data, produced by higher order diffractions from the periodic structure, is identified. An orientation of the periodic structure is determined based on the orientation of the features in the image data. The image data is then modified, based on the orientation of the periodic structure, to correlate with, and for comparison to, simulated image data to ascertain parameters of the workpiece. Alternatively, optical components in the measuring system, or the workpiece itself, are adjusted to provide a desired alignment between the optical components and the periodic structure. A microstructure on the workpiece may then be measured, and the resulting image data may be compared to the simulated image data to ascertain parameters of the microstructure.
US08027034B2

In a spectroscopy module 1, a light detecting element 5 having a light passing hole 50 is used. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the relative positional relationship between the light passing hole 50 and a light detecting portion 5a of the light detecting element 5 from deviating. Moreover, the light detecting element 5 is electrically connected to a wiring 9 formed on a front plane 2a of a substrate 2 by face-down bonding, and a resin layer 79 is formed as an underfill resin between the substrate 2 and the light detecting element 5. Therefore, it is possible to improve the fixing strength between the substrate 2 and the light detecting element 5. Additionally, before the resin layer 79 is formed, a resin layer 78 is formed along a guide portion 77 that surrounds the passing hole 50. Thus, the resin layer 79 is prevented from penetrating into the light passing hole 50, which makes it possible to make a light be appropriately incident into the substrate 2.
US08027028B2

A precise positioning system for dual stage switching exposure, which includes a base, a first wafer stage positioning unit disposed on the base for a pre-processing workstation, and a second wafer stage positioning unit for an exposure workstation. Each of the wafer stage positioning units includes a wafer stage, a motion positioning detector, an X-direction guide bar, and a Y-direction guide bar. The pre-processing workstation and the exposure workstation both have two X-direction guide bars positioned on and movable along the Y-direction guide bars. The X-direction guide bars of adjacent workstations can be connected to each other.
US08027026B2

A method including mixing using a mixer a first component and a second component to form a liquid before supply to a space between the projection system and a substrate, measuring a property of the liquid using a measuring device and making the feedback available to a controller, based on the feedback, controlling with the controller a physical property of the liquid by controlling the amount of the first and/or second component used to form the liquid, supplying the liquid to the space between the projection system and the substrate, and projecting a patterned beam of radiation, using the projection system, through the liquid onto a target portion of the substrate.
US08027024B2

Replacement devices for at least one replaceable optical element mounted at least indirectly in a lithographic projection exposure apparatus are disclosed. Lithography objectives and illumination systems are also disclosed. Methods for positioning a replaceable optical element within a lithographic projection exposure apparatus of this type, and methods for replacing a replaceable optical element within a lithographic projection exposure apparatus via a replacement device are also disclosed.
US08027008B2

A liquid crystal display panel includes a lower substrate, a printed circuit board, at least one connection unit and a plurality of readout lines. The connection unit is adapted to connect the printed circuit board to a periphery region of the lower substrate, and has a driver. The readout lines are extended from the lower substrate to the printed circuit board through the connection unit having the driver.
US08027003B2

A liquid crystal display includes a lower panel, an upper panel facing the lower panel and including a plurality of red color filters, green color filters, and blue color filters, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the lower and upper panels. The liquid crystal layer has first, second and third cell-gap portions corresponding to the red, green and blue filters, respectively, and the first second and third cell-gap portions have cell gaps Dr, Dg and Db, respectively. A first compensation film is disposed on an outer surface of one of the lower panel or the upper panel. A lower polarizer is on the outer surface of the lower panel and an upper polarizer is on the outer surface of the upper panel. The cell gaps Dr, Dg and Db may satisfy the equation 0 μm≦Dg−Db and Dr−Dg≦0.5 μm.
US08026998B2

A new concept of the LCD light-switching optical filter allowing for very high, electrically controlled, continuously variable light attenuation (up to ≧100.000) optimized/symmetrized for the light incidence along the normal to the LCD plane is proposed. The new LCD light-switching optical filter also exhibits very low light attenuation dependence for the oblique incidence of light within a limited cone of angles off the normal incidence direction in compliance with the international safety and quality regulation EN 379 for personal protection equipment.According to the invention the problem is solved by specific, novel modification of the general principle of highly twisted nematic LCDs, allowing for the adaptation of the light transmission/driving voltage characteristics to specific requirements of the driving electronics as well as “symmetrizing” the overall optical birefringent properties, which in turn results in a high degree of their angular compensation.
US08026995B2

A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) includes a light guide panel (“LGP”) guiding light, first and second light sources that are disposed at either side of the LGP and emit the light, a lower receiving container having a bottom surface which is disposed below the LGP and the first and second light sources, an enclosing portion that extends from a first end of the bottom surface and that is folded to enclose the first light source, and an opening portion that extends from a second end of the bottom surface and that is opened toward an upper direction, and a first reflection sheet covering the opening portion of the lower receiving container above the second light source.
US08026994B2

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel; a backlight unit to provide a light to the liquid crystal panel, the backlight unit includes an optical sheet and a light guide plate; and a main support to receive the liquid crystal panel and the backlight unit together, the main support having first and second movement preventing members to prevent shifting of the optical sheet and the light guide plate of the backlight unit in a direction on a plane, and a third movement preventing member to prevent shifting of the light guide plate of the backlight unit in a direction normal to the plane.
US08026993B2

A liquid crystal display panel includes a repair line for substituting open-circuited signal lines. Signal lines are disposed over a first side of a first substrate of the liquid crystal display panel for data transmission. Repair lines are disposed over a first side of a second substrate of the liquid crystal display panel for substituting open-circuited signal lines. The first side of the first substrate faces the first side of the second substrate. A liquid crystal layer is disposed between the first and second substrates of the liquid crystal panel.
US08026979B2

Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and methods for picture up-sampling and picture down-sampling. Some aspects relate to a selective filter process whereby a filter is selected based on the position of a first resolution picture relative to a second resolution picture. Some aspects relate to an up-sampling and/or down-sampling procedure designed for the Scalable Video Coding extension of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.
US08026976B2

A digital camera including an imaging unit, a flash device, a face region extraction unit for detecting a face region from image data generated by the imaging unit, and a flash control unit for controlling emission amount of the flash using the region information outputted from the face region extraction unit. The flash control unit includes a first calculation means for performing a calculation on the image data generated by the imaging unit without using the region information, a second calculation means for performing a calculation on the image data generated by the imaging unit using the region information, and an emission amount determination means for determining an adequate emission amount Ch of the flash by performing an adjustment using the provisional adequate value Cn supplied from the first calculation means and provisional adequate value Cf supplied from the second calculation means as reference values.
US08026966B2

A method, apparatus and system are described providing a high dynamic range pixel. An integration period has multiple sub-integration periods during which charges are accumulated in a photosensor and repeatedly transferred to a storage node, where the charges are accumulated for later transfer to another storage node for output.
US08026965B2

An image pickup apparatus for applying high-speed dark shading correction and reducing random noise in a black image is provided. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup element capable of reading image signals corresponding to one frame, which are obtained by photoelectric conversion, on a field-by-field basis. With the image pickup element exposed to light, first image signals corresponding to one frame are read. Then, with the image pickup element shielded from light, second image signals are read from fields that are fewer than fields constituting one frame. Each of third image signals is generated by averaging the second image signals for each of blocks obtained by dividing the image pickup element and converting the average image signal for each block to a resolution of the first image signals. The third image signals are subtracted from the first image signals.
US08026961B2

A solid-state image pickup device includes an effective pixel portion in which effective pixels are arranged in a matrix, the effective pixels each including a photoelectric conversion unit and outputting a first signal, a non-effective pixel portion in which non-effective pixels are arranged in at least one row, the non-effective pixels each including no photoelectric conversion unit and outputting a second signal, a vertical scanning unit for selecting each row of pixels in the effective and non-effective pixel portions, and an input section for externally receiving a third signal used to change a driving mode of the solid-state image pickup device. The vertical scanning unit begins electronic shutter scanning upon pixels in the effective pixel portion and causes each of pixels in the non-effective pixel portion to output the second signal after the input section has received the third signal and before the first signal is output.
US08026960B2

An imaging apparatus, such as useable in a digital camera or input scanner, comprises a first photodiode and a first integrating amplifier associated therewith. A first reset capacitor, selectably associated with the first photodiode, flushes charge on the first photodiode through the first integrating amplifier. A first CDS capacitor is downstream of the first integrating amplifier. A hold capacitor forms a hold node downstream of the first CDS capacitor. A pixel amplifier reads out a signal from the hold node at a predetermined time. The pixel amplifier is selectably controllable between a standby mode and a power mode.
US08026948B2

An imaging apparatus includes an imaging part that images a subject to generate image data, an image storage part that temporarily stores original image data that was imaged by the imaging part, an image data size reducing part that forms image data for display by reducing the size of image data stored in the image storage part, and an image display part that displays image data for display that was formed by the image data size reducing part; the imaging apparatus further comprising a camera shake state detection part that detects a camera shake occurrence state of the imaging part, a camera shake decision part that decides whether or not camera shake occurred for image data for display that was reduced by the image data size reducing part based on a camera shake state that was detected by the camera shake state detection part, and a camera shake correction part that, when a result decided by the camera shake decision part is that a camera shake occurrence state exists, subjects the image data for display to camera shake correction and displays corrected image data for display on the image display part.
US08026947B2

This image sensor includes a flexible wiring board connected with an optical sensor, bent around the portion connected with the optical sensor and so formed as to generate urging force oppositely to the bent direction and a support portion having a first support surface supporting the optical sensor. The optical sensor is urged toward the first support surface of the support portion to be fixed thereto due to the urging force of the flexible wiring board arranged in the bent manner.
US08026941B2

A light scanning unit includes: a light source unit; a polygon mirror for deflecting and scanning light emitted from the light source unit, in a main scanning direction, and having a plurality of deflection surfaces and a plurality of edges at which adjacent deflection surfaces meet one another; an image forming optical system for condensing the deflected light; and a synchronization detection optical system for detecting a portion of light that is divided and reflected at an edge of the polygon mirror. The light scanning unit may be incorporated into an image forming apparatus.
US08026934B2

In one embodiment of the present invention, to time-divide one frame of an input image signal into a first-half sub frame and a second-half sub frame, the grayscale of the signal in the second-half sub frame is set at a grayscale for dark display and the grayscale of the display signal of the first-half sub frame is adjusted, when the input image signal indicates low brightness. When an image with high brightness is displayed, the grayscale of the display signal of the first-half sub frame is set at a second predetermined value smaller than the maximum value and the grayscale of the display signal of the second-half sub frame is adjusted. Thereafter, in accordance with a combination of the input image signals of the (N-1)-th frame and the N-th frame, overshoot is performed with respect to the display signal of the first-half sub frame.
US08026919B2

A rendering processing unit of a graphics processor selects a buffer in a frame buffer in which to write rendering data by switching between multiple buffers in the frame buffer and writes rendering data accordingly; a display controller selects a buffer in the frame buffer from which to read rendering data by switching between a plurality of buffers in the frame buffer according to a sequence, and supplies the rendering data read by scanning the frame buffer to a display; a switching signal generating unit generates a buffer switching signal for directing the display controller to switch the buffer in the frame buffer from which to read at a frequency different from a vertical synchronization frequency of the display assumed by the graphics processor.
US08026917B1

Computer-implemented methods and computer program products for automatically transferring expressions between rigs with consistent joint structure, and for automatically transferring skin weights between different skin meshes based on joint positioning. A method is provided for transferring an expression between a source rig and a target rig, where each rig characterizes an animated character, and each rig, in turn, is characterized by a set of joints and a skin mesh having a plurality of vertices, with each vertex characterized by a matrix of weights relating a response of the vertex to movement of associated joints. A set of offsets is calculated of joint positions of a goal expression of the source rig relative to a neutral expression of the source rig. A scaling transformation is then applied to the set of offsets to produce a scaled set of offsets, which are added, in turn, to a neutral expression of the target rig. Methods are also provided for transferring a set of skin weights between a source rig and a target rig.
US08026916B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for visualizing changes in a three dimensional (3D) model by receiving an initial 3D model; determining a target 3D model; and generating one or more intermediate 3D models by morphing one or more of the 3D models.
US08026909B2

An electro-luminescence display device includes: pixels provided between data lines and scan lines, each of the pixels including a light-emitting cell driven with a current; and a current controller for temporarily increasing the current for driving the light-emitting cells.
US08026893B2

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel with four colors of sub-pixels, and a backlight unit having light emitting diodes of at least five colors to apply multi-primary light to the liquid crystal display panel.
US08026891B2

The present invention relates to a digital data transceiver circuit applicable to a flat panel display such as an LCD to be placed between graphic signal generation module and liquid crystal display module or between timing control IC and data driver IC, etc. A digital data transceiver circuit of the present invention has a first current source and a second current source, and the second current source is controlled to supply a current or not depending on the status of the lower bit of input data. A transmitter is connected to a node, on which the first and second current sources combine, and the transmission paths of currents from the two current sources are determined depending on the status of the upper bit of input data. A signal of the transmitter is transmitted through a transmission line, and a termination resistor is connected to the transmission line. A receiver detects output data according to a voltage applied to the termination resistor. The digital data transceiver circuit of the present invention can transmit 2-bit or 3-bit data during one clock period, and it is resistible to the noise better than the voltage transmission method and effective to long distance transmission.
US08026878B2

Disclosed herein is an image display device having a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), which can maintain a primary color which is desired to be expressed, and prevent an interference of other unwanted colors and a change of the primary color at the time of application of a light source of each light emitting diode. The image display device comprises: a first optical filter layer containing a violet wavelength-absorbing material having a wavelength range of from 380 nm to 450 nm such as Bi2O3 so as to prevent light having a wavelength ranging from 380 nm to 450 nm from being leaked out to an undesired region of an image display portion of the image display device; and a second optical filter layer such as a blue color filter layer so as to allow a white light to be expressed in a desired region of the image display portion.
US08026872B2

An electroluminescent display includes an electroluminescent panel, and at least one brightness enhanced film. The electroluminescent panel has a plurality of sub-pixels, and at least one illumination surface. The brightness enhanced film is disposed on the at least one illumination surface. The brightness enhanced film has a plurality of micro lenses, and the width of the micro lens is smaller than half of the minimum width of the sub-pixels.
US08026870B2

A plasma display apparatus comprises a plasma display panel, a temperature detector and driver. The plasma display panel comprises a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes formed in parallel to each other. The temperature detector for detecting a temperature of the plasma display panel to output a temperature information signal. The driver which receives the temperature information signal from the temperature detector, and if the temperature of the plasma display panel is lower than a reference temperature, clamps a first sustain signal, which is supplied to at least one of the first electrodes and second electrodes, at a first clamping time, and if the temperature of the plasma display panel is higher than the reference temperature, clamps a second sustain signal, which is supplied to at least one of the first electrodes and the second electrodes, at a second clamping time different from the first clamping time.
US08026868B2

A plasma display apparatus and a method of driving the same are disclosed. The plasma display apparatus includes a plurality of scan electrodes, a plurality of data electrodes, a scan driver and a data driver. The scan driver scans the plurality of scan electrodes during an address period in one scanning type of a plurality of scanning types having different scanning orders. Further, the scan driver supplies a scan signal, of which the duration of a voltage rising period is different from the duration of a voltage falling period, to the scan electrodes when scanning the scan electrodes. The data driver supplies a data signal to the data electrodes depending on the scanning type selected from the plurality of scanning types.
US08026867B2

