最新美国发明专利第2012-10-16期 - 专利汇|PatentHub专利检索|专利查询网|发明专利查询分析

Document	Document Title
US08288408B2	5-anilinoimidazopyridines and methods of use The invention relates to a method of inhibiting abnormal cell growth or treating a hyperproliferative disorder in a mammal comprising administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of an imidazopyridine of formula I with anti-hyperproliferative activity.
US08288407B2	Substituted naphthyridine compounds as inhibitors of Akt activity The instant invention provides for substituted naphthyridine compounds that inhibit Akt activity. In particular, the compounds disclosed selectively inhibit one or two of the Akt isoforms. The invention also provides for compositions comprising such inhibitory compounds and methods of inhibiting Akt activity by administering the compound to a patient in need of treatment of cancer. Compounds disclosed herein have the following chemical structure:
US08288406B2	Hydroxymethylcyclohexylamines The invention relates to compounds which have an affinity for the μ opioid receptor and the ORL1 receptor, processes for the preparation thereof, medicaments containing these compounds and the use of these compounds for the preparation of medicaments.
US08288404B2	Pyrrolidine GPR40 modulators The present invention provides compounds of Formula (I): or a stereoisomer, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein all of the variables are as defined herein. These compounds are GPR40 G protein-coupled receptor modulators which may be used as medicaments.
US08288397B2	Imidazolo-, oxazolo-, and thiazolopyrimidine modulators of TRPV1 Certain TRPV1-modulating imidazolo-, oxazolo-, and thiazolopyrimdine compounds are described. The compounds may be used in pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating disease states, disorders, and conditions mediated by TRPV1 activity, such as pain, arthritis, itch, cough, asthma, or inflammatory bowel disease.
US08288395B2	Pyrimido-benzimidzole derivatives and the use thereof in the form of agonists or antagonists of melanocortin receptors The invention relates to novel pyrimido-benzimidazole derivatives. Said products exhibit a good affinity for certain melanocortin receptor sub-types, in particular MC4 receptors. Said products represent a particular interest for treating pathological disorders and diseases associated with one or several melanocortin receptors. Pharmaceutical compositions containing said products and the use thereof for a drug preparation are also disclosed.
US08288388B2	3-pyridylcarbonyl-piperazinylsulfonyl derivatives The present invention relates to novel piperazine derivatives; to processes for their preparation; to pharmaceutical compositions containing the derivatives; and to the use of the derivatives in therapy to treat diseases for which blocking the Cav2.2 calcium channels is beneficial.
US08288387B2	Napthalimide-benzimidazole hybrids as potential antitumor agents and process for the preparation thereof The present invention provides the compounds of general formula 5 and 9 useful as potential antitumour agents against human cancer cell lines. The present invention further provides the process for preparation of napthalimide-benzimidazole hybrids of general formula 5 and 9, n-1-2, R=n-methylpiperazine or morpholine (Formula 9), wherein: n=2-3, m=2-3 and R=n-methylpiperazine or morpholine.
US08288385B2	6-(3-aza-bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-yl)-2-phenyl-pyrimidines The present invention relates to 6-(3-aza-bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-yl)-2-phenyl-pyrimidine derivatives and their use as P2Y12 receptor antagonists in the treatment and/or prevention of peripheral vascular, of visceral-, hepatic- and renal-vascular, of cardiovascular and of cerebrovascular diseases or conditions associated with platelet aggregation, including thrombosis in humans and other mammals.
US08288384B2	Heterocyclic receptor agonists for the treatment of diabetes and metabolic disorders Compounds and methods are provided for the treatment of, inter alia, Type II diabetes and other diseases associated with poor glycemic control. The compounds of the invention are orally active.
US08288381B2	N-9 substituted purine compounds, compositions and methods of use The present invention relates to compounds of Formula I: wherein R1, R2, R3, A1, A2, A3, A4 and D have the meaning described herein. The present invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds and therapeutic uses thereof.
US08288379B2	Thia-triaza-cyclopentazulenes The present invention encompasses compounds of general formula (1) wherein R1 to R3 and X are defined as in claim 1, which are suitable for the treatment of diseases characterized by excessive or abnormal cell proliferation, and the use thereof for preparing a medicament having the above-mentioned properties.
US08288377B2	Inhibitors of the interaction between MDM2 and p53 The present invention provides compounds of formula (I), their use as an inhibitor of a p53-MDM2 interaction as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising said compounds: wherein n, s, t, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, X, Y, Q, Z, G, E and D have defined meanings.
US08288375B2	Fungicidal bicyclic pyrazoles Disclosed are compounds of Formulae 1 and 1a, N-oxides, and salts thereof, wherein R1, R1a, Y, and J are as defined in the disclosure. Also disclosed are compositions containing the compounds of Formula 1 and methods for controlling plant disease caused by a fungal pathogen comprising applying an effective amount of a compound or a composition of the invention. Further disclosed is a method for preparing compounds of Formula 1 from compounds of Formula 1a.
US08288373B2	Modulators of CXCR7 Compounds having formula I, or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates or N-oxides thereof are provided and are useful for binding to CXCR7, and treating diseases that are dependent, at least in part, on CXCR7 activity. Accordingly, the present invention provides in further aspects, compositions containing one or more of the above-noted compounds in admixture with a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.
US08288366B2	Formulation for hair growth A composition and method for hair growth are described. The composition may include a dihydrotestosterone blocker and a thyroid source. Alternatively, the composition may include an estrogen source and a thyroid source. The composition may further include a base to facilitate application of the composition. A progestagen source, an antioxidant and/or a vitamin may further be added to the composition. The method may be a method of application comprising applying 0.5 ounces of a composition comprising a dihydrotestosterone blocker and a thyroid source to human skin, rubbing the composition into the skin, allowing the composition to remain on the skin for a period of between five minutes and ten minute and removing the composition.
US08288365B2	Phenazopyridine compounds The present invention is directed to substituted phenazopyridines represented by Formula I. The present invention also relates to the discovery that compounds of Formula I have increased bioavailability as compared to unconjugated phenazopyridine.
US08288364B2	Botanically derived composition and a process thereof The present invention relates to a novel botanical compound as provided in structural formula I optionally along with excipients for improving body composition and the factors related to the pre-diabetic and diabetic conditions. It also relates to a process of manufacture of the novel botanical compound for improving body composition and factors related to the pre-diabetic and diabetic conditions. The present invention also relates to the use of the novel botanical compound for improving body composition, reducing body fat, increasing muscle mass, enhancing strength and improving impaired glucose metabolism. The present invention also relates to the use of the novel botanical compound for the improvement of factors related to the pre-diabetic and diabetic conditions.
US08288363B2	Medicaments for anti-herpes virus treatments Disclosed are compositions comprising and methods of using sulphated or phoshated polysaccharides for the treatment of diseases caused by herpes viruses, more particularly by alpha-herpes viruses, and in particular by HSV-1 and HSV-2, as well as by strains of these viruses which are resistant to known antiviral agents.
US08288362B2	Stabilized glycosaminoglycan preparations and related methods Compositions comprising a glycosaminoglycan (e.g., a hyaluronan, hyaluronic acid, hyaluronate, sodium hyaluronate, dermatan sulfate, karatan sulfate, chondroitin 6-sulfate, heparin, etc.) in combination with at least one component selected from; i) polyglycols (e.g., polyethylene glycol), ii) long chain hydroxy polyanionic polysaccharides (e.g., dextran, sodium alginate, alginic acid, propylene glycol alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose and carboxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyl ethyl starch, hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose, hydroxy propyl ethyl cellulose, hydroxy propyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, polylysine, polyhistidine, polyhydroxy proline, poly ornithine, polyvinyl pyrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, chitosan, etc.) and iii) long chain Nitrogen containing polymers (e.g., Polylysine, Polyvinylpyrrolidone, and polyvinyl alcohol). The invention also includes methods for using such compositions (e.g., as substance delivery materials, tissue fillers or bulking agents, as moistening or hydrating agents, etc.).
US08288357B2	Use of inhibitors of leukotriene B4 receptor BLT2 for treating human cancers The present invention relates to a new use of inhibitors of leukotriene B4 receptor BLT2 for treating human cancers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for treating human cancers comprising BLT2 inhibitors and a method for treating human cancers using BLT2 inhibitors.The present inventors revealed the role of BLT2 as a survival factor of human cancers, such as bladder, prostate, pancreatic, and breast cancer and found that the BLT2 inhibitors can be used as anti-cancer drugs. The present inventors revealed that BLT2 has an important role in metastasis of cancer cells and angiogenesis of tumor and demonstrated that the anti-cancer activity of the BLT2 inhibitors is accomplished by inducing the apoptosis of cancer cells, inhibiting the metastasis of cancer cells, or inhibiting the angiogenesis of tumor.
US08288353B2	Method for restructuring the epidermis using a polyol-glycoside composition A method for restructuring the epidermis with a composition, wherein said composition includes a polyol-glycoside and said polyol-glycoside is obtained by the acetalization of a polyol with a reducing sugar.
US08288350B2	Methods to prevent and treat diseases Methods and compositions that can treat a variety of tissue injuries and infections are provided. Tissue-derived leukocyte chemotactic factors are rapidly released after injury to mammalian tissue and can act as the initial signal leading to the initiation and amplification of acute and chronic inflammation associated with injury and infection. The present invention generally provides methods and compositions to prevent and treat injury of cells, tissue, or organs by blocking or inhibiting the release of leukocyte chemotactic factors, by administering certain effective compositions to the tissue.
US08288346B2	Composition and method for the treatment of hyperkalemia The internalization sequence at the C-terminal end of the ROMK protein has been identified and sequenced. It has been discovered determined that endocytosis is triggered by binding of the ROMK internalization sequence to ARH protein, which is co-localized and expressed with ROMK. New methods of treating or preventing hyperkalemia have been discovered that include administering to a patient who is at risk of developing hyperkalemia or who has hyperkalemia, a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that blocks the interaction of the ROMK internalization sequence with ARH protein, thereby preventing or reducing ARH-induced endocytosis of ROMK.
US08288345B2	Treating stroke and other diseases without inhibiting N-type calcium channels The invention provides methods for treating stroke and compositions for use in the same. The methods employ a chimeric peptide of an active peptide and an internalization peptide. The internalization peptide is a tat variant that promotes uptake of itself and a linked active peptide into a cell without substantial binding to N-type calcium channels. Use of the tat variant allows treating of stroke free of certain side effects associated with binding to N-type calcium channels. Tat variant peptides can also be linked to other active agent for use in treating other diseases.
US08288339B2	GLP-1 compounds GLP-1 compounds comprising GLP-1 analogs and methods of using the GLP-1 compounds for treating metabolic disorders, enhancing insulin expression, and promoting insulin secretion in a patient are provided.
US08288337B2	Compositions and methods relating to elutable carbohydrate-binding proteins Compositions and methods are provided for creating and identifying mutant carbohydrate-binding proteins that reversibly bind to carbohydrate substrates under conditions where the native protein remains bound. Examples of modified chitin-binding domains are provided which can be eluted from chitin in the presence of a reducing agent or at a pH within the range of 5-10.
US08288336B2	Treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage with ApoE analogs Novel ApoE peptide derivatives and ApoE-protein transduction domain conjugates are disclosed which are useful for treating disorders including subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage and other brain disorders. The invention encompasses methods for treating cerebral vasospasm by administration of at least one ApoE or ApoE mimetic peptide.
US08288325B2	Lubricant composition for hot forming The present invention provides a lubricant composition for hot forming which makes it possible to provide lubricity at 80° C. or more without being peeled or washed by the roll cooling water, and which is easily washed under 40° C. without having water resistance. The lubricant composition for hot forming of the present invention comprises: a solid lubricant from 10 to 40% by mass; water-dispersible synthetic resin from 5 to 20% by mass; inorganic acid amine salt from 0.5 to 5% by mass; and water from 45 to 80% by mass.
US08288322B2	Methods of constructing libraries comprising displayed and/or expressed members of a diverse family of peptides, polypeptides or proteins and the novel libraries A library containing a collection of genetic packages that display a member of a diverse family of peptides, polypeptides or proteins and that collectively display at least a portion of the family, the displayed peptides, polypeptides or proteins being encoded by DNA sequences containing sequences encoding a heavy chain CDR region is described.
US08288320B2	Methods for preparing granular weed control products having improved distribution of agriculturally active ingredients coated thereon A method for improving the distribution of agriculturally active ingredients on the surface of granules includes preparing a sprayable liquid solution of at least one agriculturally active ingredient, and applying the sprayable liquid solution on the granules by spraying the liquid solution in atomized form onto the surface of the granules to provide a coating on the surface of the granules which enables substantially all of the agriculturally active ingredient on the granule to be solubilized by the naturally occurring moisture present on the foliage of a treated weed for absorption into the cells of the treated weed when the granules are applied thereto.
US08288313B2	Thermal recording material A thermal recording material comprises a support and a thermal recording layer formed thereon, the thermal recording layer containing an electron-donating dye precursor and an electron-receiving developer that causes said dye precursor to develop a color, wherein said thermal recording layer contains vapor-phase synthesis silica, preferably, the vapor-phase synthesis silica has a specific surface area, measured by a BET method, of 50 to 200 m2/g and further is doped with aluminum oxide, and the thermal recording layer further contains the above vapor-phase synthesis silica and a diphenyl sulfones-bridged type compound, and the thermal recording material is excellent in anti-sticking property and image stability.
US08288311B2	Hydro-oxidation process using a catalyst prepared from a gold cluster complex A process and catalyst for the hydro-oxidation of an olefin having three or more carbon atoms, such as propylene, to form an olefin oxide, such as propylene oxide. The process involves contacting the olefin with oxygen in the presence of hydrogen and a hydro-oxidation catalyst under reaction conditions; the catalyst comprising gold nanoparticles deposited on a nanoporous titanium-containing support, prepared by depositing a gold-ligand cluster complex onto the support to form a catalyst precursor, and then heating and/or chemically treating the catalyst precursor to form the hydro-oxidation catalyst composition. The hydro-oxidation catalyst exhibits stabilized catalyst activity, enhanced lifetime, and improved hydrogen efficiency.
US08288310B2	Automobile exhaust gas purification catalyst and method of production of same An automobile exhaust gas purification catalyst comprised of a support mainly comprised of ZrO2 in which Rh is supported as a catalyst metal preventing sintering of the support, raising the supporting efficiency, and raising the low temperature activity and a method of production of the same are provided. An automobile exhaust gas purification catalyst comprised of a support mainly comprised of ZrO2, sintered under firing conditions where the as fired ZrO2 will substantially not be charged in a catalyst metal supporting treatment solution, in which Rh is supported as a catalyst metal in a particle state. The method of production includes a step of charging the support mainly comprised of ZrO2 fired under the above firing conditions by applying at least one treatment of an acid treatment and a base treatment and a step of dipping the charged state support in the catalyst supporting treatment solution including a colloid of Rh as the catalyst metal to make the Rh colloid be adsorbed on the support.
US08288308B2	Core/shell-type catalyst particles and methods for their preparation The invention discloses core/shell type catalyst particles comprising a Mcore/Mshell structure with Mcore=inner particle core and Mshell−outer particle shell, wherein the medium diameter of the catalyst particle (dcore+shell) is ≧20 nm. The thickness of the outer shell (tshell) comprises at least 3 atomic layers. The core/shell type catalyst particles, particularly the particles comprising a Pt-based shell, reveal a high specific activity. The catalyst particles are preferably supported on suitable support materials such as carbon black and are used as electrocatalysts for fuel cells.
US08288305B2	Selective catalysts for naphtha hydrodesulfurization Naphtha is selectively hydrodesulfurized with retention of olefin content. More particularly, a CoMo metal hydrogenation component is loaded on a silica or modified silica support in the presence of an organic additive to produce a catalyst which is then used for hydrodesulfurizing naphtha while retaining olefins.
US08288300B2	Refractory with a high zirconia content and a high silica content The invention provides a novel fused cast refractory product with a high zirconia content having improved electrical resistivity. Said refractory product comprises, as a percentage by weight based on the oxides and for a total of more than 98.5%: ZrO2 + Hf2O:>85%; SiO2:>10% to 12%; Al2O3:0.1% to 2.4%; B2O3:<1.5%; and a dopant selected from the group formed by V2O5, CrO3, Nb2O5, MoO3, Ta2O5, WO3, and mixtures thereof, in a weighted quantity as expressed below: 2.43V2O5+4.42CrO3+1.66Nb2O5+3.07MoO3+Ta2O5+1.91WO3≧0.2%.
US08288296B2	Integrated circuit with replacement metal gates and dual dielectrics A replacement gate structure and method of fabrication are disclosed. The method provides for fabrication of both high performance FET and low leakage FET devices within the same integrated circuit. Low leakage FET devices are fabricated with a hybrid gate dielectric comprised of a low-K dielectric layer and a high-K dielectric layer. High performance FET devices are fabricated with a low-K gate dielectric.
US08288292B2	Depositing conformal boron nitride film by CVD without plasma A method of forming a boron nitride or boron carbon nitride dielectric produces a conformal layer without loading effect. The dielectric layer is formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a boron-containing film on a substrate, at least a portion of the deposition being conducted without plasma, and then exposing the deposited boron-containing film to a plasma. The CVD component dominates the deposition process, producing a conformal film without loading effect. The dielectric is ashable, and can be removed with a hydrogen plasma without impacting surrounding materials. The dielectric has a much lower wet etch rate compared to other front end spacer or hard mask materials such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride, and has a relatively low dielectric constant, much lower than silicon nitride.
US08288291B2	Method for removal of bulk metal contamination from III-V semiconductor substrates The invention provides a single-step method for removing bulk metal contamination from III-V semiconductor substrates. The method comprises immersing a metal contaminated III-V semiconductor substrate in a mixture of sulfuric acid and peroxide with a volume ratio of sulfuric acid to peroxide (e.g., hydrogen peroxide) between about 3:1 and about 9:1. After treating the III-V semiconductor substrates with the sulfuric acid-peroxide mixture, the bulk metal contamination may be substantially removed from the substrate while a surface roughness of the substrate after treatment of below about 0.5 nm RMS (2 μm×2 μm) is obtained. The invention further provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device by removing bulk metal contamination according to the single-step method of the invention before performing processing steps for forming the semiconductor device.
US08288287B2	Etching method and etching equipment The invention provides an etching method for realizing trench etching without causing any damages to the side walls of the trench while maintaining a high-etching rate. The plasma etching method relates to forming a groove or a hole by forming a silicon trench to a silicon substrate or a silicon substrate having a silicon oxide dielectric layer via a mixed gas plasma containing a mixed gas of SF6 and O2 or a mixed gas of SF6, O2 and SiF4 and having added thereto a gas containing hydrogen within the range of 5 to 16% (percent concentration) of the total gas flow rate of the mixed gas.
US08288285B2	Reversible water-free process for the separation of acid-containing gas mixtures Gas mixtures which comprise acids like HF, HCl or HBr and other constituents, especially gas mixtures which comprise or consist of carboxylic acid fluorides, C(O)F2 or phosphorous pentafluoride and HCl and optionally HF, can be separated by ionic liquids. The process is performed reversibly. Ionic liquids are applied the anion of which corresponds to a stronger acid than the acid to be removed. Highly purified products, for example, highly purified carbonyl fluoride can be obtained.
US08288283B2	Aluminum enhanced palladium CMP process A process of forming an integrated circuit using a palladium CMP operation in which 25 to 125 ppm aluminum is added to the CMP slurry, allowing a palladium removal rate of at least 80 nanometers per minute at a polish pad pressure less than 9 psi and a surface speed between 1.9 and 2.2 meters per second. The palladium CMP operation may be applied to form a palladium bond pad cap after which an external bond element is formed on the palladium bond pad cap. Alternatively, the palladium CMP operation may be applied to form a palladium interconnect conductor in a first dielectric layer.
US08288280B2	Conductor removal process A conductor removal process is described, which is applied to a substrate that has thereon a plurality of patterns and a blanket conductor layer covering the patterns. An upper portion of the blanket conductor layer entirely over the patterns is oxidized to form a dielectric layer. A CMP step is performed to remove the dielectric layer and a portion of the remaining conductor layer in turn and thereby expose the patterns.
US08288279B1	Method for forming conductive contact A method for fabricating a conductive contact is provided, including: providing a semiconductor substrate with a gate structure and a pair of first conductive regions in a first region, and a pair of second conductive regions and an isolation element in the second region, and a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer thereon; forming a third dielectric layer and a fourth dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate in the first region; forming a pattern mask layer with a first opening over the second dielectric layer in the second region; performing an etching process to the third and fourth dielectric layers in the first region and a portion of the first and second dielectric layers in the second region exposed by the first opening; removing the patterned mask layer; forming a first conductive semiconductor layer over the first conductive regions and a second conductive semiconductor layer over the isolation element and portions of the top surface of the second conductive regions; forming a fifth dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate; forming a third opening in the fifth dielectric layer in the second region; and forming a conductive layer in the third opening.
US08288277B2	Methods of processing a substrate and forming a micromagnetic device A method of processing a substrate with a conductive film formed thereover and method of forming a micromagnetic device. In one embodiment, the method of processing the substrate includes reducing a temperature of the substrate to a stress-compensating temperature, and maintaining the temperature of the substrate at the stress-compensating temperature for a period of time. The method also includes increasing the temperature of the substrate above the stress-compensating temperature.
US08288271B2	Method for reworking antireflective coating over semiconductor substrate A method and a structure for reworking an antireflective coating (ARC) layer over a semiconductor substrate. The method includes providing a substrate having a material layer, forming a planarization layer on the material layer, forming an organic solvent soluble layer on the planarization layer, forming an ARC layer on the organic solvent soluble layer, forming a pattern in the ARC layer, and removing the organic solvent soluble layer and the ARC layer with an organic solvent while leaving the planarization layer unremoved. The structure includes a substrate having a material layer, a planarization layer on the material layer, an organic solvent soluble layer on the planarization layer, and an ARC layer on the organic solvent soluble layer.
US08288269B2	Methods for avoiding parasitic capacitance in an integrated circuit package An integrated circuit package substrate includes a first and an additional electrically conductive layer separated from each other by an electrically insulating layer, a contact pad formed in the first electrically conductive layer for making a direct connection between the integrated circuit package substrate and a printed circuit board, and a cutout formed in the additional electrically conductive layer wherein the cutout encloses an area that completely surrounds the contact pad for avoiding parasitic capacitance between the additional electrically conductive layer and the printed circuit board.
US08288267B2	Method for making an electric interconnection between two conducting layers A method for making an electric interconnection between two conducting layers, separated by at least one insulation or semi-conducting layer, which includes forming a stud extending between at least the lower conducting layer and the upper conducting layer, where the nature and/or the shape of the stud impart non-wettability properties relative to the material used for the separating layer.
US08288264B2	Scalable multi-function and multi-level nano-crystal non-volatile memory device A multi-functional and multi-level memory cell comprises a tunnel layer formed over a substrate. In one embodiment, the tunnel layer comprises two layers such as HfO2 and LaAlO3. A charge blocking layer is formed over the tunnel layer. In one embodiment, this layer is formed from HfSiON. A control gate is formed over the charge blocking layer. A discrete trapping layer is embedded in either the tunnel layer or the charge blocking layer, depending on the desired level of non-volatility. The closer the discrete trapping layer is formed to the substrate/insulator interface, the lower the non-volatility of the device. The discrete trapping layer is formed from nano-crystals having a uniform size and distribution.
US08288262B2	Method for fabricating semiconductor device A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is described. A polysilicon layer is formed on a substrate. The polysilicon layer is doped with an N-type dopant. A portion of the polysilicon layer is then removed to form a plurality of dummy patterns. Each dummy pattern has a top, a bottom, and a neck arranged between the top and the bottom, where the width of the neck is narrower than that of the top. A dielectric layer is formed on the substrate to cover the substrate disposed between adjacent dummy patterns, and the top of each dummy pattern is exposed. Thereafter, the dummy patterns are removed to form a plurality of trenches in the dielectric layer. A plurality of gate structures is formed in the trenches, respectively.
US08288258B2	Method for producing a semiconductor A method for producing a semiconductor includes providing a p-doped semiconductor body having a first side and a second side; implanting protons into the semiconductor body via the first side to a target depth of the semiconductor body; bonding the first side of the semiconductor body to a carrier substrate; forming an n-doped zone in the semiconductor body by heating the semiconductor body such that a pn junction arises in the semiconductor body; and removing the second side of the semiconductor body at least as far as a space charge zone spanned at the pn junction.
US08288257B2	Doping profile modification in P3I process Methods for implanting material into a substrate by a plasma immersion ion implanting process are provided. In one embodiment, a method for implanting material into a substrate includes providing a substrate into a processing chamber, the substrate comprising a substrate surface having a material layer formed thereon, generating a first plasma of a non-dopant processing gas, exposing the material layer to the plasma of the non-dopant processing gas, generating a second plasma of a dopant processing gas including a reacting gas adapted to produce dopant ions, and implanting dopant ions from the plasma into the material layer. The method may further include a cleaning or etch process.
US08288251B2	Method for preparing SOI substrate having backside sandblasted Provided is a method of preparing an SOI substrate having a backside roughened which the SOI substrate has a reduced number of defects in a silicon layer at the front surface in spite of sandblasting having been applied to the backside of the SOI substrate. Specifically provided is the method comprising the steps of: etching 10 nm or more of a surface of a silicon film of an SOI substrate; sandblasting a backside of the SOI substrate with protective tape attached to the etched surface of the silicon film, the back side being the other side of the SOI substrate from the etched surface; removing the protective tape after the sandblasting; and polishing and cleaning a silicon film surface from which the protective tape has been removed.
US08288250B2	Method for transferring chips onto a substrate A method for making a stack of at least two stages of circuits, each stage including a substrate and at least one component and metallic connections formed in or on this substrate, the assembly of a stage to be transferred onto a previous stage including: a) ionic implantation in the substrate of the stage to be transferred through at least part of the components, so as to form a weakened zone, b) formation of metallic connections of the components, c) transfer and assembly of some of this substrate onto the previous stage, and d) a step to thin the transferred part of the substrate by fracture along the weakened zone.
US08288249B2	Method for manufacturing SOI substrate Manufacturing cost of an SOI substrate is reduced. Yield of an SOI substrate is improved. A method for manufacturing an SOI substrate includes the steps of irradiating a single crystal semiconductor substrate with ions to form an embrittled region in the single crystal semiconductor substrate, bonding the single crystal semiconductor substrate to a base substrate with an insulating film therebetween, and separating the single crystal semiconductor substrate and the base substrate at the embrittled region to form a semiconductor layer over the base substrate with the insulating film therebetween. In the step of forming the embrittled region, ion species which are not mass-separated are used as the ions and a temperature of the single crystal semiconductor substrate is set to 250° C. or higher at the time of irradiation with the ions.
US08288247B2	Method of manufacturing semiconductor device There is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which, in the case where an InP-based device is formed with a sacrificial layer in between, is capable of obtaining better device characteristics than those in the case where an AlAs single layer is used as the sacrificial layer, and which does not have the possibility that the device layer is etched together with the sacrificial layer during etching of the sacrificial layer. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: a formation step of forming a sacrificial layer which is pseudomorphic to InP on an InP substrate, and then forming an InP-based device layer on the sacrificial layer; and a separation step of separating the InP substrate and the device layer from each other by etching the sacrificial layer.
US08288238B2	Method for fabricating a tunneling field-effect transistor The present invention discloses a method for self-alignedly fabricating tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET) based on planar process, thereby lowering requirements on a photolithography process for fabricating the planar TFET. In the method, the source region and the drain region of the TFET are not directly defined by photolithography; rather, they are defined by another dielectric film which locates over an active region and on both sides of the gate and which is different from the dielectric film that defines the channel region. The influence due to the alignment deviation among three times of photolithography process for defining the channel region, the source and the drain regions may be eliminated by selectively removing the dielectric film over the source and drain regions by wet etching. Therefore, a planar TFET may be fabricated self-alignedly based on this process, thereby the rigid requirements on the alignment deviation of the photolithography during the fabrication procedure of a planar TFET is alleviated, which facilitates to fabricate a planar TFET device with stable and reliable characteristics.
US08288237B2	TiC as a thermally stable p-metal carbide on high k SiO2 gate stacks A compound metal comprising TiC which is a p-type metal having a workfunction of about 4.75 to about 5.3, preferably about 5, eV that is thermally stable on a gate stack comprising a high k dielectric and an interfacial layer is provided as well as a method of fabricating the TiC compound metal. Furthermore, the TiC metal compound of the present invention is a very efficient oxygen diffusion barrier at 1000° C. allowing very aggressive equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) and inversion layer thickness scaling below 14 Å in a p-metal oxide semiconductor (pMOS) device.
US08288236B2	Field effect transistor having nanostructure channel A field effect transistor (FET) includes a drain formed of a first material, a source formed of the first material, a channel formed by a nanostructure coupling the source to the drain, and a gate formed between the source and the drain and surrounding the nanostructure.
US08288235B2	Self-aligned body fully isolated device A device having a self-aligned body on a first side of a gate is disclosed. The self-aligned body helps to achieve very low channel length for low Rdson. The self-aligned body is isolated, enabling to bias the body at different bias potentials. The device may be configured into a finger architecture having a plurality of transistors with commonly coupled, sources, commonly coupled gates, and commonly coupled drains to achieve high drive current outputs.
US08288232B2	Manufacturing method of semiconductor device and semiconductor device An improvement is provided in a manufacturing yield of a semiconductor device including transistors in which gate insulating films have different thicknesses. After a high-breakdown-voltage insulating film is formed over a silicon substrate, a surface of the high-breakdown-voltage insulating film is abraded for a reduction in the thickness thereof so that a middle-breakdown-voltage insulating film is formed to be adjacent to the high-breakdown-voltage insulating film. The high-breakdown-voltage insulating film is formed by a thermal oxidation method so as to extend from an inside of the main surface of the silicon substrate to an outside thereof. The middle-breakdown-voltage insulating film is formed so as to be thinner than the high-breakdown-voltage insulating film. The high-breakdown-voltage insulating film is formed as the gate insulating film of a high-breakdown-voltage MIS transistor, while the middle-breakdown-voltage insulating film is formed as the gate insulating film of a middle-breakdown-voltage MIS transistor.
US08288230B2	Method for producing a gate electrode structure A transistor with a gate electrode structure is produced by providing a semiconductor body with a first surface, and with a first sacrificial layer extending in a vertical direction of the semiconductor body from the first surface. A first trench extending from the first surface into the semiconductor body is formed by removing the sacrificial layer in a section adjacent the first surface. A second trench is formed by isotropically etching the semiconductor body in the first trench. A third trench is formed below the second trench by removing at least a part of the first sacrificial layer below the second trench. A dielectric layer is formed which at least covers sidewalls of the third trench and which only covers sidewalls of the second trench. A gate electrode is formed on the dielectric layer in the second trench. The gate electrode and dielectric layer in the second trench form the gate electrode structure.
US08288227B2	Semiconductor memory device with bit line of small resistance and manufacturing method thereof A reduction of a resistance of a bit line of a memory cell array and a reduction of a forming area of the memory cell array are planed. Respective bit lines running at right angles to a word line are composed of a diffusion bit line formed in a semiconductor substrate and a linear metal bit line on an upper side of the diffusion bit line. The diffusion bit line is formed in a linear pattern on a lower side of the metal bit line in the same manner, and the metal bit line is connected with the diffusion bit line between the word lines. An interlayer insulating film is formed on the memory cell array, and the metal bit line is formed with being buried in it.
US08288219B2	Method of forming a non-volatile memory cell using off-set spacers A stack of two polysilicon layers is formed over a semiconductor body region. A DDD implant is performed to form a DDD source region in the semiconductor body region along a source side of the polysilicon stack but not along a drain side of the polysilicon stack. Off-set spacers are formed along opposing side-walls of the polysilicon stack. A source/drain implant is performed to form a drain region in the semiconductor body region along the drain side of the polysilicon stack and to form a highly doped region within the DDD source region such that the extent of an overlap between the polysilicon stack and each of the drain region and the highly doped region is inversely dependent on a thickness of the off-set spacers, and a lateral spacing directly under the polysilicon stack between adjacent edges of the DDD source region and the highly doped region is directly dependent on the thickness of the off-set spacers.
US08288218B2	Device structure, layout and fabrication method for uniaxially strained transistors A semiconductor device and method for fabricating a semiconductor device include providing a strained semiconductor layer having a first strained axis, forming an active region within a surface of the strained semiconductor layer where the active region has a longitudinal axis along the strained axis and forming gate structures over the active region. Raised source/drain regions are formed on the active regions above and over the surface of the strained semiconductor layer and adjacent to the gate structures to form transistor devices.
US08288217B2	Stressor in planar field effect transistor device A field effect transistor device includes a gate stack portion disposed on a substrate, and a channel region in the substrate having a depth partially defined by the gate stack portion and a silicon region of the substrate, the silicon region having a sloped profile such that a distal regions of the channel region have greater depth than a medial region of the channel region.
US08288215B2	Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same A single crystal semiconductor substrate including an embrittlement layer is attached to a base substrate with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, and the single crystal semiconductor layer is separated at the embrittlement layer by heat treatment; accordingly, a single crystal semiconductor layer is fixed over the base substrate. The single crystal semiconductor layer is irradiated with a laser beam so that the single crystal semiconductor layer is partially melted and then is re-single crystallized, whereby crystal defects are removed. In addition, an island-shaped single crystal semiconductor layer for forming an n-channel transistor is channel-doped using a photomask and then is etched back using the photomask so that the island-shaped single crystal semiconductor layer for forming an n-channel transistor is thinner than the island-shaped single crystal semiconductor layer for forming a p-channel transistor.
US08288213B2	Methods of forming memory arrays Some embodiments include methods of forming memory arrays. A stack of semiconductor material plates may be patterned to subdivide the plates into pieces. Electrically conductive tiers may be formed along sidewall edges of the pieces. The pieces may then be patterned into an array of wires, with the array having vertical columns and horizontal rows. Individual wires may have first ends joining to the electrically conductive tiers, may have second ends in opposing relation to the first ends, and may have intermediate regions between the first and second ends. Gate material may be formed along the intermediate regions. Memory cell structures may be formed at the second ends of the wires. A plurality of vertically-extending electrical interconnects may be connected to the wires through the memory cell structures, with individual vertically-extending electrical interconnects being along individual columns of the array. Some embodiments include memory arrays incorporated into integrated circuitry.
