Document Document Title
US07692565B2 Systems and methods for performing off-chip data communications at a high data rate
An electronic device is described. The electronic device includes a first integrated circuit (IC) and a second integrated circuit (IC). The electronic device also includes a multiplexer configured to multiplex a parallel data signal into a serial data signal, and a transmitter configured to transmit the serial data signal from the first IC to the second IC. The electronic device further includes a receiver configured to receive the serial data signal. The receiver includes a clamp circuit configured to clamp the voltage swing of an analog node within a determined range. The clamp also helps to extend the bandwidth of the receiver.
US07692563B2 Multiple differential transmission system including signal transmitter and signal receiver connected via three signal lines
In a signal transmitter for a multiple differential transmission system including a signal transmitter and a signal receiver connected via three signal lines, first and second differential drivers generate first and second output signals of bipolar four values and having a first signal voltage level, and inverted first and second output signals, responsive to first and second bit information signals. A third differential driver generates a third output signal of bipolar four values having a second signal voltage level, and an inverted third output signal, responsive to a third bit information signal. The first output signal and the inverted third output signal are combined and transmitted to the first signal line, the second output signal and the inverted first output signal are combined and transmitted to the second signal line, and the third output signal and the inverted second output signal are combined and transmitted to the third signal line.
US07692561B2 Method and apparatus for data decompression in the presence of memory hierarchies
A method for decompressing a stream of a compressed data packet includes determining whether first data of a data-dictionary for a first decompression copy operation is located in a history buffer on a remote memory or a local memory, and when it is determined that the first data is located in the remote memory, stalling the first decompression copy operation, performing a second decompression operation using second data that is located in the history buffer on the local memory and fetching the first data from the remote memory to the history buffer on the local memory. The method further includes performing the first decompression operation using the first data in the history buffer on the local memory.
US07692556B2 Adapter for a meter
An adapter is interposed between a standard resource meter and its socket, to provide RF-capabilities. Communications between meter and adapter are effected by optical technology. The adapter has emergency battery back-up capabilities.
US07692555B2 Powering a wireless system from preexisting power
A system is described for powering a wirelessly controlled electric system, such as a sound or security system, via a preexisting power source within an existing building structure. The wirelessly controlled electric system may receive power from the preexisting power source via an adaptor that may be inserted between the preexisting power source and at least one preexisting electric device. The wirelessly controlled electric system may also include a switch for directing the supply of power from the preexisting power source to the preexisting electric device. An electric system controller may direct the operation of the wirelessly controlled electric system. The electric system controller may also direct the switch between a conducting and a non-conducting state to supply power from the preexisting power source to the preexisting electric device.
US07692554B2 Sound generating device
A sound generating device for invalid apparatus as herein defined comprises a monitoring circuit and an audible output device for outputting an audible indication corresponding to the status and/or relative proximity of the in use apparatus monitored by the monitoring circuit. Body soaking apparatus, a seat, a handle, and invalid apparatus having such a sound generating device are also provided.
US07692553B2 Leak detecting system for rotating union
An integrated leak detection system for a rotating union provides improved leak detection and user convenience. In an embodiment of the invention, the system provides a leak detection sensor located within the union, and in an embodiment of the invention the detection sensor is located beyond a back-up seal system. In an embodiment of the invention, the sensor and processing electronics are integral to the union housing. In yet another embodiment of the invention, the detection sensor is substantially symmetrically configured to detect leakage into a protected area regardless of orientation of the union. In an embodiment of the invention, the fluid being conveyed is electrically conductive and the detection sensor comprises an electrical conductivity sensor.
US07692550B2 Method and system for detecting operator alertness
A method and system for detecting operator alertness of an operator of a vehicle or machine comprises an image collection system. The image collection system collects reference position data and reference motion data associated with an operator, or a portion thereof, when the operator is in an alert state. An image, processor determines observed position data and observed motion data of one or more points of a three dimensional representation of the operator during a time interval. An analyzer sends an alert signal to alert the operator if a detected angular shift of one or more reference points of the representation exceeds at feast one of a displacement threshold and a motion threshold.
US07692548B2 Method and system for detecting operator alertness
A method and system for detecting operator alertness of an operator of a vehicle or machine comprises an image collection system. The image collection system collects reference motion data associated with an operator representation when the operator is in an alert state. An image processor determines observed motion data of one or more points of a three dimensional representation of the operator during a time interval. An analyzer sends an alert signal to alert the operator if a detected angular shift of one or more points of the representation exceed a displacement threshold.
US07692547B2 Method and apparatus for protecting culinary products
A microwave-resistant and waterproof security tag for use with food products, especially meat products. The security tag includes a pair of single, open loop conductive traces in between which is disposed a similarly-shaped dielectric layer. This combination is encapsulated within plastic membranes or covers that are sealed at their common edges. The preferred embodiment includes rectangularly-shaped single, open loop conductive traces with rounded corners and with one end of each trace forming a capacitor plate. The width of each trace is at least 1/10 of the length of the security tag.
US07692546B2 Antenna for a backscatter-based RFID transponder
An antenna is provided for a backscatter-based RFID transponder with an integrated receiving circuit, having a capacitive input impedance, for receiving a radio signal lying spectrally within an operating frequency range, whereby the antenna has two antenna arms, which extend outwardly in a spiral from a central area, in which the antenna arms can be connected to the integrated receiving circuit. According to the invention, each antenna arm has an arm length along the arm, which is selected so that one of the series resonance frequencies of the antenna is below the operating frequency range and the next higher parallel resonance frequency of the antenna is above the operating frequency range. The invention relates furthermore to a backscatter-based RFID transponder with an antenna of this type.
US07692544B2 System configuration management apparatus
In configuration management for a system constituted by a plurality of components, each of which has a radio frequency identification tag attached, the operating condition of each component is checked and component information of each component recorded in the radio frequency identification tag is read out by a tag reader at a predetermined opportune time. Then, the check result of the operating condition and the readout component information are recorded for each component.