The present invention relates to a plasma display device and a method of driving the plasma display device. A gradually rising waveform and then a falling waveform are applied to the scan electrodes. A rising waveform has a slope different from that of a rising waveform applied in a first sub-field in at least one of sub-fields posterior to the first sub-field.
US08026861B2

A shielding device for an electronic component for use in a vehicle. The electronic component is positioned on the vehicle and generates an electromagnetic wave. A conductive panel is positioned between the electronic component and an antenna and substantially covers the electronic component. A ground wire is connected to the conductive panel and the vehicle so as to establish a ground connection for the electromagnetic wave.
US08026854B2

The present invention provides a sripline-type transmission line which can easily change and control transmission characteristics by changing the permittivity of a substrate, and also provides an antenna that can extensively change and control the direction of radiation with the frequency of an electromagnetic wave constant, by using this transmission line.
US08026835B2

Disclosed is a feature for a vehicle that enables taking precautionary actions in response to conditions on the road network around or ahead of the vehicle, in particular, a traffic light, stop sign or yield sign located at the bottom of a hill. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where a traffic light, stop sign or yield sign is located at the bottom of a hill. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken about the traffic light, stop sign or yield sign located at the bottom of a hill. A precautionary action system installed in a vehicle uses this database, or a database derived therefrom, in combination with a positioning system to determine when the vehicle is at a location that corresponds to the location of a precautionary action. When the vehicle is at such a location, a precautionary action is taken by a vehicle system as the vehicle is approaching a traffic light, stop sign or yield sign located at the bottom of a hill.
US08026834B2

Methods and systems for operating a display device are provided. A first image is caused to be displayed on the display device. The first image is at least representative of a field of view from on-board an aircraft. A second image is rendered over the first image on the display device. A luminance of at least a portion of the second image is temporally modulated.
US08026832B2

Mobile systems are provided for charging electronic toll collection accounts for parking fees. The systems are configured to wirelessly request and receive tag data from an electronic toll device. Some embodiments include a vehicle and a boom, some embodiments include a handheld device, and other embodiments include combinations thereof. Methods of charging an electronic toll payment system are also provided. A mobile scan system wirelessly requests and receives tag data from an electronic toll device on a customer's vehicle which is checked for validity, and then an electronic toll collection account is charged a fee for parking.
US08026819B2

Passive tags use two antennas with only limited mutual coupling, one of which receives a power/clock field and the other of which receives a data signal. An area-reading antenna, or two or more antennas, are deployed to generate the power/clock field, from a base station. The base station, or active tags, or both, generate the data signals from time to time. This topology together with the use of low frequencies permits area reads, and permits small and economical passive tags, and further permits localization of a particular passive tag as being nearby to a particular active tag.
US08026818B2

A combination EAS and UHF security tag that adds the ability to add item level UHF functionality to a retail tag and maintain the integrity of the EAS systems installed in the business and whereby the EAS and UHF security elements are substantially formed from a common conductive layer. This combination tag also includes the ability to change a tag from a “far-field read” tag to a “near-field read” tag.
US08026816B2

An RFID cargo/storage container tamper seal consisting of a main insulating body, a locking rod and a circuit module is disclosed. The main insulating body has a helix-shaped antenna and a ring-shaped metal ring, wherein the inner surface of the metal ring has a C-shaped ring inlaid therein, and the antenna has an antenna probe extending and protruding from the metal ring. A first portion of the locking rod is cone-shaped and encapsulated by an insulating material, and a second portion thereof exposed from the insulating material has a ring-shaped groove disposed around its peripheral surfaces. The circuit module has an RFID chip embedded therein and is packaged inside the rod portion, thereby allowing an RFID reader to read electromagnetic waves/signals containing identification codes transmitted from the RFID chip of the RFID tamper seal via the antenna.
US08026815B2

A device (10) is provided for the reading out of information from a transponder (14) arranged at an object (12), said device comprising an optoelectronic sensor (24), a reading device (16) able to excite the transponder (14) to radiate the information and able to read out the radiated information and a control (26) which is made for a control of the reading device (16) and of the sensor (24) as well as for an evaluation of the read out information.In this connection, the optoelectronic sensor (24) can determine a movement pattern of the object (12) and the control (26) is made only to evaluate the read out information with objects (12) of a preset movement pattern.A corresponding method is furthermore described.
US08026814B1

An asset tracking system includes a station, transmitting points, and an asset tag. The asset tag can be used for communicating with the transmitting points to form a mesh network. The station receives data associated with signal strengths between transmitting points and asset tag. The station analyzes the data associated with a number of the transmitting points and determines the location of the asset tag.
US08026813B2

To provide an individual management system for managing products with the use of an automatic identification technology using a wireless communication device. In the individual management system, an individual management device is attached to a managed object, an individual identification device can wirelessly communicate with the individual management device, and an individual information management device can communicate with the individual identification device. The individual management device includes a detection portion such as a sensor. The individual identification device includes a position analysis portion which calculates a distance between the individual management device and the individual identification device. Information on the distance between the individual management device and the individual identification device, and information from the detection portion included in the individual management device are transmitted to the individual identification device. Accordingly, a system user can specify a position of the individual management device accurately.
US08026812B2

The invention relates to methods and devices for protecting an article against theft. Once a protection element is in the on-position, a selection signal is transmitted from an emitter to a receiver provided in the protection element, in order to associate the protection element with the emitter and to shift said protection element into a connection mode. The receiver is then deactivated in the connection mode. The deactivation of the receiver reduces the energy consumption of the protection element, and prevents the protection element from unintentionally receiving other selection signals. Once the protection element has been shifted into an alarm state, for example, due to an attempted theft, the receiver thereof is reactivated, in order to reauthorize the reception of a selection signal. The alarm state can be terminated by one such selection signal.
US08026797B2

An emergency reporting apparatus includes a power supply circuit, a control circuit, and a timer. The power supply circuit generates operating power of the emergency reporting apparatus from a vehicle battery in a vehicle battery mode and from an auxiliary battery in an auxiliary battery mode. The control circuit causes the power supply circuit to switch from the vehicle battery mode to the auxiliary battery mode in response to a trigger event and starts an emergency reporting procedure using the auxiliary battery. The timer measures time elapsed since the power supply circuit switches to the auxiliary battery mode. The control circuit causes the power supply circuit to switch back to the vehicle battery mode, when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined threshold time period.
US08026787B2

A ceramic component element is provided. The ceramic component element includes: an insulating ceramic base with pores formed on its surface and previously fired; and a functional ceramic sheet bonded to the insulating ceramic base and having electrical characteristics. The functional ceramic sheet is physically bonded to the insulating ceramic base by forming pressing a green sheet for the functional ceramic sheet on the insulating ceramic base at constant temperature and pressure so that parts of the green sheet are forced to put into the pores and anchored, and the functional ceramic sheet is chemically bonded to the insulating ceramic base by firing the anchored green sheet in such a manner that functional oxides of the green sheet penetrate the insulating ceramic base by solid diffusion to form a diffusion bonding layer.
US08026785B2

A switching device has an input terminal and an output terminal for connection to electrical conductors, and two switching contacts which, when closed, close a current path between the input terminal and the output terminal. An overcurrent trigger device which includes a bimetallic element heated by an electric current flow is provided for disconnecting the two switching contacts. A thermal insulator is arranged in the attachment region of the bimetallic element for reducing heat transfer from the bimetallic element as well as for increasing the accuracy and the degree of reproducibility for triggering the switching device. The switching device can be implemented as a circuit breaker.
US08026770B2

The relaxation oscillator includes a comparator and a latch. The comparator includes a comparator output and a comparator input that is configured to receive a first input signal in response to a first signal and configured to receive a second input signal in response to a second signal. The latch includes a latch-set input that is configured to be coupled to the comparator output in response to a third signal, a latch-reset input that is configured to be coupled to the comparator output in response to a fourth signal and a latch output that is configured to output the second signal. The relaxation oscillator is configured to achieve an approximately fifty percent duty cycle without requiring the use of a second comparator.
US08026765B2

An amplifier is operable in push-pull mode, single-ended mode, or a composite mode that is an intermediate between single-ended and Push-pull modes. Moreover, at least one output device may be configured to operate using a high performance AC servo loop that functions the output device as a current source. Still further, a control input driver stage is provided that is capable of supplying sufficient AC current to overcome Miller capacitance induced roll off within the intended frequency spectrum of triode vacuum tubes. Additionally, methods are provided to substantially null or selectively introduce DC magnetic bias within the output transformer core. Still further, a solid state power supply stage provides substantial AC hum reduction during single-ended operation and simultaneously provides output voltage load regulation attributes similar to traditional vacuum tube rectifier circuits.
US08026764B2

Methods and systems for vector combining power amplification are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals are individually amplified, then summed to form a desired time-varying complex envelope signal. Phase and/or frequency characteristics of one or more of the signals are controlled to provide the desired phase, frequency, and/or amplitude characteristics of the desired time-varying complex envelope signal. In another embodiment, a time-varying complex envelope signal is decomposed into a plurality of constant envelope constituent signals. The constituent signals are amplified equally or substantially equally, and then summed to construct an amplified version of the original time-varying envelope signal. Embodiments also perform frequency up-conversion.
US08026763B2

A radio frequency (RF) circuit includes a power supply configured to generate a plurality of voltages, a plurality of power amplifiers, each having an RF output port and a power supply input port, a switch network having a plurality of input ports coupled to the power supply and a plurality of switch network output ports coupled to the power supply input ports of the plurality of power amplifiers, wherein the switch network is configured to output selected ones of the plurality of voltages from the plurality of switch network output ports, at least two of the switch network output port voltages capable of being different ones of the plurality of voltages, and an RF power combiner circuit having a plurality of input ports coupled to RF output ports of the plurality of power amplifiers and an output port at which is provided an output signal of the RF circuit.
US08026749B2

A phase locked loop circuit includes a delay compensation circuit and a phase change circuit. The delay compensation circuit is adapted to generate a delay clock signal by delaying a phase of a first output clock signal by a second phase, the phase of the first output clock signal having a phase leading a phase of an input clock signal by a first phase, and the second phase corresponding to a delay compensation time greater than a period of the input clock signal and greater than the first phase. The phase change circuit is adapted to change the second phase to the first phase and to generate a feedback clock signal having a phase synchronized with the phase of the input clock signal in response to the first phase, wherein the first phase is a phase corresponding to a remainder time resulting from the delay compensation time being divided by the period of the input clock, and wherein the quotient is an integer.
US08026736B2

A charged device model (CDM) electrostatic discharge (ESD) testing is carried out at wafer level. Wafer CDM pulses are repeatedly applied and monitored. The wafer CDM (WCDM) pulses are accomplished with a probe-mounted printed-circuit board and a high-frequency transformer that captures fast CDM pulses. Modeling of CDM and WCDM in the time and frequency domain illustrates the dominant effects, and shows that WCDM can reproduce all the major phenomena of package-level CDM testing.
US08026729B2

A system and apparatus for providing an in-vivo assessment of relative movement of an implant that is positioned in a living being is provided that includes a first assembly and a second assembly that are positioned within the living being. The first assembly includes a passive electrical resonant circuit that is configured to be selectively electromagnetically coupled to an ex-vivo source of RF energy and, in response to the electromagnetic coupling, generates an output signal characterized by a frequency that is dependent upon a distance between the first assembly and the second assembly at the time of the electromagnetic coupling.
US08026717B1

A wall stud detector comprises a housing having a surface for moving over a substrate and a recess in the surface extending into the housing. A target associated with the housing comprises an outer casing and a magnet located in the outer casing. The outer casing comprises a central enclosure for the magnet and an outer peripheral portion. The outer peripheral portion of the target is spaced from the outer peripheral portion of an adjacent target when the target and the adjacent target are stacked with respect to each other.
US08026709B2

A voltage generating apparatus including a voltage generator and a current splitter is provided. The voltage generator has an output node, and generates a first output voltage from the output node. The first output voltage rises when the temperature rises and the current flowing from the output end of the voltage generator is fixed. And the first output voltage drops when the temperature is fixed and the current flowing from the output node of the voltage generator rises. The current splitter is used for increasing the current flowing through the current splitter when the temperature rises. Therefore, the rise of the first output voltage of the voltage generator will be restrained, and the temperature compensation can be achieved.
US08026708B2

A voltage regulator stably operates even when an operating current of a differential amplifier circuit is increased according to an output current. In the voltage regulator, a current mirror circuit for detecting the output current and increasing the operating current of the differential amplifier circuit is provided with a function of providing a delay according to an operation state of the voltage regulator. A simultaneous action of a main feedback system and a feedback system for the output current is eliminated, whereby an internal operating point can be prevented from fluctuating and therefore stability of the operation is improved.
US08026706B2

A controller for a power stage may adaptively control power switches to improve the efficiency of power consumption by the power stage and detect continuous conduction mode (“CCM”) and discontinuous conduction mode (“DCM”) operations of the power stage without instantaneous or cycle by cycle sensing and sampling of the output inductor current. Additionally, the controller may be used to facilitate the estimation of output inductor value, the peak inductor current value, and other information on converter operations.
US08026704B2

A system and method for controlling a converter. One embodiment provides the cyclic actuation of a first switching element, used for applying an input voltage to an inductive storage element. A second switching element is used as a first rectifier element in a rectifier arrangement, in a step-up converter. An actuating circuit is provided for the first and second switching elements.
US08026701B2

A voltage regulator with an adaptive bandwidth, including a first buffer chain, a voltage generating unit, a trimming capacitor unit, a second buffer chain, and a control unit. The first buffer chain delays a clock signal using an external voltage as a supply voltage. The voltage generating unit generates a regulated voltage on the basis a reference voltage. The trimming capacitor unit controls a load capacitance of the voltage generating unit. The second buffer chain delays the clock signal using the regulated voltage as a supply voltage. The control unit adjusts the load capacitance by detecting a delay difference of clocks output from the first and second buffer chains.
US08026700B1

In a D.C. to D.C. converter, an input voltage is received via an inductor at an input terminal and stored onto a capacitor of an integrator. A first switch is coupled between the input terminal and a reference terminal such as ground and thereby fluxes the inductor. The input voltage stored on the capacitor falls at a rate determined by the integrator circuit and an initial value of the input voltage. After a time duration, the first switch becomes nonconductive. Current flows from the inductor through a diode to an output terminal until a second switch across the diode is made conductive. Stored voltage on the capacitor of the integrator increases in response to the second switch being conductive. The stored voltage on the capacitor is continuously compared with a reference voltage. The second switch is made nonconductive when the stored voltage on the capacitor exceeds the reference voltage.
US08026694B2