US08288212B2	Pixel structure of a thin film transistor liquid crystal display and fabricating method thereof A method of fabricating a pixel structure of a thin film transistor liquid crystal display is provided. A transparent conductive layer and a first metallic layer are sequentially formed over a substrate. The first metallic layer and the transparent conductive layer are patterned to form a gate pattern and a pixel electrode pattern. A gate insulating layer and a semiconductor layer are sequentially formed over the substrate. A patterning process is performed to remove the first metallic layer in the pixel electrode pattern while remaining the gate insulating layer and the semiconductor layer over the gate pattern. A second metallic layer is formed over the substrate. The second metallic layer is patterned to form a source/drain pattern over the semiconductor layer. A passivation layer is formed over the substrate and then the passivation layer is patterned to expose the transparent conductive layer in the pixel electrode pattern.
US08288209B1	Semiconductor device and method of using leadframe bodies to form openings through encapsulant for vertical interconnect of semiconductor die A semiconductor device has a leadframe with a plurality of bodies extending from the base plate. A first semiconductor die is mounted to the base plate of the leadframe between the bodies. An encapsulant is deposited over the first semiconductor die and base plate and around the bodies of the leadframe. A portion of the encapsulant over the bodies of the leadframe is removed to form first openings in the encapsulant that expose the bodies. An interconnect structure is formed over the encapsulant and extending into the first openings to the bodies of the leadframe. The leadframe and bodies are removed to form second openings in the encapsulant corresponding to space previously occupied by the bodies to expose the interconnect structure. A second semiconductor die is mounted over the first semiconductor die with bumps extending into the second openings of the encapsulant to electrically connect to the interconnect structure.
US08288198B2	Low temperature deposition of phase change memory materials A system and method for forming a phase change memory material on a substrate, in which the substrate is contacted with precursors for a phase change memory chalcogenide alloy under conditions producing deposition of the chalcogenide alloy on the substrate, at temperature below 350° C. with the contacting being carried out via chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition. Various tellurium, germanium and germanium-tellurium precursors are described, which are useful for forming GST phase change memory films on substrates.
US08288197B2	Method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a memory device comprising an insulator mixture region in a conductive layer It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique in which a high-performance and highly reliable semiconductor device can be manufactured at low cost with high yield. A memory device according to the present invention has a first conductive layer including a plurality of insulators, an organic compound layer over the first conductive layer including the insulators, and a second conductive layer over the organic compound layer.
US08288188B2	Gyroscope To provide a compact and high performance gyroscope.A gyroscope (10) comprises an outer frame (11); an inner frame (12) positioned inside the outer frame and supported to be movable in one reciprocating direction; a plurality of proof masses (15) positioned inside the inner frame and supported to be movable in the direction orthogonal to the one reciprocating direction; a plurality of outer support suspensions (13) which connect the outer frame and the inner frame; a plurality of inner support suspensions (14) which connect the inner frame and each of the proof masses; actuators (16) for accelerating each of the proof masses; and detectors (17) for detecting displacement of the inner frame against the outer frame. The actuators oscillate the plurality of proof masses in-phase, and wherein Coriolis forces induced on each of the proof masses are summed up in the inner frame.
US08288187B2	Electroluminescent devices for lighting applications A method of fabricating an organic light emitting device is provided. A first electrode is provided, over which the rest of the device will be fabricated. A first organic layer is deposited over the first electrode via solution processing. The first organic layer includes: i. an organic host material of the first organic layer; ii. a first organic emitting material of the first organic layer; iii. a second organic emitting material of the first organic layer; A second organic layer is deposited over and in direct contact with the first organic layer. The second organic layer includes an organic emitting material of the second organic layer. A second electrode is then deposited over the second organic layer. The device may include other layers.
US08288186B2	Substrate for growing a III-V light emitting device A substrate including a host and a seed layer bonded to the host is provided, then a semiconductor structure including a light emitting layer disposed between an n-type region and a p-type region is grown on the seed layer. In some embodiments, a bonding layer bonds the host to the seed layer. The seed layer may be thinner than a critical thickness for relaxation of strain in the semiconductor structure, such that strain in the semiconductor structure is relieved by dislocations formed in the seed layer, or by gliding between the seed layer and the bonding layer an interface between the two layers. In some embodiments, the host may be separated from the semiconductor structure and seed layer by etching away the bonding layer.
US08288180B2	Method for manufacturing light emitting device An object of the present invention to improve reliability of a light emitting device having a mixed layer including an organic compound and metal oxide without reducing productivity. The above object is solved in such a way that after forming the mixed layer including the organic compound and metal oxide, the mixed layer is exposed to a nitrogen gas atmosphere without being exposed to a gas atmosphere including oxygen, and then a stacked film is formed over the mixed layer without exposing the mixed layer to a gas atmosphere including oxygen.
US08288174B1	Electrostatic post exposure bake apparatus and method An Electrostatic Post Exposure Bake (EPEB) subsystem comprising an Electrostatic Bake Plate (EBP) configured in a processing chamber in an EPEB subsystem, wherein the EPEB wafer comprises an exposed masking layer having unexposed regions and exposed regions therein and the EPEB wafer is developed using the EBP.
US08288173B2	Method, apparatus and program for filling liquid material Provided are a method, an apparatus and a computer program for filling a liquid material, which do not require complicated parameter calculation and which do not affect the moving speed of a discharge unit. In the method for filling a gap between a substrate and a work placed thereon with the liquid material discharged from the discharge unit by utilizing a capillary action, the method is characterized in forming an application pattern made up of an application region and a non-application region along an outer periphery of the work, and correcting a discharge amount of the liquid material by extending and contracting the application region and the non-application region. The apparatus and the program for carrying out the method are also provided.
US08288168B2	Simplified tissue processing Improved systems and methods for tissue processing are described here. The chemical process and the construction of the apparatus are simplified by using only two different solutions in two separate reaction modules. They are compatible with processing of tissue specimens for genetic analysis, histology, in situ antibody binding and hybridization, archival preservation of morphology and nucleic acids, and combinations thereof.
US08288166B2	Sensor chip with connected non-metallic particles comprising a metallic coating The invention provides a chip comprising a substrate with at least one surface and a layer of particles having a non-metallic core and a coating made of a metal or a metal alloy, characterized in that each non-metallic core, on average, forms a metal-surrounded contact point with at least one other non-metallic core and/or the substrate surface.The invention also provides a method for preparing a chip, comprising the steps of, adsorbing non-metallic particles on said surface of the substrate, and, subsequently, adsorbing colloids of a metal on said non-metallic particles to provide the shell made of a metal or a metal alloy, and a chip which is obtainable by said method. The chip can be employed in optical devices for the detection of analytes.
US08288164B2	Reaction cuvette for automatic analyzer and method of surface treatment for reaction cuvette The present invention provides a highly reliable reaction cuvette in which air bubbles are adhered little and mutual contamination can be prevented among samples and reagents in adjoining reaction cuvettes, a method of surface treatment for a reaction cuvette, and an automatic analyzer with the reaction cuvette mounted therein. The reaction cuvette according to the present invention, in which a sample and a reagent are mixed with each other and its concentration is measured, has an area subjected to hydrophilic treatment by electric discharging on inner and outer surfaces of the reaction cuvette. Further the reaction cuvette has a container-like form with its upper portion opened to provide an opening and its lower portion closed to provide a bottom. The hydrophilic area is present from a bottom of the reaction cuvette up to a midway to the opening.
US08288161B2	Articles of manufacture containing increased stability low concentration gases and methods of making and using the same Articles of manufacture and methods of making and using same concern a container having an internal space and a passivated internal metal surface. The container contains a composition of an acid gas and a balance gas contained within the internal space and in contact with the passivated internal metal surface. The stability of the acid gas concentration over time is enhanced.
US08288158B2	Stem cells modified to facilitate threonine catabolism A mammalian cell comprising a recombinant, functional L-threonine 3-dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.103; TDH) gene, methods of making, and methods of use.
US08288155B2	Biomolecular attachment sites on microelectronic arrays and methods thereof Methods of addressing a biomolecule to a selectively addressable electrode are described. A permeation layer overlying a plurality of selectively addressable electrodes is provided. The permeation layer includes a reactive group that is adapted to bond to a biomolecule and that requires activation through a chemical transformation before bonding to the biomolecule. At least one selectively addressable electrode is biased such that a pH change occurs in an overlying solution of the at least one selectively addressable electrode. The reactive group in a portion of the permeation layer above the at least one selectively addressable electrode is then chemically transformed to an activated reactive group as a result of the pH change. A biomolecule is then bound to the permeation layer overlying the at least one selectively addressable electrode through the activated reactive group.
US08288151B2	Biochemical reaction cassette A biochemical reaction cassette is designed to uniformize the flow of liquid in the reaction chamber by using a simple additional arrangement. A member for reducing the cross sectional area of the flow channel that includes an injection port, a reaction chamber and a discharge port is arranged in the flow channel and a buffer room is provided.
US08288145B2	Medium supplement for virus production The use of macrolide polyene antibiotics or derivatives or analogues thereof as culture supplement for the propagation of virus is described. Further pharmaceutical compositions comprising a virus and a macrolide polyene antibiotic or a derivative or analogue thereof and methods for using of macrolide polyene antibiotics for transfection and infection of cells as well as the use of macrolide polyene antibiotics for the isolation of virus from clinical samples are disclosed.
US08288143B2	Cold-active beta-galactosidase, a method of producing same and use of such enzyme A novel cold-active beta-galactosidase is enzyme specific for lactose. The enzyme is thus useful in e.g. the food industry for catalyzing at low temperatures the hydrolysis of lactose disaccharide into its constituent monosaccharides, glucose and galactose. A method produces the cold-active beta-galactosidase by recombinant DNA technology.
US08288142B2	Hyaluronidase and method of use thereof The present invention provides a tnaluronidase. The hyaluronidase can be produced by the strain Streptomyces aitinocidm 77, Exemplary characteristics of the hyaluronidase include specific C-terminal or other amino acid sequences, including full-length sequences, and improved physico-chemical and actix itj properties as compared to known h> alυronidase preparatkiiis. Described are also various uses of the hyaiurυnidasc, including topical administration of the h> aiuronidasc to improve skin penetration of a co-administered active substance.
US08288141B2	Ketoreductase polypeptides for the production of 3-aryl-3-hydroxypropanamine from a 3-aryl-3-ketopropanamine The present disclosure provides engineered ketoreductase enzymes having improved properties as compared to a naturally occurring wild-type ketoreductase enzyme. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, host cells capable of expressing the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, and methods of using the engineered ketoreductase enzymes to synthesize a variety of chiral compounds. The engineered ketoreductase polypeptides are optimized for catalyzing the conversion of N-methyl-3-keto-3-(2-thienyl)-1-propanamine to (S)—N-methyl-3-hydroxy-3-(2-thienyl)-1-propanamine.
US08288140B2	Polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and nucleic acids encoding same The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having cellulolytic enhancing activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
US08288138B2	Conversion of biomass into ethanol A process and system for the conversion of biomass, such as spent brewers grain, into ethanol and other commercial products, such as pelletized fuel, biogas, fertilizer, and livestock feed, is disclosed. The method may include biomass pretreatment, hydrolysis, fermentation, distillation, and dehydration phases.
US08288132B2	Chemoenzymatic process for the preparation of iminocyclitols The present invention discloses a chemoenzymatic process for the preparation of an iminocyclitol corresponding to formula (I), (II), (III) or (IV), wherein: R1 and R2 are the same or different, and independently selected from the group consisting of: H, OH, hydroxymethyl, methyl, ethyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, 2-methylbutyl, and benzyl; R3 is selected from the group consisting of: H, hydroxymethyl, hydroxyethyl, ethyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, octyl, dodecyl, isobutyl, isopropyl, isopentyl, 2-methylbutyl, benzyl, and phenylethyl; n: 0 or 1; the process comprising: (i) an aldol addition catalyzed by a D-fructose-6-phosphate aldolase enzyme (FSA) and an acceptor aminoaldehyde; and (ii) an intramolecular reductive amination of the addition adduct obtained in step (i) with H2, in the presence of a metallic catalyst, optionally being carried out said step (ii) in the presence of an aldehyde of formula R3—CHO, wherein R3 is as defined above.
US08288131B2	Ketoreductase polypeptides and uses thereof The present disclosure provides engineered ketoreductase enzymes having improved properties as compared to a naturally occurring wild-type ketoreductase enzyme including the capability of stereo specifically reducing (R)-2-methylpentanal to (R)-2-methylpentanol. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, host cells capable of expressing the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, and methods of using the engineered ketoreductase enzymes to produce (R)-2-methylpentanol and related compounds.
US08288130B2	Polypeptide cleavage process A palladate palladium-promoted hydrolytic polypeptide cleavage process which selectively cleaves the polypeptide at a Cys-His cleavage site comprising solubilizing the polypeptide in a reaction mixture comprised of a palladate palladium promoter dissolved in a high-concentration acidic organic acid solvent.
US08288129B2	Method for producing hyaluronic acid The method for manufacturing hyaluronic acid rich matrix comprises the steps of providing a crest; and decellularizing a tissue of crest to form a decellularized hyaluronic acid rich matrix.
US08288126B2	Methods for making proteins containing free cysteine residues The present invention relates to novel methods of making soluble proteins having free cysteines in which a host cell is exposed to a cysteine blocking agent. The soluble proteins produced by the methods can then be modified to increase their effectiveness. Such modifications include attaching a PEG moiety to form pegylated proteins.
US08288125B2	Intergenic regions as insertion sites in the genome of modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) The present invention relates to novel insertion sites useful for the integration of exogenous sequences into the Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus genome. The present invention further provides plasmid vectors to insert exogenous DNA into the genome of MVA. Furthermore, the present invention provides recombinant MVA comprising an exogenous DNA sequence inserted into the new insertion site as medicine or vaccine.
US08288123B2	Methods and means relating to protein variants A method of providing a subject polypeptide variant with improved stability compared with a parent subject polypeptide, employing translation and selection using an RNA expression system, wherein two or more stability selection pressures are applied simultaneously during translation, two or more stability selection pressures are applied simultaneously during selecting, or at least one stability selection pressure is applied during translation and continues to be applied during selecting, and at least one further stability selection pressure is applied during selecting.
US08288119B2	PGDS as modifiers of the PTEN pathway and methods of use Human PGD genes are identified as modulators of the PTEN pathway, and thus are therapeutic targets for disorders associated with defective PTEN function. Methods for identifying modulators of PTEN, comprising screening for agents that modulate the activity of PGD are provided.
US08288118B2	Method of analyzing various surface chemistries for culturing a given cell line In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of analyzing various surface chemistries for culturing a particular cell line, which includes the steps of: (1) providing a plasma polymerized surface having first and second regions, the first region including a first concentration of carboxylic acid groups in the plasma polymerized surface and the second region including a second concentration of carboxylic acid groups in the plasma polymerized surface, wherein the first and second concentrations are different; (2) culturing cells from the cell line on the plasma polymerized surface in each the region; (3) observing activity of the cultured cells in each the region; and (4) analyzing the activity of the cultured cells in each region.
US08288117B2	Dry analytical element for lipase measurement It is an object of the present invention to provide: a dry analytical element for analyzing pancreatic lipase wherein the triglyceride is not transcribed on the support to contaminate a transportation slip or other analytical elements and wherein an additive solution of the triglyceride neither reaggregates nor precipitate, so that the dry analytical element is stable and is compatible with production. The present invention provides a dry analytical element for measuring pancreatic lipase contained in body fluid, which comprises triglyceride of long chain alkyl fatty acid having 12 to 22 carbon atoms, monoglyceride lipase, and a glycerin measurement reagent, and which comprises a water-impermeable support and at least one spreading or reagent layer, wherein a hydrophilic polymer at a weight ratio of 1.8:1 or greater with respect to the triglyceride is contained.
US08288110B2	Biomarkers for detecting cancer The disclosure features, inter alia, a variety of biomarkers (e.g., biomarker peptides), compositions, and kits for use in methods for diagnosing a cancer. The biomarkers can be used, e.g., in methods for detecting a cancer in a subject. In addition, the disclosure also features methods of selecting a therapy for, and/or administering a therapy (e.g., a therapy comprising an anti-cancer agent) to, a subject having a cancer.
US08288108B2	Expression profiles for predicting septic conditions A rapid, safe method for predicting sepsis, or a condition similar to sepsis, in a mammal is disclosed, which comprises the following steps: I) isolating RNA from a biological sample of a mammal; ii) labeling the isolated RNA of step I) with a detectable marker; iii) hybridizing the labeled isolated RNA of step ii) with at least one DNA of genes Seq.-ID 1 to Seq.-ID 6705 (Table 1), which is spotted onto a microarray and which is a sepsis-specific gene or gene fragment, under the reaction conditions for hybridizations; iv) quantitatively recording labeling signals of the hybridized RNA of step iii) in an expression profile; v) comparing the expression profile of step iv) with a control sample with respect to a stronger or weaker expression of genes or gene fragments which are specific for sepsis; and vi) combining the expression profile of step v) with protein- and metabolite patterns of the biological sample.
US08288104B2	Methods for predicting the risk of diabetic nephropathy using genetic markers and arrays containing the same A method for detecting a Chinese diabetic subject suffering from, at risk for developing, or suspected of suffering from a nephropathy. The method includes determining whether a sample from the subject has at least one of the following polymorphic sequences: an I/D genotype of an ACE gene, an M235T genotype of an AGT gene, a (CA)n-5′(z−2) genotype of an ALR2 gene, an C106T genotype of an ALR2 gene in the promoter region, a G-308A genotype of a TNF-α gene, or a complement thereof, provided that the ALR2 gene cannot be used alone, in which the presence of the polymorphic sequence indicates the subject suffering from, at risk for suffering from a nephropathy. An array for detecting a Chinese diabetic subject suffering from, or at risk for suffering from, a nephropathy.
US08288102B2	Gene defects and mutant ALK kinase in human solid tumors In accordance with the invention, novel gene deletions and translocations involving chromosome 2 resulting in fusion proteins combining part of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) kinase with part of a secondary protein have now been identified in human solid tumors, e.g. non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Secondary proteins include Echinoderm Microtubule-Associated Protein-Like 4 (EML-4) and TRK-Fusion Gene (TFG). The EML4-ALK fusion protein, which retains ALK tyrosine kinase activity, was confirmed to drive the proliferation and survival of NSCLC characterized by this mutation. The invention therefore provides, in part, isolated polynucleotides and vectors encoding the disclosed mutant ALK kinase polypeptides, probes for detecting it, isolated mutant polypeptides, recombinant polypeptides, and reagents for detecting the fusion and truncated polypeptides. The disclosed identification of this new fusion protein enables new methods for determining the presence of these mutant ALK kinase polypeptides in a biological sample, methods for screening for compounds that inhibit the proteins, and methods for inhibiting the progression of a cancer characterized by the mutant polynucleotides or polypeptides, which are also provided by the invention.
US08288099B2	Epigenetic silencing of cyclooxygenase-2 affects clinical outcome in gastric cancer The present invention discloses methods of using the methylation status of the COX-2 gene promoter region as a biomarker for a gastric cancer patient to determine a prognosis and a treatment regimen, and to monitor the progress of a treatment regimen.
US08288096B2	Diagnostic method for epilepsy A method for the diagnosis of SMEI in a patient comprising: (1) detecting an alteration in the SCN1A gene, including in a regulatory region of the gene, in a patient sample; (2) ascertaining whether the alteration is known to be SMEI associated or non-SMEI associated; and (3) (a) establishing a diagnosis of a high probability of SMEI where the alteration is known to be SMEI associated; or (b) establishing a diagnosis of a low probability of SMEI where the alteration is non-SMEI associated; or (e) or, if not known to be either, (i) considering genetic data for parents and/or relatives; (ii) establishing whether the alteration has arisen de novo or is inherited; and (iii) establishing a diagnosis of a low probability of SMEI where the alteration is inherited but a diagnosis of a high probability of SMEI if the alteration is de novo.
US08288095B2	Methods and compositions for ordering restriction fragments The invention relates to methods and systems for sequencing and constructing a high resolution physical map of a polynucleotide. In accordance with the invention, nucleotide sequences are determined at the ends of restriction fragments produced by a plurality of digestions with a plurality of combinations of restriction endonucleases so that a pair of nucleotide sequences is obtained for each restriction fragment. A physical map of the polynucleotide is constructed by ordering the pairs of sequences by matching the identical sequences among the pairs.
US08288091B2	Transcription infidelity, detection and uses thereof The present invention relates to the identification of a novel mechanism of transcription infidelity in cells. The invention provides compositions and methods to detect the level of transcript ion infidelity in a sample, as well as the use thereof, e.g., for therapeutic, diagnostic, pharmacogenomic or drug design. As will be disclosed, the invention is particularly suited for detecting, monitoring or treating proliferative cell disorders, for the design and/or screening of drugs, for patient or disease profiling, prediction of disease severity and evaluation of drug efficacy.
US08288081B2	Method and system for exposure of a phase shift mask The present disclosure provides a method of making a mask. The method includes providing a substrate having a first attenuating layer on the substrate and a first imaging layer on the first attenuating layer; performing a first exposure to the first imaging layer using a first radiation energy in writing mode; performing a first etching to the first attenuating layer; performing a second etching to the substrate; forming a second imaging layer on the first attenuating layer and the substrate; performing a second exposure to the second imaging layer using a light energy and another mask; and performing a third etching to the first attenuating layer after the second exposure.
US08288079B2	Photocurable resin composition and a method for forming a pattern A photocurable resin composition containing a photopolymerization initiator and a (meth)acrylate monomer and/or oligomer, said (meth)acrylate monomer or oligomer having a cyclic structure, in which the atomic weight of carbon (Mcr) in said cyclic structure and the number of whole carbon atoms (MTOT) in said composition have the relation of Mcr/MTOT>0.1, or the total number (N) of carbon atoms in said cyclic structure, the total number of carbon atoms (Nc) in said composition and the total number of oxygen atoms (No) have the relation of N/(Nc−No)<4, and the composition has a kinetic viscosity of 10 mPa·s or below. This low-viscosity photocurable resin composition has excellent dry etching resistance and is applicable to optical nanoprinting.
US08288076B2	Chemically amplified resist composition and pattern forming process A chemically amplified resist composition comprises a polymer comprising units having polarity to impart adhesion and acid labile units adapted to turn alkali soluble under the action of acid. The polymer comprises recurring units having formula (1) wherein R1 is H, F, CH3 or CF3, Rf is H, F, CF3 or CF2CF3, A is a divalent hydrocarbon group, R2, R3 and R4 are alkyl, alkenyl, oxoalkyl, aryl, aralkyl or aryloxoalkyl. Recurring units containing an aromatic ring structure are present in an amount ≧60 mol % and the recurring units having formula (1) are present in an amount <5 mol %.
US08288070B2	Process for producing toner for electrophotography The present invention relates to a toner for electrophotography which exhibits an excellent heat-resistant storage property and a wide fusing temperature range, and a process for producing the toner for electrophotography. There are provided a process for producing a toner for electrophotography which includes (A) a step of emulsifying a resin binder containing a polyester having a constitutional unit derived from a trivalent or higher-valent carboxylic acid in an aqueous medium; (B) a step of aggregating emulsified particles contained in an emulsion obtained in the step (A); and (C) a step of coalescing aggregated particles obtained in the step (B), said process further including the following steps which are to be conducted after the step (A): (a) a step of adding a compound having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of an oxazoline group and a glycidyl group; and (b) a step of forming a chemical bond between the compound having the at least one functional group and the resin binder containing the polyester, as well as a toner for electrophotography obtained by the process.
US08288069B2	Toner and two-component developer Provided is a toner including: toner particles each containing at least a binder resin and a wax; and an external additive, in which surfaces of the toner particles have an average surface roughness (Ra) measured with a scanning probe microscope of 1.0 nm or more and 30.0 nm or less; and the toner has a surface tension index I for a 45-vol % aqueous solution of methanol measured by a capillary suction time method and calculated from the following equation (1) of 5.0×10−3 N/m or more and 1.0×10−1 N/m or less: I=Pα/(A×B×106) Eq. (1) where I represents the surface tension index (N/m) of the toner, Pα represents a capillary pressure (N/m2) of the toner for the 45-vol % aqueous solution of methanol, A represents a specific surface area (m2/g) of the toner, and B represents a true density (g/cm3) of the toner.
US08288063B2	Defense system in advanced process control A method includes performing a lithography process on a wafer to form a patterned photo resist, and measuring the wafer to determine an overlay error of the patterned photo resist. A high/low specification is determined using the overlay error. An overlay process value setting is generated and compared with the high/low specification to determine whether the overlay process value setting is within a range defined by the high/low specification.
US08288062B2	Reflective mask blank for EUV lithography Provision of a reflective mask blank for EUV lithography having an absorber layer having optical constants suitable for reducing the film thickness.A reflective mask blank for EUV lithography comprising a substrate and a reflective layer for reflecting EUV light and an absorber layer for absorbing EUV light, that are formed in this order on the substrate; wherein the absorber layer contains at least one element selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), tin (Sn), silver (Ag), niobium (Nb) and titanium (Ti), and the absorber layer further contains palladium (Pd).
US08288060B2	Metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell and manufacturing method thereof Disclosed are a metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell and a method for manufacturing the metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell. The method includes: fixedly joining a metal support to one surface of a unit cell including a fuel electrode, an air electrode and an electrolyte layer interposed between the fuel and air electrodes to fabricate a metal-supported unit cell (S210); fixing a first separator to the surface of the metal support opposite to the surface thereof to which the unit cell is joined (S220); and assembling the first separator to which the metal-supported unit cell is fixed, an insulating member, a first current collecting member and a second separator (S230). In the metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell, the metal support having a hollow portion in place of a mesh type current collector can be securely sealed to the first separator by direct welding to allow the fuel gas and air to be supplied to the unit cell through respective defined flow passages without being mixed or leakage. Due to this construction, the metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell is stable and has high energy production efficiency. Furthermore, the metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell has sufficient mechanical strength, resulting in improved durability and extended service life.
US08288059B2	Processing methods and systems for assembling fuel cell perimeter gaskets A method and apparatus for making fuel cell components via a roll to roll process are described. Spaced apart apertures are cut in first and second gasket webs that each include adhesives. The first and second gasket webs are transported to a bonding station on conveyers. A membrane web that includes at least an electrolyte membrane is also transported to the bonding station. At the bonding station, a gasketed membrane web is formed by attaching the first and second gasket webs to the membrane web. The first gasket web is attached to a first surface of the membrane web via the adhesive layer of the first gasket web. The second gasket web is attached to a second surface of the membrane web via the adhesive layer of the second gasket web.
US08288056B2	Fuel cell and gasket for fuel cell In a fuel cell including a gasket, which includes a lip portion, as a sealing member, the fuel cell includes a fuel cell constituent element (18) disposed adjacent to the lip portion (50) of the gasket (48), and a non-adhesive layer (54) disposed between the gasket (48) and the fuel cell constituent element (18).
US08288053B2	Nickel oxide powder material for solid oxide fuel cell, production process thereof, raw material composition for use in the same, and anode material using the nickel oxide powder material This invention provides a nickel oxide powder material, a production process thereof with high efficiency, a raw material composition for use in the same, and an anode material using the nickel oxide powder material. The nickel oxide powder material, when used as an anode material for a solid oxide fuel cell, can reduce heat shrinkage percentage in calcination to reduce a shrinkage difference from other component, and can suppress the occurrence of cracking, delamination, warpage and the like during calcining. Also in power generation after re-reduction after exposure of the anode once to an oxidizing atmosphere, for example, due to the disruption of the fuel supply, deterioration of microstructure of the anode can be suppressed, and the voltage drop percentage of the cell can be reduced. The nickel oxide powder material is used in an anode material constituting a solid oxide fuel cell and is characterized in that spinel compound represented by compositional formula: NiM2O4 wherein M represents a metal element is formed inside or on the surface of the nickel oxide powder or at the interface between the powder particles.
US08288052B2	Fuel cell An aspect of the present invention provides a fuel cell that includes, hollow structural bodies each provided with an internal space for reacting a fuel gas and an oxidant gas, each hollow structural body including, a separator having a perimeter wall section that follows along a rim, a cell plate having an electricity-generating cell having its outer perimeter joined to the separator such that a space for a gas to flow through is formed between the separator and the cell plate, a gas supply manifold to supply one of the reactant gases, a gas discharge manifold to discharge the reactant gas, and a gas introducing flow passage to introduce said reactant gas from the gas supply manifold to the perimeter wall section of the separator, wherein the reactant gas introduced into the gas introducing passage flows from the vicinity of the perimeter wall section of the separator to the gas discharge manifold.
US08288049B2	Fuel cell energy management system for cold environments An energy management system controls the temperature of a fuel cell system while a vehicle is not running. The energy management system includes a fuel cell stack, a blower that provides air to the fuel cell stack, a water supply, and a hydrogen supply. A hydrogen supply valve is connected between the hydrogen supply and the fuel cell stack. A heater is connected to an output of the fuel cell stack. A controller controls the hydrogen supply valve and the blower to power the heater to warm the fuel cell stack and the water supply. The controller starts the blower and opens the hydrogen supply valve if heating is necessary and if a tank level signal exceeds a first tank level value. The controller activates a purge, drains water from the water supply, and inhibits vehicle startup if the tank level signal does not exceed a first tank level value.
US08288048B2	Fuel cell/battery thermal management system A thermal management system is disclosed for a hybrid vehicle having an electrochemical power source (battery/fuel cell) and an internal combustion engine. In cooling mode, the system will flow liquid refrigerant over an evaporator attached to the battery/fuel cell, a two-phase mixture will then flow to the condenser where the heat is dissipated to ambient. In cold conditions where the battery/fuel cell needs to be warmed, the system will pick up heat from the engine and pump the warm fluid back to the battery/fuel cell until its optimal operating temperature is reached.
US08288041B2	Fuel cell system containing anode tail gas oxidizer and hybrid heat exchanger/reformer A fuel cell system includes at least one fuel cell stack, a fuel inlet conduit, and a fuel heat exchanger containing a fuel reformation catalyst. The fuel heat exchanger is connected to the fuel inlet conduit and to at least one fuel cell system exhaust conduit which in operation provides a high temperature exhaust stream to the fuel heat exchanger. The fuel heat exchanger is thermally integrated with an anode tail gas oxidizer (ATO) exhaust conduit such that in operation an ATO exhaust stream in the ATO exhaust conduit heats a fuel inlet stream passing through the heat exchanger.
US08288036B2	Secondary battery and method of making the secondary battery A secondary battery and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. In one embodiment, the secondary battery includes 1) an electrode assembly having an outer surface, 2) a sealing tape attached to and surrounding at least part of the outer surface of the electrode assembly and 3) a can accommodating the electrode assembly and sealing tape. The sealing tape includes i) an adhesive layer contacting the outer surface of the electrode assembly and ii) a base layer formed on and at least partially covering the adhesive layer. The base layer contacts an inner surface of the can. At least part of the adhesive layer is not covered by the base layer.
US08288031B1	Battery disconnect unit and method of assembling the battery disconnect unit A battery disconnect unit for selectively coupling a battery pack to a load is provided. The unit includes a base portion that holds first and second contactors, a pre-charging relay, and a charging relay, thereon. The unit further includes a circuit board having first, second, third and fourth bus bars disposed thereon. The first and second bus bars are coupled to first and second terminals, respectively, of the first contactor. The first bus bar is further coupled to the battery pack, and the second bus bar is further coupled to the load. The third and fourth bus bars are coupled to third and fourth terminals, respectively, of the second contactor. The third bus bar is further coupled to the battery pack, and the fourth bus bar is further coupled to the load.
US08288027B2	Electronic device having battery holder An electronic device includes a main body, a control switch, and a sliding block. The main body defines a cavity for receiving a battery. The main body includes a sidewall defining an opening communicating with the cavity. The sidewall further defines a through hole adjacent to the opening. The control switch is engaged in the through hole and rotatable with respect to the sidewall. The control switch includes a protruding portion. The sliding block is movable in the main body. The protruding portion presses against the sliding block and pushes a part of the sliding block into the cavity to block the battery therein when the control switch is rotated to a first position.
US08288020B2	Piezoelectric thin film and method of manufacturing the same, ink jet head, method of forming image with the ink jet head, angular velocity sensor, method of measuring angular velocity with the angular velocity sensor, piezoelectric generating element, and method of generating electric power with the piezoelectric generating element Provided are a piezoelectric thin film including a lead-free ferroelectric material and exhibiting high piezoelectric performance comparable to that of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), and a method of manufacturing the piezoelectric thin film. The piezoelectric thin film of the present invention comprises: a LaNiO3 film having a (001) orientation; a NaNbO3 film having a (001) orientation; and a (Bi, Na, Ba) TiO3 film having a (001) orientation. The LaNiO3 film, the NaNbO3 film, and the (Bi, Na, Ba)TiO3 film are laminated in this order.
US08288015B2	Triphenylene based aromatic compounds and OLEDs utilizing the same Disclosed is a triphenylene based aromatic compound, wherein a benzene center is substituted with a triphenylene group and another aromatic group such as triphenylenyl, pyrenyl, phenylvinyl, carbazolylphenyl, or arylanthryl in the meta position of the benzene center. The meta-substituted aromatic compound of the invention has better thermal stability (Tg) than the conventional para-substituted aromatic compound. The meta-substituted aromatic compound, served as a hole transporting layer or a host material applied in a light emitting layer in an OLED, is more preferable than the conventional para-substituted aromatic compound.
US08288012B2	Anthracene derivatives and light-emitting devices using the anthracene derivatives The present invention provides novel anthracene derivatives. In particular, the present invention provides light-emitting elements with high luminous efficiency, and light-emitting elements with long lifetime. Further, the present invention provides light-emitting devices and electronic devices having long lifetime by using these light-emitting elements. An anthracene derivative represented by the general formula (1) is provided. In addition, since the anthracene derivative represented by the general formula (1) has high luminous efficiency, a light-emitting element using the anthracene derivative represented by the general formula (1) can also have high luminous efficiency. By using the anthracene derivative represented by the general formula (1), light-emitting elements with long lifetime can be provided.
US08288011B2	Adhesiveless copper clad laminates and method for manufacturing thereof Adhesiveless copper clad laminates wherein a base metal layer is directly formed on at least one side of an insulating film without using an adhesive and a copper conductor layer having a desired thickness is formed on the base metal layer, the adhesiveless copper clad laminates is characterized in that a base metal layer having a thickness of 3 to 50 nm is formed on an insulating film by a dry plating method and a copper film layer is formed on the base metal layer, and the base metal layer mainly contains (1) a vanadium-molybdenum-nickel alloy consisting of 4 to 13% by weight of vanadium, 5 to 40% by weight of molybdenum, and the balance of nickel or (2) a vanadium-chromium-molybdenum-nickel alloy consisting of 4 to 13% by weight of vanadium and chromium in total including at least 2% by weight of vanadium, 5 to 40% by weight of molybdenum, and the balance of nickel.