US07692543B2 Antenna for a combination EAS/RFID tag with a detacher
A security device detaches a combination electronic article surveillance (EAS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (EAS/RFID tag), and includes a detacher (magnet) to selectively disengage a clutch release disposed in a first portion of the combination EAS/RFID tag, a near field antenna configured to electronically read information stored in a second portion of the combination EAS/RFID tag. The antenna encircles the detacher and reads information from the second portion of the combination EAS/RFID tag at a position relative to the detacher when the second portion of the tag is disposed at any angle relative to the detacher and only when the detacher is positioned to disengage the clutch release. As long as the portion of the EAS/RFID tag containing the clutch end mechanism is located over the detaching magnet, the RFID label is in a valid detection zone regardless of its orientation relative to the antenna.
US07692539B2 Automated mechanical integrity verification
A process transmitter for sensing a process variable of a process fluid includes a process sensor, transmitter circuitry, a transmitter housing and a transmitter mounting component. The process sensor senses the process variable of the process fluid and the transmitter circuitry processes a signal from the process sensor. The transmitter housing receives the process sensor and transmitter circuitry, and the transmitter mounting component isolates the sensor or the transmitter circuitry from the process fluid or external environment. The mechanical integrity sensor validates assembly of the transmitter housing and transmitter mounting component.
US07692536B2 System and method of generating recommendations using an RFID-enabled recommendation system
A RFID-enabled recommendation system and related method utilizing information from RFID tags of products (e.g., foodstuffs) to generate recommendations regarding said products. In accordance with one aspect, a server generates recommendations based on product-specific information sent from a RFID tag.
US07692535B2 Lighting control system for control dependent on weather condition
A vehicle lighting control system is disclosed that includes a weather detecting device for detecting a weather condition and a degree thereof. The lighting control system also includes a control device for controlling the light emitting apparatus based on the weather condition and the degree of the weather condition.
US07692534B2 Driving operation support system and method
In deviation prevention support ECU 10 in driving operation support system 1, an applied torque by steering torque applier 17 is set based on a vehicle speed of a vehicle. The applied torque is set to increase with increase of the vehicle speed. An upper limit according to the vehicle speed is set for this applied torque. Furthermore, in a Start interval in application of the applied torque, a rate of increasing to reach a maximum is determined according to the maximum of the applied torque. In a close interval, the applied torque is decreased at a rate different from that in the Start interval, and the absolute rate of increasing the torque in the Start interval is set to be larger than the absolute rate of decreasing the torque in the close interval.
US07692533B2 Security for navigation system and garage door opener
A method of operating a security system using a vehicle and preventing access to a vehicle system and to a vehicle garage may entail monitoring a security condition of the vehicle with a vehicle electronic control unit (“ECU”). Upon detecting an unsecure condition, such as a vibration, an alarm may sound and then the ECU may deactivate a vehicle system, such as a navigation system, to prevent access to personal or business addresses. Further, devices such as garage door openers in the vehicle and an in-garage, garage door opener may be disabled by satellite, cell tower, wire or direct wireless communication between the ECU and the device to be disabled. Silencing the vehicle alarm and reactivating all garage door openers and the navigation system may be accomplished by turning a key within an exterior vehicle lock or entering a code into the navigation system.
US07692530B2 Identification and tracking of information stored on radio frequency identification devices
A method and apparatus for detecting and tracking an object within a defined area, and determining its position, status, movement and identity therein, includes interrogating the defined area to communicate with an information device associated with an object and transmit information received to a master controller unit, which determines the object's presence, position, status, movement and identity within the defined area. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.
US07692528B2 Rotary electronic component
A rotary electronic component is capable of preventing misalignment of another component placed in its hollow portion and maintaining the quality of an electronic device on which to mount the rotary electronic component. The rotary electronic component has an approximately annular shape with a hollow portion. The other component placed inside the hollow portion is positioned by the positioning member formed inside the hollow portion.
US07692527B2 Common mode choke coil
A common mode choke coil is provided with first and second coil conductors that are magnetically coupled to each other, a third coil conductor that is electrically connected in series to the first coil conductor and substantially not magnetically coupled to the first coil conductor, a fourth coil conductor that is electrically connected in series to the second coil conductor and substantially not magnetically coupled to the second coil conductor, a first contact conductor for connecting the third coil conductor with the inner end of the first coil conductor, and a second contact conductor for connecting the fourth coil conductor with the inner end of the second coil conductor. The third coil conductor and the fourth coil conductor are substantially not magnetically coupled, and are in a linear symmetrical relationship based on a prescribed center line.
US07692526B2 Inductive component and method for the manufacture of such a component
An inductive component (0) has a conductor (1) with a non-rectangular cross section and is used for conducting a current, and at least one planar terminal lead (4) for feeding or discharging the current to or from the conductor (1). The conductor (1) and the terminal lead (4) are interconnected in the area of a joining section (3) of the conductor (1) so as to form a conductor arrangement. The conductor (1) is provided with a flat cross section in the area of the joining section (3) while a flat area of the joining section (3) of the conductor (1) is connected to a flat area of the terminal lead (4).
US07692522B2 Method and device for the safe operation of a switching device
A method and device are disclosed for safely operating a switching device with at least one main contact, which can be switched on or off, and which has contact elements and a moving contact bridge, and with at least one control magnet, which has a moving armature. During switching on and off, the armature acts upon the contact bridge whereby closing and opening the corresponding main contact. At least one embodiment of the method includes the following: a) identifying whether the moving contact bridge of the at least one main contact has surpassed an opening point after the switching off; and b) interrupting the further operation of the switching device when the opening point has not been surpassed after a predetermined period of time.
US07692521B1 High force MEMS device
Problems with the short lifetime of MEMS devices, low actuation forces, contaminant build-up on contacts, etc. are minimized by a MEMS device with an improved cantilever design that enables high force while maintaining large gaps. The improved cantilever design both allows for high force and fast switching while minimizing damage to contacts. The improved design can be fabricated on one or two substrates, which are bonded together with a seal ring to provide a packaged MEMS device.
US07692518B2 Compact broadband non-contacting transmission line junction having inter-fitted elements
A transmission line junction for a coaxial conductor line has mating ends of interfitting cores, sleeves, and dielectrics for communicating broadband signals through the junction that blocks DC currents and voltages, the junction maintaining a quarter wavelength junction length for high frequency coupling while providing improved low frequency coupling across the junction.