A power-transmission-side control circuit causes a power transmission device to perform temporary power transmission when a switch provided in a power-transmission-side instrument has been turned ON, and performs ID authentication based on ID authentication information. The power-transmission-side control circuit detects the presence or absence of a foreign object during normal power transmission by monitoring a change in induced voltage in a primary coil, causes the power transmission device to stop temporary power transmission when the ID authentication information from the power reception device has not been received within a given period of time, causes the power transmission device to stop temporary power transmission when the ID authentication has failed, and causes the power transmission device to stop normal power transmission when removal, a metal foreign object, a takeover state, or a full-charge state has been detected after normal power transmission has started.
US08026692B2

An exemplary portable electronic device includes a main body and a battery therein. The main body has a wind power generating and charging module mounted therein. The wind power generating and charging module includes a wind turbine generator and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured for controlling the wind generator to charge the battery.
US08026689B2

A control device for a machine tool including a feed axis driving motor; a first power consumption calculating portion calculating power consumption of the feed axis driving motor; a second power consumption calculating portion calculating power consumption of equipment adapted to be operated by constant power; and a motor control portion determining a target time constant correlated with at least one of acceleration time and deceleration time of the feed axis driving motor, based on a summation of the power consumption calculated by the first power consumption calculating portion and the power consumption calculated by the second power consumption calculating portion, and controlling the feed axis driving motor based on the target time constant.
US08026688B2

In order to provide a driving device that is capable of eliminating sticking of a movable member due to nonuse, the driving device includes a drive shaft that reciprocates in axial directions with expansion and contraction of an electromechanical transducer element, a movable member that frictionally engages with the drive shaft, and a drive circuit that inputs drive voltage into the electromechanical transducer element, the drive circuit outputting drive operation pattern voltage having a frequency (fd1′) lower than a resonance frequency (fr) of the electromechanical transducer element and lower than a frequency (fd1) that maximizes moving velocity of the movable member and sticking elimination pattern voltage having a frequency lower than the frequency (fd1′) of the drive operation pattern voltage and in vicinity of a frequency (fd2) that maximizes thrust acting on the movable member.
US08026687B2

A machine having a drive that directly or indirectly excites vibrations in the machine over a frequency range when the drive is connected to the power supply. A sensor detects a time-dependent signal that is characteristic of the excited vibrations. The time-dependent signal is transmitted to a control device that analyzes the frequency of the time-dependent signal and relates the frequency analysis to the excitation that produces the excitation and uses this relationship to determine a state of at least one element of the machine. The control device outputs a message to an operator of the machine on the basis of the state that is determined. Preferably, the control device applies an interference variable that has at least one frequency inside the frequency range to the drive so as to excite vibrations. The interference variable may be a sinusoidal interference variable whose frequency passes through the frequency range, or a pseudobinary interference variable whose spectrum covers the frequency range. If the drive is an electrical three-phase drive, asymmetrical energization may be used.
US08026680B2

Methods and apparatus to reduce the stopping time of a spindle motor are disclosed. An example method includes detecting a dissipation current flowing in a spinning motor; determining when the dissipation current drops below a threshold value; and, in response to the dissipation current dropping below the threshold value, applying a voltage to the motor to increase the dissipation current for a duration. In some examples, the voltage is removed from the motor when the motor reaches a predetermined rotational velocity to avoid reverse rotation.
US08026668B2

Each of the red, green and blue phosphor layers includes magnesium oxide including a magnesium oxide crystal body having properties of causing a cathode-luminescence emission having a peak within a wavelength range of 200 nm to 300 nm upon excitation by electron beams, as a secondary electron emission.
US08026667B2

An electroluminescent display device may include a display area formed on one surface of a substrate. It may further include a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and an electroluminescent emission layer between the first and second electrode layers. It may also include an electrode power supply line that supplies electrode power to the display area. The electrode power supply line can be located at least partially on an outer periphery of the display area, and may directly contact the second electrode layer. An electrical component may be arranged under the electrode power supply line, and may have one or more conductive layers.
US08026660B2

The present invention provides a white organic light-emitting element high in the emission efficiency. In particular, the invention provides a white organic light-emitting element that has an emission spectrum having peaks in the respective wavelength regions of red color, green color and blue color and is high in the emission efficiency.Since a spectrum region lowest in the emission efficiency is a red region, by introducing a reddish phosphorescent material, a highly efficient white organic light-emitting element is obtained. At this time, in order to inhibit the reddish phosphorescent material from singularly emitting, as shown in FIG. 1, a distance between a second emission region 114 where a reddish phosphorescent material 124 is a luminescent material and a first emission region 113 that exhibits emission in a shorter wavelength side than the second emission region is separated. In a configuration shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to use an electron transport material in a layer 115 between the first emission region and the second emission region and more preferable to use a hole block material.
US08026654B2

An ignition device for an internal combustion engine and method of construction therefore includes a housing with an insulator secured therein. A center electrode is mounted within the insulator. A ground electrode extends from the housing with a portion of the ground electrode defining a spark gap across from the center electrode. The center electrode has a firing tip, wherein a resistance weld joint initially bonds the firing tip to the center electrode and a continuous bead of overlapping first weld pools formed substantially from the material of the firing tip further bonds the firing tip to the electrode. A continuous bead of overlapping second weld pools formed radially outwardly from the first weld pools forms a rounded shoulder surface extending from the first weld pools to an outer surface of the center electrode.
US08026637B2

A power supply having a plurality of selectively electrically connectable power cells configured to supply power to a load. The power supply comprises a plurality of power cells electrically connected in series and an auxiliary power cell electrically connected in parallel with one of said plurality of power cells. A control is configured to selectively electrically connect said auxiliary cell in parallel with whichever one of said plurality of power cells has a lower power delivery capability.
US08026626B1

Axial flux alternator for a wind turbine arrangement includes at least one magnetic disk including magnets and at least one coil disk including electromagnetic assemblies. One or both disks are mounted to wind turbines such that adjacent disks rotate in opposite directions, or such that the magnets of a magnetic disk move relative to the electromagnetic assemblies of an adjacent coil disk which may move or be stationary, or vice versa. Between adjacent disks, rolling elements on one disk roll, slide or move on or against the surface of the opposite disk in order to fix and maintain air gaps between the magnets on a magnetic disk and magnetic cores of the electromagnetic assemblies on the coil disk, and thus enable continued motion and use of the alternator.
US08026618B2

A semiconductor device includes a plastic housing and a semiconductor chip, wherein the semiconductor chip includes an active top side and a rear side. An interposer is arranged on the active top side of the semiconductor chip. At least a portion of the interposer is embedded into the plastic housing, while the top side of the interposer forms the top side of the semiconductor device. A top side fitting shape is arranged on the top side of the interposer, where the top side fitting shape has a predetermined radius of curvature that is free of plastic housing composition, and the top side fitting shape has a convex or concave lens-shaped sphere segment shape.
US08026615B2

An IC package primarily includes a chip, a plurality of electrical connecting components, and a chip carrier including a substrate, a die-attaching layer, and at least one bonding wire. The substrate has a top surface and a bottom surface wherein the top surface includes a die-attaching area for being disposed with the die-attaching layer. The chip is attached to the die-attaching area by the die-attaching layer and is electrically connected to the substrate by the electrical connecting components. Both ends of the bonding wire are bonded respectively to two interconnecting fingers on the top surface of the substrate, and at least a portion of the bonding wire is encapsulated in the die-attaching layer such that some wirings or vias formed on a conventional substrate are not needed. Therefore, the substrate can have a simpler structure and fewer numbers of wiring layers; consequently, the substrate cost can be reduced.
US08026611B2

A microelectronic assembly including a first and second microelectronic elements. Each of the microelectronic elements have oppositely-facing first and second surfaces and edges bounding the surfaces. The first microelectronic element is disposed on the second microelectronic element with the second surface of the first microelectronic element facing toward the first surface of the second microelectronic element. The first microelectronic element preferably extends beyond at least one edge of the second microelectronic element and the second microelectronic element preferably extends beyond at least one edge of the first microelectronic element.
US08026610B2

A method for manufacturing a silicon interposer, includes a step of forming a protection film on a surface, on which an element portion is formed, of a silicon wafer, a step of forming open holes according to planar arrangements of through holes which pass through the silicon wafer in a thickness direction, a step of forming the through holes by etching the silicon wafer using the protection film as a mask, a step of forming an oxide film on inner wall surfaces of the through holes by a thermal oxidation, a step of forming a contact hole, which is in communication with the element portion, in the protection film, and a step of forming wirings on both surfaces of the silicon wafer. In the step of forming the wirings, one of the wirings is formed to be connected electrically to the element portion via a contact portion formed in the contact hole.
US08026604B2

Semiconductor devices are provided including a semiconductor substrate and a first interlayer insulating layer on the semiconductor substrate. A contact pad is provided in the first interlayer insulating layer and a second insulating layer is provided on the first interlayer insulating layer. A contact hole is provided in the second interlayer insulating layer. The contact hole exposes the contact pad and a lower portion of the contact hole has a protrusion exposing the contact pad. The protrusion is provided on the second interlayer insulating layer. A contact spacer is provided on inside sidewalls of the contact hole and fills the protrusion. A contact plug is provided in the contact hole. Related methods are also provided herein.
US08026598B2

A semiconductor chip module includes a first flip-chip unit and a second flip-chip unit. The first flip-chip unit has a first chip and a first glass circuit board. The first chip is connected with the first glass circuit board by flip-chip bonding. The second flip-chip unit has a second chip and a second glass circuit board. The second chip is connected with the second glass circuit board by flip-chip bonding. The first flip-chip unit and the second flip-chip unit are attached to each other. A method for manufacturing the semiconductor chip module is also disclosed.
US08026597B2

An encapsulated microelectronic package includes a fluid conducting cooling tube directly coupled to one or more semiconductor chips, with the encapsulant being molded over the semiconductor chips and portions of the cooling tube in proximity to the semiconductor chips. The encapsulant immobilizes the cooling tube with respect to the semiconductor chips, and the cooling tube and encapsulant are designed to minimize differences in their coefficients of thermal expansion relative to the semiconductor chips.
US08026596B2

Gallium nitride material devices and methods associated with the devices are described. The devices may be designed to provide enhanced thermal conduction and reduced thermal resistance. The increased thermal conduction through and out of the gallium nitride devices enhances operability of the devices, including providing excellent RF operation, reliability, and lifetime.
US08026593B2

An integrated circuit package system is provided including providing an integrated circuit die having a contact pad, forming a protection cover over the contact pad, forming a passivation layer having a first opening over the protection cover with the first opening exposing the protection cover, developing a conductive layer over the passivation layer, and forming a pad opening in the protection cover for exposing the contact pad.
US08026591B2

A semiconductor device in which a semiconductor chip, a lead frame and metal wires for electrically connecting the lead frame are sealed with sealing resin. The lead frame has a plurality of lead terminal portions, a supporting portion for supporting the semiconductor chip, and hanging lead portions supporting the supporting portion. Each of the lead terminal portions adjacent to the hanging lead portion is a chamfered lead terminal portion having, at its head, a chamfered portion formed substantially in parallel with the hanging lead portion so as to avoid interference with the hanging lead portion.
US08026590B2

Disclosed herein are a die package and a method of manufacturing the die package. A solder layer is formed on a lower surface of a die. The die is self-aligned and attached to a support plate using surface tension between the solder layer and a metal layer of the support plate, thus reducing attachment lead time of the die.
US08026588B2

A method and structure are provided to enable wire bond connections over active and/or passive devices and/or low-k dielectrics, formed on an Integrated Circuit die. A semiconductor substrate having active and/or passive devices is provided, with interconnect metallization formed over the active and/or passive devices. A passivation layer formed over the interconnect metallization is provided, wherein openings are formed in the passivation layer to an upper metal layer of the interconnect metallization. Compliant metal bond pads are formed over the passivation layer, wherein the compliant metal bond pads are connected through the openings to the upper metal layer, and wherein the compliant metal bond pads are formed substantially over the active and/or passive devices. The compliant metal bond pads may be formed of a composite metal structure.
US08026585B2

A layout structure and layout method are provided. The layout structure includes a first conductive via, a second conductive via, a die and eight pads. The first conductive via and the second conductive via pass through the die. The first conductive via has a first pad and a second pad, and the second conductive via has a third pad and a fourth pad. A fifth pad is conducted to the third pad. A sixth pad is conducted to the second pad. A seventh pad is conducted to the first pad. An eighth pad is conducted to the fourth pad. In a vertical direction of the die, the first pad and the second pad are overlapped, the third pad and the fourth pad are overlapped, the fifth pad and the sixth pad are overlapped, and the eighth pad and the seventh pad are overlapped, partially or totally.
US08026583B2

The invention relates to a flip-chip module with a semiconductor chip with contact posts, wherein the contact posts are connected electrically and mechanically to a substrate. Provided between the substrate and the semiconductor chip is a spacer, which is coupled mechanically to the substrate and/or the semiconductor chip. By this means, thermal stresses in the flip-chip module are absorbed by the spacer and kept away from the semiconductor chip.The invention also relates to a method for the production of a flip-chip module, in which firstly a spacer is located between the semiconductor chip and the substrate, after which the contact posts are soldered to the contact points of the substrate. Through the provision of the spacer the distance between the semiconductor chip and the substrate is set precisely, thereby improving the quality of the soldering points.
US08026582B2

An integrated circuit package system comprising: providing a substrate; forming a base assembled package over the substrate; forming a top package over the base assemble package; and applying a top package stacking material for stand-off or insulation to the base assembled package and the top package.
US08026579B2

In order to form a more stable silicon pillar which can be used for the formation of vertical transistors in DRAM cells, a multi-step masking process is used. In a preferred embodiment, an oxide layer and a nitride layer are used as masks to define trenches, pillars, and active areas in a substrate. Preferably, two substrate etch processes use the masks to form three levels of bulk silicon.
US08026574B2

An anti-fuse memory cell having a variable thickness gate oxide. The variable thickness gate oxide has a thick gate oxide portion and a thin gate oxide portion, where the thing gate oxide portion has at least one dimension less than a minimum feature size of a process technology. The thin gate oxide can be rectangular in shape or triangular in shape. The anti-fuse transistor can be used in a two-transistor memory cell having an access transistor with a gate oxide substantially identical in thickness to the thick gate oxide of the variable thickness gate oxide of the anti-fuse transistor.
US08026573B2

An electrical fuse structure is disclosed. The electrical fuse structure includes a fuse element disposed on surface of a semiconductor substrate, a cathode electrically connected to one end of the fuse element, and an anode electrically connected to another end of the fuse element. Specifically, a compressive stress layer is disposed on at least a portion of the fuse element.
US08026568B2

A Schottky contact is disposed atop a surface of a semiconductor. A first Schottky contact metal layer is disposed atop a first portion of the semiconductor surface. A second Schottky contact metal is disposed atop a second portion of the surface layer and adjoins the first Schottky contact metal layer. The first Schottky contact metal layer has a lower work function than the second Schottky contact metal layer.
US08026566B2

A semiconductor device includes a first metal foil, an insulating sheet mounted on an upper surface of the first metal foil main, at least one second metal foil mounted on the insulating sheet, at least one solder layer mounted on the at least one second metal foil, and at least one semiconductor element mounted on the at least one second metal foil through the at least one solder layer. The at least one semiconductor has a thickness of 50 μm or greater and less than 100 μm.
US08026564B2