US08288009B2	Formation of ultra-thin films that are grafted to electrically-conducting or semi-conducting surfaces The present invention relates to the use of precursors of following formula (I): independently of E or Z configuration, in which: R2 is an electron-withdrawing group, R1, R3, R4 and R5, which are identical or different, represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl radical or an aryl radical, in the formation, by electrochemical grafting, of a homogeneous organic film, preferably with a thickness of less than or equal to 10 nm, on an electrically conducting or semiconducting surface; and to the corresponding process for the formation of an ultrathin homogeneous organic film on an electrically conducting or semiconducting surface.
US08288001B1	Method of making monodisperse nanoparticles A method of making particles of either spherical or cylindrical geometry with a characteristic diameter less than 50 nanometers by mixing at least one structure directing agent dissolved in a solvent with at least one amphiphilic block copolymer dissolved in a solvent to make a solution containing particles, where the particles can be subsequently separated and dispersed in a solvent of choice.
US08287999B2	Absorbent structure with improved water-absorbing material comprising polyurethane, coalescing aid and antioxidant The present invention relates to an absorbent structure suitable in, or being an adult or infant diaper or feminine hygiene article, comprising a water-absorbing material comprising water-absorbing particles that comprise a film coating, comprising an elastic film-forming polymer and an antioxidant.The invention also relates to an absorbent structure comprising a water absorbent material obtainable by a process of: a) spray-coating water-absorbing polymeric particles with an elastic film-forming polymer in a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature in the range from 0° C. to 150° C. and b) heat-treatment of the coated polymeric particles at a temperature above 50° C., wherein in step a) and/or b) an antioxidant is added.
US08287998B2	Composition of a thermaly insulating coating system A composition for a Coating System (paint) which forms an insulating material being designed to both reflect infrared radiation and have reduced thermal conductivity. The coating system may be either a single Thermal Coating or may be a Thermal Coating used in combination with a Thermal Primer. The Thermal Coating is formulated using conventional techniques and a resin used in paint manufacture, but utilizes primary pigments and extender mineral pigments which preferentially reflect in the infra red area of the solar spectrum. A method of characterizing particulate materials for their infra red reflectivity is described, which provides a means for preferential selection of particulate additives based on their relative visible light and infrared reflectivity. Additionally the incorporation of hollow micro-spheres is desired to reduce thermal conductivity. The Thermal Primer is designed to provide adhesion between the Thermal Coating and the substrate on which it is applied and uses conventional techniques to achieve those properties. However it has been found advantageous to incorporate hollow micro-spheres with low thermal conductivity, such as glass, ceramic or polymeric micro-spheres and/or an extender pigment with low thermal conductivity such as calcined clay to further reduce heat flow through the Coating System.
US08287996B2	Coating for a microelectronic device, treatment comprising same, and method of managing a thermal profile of a microelectronic die A coating for a microelectronic device comprises a polymer film (131) containing a filler material (232). The polymer film has a thermal conductivity greater than 3 W/m·K and a thickness (133) that does not exceed 10 micrometers. The polymer film may be combined with a dicing tape (310) to form a treatment (300) that simplifies a manufacturing process for a microelectronic package (100) and may be used in order to manage a thermal profile of the microelectronic device.
US08287995B2	Glass member provided with sealing material layer, and electronic device using it and process for producing the electronic device The invention seeks to increase the sealing property and the reliability of an electronic device by suppressing cracks, fractures and the like of a glass substrate at the time of laser sealing. A glass substrate 3 has a sealing region. On the sealing region, a sealing material layer 5 comprising a glass material for sealing containing a low-expansion filler and a laser absorbent is provided. The glass material for sealing contains no low-expansion filler particles having particle sizes exceeding the thickness T of the sealing material layer 5 and contains low-expansion filler particles having particle sizes within a range of from 0.5T to 1T based on the thickness T of the sealing material layer 5 in a volume ratio of from 0.1 to 50%. Such a glass substrate 3 and a glass substrate 2 having an element-formed region provided with an electronic element are laminated, and the sealing material layer 5 is irradiated with a laser light 6 and melted to bond the glass substrates 2 and 3.
US08287989B2	Security image coated with a single coating having visually distinct regions A security image is disclosed which is formed from flakes having a first color with flakes having a second different color mixed within a carrier uniformly. The flakes having the second color are magnetically orientable and the flakes having the first color are non-magnetic and do not align or orient in a magnetic field. By exposing at least a single coated region to a magnetic field that is substantially orthogonal to the substrate upon which the coating of flakes is coated, a visible region having the first color is provided as the magnetic flakes are upstanding and the non-magnetic flakes are lying flat upon the substrate. In another region where there is no field applied a visible region having third perceived color different from, however formed from the first color or the second color is seen.
US08287982B2	Impregnated fabric The invention provides a knitted spacer fabric having a tightly knitted bottom layer, a more loosely knitted upper layer and pile yarns extending across the space between the lower and upper faces. Settable material, is introduced into the space between the upper and lower faces and can be caused to set by the addition of a liquid. Until set, the fabric is flexible and can be shaped but after the material in space has set, the fabric is rigid and can be used as a structural element in a wide range of situations.
US08287976B2	Uniquely perforated web product Web products are disclosed which include forming selected perforation designs and patterns. The perforation designs and patterns can be formed in linear or nonlinear fashion, can extend in the cross direction or the machine direction and can be formed to complement or match an embossed or printed design on the web. The perforation designs and patterns can be formed utilizing various mechanical perforating techniques.
US08287968B2	Coating film and coating-film forming method To form a coating film having an excellent wear-resistant property in a temperature range from low temperature to high temperature a coating-film forming method includes a metal-powder producing step of producing a metal powder containing an element exhibiting a lubricating property when oxidized; an oxidizing step of oxidizing the metal powder so that an amount of oxygen contained in the metal powder is within 6 weight % to 14 weight %; and a coating-film forming step of forming a coating film on a material subject to a treatment, the coating film having such a composition that an area where an oxygen content is 3 weight % or less and an area where an oxygen content is 8 weight % or more are distributed in a unit area of the coating film when the metal powder is in a melted state or a semi-melted state, and an oxygen content of the entire coating film after the metal powder is melted or semi-melted being within 5 weight % to 9 weight %.
US08287967B2	Method and apparatus for processing workpiece The present invention is a processing method for applying predetermined processing to a workpiece with said workpiece mounted on a mounting stage arranged in a process chamber in a depressurized atmosphere, in which when no workpiece is mounted on the mounting stage, an inactive gas is discharged from at least a heat transfer gas supply hole of the mounting stage in the process chamber so that a gas layer is formed on a mounting surface of the mounting stage. The present invention is also a processing apparatus.
US08287966B2	Spray cast mixed-material vehicle closure panels Unitary closure panels for automotive vehicles may be formed to have regions of different materials by a spray casting process. Separate sprays of different materials, for example two different metal alloys, are applied to touching regions of a spray application surface. The separate sprays may be applied sequentially or simultaneously to the forming surface to coat the respective regions so that the regions are contiguous or overlapping and a unitary body is formed. The spray formed body may be compressed and trimmed between facing surfaces to form a vehicle closure panel of specified outline, curvature, thickness, and porosity.
US08287962B2	Paper surface treatment compositions A method of preparing a surface-treated cellulosic substrate, the method comprising applying a surface treatment composition to a cellulosic substrate, the composition being prepared by a method comprising the steps of introducing a source of boron, a crosslinking di-aldehyde, and a blocking agent to form a crosslinking composition; introducing the crosslinking solution with starch and optionally pigments and/or optionally polymeric particles to form the composition.
US08287961B2	Thermal direct printing dissolving paper A label has a water dissolvable or water dispersible paper with a coating of a type which can be printed with direct thermal printing. The label is produced by passing a length of such paper with a freshly applied coating of the above type through an oven for drying before the coating has an opportunity to deteriorate the surface of the paper.
US08287959B2	Syringe tip assembly and layered deposition systems utilizing the same A syringe tip assembly comprising a seal component configured to engage a syringe tip, a nozzle configured to slidably engage with the seal component, and a biasing member configured to apply a biasing pressure between the seal component and the nozzle.
US08287956B2	Crack and residue free conformal deposited silicon oxide with predictable and uniform etching characteristics A silicon oxide layer is formed by oxidation or decomposition of a silicon precursor gas in an oxygen-rich environment followed by annealing. The silicon oxide layer may be formed with slightly compressive stress to yield, following annealing, an oxide layer having very low stress. The silicon oxide layer thus formed is readily etched without resulting residue using HF-vapor.
US08287954B2	Apparatus and method of forming an applied film There is provided an apparatus including: a processing cup having an opening opened upward to allow a substrate to be loaded and unloaded, an exhaust port for exhausting an unnecessary atmosphere produced in forming a film applied on the substrate, and an aspiration port for aspirating external air; and an aspiration device aspirating the unnecessary atmosphere through the exhaust port, wherein when the substrate is accommodated in the opening of the processing cup, the substrate has a perimeter spaced from the opening by a predetermined gap, and below the substrate accommodated in the processing cup there is formed an exhaust flow path extending from the aspiration port to the exhaust port.
US08287953B2	Method for spin coating a surface of an optical article A method for spin coating a surface of an optical article, includes the steps of: selecting as the optical article an article (10) with a concave face (12) able to adopt a facing up position in which its uppermost portion is an edge (15) and selecting the concave face as the surface to be coated; dispensing a predetermined volume of a coating solution (18) on the concave face (12) along the edge (15), the concave face (12) facing up and the solution being dispensed in a top down manner; waiting with no motion of the article (10) for the solution to flow on the concave face (12) until it collects centrally; and spinning the article (10) to force the solution back to the edge (15) of the concave face (12).
US08287951B2	Single-source precursor for semiconductor nanocrystals A process for preparing a single source solid precursor matrix for semiconductor nanocrystals having the steps of: mixing 0.1-1 Molar of an aqueous/non-aqueous (organic) solution containing the first component of the host matrix with 0.001-0.01 Molar of an aqueous/non-aqueous solution containing the first dopant ions, which needs in situ modification of valency state, dissolving 10-20 milligram of an inorganic salt for the in situ reduction of the first dopant ion in the solution, addition of 0.001-0.01 Molar of an aqueous/non-aqueous solution of an inorganic salt containing the dopant ions which do not need modifications of their valency state, addition of 0.1-1 Molar of an aqueous/non-aqueous solution of an inorganic salt containing the second component of the host material, addition of 5-10% by weight of an aqueous solution containing a pH modifying complexing agent, to obtain a mixture, and heating the mixture to obtain a solid layered micro-structural precursor compound.
US08287945B2	Method and composition for enhancing the performance of an emulsion-based surface treatment The invention is a method of treating, restoring or sealing a surface comprising applying an emulsion comprising a latex polymer, a cationic emulsifier, and optionally a recycling agent to the surface to wet the surface and depositing a surface treatment layer on the surface, wherein the depositing step occurs while the surface is wetted. The invention also includes a surface pretreatment composition comprising water, at least one acrylic latex polymer, an aromatic recycling agent, and at least one cationic emulsifier. Furthermore, the invention includes the surface resulting from the application of the emulsion used in the invention and concentrated emulsions for use with the surface treatment composition.
US08287944B2	Magnetic memory cell construction A magnetic tunnel junction cell having a free layer, a ferromagnetic pinned layer, and a barrier layer therebetween. The free layer has a central ferromagnetic portion and a stabilizing portion radially proximate the central ferromagnetic portion. The construction can be used for both in-plane magnetic memory cells where the magnetization orientation of the magnetic layer is in the stack film plane and out-of-plane magnetic memory cells where the magnetization orientation of the magnetic layer is out of the stack film plane, e.g., perpendicular to the stack plane.
US08287943B2	Method for producing a multilayer piezoelectric microcomponent using sacrificial thick film technology The invention relates to the preparation of multilayer microcomponents which comprise one or more films, each consisting of a material M selected from metals, metal alloys, glasses, ceramics and glass-ceramics.The method consists in depositing on a substrate one or more films of an ink P, and one or more films of an ink M, each film being deposited in a predefined pattern selected according to the structure of the microcomponent, each film of ink P and each film of ink M being at least partially consolidated before deposition of the next film; effecting a total consolidation of the films of ink M partially consolidated after their deposition, to convert them to films of material M; totally or partially removing the material of each of the films of ink P. An ink P consists of a thermoset resin containing a mineral filler or a mixture comprising a mineral filler and an organic binder. An ink M consists of a mineral material precursor of the material M and an organic binder. The inks are deposited by pouring or by extrusion.
US08287937B2	Endoprosthese A coating having a smooth orange peel morphology is formed on an adluminal surface of a stent, concurrently with the formation of a coating having a rough rice grain morphology on an abluminal surface of the stent. During the formation of the two coatings, a mandrel is placed adjacent to the adluminal surface of the stent but does not generally contact the adluminal surface.
US08287936B2	Bake-stable creamy food filling base Lipid-based, creamy food fillings are disclosed that are bake-stable up to a temperature of at least about 125° C. The creamy food fillings are particularly suitable for use in products that require the filling to be added prior to baking. In one aspect, the fillings are a solid-in-liquid dispersion having a dispersed solid phase including a hydrophilic powder and a high-melting lipid, as well as a continuous lipid phase including a low-melting lipid in which the hydrophilic powder and high-melting lipid are dispersed. Preferably, the fillings have a low water activity of about 0.5 or lower and are formed in the absence of additional humectants, thickening agents, or gelling agents.
US08287930B2	Free-flowing egg replacement product and process of making same A free-flowing composition for reducing or replacing the egg and emulsifier content in baked goods and baked good mixes and a method of making the composition. In some embodiments, the composition may include a single free-flowing ingredient. In certain embodiments, the composition includes a wheat protein isolate and an emulsifier. In other embodiments, the composition additionally includes a flow agent. In one embodiment, the composition includes a wheat protein isolate, a propylene glycol ester, a glyceride, and a lecithin. Other embodiments may include a food product comprising the composition.
US08287927B2	Processed product of fenugreek seeds and method for producing the same It is an object of the present invention to enhance the α-amylase inhibitory activity of a fenugreek seed component. According to the present invention, the bitter taste of fenugreek seeds can be collaterally reduced.The present invention relates to a processed product of fenugreek seeds obtained by allowing β-glucosidase to act on a fenugreek seed-derived material and the like, and the method for producing the same.
US08287925B2	Cell-proliferating agent or tissue-repairing agent derived from white rice Provided are more effective cell-proliferating and tissue-repairing agents derived from rice containing, as an active ingredient, an internal solution produced by the dialysis of a water-treated product of a raw rice material essentially including a white rice fraction with an 8K dialysis membrane.
US08287920B2	Method and composition for treatment of yeast infection through a radial appliance or a wet-cell battery appliance and solution jar set Provided are a composition and method of increasing health of the human body includes placing a composition inside a solution jar of a solution jar assembly, wherein the composition comprises at least one of a garlic solution comprising garlic extract, ethanol, and water; a 10-undecenoic acid solution comprising 10-undecenoic acid and at least one of water and alcohol; and a Pau d'Arco solution comprising Pau d'Arco extract, corn starch, ethanol, and water, wherein the solution jar assembly includes a device comprising either a radial appliance or a wet-cell battery appliance; a first metal disc connected to the device by a first wire; a solution jar, connected to the device by a second wire, for holding the solution; a second metal disc connected to the solution jar by a third wire; and a connecting loop, located inside a removable lid of the solution jar, connecting the first and third wires and passing through the solution; wherein if the device is the radial appliance, placing the radial appliance in a container having ice and water; and applying the first and second discs to skin of a human body.
US08287917B2	Hydrogel particle A hydrogel particle contains a continuous phase portion of non-crosslinked hydrogel and a large number of disperse phase portions dispersed in the continuous phase portion. Each of the large number of disperse phase portions is a solid phase containing an oil component and particles of zinc oxide dispersed therein.
US08287912B2	Use of stinging cells/capsules for the delivery of active agents to keratinous substances A composition of matter comprising an agent beneficial to a non-skin keratinous substance and at least one stinging capsule and methods of use are disclosed.
US08287909B2	Medical devices containing melt-blown non-wovens of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate and copolymers thereof Continuous processing methods for making absorbable polymeric non-wovens with one or more of the following properties: high burst strength, fine fibers of average diameter from 1 μm to 50 μm, and thickness from 10 μm to 50 mm, have been developed. Improved fiber cohesion is made possible by allowing the fibers of the non-woven to initially remain molten during web collection. In the preferred embodiment, the polymer is a polyhydroxyalkanoate, and in the most preferred embodiment, the polymer comprises 4-hydroxybutyrate. A particularly preferred embodiment is a non-woven of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate or copolymer thereof, wherein the non-woven has a burst strength greater than 0.1 Kgf, wherein the non-woven is derived by a continuous melt-blown process. The non-wovens can be used for a variety of purposes including fabrication of medical devices.
US08287906B2	Formation of hydrogel in the presence of peroxidase and low concentration of hydrogen peroxide In a process of forming a hydrogel from a mixture comprising hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), and a polymer comprising a crosslinkable phenol group, the gelation rate in the solution and the crosslinking density in the hydrogel can be independently adjusted or controlled by selection of the molarity of H2O2 and concentration of HRP in the solution when the molarity of H2O2 is limited to be within a range and the concentration of HRP is limited to be above a threshold. A method for determining the range and threshold is disclosed. The hydrogel may be used to grow cells, in which case, the molarity of H2O2 may be selected to affect the differentiation or growth rate of the cells in the hydrogel.
US08287904B2	Stable soft capsule dosage form for acetylsalicylic acid A stable soft gel dosage form for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), aspirin, is provided wherein soft gel capsules containing the ASA can be stored for prolonged periods under typical home storage conditions with better than 98% or 99% ASA integrity and with negligible physical or chemical deterioration of the soft gelatin capsule over the period of six months. A suspension of ASA in a monoglyceride component comprising more than about 50% glyceryl monooleate is packaged in a soft gelatin capsule, which can be substantially free of other components. The ASA in this composition is resistant to hydrolysis from water contained within the soft gelatin matrix or diffusing through the matrix. Methods of preparation and methods of use are also provided.
US08287903B2	Orally effective methylphenidate extended release powder and aqueous suspension product An oral methylphenidate powder which is reconstitutable into a final oral aqueous sustained release formulation containing at least about 50%, or at least about 80% by weight water based on the total weight of the suspension, is provided. The powder is a blend containing a combination of an uncoated methylphenidate-ion exchange resin complex, a barrier coated methylphenidate-ion exchange resin complex-matrix, and a water soluble buffering agent such that upon formed into an aqueous liquid formulation, the formulation has a pH in the range of about 3.5 to about 5, or about 4 to about 4.5. Following administration of a single dose of the oral aqueous methylphenidate suspension, a therapeutically effective amount of methylphenidate is reached in less than one hour and the composition provides a twelve-hour extended release profile.
US08287900B2	Medicated patch comprising 5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-(1H)-pyridone There is provided a medicated patch including 5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-(1H)-pyridone. A medicated patch comprising a percutaneously absorbable preparation layer, wherein the percutaneously absorbable preparation layer includes 5-methyl-1-phenyl-2-(1H)-pyridone or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active component, a dissolving agent and an aqueous base material (or a rubber-type base material), and the active component is contained in an amount of 0.1 to 30 mass % relative to the total amount of the percutaneously absorbable preparation layer.
US08287897B2	Bitterness-masking particulate jelly beverage A particulate jelly beverage which facilitates the intake of a bitter drug and/or supplement. The beverage comprises 0.1 to 15.0% bitterness-masking ingredient comprising a vegetable fat or animal fat, 5 to 20% bitterness-masking aid comprising a sugar alcohol, 0.1 to 5.0 % gellant such as an agar or carrageenan, and water as the remainder. It may optionally contain an ingredient for reducing water repellency, such as a sucrose/fatty acid ester, glycerol/fatty acid ester, or propylene glycol, in an amount of 0.01 to 1.5%.
US08287894B2	Hyaluronan as a drug pre-sensitizer and chemo-sensitizer in the treatment of disease This application provides methods and compositions for the treatment of cancer. The application provides compositions comprising hyaluronic acid and a chemotherapeutic agent such as irinotecan that are useful in the treatment of cancer.
US08287889B2	Freeze-dried lecithin nanometer powder injection of ursolic acid and its preparation method The invention discloses a freeze-dried nanometer powder injection of ursolic acid and a preparing method thereof. It major composes of active material of ursolic acid, complex vehicle of nanometer powder, excipient of freeze-drying. Compared to other popular preparations, its advantages are high target application of liver, concentrate on the affects, increase curative effect, decrease side effect, high dispersity and stability. It is prepared through dissolving ursolic acid as active raw material in medical organic solvent, adding complex vehicle of bean lecithin and stearic acid, stirring while heating until reaction completed, adding distilled water, adding excipient, stirring while heating until reaction completed, filtering with microporous membrane and freeze-drying the filtrate. Its average particle size is 209.5 mm, drug loading is 25.2%. it is for inhibiting and treating liver cancer, decreasing expression of p53, bcl-2 and topo-II.
US08287888B2	Thermosensitive polyphosphazene-bioactive molecule conjugates, preparation method thereof and use thereof The present invention relates to a poly(organophosphazene)-bioactive molecule conjugates in which biodegradable and thermosensitive poly(organophosphazene) with a functional group showing the sol-gel phase transition with change of temperature is combined with various bioactive molecules, such as drugs, a preparation method thereof, and a use thereof for delivery of bioactive molecules.
US08287887B2	Antigen-and-drug vehicle comprising synthetic peptide, and mucosal vaccine using the same The present invention is an antigen-and-drug (AD) vehicle and a mucosal vaccine utilizing a novel synthetic peptide. The antigen-and-drug (AD) vehicle is capable of inducing the production of secretory IgA antibodies, and is a complex of a synthetic peptide having the following amino acid sequence: PVHLKRLm (e.g., peptide of SEQ ID NO 1, 6, or 7) or KnLm (e.g., peptide of SEQ ID NO 2, 3, or 8), and a lipid(s). The mucosal vaccine is obtainable by allowing a mucosal-immunity-IgA-inducing amount of an antigen to coexist with, contact, be captured by, or be adsorbed onto the AD vehicle.
US08287884B2	Staphylococcus aureus proteins and nucleic acids The invention provides proteins from Staphylococcus aureus, including amino acid sequences and corresponding nucleotide sequences. The proteins are useful for vaccines, immunogenic compositions, diagnostics, enzymatic studies, and as targets for antibiotics.
US08287883B2	Listeria attenuated for entry into non-phagocytic cells, vaccines comprising the Listeria, and methods of use thereof The present invention provides Listeria that are attenuated for entry into non-phagocytic cells as well as a variety of methods of inducing immune responses involving administering compositions comprising the attenuated Listeria. Some of the attenuated Listeria are mutant Listeria that comprise at least one mutation in a gene encoding an invasin, such as an internalin. Some of the attenuated Listeria are further attenuated for cell-to-cell spread. Pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines useful in the methods of the invention are further provided. Methods of making and improving vaccines are also provided.
US08287879B2	Immunostimulatory recombinant intracellular pathogen immunogenic compositions and methods of use Immunogenic compositions comprising recombinant intracellular pathogens that have been transformed to express recombinant immunogenic antigens of the same or other intracellular pathogens and immunostimulatory molecules are provided. Exemplary immunogenic compositions include, but are not limited to, recombinant BCG expressing Mycobacteria major extracellular proteins and immunostimulatory molecules.
US08287875B2	Nucleic acids encoding a house dust mite allergen, Der p III, and uses therefor Isolated nucleic acids encoding an allergen of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Der p III, are disclosed. A cDNA encoding a peptide having a Der p III activity and a predicted molecular weight of about 24,985 daltons is also described. The nucleic acids can be used as probes to detect the presence of Der p III nucleic acid in a sample or for the recombinant production of peptides having an activity of Der p III. Peptides having an activity of Der p III can be used in compositions suitable for pharmaceutical administration or methods of diagnosing sensitivity to house dust mites.
US08287873B2	Vascular endothelial cell growth factor antagonists and uses thereof The present invention provides vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) antagonists and methods of using VEGF antagonists. VEGF antagonists contemplated by the invention include VEGF antibodies and VEGF receptor fusion proteins. Methods of treating edema and stroke using VEGF antagonists are also provided.
US08287872B2	Methods for treating inflammatory conditions using antibodies that bind PAR-2 The present invention provides compositions and methods relating to or derived from anti-PAR-2 antibodies. In particular embodiments, the invention provides antibodies that bind human PAR-2, PAR-2-binding fragments and derivatives of such antibodies, and PAR-2-binding polypeptides comprising such fragments. Other embodiments provide nucleic acids encoding such antibodies, antibody fragments and derivatives and polypeptides, cells comprising such polynucleotides, methods of making such antibodies, antibody fragments and derivatives and polypeptides, and methods of using such antibodies, antibody fragments and derivatives and polypeptides, including methods of treating or diagnosing subjects having PAR-2-related disorders or conditions.
US08287868B2	BMP10 antibodies and related methods In certain aspects, the present invention provides BMP10 propeptides for use in treating a variety of disorders including heart disorders and other disorders associated with unwanted activity of the mature BMP10 polypeptide. The present invention also provides methods of screening compounds that modulate activity of BMP10.
US08287867B2	Ovr115 antibody compositions and methods of use The invention encompasses a method of inhibiting growth of tumor cells in vivo, comprising contacting the cells with an anti-Ovr115 antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof. This invention also encompasses a method of alleviating an Ovr115-expressing cancer in a mammal, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an anti-Ovr115 antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, to the mammal.
US08287862B2	Multidrug resistance-associated polypeptide Compositions and methods are disclosed for improving the effectiveness of a chemotherapeutic regimen to eradicate multidrug-resistant transformed cells from the body of a mammal, preferably from the body of a human. The present disclosure capitalizes on the discovery of a novel multidrug-resistance associated protein (MRP), herein designated MRP-β. The disclosed compositions include MRP-β nucleic acids, including probes and antisense oligonucleotides, MRP-β polypeptides and antibodies, MRP-β expressing host cells, and non-human mammals transgenic or nullizygous for MRP-β. The disclosed methods include methods for attenuating aberrant MRP-β gene expression, protein production and/or protein function. In addition, methods are disclosed for identifying and using a modulator, such as an inhibitor, of MRP-β. Preferably, the modulator is a small molecule.
US08287860B2	Immunogen and antivenom against violin spider venom The invention relates to the isolation, characterization and expression of DNA fragments encoding sphingomyelinases D from three species of Loxosceles genus spiders, namely L. boneti, L reclusa and L. laeta, and the toxoids thereof. The invention also relates to the production of active sphingomyelinases D and the toxoids thereof using recombinant means and to the use of same as an immunogen for the production in vertebrates of antibodies that neutralise the corresponding venom and the respective fragments F(ab′)2. The invention further relates to the use of recombinant sphingomyelinases D as part of an antigen matrix which can be used in the immunopurification of antibodies and the fragments thereof or as part of any diagnostic device used to obtain clinical confirmation that the causal agent of poisoning in a patient is a spider of the Loxosceles genus. In addition, the invention includes molecular vectors for the expression of the DNA fragments, strains comprising same, which can express Loxosceles sphingomyelinases D, and methods for the expression thereof. AA Porcentaje de identidad de aminoacidos entre necrotoxinas de diferentes especies de Loxosceles. especie BBLb1Lr1Lr2LaLiLl-H17Ll-H13Ll-1Ll-2 Lb1— Lr191— Lr28490— La868887— Li82848880— Ll-H175760605959— Ll-H13576061586080— Ll-156595958599980— Ll-25760615959829482— AA . . . AMINO ACID PERCENTAGE OF IDENTITY BETWEEN NECROTOXINS OF DIFFERENT LOXOSCELES SPECIES BB . . . SPECIES
US08287859B2	Methods of reducing toxicity and effects of cocaine by administering a butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)-albumin fusion protein The present invention encompasses albumin fusion proteins. Nucleic acid molecules encoding the albumin fusion proteins of the invention are also encompassed by the invention, as are vectors containing these nucleic acids, host cells transformed with these nucleic acids vectors, and methods of making the albumin fusion proteins of the invention and using these nucleic acids, vectors, and/or host cells. Additionally the present invention encompasses pharmaceutical compositions comprising albumin fusion proteins and methods of treating, preventing, or ameliorating diseases, disorders or conditions using albumin fusion proteins of the invention.
US08287849B2	Biodegradable poly(beta-amino esters) and uses thereof Poly(β-amino esters) prepared from the conjugate addition of bis(secondary amines) or primary amines to a bis(acrylate ester) are described. Methods of preparing these polymers from commercially available starting materials are also provided. These tertiary amine-containing polymers are preferably biodegradable and biocompatible and may be used in a variety of drug delivery systems. Given the poly(amine) nature of these polymers, they are particularly suited for the delivery of polynucleotides. Nanoparticles containing polymer/polynucleotide complexes have been prepared. The inventive polymers may also be used to encapsulate other agents to be delivered. They are particularly useful in delivering labile agents given their ability to buffer the pH of their surroundings.
US08287847B2	Ion binding polymers and uses thereof The present invention provides methods and compositions for the treatment of ion imbalances. In particular, the invention provides compositions comprising potassium binding polymers and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. Methods of use of the polymeric and pharmaceutical compositions for therapeutic and/or prophylactic benefits are disclosed herein. Examples of these methods include the treatment of hyperkalemia, such as hyperkalemia caused by renal failure and/or the use of hyperkalemia causing drugs.
US08287846B2	Cosmetic or dermatological preparations comprising N-acetylcysteine The present invention relates to odour improved dermatological or cosmetic preparations comprising N-acetylcysteine and a polyol system containing one or more polyols as masking odour agents. The emulsions of the present invention are useful in the treatment of dermatological disorders or cosmetic skin conditions.
US08287843B2	Antiplaque oral care compositions The invention provides oral compositions including a safe and effective amount of a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from a hydrogen atom and an alkyl group and X− is an anion, and n is an integer of 1 to 25; and (b) a surfactant.
US08287839B2	Carboranylporphyrins and uses thereof The present invention is directed to low toxicity boronated compounds and methods for their use in the treatment, visualization, and diagnosis of tumors. More specifically, the present invention is directed to low toxicity carborane-containing porphyrin compounds with halide, amine, or nitro groups and methods for their use particularly in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), X-ray radiation therapy (XRT), and photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of tumors of the brain, head and neck, and surrounding tissue. The invention is also directed to using these carborane-containing porphyrin compounds in methods of tumor imaging and/or diagnosis such as MRI, SPECT, or PET.
US08287838B2	Thermochemical hydrogen produced from a vanadium decomposition cycle A thermochemical water-splitting process all reactions of which operate at relatively low temperatures and high efficiencies, and in which relatively inexpensive materials and processing methods are made possible. This invention involves the decomposition of a metal halide compound, i.e., one which is capable of being reduced from a higher oxidation state to lower oxidation state, e.g. vanadium chloride III→vanadium dichloride. The process is cyclic and regenerative, and the only net inputs are water and heat; and the only net outputs are hydrogen and oxygen. The process makes it possible to utilize a wide variety of available heat, including solar, sources for the energy input.
US08287833B2	Sodium silicate solutions A method is provided for treating silica sand scrubs (SSS) generated and accumulated as waste in the chloride manufacturing process of titanium dioxide pigment. A hydrothermal process is used to produce sodium silicate solutions of modulus 3.0 to 3.8, and precipitated silicas. In some embodiments, the process uses two specific principal reaction stages. A sodium silicate solution having a low SiO2:Na2O molar ratio, in the range from 2.0 to 2.8, is first produced by reaction of the SSS, as a cost-effective SiO2 source, with aqueous caustic soda. The conversion of this intermediate sodium silicate solution of low modulus to a high SiO2:Na2O molar ratio is made possible by using a SiO2 source that is prepared as precipitated amorphous silica from the intermediate sodium silicate solution produced above.
US08287829B2	Processes for preparing highly pure lithium carbonate and other highly pure lithium containing compounds The invention generally relates to methods of selectively removing lithium from various liquids, methods of producing high purity lithium carbonate, methods of producing high purity lithium hydroxide, and methods of regenerating resin.
US08287825B1	Liquid fuel preprocessor Apparatus and process for reformulating liquid fuel. In one step of the process the fuel is fractioned into light and heavy fractionates. The light fractionate is then reformed in a steam reformer into a reformed fuel that is suitable for use in fuel cells or other energy-producing devices. The heavy fractionate is burned with a part of the resulting heat used in the reforming step. In one process the light fractionate is desulfurized before entering the reforming step. In another process the heavy fractionate is directed into a holding vessel for subsequent use as a fuel which is suitable for burning to produce heat or other energy.
US08287823B2	Slide cartridge and reagent test slides for use with a chemical analyzer, and chemical analyzer for same A slide cartridge for use with a chemical analyzer includes an upper ring and a lower ring secured together but rotatable with respect to each other. The upper and lower rings define a plurality of reaction chambers between them, which receive dry analyte test slides. A gear track formed in the underside of the lower ring engages a pinion gear attached to a stepping motor of the chemical analyzer in order to rotate the slide cartridge. The slide cartridge is rotated under a sample fluid metering device, which deposits a sample fluid on the test slides through a plurality of spotter ports formed in the upper ring, and above a reflectometer, which performs a colorimetric measurement on the spotted test slides through viewing windows formed in the lower ring of the slide cartridge. A chemical analyzer with which the slide cartridge may be used includes a reflectometer, a sample fluid metering device and a stepping motor for rotating the slide cartridge.
US08287817B2	Rapid diagnostic device, assay and multifunctional buffer A rapid diagnostic device, assay and multifunctional buffer reagent are provided for the detection of a target analyte in a fluid test sample. The 2-step assay utilizes a dual component flow-through device comprising a test unit and a dried indicator reagent delivery unit for receiving the fluid sample and multifunctional buffer, respectively. The test unit comprises a reaction zone containing immobilized capture reagent that can bind to the target analyte, an absorbent zone supporting the reaction zone, and optionally, a blood separation zone in lateral fluid communication with the reaction zone. The delivery unit comprises a label zone permeated with a dried indicator reagent which can be placed in transient fluid communication with the reaction zone of the test unit during the assay procedure. The rapid diagnostic assay system reduces the number of assay reagents, method steps and time required for performance compared to other conventional assays.