US07692517B2 Oscillator with acoustic surface wave resonators
An oscillator or a sensor comprising a unit including two frequency determining elements each of which comprises at least one interdigital converter for acoustic surface waves and a back-coupling circuit comprising an amplifier, wherein the frequency determining elements are distinguished by a temperature dependence of a synchronous frequency. The frequency determining elements are embodied in the form of acoustic surface wave resonators, and the temperature coefficients of n-th order of the synchronous frequency of the two acoustic surface wave resonators have different sings if they are not equal to zero and the temperature coefficients of (n+1st) order of the synchronous frequency of the two acoustic surface wave resonators have the same sign and the temperature coefficients from the first order to (n-1st) order of the synchronous frequency of the two acoustic surface wave resonators are equal to zero if n is greater than 1, wherein n being equal to or greater than 1, c) the ratio between the converter openings and the ratio between the lengths in the direction perpendicular to the edge teeth of the converter and to strips of the object reflectors having different frequency determining elements which are assembled in one unit are selected in such a way that the oscillator frequency variation is minimum within the range of given temperatures.
US07692514B2 Linear antenna switch arm
A linear antenna switch arm comprising a plurality of field effect transistors connected in series, the drain of each transistor being connected to the source of the next transistor at a join, the end source comprising one of a signal input or output port and the end drain comprising the complementary signal output port or input port; a signal line extending between the input and output ports; at least one of the joins being connected to the signal line at a node by a connection line; the signal line comprising at least one resistor between signal input and output ports; and the connection line comprising at least one resistor.
US07692513B2 Acoustic surface wave filter module and method of manufacturing the same
In order to reduce the parts required for matching of an SAW filter module, the SAW filter module 10 obtains matching for coupling SAW filters 10A to 10D with RF-IC 20 using impedance matching circuits 11A to 11D. The real part of output impedance Z saw of the SAW filter is closely matched with the real part of input impedance Zic of an RF-IC. The impedance matching circuit modifies the imaginary part of the output impedance Zm of the SAW filter module according to the imaginary part of the input impedance Zic of the RF-IC 20. The impedance matching circuit composed of one piece of inductance or capacitor, or a plurality of inductors or capacitors in parallel connection, ans formed as a print pattern on a module substrate, in which the real part R saw and the real part Ric are in a relation nearly of 0.8 Ric
US07692510B2 Integral variable termination for alarm system devices
Disclosed is a system for quickly and easily installing end-of-line termination devices at the end of alarm system signal circuits. The termination devices in this invention are both variable and integral to the housing of the alarm system devices. Each alarm system device is constructed with a receptacle at the point of protection, in which may be placed a cartridge, jumper, or similar device on-site to terminate the communication signal. The various embodiments of the invention include a set of devices at discrete values or a variable device to complete each protection loop.
US07692508B2 Spring loaded microwave interconnector
A spring loaded microwave interconnector (SLMI). The SLMI includes a waveguide probe head having a first side and opposite thereto a second side, the sides transverse to a central axis. A spring loaded coax central conductor coupled to the probe head first side and provides a distal conductive tip. The coax central conductor extends along the central axis. A dielectric sleeve is disposed about the coax central conductor adjacent to the first side. The distal conductive tip extending beyond the dielectric sleeve when in an extended position and is about flush with the dielectric sleeve when in a compressed poison. An multiport waveguide to multiport PCB assembly utilizing a plurality of SLMIs wherein the multiport waveguide and PCB have curved contours is also disclosed.
US07692504B2 Oscillator system, method of providing a resonating signal and a communications system employing the same
An nth-order oscillator system for providing a resonating signal, a method of generating a resonating signal and a communications system. In one embodiment, the nth-order oscillator system, n being greater than two, includes (1) an amplifier configured to provide an intermediate signal and (2) a feedback loop including an nth-order complex LC tank and configured to generate the resonating signal by feeding back a complex-filtered form of the intermediate signal to the amplifier.
US07692500B1 Apparatus and methods for mixed analog-digital frequency synthesizing and modulation
An apparatus includes a phase locked loop (PLL). The phase locked loop (PLL) has coarse tuning (CT), fine tuning-integer (FT-i), fine tuning fractional (FT-f), frequency modulator tuning-fractional (FMT-f), and narrowband (NB) modes of operation.
US07692496B2 Method and apparatus for generating output signal
The oscillating signal generator utilizes a rising edge phase difference and a falling edge phase difference of the input signal and a feedback signal to generate a rising control signal and a falling control signal, and generates an output signal according to the rising control signal and the falling control signal; wherein the feedback signal corresponds to the output signal.
US07692494B2 Low strain variable frequency amplifier
A variable frequency amplifier suffering less deterioration of strain characteristic and capable of operating at plural frequencies is disclosed. In one aspect, a changeable amplifier comprises an amplifying element, a changeable matching circuit disposed at an input side of the amplifying element and including a first variable capacity element connected in series with a signal conductor and a second variable capacity element connected in parallel with the signal conductor, and a control circuit for controlling the changeable matching circuit. Based on a feedback signal, the control circuit applies DC bias voltages to the first variable capacity element and the second variable capacity element of the changeable matching circuit and also applies thereto a correction signal.
US07692492B2 Operational amplifier
An operational amplifier includes a differential amplifier circuit provided at an input stage and an amplifier circuit at a post stage. In the differential amplifier circuit, first and third bipolar transistors are PNP-type bipolar transistors and Darlington-connected. An inverting input terminal is connected to the base terminal of the first bipolar transistor. The first and third bipolar transistors and second and fourth bipolar transistors construct an input differential pair. First and second protection diodes are connected between the base terminals of the first and second bipolar transistors constructing the input differential pair and the ground potential, respectively. Each of the protection diodes is connected so that the cathode terminal is positioned on the base terminal side of the bipolar transistor, and the cathode terminal is positioned on the ground potential side.