An image sensor and a method of fabricating an image sensor. A method of fabricating an image sensor may include forming a plurality of photodiodes on and/or over a semiconductor substrate, a filter array including color filters arranged corresponding to upper parts of photodiodes, a plurality of hydrophilic lenses arranged over a filter array spaced apart from one another, and/or a plurality of hydrophobic lenses arranged over a filter array between hydrophilic lenses. A curvature of a lens may be substantially equal in a horizontal, vertical and/or diagonal direction.
US08026554B2

A semiconductor device includes: a silicon substrate; and a field effect transistor including a gate insulating film over the silicon substrate, a gate electrode on the gate insulating film, and source and drain regions. The gate electrode includes, in part in contact with the gate insulating film, a crystallized Ni silicide region containing an impurity element of a conductivity type opposite to a conductivity type of a channel region in the field effect transistor.
US08026546B2

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a first stack unit with a first selection transistor and a second selection transistor formed on a semiconductor substrate and a second stack unit with first insulating layers and first conductive layers stacked alternately on the upper surface of the first stack unit. The second stack unit includes a second insulating layer formed in contact with side walls of the first insulating layer and the first conductive layer, a charge storage layer formed in contact with the second insulating layer for storing electrical charges, a third insulating layer formed in contact with the charge storage layer, and a first semiconductor layer formed in contact with the third insulating layer so as to extend in a stacking direction, with one end connected to one diffusion layer of the first selection transistor and the other end connected to a diffusion layer of the second selection transistor.
US08026539B2

Methods are provided for forming a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method comprises the steps of forming a high-k dielectric layer overlying the semiconductor substrate, forming a metal-comprising gate layer overlying the high-k dielectric layer, forming a doped silicon-comprising capping layer overlying the metal-comprising gate layer, and depositing a silicon-comprising gate layer overlying the doped silicon-comprising capping layer.
US08026537B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a function block arranged on a substrate, a first buffering cell arranged adjacent to a first side of the function block, a second buffering cell arranged adjacent to a second side adjacent to the first side of the function block, and signal wiring passing over the function block obliquely relative to the first side and the second side, connecting the first buffering cell and the second buffering cell.
US08026529B2

A light-emitting diode light source module includes a light-emitting diode and an optical lens which faces the light-emitting diode. The optical lens includes a light-emitting surface, a light-extracting surface opposite to the light-emitting surface, and a side surface interconnecting the light-emitting surface and the light-extracting surface. The light-emitting surface includes a first light-emitting portion and a second light-emitting portion. The light-extracting surface includes a first light-extracting portion and a second light-extracting portion surrounding the first light-extracting portion. An angle between the first light-emitting portion and the second light-emitting portion is an obtuse angle. An angle between the second light-emitting portion and the side surface is an acute angle. An angle between the side surface and second light-extracting portion is an acute angle.
US08026522B2

A thin film transistor array panel includes a substrate, a first thin film transistor formed on the substrate, a color filter formed on the first thin film transistor and having a through hole, a capping layer formed on the color filter and having an opening, and a pixel electrode formed on the capping layer and connected to the first thin film transistor through the through hole. The opening exposes the color filter outside the through hole.
US08026520B2

A thin film transistor (TFT), a method of fabricating the same, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device having the TFT, the TFT includes a substrate, a protection layer disposed on the substrate, a buffer layer disposed on the protection layer, a semiconductor layer disposed on the buffer layer, a gate electrode disposed on the semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer to electrically insulate the semiconductor layer from the gate electrode, and source and drain electrodes electrically insulated from the gate electrode and connected to the semiconductor layer. The protection layer is formed of an amine-containing clay. The OLED includes the TFT, an insulating layer disposed on the TFT, a first electrode connected to the drain electrode of the TFT, an organic layer disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode disposed on the organic layer.
US08026518B2

There is disclosed a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the semiconductor device in which a heat treatment time required for crystal growth is shortened and a process is simplified. Two catalytic element introduction regions are arranged at both sides of one active layer and crystallization is made. A boundary portion where crystal growth from one catalytic element introduction region meets crystal growth from the other catalytic element introduction region is formed in a region which becomes a source region or drain region.
US08026515B1

A platform-independent temperature controller system and method are provided. Included is a sensor is in communication with an integrated circuit. Further, a platform-independent temperature controller is in communication, with the sensor for controlling a temperature of the integrated circuit.
US08026514B2

The present invention relates to a new diamine derivative, and an organic electronic device using the same. The diamine derivative according to the present invention can serve as a hole injecting, hole transporting, electron injecting, electron transporting, or light emitting material in an organic electronic device including an organic light emitting device. Particularly, it can serve as a light emitting dopant as used alone, in particular, a blue light emitting dopant. The organic electronic device according to the present invention exhibits excellent characteristics in terms of efficiency, drive voltage, life time, and stability.
US08026510B2

A main object of the present invention is to provide an organic electronic device which has a high charge injection property by lowering a charge injection barrier between an electrode and an organic layer, and a layer having a charge injection function of which can be formed by a wet film forming method, and a method for producing the same. In order to attain the object, the present invention provides an organic electronic device comprising a substrate, two or more electrodes facing each other disposed on the substrate and at least one organic layer disposed between two electrodes among the electrodes, wherein a layer containing a reactive organic compound and/or a reaction product thereof is disposed between at least one electrode and an organic layer containing a charge injection transporting material, or at least one electrode and/or an organic layer containing a charge injection transporting material disposed adjacent to the electrode, contains a reactive organic compound and/or a reaction product thereof, and a method for producing the same.
US08026504B2

A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same are provided. The method includes preparing a semiconductor substrate. Insulating layers may be sequentially formed on the semiconductor substrate. Active elements may be formed between the insulating layers. A common node may be formed in the insulating layers to be electrically connected to the active elements. The common node and the active elements may be 2-dimensionally and repeatedly arranged on the semiconductor substrate.
US08026496B2

An acoustic crystal structure includes defect cavities that concentrate the driving pressure from applied sound waves into the cavities to cavitate gas bubbles in a liquid to produce sonoluminescence. This device may be used to study sonoluminescence or cavitation or to perform sonochemistry, nuclear fusion etc. in the cavities. A waveguide may be operatively coupled to the acoustic crystal to extract, collect and route a band of electromagnetic (EM) radiation around a specified source wavelength to an output port for emission by an antenna to provide an EM source. The waveguide may, for example, be a photonic crystal defect waveguide, a photonic crystal optical fiber or Sommerfeld waveguide. The marriage of the sonoluminescence phenomena with an acoustic crystal and embedded waveguide provides for an efficient source of narrow or broad band IR or THz radiation.
US08026493B2

An apparatus is provided for activating an oxygen scavenging composition that includes a plurality of UV lamps arranged in a bank and disposed in a UV chamber; the UV lamps include first and second sides through which UV light is transmittable. A series of guide rolls disposed in the UV chamber define a film pathway for directing a film in close proximity with the first and second sides of the UV lamps. The UV shade is arranged to wrap about the first and second sides of the UV lamps, and may be configured to move between an open, partially open, and closed position so that the dosage of UV light to which the film is exposed may be controlled by adjusting the degree to which the shade is open. As a result, the UV shade may limit UV exposure without having to turn off the UV lamps.
US08026491B2

A charged particle beam apparatus facilitating adjusting a beam center axis of a charged particle beam in a case where optical conditions are modified or in a case where the beam center axis of the charged particle beam is moved due to state variation of the apparatus. When the beam center axis of a primary charged particle beam is adjusted with a deflector (aligner), a first processing step for measuring the sensitivity of the aligner and a second processing step for detecting the deviation between the center of the primary charged particle beam and the center of the objective aperture are provided. The charged particle beam apparatus determines the aligner set values, using the aligner sensitivity measured in the first processing step and the amount of deviation detected in the second processing step, such that the primary charged particle beam passes through the center of the objective aperture and controls the aligner using the aligner set values.
US08026485B2

An infrared sensor with at least one cantilever beam functionalized with chitin, chitosan or their derivatives that can be tailored to be sensitive to certain IR bands for detection and does not require cooling is described. The functional layers expand differently than the structural layer of the cantilever beam causing the beam to bend in response to exposure to infrared radiation. The sensor can be adapted to optical, piezoresistive, capacitive and piezoelectric methods of detect beam deflection. Sensitivity can be increased with a reflective layer to increase the absorption of infrared radiation by the functional layer.
US08026483B2

A method for determining sugar concentration using spectropolarimetry and multivariate regression modeling A set of fixed polarizers are used in association with a spectrometer, which enables the measurement of optical rotation as absorbance values over a range of wavelengths. The adverse effects of color within the samples is corrected by measuring a background level of absorbance that is not due to optical rotation and using this as a baseline. A regression model is then developed for predicting sugar concentration in unknown samples. This method is effective even if the sample is colored.
US08026477B2

In various embodiments of the invention, a device permits more efficient collection and transmission of ions produced by the action of a carrier gas containing metastable neutral excited-state species into a mass spectrometer. In one embodiment of the invention, the device incorporates the source for ionization in combination with a jet separator to efficiently remove excess carrier gas while permitting ions to be more efficiently transferred into the vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer. In an embodiment of the invention, improved collection of ions produced by the carrier gas containing metastable neutral excited-state species at greater distances from between the position of the analyte and the position of the mass spectrometer are enabled.
US08026475B2

An ion gate apparatus for controlling the transmission of ion pulses between an origin and a destination in a mass spectrometer is disclosed, comprising: a first split gate having a length L1, comprising a first electrode portion; and a second electrode portion electrically insulated from the first electrode portion and separated from the first electrode portion so as to form a first aperture therebetween; a second split gate disposed adjacent to the first split gate at a distance d from the first split gate and having a length L2, comprising a third electrode portion; and a fourth electrode portion electrically insulated from the third electrode portion and separated from the third electrode portion so as to form a second aperture therebetween; a first voltage source electrically connected to said first electrode portion and to said second electrode portion; a second voltage source electrically connected to said third electrode portion and to said fourth electrode portion; and a controller electrically connected to said first voltage source and to said second voltage source.
US08026472B2

A touch-sensitive momentary-contact switch has an optical sensor, particularly an infrared sensor, and an evaluation circuit. The evaluation circuit is able to identify a malfunction in the optical sensor, so that the momentary-contact switch can be switched off, for example, for safety reasons. Therefore, it is possible to identify a malfunction in the optical sensor.
US08026470B2

Photosensor circuits include a relay coil configured to control application of an alternating current (AC) power source to a load. The circuit includes a pulse width modulator circuit configured to generate a pulse width modulated signal having a pulse width that varies responsive to an average voltage across the relay coil. A photo control circuit is configured to control application of the pulse width modulated signal to a drive transistor responsive to a detected light level. A power circuit includes a rectifier circuit and a voltage divider circuit configured to generate a regulated power signal. A outputs a current responsive to a level of light detected by the phototransistor. A low pass filter circuit is coupled to a first terminal of the phototransistor filters the output current of the phototransistor to provide a light level signal voltage and a select transistor couples the pulse width modulated signal to the drive transistor responsive to the light level signal voltage having a selected level.
US08026468B2

A projection display apparatus includes: an illumination optical unit which emits beams; an image display element which modulates the beams according to image information; a spatial-beam changing unit which changes spatial positions of the beams emitted from the illumination optical unit; and a uniform-beam distribution unit, disposed between the spatial-beam changing unit and the image display element, which uniformly distributes the beams. The spatial-beam changing unit includes a moveable prism, a movement of which changes the spatial positions of the beams emitted therefrom.
US08026466B2

A beam power source transmits a signal indicating power availability, receives a request for power in response, and beams power in response to the request.
US08026464B2

Multi-purpose food preparation kits for foods which include dough, at least a portion of which is exposed for cooking, browning, and crisping, and optionally rising. The kits include a support base of susceptor material elevated above a support surface by an elevator member either incorporated with a base or separate therefrom. Kits further include a ring component of susceptor material which surrounds the food product, and which is dimensioned larger than the initial dimensions of the food product, so as to be spaced therefrom, at least initially, prior to cooking. The space inside the ring component allows the dough to rise during cooking without obstruction by the susceptor ring and without imparting thermal energy from the susceptor ring to the dough surface. In one embodiment the susceptor base is provided in the form of a shipping carton.
US08026463B2

The present invention is directed to improving the conventional high-speed cooking oven based on a combination of hot air impingement and microwave heating by providing a time-dependent spatial variation in the net air impingement and/or net microwave energy applied to the food product in the oven. This is aimed at optimizing heat transfer and microwave efficiencies in a high-speed cooking oven, thereby enabling the oven to deliver an optimal cooking efficiency in comparison to the conventional high-speed cooking oven. In addition, under the present invention, the cooking efficiency may be further optimized by dimensioning the nozzles for hot air impingement to tighten impingement plumes, subject to the space constraint of the oven's cooking chamber, and dimensioning the cooking chamber of the oven in integer multiples of the wavelength of the microwave energy to match the microwave load. With the optimized cooking efficiency provided by the present invention, the high speed cooking technology may now be extended to ovens operating on a power supply based on a voltage less than 220 volts, preferably between 110 and 125 volts, with more productive results, so that the high-speed cooking technology may find a wider applicability and customer base.
US08026459B2

A laser surface treatment for reducing reflection loss on the surface of an optical material is provided. A metal film is formed on the surface of the optical material, and then the metal film is removed from the optical material by irradiation of an ultra-intense short-pulse laser beam having a pulse width of 1 femtosecond to 100 picoseconds, so that a fine periodic structure is formed on the surface of the optical material exposed by the removal of the metal film. The obtained fine periodic structure has asperities with a periodic interval of preferably 50 to 1000 nm, which can be controlled by changing the laser energy density.
US08026457B2

Laser protection arrangement with a safety cutoff comprising a passive laser protection wall which stores the radiation energy of impinging radiation of a laser of a laser material processing installation, a laser protection foil which causes a detectable change when struck by laser radiation and which is arranged in front in direction of the laser radiation, and at least one sensor which is connected to the laser by a threshold switch in order to switch off the laser when the received detector signal exceeds or falls below a threshold value.
US08026456B2

The invention provides a welding arrangement designed to respond to the need of an improved welding system that aids in supplying filler material to a weld location. Provided is a welding system including a welding gun and a welding wire feed directly coupled to the welding gun. The welding gun includes a filler material housing, a filler material positioning extension, and a manual advancement device configured to advance a filler material through the welding wire feed. Further provided is a method of operating a welding gun. The method includes passing a current between an electrode and a work piece at a weld location, and advancing a filler material toward the weld location via a channel of a positioning extension in response to engagement of a manual advancement device.
US08026453B2

A plurality of vertical bends are provided in a terminal projecting from a switch contact outwardly of a case. With this structure, when the terminal is soldered to a land on a wiring board, a plurality of solder layers are formed between the plurality of bends and the land. The plurality of solder layers can enhance the terminal strength, thereby preventing the switch from coming or floating off from the wiring board. Thus, a switch capable of ensuring reliable operation can be provided.
US08026452B2