US08287813B2	Process to produce fine ceramic powder through a chemical reactor with powder collection device The present invention is related to producing fine nano or submicron-scale precision ceramic powder by applying an innovative chemical reactor with powder collection to the glycine-nitrate combustion process (GNC-P). The unique feature lies in the utilization of a simple-operating process to massively produce nano or submicron-scale ceramic oxide powder with multiple metal components. The present invention not only provides very high powder collection efficiency and production yield as well as safety but also satisfies requirements of industrial safety and environmental safety, and lowers production cost.
US08287811B1	Discreet passive explosive detection through 2-sided wave guided fluorescence The current invention provides a passive sampling device suitable for collecting and detecting the presence of target analytes. In particular, the passive sampling device is suitable for detecting nitro-aromatic compounds. The current invention further provides a passive sampling device reader suitable for determining the collection of target analytes. Additionally, the current invention provides methods for detecting target analytes using the passive sampling device and the passive sampling device reader.
US08287809B2	Method for stimulating saliva production during oral sample collection procedure A method and device are provided for stimulating and increasing the production of saliva during immunoassay tests for drugs or other analytes wherein a scent or odor capable of stimulating saliva production is incorporated into a device for obtaining an oral sample from a test subject. The scent or odor may be impregnated into the oral sample collection device or may be part of an attachment to such a device, and the scent or odor is disposed in such a manner so as to maximize the exposure of the scent to the test subject and thus stimulate the production of saliva. The method and device of the invention are advantageous because the increased production of saliva will facilitate the testing of an oral sample for drugs or other analytes and will increase the likelihood of obtaining a complete and accurate result.
US08287804B2	Method for recovering metal from target and method for manufacturing target In the method for recovering a metal from a target that contains a metal and a metal oxide, the target contains a sintered body of the metal oxide after being heated under a condition of melting the metal without melting or decomposing the metal oxide. The target is heated in an upper crucible of a two-level crucible that includes the upper crucible with a through hole-formed in a bottom surface thereof, and a lower crucible disposed below the through hole, the size of the through hole being set such that it does not allow the sintered body of the metal oxide contained in the target to pass therethrough, and the melted metal is caused to flow into the lower crucible, so that the metal is separated from the metal oxide.
US08287797B2	Electrically driven blow molding machine An device for molding plastic preforms into plastic containers comprises at least one blow mold and a plurality of closure members interacting with one another in order to transfer the blow mold between an open state and a closed state. The blow mold forms a cavity, within which the plastic preforms may be expanded into the plastic containers. The closure members comprise at least one first mold part and one second mold part, which are moveable with respect to one another. The closure members further comprise a blow nozzle unit which is moveable with respect to the mold parts, and which closes the blow mold in the closed state in one direction. At least one first drive unit moves the mold parts with respect to one another. A second drive unit moves the blow nozzle unit with respect to the mold parts. At least one drive unit moving at least one of the closure members for transferring the blow mold between the closed state and the open state includes an electric drive unit.
US08287789B2	Process for the production of a molded article A process for the production of a molded article is disclosed. The process comprise a) placing a plastic film abutting the inside wall of a first half of a mold, said mold including a first and second halves, b) combining said second half with said first half in a manner creating a mold cavity, c) injecting resin into said cavity to produce an article to which surface adherently bonded is said plastic film, d) separating one of the halves from the other half, said article remaining with said other half, e) combining a supplemental half with said other half in a manner forming a gap between the inner wall of said supplemental half and the surface of said molded article, f) injecting lacquer into said gap, g) curing the lacquer to produce a lacquered molded article, and h) cooling and removing the lacquered molded article from the mold. The inventive process is particularly suitable for making vehicular mirrors.
US08287785B2	Process for the manufacture of solid regenerated viscose fibers The present invention concerns a process for the manufacture of solid regenerated viscose fibers, comprising the steps of: —spinning a viscose spinning dope through a spinneret comprising spinning holes into a regenerating bath thereby forming filaments, —said viscose spinning dope having an alkali ratio immediately before spinning of from 0.7 to 1.0, preferably from 0.8 to 0.9, —at least part of said spinning holes having a circular orifice, —said regenerating bath containing—from 70 to 120 g/l, preferably 90 to 110 g/l sulfuric acid, —from 240 to 380 g/l, preferably 330 to 370 g/l sodium sulphate, —from 20 to 50 g/l, preferably 25 to 35 g/l zinc sulphate and said regenerating bath having a temperature of from 45 to 55° C., preferably 48 to 50° C., —stretching said filaments after leaving said regenerating bath in a secondary bath and/or in air at a stretching ratio of from 70% to 90%, preferably 80% to 90% of the maximum stretching ratio as hereinbefore defined and —treating said filaments with a fatty acid ester.
US08287782B2	Interference fitting polar resin ophthalmic lens molding devices and related methods Ophthalmic lens molds include first and second mold members sized and adapted to be assembled, for example interference fitted, together to define a lens-shaped cavity therebetween. At least one of the mold members includes a polar polymeric material and has a flexural modulus less than 3800 MPa.
US08287781B2	Imprinting method for making optical components An imprinting method for making optical components includes: providing an imprinting mold, the imprinting mold comprising a molding surface and a molding portion formed on the molding surface; providing a substrate comprising a first surface, the first surface comprising a plurality of supporting areas arranged in an array, each of the supporting areas configured for supporting a mass of molding material; applying a mass of molding material on each of the supporting areas; pressing the imprinting mold on each mass of the molding material; and solidifying the imprinted molding material to form the optical components.
US08287780B2	Method for manufacturing fresnel lens A method for manufacturing a Fresnel lens includes the flowing steps: a. providing a mixture for forming the Fresnel lens; b. providing a lower mold on which the mixture is disposed; c. vacuumizing the mixture on the lower mold; d. providing an upper mold to exert a pressure on a top surface of the mixture; e. vacuumizing the mixture on the lower mold again; and f. heating the mixture on the lower mold to harden the mixture whereby the Fresnel lens can be obtained.
US08287778B2	Ultraviolet absorber composition with improved heat resistance and synthetic resin composition containing the same A synthetic resin composition containing, 100 parts by mass of a synthetic resin, 0.001-10 parts by mass of a triazine compound represented by (1) below, and 0.001-10 parts by mass of a diarylpentaerythritol diphosphite compound represented by general formula (2) shown below and/or 0.001-10 parts by mass of an organic cyclic phosphite compound represented by formula (3) below and/or 0.001-10 parts by mass of a hindered phenol compound represented by formula (4) below. In formula (1), R1 is C1-C12 alkyl group, etc.; R2 is C1-C8 alkyl group, etc.; R3 is hydroxyl group, etc.; and R4 is —O—R1, etc. In formula (2), R5 is C1-C4 alkyl group, etc. In formula (3), R6 and R8 is each C1-C4 alkyl group, etc, and R7 is C1-C18 alkyl group. In formula (4), R9 is a residue remaining after removing n hydroxyl groups from a mono- to tetravalent alcohol, and n is an integer 1-4.
US08287777B2	Method of protecting organic material from light The present invention relates to a method of protecting organic material, especially from the pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs sectors, against light, wherein at least one pigment of formula (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) and (8) as defined in claim 1 and optionally a UV absorber as well as optionally further pigments and/or colorants is applied to or incorporated in a carrier material and the carrier material so treated is positioned between the light source and the organic material to be protected.
US08287774B2	Electrochromic pani films and process thereof A method of manufacturing an electrochromic polyaniline thin film changeable in color in dependency upon the supply of electricity is provided. The method comprises the steps of polymerizing aniline monomer into polyaniline polymer, separating the polyaniline polymer, liquefying the separated polyaniline polymer into a dispersing solution using a mixed surfactant, and dissolving an UV curing adhesive in the dispersing solution, whereby the polyaniline thin film has the ductility and improved adhesion force for an electric substrate, so that it is applicable to development of a flexible display and as a next generation hi-tech material.
US08287773B2	Method for producing active material and electrode, active material, and electrode The method for producing an active material according to the invention comprises a step of contacting an aqueous solution containing a zirconium fluoro-complex and a silicon fluoro-complex with a first metal oxide particle to form a second metal oxide particle group containing a zirconium oxide particle and a silicon oxide particle on the surface of the first metal oxide particle. The active material comprises a first metal oxide particle and a second metal oxide particle group formed on the surface of the first metal oxide particle, and the second metal oxide particle group contains a zirconium oxide particle and a silicon oxide particle.
US08287771B2	Method for producing silver particle powder Provided is a method for producing a silver particle powder excellent in the dispersibility in a liquid organic medium having a low polarity, which comprises reducing a silver compound in an alcohol having a boiling point of from 80° C. to 200° C. or in a polyol having a boiling point of from 150 to 300° C., at a temperature of from 80° C. to 200° C. under reflux while maintaining the stream having a Reynolds number of not more than 3.70×104. The stream having a Reynolds number of not more than 3.70×104 can be maintained by stirring with a stirring power of not more than 5.68×108 W. According to the method, a silver particle powder having good low-temperature sinterability and good dispersibility and suitable for use for microwiring formation can be obtained at a high yield.
US08287770B2	Semiconducting composition An improved conductor shielding composition for power cables is disclosed. The composition includes a base polymer, conductive carbon black, polyethylene glycol and a waxy additive. Cable shields prepared from the composition exhibit improved aging performance in accelerated cable life tests (ACLT).
US08287762B2	Operation of staged membrane oxidation reactor systems A method of operating a multi-stage ion transport membrane oxidation system. The method comprises providing a multi-stage ion transport membrane oxidation system with at least a first membrane oxidation stage and a second membrane oxidation stage, operating the ion transport membrane oxidation system at operating conditions including a characteristic temperature of the first membrane oxidation stage and a characteristic temperature of the second membrane oxidation stage; and controlling the production capacity and/or the product quality by changing the characteristic temperature of the first membrane oxidation stage and/or changing the characteristic temperature of the second membrane oxidation stage.
US08287758B2	Semiconductor ultrafine particles, fluorescent material, and light-emitting device The present invention provides a novel fluorescent material which has a luminance higher than that of the conventional rare earth ion-dispersed fluorescent materials and is excellent in light resistance and long-term stability, and also an optical device, such as a high-luminance display panel or lighting equipment, which uses such a fluorescent material. Semiconductor ultrafine particles are characterized by maintaining 50% or more fluorescence quantum yield of photoluminescence when they are kept dispersed in water at 10° C. to 20° C. in air for 5 days. The fluorescent material is obtained by dispersing such semiconductor ultrafine particles in a glass matrix using a sol-gel process.
US08287756B2	Biaxial film II The invention relates to an optically biaxial film comprising an anisotropic material with uniform helically twisted structure and a reflection wavelength below 400 nm, to methods and materials for its preparation, to its use as retardation or compensation film in optical devices like liquid crystal displays, and to compensators and liquid crystal displays comprising such a biaxial film.
US08287754B1	Lubricant compositions comprising estolide base oils Provided herein are compostions comprising at least one estolide compound of formula: in which n is an integer equal to or greater than 0; m is an integer equal to or greater than 1; R1, independently for each occurrence, is selected from optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched; R2 is selected from hydrogen and optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched; and R3 and R4, independently for each occurrence, are selected from optionally substituted alkyl that is saturated or unsaturated, and branched or unbranched. Also provided are uses of the compositions described herein.
US08287751B1	System and method for providing a continuous bath wetdeck process A system and method is described for providing a continuous bath wetdeck process for use in the manufacture of semiconductor wafers. The invention provides a method for extending an effective working life of a chemical bath of the type that comprises a chemical bath liquid within a chemical bath container. An amount of fresh chemical is continuously added to the chemical bath liquid and an amount of chemical bath liquid is simultaneously purged from the chemical bath container. A balance is maintained between the amount of fresh chemical that is added to the chemical bath liquid and the amount of chemical bath liquid that is purged in order to maintain the effectiveness of the chemical bath liquid to clean semiconductor wafers within the chemical bath.
US08287750B2	Plasma processing method and plasma processing apparatus A plasma processing method for performing a plasma process on a substrate to be processed by making a plasma act thereon includes the following sequential steps of making a plasma weaker than one used in the plasma process act on the substrate, applying a DC voltage to an electrostatic chuck for attracting and holding the substrate while the weak plasma acts on the substrate, extinguishing the weak plasma, and performing the plasma process. Further, a plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma processing mechanism for performing a plasma process on a substrate to be processed, and a controller for controlling the plasma processing mechanism to thereby perform the plasma processing method.
US08287748B2	Method of manufacturing magnetic head for perpendicular magnetic recording A magnetic head includes: a pole layer including a track width defining portion and a wide portion; and an accommodation layer disposed on a bottom forming layer and having a groove that accommodates the pole layer. The groove includes a first portion for accommodating at least part of the track width defining portion, and a second portion for accommodating at least part of the wide portion. A manufacturing method for the magnetic head includes the steps of: forming a groove defining layer on a nonmagnetic layer that is intended to later become the accommodation layer; forming a mask that covers an area of the nonmagnetic layer where to form the first portion of the groove; etching the nonmagnetic layer so that the second portion of the groove is formed in the nonmagnetic layer; removing the mask; and taper-etching the nonmagnetic layer so that the first portion of the groove is formed in the nonmagnetic layer and the groove is thereby completed.
US08287747B2	Method of processing silicon substrate and method of manufacturing substrate for liquid discharge head A method of processing a substrate includes the steps of providing a silicon substrate that has an etching mask layer with an opening portion at a first surface thereof and has plane orientation of {100} with the surface of the silicon being exposed from the opening portion; preparing a recessed portion that faces from the first surface to a second surface, opposite to the first surface, in the opening portion of the silicon substrate; and forming a penetration port that passes through the first surface and the second surface of the silicon substrate by executing crystalline anisotropic etching in the silicon substrate using an etching liquid in which an etching rate for etching a (100) surface of silicon is higher than an etching rate for etching a (110) surface of silicon, from the recessed portion of the silicon substrate toward the second surface.
US08287742B2	Method for separating a composite liquid into at least two components Method for separating a volume of whole blood into at least a plasma component and a red blood cell component comprising centrifuging a separation bag containing a volume of whole blood so as to separate therein at least a first component comprising plasma and a second component comprising red blood cells; transferring the first component into a plasma component bag during centrifugation of the separation bag; transferring into the separation bag a volume of wash solution from a wash solution bag during centrifugation of the separation bag; mixing the volume of wash solution with the second component; centrifuging the separation bag so as to separate therein a washed red blood cell component and a supernatant component; and transferring the supernatant component into a waste bag during centrifugation of the separation bag.
US08287739B2	Measuring hematocrit and estimating hemoglobin values with a non-invasive, optical blood monitoring system An optical blood monitoring system with a ratiometric model determines hematocrit values for a hemodialysis patient, from which hemoglobin values for the patient are estimated. The ratiometric model is calibrated, normally against a cell counter, using blood from a blood bank. The blood from a blood bank is preserved in a long term preservative which is typically different than that found in clinical settings. The hematocrit value determined by the ratiometric model is scaled by scaling factor so that the estimated hemoglobin level output from the monitor consistently matches that measured in a clinical setting. The hematocrit scaling factor is substantially about 1.033 when the patient's blood sample is stored in a short term preservative ethylene diamine tetra acetic, and is substantially about 1.06 when the hematocrit is measured in the blood sample without preservative being added to the blood sample. The hemoglobin value can also be adjusted for altitude.
US08287738B2	Process for removing impurities from iron chloride solutions The disclosure provides a process for removing dissolved niobium, titanium, and zirconium impurities from an iron chloride solution having an iron concentration of about 50 to about 250 grams/liter comprising: (a) heating the iron chloride solution comprising a compound selected from the group consisting of a niobium compound, titanium compound, zirconium compound, and mixtures thereof, in a vessel, at a temperature of about 120° C. to about 300° C., and at least autogenous pressure, to precipitate the compound as a solid; and (b) separating the solid from the iron chloride solution. The separation of the solid is accomplished by filtration, settling, or centrifugation. In one embodiment, the iron chloride solution is a byproduct of the chlorination process for making titanium dioxide.
US08287724B2	Dialysis fluid measurement systems using conductive contacts A dialysis system instrument includes a dialysis instrument, a disposable pumping and valving cassette apparatus operable with pumping and valving actuators of the dialysis instrument, the disposable cassette including an electronic cell and electronics associated with the electronic cell, the electronics configured to determine an electrical property of a solution flowing through the electronic cell of the disposable apparatus.
US08287723B2	Biomass pyrolysis in refinery feedstock This invention relates to biomass pyrolysis through the use of a hot liquid refinery feedstock as a heat transfer medium, preferably a vacuum gas oil feedstock.
US08287720B2	Multistage resid hydrocracking Processes for upgrading resid hydrocarbon feeds are disclosed. The upgrading processes may include: hydrocracking a resid in a first reaction stage to form a first stage effluent; hydrocracking a deasphalted oil fraction in a second reaction stage to form a second stage effluent; fractionating the first stage effluent and the second stage effluent to recover at least one distillate hydrocarbon fraction and a resid hydrocarbon fraction; feeding the resid hydrocarbon fraction to a solvent deasphalting unit to provide an asphaltene fraction and the deasphalted oil fraction.
US08287719B2	Methods for the detection and diagnosis of malaria using an electrochemical sensor Disclosed are apparatuses for detecting hemoglobin in patient samples. The apparatuses include a primary electrode and a reference electrode. The apparatus is configured to measure current or voltage generated between the primary electrode and the reference electrode in response a redox reaction catalyzed by hemoglobin. The apparatuses can detect a variety of hemoglobins, including dimeric hemoglobin associated with malaria. Also disclosed are biosensor systems including the apparatuses and methods of using the biosensor systems.
US08287715B2	Synthesis of boron using molten salt electrolysis The invention relates generally to elemental boron, particularly to elemental boron having a high purity level and to a method of recovering elemental boron by the electrolysis of a molten boron-containing electrolyte.
US08287711B2	Apparatus for manipulating droplets An apparatus for manipulating droplets is provided. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a substrate having a set of electrical leads for connecting electrodes to a controller, a first set of electrodes, each connected to a separate one of the electrical leads, and a second set of electrodes, all connected to a single one of the electrical leads. In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a substrate having a set of X electrodes, and a set of Y electrical leads, each connected to one or more electrodes, wherein X is greater than Y.
US08287706B2	Laminated gas sensor element, gas sensor equipped with laminated gas sensor element, and method for manufacturing laminated gas sensor element A laminated gas sensor element including a detection element including a solid electrolyte body having a pair of electrodes formed thereon laminated together with a heater element. A porous protection layer is formed on at least a distal end portion of the laminated gas sensor element which is to be exposed to a gas to be measured. The surface of the porous protection layer has 10 or more small pores each having a diameter of 1 μm to 5 μm inclusive and an aspect ratio of 0.5 to 2.0 inclusive within an area measuring 50 μm×50 μm, and one to less than 20 large pores each having a diameter of 8 μm to 20 μm inclusive and an aspect ratio of 0.5 to 2.0 inclusive within an area measuring 100 μm×100 μm. Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing the laminated gas sensor.
US08287705B2	Temperature compensation for ion-selective electrodes Temperature compensation for ion-selective electrodes is obtained by positioning a temperature-measuring element in a chamber of limited thermal mass which is in thermal contact with the measuring electrode filling solution but is thermally isolated from other filling solutions in the electrode. In a preferred embodiment, the temperature-measuring element comprises a thermistor enclosed within thin flexible tubing; the electrical leads of the thermistor are forced against a segment of the inner wall of the tubing by an elongated strand of material abutting the thermistor to enhance heat transfer with the thermistor.
US08287699B2	Production of chemically functionalized nano graphene materials Provided in this invention is a process for producing chemically functionalized nano graphene materials, known as nano graphene platelets (NGPs), graphene nano sheets, or graphene nano ribbons. Subsequently, a polymer can be grafted to a functional group of the resulting functionalized NGPs. In one preferred embodiment, the process comprises (A) dispersing a pristine graphite material and an azide or bi-radical compound in a liquid medium comprising to form a suspension; and (B) subjecting the suspension to direct ultrasonication with to ultrasonic waves of a desired intensity or power level for a length of time sufficient to produce nano graphene platelets and to enable a chemical reaction to occur between the nano graphene platelets and the azide or bi-radical compound to produce the functionalized nano graphene material. Concurrent production and functionalization of NGPs directly from pristine graphitic materials can be achieved in one step and in the same reactor.
US08287694B2	Apparatus and method for degrading a web in the machine direction while preserving cross-machine direction strength An embossing system for embossing at least a portion of a web is provided comprising a first embossing roll having male embossing elements, a second embossing roll having male embossing elements, wherein the first and second embossing rolls define a first nip for receiving the web, and a third embossing roll having male embossing elements, wherein the second and third embossing rolls define a second nip for receiving the web, and wherein at least a substantial portion of the embossing elements of at least one of the first, second, and third embossing rolls are substantially oriented in the cross-machine direction.
US08287691B2	Enhanced fiber additive; and use The disclosure provides a process of modifying a seed based fiber (SBF) to form an enhanced fiber additive (EFA). The process includes an acid treatment step and optionally at least one fiber modification step. Preferred EFA products and uses are described.
US08287688B2	Substrate support for high throughput chemical treatment system A high throughput chemical treatment system for processing a plurality of substrates is described. The chemical treatment system is configured to chemically treat a plurality of substrates in a dry, non-plasma environment. A substrate support in the chemical treatment system is configured to support a plurality of substrates.
US08287681B2	Method for making composite articles with artificial defects The present invention concerns a composite article comprising a plurality of layers, wherein at least one of the layers is a defective polymeric layer. The defective polymeric layer has at least one artificial defect, in the form of a volume of air confined by walls made of said defective polymeric layer, and by layers adjacent thereto. The invention further provides the use of a composite article for calibrating equipment and a method for making such a composite article.
US08287676B2	Method of and apparatus for manufacturing liquid crystal display device A seal agent D and liquid crystal C are clamped to a lower substrate 6, a pair of the lower substrate 7 and an upper substrate 7 are laminated with the seal agent D and the liquid crystal C interposed therebetween, and at least one of the pair of substrates is a roll-shaped long flexible resin film. When the substrates are laminated, the lower substrate 6 on one hand is aligned to the upper substrate 7 on the other hand in every arbitrary length. With this arrangement, productivity can be improved as well as a positional dislocation due to accumulation of positioning errors can be prevented.
US08287671B2	Vandalism-resistant insulating panels for building exteriors and building having vandalism-resistant thermally insulative walls A fire retardant thermally insulative, vandalism and damage resistant panel for the building exteriors includes a relatively low density foam layer having relatively high thermal resistivity, a relatively high density foam layer having relatively high impact strength and resistance to bending facingly contacting the low density foam layer, a porous fabric contacting the high density foam layer at a surface thereof facing oppositely from the low density foam, and a weather resistant, water impermeable exterior layer contacting the fabric at a surface facing in a direction opposite from where the high density foam contacts the fabric, where the high density foam substantially occupies at least parts of some of the pores of the fabric and the exterior layer material substantially occupies at least parts of at least some of the pores of the fabric such that sufficient pores of the fabric are filled with the high density foam, the exterior surface material and chemical reaction products thereof to create a bond between the exterior surface material and the high density foam.
US08287668B2	Aluminum-copper alloys containing vanadium New 2xxx aluminum alloys containing vanadium are disclosed. In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy includes 3.3-4.1 wt. % Cu, 0.7-1.3 wt. % Mg, 0.01-0.16 wt. % V, 0.05-0.6 wt. % Mn, 0.01 to 0.4 wt. % of at least one grain structure control element, the balance being aluminum, incidental elements and impurities. The new alloys may realize an improved combination of properties, such as in the T39 or T89 tempers.
US08287667B2	Salt bath ferritic nitrocarburizing of brake rotors Ferritic nitrocarburized surface treatment of cast iron brake rotors providing oxidation resistance, good braking performance and absence of distortion. Machined brake rotors are pre-heated, then immersed into a high temperature molten nitrocarburizing salt bath for a first predetermined dwell time. After removing the brake rotors from the nitrocarburizing salt bath, the brake rotors are directly immersed into an oxidizing salt bath at a lower temperature than the nitrocarburizing salt bath so that the brake rotors are thermally quenched. After a predetermined second dwell time in the oxidizing salt bath, the brake rotors are removed therefrom and further cooled to room temperature, either by water application thermal quenching or slow cooling in air. A fixture provides stable holding the brake rotors with a minimum of contact during placement in the salt baths.
US08287666B2	Nano-crystalline, magnetic alloy, its production method, alloy ribbon and magnetic part A magnetic alloy having a composition represented by the general formula of Fe100-x-yCuxBy (atomic %), wherein x and y are numbers meeting the conditions of 0.1≦x≦3, and 10≦y≦20, or the general formula of Fe100-x-y-zCuxByXz (atomic %), wherein X is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, S, C, P, Al, Ge, Ga and Be, and x, y and z are numbers meeting the conditions of 0.1≦x≦3, 10≦y≦20, 0
US08287664B2	Method for the production of magnet cores, magnet core and inductive component with a magnet core A magnet core is required to be particularly dense, made of alloys produced in a rapid solidification process and have a minimal coercitive field strength. To achieve these aims, a coarse-grain powder fraction is first produced from an amorphous strip of a soft magnetic alloy. In addition, at least one fine-grain powder fraction is produced from a nanocrystalline strip of a soft magnetic alloy. The particle fractions are then mixed to produce a multi-modal powder, wherein the particles of the coarse-grain particle fraction have an amorphous structure and the particles of the fine-grain powder fraction have a nanocrystalline structure. The multi-modal powder is then pressed to produce a magnet core.
US08287656B2	Methods for correlating gap value to meniscus stability in processing of a wafer surface by a recipe-controlled meniscus Methods for monitoring meniscus processing of a wafer surface to stabilize a meniscus are provided. In one example, the processing is in response to a current recipe that defines a desired gap between the wafer surface and a proximity head. The method includes the operations of monitoring current meniscus processing to determine that a current gap is other than the desired gap, and identifying a calibration recipe that specifies the current gap. The method then continues the meniscus processing of the wafer surface using process parameters specified by the identified calibration recipe.
US08287654B2	Apparatus for clearing tubing and related method An apparatus for clearing tubing includes a grip assembly connected to the pair of rollers. The grip assembly is operable to move the rollers to engage the tubing therebetween. The movement of the grip assembly is limited such that a minimum tubing gap between the rollers is equal to approximately twice a wall thickness of the tubing. The rollers are moved along the tubing to clear obstructions. The apparatus can also include a clamp assembly having one or more plates that limits movement of the grip assembly to bring the rollers no closer than the minimum tubing gap. Alternately, the grip assembly can include first and second shell halves movable between open and closed positions with a channel defined therebetween, and the rollers are mounted in the grip assembly.
US08287651B2	Cellulose pretreatment process A process for the production of ethanol from biomass is disclosed. The process relates to the pretreatment of corncob biomass and includes the steps of exposing corncob to steam in a reaction vessel at an elevated temperature and reaction pressure for a preselected exposure time. Volatile compounds are continuously vented during pretreatment. The reaction pressure is released for explosive decomposition of the corncob biomass into fibrous solids and condensate. The exposure is preferably carried out at a temperature of 190-210° C. and a pressure of 190 psig to 275 psig and an exposure time of 3 to 10 minutes.
US08287648B2	Method and apparatus for minimizing contamination in semiconductor processing chamber A semiconductor processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber, a loading chamber, a movable support, a drive mechanism, and a control system. The reaction chamber includes a baseplate. The baseplate includes an opening. The movable support is configured to hold a workpiece. The drive mechanism is configured to move a workpiece held on the support towards the opening of the baseplate into a processing position. The control system is configured to create a positive pressure gradient between the reaction chamber and the loading chamber while the workpiece support is in motion. Purge gases flow from the reaction chamber into the loading chamber while the workpiece support is in motion. The control system is configured to create a negative pressure gradient between the reaction chamber and the loading chamber while the workpiece is being processed. Purge gases can flow from the loading chamber into the reaction chamber while the workpiece support is in the processing position, unless the reaction chamber is sealed from the loading chamber in the processing position.
US08287644B2	Method for growing silicon carbide single crystal In a method for growing a silicon carbide single crystal on a silicon carbide single crystal substrate by contacting the substrate with a solution containing C by dissolving C into the melt that contains Si, Cr and X, which consists of at least one element of Sn, In and Ga, such that the proportion of Cr in the whole composition of the melt is in a range of 30 to 70 at. %, and the proportion of X is in a range of 1 to 25 at. %, and the silicon carbide crystal is grown from the solution.
US08287642B2	Devices and methods for providing stimulated raman lasing Devices and methods for providing stimulated Raman lasing are provided. In some embodiments, devices include a photonic crystal that includes a layer of silicon having a lattice of holes and a linear defect that forms a waveguide configured to receive pump light and output Stokes light through Raman scattering, wherein the thickness of the layer of silicon, the spacing of the lattice of holes, and the size of the holes are dimensioned to provide Raman lasing. In some embodiments, methods include forming a layer of silicon, and etching the layer of silicon to form a lattice of holes with a linear defect that forms a waveguide configured to receive pump light and output Stokes light through Raman scattering, wherein the thickness of the layer of silicon, the spacing of the lattice of holes, and the size of the holes are dimensioned to provide Raman lasing.
US08287641B2	Calcium phosphate particles and hydraulic cements based thereon Calcium phosphate particles having A) a specific surface area (SSA) larger than 0.1 m2/g; B) a mean diameter smaller than 5 mm; C) a Ca/P molar ratio superior to 0.95; and wherein D) said particles have been subjected as a last processing step to a heat treatment at a temperature superior to 400° C. for a period of time such that the specific surface area (SSA) of said particles after the heat treatment is not decreased by more than 10% compared to the SSA before said heat treatment.
US08287636B2	Pearlescent pigments with large aspect ratio and a method of their preparation The present invention relates to a pearlescent pigment with large aspect ratio and a method of their preparation, and particularly to pearlescent pigments prepared by coating a metal or metal precursor on the flaky alpha-alumina crystals obtained by using an aluminum precursor aqueous solution and a zinc precursor aqueous solution as main ingredients. The crystals herein has an average particle thickness of 0.5 μm or less, an average particle diameter of 15 μm or higher and a large aspect ratio of 50 or higher, thereby being superior in gloss. The crystals show metal colors and interference colors of silver, gold, red, purple, blue and green.
US08287633B2	Restoration of black to color bleed performance of amphoteric pigment dispersion based inks of low pigment loads In one aspect of the present system and method, a pigment-based ink includes an acidic pigment-based ink formulation, and a pigment load less than 5 weight percent, where an amphoteric dispersant maintains the pigment distributed in the acidic pigment-based ink formulation, wherein the amphoteric dispersant has an isoelectric point, and wherein the amphoteric dispersant has a higher isoelectric point than the pH of the acidic pigment-based ink formulation.
US08287626B2	Method for purifying a gas mixture containing acid gases A method for treating a gas mixture containing acid gases, including: contacting the gas mixture with an absorbing solution, to obtain a de-acidified gas mixture and an absorbing solution with acid gases. To regenerate the absorbing solution with acid gases, the absorbing solution is passed into a first regenerator at a first pressure, then the solution is passed into a second regenerator at a second pressure, and finally to a third regenerator at a third pressure, the third pressure being less than the second pressure which is less than the first pressure. The gases from the second and third regenerator are compressed and recycled to the first and second regenerator, respectively. Gases from the second and/or the third regenerator are drawn off to provide a gas mixture rich in hydrogen sulfide. Gases from the first regenerator are drawn off to provide a gas mixture rich in carbon dioxide.
US08287624B2	Air elutriation device and method for detecting a filter element in an air elutriation device An air elutriation device for an air conveying household appliance includes a housing with an air elutriation zone delimited by a filter element, a detection element in a storage space for the filter element, and a cover sheet on the filter element. The detection element can be actuated via the filter element by the cover sheet.
US08287619B2	Process and equipment for the production of direct reduced iron and/or pig iron from iron ores having a high-phosphorus content A process and apparatus for refining iron from high-phosphorus content iron ores. The process involves mixing a high-phosphorus iron oxide ore and an alkaline solution of pH between about 12.5 and 13.5, screening the mixture by gravity to separate an alkaline-high-phosphorus solution from a low-phosphorus iron ore; and treating the low-phosphorus iron ore with lime and a natural gas.
US08287618B2	Method or process for recovering Mo, V, Ni, Co and Al from spent catalysts using ultrasonic assisted leaching with EDTA A process for the selective recovery of Mo, V, Ni, Co and Al from spent hydroprocessing catalysts includes the steps of treating the spent catalysts to recovery metals, support as well as chemicals. The process steps include deoiling, decoking, washing, dissolving, complexing agent treatment, acid treatment and solvent extraction. This process uses limited steps than conventional processes by the use of ultrasonic agitation for metal extraction and the presence of a chelating agent particularly Ethylene Diamine Tetra-Acetic Acid (EDTA). The process also discloses the compete recovery of the extracting agent EDTA with high purity for reuse.
US08287614B2	Supplemental filter media support insert for an air cleaner A supplemental filter media support insert is provided for use with a filter element to reinforce the filter media against filter media deformation resulting from fluid flow induced forces. The support insert is configured for installation into an air cleaner near the filter outlet face and includes support ribs which may be generally aligned to overlay reinforcement bands provided on filter media.
US08287610B2	Rapid solar-thermal conversion of biomass to syngas Methods for carrying out high temperature reactions such as biomass pyrolysis or gasification using solar energy. The biomass particles are rapidly heated in a solar thermal entrainment reactor. The residence time of the particles in the reactor can be 5 seconds or less. The biomass particles may be directly or indirectly heated depending on the reactor design. Metal oxide particles can be fed into the reactor concurrently with the biomass particles, allowing carbothermic reduction of the metal oxide particles by biomass pyrolysis products. The reduced metal oxide particles can be reacted with steam to produce hydrogen in a subsequent process step.
US08287609B2	Hydrogen forming apparatus, fuel cell system and method of controlling hydrogen forming apparatus A hydrogen generating apparatus including a reformer which performs a reforming reaction using a material and steam to generate hydrogen-containing gas; a water evaporator which generates the steam supplied to the reformer; a first water pathway through which reforming water to be supplied to the water evaporator flows; a pump which supplies the reforming water to the water evaporator 1a; a second water pathway 7 branching from the first water pathway on the downstream side of the pump; a first water tank to which the water flowing through the second water pathway flows; a first flow rate controller provided on the second water pathway; and a controller which operates the pump and controls the first flow rate controller so that water flows through the second water pathway, thereby stably generating hydrogen and preventing degradation of the reformer thereof is realized.