US07692491B2 Radio-frequency power amplifier
A radio-frequency power amplifier for preventing a final-stage HBT from being destroyed is provided. To this end, a radio-frequency multistage power amplifier of the present invention includes: a first amplification stage having a first hetero bipolar transistor of which collector output is detected; a second amplification stage which is prior to the first amplification stage and which has a second hetero bipolar transistor in which the detection result is reflected; a first resistor provided between a collector of the second hetero bipolar transistor and a power supply; and a protection circuit which is connected between a collector of the first hetero bipolar transistor and the collector of the second hetero bipolar transistor, detects output from the collector of the first hetero bipolar transistor, and reduces a voltage of the collector of the second hetero bipolar transistor in accordance with the detected output.
US07692487B2 Low RF interference switching amplifier and method
A switching amplifier includes first and second output terminals that may be connected to a load. A pulse-width modulator receiving an input signal to obtain respective positive and negative values of the input signal. The modulator is connected to first and second switching circuits. The first switching circuit applies a plurality of pulses to the first output terminal that, in response to the positive samples, have a constant frequency and are pulse-width modulated, and, in response to the negative samples, have a varying frequency and a constant width. Similarly, the second switching circuit applies a plurality of pulses to the second output terminal that, in response to the negative samples, have a constant frequency and are pulse-width modulated, and, in response to the positive samples, have a varying frequency and a constant width. The varying phase of the constant width pulses disperses RF interference across a wider spectrum.
US07692484B2 Bandwidth calibration of active filter
An active RC filter has an op-amp and a biasing circuit arranged to bias the op-amp to set a gain bandwidth product of the op-amp according to a desired pole frequency of the filter. The biasing circuit is operable according to an output of an RC calibration circuit. The op-amp can be an OTA transconductance amplifier, and the biasing circuit can be arranged to maintain a constant product of R and transconductance at an input of the transconductance amplifier. This biasing can help to set the pole frequency more accurately and can thus reduce the need for bandwidth margin to be provided to allow for manufacturing process variations.
US07692483B2 Apparatus and method for preventing snap back in integrated circuits
A method for preventing snap-back in a circuit including at least one MOS transistor having a parasitic bipolar transistor associated with it includes coupling a circuit node including at least one source/drain node of the at least one MOS transistor to a bias-voltage circuit and enabling the bias-voltage circuit to supply a potential to the at least one source/drain node of the at least on MOS transistor, the potential having a magnitude selected to prevent the parasitic bipolar transistor from turning on.
US07692480B2 System to evaluate a voltage in a charge pump and associated methods
A system to evaluate a voltage in a charge pump may include a transistor, and a transistor drain carried by the transistor with the transistor drain receiving a reference current. The system may also include a transistor gate carried by the transistor and connected to the transistor drain. The system may further include an additional transistor and an additional transistor gate carried by the additional transistor and connected to the transistor gate. The system may additionally include an additional transistor drain to receive the reference current mirrored from the additional transistor.
US07692474B2 Control circuit for a high-side semiconductor switch for switching a supply voltage
A high-side semiconductor switch control circuit for switching a positive supply voltage is provided, having a circuit to provide a drive voltage for the high-side semiconductor switch, a driver circuit for driving the high-side semiconductor switch based on the control circuit, wherein both the circuit for providing the drive voltage as well as the driver circuit operate in relation to a floating switching point, an input circuit portion that receives a control signal related to ground, and a level shift circuit portion that is connected between the input circuit portion and the driver circuit portion and set up so as to transform the control signal related to ground into a floating voltage level for the driver circuit portion.
US07692472B2 High-frequency switching circuit
A high-frequency switching circuit includes, on a semiconductor substrate, FETs, electrode pads for applying a control voltage, gate wiring patterns for connecting gate terminals of the FETs to the electrode pads, and first resistors and second resistors connected in series with the gate wiring patterns. The first resistors are connected in series near the gate terminals of the FETs. The second resistors are connected in series near the electrode pads. The resistances of the first resistors and the second resistors are set to values large enough to inhibit the influence of an induced high frequency signal.
US07692470B2 Level conversion circuit with low consumption current characteristics
A level conversion circuit according to the present invention comprises: a first transistor having a gate thereof grounded, for inputting the input voltage to a source thereof and outputting an output voltage from a drain thereof; a second transistor having a drain thereof to which a power supply voltage is applied, for inputting the output voltage outputted from the drain of the first transistor to a gate thereof and outputting, from a source thereof, the output voltage determined by the power supply voltage; a level shift circuit for inputting the output voltage outputted from the source of the second transistor to an input end thereof and outputting, from an output end thereof, a voltage whose level is shifted by a predetermined amount; and a resistance inserted between the output end of the level shift circuit and a ground. Thus, it becomes possible to reduce a current Ii flowing to the gate of the first transistor to a level close to zero.
US07692466B2 Sense amplifier based flip-flop
A circuit includes an input stage, an output stage, and a delay stage. The input stage is operative to receive a clock signal and a first and second input signal. The output stage is operative to receive the clock signal. The output stage is also operative to generate a first and second output signal based on the clock signal and the first and second input signals. The delay stage is operatively coupled to the input and output stages. The delay stage includes a first and second branch. The second branch includes at least one more delay element than the first branch.
US07692459B2 High resolution delay adjustor
A delay adjustor for adjusting the delay time of a signal, the adjustor comprising: a first capacitance unit and a variable capacitance unit serially coupled to the first capacitor wherein the capacitance of the variable capacitance unit is adjusted according to a first control signal and the variable capacitance unit comprises a plurality of second capacitors and at least a first switch coupled to the at least one capacitor of the second capacitors.
US07692453B2 Detector of differential threshold voltage
A differential threshold voltage level detection circuit receives a differential voltage pair as an input, applying each component of the differential pair to an individual voltage shifting circuit. Each voltage shifting circuit is configured with a regulated current producing a shifted and a non-shifted version in-phase. For a shifted set of output differential voltages, the shift magnitude is proportional to the current entering a shifting circuit and is configured to be less than a peak-to-peak magnitude of the differential voltage to be detected. A current mirror within the detector contains a current reference configured to produce a current to be passed through a voltage generator. The current magnitude is sufficient to generate a regulated voltage output to the two current regulating devices that supply the voltage shifting circuits. An overlap detector receiving both differential voltage pairs produces a signal indicating an input is at a detection threshold.