Disclosed herein is a cable coupler for the connection of an armored cable having an armor layer. The cable coupler of the present invention includes a sleeve, which has an inclined surface, which is brought into contact with the armor layer of the armored cable, and a fastening ring and a support ring, each of which has a small width. Each of the fastening ring and the support ring includes inclined surfaces, which are formed by reducing the thickness thereof from a medial portion thereof to opposite ends. The inner inclined surfaces of the fastening ring and the support ring have inclination angles similar to that of the inclined surface of the sleeve. In addition, the armor layer can be firmly held by the cable coupler despite the use of a relatively small force, thus enhancing labor efficiency. As well, armor layers having various thicknesses can be held by the cable coupler merely by changing the positions of the fastening ring and the support ring, thus increasing the usefulness of the cable coupler.
US08026449B2

A circuit board includes a signal layer and a power supply layer. The signal layer includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. A number of pads are formed on the first surface for connecting to an electronic component. The power supply layer is formed on the second surface of the signal layer. The power supply layer includes an insulating substrate and at least one conductor formed on/in the insulating substrate. The conductor which is located under the pads defines a number of holes corresponding to the pads, each hole is substantially aligned with the corresponding pad, and the size of each hole is larger than the size of the corresponding pad.
US08026437B2

When the on-on time between Note 1 and Note 2 is shorter than the double stop judgment time JT, as shown in FIG. 3A, the mode is changed from Unison 1 to Unison 2. When note-on information of Note 1 is inputted at time t1, the parts 1-4 are assigned to Note 1, and simultaneously start sound generation at pitch n1, as shown in FIG. 3B. Next, when note-on information of Note 2 at pitch n2 lower than Note 1 is inputted at time t2, the mode is switched to Unison 2. Part 1 (with the timbre being trumpet) and Part 2 (with the timbre being clarinet) which are higher in the pitch order are assigned to Note 1, and continue generating the musical sound at pitch n1 of Note 1, and Part 3 (with the timbre being alto saxophone) and Part 4 (with the timbre being trombone) which are lower in the pitch order are assigned to Note 2, stop the sound generation at pitch n1, and start sound generation at pitch n2 of Note 2.
US08026436B2

A system for automatically manipulating prerecorded audio data to produce an audio track synchronized to a target video track. The system allows a user to select a music source from multiple music sources stored in a music library. Each music source includes multiple audio portions having block data and beat data associated therewith. The block data includes data blocks respectively, specifying the duration of the associated audio portions. Each data block preferably also includes interblock compatibility data and/or suitability data. The beat data, generally referred to as a “beatmap”, comprises timing information specifying the rhythmic pulse, or “beat” for the associated music source portion. The system is operable to produce an audio track synchronized to a video timing specification (VTS) specifying successive timing segments delimited by successive video events. After the user selects a music source, the system generates a music segment for each defined timing segment. Each music segment is generated by assembling an ordered sequence of compatible data blocks selected at least in part based on their suitability and/or compatibility characteristics.
US08026432B2

An inbred corn line, designated BB46, is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of inbred corn line BB46, to the plants and plant parts of inbred corn line BB46 and to methods for producing a corn plant, either inbred or hybrid, by crossing inbred corn line BB46 with itself or another corn line. The invention further relates to methods for producing a corn plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other inbred corn lines derived from inbred corn line BB46.
US08026428B2

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV494817. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV494817, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV494817 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV494817 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV494817.
US08026421B1

According to the invention, there is provided a novel soybean variety designated XB49B09. This invention thus relates to the seeds of soybean variety XB49B09, to the plants of soybean XB49B09 to plant parts of soybean variety XB49B09 and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing plants of the soybean variety XB49B09 with another soybean plant, using XB49B09 as either the male or the female parent.
US08026419B1

According to the invention, there is provided a novel soybean variety designated RJS35004. This invention thus relates to the seeds of soybean variety RJS35004, to the plants of soybean RJS35004 to plant parts of soybean variety RJS35004 and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing plants of the soybean variety RJS35004 with another soybean plant, using RJS35004 as either the male or the female parent.
US08026412B2

The promoter of a soybean metallothionein protein (MTH1) and fragments thereof and their use in promoting the expression of one or more heterologous nucleic acid fragments in a tissue-independent or constitutive manner in plants are described.
US08026408B2

A method of forming a surface cleaning pad body comprising a matrix web of binder fibers and superabsorbent polymer particles is provided. The method comprises the steps of depositing a mass of binder fibers onto a conveyor, shielding all but a selected area of the mass of binder fibers, depositing superabsorbent polymer particles onto the selected area of the mass of binder fibers so as to disburse superabsorbent polymer particles throughout a thickness of the mass of binder fibers, and bonding the mass of binder fibers to form a web structure and to substantially contain the superabsorbent polymer particles, thereby providing a cleaning pad body with superabsorbent polymer particles substantially contained in a zone of the mass of binder fibers that occupies at least a portion of the thickness of the mass of binder fibers and the selected area. The method further comprises the step of applying an attachment device to the cleaning pad body, thereby configuring the pad body for attachment to a cleaning implement.
US08026396B2

This invention relates to processes for the production of optically active 2-(disubstituted aryl)cyclopropylamine compounds and optically active 2-(disubstituted aryl)cyclopropane carboxamide compounds which are useful intermediates for the preparation of pharmaceutical agents, and in particular the compound [1S-(1α,2α,3β(1S*,2R*),5β)]-3-[7-[2-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-cyclopropyl]amino]-5-(propylthio)-3H-1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-3-yl)-5-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-cyclopentane-1,2-diol.
US08026394B2

A main object of the present invention is to provide a lithium salt which can improve its lithium transference number when used as a supporting salt of an electrolyte solution or the like. To attain the object, the present invention provides a lithium salt comprising a chemical structure represented by the following general formula (1): in which R1 to R3 may be same or different from each other and denote a fluoroalkyl group, an alkyl group or a phenyl group.
US08026381B2

This application refers to an industrial production process for ethyl esters (biodiesel).
US08026377B2

The present invention relates to processes for the manufacture of (3R,5R)-7-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-isopropyl-3-phenyl-4-[(4-hydroxy methyl phenyl amino)carbonyl]-pyrrol-1-yl]-3,5-dihydroxy-heptanoic acid hemi calcium salt.
US08026375B2

The present invention relates to a process for the regioselective synthesis of compounds of the formula I, wherein R0; R1; R2; R3; R4; R5; R6; A1; A2; A3; A4, Q, T and J have the meanings indicated in the claims. The present invention provides a direct transition metal catalyzed process to a wide variety of multifunctional N-aminoindole or N-amino-azaindoles of the formula I from 2-halo-phenylacetylenes or (2-sulfonato)phenyl-acetylenes and N,N-disubstituted hydrazines, useful for the production of pharmaceuticals, diagnostic agents, liquid crystals, polymers, herbicides, fungicidals, nematicidals, parasiticides, insecticides, acaricides and arthropodicides.
US08026374B2

A process for preparing (meth)acrylic esters (F) of N-hydroxyalkylated imidazoles, wherein N-hydroxyalkylated imidazoles (I), in which R1 and R2 may each independently be hydrogen or C1-C20-alkyl, R3, R4 and R5 are each independently hydrogen or C1-C20-alkyl, C1-C20-alkylcarbonyl, C2-C20-alkenyl, C2-C20-alkenylcarbonyl, C2-C20-alkynyl, C2-C20-alkynylcarbonyl, C3-C15-cycloalkyl, C3-C15-cycloalkylcarbonyl, aryl, arylcarbonyl, a heterocycle or a halogen atom, and m and n are each integers in the range of in each case from 0 to 20, where m and n cannot simultaneously be 0, and in which the particular units bracketed by the variables m and n are present in any sequence, and in which, in the case that m≧2, the R1 and R2 radicals are in each case independent in the particular units, in the presence of at least one catalyst (K), are esterified with (meth)acrylic acid (S) or transesterified with at least one (meth)acrylic ester (D).
US08026372B2

A process for the preparation of ω-alkoxycarbonylamino-α-aminoacids and α,ω orthogonally diprotected diaminoacids from α,ω-diaminoacids using 1-alkoxycarbonylbenzotriazoles as protecting agents is disclosed. In an alternative embodiment, carbamoylating agents in the presence of benzotriazoles are used instead of 1-alkoxycarbonylbenzotriazoles. This reaction is preferably applied to the preparation of ε-alkoxycarbonyllysines from lysine. A process for the preparation of t-butoxycarbonylbenzotriazoles and novel complexes of ω-alkoxycarbonylamino-α-aminoacids with benzotriazoles are also disclosed.
US08026369B2

Disclosed herein is a composition containing hetero arylene or arylene showing a p-type semiconductor property in addition to thiophene showing a p-type semiconductor property and thiazole rings showing a n-type semiconductor property at a polymer main chain, an organic semiconductor polymer containing the composition, an organic active layer containing the organic semiconductor polymer, an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) containing the organic active layer, an electronic device containing the OTFT, and a method of preparing the same. The composition of example embodiments, which is used in an organic semiconductor polymer and contains thiazole rings, may exhibit increased solubility to an organic solvent, coplanarity, processibility and an improved thin film property.
US08026363B2

A process for producing coelenteramide or its analog in a high yield has been desired. The invention provides a process for producing di-O-methylcoelenteramide or its analog of formula (3) which comprises reacting O-methylcoelenteramine or its analog with 4-methoxyphenylacetyl halide or its analog. The invention also provides a process for producing coelenteramide or its analog, which comprises demethylation of di-O-methylcoelenteramide or its analog.
US08026361B2

Isoindoline pigments of the general formula I in which the variables are defined as follows: R1 is C1-C4-alkyl; R2 is hydrogen or C1-C4-alkyl, whose value expressing ease of dispersion in LDPE is ≦10 and which require a reduction ratio of ≧5 to obtain ⅓ of standard depth of shade.
US08026356B2

The present invention provides a method for preparing pure Stavudine having purity more than 99.5% comprises: i) Converting 3′,5′-anhydrothymidine to crude Stavudine, ii) Converting crude Stavudine to stable solvates of Stavudine, iii) Desolvation of the solvates to give pure Stavudine. The present invention also disclosed novel solvates of Stavudine and conversion of novel Stavudine solvates to Stavudine.
US08026353B2

The human receptor H4-1BB has been isolated, sequenced and disclosed herein. The cDNA of the human receptor H4-1BB is about 65% homologous to the mouse cDNA 4-1BB and was isolated by using probes derived from cDNA 4-1BB. A fusion protein for detecting cell membrane ligands to human receptor protein H4-1BB was developed. It comprises the extracellular portion of the receptor protein H4-1BB and a detection protein (alkaline phosphatase) bound to the portion of the receptor protein H4-1BB. B-cells that have expressed a ligand to receptor protein H4-1BB can be treated with cells that have expressed receptor protein H4-1BB and B-cell proliferation may be induced. The use of H4-1BB to block H4-1BB ligand binding has practical application in the suppression of the immune system during organ transplantation. A monoclonal antibody against H4-1BB can be used to enhance T-cell proliferation by treating T-cells that have expressed receptor protein H4-1BB with the anti H4-1BB monoclonal antibody. Tumors transfected with H4-1BBL may be capable of delivering antigen-specific signals as well as the co-stimulatory signals and can be killed by human cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
US08026350B2

This disclosure provides a novel tumor suppressor, referred to as p28ING5, nucleic acid molecules encoding this protein, and methods of making and using these molecules. Also provided are methods of ameliorating, treating, detecting, prognosing, and diagnosing diseases and conditions associated with abnormal p28ING5 expression, such as neoplasia. Kits are also provided.
US08026348B2

Compositions and methods of preparing carboranes and metallacarboranes, which can be used as a new type of electrochemically active label for biological compounds, are disclosed. Nucleic acid derivatives labelled with carborane or metallacarborane can be detected by electrochemical methods and can find several practical applications, such as materials for nanoconstruction, in DNA array technology or for the construction of biosensors, especially electrochemical biosensors. Other applications can include use as modified primers in amplification of RNA and DNA, antisense drugs, boron carriers for BNCT, radiopharmaceuticals bearing a range of isotopes useful in different types of radiotherapy, molecular probes, elements of biosensors, materials for nanotechnology and others.
US08026345B2

The invention pertains to methods for measuring different forms of human adiponectin that are present in human plasma/serum, and more specifically methods are based on an ELISA assay that utilizes different monoclonal antibodies directed against adiponectin, in combination with different polyclonal antibodies directed against different domains of human adiponectin. The invention also provides unique isoforms of adiponectin and antibodies thereto, including polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies.
US08026344B2

Targeted binding agents directed to the antigen uPAR and uses of such antibodies are described. In particular, fully human monoclonal antibodies directed to the antigen uPAR. Nucleotide sequences encoding, and amino acid sequences comprising, heavy and light chain immunoglobulin molecules, particularly sequences corresponding to contiguous heavy and light chain sequences spanning the framework regions and/or complementarity determining regions (CDR's), specifically from FR1 through FR4 or CDR1 through CDR3. Hybridomas or other cell lines expressing such immunoglobulin molecules and monoclonal antibodies.
US08026342B2

The present invention relates to anti-S1P agents, for example, humanized monoclonal antibodies, and their uses for detection of S1P or for treatment of diseases and conditions associated with S1P.
US08026338B2

A method for producing a polyimide film comprises the steps of: preparing a polar organic solvent solution of a polyimide precursor obtained by mixing a tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride compound and a diamine compound; adding a dehydrating agent and an imidization catalyst to the polar organic solvent solution so as to prepare a resin solution composition; and drying the resin solution composition by heating so as to imidize the resin solution composition after flowing the resin solution composition onto a support in a casting manner, wherein diethyl pyridine is used as the imidization catalyst. According to the production method, it is possible to obtain a polyimide film which is highly productive and is excellent in the film quality such as the mechanical property, the adhesive strength, and the like.
US08026331B2

A compound having the formula below. Each R is methyl or phenyl; R2 comprises one or more of silane, siloxane, and aromatic groups; n is a nonnegative integer; and m is 1 or 2. The dashed bond is a single bond and the double dashed bond is a double bond, or the dashed bond is a double bond and the double dashed bond is a triple bond. A polymer made by a hydrosilation reaction of a polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane having pendant siloxane groups with an acetylene- and silicon-containing compound having at least two vinyl or ethynyl groups, and a crosslinked polymer thereof. The reaction occurs between the pendant siloxane groups and the vinyl or ethynyl groups.
US08026329B2

Provided are polycarbosilane and a method of producing the same. The polycarbosilane contains an allyl group, and thus can be cured by UV absorption when not exposed to the air.
US08026328B2

A method of preparing hydrophobic silica particles includes the step of reacting together in a single step a mixture of silane ether monomers and organically modified silane ether monomers with a hydrolyzing agent. The method also includes producing hydrophobic silica microparticles and nanoparticles that can include dyes and/or magnetizable components. The silica nanoparticles can be used in the detection, visualization and/or analysis of latent fingerprints.
US08026318B2

Mixed polycycloaliphatic amines (MPCA) and alkylates thereof (MPCA alkylates), methods for making mixed polycycloaliphatic MPCA amines and MPCA alkylates thereof, as well as polymeric compositions, such as spray-applied polyurea coating compositions, comprising said mixed amines MPCA and MPCA alkylates thereof are described herein. In one embodiment, the polymeric composition comprises an isocyanate component, and a resin component comprising an organic compound having the following Formula I: where R1, R2 and R3 are each independently selected from a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group comprising from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, an aryl group comprising from 3 to 12 carbon atoms, an aralkyl group comprising from 3 to 12 carbon atoms and combinations thereof, provided that there is at least one alkyl group within Formula I, and X is a methylene bridged polycycloaliphatic amine (MPCA).
US08026316B2