US08287608B2	Lubricity additive for fuels The present teachings are directed toward a lubricity additive for fuel compositions that is a mixture of an amine having at least one alicyclic group and a monocarboxylic acid having up to 22 carbon atoms.
US08287605B2	Method of making cathode A method of making a cathode for a lithium primary battery includes lithiated manganese dioxide and a carbon fluoride. The cathode can provide high capacity and voltage with low gassing.
US08287604B2	High energy density storage material device using nanochannel structure A capacitor includes a plurality of nanochannels formed in a dielectric material. A conductive film is formed over interior surfaces of the nanochannels, and a charge barrier is formed over the conductive film. An electrolytic solution is disposed in the nanochannels. An electrode is coupled to the electrolytic solution in the nanochannels to form the capacitor.
US08287602B2	Urinary stent A urinary stent includes an elongate member that defines a lumen extending therethrough and that is configured to be disposed at least partially within a prostatic portion of a urethra of a patient. The elongate member includes a collapsible portion disposed at a proximal end portion of the elongate member. The collapsible portion has a first configuration in which an outer perimeter at a proximal end of the collapsible portion is substantially equal to an outer perimeter of a remaining portion of the elongate member and a second configuration in which the outer perimeter at the proximal end of the collapsible portion is smaller than the outer perimeter of the remaining portion of the elongate member.
US08287598B1	True spinal motion preserving, shock absorbing, intervertebral spinal disc prosthesis A modular spinal disc prosthesis, with up to three independent rotational and up to three independent translational degrees-of-freedom. The prosthesis can maintain non-separable, and non-restrictive, mechanical linkage by establishing a linked series of kinematic pairs between components. Embodiments can include a superior plate, fixedly attached to a superior vertebra in an FSU that links to a planar pair, which links to an orthogonal prismatic pair, which links to a spherical pair, which links to an inferior plate that is fixedly attached to an inferior vertebra of an FSU, completing the jointed kinematic chain. The subject invention can enforce the kinematic constraints to realize the kinematic pairs and can also limit the range of operation of the degrees of freedom for each pair. A surrounding, protective boot can be used to isolate the elements of the invention.
US08287594B2	Knee joint prosthesis and hyaluronate compositions for treatment of osteoarthritis A medical device and methods to relieve joint pain and adapted for knee joint repair, replacement and augmentation. The invention discloses joint lubricant, particularly hyaluronate compositions and methods for treatment of osteoarthritis.
US08287593B2	Adjustable multifocal intraocular lens system An adjustable multifocal intraocular lens system for an individual's eye, includes a base multifocal intraocular lens having an optic with an optical axis, a peripheral edge, a multifocal optical power anterior surface and a posterior surface along with an attachment for maintaining the base multifocal lens in the individual's eye with the optical axis centered along an eye optical axis. An enhanced multifocal intraocular lens is provided with an optic with a peripheral edge, an anterior surface and a reverse multifocal optical power posterior surface, and a coupling enables assembly of the base lens and enhance lens with the enhance lens posterior surface overlaying the base lens anterior surface in order that the enhance intraocular lens reverse multifocal surface adjust multifocal powers of the base IOL by substantially masking near power of the base multifocal intraocular lens.
US08287592B2	Ophthalmic devices having a degradation resistant polymer Disclosed are ophthalmic devices configured to be implanted in an eye of a patient. In one embodiment, the ophthalmic device includes a mask configured to increase the depth of focus of the patient and comprising a highly fluorinated polymeric material in which the number of carbon-fluorine bonds equals or exceeds the number of carbon-hydrogen bonds in the highly fluorinated polymeric material. The highly fluorinated polymeric material can be resistant to degradation upon exposure to ultraviolet light. The mask further includes an aperture configured to transmit light and a portion configured to be substantially opaque to visible light and to surround at least a portion of the aperture.
US08287588B2	Expandable framework with overlapping connectors A stent may comprise a plurality of serpentine bands and connectors. A first connector may overlap a second connector when the stent is unexpanded. The first connector may also overlap the second connector in an unexpanded state when the stent is subject to compressive forces in the local area of the connectors, such as when the connectors are located on the inside of a curve. The second connector may be shaped according to a rotation of the first connector about the centroid of the cell between the first connector and the second connector.
US08287587B2	Self-expandable stent A self-expandable stent includes axially arranged wavy-line annular bodies having a first shared linear portion and a second shared linear portion on one end side, a third shared linear portion and a fourth shared linear portion on the other end side, a first bent linear portion coupled with the first and third shared linear portions, a second bent linear portion coupled with the third and second shared linear portions, a third bent linear portion coupled with the second and fourth shared linear portions, and a fourth bent linear portion coupled with the fourth and first shared linear portions. Two of the four bent linear portions have a first equal number of bends and a common form at inversion, and the other two of the four bent linear portions have an equal number of bends different from the first equal number of bends and a common form at inversion.
US08287586B2	Flareable branch vessel prosthesis and method A branch vessel prosthesis for use with an aorta stent graft defining a lumen and having a fenestration aligned with a branch vessel, includes an expandable stent that has a tubular portion, a flareable portion, and at least one bending portion located between the tubular and the flareable portions. Upon deployment of the branch vessel prosthesis, the flareable portion is flared by bending of the bending portion.
US08287585B2	Ostial stenting system A method and apparatus provide techniques for stenting ostial legions and other restenosis in vessels through a stenting apparatus that includes both a guidewire and a separate marker wire. In some examples, the marker wire is threaded through a tubular body of the stenting apparatus and in other examples, the marker wire may be threaded externally through the tubular body. In both such examples, the marker wire may be aligned with a radiopaque marker of the apparatus to guide marker wire positioning.
US08287581B2	Methods and devices for prevention of hypothermia in a mammal during prolonged exposure to extreme cold Methods and devices for preventing a change in the core body temperature of a mammal under cold conditions are provided. In the subject methods, a requirement for thermal energy input in said mammal is first detected. In response to the detection of this requirement for thermal energy input, a surface of a portion of the mammal is contacted with a warm temperature medium under negative pressure conditions for a period of time sufficient to introduce thermal energy into the core body of the mammal. The subject devices include at least a means for detecting a requirement for thermal energy input and a means for contacting a surface of the mammal with a warm temperature medium under negative pressure conditions. The subject methods and devices find use in a variety of applications, and are particularly suited for use in maintaining the core body temperature of a mammal substantially constant under cold conditions for an extended period of time.
US08287577B2	Pin for fixing an implant subjected to tensile load A pin for fixing an implant subjected to tensile load, in particular a tendon implant, having a rod-shaped body is provided. A force exerted by the implant is input onto the cross section of the body, on one side, and is output on the opposite side to an anchoring site. The cross section of the body has, on the force output side, at least two contact sites via which the input force can be output in a distributed manner. This configuration allows the pin to withstand high tensile loads without fracturing.
US08287576B2	Mono-axial, taper lock bone screw Provided is a novel mono-axial taper lock screw for connecting a connecting rod to bone. The screw is capable of being secured to the underlying bone while the screw head adapted to securely hold a connecting rod is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the screw to facilitate a stable connection to the connecting rod. The screw head can be partially locked to hold the device in place while permitting manipulation of the spine. The screw head can then be fully locked securing the connecting rod into a selected position. The screw is configured for easy insertion and connection as well as easy removal and disconnection from the connecting rod. Also provided is a bone fragments. A method of fixing bones or bone fragments is also provided.
US08287575B2	Polyaxial locking mechanism An improved polyaxial mechanism is disclosed. The mechanism preferably works in conjunction with a bone plate and fixation mechanism, such as a screw, rod, or the like. The improved polyaxial mechanism increases the strength of the locking among the locking mechanism, fixation mechanism, and bone plate. In addition, the improved polyaxial mechanism allows for easy locking among the elements, as well as more difficulty in unlocking the elements. A method for utilizing the improved polyaxial mechanism is also disclosed.
US08287574B2	Cervical plate assembly A cervical plate assembly facilitates the fusion of cervical vertebrae by quickly and easily causing the vertebrae to exert a preloading force against a bone graft interposed therebetween. A cervical plate assembly also facilitates the installation of the cervical plate assembly in an orthopedic surgical procedure by providing both a locking mechanism that positively retains one or more fasteners thereto and a viewing window that results in an unobstructed view of the vertebrae and the bone graft.
US08287572B2	Intervertebral implant with integrated fixation A system for spinal surgery includes a prosthesis comprising a plurality of bone anchors which engage an intervertebral construct for fusion or motion preservation. The fusion construct comprises a spacer optionally encircled by a jacket. The motion preservation construct may comprise an articulating disc assembly or an elastomeric disc assembly. Any of the constructs may occupy the intervertebral disc space between adjacent vertebrae after removal of an intervertebral disc. The anchors slidingly engage the construct to securely fix the prosthesis to the vertebrae. The anchors and jacket of the fusion construct provide a continuous load path across opposite sides of the prosthesis so as to resist antagonistic motions of the spine.
US08287566B2	Spray devices and methods Some embodiments of a spray device can be configured to maintain a viscous fluid in isolation from a propellant fluid until after the viscous fluid exits from a nozzle of the spray device. For example, the viscous fluid may include an adhesive such as surgical adhesive. When the spray device is actuated, the surgical adhesive can exit the nozzle so that the propellant fluid acts upon the surgical adhesive to break it into droplets for application on a targeted site.
US08287563B2	Implant retrieval system Disclosed is an adjustable occlusion device for use in a body lumen such as the left atrial appendage. The occlusion device is removably carried by a deployment catheter. The device may be enlarged or reduced to facilitate optimal placement or removal. Methods are also disclosed.
US08287561B2	Balloon-type actuator for surgical applications An actuator for surgical applications includes an inflation fluid conduit extending from a proximal end which, when the actuator is in an operative configuration, remains outside a patient's body, to a distal end and an inflatable member coupled to the distal end of the inflation fluid conduit so that, when inflation fluid is supplied to the inflatable member via the inflation fluid conduit, the inflatable member is expanded from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration, wherein, when in the collapsed configuration, the inflatable member includes a fold extending substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis thereof so that, when inflation fluid is supplied thereto, the inflatable member expands substantially along the longitudinal axis.
US08287560B2	Sharp trochar for insertion of a cannula in vitrectomy surgery A system of instruments is provided for vitrectomy surgery, comprising a sharp trochar, a cannula and a cannula valve cap. The sharp trochar provided also has applicability to other fields of surgery. The sharp trochar has a hollow-ground blade that reduces the force necessary for insertion and upon removal leaves a wound with improved healing characteristics. The trochar is selectably insertable in a cannula, and in a preferred embodiment the cannula and the trochar are adapted with mutually tapered exterior surfaces to as to define a smooth transition in diameter to further facilitate insertion. A sealing valve cap is also provided for the cannula, designed to provide sealing while reducing the force required in for inserting instruments into the cannula. A method for angled insertion of this assembly is also disclosed.
US08287559B2	Surgical clips without protrusions A surgical clip (5) is provided for clipping a tubular structure (9) in vivo to ligate the tubular structure. The clip comprises first and second clip portions (6, 7). A hinge portion (8) is provided connecting the clip portions together and to enable the clip portions to be hinged together from an open clip condition to a closed clip condition thereby to ligate a tubular structure placed between the clip portions. A lock is provided for locking the clip portions together in the closed clip condition. In the closed clip condition the clip has a substantially smooth external profile, for example including blunt ends (21), so as to reduce the possibility of the clip (in use) eroding surrounding tissue structures.
US08287556B2	Endoscopic suturing system An endoscopic suturing system and method are disclosed as are devices for use with the system and method such as a suture dispenser, a cinch device, and a tissue grasper. In one embodiment the suturing system includes a cap assembly arranged at the distal end portion of an endoscope or guide member, with the cap assembly including a rotatable needle holder. The needle holder is actuated through a transmission element extending outside the endoscope or guide member. A needle capture device may be inserted through a channel of the endoscope or guide member in order to capture a needle held in the needle holder when the needle holder is rotated so that the needle punctures tissue.
US08287555B2	Devices and methods for heart valve repair Devices and methods provide enhanced treatment of a cardiac valve annulus. Methods generally involve contacting an anchor delivery device with the valve annulus and releasing a plurality of coupled anchors from the anchor delivery device to secure the anchors to the annulus. Anchors, which in some embodiments are super-elastic or shape memory self-securing anchors, are then drawn together to tighten the annulus. Devices generally include an elongate catheter having a housing at or near the distal end for releasably housing a plurality of coupled anchors. The housing may be flexible, may conform to a valve annulus, and in some embodiments may be coupled with an expandable member to enhance contact of the housing with annular tissue. In one embodiment, self-securing anchors lie approximately flat within the delivery device housing, allowing anchors with relatively large deployed shapes to be housed in and deployed from a relatively narrow delivery device.
US08287552B2	Vacuum device for sealing an anatomical opening A device for accessing a hollow organ comprises an elongated body sized for insertion into an entrance passage to the hollow organ, the elongated body including an outer sealing surface engaging an inner surface of the entrance passage and a working channel extending therethrough from a proximal port which, when the elongated body is in the operative position is proximal to a proximal opening of the entrance passage, to a distal port which, when the elongated body is in the operative position, extends distally past a distal opening of the entrance passage into the hollow organ and a plurality of suction holes formed through an outer wall of the elongated body, disposed around a circumference of a portion of the elongated body which, when the elongated body is in the operative position, is located within the entrance passage in combination with a vacuum channel formed in the elongated body for transferring a negative pressure to the suction holes to increase a sealing force applied by tissue of the entrance passage to the outer surface of the elongated body.
US08287541B2	Fracture fixation device, tools and methods A bone fixation device is provided with an elongate body having a longitudinal axis and having a first state in which at least a portion of the body is flexible and a second state in which the body is generally rigid, an actuatable gripper disposed at a distal location on the elongated body, a hub located on a proximal end of the elongated body, and an actuator operably connected to the gripper to deploy the gripper from a retracted configuration to an expanded configuration. Methods of repairing a fracture of a bone are also disclosed. One such method comprises inserting a bone fixation device into an intramedullary space of the bone to place at least a portion of an elongate body of the fixation device in a flexible state on one side of the fracture and at least a portion of a hub on another side of the fracture, and operating an actuator to deploy at least one gripper of the fixation device to engage an inner surface of the intramedullary space to anchor the fixation device to the bone. Various configurations are disclosed for allowing a device body to change shape as it moves from a flexible state to a rigid state.
US08287540B2	Easily implantable and stable nail-fastener for skeletal fixation and method An intramedullary nail (20) for insertion into the medullary canal (26) in a bone (24) surrounded by the cortex (28) and defines a bore (34) extending transverse to the intramedullary nail (20). A threaded fastener (22) extends along a fastener axis (A) and has a compression portion (48) having a compression portion diameter (DCP), and a threaded portion (50) having a threaded portion diameter (DTP) extending through a near cortex hole (40) and a far cortex hole (42), both holes (40, 42) radially overlapping the bore (34) and the threaded portion diameter (DTP) threadedly engaging the bore (34). A compression transmission device (54) has an exterior (56) and an interior (58) and defines an interior space for transmitting the compressional load of the threaded fastener (22) to the intramedullary nail (20). The threaded fastener (22) extends through the compression transmission device (54) and the intramedullary nail (20) and the far cortex hole (42) for threadedly engaging the bore (34) and fixating the intramedullary nail (20) within the medullary canal (26). The interior space of the compression transmission device (54) is greater than the compression portion diameter (DCP) of the fastener (22) for providing space at least partially about the threaded fastener (22) for allowing the fastener axis (A) to be variously disposed relative to the interior space.
US08287538B2	Apparatus and methods for fracture repair Apparatus and methods for bone fracture repair. The apparatus may include a structural support for positioning a first bone segment relative to a second bone segment. The apparatus may include an anchoring substrate. The anchoring substrate may be configured to compress the first bone segment to the second bone segment. The anchoring substrate may transmit tension from a distal bone segment anchor in the first bone segment to a proximal bone segment anchor in the second bone segment. The apparatus may be configured to be deployed percutaneously in an inner cavity of a bone. The apparatus may be installed in an open fracture. The apparatus may be expanded, self-expanding or configured for mechanically actuation. Some embodiments of the apparatus may include a central axis member that may be used in conjunction with expansion of one or both of the structural support and the anchoring substrate to configure the apparatus.
US08287537B2	Head fixation device Head fixation devices and methods of fixating heads of patients for surgical procedures. The head fixation devices generally respectively comprise a skull clamp, a skull clamp arc assembly movable relative to the skull clamp, and a plurality of skull pins operable to engage and fixate heads of patients during neurosurgical and cervical spine procedures. The skull clamp can comprise a single skull pin on each end of the clamp. The two skull pins apply substantially equal compressive forces to the head of a patient. The skull clamp arc assembly, and an arc skull pin thereof, is pivotable to engage and disengage the patient's head for additional fixation support of the head.
US08287535B2	Apparatus and methods for internal surgical procedures Apparatus and methods for internal surgical procedures are disclosed. The apparatus and methods may involve supporting internal body locations, creating submucosal separations (blebs), and/or for resecting mucosal tissue separated from underlying tissue by a bleb.
US08287534B2	Light emitting electrosurgical scalpel An improved electrosurgical scalpel, with light emission, for generating electrical signals intended for applications to the body of a patient via an electrosurgical electrode is provided. An electrosurgical scalpel includes a handle with a receptacle portion of a conductive member for mounting and retaining an electrode blade, a light source with a power source encapsulated within the handle and a means to direct the light emitted outwardly towards the electrode tip. Operation of a switch on the handle to an on position serves to complete a circuit, activating the light source and, thereby directing light through an opening or upper portion and out from the first end of the handle towards the distal end of the electrode blade.
US08287526B2	Method of simultaneously freezing and heating tissue for ablation A catheter includes a cryoablation tip with an electrically-driven ablation assembly for heating tissue. The cryoablation tip may be implemented with a cooling chamber through which a controllably injected coolant circulates to lower the tip temperature, and having an RF electrode at its distal end. The RF electrode may be operated to warm cryogenically-cooled tissue, or the coolant may be controlled to conductively cool the tissue in coordination with an RF treatment regimen.
US08287525B2	Illumination device and method of use for ophthalmic surgery An illumination device for use in an ophthalmic surgical apparatus, the illumination device including a fiber optic having a proximal end and a connector coupled to the fiber optic. The connector includes one or more of (1) a datum surface disposed a predetermined distance from the proximal end to position the proximal end at a predetermined location within the surgical apparatus, (2) a shutter actuation surface configured and arranged to open a shutter in the surgical apparatus when the connector is being connected to the surgical apparatus, and (3) a visual indicator position to provides a visual indication that the connector is fully inserted into the surgical apparatus. The illumination device may be in a combination with an ophthalmic surgical apparatus.
US08287521B2	Special purpose fluid dispenser with pre-filled reservoir A compact, nonelectric fluid dispenser for use in controllably dispensing beneficial agents such as propofol and dexmedetomidine hydrochloride to patients. The dispenser includes a fluid flow control assembly that precisely controls the flow of the medicament solution to the patient and embodies a collapsible, pre-filled drug container that contains the beneficial agents to be delivered to the patient. The unit-dose fluid dispenser of the invention is presented in a sterile and aseptic manner, where the drug has been pre-filled in the system, so that the practitioner cannot mistakenly give the wrong drug to the patient. The dispenser uniquely provides a more efficient medicament delivery system for procedure rooms, such as the endoscopy center, so that a greater number of patients can be treated per day at a higher standard of care with increased profits for the healthcare provider.
US08287519B2	Self-cleansing bladder drainage catheter An indwelling endourethral drainage catheter includes a tubular distal portion and a spiral proximal portion. A central lumen extends along substantially the entire length of the catheter. The spiral proximal portion defines an outer spiral channel in fluid communication with the central lumen. The distal end of the catheter is anchored externally so that the catheter is held against advancement into or out of the urethra. In certain methods, the diameter of the spiral proximal portion may be changed to address obstructions within the urethra or facilitate navigation of the catheter along the urethra.
US08287518B2	Connecting structure for a connector A connecting structure for a connector in which a male-side connector and a merging pipe are connected by screwing together a female screw having protrusions formed on the inner peripheral surface of a lock ring and a male screw comprising protrusions formed on the outer peripheral surface of the merging pipe is provided with engaging recess parts on the female screw and engaging projections on the outer peripheral surface of the merging pipe which are able to engage with the engaging recess parts whereby when the male screw and the female screw are screwed together to reach an appropriate screwed state, the engaging protrusions engage with the engaging recess parts.
US08287517B2	Safety connector assembly A connector assembly includes first and second mating connectors that can be joined to make a fluid connection. The connectors are constructed to discriminate improper connectors so that no fluid tight connection can be formed with improper connectors. The connector assembly can be used with a system for compression therapy to prevent deep vein thrombosis.
US08287516B2	Infusion set The invention relates to an infusion set for an intermittent or continuous administration of a therapeutical substance, such as insulin. The infusion set comprises an infusion part (OB) for insertion into a patient and a connector (OA) for connecting the infusion part with a medical device through a tube (7), the connector being axially displaceable relative to the infusion part. The infusion part comprises an adhesive support (1), a base part (2) with a first set of guiding means (13) and at least two retention devices (4) for locking the connector to the infusion part, a cannula extending from said base part and being in fluid communication with a cavity which is optionally covered with a membrane, the cavity is further adapted to receive a second cannula extending from the connector, which second cannula is in fluid communication with the tube.
US08287513B2	Piercing member protection device A female piercing member protection device for connection with a male connection part, and a method for connecting the device to a male connection part. The device includes an outer casing and a connection member at least partly enclosed in the outer casing. The outer casing is moveable between first and second positions. In the first position, the connection member is substantially locked from movement along the longitudinal axis A, and in the second position the connection member is able to move along the longitudinal axis A. The device also has an activated position and an inactivated position. When the outer casing is in the second position, a deformable locking device is prevented from deformation by the outer casing to prevent disengagement of the male connection part. A secure piercing member protection device significantly minimizes the risk for a user to be exposed to contaminants and the piercing member itself.
US08287510B2	Patterned application of activated carbon ink An odor control substrate that is applied with an activated carbon ink is provided. The activated carbon ink is applied in a pattern that covers from about 25% to about 95% of the surface area of the substrate. Although not covering the entire surface, the present inventors have discovered that the activated carbon ink is still capable of providing good odor reduction qualities to the substrate. To further enhance the aesthetic appeal of the odor control substrate to a consumer, one or more colored inks may also be applied the substrate in a pattern that may or may not overlap with the activated carbon ink pattern. The colored ink(s) may contrast well with the activated carbon ink to provide an overall design that is more aesthetically than otherwise would be provided by a uniform coating of activated carbon ink.
US08287507B2	Reduced pressure indicator for a reduced pressure source A reduced pressure apparatus includes a first casing portion and a second casing portion slidably coupled to the first casing portion such that the first casing portion is compressible into a plurality of positions relative to the second casing portion. The plurality of positions includes a fully compressed position and a fully uncompressed position. An indicator is disposed on at least one of the first casing portion and the second casing portion, the indicator being exposed when the first casing portion is in the fully uncompressed position.
US08287503B2	Balloon trocar A balloon trocar includes a cannula assembly including a cannula and an outer sleeve fitting over the cannula. The distal end of the outer sleeve is proximal to the distal end of the cannula. A balloon is coupled to a distal portion of the sleeve and a distal portion of the cannula. The outer surface of the cannula includes a plurality of longitudinal channels for transmitting gas or fluid to the balloon. A bolster having a gel pad at its distal portion is slidably mounted to the cannula assembly and may be locked in a desired position. In use, the trocar is inserted into an incision through a body wall and into a body cavity. The balloon is inflated and the cannula assembly pulled proximally against the incision while the bolster is slid distally to the body wall and locked in place to seal the incision with the compressed balloon.
US08287501B2	Pen needle assembly A pen needle assembly is provided herein having a hub with a distal end and a proximal end; a needle fixed to the hub and having a distal end, for insertion into a patient, and a proximal end; an inner shield disposed proximally of the hub; a spring disposed between the inner shield and the hub and configured to bias the hub distally; an outer shield with a distal end, a proximal end, and a tubular body at least partially encircling a portion of the needle with at least portions located radially outward further from the needle than the inner shield such that the outer shield at least partially encases the hub, the needle, the inner shield, and the spring; and a releasable retaining assembly configured to releasably retain the hub in a first locked state against the biasing of the spring. The distal end of the needle is covered by the outer shield with the hub being in the first locked state. Upon release of the releasable retaining assembly, the hub moves under force of the spring to an unlocked second state. In the unlocked second state, the distal end of the needle extends distally from the distal end of the outer shield. Advantageously, with the arrangement of the subject invention, an injection may be conducted properly by a person apprehensive of seeing a needle during a medical injection and may also help the person insert the needle at a proper angle.
US08287495B2	Infusion pump system with disposable cartridge having pressure venting and pressure feedback Embodiments are directed to portable infusion devices, systems, and methods of using the same for dispensing materials. In some cases, the devices, systems and methods may be used for infusing a material such as medicament, e.g., insulin, into a body in need thereof.
US08287491B2	Single-use auto-disable syringe A single-use auto-disable syringe device of reduced size utilizes a locking element to prevent re-use of the syringe by locking the plunger rod with respect to the barrel upon completion of an injection stroke. The plunger rod includes a plurality of teeth comprising distally facing shoulders provided on a majority of the length of an elongate portion of the plunger rod and a breakable section configured to break upon the application of excessive axial or torsional force. The breakable section is preferably provided at a distal end of the plunger rod so that a proximal end of the locking element engages the syringe barrel and plunger rod at a position more proximal than the breakable section. In this way, the locking element resists some of the force that would otherwise be applied to the breakable section if the plunger rod were twisted. The plunger rod also includes an intermediate tooth provided on a distal-most tooth to prevent the user from repeatedly drawing in doses too small to activate the safety mechanism.
US08287490B2	Disposable injector provided with high injector safety The invention relates to a needle-less, disposable injector comprising a housing (10), which has at least one compression bar, a cylinder-piston unit (100), a plunger-actuating ram (60), a trigger unit (80) and a spring energy reservoir (50), wherein the trigger unit locks the pre-tensioned spring energy reservoir by means of the compression bar. During triggering, the compression bar slides along at least one trigger element (82) of the trigger unit and, after triggering the trigger unit, the spring energy reservoir displaces the compression bar by means of the plunger-actuating ram and actuates the cylinder-piston unit. When loaded by the pre-tensioned spring energy reservoir, the pairing formed by the mutually facing inner wall of the trigger element and the contact surface of the compression bar has at least in areas a higher sliding friction coefficient than the pairing formed by the mutually facing collar surface of the plunger-actuating ram and the support surface of the compression bar. The present invention provides a disposable injector where the required minimum contact-pressure force is ensured during use thereof.
US08287485B2	Treatment system for surgery and control method of treatment system for surgery A treatment system for surgery includes: a handpiece driving apparatus for supplying electric energy to a handpiece, the handpiece including a treatment portion insertable into a body cavity; a perfusion apparatus for perfusing liquid in the body cavity, the perfusion apparatus being capable of adjusting pressure in the body cavity; and a control circuit for controlling the pressure in the body cavity to a different level in conjunction with an output state of the handpiece driving apparatus and changing a flow rate of the perfusion liquid.
US08287483B2	Method and apparatus for enhancement of transdermal transport According to the present invention, a method for enhancing transdermal transport is disclosed. The method includes the steps of increasing a permeability of an area of a membrane with a permeabilizing device. The membrane may be, inter alia, biologic skin or synthetic skin. The permeabilizing device may be an ultrasound-producing device. A substance is transported into and through the area of the membrane. The substance may be a drug, a vaccine, or a component of interstitial fluid.
US08287482B2	Intraocular implants and methods and kits therefor Devices, methods and kits are described for reducing intraocular pressure. The devices include a support that is implantable within Schlemm's canal and maintains the patency of the canal without substantially interfering with transmural fluid flow across the canal. The devices utilize the natural drainage process of the eye and can be implanted with minimal trauma to the eye. Kits include a support and an introducer for implanting the support within Schlemm's canal. Methods include implanting a support within Schlemm's canal, wherein the support is capable of maintaining the patency of the canal without substantial interference with transmural fluid flow across the canal.
US08287478B2	Shoulder stabilizing orthotic A multi-layered orthosis designed to stabilize the human shoulder joint. A base harness includes a shoulder enclosure, an anterior panel, and a posterior panel. An adjustable break separates free ends of the anterior and posterior panels which are distal to the shoulder enclosure. The base harness is applied to a patient by slipping the shoulder enclosure around the affected shoulder. Anterior and posterior straps are passed over the deltoid region of the affected shoulder and secured to the base harness. An additional large strap is placed over the anterior and posterior straps.
US08287475B2	Apparatus and method for applying an electrostatic field to a wound or scar to promote healing thereof Apparatus in the form of a bandage for generating an electrostatic field which when placed in proximity to a wound or scar induces polarization therein to facilitate the healing process. Methods of treating wounds and scars particularly in humans utilizing the bandage is also disclosed.
US08287470B2	Swallowing test apparatus Disclosed is a swallowing test apparatus including a laryngeal part displacement detection apparatus for detecting a distance of two positions located laterally at a laryngeal part of a subject, a swallowing sound detection apparatus for detecting a swallowing sound of the patient during swallowing, a display, a processing apparatus for displaying a waveform representing the distance of the two positions at the laryngeal part generated based on a signal obtained from the laryngeal part displacement detection apparatus, and a waveform representing the swallowing sound generated based on a signal obtained from the swallowing sound detection apparatus on the display.
US08287469B2	Articulating surgical device and method of use Various embodiments of an elongate surgical device configured to travel along a tortuous body lumen to a surgical site are provided herein. In one embodiment, the device can include a tensioning element extending through a channel formed along a length of the device and the tensioning element can translate an articulation force to the working end of the device. During such articulation of the device, a portion of the channel can be configured to allow the tensioning element to exit the channel and move away from a longitudinal axis of the device thereby optimizing a mechanical advantage relative to the distal end of the device and thus maximizing the force capable of being delivered thereto. Additionally, various embodiments of a method for articulating a working end of an elongate surgical device are provided herein.
US08287468B2	Blood component measurement device and tip for blood measurement A blood component measurement device has a puncturing unit provided inside a housing and having a puncture needle; a button unit for advancing and retreating the puncture needle; a contact mechanism coming into contact with the skin of a person to be measured; and a holder for displaceably holding the puncturing unit. The blood component measurement device also has an introduction section at the substantially center of a contact member. After the skin is punctured by the puncture needle provided at the substantially center of the mechanism, the introduction section introduces blood to testing paper when the contact member of the contact mechanism is displaced in a sliding manner along a guide member.
US08287467B2	Puncturing system The invention relates to a puncturing system for generating a puncture wound for obtaining a sample of a body fluid, comprising a press-on part to be pressed onto a body part in which a puncture wound is to be generated, a triggering means, by the actuation of which a user can trigger a puncturing motion of a puncturing element after the press-on part is pressed on, and a testing facility for determining at least one test parameter on which a sample-obtaining probability depends. A securing facility is also provided that, in a locked state, locks the triggering means such that no puncturing motion can be triggered, and, in a triggering state, releases the triggering means such that a puncturing motion can be triggered by actuation thereof, whereby the securing facility is transitioned from the locked state to the triggering state by the testing facility when the test parameter determined by the testing facility meets defined minimum requirements. A signaling facility is also provided for signaling a transition of the securing facility to the triggering state and/or for signaling that the securing facility is in the triggering state. The invention also relates to a method for preparing a puncturing system for generating a puncture wound.
US08287466B2	Biopsy device with variable side aperture A biopsy device and method are provided for obtaining a tissue sample, such as a breast tissue biopsy sample. The biopsy device may include an outer cannula having a distal piercing tip, a cutter lumen, a side tissue port communicating with the cutter lumen, and at least one fluid passageway disposed distally of the side tissue port. The inner cutter may be advanced in the cutter lumen past the side tissue port to sever a tissue sample. After the tissue sample is severed, and before the inner cutter is retracted proximally of the side tissue port, the cutter may be used to alternately cover and uncover the fluid passageway disposed distally of the side tissue.
US08287464B2	Metal needle usable in echo imaging A metal needle is obtained by being dipped in a liquid selected from the group consisting of a strong acid solution of a metal, acetic acid, and butyl acetate, and then dried. Preferably, the strong acid solution of a metal to be used in the dipping treatment may be a nitric acid solution of a metal selected from the group consisting of a transition element, a lanthanoid, and an actinoid, for example, a nitric acid solution of a metal selected from the group consisting of palladium, gadolinium, germanium, beryllium, strontium, scandium, and samarium. The metal needle is a metal needle for insertion into the body that can be reliably imaged even when a general-purpose ultrasound imaging system is used, and thus is useful in confirming insertion of the needle into a blood vessel and arrival of the needle at an organ, and confirming the position of the needle when it is broken.
US08287455B2	Synchronized power supply for medical imaging An ultrasonic image scanning system for scanning an organic object by projecting ultrasound signals with a transmit carrier frequency. The ultrasonic image scanning system includes a switching mode power supply operated with a programmable clock in synchronization with the transmit carrier frequency. The switching mode power supply further provided with circuits for generating a low voltage and a high voltage. The ultrasonic image scanning system further includes transducers for projecting ultrasound signals wherein the transducers are connected to and electrically excited by the high voltage generated by the switching mode power supply. The switching mode power supply further includes a DC-to-DC switcher having an external clock input for clock synchronization. The programmable clock further provided for receiving a user command to operate with the switching mode power supply in synchronization with the transmit carrier frequency
US08287451B2	Flexible biomonitor with EMI shielding and module expansion A flexible biomonitor comprises: a flexible substrate having a circuit apparatus, a hybrid sensor, a plurality of IC devices, a central processing module, a RF transmitter circuit, an antenna, and a power supply. Thereupon the flexible biomonitor can be plastered on the skin where the human body needs to be monitored to achieve the purposes of reducing occupied area, providing comfortable wear and achieve compactness, module expansion and EMI shielding. Besides, it is capable of remote real-time monitoring this signal to achieve the purpose of home care.
US08287450B1	Laryngoscope with easy switch-and-select 2-blades combination The present invention relates to a laryngoscope having two selectable blades, straight and curved, foldable to the side grooves of a handle piece, so that doctors/nurses can react to the need to handle tracheal intubation for different patients, resulting in better airway management tasks. A battery compartment is made inside the body of the handle, providing a battery power source for optional LED lighting, or other type of lighting.
US08287447B2	Outer tube for natural orifice surgery An outer tube for natural orifice surgery. The outer tube can have interchangeable inserts to establish a desired size and number of lumens. A distal tapered soft plastic plug may be provided to cover the distal end of the tube. Different segments of the tube may have different stiffness characteristics.