US07692451B2 Open-drain output circuit
A pulse generation section generates a pulse which is at H-level for the predetermined period of time from the timing of the input signal DATA changing to L-level. A main output section outputs a signal of L-level with transistors P1, N1, and N2 turned ON, while the pulse generation section outputs a pulse. When the pulse falls, the transistors P1 and N1 are turned OFF, and a potential of an output node is held at L-level by resistors of a L-level holding section.
US07692448B2 Reprogrammable three dimensional field programmable gate arrays
3D FPGAs are elucidated with (a) interlayer information sharing, (b) intermittent and variable timing of layer configuration and (c) multilayer multi-functionality. 3D FPGAs are applied to reprogrammable SoCs.
US07692442B2 Apparatus for detecting a current and temperature for an integrated circuit
The present invention discloses an apparatus for detecting a current flowing from a first node to a second node. One or more MOS devices are serially coupled between the first and second nodes. Each of the MOS devices has its body connected to its source and its gate connected to its drain for providing each MOS device with a voltage difference between its gate and its source that is lower than a threshold voltage of the same, such that a voltage difference measured between the first and second nodes responds to a change of the current exponentially.
US07692440B2 Handler for semiconductor singulation and method therefor
A water jet handler (200) has a loading location (205), a cutting location (210), and an unloading location (215); and two movable mounts (240 and a 245). As a first movable mount (240) receives a molded substrate at the loading location (205), and transports it to the cutting location (210), a second movable mount (245) transports singulated semiconductor packages of a previously singulated molded substrate from the cutting location (210) to the unloading location (215). As the molded substrate on the first movable mount (240) is cut in the X direction (232) by a water jet, the singulated semiconductor packages are unloaded. The molded substrate is then transferred to the second movable mount (245) on which it is cut in the Y direction (272) to produce singulated semiconductor packages, as the first movable mount (240) returns to the loading location (205), when another molded substrate is loaded.
US07692432B2 Liquid property sensor
A liquid property sensor for detecting property of liquid includes a semiconductor board, a first electrode and a second electrode, and a protection film. The first and second electrodes are disposed on the semiconductor board to be spaced from each other at a predetermined distance. The protection film has resistance relative to the liquid, and is exposed to the liquid. The first and second electrodes detect a capacitance therebetween as the property of the liquid in accordance with a relative permittivity of the liquid. A capacitance-voltage conversion circuit of the semiconductor board converts the capacitance into a voltage value.
US07692426B2 Magnetic resonance apparatus with a superconducting basic field magnet with an electrically conductive coating on the outer vacuum chamber
In an arrangement with a basic field magnet and with a gradient coil of a magnetic resonance apparatus, the basic field magnet includes superconducting coils that are arranged in a reservoir with liquid helium for cooling. The helium reservoir is surrounded by a further reservoir, designated as an outer vacuum chamber. A vacuum exists between the outer vacuum chamber and the helium reservoir. A cryoshield is arranged between the outer vacuum chamber and the helium reservoir. The gradient coil is arranged in the inner chamber of the basic field magnet. The outer vacuum chamber has an additional coating with a high electrical conductivity.
US07692425B2 Method and apparatus of multi-coil MR imaging with hybrid space calibration
The present invention provides a system and method for parallel imaging that performs auto-calibrating reconstructions with a 2D (for 2D imaging) or 3D kernel (for 3D imaging) that exploits the computational efficiencies available when operating in certain data “domains” or “spaces”. The reconstruction process of multi-coil data is separated into a “training phase” and an “application phase” in which reconstruction weights are applied to acquired data to synthesize (replace) missing data. The choice of data space, i.e., k-space, hybrid space, or image space, in which each step occurs is independently optimized to reduce total reconstruction time for a given imaging application. As such, the invention retains the image quality benefits of using a 2D k-space kernel without the computational burden of applying a 2D k-space convolution kernel.
US07692422B2 Bearing assembly having rotation sensor and mounting structure to support sensor cap and connector
A wheel support bearing assembly includes an outer member inserted in a knuckle, an inner member made up of a hub axle, double rows of rolling elements, and a cover closing an opening of one end of the outer member. The cover includes a sensor connector and a sensor cap. A pulsar ring is mounted on the inner race and a rotation sensor is opposed to the pulsar ring and embedded in the sensor connector. The cover extends over an outer surface of the sensor connector. The cover has a cylindrical portion mounted in an inner peripheral surface of one end of the outer member, which end forms a pilot portion for the knuckle. The cylindrical portion of the cover has an outer periphery provided with an annular elastic member held in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the knuckle.
US07692421B2 Control meter with safety deactivation
Control meter for controlling the supply of services, in particular the supply of electric energy, having a support base, anchored with which is a main power supply line, and a metering group detachable from the support base and with a measurement apparatus interposed between the main power supply line and a subscriber line. A safety anchorage is provided for preventing fraudulent manipulations at the control meter and comprises mechanical means associated with the metering group and movable into a locking position for engagement with the support base when the metering group is mounted on the support base, and an interrupter for generating an activation signal upon activation by the mechanical means, wherein the mechanical means is arranged to activate the interrupter when the mechanical means is released from the locking position for detaching the metering group from the support base. The invention allows to positively obstruct acts of fraud and thus to provide a control meter which is able to permit the remote-control of the “open/closed” state in situations of fraud or rather attempted fraud and is capable of unequivocally proving the occurrence of fraud or attempted fraud.
US07692416B2 Voltage up-and-down DC-DC convertor
A voltage up and down synchronization and rectification type DC-DC converter goes up and down an input voltage using an inductor. The voltage up and down synchronization and rectification type DC-DC converter comprises a voltage up and down use rectification circuit including a pair of PMOS and NMOS transistors connected in parallel to each other.