To provide a process for efficiently producing a perfluoropolymer having unstable terminal groups reduced. A process for producing a fluorination-treated perfluoropolymer, which comprises melting a thermoplastic perfluoropolymer to form strands and contacting the polymer strands with a fluorine gas. For fluorination-treatment of the perfluoropolymer, an apparatus 10 is used, which comprises a melt extruder 11 for melting and extruding the perfluoropolymer, a die 12 for forming the melt extruded polymer into continuous strands 1 and a fluorination tank 13 for contacting the continuous strands 1 with a fluorine gas.
US08026313B2

A curable polymer composition that is quickly curable to form a cured article having excellent adhesion and followability to a substrate and at least including (A) an acrylic copolymer having a hydrogen atom bonded to a silicon atom, (B) a compound having at least two aliphatic unsaturated bonds in one molecule thereof, (C) a fluoroolefin copolymer including vinylidene fluoride as main component, and (D) a catalyst for hydrosilylation reaction.
US08026312B2

A polyolefin composition comprising, in percent by weight: A) 20-35% of a propylene homopolymer or copolymer with up to 8% of comonomer(s); B) 65-80% of a copolymer of ethylene and (i) propylene or (ii) CH2═CHR alpha-olefins, where R is a 2-8 carbon alkyl radical, or (iii) a combination thereof, optionally with minor amounts of a diene, containing from 40 to less than 54% of ethylene; wherein the weight ratio B/XS of the content B of copolymer component (B) to the fraction XS soluble in xylene at room temperature, both referred to the total weight of (A)+(B), is of 1.25 or less.
US08026310B2

A low temperature curable coating powder comprising an epoxy functional resin is cured with styrene maleimide in combination with at least one other curing agent such as dicyandiamide, imidazole, or an imidazole adduct. The combination of three curing agents such styrene maleimide, dicyandiamide, and an imidazole or imidazole adduct is useful for achieving gloss control. The coating powder may be curable at temperatures of 300° F. or lower. The coating of heat-sensitive and non-conductive substrates is facilitated with use of such coating powder, although other substrates, such as metal may be coated in accordance with the invention.
US08026304B2

A golf ball having a core, and at least one layer about the core, wherein the core or the layer is formed from partially or fully neutralized butyl ionomers or their blends to improve the resiliency and impact durability over a conventional butyl rubber. The core comprises a thermoplastic material, a thermoset material, or a rubber-based material, while at least one layer is formed from a composition comprising a partially or fully neutralized butyl rubber ionomer. The butyl rubber ionomer comprises repeating units derived from at least one isoolefin monomer, at least 0.5 mol % of repeating units derived from at least one multiolefin monomer, at least 0.5 mol % of repeating units derived from an allylic halide, and at least 0.5 mol % of an ionomeric moiety. The isoolefin comprises isobutylene, the multiolefin comprises isoprene and the allylic halide comprises a bromide.
US08026302B2

A PVA resin composition is provided which is excellent in melt-formability and free from emanation of odor in a melt-forming process, and is capable of providing a product free from residual odor, a highly transparent film and a laminate film having higher interlayer adhesive strength. The resin composition comprises: (A) a polyvinyl alcohol resin having a 1,2-diol structural unit represented by the following formula (1): and having a saponification degree of 80 to 97.9 mol %; and (B) an alkylene oxide adduct of a polyvalent alcohol containing 5 to 9 moles of an alkylene oxide per 1 mole of the polyvalent alcohol.
US08026291B2

Expanded and extruded polyolefin foams are obtained using environmentally benign non-VOC methyl formate as a blowing agent. The blowing agent can be a blend further including at least one co-blowing agent, preferably an environmentally friendly species (e.g., non-VOC), which is either a physical co-blowing agent (e.g. an inorganic agent, a hydrocarbon, a halogenated hydrocarbon, a hydrocarbon with polar, functional group(s) or any combination thereof), or a chemical co-blowing agent, or combinations thereof. The blowing agent blend can include any combination of methyl formate and one or more co-blowing agents. The polymer foam can include polyethylene, polypropylene or a combination thereof. The methyl formate-based blowing agent blends produce stable foams for various applications, including containers, packaging systems, as well as for insulation and protective cushioning. Processes for the preparation of such foams are also provided.
US08026289B2

A fluorinated polyoxyalkylene glycol diamide surfactant of formula 1 B—X—COCH2O—[—CpH2pO—]n—CH2CO—X—Ra  (1) wherein B is M or Ra, M is an ionizable hydrogen, ammonium, alkali metal, or alkaline earth metal, p is from about 2 to about 4, n is from about 5 about 43, each X is independently NR, SCH2CH2NR, SO2NRCH2CH2NR, or SO2CH2CH2NR; R is hydrogen, or a linear or branched alkyl group CbH(2b+1) wherein b is 1 to about 18, Ra is Rf(CH2CF2)d—(CgH2g)—; Rf(OCF2CF2)r—(CgH2g)—; RfOY—; Rf(CH2)h[(CF2CF2)i(CH2CH2)j]k—; Rf(CgH2g)—; or H(CcF2c)—(CgH2g)—; Y is CFHCF2O(CwH2w)—; or CF(CF3)CONH—(CgH2g)—; and each Rf is independently CcF(2c+1) wherein c is 1 to about 6.
US08026288B2

A defoaming method capable of destroying foams generated when a container is filled with drink, or the like, efficiently at a high speed and destroying foams effectively even in the case of a container having a narrow mouth. Liquid surface (6) in a container (1) is irradiated with pulse-like light (2) and a pulse-like sound wave (8) is generated from an irradiated point (7) as a sound source. The pulse-like sound wave thus generated propagates from the sound source as a strong spherical wave to reach a bubble (9) and to destroy the bubble. It can also destroy a bubble located at a place remote from the optical path quickly, thus destroying bubbles efficiently at a high speed. Alternatively, pulse-like light is condensed at a gas portion above the liquid surface and the bubbles can be destroyed with a shock wave generated by breakdown phenomenon.
US08026287B2

The invention provides colloidal dispersions of calcium phosphate platelets comprising at least one polymer which complexes the calcium and in which the length of the platelets, L, is between 5 and 500 nm and in which the thickness of the platelets is between 0.5 and 20 nm.Another subject-matter of the invention is the calcium phosphate platelets obtained by drying the colloidal dispersion according to the invention.The invention also provides a process for preparing these colloidal dispersions of calcium phosphate platelets according to the invention.Finally, another subject-matter of the invention is the use of the abovementioned colloidal dispersions of platelets as food additive, reinforcing filler, thermal insulation filler, pharmaceutical excipient, polishing agent, building materials, additive for oral formulations, in particular dentifrices, or encapsulating agent.
US08026274B2

The subject invention provides a method of treating burn-induced weight loss in a burn patient which comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of an oxandrolone to the patient. The invention also provides a method of treating a wound in a patient suffering from a wound which comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of an oxandrolone to the patient. The subject invention further provides a method of treating burn-induced weight loss in a burn patient which comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of an oxandrolone in conjunction with a protein supplement to the patient.
US08026269B2

The invention encompasses isoindoline compounds, pharmaceutical compositions comprising them, and methods of their use for the treatment, prevention or management of various diseases and disorders. Examples include, but are not limited to, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and myelodysplastic syndrome.
US08026265B2

The present invention relates to compounds of formula (I): and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and tautomers thereof. Compounds of the present invention are inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC) and are useful for treating cellular proliferative diseases, including cancer. They are also useful for treating neurodegenerative diseases, mental retardation, schizophrenia, inflammatory diseases, restenosis, immune disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders and asthma.
US08026263B2

Methods, compositions and devices for inhibiting neoproliferative changes in blood vessel walls or other anatomical structures. One or more compounds of Formula I or I-A set forth herein are administered systemically and/or locally to human or veterinary patients to deter or prevent unwanted proliferative changes in blood vessels or other anatomical structures. The invention may be used to deter or prevent stenosis or restenosis of arteries following angioplasty and/or stent placement. In one embodiment, there is provided an implantable stent or stent graft from which one or more compounds of the present invention will elute or otherwise be delivered into an affected blood vessel wall.
US08026251B2

The present invention relates to a method for treating or alleviating migraines, by administering to a patient in need thereof compound (I), or salts thereof, or pharmaceutical preparations thereof comprising mixtures of compound (I) or salts thereof with pharmaceutically-acceptable diluents wherein: R represents —NHC(O)OR3; and R3 represents methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl or phenylmethyl.
US08026245B2

The present invention relates to the use of a compound of formula (I) for the manufacture of a medicament for the prevention or the treatment of HIV infection wherein the compound of formula (I) is a compound of formula a N-oxide, a pharmaceutically acceptable addition salt, a quaternary amine or a stereochemically isomeric form thereof, wherein A and B each represents a radical of formula and wherein —C-D- represents a bivalent radical of formula —N═CH—NR17—  (c-1); or —NR17—CH═N—  (c-2); provided that when A represents a radical of formula (a) then B represents a radical of formula (b) and when A represents a radical of formula (b) then B represents a radical of formula (a).
US08026241B2

Therapeutic benzimidazoles and compositions containing them, for the treatment of acute, inflammatory and neuropathic pain, dental pain, general headache, migraine, cluster headache, mixed-vascular and non-vascular syndromes, tension headache, general inflammation, arthritis, rheumatic diseases, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disorders, inflammatory eye disorders, inflammatory or unstable bladder disorders, psoriasis, skin complaints with inflammatory components, chronic inflammatory conditions, inflammatory pain and associated hyperalgesia and allodynia, neuropathic pain and associated hyperalgesia and allodynia, diabetic neuropathy pain, causalgia, sympathetically maintained pain, deafferentation syndromes, asthma, epithelial tissue damage or dysfunction, herpes simplex, disturbances of visceral motility at respiratory, genitourinary, gastrointestinal or vascular regions, wounds, burns, allergic skin reactions, pruritus, vitiligo, general gastrointestinal disorders, gastric ulceration, duodenal ulcers, diarrhea, gastric lesions induced by necrotizing agents, hair growth, vasomotor or allergic rhinitis, bronchial disorders or bladder disorders.
US08026223B1

In accordance with the present invention is provided a method of treating a subject having a cancerous tumor. The treatment protocol methodology includes injecting the cancerous tumor with an effective dose of plasmid coding for a therapeutic protein followed by administering electroporation therapy to the tumor, the electroporation therapy includes the administration of at least one high voltage, short duration pulse to the tumor.
US08026218B2

The present invention provides a novel chimeric compound comprising an agonist opioid receptor binding moiety at its N-terminus and an antagonist neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor binding moiety at its C-terminus for producing analgesia, a pharmaceutical composition comprising the chimeric compound, a method of making the compound, and a method of treating pain using the novel chimeric compounds.
US08026202B2

A rifle bore cleaning mixture of 2.4 by volume of Sweet's to 1 of Kroil to produce an approximate compound that is 70% by volume of Sweet's and 30% by volume of Kroil without combining any further additives with the mixture.
US08026197B2

A method and apparatus for manufacturing superconducting tape through an integrated process, including the steps of: heat-treating a substrate wound on a drum in a reaction chamber; continuously depositing components, constituting a buffer layer, a superconducting layer, a contact resistance layer, and a protective layer of the superconducting tape, which are supplied from a deposition chamber, on the substrate; and heat-treating the substrate deposited with the components. The present invention is advantageous in that the unit cost and time for manufacturing a superconducting tape are decreased because all processes for manufacturing a superconducting tape can be performed under the same conditions, the uniformity and performance of a superconducting tape is improved because the same deposition conditions are applied to all of the process for manufacturing a superconducting tape, and a high-quality superconducting tape having high deposition efficiency can be obtained because specific components can be deposited on a large-sized substrate using a drum.
US08026191B2

The present invention provides a carbon-containing refractory composition comprising a carbon-containing refractory matrix material, and a binder selected from molasses, lignosulphonate, magnesium sulfate, magnesium chloride, and a mixture thereof. The inventive composition having satisfactory good thermal and physical properties causes no environmental hazard.
US08026173B2

A phase change memory formed by a plurality of phase change memory devices having a chalcogenide memory region extending over an own heater. The heaters have all a relatively uniform height. The height uniformity is achieved by forming the heaters within pores in an insulator that includes an etch stop layer and a sacrificial layer. The sacrificial layer is removed through an etching process such as chemical mechanical planarization. Since the etch stop layer may be formed in a repeatable way and is common across all the devices on a wafer, considerable uniformity is achieved in heater height. Heater height uniformity results in more uniformity in programmed memory characteristics.
US08026172B2

One embodiment of the invention provides a method of forming a plurality of contact holes, including forming a first feature and a second feature over an underlying material, forming sidewall spacers on the first and second features, removing the first and second features without removing the sidewall spacers, forming a cover mask at least partially exposing the sidewall spacers, and etching the underlying material using the cover mask and the sidewall spacers as a mask to form the plurality of contact holes.
US08026168B2

The method includes providing a substrate containing a dielectric layer having a recessed feature and forming a aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film over a surface of the recessed feature. The aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film is formed by depositing a plurality of tantalum carbonitride films, and depositing aluminum between each of the plurality of tantalum carbonitride films. One embodiment further comprises depositing a Ru film on the aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film, depositing a Cu seed layer on the Ru film, and filling the recessed feature with bulk Cu. A semiconductor device containing an aluminum tantalum carbonitride barrier film is described.
US08026167B2

A metal interconnection of semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same is provided. The semiconductor device can include a semiconductor substrate formed with device structures such as transistors. An interlayer dielectric layer can be formed on the semiconductor substrate with a metal interconnection formed therethrough. A spacer can be formed on at least a portion of a sidewall of the metal interconnection. A diffusion barrier can be formed on an upper surface of the metal interconnection.
US08026158B2

Systems and methods process structures on or within a semiconductor substrate using a series of laser pulses. In one embodiment, a deflector is configured to selectively deflect the laser pulses within a processing window. The processing window is scanned over the semiconductor substrate such that a plurality of laterally spaced rows of structures simultaneously pass through the processing window. As the processing window is scanned, the deflector selectively deflects the series of laser pulses among the laterally spaced rows within the processing window. Thus, multiple rows of structures may be processed in a single scan.
US08026156B2

In a method for fabricating a nitride-based compound layer, first, a GaN substrate is prepared. A mask layer with a predetermined pattern is formed on the GaN substrate to expose a partial area of the GaN substrate. Then a buffer layer is formed on the partially exposed GaN substrate. The buffer layer is made of a material having a 10% or less lattice mismatch with GaN. Thereafter, the nitride-based compound is grown laterally from a top surface of the buffer layer toward a top surface of the mask layer and the nitride-based compound layer is vertically grown to a predetermined thickness. Also, the mask layer and the buffer layer are removed via wet-etching to separate the nitride-based compound layer from the GaN substrate.
US08026155B2