US08287444B2	Mechanical impotence treatment apparatus A male sexual impotence treatment apparatus comprises an adjustable non-inflatable restriction device (434) implanted in a male impotent patient. The restriction device directly engages a portion of the normal penile tissue of the patient, such as both of the corpora cavernosa as a single unit or one or more of the exit veins from the penis, to affect the blood flow leaving the penis. An adjustment device (436) mechanically adjusts the restriction device to temporarily restrict the blood flow leaving the penis when the patient wishes to achieve erection.
US08287443B2	Thermotherapy device To stabilize the air flow forming an air curtain, a thermotherapy device (1) is provided with air outlet ducts (3) extending at the edge of the reclining surface (2) and with two opposite limiting walls (6, 6′). Each of the two opposite limiting walls (6, 6′) is arranged corresponding to the duct width for outflowing air. At least one limiting wall (6, 6′) of at least one air outlet duct (3) is provided with a cylinder (5, 5′) extending in the direction of flow of the air outlet duct (3) and in parallel to the reclining surface (2) at the discharge-side end, wherein the cylinder (5, 5′) has a diameter corresponding to 0.005 to 0.2 times the duct width of the air outlet duct (3). According to a variant, at least one limiting wall (6, 6′) of at least one air outlet duct (3) is provided with at least one inner wall (81, 82, 83, 84) forming a nozzle at the discharge-side end. The distance between the limiting wall (6, 6′) and the inner wall (81, 82, 83, 84) forming a nozzle with the limiting wall (6, 6′) is 0.01 to 0.5 times the duct width of the air outlet duct (3).
US08287440B2	Apparatus for erecting ribbed cardboard for protecting packed products The apparatus for erecting ribbed cardboard for protecting packed products comprises a collecting device provided with gripping means which are mobile between a gripping station of a single blank sheet of ribbed cardboard from a collecting store and a folding station of the sheet. A folding matrix is destined to receive a single sheet of ribbed cardboard supplied by the collecting device. The forming punch is destined to cooperate with the folding matrix in order to fold opposite lateral flaps of the sheet by contact with the folding means. The forming punch is destined to retain the sheet on completion of the folding stage. A transfer device hingedly bearing the forming punch and destined to move the forming punch between the folding station and a release station of the sheet, which sheet is retained in a folded configuration by the forming punch and a packing line of the products.
US08287439B2	Self-operating back stretching device A manually operated back stretching device may relieve compressive forces of the lower lumbar vertebrae and may safely stretch lower back muscles. The device may include a platform to support a user's lower legs. As the user moves a portion of the device with their arms towards their legs, the forward edge of the platform may rise up and tilt away from the user's torso, causing the user's hips to lift off the floor and stretching the user's back at the same time. As the user moves their arms back over their head, the user's back and legs may relax while the arms are pulled above the user's head. The result may be a back-and-forth dynamic rotational arching motion to repetitively raise the completely relaxed hips and tilt them forward to decompress the spine using appropriate longitudinal and torsion forces at the most pain causing compression points of the lower lumbar vertebrae. The device may safely stretch lower back muscles by incrementally stretching and releasing totally relaxed muscles a relative amount to squeeze out and remove toxic biochemicals from damaged muscle areas unreachable by direct massage.
US08287433B2	Work vehicle A work vehicle includes an engine, a travel mechanism, a clutch, an inching operation member, and a controller. The travel mechanism is configured to cause the vehicle to travel. The clutch is configured to selectively transmit drive force from the engine to the travel mechanism. The inching operation member is configured to be operated to create slippage in the clutch to reduce vehicle speed. The controller is configured to calculate load of the clutch during inching, and to reduce a rotational speed of the engine when the calculated load of the clutch during the inching exceeds a predetermined threshold.
US08287432B2	Clutch control system for transmission A clutch control system for a twin-clutch type automatic/manual transmission AMT includes a hydraulic pump for driving a first clutch and a second clutch and oil passages for transmitting oil pressures and an AMT control unit for controlling the supply of oil pressures into the oil passages. Upon detection of an engine starting operation, the AMT control unit performs an initial preparatory operation in which the oil pressures are supplied into the oil passages at different timings so as to fill up the oil passages with a working oil, thereby completing the preparations for driving of the clutches. When the oil pressure is supplied into the oil passage after a predetermined oil pressure is generated in the oil passage, the period of time taken for a first speed gear to become usable is shortened, whereby a swift vehicle starting after the starting of the engine can be achieved.
US08287431B2	Vehicular control apparatus and vehicular control method When shifting an automatic transmission into a higher gear, it is determined that an inertia phase has started when an input rotation speed of the automatic transmission has started to decrease. Here, if throttle opening amount reduction control is being performed to reduce the output torque of the engine when it is determined that the inertia phase has started, it is highly likely that that determination is erroneous because that control causes the input rotation speed of the automatic transmission (i.e., the engine speed) to decrease. When it is highly likely that the determination that the inertia phase has started is erroneous in this way, learning of a hydraulic pressure command value is prohibited. As a result, erroneous learning of the hydraulic pressure command value can be prevented.
US08287430B2	Method for operating a drive train A method for operating a drive train in a motor vehicle with a dual mass flywheel driven by an internal combustion engine via a crankshaft and at least a transmission input shaft of a transmission that can be coupled with an output part of the dual mass flywheel. Between the input part and output part a hysteresis-laden damping device is effective, which influences engine torque output from the internal combustion engine and load torque transmitted to at least a transmission input shaft through the hysteresis characteristic. To eliminate the disturbances caused by the dual mass flywheel a state model constantly determines rotation speeds of the input part and of the output part and depending on a differential angle determined from the rotation speeds and from the characteristic numbers of the damping device, a characteristic disturbance torque for influencing at least the load torque is determined in real time.
US08287427B2	Multi-mode hybrid transmission and shift control method for a multi-mode hybrid transmission A multi-mode, electrically variable, hybrid transmission and improved shift control methods for controlling the same are provided herein. The hybrid transmission configuration and shift control methodology presented herein allow for shifting between different EVT modes when the engine is off, while maintaining propulsion capability and minimum time delay for engine autostart. The shift control maneuver is able to maintain zero engine speed while producing continuous output torque throughout the shift by eliminating transition through a fixed gear mode or neutral state. Optional oncoming clutch pre-fill strategies and mid-point abort logic minimize the time to complete shift, and reduce the engine start delay if an intermittent autostart operation is initiated.
US08287425B2	Vehicular transmission A vehicular transmission includes a gear-change mechanism section that shifts power from a driving source and outputs the power to an output shaft; and a hydraulic system that supplies hydraulic pressure from an oil pump to the gear-change mechanism section via a check valve. The check valve includes a cylindrical valve case in which a passage is formed, a valve stored within the valve case so as to be freely movable in an axial direction of the valve case, a valve seat that is formed at one end portion of the passage in the valve case and that closes the passage when the valve sits thereon, a spring for urging the valve so as to sit on the valve seat, and a spring seat fixed on an axially opposite side of the valve seat in the valve case to support the spring.
US08287420B2	Multi-stage gearbox A transmission with forward and reverse gears comprising planetary gearsets, shafts and shift elements. The sun gear of gearset (P1) couples shaft (5) that is connectable, via brake (05), to housing (G). The carriers of gearsets (P1, P2) couple shaft (8) which is connectable, via clutch (18), to drive input shaft (1). Input shaft (1) is connectable, via clutches (16, 14), respectively to shafts (6, 4). Shaft (6) couples the ring gear of gearset (P3). Shaft (4) is connectable, via brake (04), to housing (G) and couples the sun gears of gearsets (P4, P3). The ring gears of gearsets (P1, P2) couple drive output shaft (2). The carrier of gearset (P3) couples shaft (7) which couples a component connecting the ring gear of gearset (P4) and the sun gear of gearset (P2). The carrier of gearset (P4) couples shaft (3) which is connectable, via brake (03), to housing (G).
US08287417B2	Differential device for vehicle A differential device for a vehicle includes a differential casing 15, pinion shafts 25, 27 connected to through-holes of the differential casing 15, pinion gears 3 supported by the pinion shafts 25, 27, a differential mechanism 9 having side gears 5, 7 meshing with the pinion gears 3, a limited-slip differential 11 for limiting a differential rotation of the differential mechanism 9 and an actuator 13 for controlling the limited-slip differential 11. A ring gear is fixed on a flange part 17 of the differential casing 15. The flange part 17 is positioned on one side of the differential casing 15 in an axial direction of the differential casing disproportionately. The actuator 13 is arranged so as to abut on the flange part 17. The differential casing 15 is divided into casing pieces by a parting part 19 on one side of the differential casing 15 in opposition to the flange part 17 in the axial direction. The casing pieces are connected with each other by connecting members 21.
US08287415B2	Transmission unit, particularly multi-range transmission The invention relates to a transmission unit (1), particularly multi-range transmission (2), comprising an input (E) and an output (A) and arranged between them a continuously variable transmission part (3) and a mechanical transmission part (4), comprising two three-shaft planetary gear sets (5, 6), each having a first (5.1, 6.1), second (5.2, 6.2) and third shaft (5.3, 6.3), wherein the first shafts of both planetary gear sets can be connected to the input and at least one second or third shaft of the respective planetary gear set can be non-rotatable connected to the output (A). The invention is characterized in that the planetary gear sets can be connected via two shiftable coupling units (K1, K2), which can be selectively and alternately actuated, to form a four-shaft planetary gear set and that the first coupling unit (K1) is arranged between the first shaft (6.1) of the second planetary gear set (6) and the input, and the second coupling unit (K2) is arranged between the output and a shaft of the first and second planetary gear set respectively, wherein the second shaft (6.2) of the second planetary gear set and the third shaft (5.3) of the first planetary gear set (5) are non-rotatably connected to each other.
US08287414B2	Transmission device having a variator A continuously variable transmission device comprising a variator and a secondary power splitting. For power splitting, a planetary gear set has a first shaft coupled to the transmission input, a second shaft of the gear set coupled a first shaft of the variator, and a third shaft of the gear set couples a second shaft of the variator. First and second shift elements are provided to switch between first and second gear ratio ranges. Via the variator, the gear ratio is continuously variable within the gear ratio range and the two gear ratio ranges overlap. To implement the first gear ratio range, the second shaft of the gear set is connected, via the first shift element, to the transmission output, and to implement the second gear ratio range, the third shaft of the planetary gear set is connected, via the second shift element, to the transmission output.
US08287411B2	Hybrid transmission with integrated torque machine A hybrid transmission device for a hybrid powertrain system having an integrated torque machine to transfer power among an input member, the torque machine and an output member in one of a plurality of fixed gear and continuously variable states is operative in a plurality of fixed gear states, a continuously variable state, and a torque machine state.
US08287408B2	Training basketball A training game ball is described having cues for visually indicating the rotational alignment of the ball when it is thrown. If the ball is improperly thrown so that the axis of rotation does not stay perpendicular to the direction of flight, then the rotational alignment cue line will appear to wobble as the ball travels. The ball also has a rotational speed cue formed from a plurality of spaced panels arranged parallel with the alignment cue. If the ball is thrown with a high rotational speed, the panels will appear to the player as a solid line. Still further, the ball also includes hand alignment cues for assisting a player in properly positioning his or her hands for throwing the ball. The hand alignment cues include finger positioning pads, which are positioned sufficiently close together about the circumference of the ball to allow even a small youth's hand to easily reach a finger positioning pad from any position of the ball. The hand alignment cues may also include a stabilizing hand positioning mark located over one or both opposite poles of the ball. Each of the cues may have a different appearance, so that they may be visually distinguished. The hand alignment cues may also have a different surface to provide a tactile indication of their location to a player.
US08287405B1	Batting machine The Batting Machine is a device used during baseball practice to help players develop a level and more powerful swing. It is composed of a batting post with an attached target pad which is attached to a base frame by a pivot rod and a pneumatic retracting mechanism. The frame works to keep balance and control of the moving parts. The batting post operates as you swing and hit the pad connected to it. Once the batting post is hit it will move back and downward between the frames legs where a rubber band strap restrains it from going any further. Then the pneumatic retracting mechanism connecting the frame and the batting post returns the batting post to the starting position where it is ready to be struck again.
US08287402B2	Golf club head having a composite crown A golf club head having a high COR (maximum coefficient of restitution of at least 0.80) is durable and has desirable acoustic qualities. The club head includes a body portion, a striking face and a crown forming a hollow cavity of at least 150 cc. The body portion defines front and upper openings, and it includes a sole and a side section. The striking plate encloses the front opening. While partially assembled, final weighting and/or other attachment of other members to the inner surface of the club head can be preformed, as desired. The crown is secured to the body portion, enclosing the upper opening. A surface veil may also be provided about a junction of the crown and body. The striking plate and/or the crown are adhesively attached.
US08287401B2	Putter head A putter head includes: a face; a first group of grooves which are mutually-parallel grooves; and a second group of grooves which differ in depth from the first group of grooves, wherein the face includes the first group of grooves and the second group of grooves.
US08287396B1	Golf swing training device A golf swing training device has a base with a top side and a bottom side, where at least one ground anchor extends from the base away from the bottom side to engage the ground. The base also has at least one substantially horizontal indicator rod on the top side thereof, where the rod has a proximal end fixed to the base and a distal end extending from the base, where the rod has transverse sides, where the rod is configured to vibrate in a generally horizontal plane. The golf swing training device additionally has at least one bumper on the base on either side of the substantially horizontal indicator rod, where the horizontal indicator rod is configured to vibrate or move between the bumpers in a transverse horizontal direction where range of horizontal direction is limited by the bumpers.
US08287388B2	Universal logic enclosure for electronic gaming device A universal logic enclosure (16) to be inserted as a retro-fit solution into the cabinet (12) of an electronic gaming device (10) for the purpose of securely housing software and firmware components. The logic enclosure (16) includes a box-like central support frame (18) having side walls (32, 43, 38) each formed with a window (42) having substantially identical dimensional attributes to receive interchangeable cover plates (44). A logic door (50) can be affixed so as to hinge from any one of the walls (32, 34, 38, 48) by way of an integral hinge feature (52) that interacts with flanges (54) extending inwardly from the walls. The logic door (50) includes a key operated closure mechanism (58).
US08287386B2	Electrical transmission among interconnected gaming systems Various card devices and methods involving card devices are described. Other embodiments are also described.
US08287381B2	Content dependency verification for a gaming machine A system, apparatus and method for dependency verification of content distributed to a gaming machine is described herein. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving, over a network and into a gaming machine, data that includes a software component. The method also includes verifying that the gaming machine includes the version or the range of versions of a component, upon determining that the software component is dependent on a version or a range of versions of the component that is part of the gaming machine.
US08287378B2	Network game system and network game processing method When the game machines (2100, 2110 and 2120) join the same network game, display images necessary for the users playing in a common virtual space are displayed in the displays (2105, 2115 and 2125) of the game machines. The game machines are connected with the controllers (2109, 2119 and 2129). The users operate various operations by means of the controllers for executing the game. The user can play match against or cooperate with the users participating in a common network game, and can also communicate with the users.
US08287376B2	Game drum having micro electrical mechanical system pressure sensing module A game drum includes a drum body, a compressible member and a MEMS pressure sensing module. The drum body includes an output interface circuit for coupling with a terminal electronic device. The compressible member is accommodated in the accommodating room of the drum body. The MEMS pressure sensing module includes a MEMS sensor, located under the compressible member, for sensing a pressure applied on the compressible member and converting the pressure values into electronic signals, a processing unit for calculating a value of the pressure according to the electronic signals, and a power supply unit for supplying power to the processing unit and the transmitting unit. The processing unit is connected with the output interface circuit such that a user is able to obtain the pressure value from the terminal electronic apparatus.
US08287369B2	Game machine, control method of game machine and information storage medium A game machine on which a user allows a plurality of player characters of an operation subject team to perform linkage play. A linkage partner selecting unit selects a linkage partner player character from among fellow player characters. A type of linkage play selecting unit selects a type of linkage play. A linkage partner control unit controls the position of a linkage partner player character based on a selected type of linkage play. If a linkage partner player character is not selected, a pass execution unit makes an operation subject player character execute a pass in a direction based on the content of a pass instruction operation according to the pass instruction by the user. If a linkage partner player character is selected, the pass execution unit makes the operation subject player character execute a pass to a linkage partner player character based on the user's pass instruction operation.
US08287364B2	Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a game in which a player collects emblems by positioning accumulators in a field A gaming system displays a plurality of emblems in a predefined field. For a play of an accumulator positioning game, the gaming system enables a player to position at least one accumulator in the field based on a set of accumulator positioning criteria. The accumulator positioning criteria define allowable accumulator positions and also define whether a positioned accumulator causes the gaming system to indicate any of the emblems as winning emblems. The gaming system may indicate such winning emblems based on a spatial relationship between that emblem and any accumulator, such as a relationship wherein an accumulator encircles an emblem. The gaming system indicates any such winning emblems and provides an award for the play of the game based on any indicated winning emblems.
US08287363B2	Method and apparatus for a wagering game with indicia developed paylines In contrast to slot-type gaming machines with their preset paylines designating predetermined array positions, the paylines of this novel wagering game are unknown until the indicia in the array have been selected. The randomly selected indicia determine the paylines, if any, in the array of indicia. Conditions may be imposed that limit the size and geometry of the paylines in this wagering game.Each indicium in the array, in one embodiment, may have an indicator for determining a subset of indicia in the array. In one embodiment, a winning game outcome occurs when the subset of indicia: 1) forms a payline, and 2) the combination of indicia designated by the payline meet predetermined requirements.
US08287361B2	Gaming system and method of gaming A method of populating symbol spaces on a gaming device includes providing a plurality of designated spaces arranged to display a plurality of symbols, wherein one of the designated spaces is populated with a symbol from the plurality of symbols by moving the symbol from an initial location, to a final location within the designated space, wherein the game outcome is at least partly dependent on the final location of the symbol.
US08287357B2	Gaming system, gaming device, and method for providing a cascading style matching game A gaming system selects and displays one of a plurality of symbol blocks in each of a plurality of block positions, wherein each of the selected blocks includes at least one partial symbol. Each partial symbol has at least one complementary partial symbol which, when arranged in a designated spatial relationship with one another, form a complete matching symbol. If any of the partial symbols on the selected blocks create a complete matching symbol, the gaming system provides at least one award to the player. Each matching block which includes any portion of a complete matching symbol is then removed, creating an empty block position. The gaming system then fills the empty block position by either shifting a displayed block into the empty block position or by selecting a new block. The gaming system repeats this process until no complete matching symbols are formed.
US08287354B2	Draw bingo The present invention provides methods and devices for providing a bingo game having aspects of a poker game on a network of gaming machines. Some implementations include a bingo card display in which areas of a bingo card correspond with playing cards. Some such implementations provide first phase of a bingo game that is concluded when a player daubs a game-ending pattern of a bingo card and a second phase wherein players may establish interim wins by daubing other patterns that correspond to poker hands. In some implementations, only the highest-ranking interim win results in a payout. Preferred implementations provide games with easily recognizable bingo play and payout probabilities similar to existing bingo games.
US08287352B2	Binomial and multinomial-based slot machine A gaming apparatus performs a gaming method with a symbol display system for a wagering game, a processor controlling the symbol display system and software executed by the processor, has software perform electronic functions of: a) providing a method of value crediting and debiting system; b) providing a game control component that determines rules of play of a game; c) providing activation of selection from virtual spinners that have individual game determinant outcomes or individual symbol determinant outcomes mathematically distributed within the virtual outcome determinant space of the virtual spinner; d) providing a file of images available for display on the symbol display system; e) the software randomly accessing the predetermined weighted portions of the outcome determinant space to select individual symbols, sets of symbols or collective symbols for use in the game; f) determining game outcomes; and g) resolving all value placed at risk in the play of the game.
US08287349B2	Wagering method, device, and computer readable storage medium, for wagering on pieces in a progression A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage, for wagering on a game of chance which includes (a) offering, before a game of chance progression commences, an initial wager on any of a plurality of pieces to first complete the progression, an initial payout for the initial wager based on the pieces having equal chances of winning; and (b) offering, during the progression, a real time wager on any of a plurality of pieces to first complete the progression, a real time payout for the real time wager based on computed chances of a selected piece first completing the progression based on current positions of the plurality of pieces.
US08287348B2	Gaming system for a poker-style game A gaming method for providing a poker-style game on a gaming device includes selecting at least one player card to form at least part of a player hand, selecting at least one machine card to form at least part of a machine hand. A prize schedule payable to the player if the player were to win a completed hand is calculated based on the selected cards. The player decides whether to continue play of the game utilizing their hand, after being provided with the calculated prize schedule.
US08287347B2	Method, apparatus and system for egregious error mitigation A playing card gaming system is disclosed that provides the player with an opportunity to withdraw a game play decision that is less advantageous to a player than at least one other play decision. The system includes a player interface that displays a prompt when a less advantageous decision is made. The display may include an area that provides the dealer with a visual indication that the player is being asked to confirm an election. A card delivery system with a playing card information reader provides card information to the system. A game processor determines if player elections are disadvantageous.
US08287346B2	Late game series information change A method and/or device is set forth for playing a game. In some embodiments, an inventory of data representing playing cards is arranged in a random but established, serial order. In some embodiments, for each hand of play the player makes a wager and cards are displayed, according to the rules of the game, in order from the inventory to define a winning or losing outcome. In some embodiments, a display, as hands are played, displays the remaining constituency of the inventory and the player, before any hand, can order re-shuffling and re-constitute of the inventory. In some embodiments, re-shuffling may be triggered by a card or hand count or certain pre-defined triggers. Other embodiments are described.
US08287345B2	System and method for playing on-line poker augmented with dynamic and situational information A computer-controlled system and method for providing information to selected players participating in an on-line poker game with other players, the selected players typically paying a fee for the service. A database of information is maintained pertaining to the play styles of all players, the database containing information gathered during both play in previous poker games even with different players and play in the poker game in progress. The poker game in progress is continuously analyzed with respect to both the cards as they are dealt and play of the players. Information is provided on the display unit of a selected player that pertains to predicted continued play of a hand as it develops, predicted betting of the other players, and advantageous betting by the selected player, the information provided being derived from the database that includes updates that are made as the game progresses. The kind of information that is provided when closed cards are dealt to the players before community cards are exposed is different from the kind of information provided when community cards are subsequently exposed.
US08287342B2	Media containing puzzles in the form of clips A media game that employs a method for randomly shuffling through a large set of video and/or audio clips stored on readable media using a media player, such as a DVD player, is disclosed. In addition to the readable media, the game also includes a game board, moveable play pieces, trivia question cards, random name cards, a numbered die, and a challenge die. The game board can be converted from long play to short play by lifting the endmost sections of the game board and placing them next to each other on top of intermediate sections of the game board. A path circumnavigates the game board and appears to be continuous in both long and short play modes. The begin and end regions reside at least partially on the endmost sections and appear as unbroken shapes when configured for both long and short play.
US08287341B1	Asynchronous interactive game play This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for executing asynchronous game play by a plurality of players in one or more game instances.
US08287337B2	Cold storage doorway with airflow control system and method A conditioned vestibule, control system, and method are disclosed for use with a cold storage doorway that separates warm and cold sides. A heater warms an air stream discharged across the doorway by the vestibule. A control unit operates the heater to maintain an air stream temperature. The control unit continuously monitors the air stream temperature and operates the heater to maintain the air stream temperature in a non-saturated state based on a humidity ratio. One embodiment calculates first and second temperatures based, respectively, warm and cold side tangent lines to a psychrometric saturation curve and based on the humidity ratio. The tangent lines are based on humidity and temperature sensed on the warm and cold sides. The air stream is warmed to at least the greater of the first and second temperatures. One embodiment controls air flow to adjust the humidity ratio to more efficiently operate the vestibule.
US08287336B2	Method of manufacturing a venting device for tamper resistant electronic modules A tamper resistant enclosure for an electronic circuit includes an inner copper case, a tamper sensing mesh wrapped around the inner case, an outer copper case enclosing the inner case and the tamper sensing mesh, and a venting device forming a vent channel from inside the inner case to outside the outer case, the vent channel passing between overlapping layers of the tamper sensing mesh and having at least one right angle bend along its length. The venting device consists of two strips of a thin polyamide coverlay material laminated together along their length, and a length of wool yarn sandwiched between the two thin strips and extending from one end of the strips to the other end of the strips to form the vent channel. The length of yarn follows a zig-zag path between the first and second strips, the zig-zag path including at least one right angle bend.
US08287330B1	Reducing polishing pad deformation A chemical mechanical polishing pad is described. A chemical mechanical polishing pad has an outer layer that includes a polishing surface, a first thinned region defined by a recess on a bottom surface of the pad, a first thick region surrounding the first thinned region, a second thinned region surrounding the first thick region, and a second thick region surrounding the second thinned region. The first thick region is not vertically extendable. The second thinned region defines one or more flexure mechanisms configured to make the first thinned region and the first thick region movable relative to the second thick region in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to the polishing surface.
US08287327B1	Interactive play set An interactive intelligent play set, method and apparatus, is provided which includes a principle toy, a plurality of action figures, and/or play accessories. An intelligent play set identifies and tracks action figures and/or play accessories used by a player during a play session, provides interactions based on the specific action figures, accessories, or combinations thereof, used by a player during game play, provides interactions based on the history of how a player has interacted with the set during previous play sessions, and/or enables a player to construct new interactions between the various play pieces of the play set, using basic interactions as building blocks.
US08287324B2	Water jet propulsion watercraft A water jet propulsion watercraft includes a hull having a sealed engine room, an engine installed in the engine room, a jet propulsion unit arranged to be driven by the engine so as to suck in water from around the hull and jet the water, a saddle type seat disposed above the engine room, a first exhaust pipe, an exhaust pipe cooling unit, and a catalyst unit. The first exhaust pipe is attached to a side of the engine inside the engine room, extends rearward from the side of the engine, and is arranged to guide exhaust gas discharged from the engine. The exhaust pipe cooling unit is arranged to cool the first exhaust pipe. The catalyst unit is connected to the first exhaust pipe, is disposed inside the engine room so as to oppose a rear surface of the engine, and is arranged to promote reaction of components contained in the exhaust gas.
US08287318B1	Electrical connector with spring for missile launch rail An electrical connector for testing of a missile launch rail is provided. The electrical contacts of the connector move from a rear disengaged position to forward engaged positions via the energy of a compressed spring. The connector base has rail mounts for securing to a missile launch rail. A housing attaches to the base and houses a plunger, an insulator, electrical contacts, and a tube, which move forward and aft as a unit. A knob on a rear tube end enables a user to limit the initial impact of the electrical contacts on contact pins or striker points of a missile launch rail. The connector can provide electrical connection with launch rail pins as rail pins recede into the missile launch rail. Electrical contact position is governed, in part, by locating pins which ride in a track cut into an outer surface of the tube and move with rotation of an indexing ring.
US08287316B2	Electrical connector with separable contacts A contact sub-assembly is provided for an electrical connector. The contact sub-assembly includes a printed circuit and an array of mating contacts. Each mating contact includes a terminating end portion and a mating interface. The contact sub-assembly also includes an array of circuit contacts that is discrete from the array of mating contacts. Each circuit contact is engaged with and electrically connected to the printed circuit. Each circuit contact is separably engaged with and electrically connected to the terminating end portion of a corresponding one of the mating contacts such that the array of circuit contacts electrically connects the array of mating contacts to the printed circuit.
US08287314B1	Audio jack connector An audio jack connector includes an insulating housing, signal terminals and a ground terminal. The insulating housing defines an insertion hole extending longitudinally to penetrate through a front of the insulating housing, a fastening groove and a gap communicating with the insertion hole. The signal terminals are disposed at regular intervals between one side surface and the insertion hole of the insulating housing. The ground terminal has a base plate vertically fastened in one side surface of the insulating housing, a soldering arm projected under a bottom surface, a fastening plate bent from a top of the base plate, an elastic plate extending forward from the fastening plate and a contact arm formed by a front end of the elastic plate arched downward. The fastening plate and the elastic plate are disposed in the fastening groove with the contact arm stretched into the insertion hole through the gap.
US08287313B2	Electrical connecting member for secondary battery Disclosed herein is a connection member for secondary batteries to achieve the electrical connection in a battery pack including two or more cylindrical secondary batteries in a physical contact manner, the connection member including an outer circumferential contact part contacting an electrode terminal of a lower battery cell along the outer circumferential region of the electrode terminal of the lower battery cell, such that the outer circumferential contact part can be electrically connected to the electrode terminal of the lower battery cell in a surface contact manner, for minimizing the change of resistance at the contact region against an external force and restraining a possibility that the electrode terminal of the lower battery cell is depressed, and a central contact part contacting an electrode terminal of an upper battery cell or the central region of a sidewall of the battery pack for providing an elastic contact force to the entire connection member mounted between the electrode terminals of the respective battery cells or between the electrode terminals of the battery cells and the sidewall of the battery pack.
US08287311B2	Electrical connector and assembling method thereof An electrical connector includes a dielectric housing, a plurality of conductive terminals, a fixing strip, a plurality of wires, and an upper shell, the dielectric housing having an upper face and a lower face opposite to the upper face, the upper face being provided with a plurality of terminal slots and recesses, the conductive terminals having a contact portion, a base portion, an engaged portion and received in the corresponding terminal slots, the engaged portion being engaged against the corresponding recesses, the fixing strip being transversally disposed on the upper face of the dielectric housing and across the conductive terminals and the terminal slots for securing the conductive terminals in the terminal slots, the wires respectively connecting with the base portions of the conductive terminals, and an upper shell is assembled on the dielectric housing above the fixing strip.
US08287310B2	Coaxial connector with dual-grip nut A connector for coaxial cable includes a dual-grip nut having a first external gripping surface and a second external gripping surface. The smallest outer diameter of the first external gripping surface is less than the smallest outer diameter of the second external gripping surface.
US08287309B1	Hardline connector A coaxial cable connector includes a terminal pin secured in a nut by an insulator inserted in a half-spool retainer, a cylindrical housing connected to the half-spool retainer that receives a terminal post having a flanged first end and a cylindrical body with an axial bore, a metal ferrule, a plastic sleeve and a retaining ring. The ferrule is positioned over the body of the terminal post to form an annular space, the plastic sleeve fits over the ferrule and the retaining ring fits into the end of the plastic sleeve. The center conductor of a prepared coaxial cable is inserted into the axial bore of the terminal post and the outer conductor is positioned in the annular space. The retaining ring is pressed into the plastic sleeve to connect the center conductor to the terminal pin, collapse the ferrule to form an electrical connection between the outer conductor and the housing through the metal ferrule and secure the coaxial cable and plastic sleeve in the housing.
US08287308B2	Quick assembly LNBF A low noise block down-converter with integrated feed (LNBF) capable of being quickly assembled is disclosed, which includes an LNBF main body, a connection portion including at least one LNBF locating hole, a support arm including at least one support arm locating hole, a holder disposed on the support arm including a first holding hole and a second holding hole, an auxiliary shaft including at least one locating protrusion, a spring including a spring body, a first spring arm, a second spring arm, and a pivot for connecting the auxiliary shaft and the spring to the holder, wherein the at least one locating protrusion passes the at least one support arm locating hole and the at least one LNBF locating hole to fix relative position between connection portion and the support arm, and the spring positions the at least one locating protrusion in an engaging state with elastic restoring force.
US08287301B2	Socket terminal heat-dissipating mechanism A socket terminal heat-dissipating mechanism is provided for use in an electronic device. The electronic device includes a frame and a casing. The socket terminal heat-dissipating mechanism includes a socket and an insulating layer. The socket is mounted in the frame of the electronic device, and includes a contact terminal. The insulating layer is arranged between the contact terminal and the casing of the electronic device, wherein heat energy is conducted from the contact terminal of the socket to the casing through the insulating layer, and passively dissipated away.
US08287293B1	Card connector A card connector for receiving a card includes an insulating housing, a plurality of conductive terminals received in the insulating housing, an ejection mechanism and a shielding shell covered on the insulating housing. The insulating housing defines a guiding groove. The ejection mechanism assembled in the insulating housing includes a sliding block, an elastic element and a guide pin. The sliding block has a base body, a sliding body extending sideward from one side of the base body for ejecting the card out, and a locking body extending frontward from a root of the sliding body and spaced from the one side of the base body to define a positioning passage therebetween for guiding the card to enter the insulating housing, a guiding block protruded at a bottom of the locking body to be slidably located in the guiding groove to guide the slide of the sliding block.
US08287290B2	Device, system and method of an interface connector Embodiments of the invention described herein a device, method and system of connecting a first circuit board and a second circuit board using an interface connector. In one aspect, an interface connector is described that is comprised of a casing and a plurality of electrically conductive connectors insulated from one another within the casing. Each connector has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end connects to a first circuit board and the second end connects to a second circuit board. The plurality of connectors form a first row and a second row of the interface connector. The first row is comprised of evenly-numbered connectors and the second row is comprised of odd-numbered connectors. The plurality of connectors are assigned as follows: connectors 1-4, 13-18, 43-61, 68-71, 77, 78, 79, 80, 84, 86, 92 and 94-120 provide electrical paths for general circuit connections between the first circuit board and the second circuit board; connectors 41, 42, 62-67, 72-75 and 81 provide electrical paths for host processor connections between the first circuit board and the second circuit board; and connectors 5-12, 19-40, 76, 82, 83, 85, 87-91 and 93 provide electrical paths for field programmable gate array (FPGA) connections between the first circuit board and the second circuit board.
US08287289B2	Elastic-cushioned capacitively-coupled connector A connector according to the present invention is equipped with an elastic member with elasticity, at least one terminal including a connecting conductor portion formed on one side of the elastic member and connected to a circuit side conductor portion electrically continuous with a circuit provided on a first flat circuit substrate, a first opposing conductor portion formed on another side of the elastic member and opposed to a second opposing conductor portion electrically continuous with a circuit provided on a second flat circuit substrate, and a linking conductor portion linking the connecting conductor portion and the first opposing conductor portion with each other so as to allow them to make relative movement, and a dielectric portion formed at least on one of the first opposing conductor portion 25a and the second opposing conductor portion.
US08287288B2	Low profile electrical connector embedded with printed circuit board An electrical connector assembly includes a printed circuit board having an aperture and an electrical connector. The electrical connector comprises an insulative substrate with a plurality of contacts. The electrical connector is embedded in the aperture and electrically connects with the printed circuit board.
US08287284B1	Rotating electric connector assembly An improved rotating electric connector assembly includes a rotatable housing assembly having separate rotatable electrical contacts housed within a non-conductive cylindrical housing about a longitudinal axis. Embodiments of the rotatable housing assembly provide electrical connectivity between a two prong plug or a three prong plug on one rotatable housing assembly end and a corresponding two prong receptacle or three prong receptacle on the other rotatable housing assembly end.