US07692402B2 Emergency appliance system
A portable emergency appliance comprises a housing and an integrated power source. A retractable handle extends from the housing between a first position and a second position. Retractable cables are connected to the power source and are removably connectable to the retractable handle, such that the cables are secured by the handle when the handle is in the first position, and are at least partially extended when the handle is in the second position. The cables are then releasable from the handle at the second position, to typically provide further extension and retraction to render service to an external entity. The power source is preferably rechargeable. The emergency appliance may preferably provide a variety of other functions, such as but not limited to AC power, DC power, pressurized air, lighting, tool storage and/or data storage and/or display.
US07692401B2 High voltage battery pack cycler for a vehicle
An off-board battery cycler is used to condition an on-board battery system used in electric or hybrid electric vehicles. The battery cycler periodically discharges the vehicle's high voltage traction battery to eliminate battery “memory” that can prevent the battery from being fully charged. The cycler also recharges both the high voltage battery and an on-board low voltage battery used to power the vehicle's electrical system. High voltage AC power used in recharging the high voltage battery is switched using contactors physically isolated within the battery cycler, in order to protect operating personnel from coming onto contact with high voltage. Faults and malfunctions are recorded by the vehicle's on-board controller
US07692400B2 Mobile type power supply, connection device, and carried type electronic equipment
A battery and a DC-to-DC converter are contained in a battery pack. When the battery pack is connected to a load by means of a connector and an output voltage reference value, corresponding to the power supply voltage of the load, the output voltage of the battery is converted according to the output voltage reference value by the DC-to-DC converter. The output voltage reference value is set by an output voltage reference value output means in the connector. Furthermore, the converted voltage is supplied to the load via an output voltage line.
US07692399B2 DC motor control
A method of controlling a DC motor is presented. In a determining action, a thermal power dissipation is determined from a motor input and a motor velocity. In another determining action, a motor temperature is determined based on a thermal model using the thermal power dissipation. In an adjusting action, a usage of the motor is adjusted, taking the motor temperature into account.
US07692392B2 Lighting of discharge lamp by frequency control
A discharge lamp controlling apparatus includes a detector for detecting a discharge condition of a discharge lamp; a frequency changing unit for gradually changing a frequency of a voltage to be applied to the discharge lamp until the discharge condition reaches a predetermined lighting condition; and a voltage controller for controlling the voltage to be applied to the discharge lamp on the basis of the frequency changed by the frequency changing unit.
US07692387B2 Plasma display panel
Provided is a plasma display panel that can increase bright room contrast and luminous efficiency. The plasma display panel includes a first substrate; a second substrate which is separated from the first substrate and faces the first substrate; a plurality of barrier ribs formed between the first and second substrates and defining a plurality of discharge cells; a plurality of sustain electrodes formed between the first and second substrates, comprising inner sustain electrodes and outer sustain electrodes; a plurality of scan electrodes formed in parallel to the sustain electrodes and comprising inner scan electrodes and outer scan electrodes; a plurality of address electrodes formed between the first and second substrates and extending in a direction crossing an extending direction of the sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes; an inner sustain connection electrode that electrically connects the inner sustain electrodes formed in adjacent discharge cells arranged in an extending direction of the address electrodes; and a discharge prevention element that prevents the generation of discharge in a non-discharge region around the inner sustain connection electrode, wherein the sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes are repeatedly and alternately disposed in each of the discharge cells, and adjacent electrodes of the outer sustain and outer scan electrodes formed in the two adjacent discharge cells arranged in an extending direction of the address electrodes are electrically connected to each other.
US07692385B2 Plasma display panel with enhanced discharge efficiency and luminance
A plasma display panel (PDP) that has improved discharge efficiency and luminance includes: a first substrate and a second substrate which are provided to oppose each other; barrier ribs which are provided between the first and second substrates and by which a plurality of discharge cells are partitioned; a phosphor layer formed in each of the discharge cells; address electrodes formed either on the first substrate or on the second substrate; and display electrodes formed on the first substrate to extend in a direction intersecting with the address electrodes. The display electrodes include: at least a pair of first display electrodes which are provided close to both peripheral portions of each discharge cell; and a second display electrode provided between the first display electrodes to cross the discharge cell, the second display electrode facing the first display electrodes on both sides to form at least two discharge gaps within each discharge cell.
US07692383B2 EL panel
EL panels having a longer life are provided. The EL panel according to the present invention contains a substrate; an EL element formed on the substrate; a sealing plate facing the substrate and covering the EL element on the substrate; and an adhesive interposed between the substrate and the sealing plate and containing multiple plate-shaped or needle-shaped fillers, wherein a projection and depression part is formed on a contact area of the substrate with the adhesive, and on a contact area of the sealing plate with the adhesive, and one ends of the fillers are inserted in a depression part of the projection and depression part.
US07692378B2 Display device including an insulating layer with an opening
When light generated in a light emitting layer of a display device is emitted through insulating films such as a planarizing film, an interlayer insulating film and a gate insulating film of a transistor, diffused reflection is caused due to slight-rough surfaces of the insulating films every time light passes through each insulating film. Accordingly, problems are caused in which stray light is caused, an outline of a pixel becomes indistinct, and a characteristic of the transistor is deteriorated. A display device according to the invention includes a transistor formed over a substrate, an insulating film with a light shielding property formed on the transistor, an opening for transmitting light therethrough formed in the insulating film with the light shielding property, and a light emitting element formed overlapping the opening.
US07692373B2 Quantum dot white and colored light-emitting devices
A light-emitting device comprising a population of quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a host matrix and a primary light source which causes the QDs to emit secondary light and a method of making such a device. The size distribution of the QDs is chosen to allow light of a particular color to be emitted therefrom. The light emitted from the device may be of either a pure (monochromatic) color, or a mixed (polychromatic) color, and may consist solely of light emitted from the QDs themselves, or of a mixture of light emitted from the QDs and light emitted from the primary source. The QDs desirably are composed of an undoped semiconductor such as CdSe, and may optionally be overcoated to increase photoluminescence.