A method for producing a semiconductor device includes forming an aluminum layer on a core substrate, anodizing the aluminum layer into an alumina layer having a plurality of nanoholes, forming an n-type GaN layer by growing crystals of a compound semiconductor such as an n-type GaN on the alumina layer and inside the nanoholes, and dissolving the alumina layer with an acid. As a result, gaps are formed and a structure in which the core substrate is joined to the n-type GaN layer through portions, other than the gaps, having a very small area is generated. Then a laser beam is applied to the n-type GaN layer through the core substrate to separate the n-type GaN layer from the core substrate by a laser lift-off technique.
US08026152B2

It is an object to provide a semiconductor device integrating various elements without using a semiconductor substrate, and a method of manufacturing the same. According to the present invention, a layer to be separated including an inductor, a capacitor, a resistor element, a TFT element, an embedded wiring and the like, is formed over a substrate, separated from the substrate, and transferred onto a circuit board 100. An electrical conduction with a wiring pattern 114 provided in the circuit board 100 is made by a wire 112 or a solder 107, thereby forming a high frequency module or the like.
US08026151B2

A method of performing an STI gapfill process for semiconductor devices is provided. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the method includes forming an stop layer overlying a substrate. In addition, the method includes forming a trench within the substrate, with the trench having sidewalls, a bottom, and a depth. The method additionally includes forming a liner within the trench, the liner lining the sidewalls and bottom of the trench. Furthermore, the method includes filling the trench to a first depth with a first oxide. The first oxide is filled using a spin-on process. The method also includes performing a first densification process on the first oxide within the trench. In addition, the method includes depositing a second oxide within the trench using an HDP process to fill at least the entirety of the trench. The method also includes performing a second densification process on the first and second oxides within the trench.
US08026149B2

To provide a laser irradiation apparatus which performs alignment of an irradiated object and emits a laser beam precisely, a laser irradiation method, and a manufacturing method of a TFT with high reliability with the use of a method for precisely targeting a desired irradiation position of the laser beam. A substrate with marker is mounted on a stage formed using a material which transmits infrared light; a marker, which is provided in the substrate with marker mounted on the stage, is detected using a camera capable of sensing infrared light, and a position of the stage is controlled; a laser beam is emitted from a laser oscillator; the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator is processed into a linear shape by an optical system, and the substrate with marker mounted on the stage is irradiated with the laser beam.
US08026145B2

A process for the preparation of low resistivity arsenic or phosphorous doped (N+/N++) silicon wafers which, during the heat treatment cycles of essentially any arbitrary electronic device manufacturing process, reliably form oxygen precipitates.
US08026143B2

The object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing high permittivity gate dielectrics for a device such as an MOSFET. A HfSiO film is formed by sputtering a Hf metal film on a SiO2 film (or a SiON film) on a Si wafer. A TiO2 film is formed by sputtering a Ti metal film on the HfSiO film and subjecting the Ti metal film to a thermal oxidation treatment. A TiN metal film is deposited on the TiO2 film. The series of treatments are performed continuously, without exposing the films and the wafer to atmospheric air. The resultant TiN/TiO2/HfSiO/SiO2/Si structure satisfies the conditions: EOT<1.0 nm, low leakage current, and hysteresis <20 mV.
US08026142B2

A method of fabricating semiconductor devices begins by providing or fabricating a device structure that includes a semiconductor material and a plurality of gate structures formed overlying the semiconductor material. The method continues by creating light dose extension implants in the semiconductor material by bombarding the device structure with ions at a non-tilted angle relative to an exposed surface of the semiconductor material. During this step, the plurality of gate structures are used as a first implantation mask. The method continues by forming a patterned mask overlying the semiconductor material, the patterned mask being arranged to protect shared drain regions of the semiconductor material and to leave shared source regions of the semiconductor material substantially exposed. Thereafter, the method creates heavy dose extension implants and/or halo implants in the semiconductor material by bombarding the device structure with ions at a tilted angle relative to the exposed surface of the semiconductor material, and toward the plurality of gate structures. During this step, the plurality of gate structures and the patterned mask are used as a second implantation mask.
US08026141B2

In a conventional SGT production method, during dry etching for forming a pillar-shaped silicon layer and a gate electrode, an etching amount cannot be controlled using an end-point detection process, which causes difficulty in producing an SGT while stabilizing a height dimension of the pillar-shaped silicon layer, and a gate length. In an SGT production method of the present invention, a hard mask for use in dry etching for forming a pillar-shaped silicon layer is formed in a layered structure comprising a first hard mask and a second hard mask, to allow the end-point detection process to be used during the dry etching for the pillar-shaped silicon layer. In addition, a gate conductive film for use in dry etching for forming a gate electrode is formed in a layered structure comprising a first gate conductive film and a second gate conductive film, to allow the end-point detection process to be used during the dry etching for the gate electrode.
US08026135B2

A process for forming diffused region less than 20 nanometers deep with an average doping dose above 1014 cm−2 in an IC substrate, particularly LDD region in an MOS transistor, is disclosed. Dopants are implanted into a source dielectric layer using gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) implantation, molecular ion implantation or atomic ion implantation resulting in negligible damage in the IC substrate. A spike anneal or a laser anneal diffuses the implanted dopants into the IC substrate. The inventive process may also be applied to forming source and drain (S/D) regions. One source dielectric layer may be used for forming both NLDD and PLDD regions.
US08026133B2

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode formed on the gate insulating film, a source/drain diffusion layer formed in the semiconductor substrate at both sides of the gate electrode, and a channel region formed in the semiconductor substrate between a source and a drain of the source/drain diffusion layer and arranged below the gate insulating film, wherein an upper surface of the source/drain diffusion layer is positioned below a bottom surface of the gate electrode, and an upper surface of the channel region is positioned below the upper surface of the source/drain diffusion layer.
US08026128B2

A semiconductor device has a semiconductor die with an die bump pad and substrate with a trace line and integrated bump pad. Conductive bump material is deposited on the substrate bump pad or die bump pad. The semiconductor die over the substrate so that the bump material is disposed between the die bump pad and substrate bump pad. The bump material is reflowed without a solder mask around the die bump pad or substrate bump pad to form an interconnect. The bump material is self-confined within a footprint of the die bump pad or substrate bump pad. The bump material can be immersed in a flux solution prior to reflow to increase wettability. Alternatively, the interconnect includes a non-fusible base and fusible cap. The volume of bump material is selected so that a surface tension maintains self-confinement of the bump material within the bump pads during reflow.
US08026127B2

A method of manufacture of an integrated circuit package system including: providing a selective slot die paddle having selective slots and edge pieces around the perimeter; providing extended leads protruding into the selective slots; mounting an integrated circuit die on the selective slot die paddle; and coupling bond wires between the integrated circuit die, the edge pieces, the extended leads, or a combination thereof.
US08026120B2

A method of manufacturing an MEMS device includes: forming a covering structure having an MEMS structure and a hollow portion, which is located on a periphery of the MEMS structure and is opened to an outside, on a substrate; and performing surface etching for the MEMS structure in a gas phase by supplying an etching gas to the periphery of the MEMS structure from the outside.
US08026110B2

The present invention relates to a rosamine derivative compound, as described herein, having the following structure: Also disclosed are methods of making such compounds and for using them for detection and imaging.
US08026104B2

A biosensor system determines an analyte concentration of a biological sample using an electrochemical process without Cottrell decay. The biosensor system generates an output signal having a transient decay, where the output signal is not inversely proportional to the square root of the time. The transient decay is greater or less than the −0.5 decay constant of a Cottrell decay. The transient decay may result from a relatively short incubation period, relatively small sample reservoir volumes, relatively small distances between electrode surfaces and the lid of the sensor strip, and/or relatively short excitations in relation to the average initial thickness of the reagent layer. The biosensor system determines the analyte concentration from the output signal having a transient decay.
US08026102B2

The present disclosure describes an apparatus and associated method for quantifying the quality degradation of individual stored red blood cell (RBC) units, thereby yielding information to improve decisions regarding their respective allocation, patient suitability, and use. This apparatus and the methods of its use are amenable to clinical implementation as well as indicative of any given unit's relative viability and thus prospective efficacy. This would provide clinicians with actual data on RBC quality when making decisions about which and how many units to use for transfusion of a given patient. Moreover, deploying this testing throughout the supply chain will improve distribution, planning, and inventory control decisions. A vital aspect of this testing system is the accumulation of copious output and other associated data and the mathematical analyses thereof to optimize algorithms by which to characterize each subsequent test output as meaningfully as possible. While the present invention is directed toward applications in blood quality control, the core technology of “quantifying RBC fragility via stress-induced hemolysis and subsequent optical and computational analysis” could have broader application, such as in disease diagnosis.The apparatus for quantifying the quality degradation of individual stored (RBC) units comprises: a hemolysis unit; an optical analysis unit; and a computation unit. Similarly, the associated process for quantifying the quality degradation of individual stored (RBC) units comprises: a hemolysis step; an optical analysis step; and a computation step.
US08026087B2

Disclosed is a method of continuously producing ethanol and electricity from a sustainable renewable biomass feedstock in a processing plant contiguous to the acreage providing the biomass. The process is a closed loop operation having a dedicated crop grown year round producing multiple crops per acre. The renewable biomass feedstock is a sugar containing feedstock such as sweet sorghum. The biomass is grown year round and produces multiple crops per acre.
US08026084B2

There is a need for nucleic acid analysis which is both specific and rapid, and in which no nucleic acid sequencing is required. The present invention addresses this need, among others by providing a method of nucleic acid amplification of overlapping sub-segments of a nucleic acid followed by molecular mass measurement of resulting amplification products by mass spectrometry, and determination of the base compositions of the amplification products.
US08026080B2

The present invention includes devices, systems, and methods for assaying cells using cell-substrate impedance monitoring. In one aspect, the invention provides cell-substrate impedance monitoring devices that comprise electrode arrays on a nonconducting substrate, in which each of the arrays has an approximately uniform electrode resistance across the entire array. In another aspect, the invention provides cell-substrate monitoring systems comprising one or more cell-substrate monitoring devices comprising multiple wells each having an electrode array, an impedance analyzer, a device station that connects arrays of individual wells to the impedance analyzer, and software for controlling the device station and impedance analyzer. In another aspect, the invention provides cellular assays that use impedance monitoring to detect changes in cell behavior or state. In some preferred aspects, the assays are designed to investigate the affects of compounds on cells, such as cytotoxicity assays. In other preferred aspects, the assays are designed to investigate the compounds that effect IgE-mediated responses of cells to antigens.
US08026078B2

The present invention provides a method of measuring a glycated protein in a sample using a redox reaction, by which the glycated protein can be measured accurately with high sensitivity. In order to remove a glycated amino acid present in the sample other than the glycated protein, the glycated amino acid is degraded in advance by causing a fructosyl amino acid oxidase to act thereon, and thereafter, a fructosyl amino acid oxidase is caused to act on the glycated protein in the presence of a tetrazolium compound and sodium azide to cause a redox reaction. The amount of the glycated protein is determined by measuring the redox reaction. As the glycated protein, glycated hemoglobin is preferable.
US08026077B2

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a biological marker, the gamma isoform of protein kinase C (PKCg), which surprisingly allows rapid identification of compromised cognitive, behavioral, and neuropsychological functions under conditions associated with acute, transient hypoxia in humans. It was surprisingly discovered that PKCg is released from neural cells and can be detected in peripheral blood after hypoxic events unrelated to the reduction or elimination of blood flow through affected tissues. Embodiments of this invention are also directed to a broad range of clinical applications, particularly in emergency medicine. Other embodiments are related to compositions and methods for distinguishing between hypoxic encephalopathies and conditions arising from neuroanatomical/structural anomalies and/or incidental pathologies, for example, alcohol intoxication.
US08026070B2

A method for differentially detecting a multimeric form from a monomeric form of a multimer-forming polypeptide in a biosample includes (a) contacting the biosample to a capturing antibody recognizing an epitope on the multimer-forming polypeptide to capture the monomeric form, multimeric form or monomeric and multimeric forms; (b) contacting the monomeric form, multimeric form or monomeric and multimeric forms captured to a detecting antibody recognizing an epitope identical to or overlapped with the epitope of step (a); and (c) detecting the formation of a multimeric form-detection antibody complex.
US08026054B2

This invention relates to antibodies that specific bind to fetal CD36+ cells in preference to binding to maternal CD36+ cells and methods for using these antibodies to detect and separate fetal cells from adult biological fluids including maternal peripheral blood.
US08026052B1

The present invention relates to genetic engineering and especially to the use of DNA transposition complex of bacteriophage Mu. In particular, the invention provides a gene transfer system for eukaryotic cells, wherein in vitro assembled Mu transposition complexes are introduced into a target cell and subsequently transposition into a cellular nucleic acid occurs. The invention further provides a kit for producing insertional mutations into the genomes of eukaryotic cells. The kit can be used, e.g., to generate insertional mutant libraries.
US08026050B1

The present invention relates to means for cleaving a nucleic acid cleavage structure in a site-specific manner. Enzymes, including 5′ nucleases and 3′ exonucleases, are used to detect and identify nucleic acids derived from microorganisms. Methods are provided which allow for the detection and identification of bacterial and viral pathogens in a sample.
US08026048B2

A developer nozzle is moved from a periphery of a wafer toward the central portion while an exposed substrate held at a spin chuck is being rotated about a vertical axis and while a developing solution is being discharged from the developer nozzle, and this way the developing solution is supplied to the surface of the wafer, the developer nozzle having a slit-like ejection port whose longitudinal direction is oriented to the direction perpendicular to the radial direction of the wafer. The movement speed of the nozzle is higher than a case where a nozzle with a small-diameter circular nozzle is used, and this enables a development time to be reduced. Further, the thickness of a developing solution on a substrate can be reduced, so that the developing solution can be saved.
US08026046B2

A method for producing a multilayer optical disk including a plurality of information storage layers is disclosed. The method includes a mastering step of preparing a plurality of metal dies, a replicating step of producing a base plate onto which a desired pattern is transferred using the plurality of metal dies and forming recordable/reproducible information storage layers. The desired pattern includes a wobbling tract pattern that is formed by combining a plurality of wobble patterns each having the same fundamental frequency. The mastering step produces the plurality of metal dies for the plurality of information storage layers having a shape that specifies a track groove whose shape factor differs from one information storage layer to another.
US08026038B2

A metal oxide-containing film is formed from a heat curable composition comprising (A) a metal oxide-containing compound obtained through hydrolytic condensation between a hydrolyzable silicon compound and a hydrolyzable metal compound, (B) a hydroxide or organic acid salt of Li, Na, K, Rb or Cs, or a sulfonium, iodonium or ammonium compound, (C) an organic acid, and (D) an organic solvent. The metal oxide-containing film ensures effective pattern formation.
US08026036B2

The present invention relates to a photosensitive resin composition excellent in pliability, ultraviolet sensitivity for development, developability with an aqueous alkali solution, and storage stability at room temperature and a circuit substrate employing the same. The photosensitive resin composition includes a siloxane-containing polyamic acid resin having structural units respectively represented by the following formulae (1), (2), and (3) and a photopolymerization initiator incorporated therein. The circuit substrate is coated with the photosensitive resin composition. In the formulae, Ar represents a residue of an aromatic tetracarboxylic acid; R1 represents alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or phenyl group; R2 represents alkylene group having 2 to 6 carbon atoms or phenylene group; l represents a number of 0 to 10; R3 represents a divalent group or a direct bond; R4 represents —CH2═CH—R6—, in which R6 represents a direct bond, alkylene group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or phenylene group; R5 represents a diamine residue; and m, n, and o, indicating the range of the abundant molar ratios of the respective structural units, are 0.3 to 0.95, 0.05 to 0.7, and 0 to 0.5, respectively.
US08026017B2