US08287283B2	Arrangement for auscultation training A cap composition that can mechanically attach to a stethoscope headpiece, the cap composition having a cap; a cap element having a design that includes a shape and characteristic dimensions that enable the cap to mechanically attach to a stethoscope headpiece; and a speaker attached to and positioned on or at least partially within the cap, such that when the cap is attached to the stethoscope headpiece, the speaker is either touching or proximate to the stethoscope diaphragm such that a sound or signal emitted by the speaker can cause the stethoscope diaphragm to vibrate.
US08287282B2	Practice gown A clothing attachment that serves as a practice gown by connecting over the clothing of a wearer such that the clothing attachment is configured with weight, volume, and length markers to simulate the conditions of wearing a complete dress under actual conditions of that dress. In this manner, a wearer can simulate and otherwise practice engaging in activities for a wedding or ballroom dancing without risking damage to the actual dress or gown.
US08287280B2	Teaching aid device and method of teaching A method for instructing mathematics includes providing a work surface to a visually impaired student; providing a plurality of movable elements for use in connection with the work surface, each of the movable elements comprising on a front surface thereof at least a portion of a visible mathematical symbol readable via eyesight, each of the movable elements further comprising Braille indicia on the front surface thereof corresponding to the at least a portion of the visible mathematical symbol, each of the moveable elements being movable to any position on the work surface; and having the student arrange a plurality of the moveable element on the work surface to form a standard mathematical expression wherein the mathematical expression comprises multiple lines set forth in a vertical arrangement.
US08287273B2	Method of and apparatus for changing colors of injection molding hot runner die A color changing apparatus of an injection molding hot runner die which is simple in construction and easily capable of changing colors for molding products without removing and replacing a hot runner. In the apparatus, a passage for supplying a melted resin to a molding die, a divided type hot runner block is provided with hot runners each for exclusive use of each of molding colors, sprues and nozzles being in communication with the hot runners. A moving device is provided for moving the molding die, which is united with the divided type hot runner block, along with the divided type hot runner block. A positioning device is adapted to place the molding die in position in a state where either of the sprues of the divided type hot runner block is moved by the moving device to a position opposed to an injection nozzle for injecting the melted resin.
US08287269B2	Molds for use in contact lens production The invention provides molds useful in the production of contact lenses having seamless edges and in which molds movement of one mold half in relation to the other mold half is decreased. These results are attained by providing mold halves with shoulder stops and seam-matching features.
US08287268B1	Distiller grain pellet production devices A device for producing a high density compact livestock feed from a loose granular material according to various embodiment can include a source for supplying a loose granular material to be treated. A series of successive treatment zones comprises a heating zone, a compression zone, and a cooling zone. The heating zone comprises at least one heater and at least one screw compression dryer configured to receive the loose granular material to be treated for drying. Rotation of the screw transfers the treated material to the compression zone. The compression zone comprises a compression chamber for compacting the treated material to form a high density compact body. The treated material is pressed through the compression chamber while a two-dimensional cross-section compression is applied to the treated material. The cooling zone comprises a cooling unit for cooling the high density compact body received from the compression zone.
US08287265B2	Low cost curved bottom food stamper A low cost vented hand operable food embosser/debosser for food items is used to emboss messages and/or decorative patterns on a variety of food items such as pizza dough or even ice cream. It can also be used on non-food items such as soap or wax. The message image member of the stamper is vented, with a hollow venting chimney above each image for venting excess food product away from the food product bearing the image. In addition the images are surrounded by a suppressing wall suppressing food product from being inadvertently squashed too much The venting chimneys above each letter are preferably curved, and the images are sharp at the edges with pointy tipped letters/images.
US08287264B2	Injection molding machine An injection molding comprises: a fixed mold; a movable mold which is capable of contacting to and separating from the fixed mold; and an injection unit which supplies molten resin to a space formed between the fixed mold and the movable mold when being pressed to a non-molding face of the fixed mold. The injection unit comprises: a nozzle portion which injects molten resin to the space formed between the molds; an injecting portion which applies molten resin pressure toward the space formed between the fixed mold and the movable mold though the nozzle portion; a heater and a temperature sensor provided on the nozzle portion; and a heater and a temperature sensor provided on the injecting portion, and detection accuracy of the sensor of the nozzle portion is higher than that of the injecting potion. There is thus provided an injection molding machine capable of manufacturing optics with high accuracy without considerable cost-up by realizing stable and highly accurate injection.
US08287261B2	Mold for manufacturing golf balls and golf balls The present invention relates to a mold having a parting line along dimples which allows manufacturing of golf balls free from burrs, and to golf balls manufactured using such a mold. The mold of the present invention is provided with a spherical cavity inside thereof; and an upper mold and a lower mold separable from each other, wherein a plurality of convex portions for forming dimples is provided in the inner surface of the cavity, at least one of the plurality of convex portions lies over the equator of the cavity, a parting line, which corresponds to the boundary between the upper mold and the lower mold, extends along the inner surface of the cavity, the parting line comprises first lines extending along the peripheries of the convex portions lying over the equator and second lines connecting the first lines, and the first line is disposed apart from the periphery by a distance of 0.1 to 0.5 mm.
US08287260B2	Air venting valve of vulcanising mould An air venting valve and method for removing air from a vulcanizing mold of a vehicle tire by the aid of an air venting valve having a body functioning as an air channel and an inner part movable in a longitudinal direction. The body includes a stem and a valve disc disposed at an inner end of the stem on the side of a mold surface, the diameter of the valve disc is larger than the inner diameter of the body. A spring member is arranged in the air venting valve for forcing the inner part in a predetermined position for opening the valve when a blank is removed from the vulcanizing mold. The lower part of the inner part of the body includes an outer thread and in the lower part of the body a respective inner thread for screwing the valve stem in the body.
US08287259B2	Oil-cooled type screw compressor An oil-cooled type screw compressor includes shafts mounted on rotors in a casing and extended to two sides of the rotors. Thrust plates rotate with the shafts. The thrust plates are sealed while spacing them from the rotors and define first and second spaces. Thrust bearings are arranged in the first and second spaces. An oil feed passage communicates with the one of the first and second spaces that is located on the side to apply a force against the thrust force to the thrust plates when boosted. An oil discharge passage communicates with the one of the first and second spaces that is located on the side to apply a force against the anti-thrust force to the thrust plates when boosted, to establish the communication between the space inside and an oil discharge target. An oil distribution passage distributes oil between the first space and the second space.
US08287256B2	Valve assembly Although modern diesel fuel formulations are intended to reduce emissions of diesel engines, at least some of those modern fuels tend to have relatively low lubricity levels. The control valve assemblies described herein help to minimize any increased wear that would otherwise result from the use of such low lubricity fuels by providing a valve element, a valve guide, and an insert. The valve element is received within the valve guide and is moveable between an open position and a closed position. The insert forms a first sealed interface and a second sealed interface with the valve element and the valve guide. When the valve element is in the closed position, both of the first sealed interface and the second sealed interface are engaged. When the valve element is in the open position, only one of the first sealed interface and the second sealed interface is engaged.
US08287254B2	Motor and pump assembly having improved sealing characteristics The present invention comprehends a gerotor or gear pump driven by a permanent magnet motor which exhibits cogging torque, i.e., resistance to rotation when de-energized caused by interaction between permanent magnets in the rotor and teeth on the stator. Such interaction causes the rotor to come to rest in one of many defined rotational positions and resist rotation when electrical power to the motor has been terminated. The permanent magnet motor is coupled, preferably directly, to a gerotor pump having meshing rotors or a gear pump having meshing gears. When the motor is de-energized, the pump rotors or gears come to rest and their rotation is resisted by the cogging torque of the motor. The invention finds particular application in automotive transmissions and systems with parallel pumps.
US08287253B2	Fluid conveyance device A fluid conveyance device includes a substrate, and a disk-shaped piezoelectric element arranged in a bendable manner on the substrate. A plurality of substantially circular concentric segment electrodes are provided on the piezoelectric element, and are provided with voltages with phases that are shifted. A wavy ring deformation is thus produced on the piezoelectric element. A pocket produced between the piezoelectric element and the substrate is moved in a radial direction so as to convey a fluid from an outer substantially circular portion to a central portion and to discharge the fluid from the central portion.
US08287251B2	Variable ratio hand pump A hand operated hydraulic pump has a cam that is pivoted by a compensation cylinder that rotates the cam so as to move the pivot of an operating handle closer to the pump plunger as the output pressure of the pump increases.
US08287250B2	Multistage vacuum pump unit and an operation method thereof A multistage vacuum pump unit can save a power requirement and prevent the gas discharged outside of the unit from flowing-back inside the pump unit. A plurality of vacuum pumps are connected in series to form the multistage vacuum pump unit. A suction inlet of a first stage vacuum pump thereof is connected to a to-be-vacuumized container so that the space inside of the container becomes under a high vacuum condition. In an operating method, part of the gas discharged into a first intermediate passage from the first stage vacuum pump is branched during a low vacuum operation, and discharged toward an air atmosphere through a low conductance line provided with check valves that prevent the branched gas from flowing back.
US08287248B2	Compressor A system is provided for maintaining the position of a valve in a compressor. The valve includes a valve body connected to a piston in a cylinder by a shaft. The valve body is positioned in the discharge outlet of the compressor based on the location of the piston in the cylinder. The system maintains the position of the valve body in response to a movement of the piston by permitting fluid to flow from a fluid source through the piston and into a chamber of the cylinder to urge the piston back to its initial position in the cylinder.
US08287242B2	Turbine engine rotor hub A rotor has a central shaft having a central longitudinal axis. The rotor has a longitudinal stack of a plurality of disks surrounding the shaft. An aft hub couples the stack to the shaft. The aft hub has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion tapers at a lower characteristic half angle than does the proximal portion.
US08287241B2	Turbine blade platform trailing edge undercut A gas turbine blade having reduced stresses around a regions where the airfoil training edge joins the platform is disclosed. The lower stresses are achieved due to an undercut region proximate the blade trailing edge being placed in the platform. The undercut region has a compound fillet radius formed from two single and tangent radii where the first radius closer to the airfoil is larger than the second radius such that a ratio of R1/R2 is approximately 2.0 to 2.5.
US08287240B2	Method for installing a rotor hub on a rotor shaft of a wind energy plant, and a wind energy plant A wind energy plant and method for installing a rotor hub on a rotor shaft. At the end of the rotor shaft facing the rotor hub, a locking disk is attached on the rotor shaft, which has a multiplicity of bores for the preliminary attachment of the rotor hub, for installing it, the rotor hub is made to sit close to the locking disk, if required, the bores in the locking disk are made to overlap with corresponding bores in the rotor hub by rotating the rotor shaft and/or the rotor hub, starting from the rotor shaft side, the rotor hub is preliminarily screwed together with the locking disk through the bores of the locking disk and of the rotor hub, and starting from the interior space of the rotor hub, the rotor hub is definitely screwed together with the locking disk and the rotor shaft.
US08287235B2	Electrical submersible pump The invention relates to high-speed electrical submersible pumps used for hydrocarbons production from oil wells with high concentration of solids. The technical result such as a longer service life is achieved with the technical design, wherein the pump comprises: a housing with a head and a base, a compression nut, a shaft installed on a journal bearing, stages of impellers and spacers installed on the shaft, set of diffusers installed on the housing, wherein the diffusers and impellers are manufactured from a ceramic material. The preferable design has metal spacers between the diffusers, wherein the length of the diffuser spacer between the contact surfaces equals the distance between the impeller spacers.
US08287234B1	Turbine inter-segment mate-face cooling design A blade outer air seal segment assembly for a turbine in which adjacent segments form a curved metering and diffusion cooling slot for the discharge of film cooling air onto an inner surface of the segments. The segments include a first diffusion cavity connected to the backside surfaces of the segments through metering holes. The curved slot is connected to the first diffusion cavity. spend cooling air for cooling of the backside surfaces of the segments is metered into the first diffusion cavity and then discharged as film cooling air from the curved slot in a direction of rotation of the rotor blades to provide both sealing and cooling for the mate face of the segments.
US08287233B2	Centrifugal compressor with a re-circulation venturi in ported shroud An exemplary port (180, 180′) includes a first port opening (182, 182′) positioned at a location downstream from a compressor wheel (140), a second port opening (184, 184′) positioned at a location adjacent to a blade (144) of the compressor wheel (140), and a third port opening (186, 186′) positioned at a location upstream from the compressor wheel (140) wherein the first port opening and the third port opening define a first flow path and wherein a second flow path extending from the second port opening meets the first flow path at a confluence (188, 188′). The first flow path optionally includes a venturi section, for example, wherein the confluence coincides at least in part with the venturi section. Other exemplary ports, compressor shrouds, systems and methods are also disclosed.
US08287230B2	Fixed and variable compressor system capacity control A controller for a system having at least one variable-capacity, pulse-width modulated compressor and at least one fixed-capacity compressor is provided. The controller may include processing circuitry that modulates the at least one variable-capacity, pulse-width modulated compressor to any capacity substantially between ten percent capacity and one hundred percent capacity. The processing circuitry may determine a desired capacity of the at least one variable capacity, pulse-width modulated compressor based on a load sensor signal and a current run percentage of the at least one variable capacity, pulse-width modulated compressor and may toggle the at least one fixed-capacity compressor between a run mode and a shutdown mode based on the desired capacity of the at least one variable-capacity, pulse-width modulated compressor.
US08287229B2	Rotor and nozzle assembly for a radial turbine and method of operation A rotor for a radial flow turbine has an impulse chamber (51) having an inlet defined in a circumferential surface of the rotor and a reaction chamber (62) having an outlet defined in the circumferential surface of the rotor. The impulse chamber is in fluid communication with the reaction chamber, and the reaction chamber outlet is axially displaced from the impulse chamber inlet.
US08287221B1	Wall-lifting systems A system for safe, efficient lifting of partially fabricated walls during light-frame construction. Such walls are built in a horizontal position and are manually rotated into a vertical position using a lifting apparatus mounted to one or more framing members of the wall. The lifting apparatus allows the wall to be positioned and held at an intermediate resting/safety point for protection of user during the lift. A method of use and kit comprising the lifting apparatus are also disclosed.
US08287219B2	Fastening arrangement A fastening arrangement having a first fastening part which is connected to a metal sheet and has a first threaded section, and having a second fastening part which has a second threaded section which engages with the first threaded section, with the fastening parts fixing an electrical connecting part such that an electrical connection is formed between the connecting part and the metal sheet. A cover part is fixed to the first fastening part in an end position and, in a covering position, has covered at least a part of the first threaded section until the second threaded section has engaged with the first threaded section and, in the process, the cover part has been moved from the covering position to the end position.
US08287218B2	Cement anchor for lightweight construction panels In a cement anchor for use in connection with lightweight construction panels, wherein the anchor comprises a cylindrical body with at least one piston forming with the cylindrical body a displacement area in which a meltable cement is disposed together with a heatable melt body, the melt body is heated just before the anchor is inserted into a bore in the panel so that the cement is liquefied and, upon compression of the anchor, is displaced from the displacement area into the space around the anchor, so that, upon solidification of the cement, the anchor is firmly connected to the lightweight construction panel.
US08287215B2	Fully automatic key duplicating machine with automatic key model identification system A fully automatic key duplicating machine. A master key alignment module is movably disposed into and out of proximity with a master key clamping module, the master key being aligned by the alignment module within the master key clamping module. A master key identification module is disposed in fixed relation to the master key clamping module and identifies a type of key secured in the master key clamping module. A central positioning base is provided automatically movable into and out of engagement with the key cutting module and optionally the alignment module, adapted to move the master key alignment module into proximity with the master key clamping module and adapted to secure a key blank to be cut at the key cutting module in accordance with the tooth pattern of a clamped master key.
US08287213B2	Indexable cutting tool insert for cutting tools An insert is disclosed for use in cutting tool applications having two major faces and at least two cutting edges. The insert is indexable by repositioning the cutting insert from one face to the other face. The inserts may be mounted in a seat formed in a fixed cutting tool. The seat has a major seating surface for mounting the insert and for receiving a retainer at a predetermined angle. In one form, the seat may also have dovetail walls oriented to engage side walls of the insert and to reduce the shear force against the retainer during contact between the insert and a rotating workpiece. The fixed tool has reliefs and a tip pocket to protect an unused cutting edge on the insert.
US08287209B2	Protective flood barrier system Protective flood barrier system on the base of mobile protective flood barriers is offered. Each of these barriers comprises two or more filled elongate sleeves, a web, connecting theirs web and forming means. Envelops of said sleeves and said web are made from flexible impermeable material. These barriers are convenient for protection of separate houses, the extensive areas, as walls of a water basin. They allow reducing wind-induced waves and can be used for repair of earthen dams. The high-efficiency means accelerating installation of barriers are provided.
US08287205B2	Method for binding a book with a helical plastic coil A helical plastic coil is used for binding a collated book having a stack of pages with aligned holes along one edge of the book where a leading end of the filament is fed into a first hole at a first end of the book and the coil is rotated about its axis such that the leading end is threaded through the holes by entering each of the holes until the coil is threaded through all of the holes. The leading end of the coil is sheared by an anvil and blade so as to define a leading apex and a leading surface inclined rearwardly from the leading apex along the filament and across the filament. The leading apex is arranged such that, as the leading end enters each of the holes in turn, the leading apex is located on the leading end of the filament at a position thereon facing away from the trailing end of the coil and spaced from the end of the hole facing the first end of the book.
US08287198B2	Printer A roll paper printer having a cover movable between an open and closed position with the printer having hooks on locking levers disposed to the cover to hold the cover in the locked position upon engaging pins located on the printer body side and having an opening lever to unlock the cover. The printer also includes a paper cutter device having a stationary knife which is attached to the cover and contact plate parts which extend from the stationary knife for contacting the front panel part on the printer body and having extension springs disposed in tension for pulling the stationary knife towards the back of the printer such that upon closing the cover the contact plate parts push the cover to the front of the printer. This causes the hooks of the locking levers to press from the back against the engagement pins to eliminate any play in the cover when in cover is in the locked position and to assist in opening the cover when the cover opening lever is operated.
US08287196B2	Focal plane shutter and camera having the same A focal plane shutter having a front film and a back film which expose a charge-coupled device to light as they move back and forth between a cover plate and a base plate, between a charging position and a discharging position at a certain time interval. The focal plane shutter includes at least one lever member which is connected to the front film and/or back film, and which amplifies an impact force generated during a charging and a discharging movement of the front film and/or back film using a lever action. An elevating member slides in a direction parallel with the movement of the front film and/or back film by the impact force amplified in the lever member. An impact absorbing unit regulates the sliding movement of the elevating member to absorb impact energy generated by the movement and stop of the front film and/or back film.
US08287195B2	Motor controlled macro rail for close-up focus-stacking photography A motor controlled rail assembly is provided which simplifies and automates the process of taking focus-stacked pictures. This device can be used to incrementally move a camera or other photographic device a programmable distance forward or backward in precise steps relative to an external object to facilitate focus-stacked photography. The device may include a motor-driven macro rail assembly, a controller assembly and a camera, which, generally speaking, are configured as follows: a camera is attached to a macro rail carriage which is driven by the motor and controller. The device may have different modes of operation (an automatic step mode, an automatic distance mode, a total distance mode, a distance per step mode, a continuous mode and a manual mode) to yield improved results in different situations.
US08287190B2	Bearing arrangement for a roll of a rolling mill stand A bearing arrangement for a roll of a rolling mill stand includes a bearing for supporting a roll neck, a hydraulic device for securing the bearing on the roll neck and having a hydraulic piston supported against the roll neck, and a hydraulic cylinder displaceable relative to the hydraulic piston, the hydraulic piston having an outer thread on which a circular nut having a circular base body is screwable for supporting the hydraulic cylinder with respect to the hydraulic piston, with the nut having a circular projection extending coaxially with the circular base body and completely attached to the circular base body.
US08287189B1	Scented disposable trash bags A disposable bag receptacle includes a body having an open top end portion and a closed bottom end portion. The body defines a cavity extending between the top and bottom end portions and includes a flexible outer surface impregnated with a pesticide. The outer surface further includes a predetermined quantity of aroma substance impregnated therein for emitting a pleasant aroma. The body further includes a plurality of flexible straps having opposed end portions attached to the body. The plurality of straps are connected adjacent the top end portion of the body and are engageable with each other for tying the open top end portion. In an alternate embodiment, the body has a longitudinal axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction.
US08287186B2	Specimen collecting method and blade temperature estimating method In a specimen collecting method according to the present invention, a specimen is collected from a surface (114a) of a blade. An ultrasonic cutter having a cylindrical cutting blade is fed from the surface (114a) of the blade to a surface (110a) of a base material (100), and thus, a cylindrical incision is formed. After performing cutting to expand the incision outwardly, a rotating cutter (220) having a disc-shaped cutting blade (222) performs cutting inwardly from the cylindrical incision. Thus, a part (20a) situated inside the incision is cut away. The part (20a) becomes the specimen.
US08287185B2	Cell temperature sensing apparatus for a battery module A printed circuit board supported over the top surface of a multi-cell battery module for battery cell voltage and temperature monitoring has an array of openings in alignment with selected battery cells for receiving temperature-sensing units that electrically couple with contacts formed on the printed circuit board and resiliently engage the cases of the selected battery cells. Each such temperature-sensing unit includes a printed circuit board mountable lamp socket and a lamp socket insert including a thermistor and a compressible element that maintains the thermistor in thermal proximity to the battery cell case when the temperature-sensing unit is installed in a respective printed circuit board opening.
US08287184B2	Fluid physical quantity measuring method and control method The present invention relates to a measuring method and a controlling method of measuring the physical quantity such as a fluid temperature distribution and the like by using an optical fiber sensing technique of BOCDA system. In the measuring method, an optical fiber that functions as a BOCDA-type optical fiber sensor is disposed along a flow direction of a fluid that flows though a pipe line and in the pipe line. Since the optical fiber directly contacts with the fluid that flows though the pipe line, it is possible to rapidly measure the fluid temperature distribution. Also, based on this measurement result, the controlling method adjusts each temperature of one or more heating/cooling means provided along the longitudinal direction of a pipe line, thereby controlling at high accuracy the fluid temperature distribution in the pipe line.
US08287183B2	Thermographic detection of internal passageway blockages A method of thermal inspection of a component defining at least one internal passageway. The method includes receiving a continuous sequence of thermal images of at least an exit hole defined by the at least one internal passageway at a surface of the component. The method also includes delivering a pressurized airflow pulse into the at least one internal passageway, receiving a temperature response signal as function of time based on the received thermal images, determining a first derivative of the temperature response signal, and determining a level of blockage of the at least one internal passageway based on the first derivative of the temperature response signal.
US08287181B1	Method of restraining a container A one-piece stackable container restraining apparatus incorporates a flat surface and four legs. The restraining apparatus can be used on the crest of a roof or on other surfaces. The stackable feature is used to accommodate roofs of differing pitches and to create a more stable combination. In certain embodiments attachment holes are utilized for ease in transportation and movement. Additionally, the container restraining apparatus can be used on a flat surface to prevent overturning of the container during transportation, such as paint buckets transported in a truck or van. Mounting holes on each leg can be used to accommodate a variety of fixtures such as wheels or articulating pads.
US08287180B2	Enclosure for a blender An enclosure for a blender includes a body portion and a cover. The cover is hingedly attached to the body portion. The body portion of the enclosure includes a metallic foot that mates with the base member of the blender. The base member may include at least one magnet that secures the foot, and therefore body portion, in position by the magnetic force acting upon the foot. A gasket is provided between the foot of the body portion and the base member to completely isolate the enclosure from the base member, and to reduce vibrations in the enclosure during operation of the blender. The body portion of the enclosure may also include gasket strips to seal the enclosure when the cover is closed.
US08287179B2	Fluid mixer A fluid mixer for mixing a first fluid and a second fluid includes an introducing component having a bore, a cylindrical component fitted into the bore of the introducing component and a mixing component having a conical recess and on which the introducing component and the cylindrical component are held. A first introducing flow path receives the first fluid and a first distributing flow path distributes the first fluid over the whole circumference of the cylindrical component. A second introducing flow path receives the second fluid. A second distributing flow path distributes the second fluid so that the first fluid and the second fluid are alternately arranged in an circumferential direction. A joining part joins together the first fluid and the second fluid fed with the fluids alternately arranged circumferentially.
US08287176B1	Antifreeze dyeing/mixing systems and methods Systems and methods relating to improvements in automotive facilities/service stations that utilize antifreeze engine coolant while servicing multiple manufacturer vehicles. Antifreeze dyeing systems and methods are disclosed to provide single inventory bulk colorless antifreeze and small inventory custom dye to closely match Original End Manufacturer (OEM) colored antifreeze; and, reduce costs of product and inventory of multiple antifreeze colors, types and containers.
US08287172B2	Planar illumination device The planar illumination device includes: a light guide plate formed by arranging a plurality of unit light guide plates each having a light emission surface as a front surface and a reflection surface as a back surface so that facing end surfaces of adjacent unit light guide plates of the plurality of unit light guide plates are closely arranged; one or two or more light sources arranged on a first side surface, in a direction where the plurality of unit light guide plates are arranged, of each of the plurality of unit light guide plates; and a recessed-and-projected structure arranged on a second side surface, facing the light sources, of each of the plurality of unit light guide plates and having an edge parallel to a normal to the light emission surface.
US08287171B2	Light emitting diode device and display device A display device includes a housing, a panel unit disposed in the housing, a light emitting diode module disposed between the housing and the panel unit, and a heat conducting layer. The light emitting diode module includes a circuit board, and a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed on the circuit board. The circuit board includes a board body formed with a plurality of through holes, and a first conducting unit and a second conducting unit disposed on the board body. Each of the light emitting diodes has a bottom portion disposed in a respective one of the through holes, and is coupled between each conducting parts of the first and second conducting units. The heat conducting layer contacts the housing, contacting parts of the first and second conducting units, and the bottom portions of the light emitting diodes.
US08287167B2	Lamp unit A lamp unit includes a first semiconductor light-emitting element that serves as a light source; a second semiconductor light-emitting element that serves as a light source; a support member that supports the first semiconductor light-emitting element and the second semiconductor light-emitting element; a first reflector provided above the first semiconductor light-emitting element, which reflects light radiated from the first semiconductor light-emitting element forward; a shade that blocks a portion of reflected light from the first reflector; a projection lens provided in front of the first reflector with the shade disposed therebetween, which forms a light distribution pattern with a cut-off line from light reflected by the first reflector; a positioning portion that positions the projection lens; and a second reflector provided below the second semiconductor light-emitting element, which reflects light radiated from the second semiconductor light-emitting element forward.
US08287164B2	Outside mirror lighting assembly and method of forming same An outside mirror lighting assembly (100) and method includes a housing (108) and a first glass panel (101) where one or more light emitting devices (107) are positioned at an edge of the first glass panel (101). Light rays from the at least one light emitting device (107) propagate within the glass panel for illumining its outer periphery. Words, logos, or other indicia (125) may be also be illuminated by direct or indirect light emitted into an etched area of the glass. The mirror assembly supplies a soft illuminated glow around the outer periphery and/or the indicia for proving a unique and pleasing appearance to the user.
US08287163B2	Automotive headlamp apparatus and method of controlling automotive headlamp apparatus where light distribution pattern is controlled An automotive headlamp apparatus includes a light source for producing a high beam and a headlamp apparatus controller for controlling illumination from a light source. The headlamp apparatus controller divides a light distribution pattern of a high beam formed by illumination from the light source into a plurality of regions and controls illumination from each of the individual regions as divided so as to supplement a light distribution pattern of a low beam.
US08287162B2	Foldable table lamp A lamp includes a head, a support arm and a base. The head includes a light emitting member. The support arm is rotatably connecting to the head. The support arm includes a first pushing member and a second pushing member. The base includes a moveable contact and a stationary contact. The moveable includes a spring tab. When the support arm is rotated to a first position, the first pushing member abuts against the spring tab to be deformed, and the spring tab connects to the stationary contact. The light emitting member is in a power on state. When the support arm is rotated to a second position, the second pushing member abuts against the spring tab to be deformed, and the spring tab disengages from the stationary contact. The light emitting member is in a power off state.
US08287156B2	Compact fluorescent lamp operable in different power sources One embodiment of a compact fluorescent lamp includes a circuit assembly comprising a rectifier, a plurality of capacitors, a plurality of ICs, a plurality of inductors, a transformer for converting AC to DC, a plurality of diodes, and a PCB; a CFL electrically connected to the circuit assembly; a shade for enclosing the CFL; and a housing for mounting the circuit assembly therein. The circuit assembly is operable when voltage variation is between 2.5 and 21 V. Further, the lamp can operate in one of three different power sources (e.g., DC power supply, electronic transformer, and electrical transformer).
US08287152B2	Lighting apparatus using light emitting diode Disclosed is a light apparatus using light emitting diodes that includes: a base body member having a mounting surface on its one surface; a plurality of inclined block members each of which is mounted on the mounting surface of the base body member and has an inclined surface on one surface thereof; and light emitting diode module members that are mounted on the inclined surfaces of the inclined block members. According to the disclosure, it is possible to easily form various light distributions required for the lighting design by combining the inclined block members and the light emitting diode module members that are mounted on the mounting surfaces of the base body member, and various light distributions can be formed, which makes it possible to improve flexibility in the lighting design and to improve lighting efficiency for an object to be illuminated.
US08287151B2	Illumination apparatus module An illumination apparatus comprises at least two illumination apparatus modules arranged abreast and a connecting element. Each illumination apparatus module includes a cover, a case, and an elastic fastener. A supporting portion is mounted on the case supporting the cover. The sidewall of the case has a first hole, and the supporting portion has a second hole. The elastic fastener is mounted on the second hole. The supporting portion supports the cover and fixes the cover on the case. The connecting element passing through the first holes of the two adjacent sidewalls of two illumination apparatus modules fixes and connects the two illumination apparatus modules together. By the first holes and the connecting element corresponding to the first holes, each illumination apparatus module combines mutually. The elastic fastener fixes the cover and the case together.
US08287150B2	Reflector alignment recess A reflector with an alignment recess is provided. The reflector has a recess portion that receives the base of a light emitting diode. At least a portion of an outer periphery of the base of the light emitting diode is adjacent at least portions of the recess portion of the reflector.
US08287147B2	LED based omni-directional light engine An LED based omni-directional light engine includes a toroidal lens coupled to a controller circuit board and two or more evenly spaced LEDs mounted to the controller circuit board. The toroidal lens includes an inner surface coated with a layer of reflection materials, an outer surface, and a flat base surface. The controller circuit board is electrically coupled to a power source. The LEDs are located immediately under the flat base surface. The inner surface substantially reflects light beams emitted from the LEDs to the outer surface which refracts the beams to the omni-directions.
US08287146B2	Foam part and sound absorber which is mounted in a suspended manner The invention relates to a foam part (1), in particular for suspended arrangement in a room, for example for use as a sound absorber (2), with an acoustic region of the foam part which has an outer contour being illuminated by a lighting element (11), further with the lighting element (11) being mounted on the foam part (1) and being disposed within the outer contour of the foam part (1). In particular, the invention also relates to a foam part (1) which is fixed, as a sound absorber (2), in a suspended manner to a room ceiling (3) or room wall, a lighting element (11) which is mounted on the sound absorber (2) and illuminates a subregion of the foam part (1), being provided in said foam part.
US08287139B2	Light source device and projector A light source device, includes: an arc tube, and a pair of sealing portions; a reflector; and a sub mirror configured to reflect the light emitted from the arc tube toward the arc tube, and disposed of the other side of the sealing portion in such a manner as to cover a part of the outer surface of the tube spherical portion of the side of the illumination area, the sub mirror include a plurality of reflection members provided with reflection surfaces having different shapes, and the distance between the illumination axis and the outer shape of one of the adjoining reflection members is different from the distance between the illumination axis and the other of the adjoining reflection members.
US08287138B2	Light source device and projection display device using the same First and second lamps 1, 2, first and second ellipsoidal mirrors 3, 4, first and second spherical mirrors 5, 6, and a plane mirror 7 are provided. The first spherical mirror 5 is provided on the same side as the first ellipsoidal mirror 3 with respect to the lamp 1, and the second spherical mirror 6 is provided on the opening side of the second ellipsoidal mirror 4 with respect to the second lamp 2, so that they reflect a respective part of light beams emitted from the first and second lamps toward the first and second ellipsoidal mirrors 3, 4. The first and second ellipsoidal mirrors are arranged such that the optical axes of their reflected light beams intersect with each other, so that they condense respective light beams emitted from the first and second lamps and respective light beams reflected at the first and second spherical mirrors 5 and 6. The plane mirror 7 reflects at a reflective film 7a, light beams condensed by the first ellipsoidal mirror 3, and transmits via a light-transmitting portion 5 where no reflective film is provided, light beams condensed by the second ellipsoidal mirror 4; accordingly, light beams emitted from the first and second lamps are combined so as to become light beams travelling coaxially and in the same direction. This can reduce the optical loss when combining light beams emitted from a plurality of lamps.
US08287137B2	Projector apparatus with multi-light sources and a light coupling module thereof A projector apparatus with multi-light sources and a light coupling module thereof are disclosed. The projector with multi-light sources comprises a light incident region, a light tunnel, a color wheel, a light coupling module, and a plurality of light sources, all disposed in the light incident region. The light coupling module comprises a light coupling device, a light gathering device, and a reflection device. The light sources provide a plurality of light beams, which are substantially coupled into a single light beam by the light coupling device. The single light beam travels through the color wheel and the light tunnel through the light gathering device and light reflection device.
US08287136B2	Display apparatus A display apparatus is provided which, when projecting a video onto a curved surface of an object for display, can realize an undistorted display of the video. The measuring means outputs the distance information representing the distance to the object. Based on the distance information produced by the measuring means, the curved surface contour is detected with high precision. According to at least the detected curved surface contour distortions, pixels of the display image are unevenly rearranged to correct the video information before it is output. This arrangement realizes an undistorted display of video when the video is projected onto the curved surface of the object.
US08287134B2	Installation structure of sensor and projector apparatus having the same An airflow rate sensor is provided with a through hole, and a detection unit is disposed inside the through hole. The airflow rate is calculated based on the output voltage resulting from the temperature difference and the like caused in the detection unit by the air flowing through the through hole. A duct is provided with a concave portion so as to protrude from outside the duct toward the inside thereof. The airflow rate sensor is disposed in the duct so as to cover the concave portion, in which the through hole is in communication with the space in the concave portion. The concave portion has a bottom provided with an opening. Accordingly, an installation structure of a sensor for reliably sensing a flow rate and a projector apparatus having the same are provided.