US07692371B2 Electrode for the source of field emitting electrons and a panel and a lighting apparatus thereof
The present invention relates to an electrode for a source of field emitting electrons and a lighting panel and a lighting apparatus thereof. A plurality of conductive emitters made from a combination of an electrical emitting source material and an electrical conductive material is formed on a cathode plate. Therefore, the conductive emitter can be a cathode, a gate and a field emitting electric source as well to simplify the structure and the process, and improve the brightness and uniformity thereof.
US07692369B2 Operating unit and lamp with component alignment for safe failure mode
Discoloration and deformation of a resin case triggered by heat generation from a failed circuit component at the end of the life of an arc tube are prevented without increasing the cost and size. A lighting unit that lights a light source with an inverter while receiving electric power from an AC power supply, and that contains a lighting circuit that includes a plurality of circuit components inclusive of capacitors. Among the capacitors, all capacitors with an applied voltage of 50V or greater (C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, CD1 and CD2) are foil type film capacitors with exceptions of smoothing electrolytic capacitors (CD1 and CD2).
US07692363B2 Mass loaded dipole transduction apparatus
An electro-mechanical transducer, which provides dipole motion from its housing which is driven by a bender transducer attached to the housing at the outer edge and attached to an inertial mass at its center providing a lower resonance frequency, lower mechanical Q and enhanced motion and acoustical source level.
US07692357B2 Electrical machines and assemblies including a yokeless stator with modular lamination stacks
An electrical machine includes a rotor with an inner rotor portion and an outer rotor portion, and a double-sided yokeless stator. The yokeless stator includes modular lamination stacks and is configured for radial magnetic flux flow. The double-sided yokeless stator is concentrically disposed between the inner rotor portion and the outer rotor portion of the electrical machine. Examples of particularly useful embodiments for the electrical machine include wind turbine generators, ship propulsion motors, switch reluctance machines and double-sided synchronous machines.
US07692355B2 Electric motor
The invention relates to an electric motor having a permanent magnetic rotor supported in a rotatable fashion around a central axis, a wound stator with a cylindrical stator winding, claw poles, perpendicular in reference to the disc-shaped stator plates and arranged around the central axis, and a tubular return ring connected to the stator plates free from play. The object of the invention is to provide an electric motor, in which the stator is composed from as few parts as possible, with its assembly being simple, its construction being robust, and being provided with an optimum effectiveness, allowing a great freedom of design and space used and thus an economical structure. This object is attained according to the invention in the disc-shaped stator plates being in one piece with the claw poles and being calked to the return ring with the disc-shaped stator plates.
US07692353B2 Permanent-magnet two-phase synchronous electric motor with mechanical start-up for washing machines and similar household appliances, in particular for washing pumps
The invention relates to a permanent-magnet two-phase synchronous electric motor (1) with mechanical start-up for washing machines and similar, in particular for washing pumps (2), of the type centrally comprising a permanent magnet axial rotor (4) and a stator (5) with a lamination pack core (16) and a double pair of pole pieces (20) with ends enveloping said rotor (4) and with relative windings (L1, L2), wherein the first pair of pole pieces is asymmetrical compared to the second pair of pole pieces. Moreover, said motor is further distinguished for the structure of the stator, which comprises the following characteristics: the ends of the pole pieces (20) are structurally independent and are removably coupled to the lamination pack core; and the lamination pack core has a shorter axial length than the ends of the pole pieces (20). Advantageously, the pole pieces of the stator (5) are obtained by pressing of magnetic powders.
US07692352B2 Apparatus and method for cooling rotor and stator motor cores
A laminated core for a motor includes a plurality of laminations each of which are disposed in a non-spaced relation to an adjacent lamination and each of which have a disc-like configuration and wherein the plurality of laminations are each dimensioned and configured to provide for a flow of a cooling fluid traveling in a radial direction to a rotational axis of the motor. A method of cooling a motor is also presented.
US07692351B2 Winding structure of rotating electric machine
A stator winding has series coils and the series coils are connected in parallel. One of the series coil includes series-connected U phase coils and the other series coil includes series-connected U phase coils. A part of a wire connecting U phase coils of that one series coil is wound around the same teeth as those around which one of the U phase coils of the other series coil is wound, so as to form a U phase coil. A part of a wire connecting U phase coils of the other series coil is wound around the same teeth as those around which one of the phase coils of that one series coil is wound, so as to form a U phase coil.
US07692344B2 Polyphase claw pole type motor
In a motor having a pawl-shaped magnetic pole, if a coil is wound like a ring shape so as to be formed, one leader line can be generally drawn out to an external portion from a position close to an outer periphery of a stator, however, the other leader line is drawn out to the external portion from an inner periphery of the stator. Accordingly, the leader line occupies a part of the inner space formed by the stator core, so that there is generated a problem that a space factor of the coil is reduced. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the space factor of the coil. In order to achieve the object mentioned above, a space passing wirings of a plurality of coils therethrough is provided in a part of the pawl-shaped magnetic pole of the stator core of the stator having the pawl-shaped magnetic pole. Accordingly, one of leader lines of the coil is drawn out from an outer peripheral portion (or an opposite side to a side facing to the rotor) of the stator, and the other is drawn out in an axial direction from the space of the claw-shaped magnetic pole of the stator. Therefore, it is possible to do away with an influence by the leader line, it is possible to increase a winding number of the coil even in the same space, and it is possible to improve a downsizing of the motor.
US07692342B2 Outer rotor of motor for direct drive-type washing machine
Objects of the present invention is to provide an outer rotor of a motor for a direct drive drum type washing machine, in which a structure of the outer rotor is improved, to resolve throbbing of the outer rotor at the time of high speed rotation, and consequential noise, and to provide a variety of products.For this, the outer rotor having a rotor frame with a bottom, a side wall extended from a circumference of the bottom substantially perpendicular to the bottom, and magnets mounted on an inside of the side wall, wherein the bottom of the rotor frame is elevated in a direction of extension of the side wall on the whole.