An electrolyte membrane assembly for use in a fuel cell or other electrochemical device includes an ion exchange membrane, a base electrolyte reservoir configured and operable to maintain a volume of a basic electrolyte solution in contact with at least some of the first face of the membrane, and an acid electrolyte reservoir configured and operable to maintain a volume of an acidic electrolyte in contact with at least a portion of the second face of the membrane. The membrane may be a cation exchange membrane or an anion exchange membrane. Also disclosed are fuel cells which incorporate the electrolyte membrane assembly.
US08026008B2

Disclosed herein is a lithium secondary cell including 20 to 100 wt. % of lithium transition metal oxide represented by a formula of Li1+zNibMncMe1−(b+c)O2, relative to a total amount of a cathode active material, as well as an electrolyte consisting of a lithium salt and a non-aqueous solvent, wherein a first additive to form a protective film (that is, a solid electrolyte interface film: SEI film) over a surface of an anode active material and a second additive to form another SEI film over the surface of the anode active material while inactivating impurities contained in the cathode active material are included in the electrolyte.
US08026006B2

An organic electrolyte solution and a lithium battery using the same are provided. The organic electrolyte solution uses a monomer compound which can be electrografted, and which prevents crack formation caused by volumetric changes in the anode active material during battery charging/discharging. This improves charge/discharge characteristics, thereby improving the stability, reliability, and charge/discharge efficiency of the battery.
US08026004B2

A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery may include a compound powder represented by the following formula 1 LixMyVzO2+d  [Formula 1] where 1≦x≦2.5, 0≦y≦0.5, 0.5≦z≦1.5, 0≦d≦0.5, and M is an element selected from Al, Cr, Mo, Ti, W, Zr, and combinations thereof. The compound powder may include a multi-faced particle that has a plurality of flattened parts on a particle surface at the plan view of the multi-faced particle. The multi-faced particle may have at least three ridgelines at a boundary between adjacent flattened parts. At least one of the ridgeline may be formed by adjacent flattened parts having an angle of at least 90°. A ratio of a length (L) of each ridgeline and the maximum diameter (Rmax) of the multi-faced particle may be greater than 0.1.
US08026003B2

A negative active material of a non-aqueous electrolyte battery includes a compound represented by formula 1: LixMyVzO2+d  (1) where 0.1≦x≦2.5, 0
US08026001B2

A lithium hydride activation method includes: a nitrification treatment process of reacting lithium hydride with a nitride and therefore forming a chemical compound layer stable to the nitride, on a surface of the lithium hydride; and a particle size reduction process of reducing a particle size of the lithium hydride provided with the chemical compound layer by a mechanical pulverization treatment after the nitrification treatment process is performed. A hydrogen generation method includes generating hydrogen by reacting ammonia with the lithium hydride activated by the activation method.
US08025999B2

A pouch type lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, wherein disposed facing against each other, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, and a case includes a lower plate wherein a second chamber containing the electrode assembly, and an upper plate seals the second chamber, wherein the upper plate includes a sealing trace formed at the area corresponded to the area where the second chamber sealed.
US08025997B2

A secondary battery comprises a case which includes a frame and a film covering an opening of the frame to form a space inside the frame, and a unit battery cell placed in the space inside the case. The frame has a higher hardness than the film. The frame can be formed with plastic or steel, and the film can be formed of polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polyvinylchloride (PVC). The thickness of the film is maintained within 0.03 to 0.3 mm, and a mark can be formed on the film. A contact terminal is formed on the case, and the contact terminal is electrically connected to a unit battery cell so as to connect the battery pack to an applied device. The frame can be formed in a divided manner, and the film can be bound to one surface placed adjacent to the opening of the frame, or on the latter surface and an outer circumferential surface of the frame. The frame can be formed as one body, and the film can be bound to a surface placed adjacent to the frame.
US08025989B2

Coated cemented carbide inserts (cutting tools), particularly useful for wet or dry machining of steels and stainless steels, are disclosed. The cutting tool insert is characterized by a cemented carbide substrate and a coating comprising an about 0.5 to 5 μm thick innermost layer of (Ti,Al)N and an about 1 to 5 μm thick layer of (Al,Cr)2O3.
US08025982B2

Disclosed is a high-strength hot dip galvannealed steel sheet having high powdering resistance produced by employing such a constitution that a Fe—Zn alloy plated layer is provided on at least one side of a basis steel sheet and a region in which Al (atomic %)/Zn (atomic %)≧0.10 is present in a thickness of 300 Å or more from the surface of the plated layer along the depth direction of the plated layer. Also disclosed is a hot dip galvannealed steel sheet whose formability is greatly improved by optionally specifying chemical composition and structure of the basis steel sheet.
US08025981B2

Sodalite is synthesized in the presence of a stoichiometric quantity of Permanganate ion. After thorough washing to remove trace salts the resulting pigment may be encapsulated with amorphous silica using the Iler process. The resulting pigment has enhanced acid stability and provides excellent corrosion protection on reactive metal substrates such as Aerospace Aluminum or Coil grade Hot-Dip Galvanized Steel.
US08025966B2

Fibrous structures that exhibit a Geometric Mean Elongation of greater than 15.8% as measured according to the Elongation Test Method are provided.
US08025956B2

Disclosed are a hard film and a method useful for manufacturing the hard film wherein the hard film is obviously excellent in wear resistance, and exhibits excellent oxidation resistance even under a condition where hot heat generation tends to occur due to friction heating, consequently exhibits excellent properties compared with a usual hard-film including TiAlN, TiCrAlN, TiCrAlSiBN, CrAlSiBN, or NbCrAlSiBN. The hard film includes (M)aCrbAlcSidBeYfZ (however, M is at least one element selected from a group 4A element, a group 5A element, and a group 6A element (except for Cr) in the periodic table, and Z shows one of N, CN, NO and CNO), wherein a+b+c+d+e+f=1, and 0
US08025935B2

The invention relates to a liquid-crystalline medium having negative dielectric anisotropy based on a mixture of polar compounds, which comprises at least one compound of the formula I in which R11 and R12 have the meanings indicated in claim 1, in amounts of ≧30% by weight, based on the medium, and to the use thereof for an active-matrix display based on the ECB, PALC, FFS or IPS effect.
US08025931B2

A method for using a film formation apparatus performs a first film formation process, while supplying a first film formation gas into a process field inside a process container, thereby forming a first thin film on a first target substrate inside the process field. After unloading the first target substrate from the process container, the method performs a cleaning process of an interior of the process container, while supplying a cleaning gas into the process field, and generating plasma of the cleaning gas by an exciting mechanism. Then, the method performs a second film formation process, while supplying a second film formation gas into the process field, thereby forming a second thin film on a target substrate inside the process field. The second film formation process is a plasma film formation process that generates plasma of the second film formation gas by the exciting mechanism.
US08025924B2

The present invention aims to provide a cast-coated paper having good sheet gloss, printability and productivity and a process for preparing it. Herein disclosed is a cast-coated paper obtained by applying a cast coating layer comprising a pigment and an adhesive on a base paper, and pressing and drying the cast coating layer in the wet state against a heated mirror finishing surface to finish it, characterized in that the cast coating layer contains 50 parts by weight or more of a kaolin having a particle size distribution containing 65% by volume or more of particles in the range of 0.4-4.2 μm per 100 parts by weight of inorganic pigments and further contains a plastic pigment; as well as a process for preparing it.
US08025915B2

A method of preparing a macromolecule deterrent surface on a pharmaceutical package. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of preparing a protein deterrent surface on a pharmaceutical package by applying a coating or coatings directly to the pharmaceutical package that reduces the adsorption of proteins onto pharmaceutical packaging while not affecting the activity of the protein solution contained.
US08025913B2

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of an edible dispersion comprising oil and structuring agent and one or more of an aqueous phase and/or a solid phase, in which the dispersion is formed by mixing oil, solid structuring agent particles and the aqueous phase and/or the solid phase, wherein the solid structuring agent particles have a microporous structure of submicron size particles.
US08025906B2

The present invention relates to the use of a plant material of the species Trichilia sp., alone or in association with one or more of the following plants: Paullinia cupana (Sapindaceae), Croton moritibensis (Euphorbiaceae) and Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae) in the treatment, reversion, combat and/or prevention of ventricular fibrillation. A product particularly embraced by the present invention comprises the plant material of the species Trichilia sp., alone or in association with extracts from other plants. The invention also refers to the use of one or more fractions of plant extract from such plant material, particularly of Trichilia catigua A. Juss, and of one or more subfractions of said fractions in the treatment, combat, prevention and/or reversion of ventricular fibrillation.
US08025901B2

Disclosed are hydrogels wherein a polymer matrix is modified to contain a bifunctional poly(alkylene glycol) molecule covalently bonded to the polymer matrix. The hydrogels can be cross-linked using, for example, glutaraldehyde. The hydrogels may also be crosslinked via an interpenetrating network of a photopolymerizable acrylates. The hydrogels may also be modified to have pharmacologically-active agents covalently bonded to the poly(alkylene glycol) molecules or entrained within the hydrogel. Living cells may also be entrained within the hydrogels.
US08025899B2

A solid pharmaceutical dosage form providing improved oral bioavailability is disclosed for inhibitors of HIV protease. In particular, the dosage form comprises a solid dispersion of at least one HIV protease inhibitor and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable water-soluble polymer and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant, said pharmaceutically acceptable water-soluble polymer having a Tg of at least about 50° C. Preferably, the pharmaceutically acceptable surfactant has an HLB value of from about 4 to about 10.
US08025893B2

Cyclopamine or a similarly specific inhibitor of Hedgehog/Smoothened (Hh/Smo) signaling can be used for obtaining decrease of pigmentation of hyperpigmented skin areas.
US08025891B2

The present invention features peptides of a PorB polypeptide, which PorB peptides are useful in production of antibodies that bind the full-length PorB polypeptide and as a therapeutic agent. In specific embodiments the invention features a composition comprising one or more PorB peptides (other than a full-length PorB polypeptide), which peptides contain at least one epitope that can elicit Chlamydia-neutralizing antibodies. The invention also features methods for induction of a protective immune response against infection by Chlamydia and Chlamydophila.
US08025887B2

Chimeric flaviviruses that are avirulent and immunogenic are provided. The chimeric viruses are constructed to contain amino acid mutations in the nonstructural viral proteins of a flavivirus. Chimeric viruses containing the attenuation-mutated nonstructural genes of the virus are used as a backbone into which the structural genes of a second flavivirus strain are inserted. These chimeric viruses elicit pronounced immunogenicity yet lack the accompanying clinical symptoms of viral disease. The attenuated chimeric viruses are effective as immunogens or vaccines and may be combined in a pharmaceutical composition to confer simultaneous immunity against several strains of pathogenic flaviviruses.
US08025885B2

The present invention provides isolated polypeptides isolatable from a Staphylococcus spp. Also provided by the present invention are compositions that include one or more of the polypeptides, and methods for making and methods for using the polypeptides.
US08025882B2

The present invention provides isolated anti-interferon alpha monoclonal antibodies, particularly human monoclonal antibodies, that inhibit the biological activity of multiple interferon (IFN) alpha subtypes but do not substantially inhibit the biological activity of IFN alpha 21 or the biological activity of either IFN beta or IFN omega. Immunoconjugates, bispecific molecules and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antibodies of the invention are also provided. The invention also provides methods for inhibiting the biological activity of IFN alpha using the antibodies of the invention, as well as methods of treating disease or disorders mediated by IFN alpha, such as autoimmune diseases, transplant rejection and graft versus host disease, by administering the antibodies of the invention.
US08025875B2

Methods of inducing systemic acquired resistance to infection in a plant by applying a composition comprising a Bacillus control agent to said plant wherein said plant is capable of producing defense proteins.
US08025874B2

A composition is provided that includes Bacillus subtilis 2084 (NRRL B-50013) or a strain having all of the identifying characteristics of the Bacillus subtilis 2084 (NRRL B-50013), B. subtilis 27 (NRRL B-50105) or a strain having all of the identifying characteristics of the B. subtilis 27 (NRRL B-50105), and B. licheniformis 21 (NRRL B-50134) or a strain having all of the identifying characteristics of the B. licheniformis 21 (NRRL B-50134). Animal bedding that includes the Bacillus strains is also provided, as well as a method of making the animal bedding. Also provided are methods of controlling odors from animal waste. A method of making a composition including the Bacillus strains is also provided.
US08025873B2

Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for eliciting immune responses against antigens. In particular embodiments, the compounds and methods elicit immune responses against antigens that are otherwise recognized by the host as “self” antigens. The immune response is enhanced by presenting the host immune system with a chimeric antigen comprising an immune response domain and a target binding domain, wherein the target binding domain comprises a xenotypic antibody fragment. By virtue of the target binding domain, antigen presenting cells take up, process, and present the chimeric antigen, eliciting both a humoral and cellular immune response.
US08025868B2

Ultraviolet radiation-absorbing polymers having a first pendant group that comprises an ultraviolet radiation-absorbing moiety and a second pendant group that comprises at least one siloxane linkage and/or an intermediate length carbon chain are disclosed. Personal care compositions including the ultraviolet radiation-absorbing polymer are provided.
US08025867B2

Photostable, topically applicable cosmetic/dermatological compositions contain at least one dibenzoylmethane compound UV-A sunscreen and at least one merocyanine sulfone compound.
US08025863B2

A method of synthesizing a crystalline molecular sieve having an MSE framework type comprises crystallizing a reaction mixture comprising a source of water, a source of an oxide of a tetravalent element, Y, selected from at least one of silicon, tin, titanium, vanadium and germanium, a source of an alkali or alkaline earth metal, M, and a source of organic cations, Q, having the following general structure: in which R1 is hydrogen or an alkyl group, and R2 and R3 are alkyl groups.
US08025854B2

The invention relates to a micro fluidic system comprising a substrate, and, provided on said substrate, at least one flow path interconnecting with functional means in which liquid samples can be treated by desired procedures. The flow paths are laid out to form a pattern for the transport of liquid samples to and from said functional means. These flow paths comprise a plurality of micro posts protruding upwards from said substrate, the spacing between the micro posts being small enough to induce a capillary action in a liquid sample applied anywhere within any of said flow paths, so as to force said liquid to move from where said liquid sample was applied.
US08025843B2

The present invention has a hydrogen detection portion composed of a semiconductor and a hydrogen absorber provided at least a part of a surface thereof, and pairs of electrodes provided at the semiconductor so as to sandwich the place at which the hydrogen absorber is provided and so as not to be electrically connected to each other with the hydrogen absorber, wherein the presence of hydrogen can be detected by the change in resistance of the semiconductor in response to hydrogen absorption into the hydrogen absorber, the change in resistance being measured between said pairs of electrodes.