US08287133B2	Image display apparatus An image display apparatus includes: a light source system that emits light having a first wavelength and a second wavelength switched with time; a light modulator that modulates the light having the first wavelength and the second wavelength emitted from the light source system; an optical path adjustment system that shifts the optical paths of the light having the first wavelength and the second wavelength modulated by the light modulator from each other; and the optical path adjustment system, wherein the optical path adjustment system includes a wavelength selecting surface that reflects the light having the first wavelength and transmits the light having the second wavelength, and mirror system disposed in such a way that the optical paths of the light having the first wavelength and the second wavelength having traveled via the wavelength selecting surface are shifted from each other.
US08287131B2	Wavelength conversion laser A wavelength conversion laser is provided with a solid-state laser having a cavity, and a wavelength converting element arranged within the cavity. The solid-state laser includes two or more types of laser crystals and oscillates solid-state laser light of multiple wavelengths. The wavelength converting element converts the solid-state laser light of multiple wavelengths into light of second harmonic waves and sum-frequency wave of multiple wavelengths and simultaneously generates the second harmonic waves and sum-frequency wave of multiple wavelengths. The wavelength conversion laser outputs converted wavelength light having a broad spectral width and low coherency, thereby enabling it to carry out highly efficient and stable high-output oscillation.
US08287127B2	Aerial three-dimensional image display systems Aspects of the present invention involve novel three-dimensional display systems. Multi-view-window-based display systems are used to generate floating three-dimensional displays. In embodiments, an optical focusing element is positioned at a distance that is greater than or equal to the focal length of the optical focusing element from the viewing windows to form projected viewing windows through which a user can see a floating 3D image. In alternative embodiments, an optical focusing element is positioned at a distance that is less than the focal length of the optical focusing element from the viewing windows to form a rear-projection-like three-dimensional display system. In embodiments, a retro-reflective light diffusion screen is used in the multi-view-window-based display systems.
US08287124B2	Opthalmic lenses having reduced base out prism The invention generally relates to a lens and the method of manufacturing progressive addition lenses (PAL) to remove unwanted base out prism and minimize excessive convergence, comprising determining basic configuration of two major lens surfaces to provide a distance portion and near portion, wherein diopter power increases from the distance portion of the lens to the near portion; selecting an amount of prism reduction; and reducing base out prism that inherently occurs as diopter power increases by altering the configuration of the lens as a function of the amount of prism reduction to minimize any disruption of optical properties a lens while decreasing base out prism.
US08287122B2	Image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus in which unintentional operation of the operation unit does not occur when sheets on which images have been formed or sheets prior to image forming or the like are placed on the top surface of the main body of the apparatus. The operation unit and a bearing are connected by a linking member. The operation unit can be disposed further forward than the carriage, so the distance between the operator and the operation unit is small, the operation is thereby made easier. The operation unit can be disposed closer to the center of the apparatus than the position of the carriage when it has moved as far as possible to the operation unit side, so the width of the whole recording apparatus can be made narrower. The operation unit rotates about a rotation shaft, so no matter what specific position the operation unit is located in, the operation unit is lower than the top surface of the apparatus main body. Therefore, when sheets on which images have been formed or sheets prior to image forming or the like are placed on the top surface of the main body of the apparatus, unintentional operation of the operation unit does not occur.
US08287120B2	Recording apparatus A recording apparatus, includes: a record head having an image formation surface which forms an image on a recording medium; a conveyance belt which conveys the recording medium to a position to face the image formation surface; a media attracting platen having a pair of electrodes, which is disposed in such a manner that the conveyance belt is sandwiched between the media attracting platen and the image formation surface; a voltage supply unit which applies a voltage to the pair of electrodes so as to attract the recording medium to the conveyance belt; and a transport unit which moves at least one of the conveyance belt and the media attracting platen so that a spacing distance between the conveyance belt and the media attracting platen is selectively switched between a first distance and a second distance longer than the first distance.
US08287116B2	Printing apparatus and method A printing apparatus for printing on a substrate comprises a first support for the substrate and a second support moveable relative to the first support. The second support supports an inkjet print head and at least one plasma source. The print head and plasma source move with the support to apply plasma to the substrate and to deposit ink on the substrate treated with the plasma.
US08287115B2	Recording apparatus and method for heating recording medium A recording apparatus is provided which includes recording means for ejecting liquid so that the liquid is recorded on a recording medium; transporting means for transporting the recording means relative to the recording medium; microwave irradiation means for irradiating microwaves to the recording medium; microwave reception means for receiving the microwaves reflected from the recording medium; and microwave irradiation control means for determining a dryness level of the recording medium based on a reception level of the microwave reception means and controlling an irradiation dose or an irradiation intensity of the microwaves irradiated by the microwave irradiation means in accordance with the dryness level.
US08287110B2	Packed liquid container and liquid container thereof A liquid container is mounted on a liquid ejecting apparatus when being used. The liquid container includes a plurality of outer surfaces, a liquid supply section that is connected to the liquid ejecting apparatus, a liquid storage chamber that is disposed on the upstream side of the liquid supply section and stores liquid, and an atmosphere introducing section that is disposed in the liquid storage chamber and introduces atmosphere into the liquid storage chamber from the outside through an atmosphere opening port as the liquid stored in the liquid storage chamber is consumed. The atmosphere opening port is exposed to a first outer surface that has the largest area among the plurality of outer surfaces.
US08287106B2	Liquid ejecting apparatus A liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting liquid from an ejection head, the liquid being supplied from a liquid supplying source, the liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a carriage having the ejection head including: a liquid channel configured for flowing the liquid from the liquid supplying source to the ejection head; a gas trap chamber which is formed in the midstream of the liquid channel and expands the width of the liquid channel; and a gas recovery chamber which is adjacent to the gas trap chamber and having a gas permeable wall between the gas recovery chamber and the gas trap chamber; a carriage driver which drives the carriage; an attachment/detachment connection which is detachably connected to the gas recovery chamber; and a depressurization unit which decreases a pressure of the gas recovery chamber to a pressure lower than that of the gas trap chamber via the attachment/detachment connection.
US08287104B2	Inkjet printhead with graded die carrier An inkjet printhead includes a die having a heating element formed thereon. The inkjet printhead also includes a graded die carrier. The graded die carrier is coupled to the die. The graded die carrier has lands that are separated by an ink slot. Each of the lands is graded such that its proximity to the die varies.
US08287102B2	Micro-droplet ejection apparatus having nozzle arrays without individual chambers and ejection method of droplets thereof A micro-droplet ejection apparatus includes a substrate, a droplet-ejecting layer, and a plurality of bubble generators. A liquid storage space is formed between the substrate and the droplet-ejecting layer. The liquid storage space has no spacer connecting the substrate and the droplet-ejecting layer. That is, the liquid storage space has no individual chambers. The droplet-ejecting layer has a plurality of through holes arranged in an array, and each through hole is used as a nozzle for pushing out ink. The plurality of bubble generators is disposed above the substrate, and corresponds to and is disposed under the through holes. The bubble generators on two sides of a designated bubble generator generate at least one limit bubble, limiting the growth of a main bubble generated by the designated bubble generator.
US08287095B2	Printhead integrated comprising through-silicon connectors A printhead integrated circuit comprising a silicon substrate defining a frontside and a backside, inkjet nozzle assemblies positioned at the frontside, drive circuitry for supplying power to the inkjet nozzle assemblies and through-silicon connectors extending from the frontside towards the backside. The through-silicon connectors provides electrical connections between the drive circuitry and corresponding integrated circuit contacts. The integrated circuit contacts are positioned for connection to a backside-mounted connector film supplying power to the drive circuitry.
US08287092B2	Printing head and ink jet printing apparatus A printing head, having symmetrically-arranged ejection openings, can suppress deterioration in image quality caused by manufacturing errors or problems in mounting accuracy thereof. Specifically, in the case the printing head inclines, for example, by 0.5 degrees at a line connecting corresponding ejection openings of ejection opening arrays relative to the scanning direction, deviations occur in the dots formed through one of the ejection opening arrays with reference to the dots formed through another ejection opening array. However, the deviations can be minimized by arranging adjacently small-ejection opening arrays for cyan and magenta with a spacing reduced between those ejection opening arrays.
US08287091B2	Inkjet printing apparatus and inkjet printing method An inkjet printing apparatus and an inkjet printing method are provided which can minimize air current disturbances that occur between the print head and the print medium and also minimize density unevenness caused by mask patterns. For this purpose, the 2-pass printing is performed such that the high printing ratio region and the low printing ratio region are alternated every pixel in the nozzle-arrayed direction and that adjoining groups of high printing ratio regions are separated from one another by a group of low printing ratio regions that forms a passage wide enough for air currents to pass through.
US08287089B2	Liquid ejection head and printing apparatus A print head is provided in which influence on ink to be ejected from an ejection port by an air flow generated by ink previously ejected from the ejection port is suppressed evenly for respective ejection ports in the print head. A print head has an ejection port for ejecting ink. On an ejection port forming face formed with the ejection port, a projection projecting from the ejection port forming face is formed. The projection is arranged at a position where the distance from a center of the ejection port is within the maximum of a diameter of a vortex core of a vortex that is formed when liquid droplets are ejected in the case without a projection.
US08287088B2	Image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance control unit that controls conveyance of a recording unit. The conveyance control unit switches a conveyance direction of the recording unit at return points on both sides of a scanning direction to reciprocate the recording unit, and controls a speed of the recording unit to a target speed until the recording unit reaches a control changeover point from the return point upstream in the conveyance direction. The target speed is set to be symmetrical in a zone in which the recording unit is shifted to a constant speed state from a start point of an image forming area and in a zone in which the recording unit reaches the end point of the image forming area from a deceleration start point.
US08287080B2	Liquid ejection apparatus, liquid ejection system, and liquid ejection method A liquid ejection apparatus, a liquid ejection system, and a liquid ejection method are achieved which allow starting and ending positions for ejecting liquid to be set appropriately. A controller is provided which executes position determination control for determining at least one of the starting position and the ending position for ejecting liquid from a moving ejection head onto a medium that is fed by a feed mechanism, wherein the position determination control by the controller differs for when ejecting the liquid from the ejection head to a region within a predetermined range from a front edge or a rear edge, in a feed direction, of the medium, and for when ejecting the liquid from the ejection head to a central region, in the feed direction, of the medium.
US08287077B2	Printhead IC having temperature based ejection A printhead IC is provided having an array of ejection nozzles, sensing circuitry for sensing temperatures of regions of the nozzle array, and drive circuitry for providing drive pulses to the nozzles to cause ejection. The drive circuitry is configured to set a different profile of the drive pulses for each region of the nozzle array in accordance with the sensed temperatures.
US08287076B2	Conveying distance control device, recording apparatus, conveying distance control method, and storage medium A conveying distance control device includes a conveying roller; a first detecting unit detecting rotational positions of the conveying roller; a line sensor sequentially detecting marks arranged on a test chart; a calculation unit, and a control unit. The calculation unit calculates a skew angle between a line passing through positions of a first mark and a second mark and a conveying direction of the conveying roller. The control unit obtains conveying distance errors indicating differences between corrected conveying distances not including errors caused by the skew angle and theoretical conveying distance of the marks in association with the rotational positions of the conveying roller, calculates a correction value for correcting a conveying distance of the conveying roller based on relationships between the conveying distance errors and the rotational positions of the conveying roller, and controls the conveying distance of the conveying roller based on the correction value.
US08287073B2	Method for detecting an operating state of a fluid chamber of an inkjet print head In a method for detecting an operating state of at least one fluid chamber of an inkjet print head, after having generated a pressure wave in the fluid chamber, a resulting pressure wave in the fluid chamber is detected. A detection signal corresponding to the detected pressure wave is then generated and a state indicator is determined from the detection signal using a wavelet window, the state indicator being suitable for deriving an operating state of the fluid chamber. This method enables reliable state detection. In an embodiment, it is enabled to perform the state detection between subsequent droplet ejections, thereby obtaining a highly reliable inkjet process.
US08287071B2	Inkjet recording apparatus An inkjet recording apparatus including a recording head having a nozzle, a pressure chamber, and a pressure generation section; and a drive signal generator which generates a drive signal for applying at least one drive pulse, wherein the apparatus ejects the ink droplet from the nozzle by applying the drive signal to activate the pressure generation section, wherein the drive signal generator generates the drive signal within one pixel period in chronological order including a first expansion pulse to expand the volume of the pressure chamber, a contraction pulse, and a second expansion pulse, and wherein a contraction pulse width is 0.1 AL through 0.5 AL, where AL represents a half of an acoustic resonance period of the pressure chamber, and \|Von\|/\|Voff\| is 1.3 through 10, where Von and Voff respectively represent drive voltages of the first expansion pulse and the contraction pulse.
US08287065B2	Recording apparatus A recording apparatus includes: a recording head that performs recording on a recording target medium; a driving mechanism that is capable of causing the recording head to move closer to the recording target medium or move away from the recording target medium; and a controlling section that determines driving amount for one driving operation that is performed by the driving mechanism on the basis of results of a comparison made between a first recording head movement direction that is taken or to be taken in the one driving operation and a second recording head movement direction that was taken in another driving operation that is immediately before the one driving operation and thus precedes the one driving operation.
US08287063B2	Intelligent waterless printing and dyeing control equipment and control method thereof The invention relates to an intelligent waterless printing and dyeing control equipment and a control method thereof. The equipment comprise of: a control apparatus consisting of a programmable logic controller and a superior monitor computer and a robot, wherein, the programmable logic controller communicates with the superior monitor computer via MPI bus, receiving control signal coming from an operating panel and the robot via digitals input module for transmitting the control command to the robot, connecting with the dye conveyer apparatus and the printing and dyeing apparatus via the digitals output module; the superior monitor computer communicates with the servo controllers via CAN bus. The method includes the following steps that setting up Y-axis in cloth operational direction and X-axis in the direction which is perpendicular to the cloth operational direction to establish a plane of printing and dyeing; setting up two electronic cams which use a same virtual main shaft in the servo controllers; downloading edited jet painting formulation from the superior monitor computer into the servo controllers; completing the jet painting operation through the electronic cams. The invention achieves a purpose of screen-free, waterless and intellectualization, and has properties of an environment protection and reducing production cost due to no consumption of fresh water.
US08287061B2	Refrigerator and control method thereof A refrigerator and a method of controlling the refrigerator are provided. A home bar door is closed when external pressure is applied to the home bar door in a state where the home bar door is opened.
US08287058B2	Computer case A computer case includes a first fixing board, a second fixing board and a fixing module. The first fixing board and the second fixing board form a space for inserting a removable device. The second fixing board includes a hole. When the removable device is inserted into the space, the hole of the second fixing board can be aligned with a fixing aperture of the removable device. The fixing module includes a U-shaped spring and a spring holder. A fixing segment is disposed at one end of the U-shaped spring. When the U-shaped spring is placed in a spring trough of the spring holder and the fixing module is fixed on the second fixing board, the fixing segment is moved with the rotating of the U-shaped spring in the spring trough to be inserted into or removed from the fixing aperture of the removable device.
US08287057B2	Locking system for furniture drawers Locking system for furniture drawers, including a rivet attached to the drawer which operates a locking device, all these locking devices are correlated through a base-plate fitted to the piece of furniture. The drawers have a height (H) such that this is a multiple of a predetermined dimension (d1). Each locking device includes a rocker, for actuation by the rivet, incorporated in a one-piece element bearing a surface cam for the rivet and a T-shaped back projection for sliding thereof in the base-plate. The height (m) of the one-piece element is such that the predetermined quantity (d1) is a multiple of said height (m); in such a way that the one-piece elements of the system interlock. The rivet is positioned at a distance (Z) from the side that is a multiple of the height (m) of the one-piece element.
US08287053B2	Motorcycle including brake-by-wire system with flexibly supported fluid pressure regulating unit In a brake system for a motorcycle in which the operation of a pressure-regulating unit interposed between fluid pressure generator and a wheel brake is controlled by a control unit on the basis of a value detected by operating amount detector for detecting an operating amount of a brake operating element, to prevent the influence of vibrations transmitted from an engine from being exerted on the pressure-regulating unit. A support member for supporting the pressure-regulating unit is flexibly supported, though elastic members, by a pair of frame sections which are arranged on both the left and right sides of an engine body and by a crossmember which connects both the frame sections to each other on the rear side of the engine body so as to constitute a part of a body frame F together with the frame sections.
US08287051B2	Method of quarrying dimensional stone, and line drilling apparatus A method of quarrying dimensional stone and a line drilling apparatus used therein. The drilling apparatus is frameless and comprises a first boom and a second boom, between which is arranged a joint mechanism, allowing the booms to be moved relative to each other. Furthermore, in connection with the joint mechanism is arranged a stone support adaptable against the stone once the drilling apparatus is coarse-positioned in the vicinity of a drill hole line. Fine positioning of the drilling apparatus in the direction of the drill hole line is performed by joints comprised by the joint mechanism. Positioning at drill holes takes place by turning the second boom along an arched motion path and by turning the drilling unit towards the stone to be drilled.
US08287047B2	Vehicle seat and vehicle seat evaluation method A vehicle seat allowing to improve a vibration absorption characteristic, securing a stable seating posture, having high vehicle operability, and allowing to alleviate fatigue due to long time seating. In a seat cushion of a vehicle seat, a first human body support portion having a center at a position corresponding to a substantially center between the pair of ischial tuberosities of a human body, and a second human body support portion corresponding to the vicinities of femoral bases of a human body and having a center at a position located forward at a horizontal distance of 100 mm along a longitudinally center line of the seat cushion from the first human body support portion are regarded respectively as spring elements, and static spring constants and dynamic spring constants thereof are set to a predetermined relationship. Thus, stability and vibration absorbency during static seating are improved.
US08287046B1	Easy-to-assemble/recycle armrest An armrest includes a base and an arm support. The base has a connecting portion and an installing portion. A first surface at an end of the connecting portion is opposite to the installing portion. The arm support is adapted to assemble with the base, and the arm support is pivotable with respect to the base. The arm support includes a second surface abutting the first surface, with a cavity defined in one of the first and second surfaces. An engaging member is pivotally received in the cavity in a single pivoting direction from an unlocked position to a locked position. The arm support is fixed to the base in the locked position.
US08287045B1	Head restraint for a vehicle child seat A head restraint for a vehicle child seat includes an elastic head band, at least two head support straps, a first attachment strap and a second attachment strap. An inner perimeter of the elastic head band is sized to firmly fit around a child's head. One end of each head support strap is attached to one side of the elastic head band and the other end is attached to an opposing side of the elastic head band. One end of the first attachment strap is attached to one side of the elastic head band and one end of the second attachment strap is attached to an opposing side of the elastic head band. First and second releasable attachment devices are formed on the first and second attachment straps. First and second mating releasable attachment devices are preferably attached to opposing sides of a vehicle child seat.
US08287042B1	Shopping cart seat A foldable shopping cart seat includes a back with a hook extending between columns for hanging the back on a shopping cart front. Side rails slidably disposed along corresponding columns and downwardly extendable therefrom support a seat having parallel front and back rails with a pliable material extending therebetween. Scissor-like cross pieces extend between a front and back rail of the seat and are pivotably attached thereto for enabling the seat to fold against the back for carrying the shopping cart seat to and from a retail store and supporting the seat on the floor adjacent a shopping cart front.
US08287041B2	Disposable chair covers A folding chair cover comprised of first and second sheets of non-woven fabric attached together along strategically sized and shaped respective edges thereof. The non-woven sheets are cut from bolts of non-woven fabric in such a manner as to effectively use the least amount of non-woven material in the creation of the covers.
US08287038B2	Extendable stroller shade A stroller or carseat shade is formed from a fabric having a middle section tapered on two sides. Rod tunnels run from a first taper across the middle section to a second taper. An elastic section is formed to wrap around and cling to an existing canopy on a stroller or car seat. The shade is symmetrical relative to a front to back axis. Fasteners are positioned at a series of overlapping stop positions parallel to the front to back axis.
US08287037B2	Erroneous operation preventing device and stowable vehicle seat A seat is provided having an erroneous operation preventing device in which a braking member secured to a strap is locked to regulate a folding operation in a stowing operation that includes an opening portion for guiding the strap to the seat back rear face side, a rotating member that is brought into contact with the strap, a pair of first brackets and upstanding separately on both sides of the opening portion and supporting the both end portion sides of the rotating member from above, a pair of connecting members and supporting both end portion sides of the rotating members from below while being urged toward the first brackets and side, and a movable member rotatably supported by the second bracket secured to the seat back side and connected to the connecting member. The movable member includes locking portions that lock the braking member and protrudes in a rotating direction.
US08287034B2	Magnetic fastener clip A magnetic fastener clip includes a base and a boss attached to the base. The boss has two or more ratchets. According to one embodiment, one end of the boss is attached to the base and the other end has the two or more ratchets. Alternatively, either or both ends may have the two or more ratchets. A magnetic fastener has a hole with suitable shape and diameter to adjustably fasten with at least one of the ratchets and adjustably fasten the magnetic fastener. An umbrella is positioned between the base and the magnetic fastener. The umbrella is operative to flex or compress appropriately to permit the magnetic fastener to engage at least one of the two or more ratchets. The magnetic fastener clip adapts to different surface curvatures and thicknesses. The magnetic fastener clip is operative for blind attachment into a structure, such as a vehicle chassis i.e. door frame, chassis or roof. The boss may optionally be welded to hold the magnetic fastener against the umbrella. An optional carrier is attached to the base to provide additional height for suitable applications.
US08287032B2	Vehicle lower body structure A vehicle lower body structure includes a cross member that extends in the vehicle-width direction, that defines part of a vehicle compartment, and that includes a first cross member which is formed of a plate member and a second cross member which is formed of a plate member and which is provided at a position closer to the rear of a vehicle than the first cross member, the first cross member and the second cross member facing each other. A plurality of closed section portions is formed by the first cross member and the second cross member. The closed section portions are connected to each other via a portion at which the first cross member and the second cross member are continuously overlapped with each other.
US08287026B2	Tarping system for open top containers A relatively lightweight tarping system for use with trailers or other open top containers includes first and second spaced frame members and an elongated flexible member such as a cable or chain connected to and extending therebetween. A tarpaulin may be mounted thereon so that the frame members, flexible member and tarpaulin are pivotable between a covered position atop the open top container and an uncovered position. A four-bar linkage is preferably used in combination with a rotational drive mechanism to provide various advantages in rotating the tarpaulin assembly between the covered and uncovered positions. A width adjustment mechanism is provided to provide usage with trailers or other open top containers of different widths. An improved seal is provided between the tarpaulin and container.
US08287019B1	Roll container A container for a roll of sheet metal material that includes a partially circular base and oppositely disposed end walls that are integrally formed with the base and that define with the base an open channel in which the roll of material is to be placed. An elongated slot is provided along the base and dimensioned so as to receive an end of the roll of sheet material for dispensing through the slot. An elastic cord is attached at opposite sides of the base and extend about the roll of material for holding the roll of material in the open channel.
US08287014B2	Utility location shovel According to one embodiment, a shovel for excavating material within a utility location includes a blade made from a non-metal material. The blade has an overall thickness and a leading edge with a blunt surface and a beveled surface. The overall thickness of the blade includes a combined thickness of the blunt and beveled surfaces. The thickness of the blunt surface is between about 25% and about 75% of the overall thickness of the blade. The shovel also includes a neck coupled to the blade, as well as a handle coupled to the neck.
US08287013B2	Impact absorbing member for vehicle Of side wall portions (60a, 60b) of a tubular body portion (52) mainly constituting an impact absorbing member (50), a wider side wall portion (60a) on the vehicle inner side is provided with a projecting rib (70) projects outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the body portion. The projecting rib (70) extends from an axial end (52a) adjacent to a mounting plate (54) and parallel to the axial direction of the body portion. Therefore, even when an impact load is applied to the impact absorbing member (50) in an oblique direction with respect to the vehicle to generate a moment load, the existence of the projecting rib (70) prevents the impact absorbing member from falling down laterally. Accordingly, excellent impact-absorbing properties are stably obtained. The projecting rib (70) is formed not to reach the load input side, i.e., the axial end (52b) adjacent to a mounting plate (56), where collapse starts. Therefore, no load increase occurs in a crash initial stage to well maintain impact-energy-absorbing properties.
US08287012B2	Bumper reinforcement for vehicles The present invention relates to a bumper reinforcement for vehicles having a fixing portion 11 to be fixed to a vehicle structural member at a part of the bumper reinforcement in a longitudinal direction. The bumper reinforcement is constituted by an integrally molded product obtained by deforming a hollow extruded product by plastic working. When the fixing portion 11 and vicinities thereof is defined as a reinforced portion 1, light-weighted portion 21s and 22 smaller in second moment of area and cross-sectional area than the reinforced portion 1 are provided at least part of a non-reinforced portion constituted by a portion other than the reinforced portion. This makes it possible to decrease the number of parts and trim the weight while securing strength.
US08287001B2	Releasing mud flap hanger A releasing hanger for mud flaps for trucks includes a rotatable release bar supported on a support plate and having flap lugs for supporting a mud flap. A tension spring encircling the release bar cooperates with retaining pins mounted on the releasing bar to yieldingly hold the release bar in a rotatable position at which the flap legs extend outwardly from the support plate. Under a modified embodiment, the retaining pins are releasably held by a bracket having resilient legs.
US08286994B2	Head airbag module A head airbag module for a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger automobile, is provided with a head airbag and a receptacle, which receives the folded head airbag. The head airbag having a gas channel and an airbag, and the head airbag module being implemented so that the head airbag is essentially completely freed from the receptacle by filling of the gas channel, before the airbag is filled.
US08286991B2	Member for restricting expansion of curtain airbag and structure of portion where curtain airbag is mounted A development restricting member is configured to include a fixing section attachable to a body of a vehicle above the pillar garnish, a holding section opposing to the fixing section, and a middle connecting section connecting a lower end part of the fixing section and a lower end part of the holding section, wherein an upstanding section is provided in a middle part of a base end part and a top end part of the holding section to extend toward the fixing section, so that a folded curtain airbag is housed so as to be surrounded by the fixing section, the holding section, and the upstanding section.
US08286989B2	Retractable braking device for snowboards A snowboard includes an elongate board member having an upper surface, a bottom surface and a pair of lateral edges. A footbrake is pivotally mounted to the upper surface of the board member by a pivot rod and is pivotable between a raised and undeployed position and a lowered and deployed position. A footbrake retractor attached to the footbrake urges the foot brake toward the raised and undeployed position. A pair of lateral brake paddles are operatively connected to the footbrake and extend beyond the lateral edges of the board member. When the footbrake is in the lowered and deployed position, the pair of lateral brake paddles extend below the bottom surface of the board member. A footbrake conversion kit and method for converting a conventional snowboard into a snowboard with a footbrake are also provided.
US08286982B2	Bicycle suspension system The present invention relates to a suspension system for a bicycle of the type that comprises: a frame (1); a front fork (6) comprising a front damper (8); a swing arm (16) hinged to the frame (1) and a rear damper (25); and at least one shock sensor (30), said sensor (30) being connected to a monitoring unit (28) controlling the front damper (8) and/or rear damper (25) on the basis of the signal sent by said sensor (30); said system is noteworthy in that the front damper (8) and/or rear damper (25) is a variable-compression damper that has at least three positions, an open position in which compression is greatest, a closed position in which compression is zero, and a so-called medium position; and in that it has, as a minimum, means for detecting pedaling called pedaling sensors (29) connected to the monitoring unit (28) which, when pedaling is not detected by the pedaling sensor (29), sets the damper (8, 25) compression command to the open position and, when pedaling is detected by the pedaling sensor (29), sets the damper (8, 25) compression command to one of its three positions, open, closed or medium, on the basis of the shock detection signal.
US08286980B2	Trailing arm type suspension A trailing arm type suspension improves the handling (driving stability) and the response (driving response) of an automobile by increasing the installation rigidity of a suspension member to a vehicle body frame. In the trailing arm type suspension including a pair of right and left trailing arms which extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction, a reinforcing bar for connecting a suspension member in the vehicle rear side of the trailing arm to a connecting part of a vehicle body frame in the vehicle front side of the suspension member, is disposed between a fuel tank and the trailing arm, and the reinforcing bar and the trailing arm overlap each other as viewed from the side of the vehicle.
US08286976B2	Rider platform for self-propelled vehicle A self-propelled vehicle comprises a frame and a platform pivotally mountable to a rear portion of the vehicle frame. The platform is pivotally movable between a first position in which the platform extends generally horizontally from the rear portion of the frame to support a rider during operation of the vehicle, and a second position in which the platform is removably secured in a generally upright position adjacent the rear portion of the frame to enable walk-behind operation of the vehicle.
US08286973B1	Animal imitating tricycle A non-motorized tricycle including: a animal imitating shell for supporting a rider; two front wheels and one rear wheel; a steering means pivotally supported by frame; A pedal-crank provided with a pedal linked to a driving-crank by a transmitting-rod; a long-arm crank secured to a driving-crank at one end and pivoted with a kicking-rod at other end; a one-way driving-wheel provided at lower end of the kicking-rod. While a rider pedals down pedals, the kicking-rod would kick backward and push the vehicle to move forward.
US08286972B2	Low-vibration tool holder The present invention relates to a low-vibration tool holder (1) with a tool holder base body (2, 3, 4, 6) and a tensioning arrangement (5) which provides axial tensioning of the tool holder base body (2, 3, 4, 6) and which is simultaneously tensioned in a radially flexible way with respect to the tool holder base body (2, 3, 4, 6). This tool holder (1) is less susceptible to vibration than previously known tool holders, which ensures better true running even during operation and in particular when heat-induced expansion of materials occurs, since the clamping arrangement (5) which is integrated in the tool holder (1) is continuously centered with respect to the tool holder base body (2, 3, 4, 6). Furthermore, such a tool holder (1), in particular within a modular design, can be adapted very flexibly to different types of tools and workpiece machining processes.
US08286968B2	Adjustable projectile target The present invention is an adjustable projectile target that includes a support structure that can hold a body portion of the target at various angular positions with regard to the support structure. The support structure allows the body portion to be rotated along both a vertical and a horizontal axis to provide a variety of target profiles for the body portion to simulate for the individual shots taken from various elevations and distances from the target animal.
US08286963B2	Sheet handling apparatus A sheet handling apparatus comprises a switchback path including a switchback section, and a straight path that bypasses the switchback section. The controller of the sheet handling apparatus detects the conveyance-directional length of a sheet assigned to the switchback section, using a length sensor, and also detects the sheet conveyance rate of each path, thereby controlling a switchback roller based on the detection results.
US08286960B2	Recording apparatus and recording method A recording apparatus includes a conveying roller and an ejection roller for conveying a recording medium. The recording apparatus also includes a controller which controls the conveying roller and the ejection roller. The controller selectively performs a conveyance control process for the rollers when the recording medium leaves the conveying roller.
US08286959B2	Sheet processing apparatus A sheet processing apparatus of the present invention includes a post-processing unit provided inside a housing and configured to perform post-processing on sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus, a sheet discharge unit configured to guide sheets having undergone post-processing to a discharge port, a paper discharge tray configured to accommodate sheets discharged from the discharge port and allowed to ascend and descend within a specific height range lower than the discharge port, and a sheet member disposed directly below the discharge port and configured to move along a wall surface of the housing in association with ascending and descending of the paper discharge tray and receive rear ends of the sheets accommodated in the paper discharge tray, a width of a receiving portion thereof in a height direction varying with a quantity of the sheets accommodated in the paper discharge tray.
US08286958B2	Spine formation device, post-processing apparatus, spine formation system, and spine formation method An spine formation device includes a sheet conveyer that conveys the bundle of folded sheets in a sheet conveyance direction with a folded portion of the bundle forming front end portion thereof, first and second sandwiching units disposed downstream from the sheet conveyer, a contact member disposed downstream from the second sandwiching unit, against which the folded portion of a bundle of folded sheets is pressed, and a controller. The controller stops the sheet conveyer after the bundle is transported a predetermined distance from a contact position between the contact member and the folded portion of the bundle, causing the bundle to bulge, and causes the first and second sandwiching units to squeeze the bulging of the bundle of folded sheets in a thickness direction sequentially with the folded portion of the bundle pressed against the contact member to form a spine of the bundle.
US08286952B2	Vapor distributor for gas-liquid contacting columns A vapor distributor for use in atmospheric or vacuum columns includes a new design of vapor inlet device, or vapor horn, to provide superior mixing and distribution of a tangential first feed and a vertical second feed. New vapor inlet device has an inlet dividing the first feed into two portions, each flowing in respective housings in opposed circulation directions, and a plurality of vanes for redirection of vapor. Mixing and distribution of feeds by the vapor distributor is further enhanced by inclusion in vapor distributor of a mixer and vapor directing plates.
US08286948B2	Railing system The railing system comprises at least one elongated rail having a plurality of spaced-apart openings. It also has a plurality of elongated pickets having opposite ends, each picket having at least one end provided with at least two spaced-apart retaining tabs initially extending lengthwise and configured to be inserted through a corresponding one of the openings of the rail. The tabs of the pickets are outwardly bendable to rigidly connect the pickets to the rail. This type of connection can be quickly achieved and lowers the manufacturing costs of railing systems.
US08286942B2	Portable lifting apparatus A portable lifting apparatus includes a base having a portability system rendering the apparatus movable along a surface; a lift arm connected to the base; a deck to support an object, and being moveably engaged with the lift arm via a lifting system that is adapted to lift the deck along a portion of the lift arm; and a hitch connector, connected to the deck, and adapted to hitch the apparatus to a vehicle hitch receiver. When the apparatus is not hitched, the lifting system can lift the object from a first position to a second position; and when the apparatus is hitched, the lifting system can lift the apparatus above the surface.
US08286941B2	Ring for aerosol dispenser valve A ring for disposing around a valve body of an aerosol dispenser valve that is mounted by a fastener element, such as a crimpable capsule, on a reservoir containing substance to be dispensed, the ring having an outer portion and an inner portion that cooperate with the valve body, and the outer portion having a deformable axial wall portion that extends towards the bottom of the reservoir and that is capable of deforming elastically in a radially-inward direction.
US08286936B2	Closable male luer connector A closable male luer connector is provided in which an inner portion within the spigot of the connector is movable from a sealing position to an open position on connection of the connector to a female luer connector wherein the movement of the inner portion may be caused by, for example, action of the female connector on a projecting arm or a screw thread arrangement.

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