US07692340B2 Apparatus for generating power responsive to mechanical vibration
A vibrational energy harvesting apparatus comprising: a substrate having a plurality of integral compliant regions; at least two ferromagnetic masses each coupled to a corresponding one or more of the integral compliant regions such that at least one of the ferromagnetic masses moves with respect to the substrate responsive to substrate acceleration, each ferromagnetic mass having an inner magnetic pole disposed such that the inner magnetic poles are separated by a gap, wherein the magnetic polarities of the inner magnetic poles on the opposing sides of the gap are similar; wherein the inner magnetic poles form a steep flux gradient region in and around the gap; and a coil coupled to the substrate and disposed within the steep flux gradient region where it is exposed to a changing magnetic flux arising from motion of at least one of the ferromagnetic masses with respect to the substrate.
US07692336B2 Method for predicting a future voltage and/or current curve
According to the invention, a controlled or synchronous switching of an electrical power breaker (1) can be guaranteed by means of predicting a future voltage and/or current curve from actual voltage and/or current data in an electrical energy network (5). The prediction of the future voltage and/or current curve is carried out using the voltage and/or current data determined in the electrical network (5) at different timepoints by application of a Prony method to the available voltage and/or current data.
US07692334B2 Photovoltaic system having a solar module
A photovoltaic system includes a solar module having at least one solar cell. In order to reduce the power loss of the solar module when a solar module is in shade or is defective, a semiconductor switching element is connected in parallel with the solar module and drive electronics block the semiconductor switching element when the solar module is generating power and otherwise switch the semiconductor switching element to low impedance in order to bridge the solar module.
US07692331B2 Electrical emergency source device located on an aircraft
The invention relates to an electrical emergency source device fitted on an aircraft, which comprises an energy source capable of outputting the power necessary for vital electrical loads (10) to operate correctly, wherein there are two types of these loads: first loads, that absorb a constant power with time, second loads, that absorb variable power with time. Wherein this device comprises: a power source (12) sized to output the average power absorbed by all loads, a power source (15) capable of supplying power peaks absorbed by the second loads, and wherein, since the power of several loads is reversible, the power of the said device is also reversible.
US07692328B2 Power unit of underwater vehicle
The present invention provides a power unit of an underwater vehicle, which allows reduction in size and weight of a transformer for stepping down a power voltage of a power supply to increase a loading amount of a variety of devices with respect to the underwater vehicle, so as to obtain a favorable operating environment. The power unit is connected to the power supply through a cable and receives power through the cable. Further, the power unit comprises an electronic transformer having: a rectifier for rectifying a high-voltage alternate current power of the power supply into a direct current; a high-frequency converter for converting an output of the rectifier into a high-frequency alternate current; a transformer for stepping down an output voltage of the high-frequency converter; a rectifier for rectifying an output of the transformer into a direct current; and a control circuit for controlling the high-frequency converter.
US07692321B2 Power converters
The present invention provides a power converter that can be used to interface a generator (4) that provides variable voltage at variable frequency to a supply network operating at nominally fixed voltage and nominally fixed frequency and including features that allow the power converter to remain connected to the supply network and retain control during supply network fault and transient conditions. The power converter includes a generator bridge (10) electrically connected to the stator of the generator (4) and a network bridge (14). A dc link (12) is connected between the generator bridge (10) and the network bridge (14). A filter (16) having network terminals is connected between the network bridge (14) and the supply network. A first controller (18) is provided for controlling the operation of the semiconductor power switching devices of the generator bridge (14). Similarly, a second controller (46) is provided for controlling the operation of the semiconductor power switching devices of the network bridge (14). The first controller (18) uses a dc link voltage demand signal (VDC_GEN*) indicative of a desired dc link voltage to control the semiconductor power switching devices of the network bridge (10) to achieve the desired level of dc link voltage that corresponds to the dc link voltage demand signal (VDC_GEN*). The second controller (46) uses a power demand signal (P*) indicative of the level of power to be transferred from the dc link to the supply network through the network bridge (14), and a voltage demand signal (VTURB*) indicative of the voltage to be achieved at the network terminals of the filter (16) to control the semiconductor power switching devices of the network bridge (14) to achieve the desired levels of power and voltage that correspond to the power and voltage demand signals (P* and VTURB*).
US07692320B2 Electrical energy generator
An electrical energy generator that converts kinetic energy harvested from voluntary motor activity of a human or animal to electrical energy. The electrical energy generator includes a housing, a coil of electrically conductive material, a reciprocally movable electromagnetically active mass, springs connecting the mass to either the housing or to adjustment means engaged with said housing, and, optionally, means for constraining non-linear motion of the electromagnetically active mass, and/or means of mitigating motion retardation of the electromagnetically active mass within any existing housing atmosphere. The electrical energy generator may be associated with a carried item, such as a backpack.
US07692318B2 Liquid epoxy resin composition and semiconductor device
Better semiconductor encapsulation is achieved with a liquid epoxy resin composition comprising (A) a liquid epoxy resin, (B) a curing agent containing at least 5 wt % of an aromatic amine compound, (C) a microencapsulated catalyst containing a phenolic hydroxy-bearing benzoic acid derivative, and optionally, (D) an inorganic filler.
US07692307B2 Compliant structure for an electronic device, method of manufacturing same, and system containing same
A compliant structure for an electronic device comprises a substrate (110) composed of a first material (111) and a compliant zone (120) within the substrate. A plurality of solder joints (280) are located between, and form a connection between, the substrate and the electronic device (290). The compliant zone reduces the degree of deformation experienced by the solder joints due to thermal mismatch loading between the substrate and the die during attachment of the die to the substrate (chip attach). This reduction in solder joint deformation reduces the likelihood that the solder joints will crack.
US07692304B2 Semiconductor device having a tapered plug
A semiconductor device includes: first and second interlayer dielectric films consecutively deposited to overlie a silicon substrate; contact plugs penetrating the first interlayer dielectric film and having a top surface located within the second interlayer dielectric film; and via-plugs having a first portion, the diameter of which reduces from the top of the second interlevel dielectric film toward the bottom thereof and a second portion extending between the first portion and the first plug, the second portion having a diameter increasing from the first portion to the first plug.
US07692300B2 Printed circuit board and circuit structure for power supply
In a printed circuit board, a semiconductor including plural power supply terminals and a semiconductor chip is mounted onto a mounting surface of a printed wiring board, and a bypass capacitor for reducting a power ground noise is provided. Another bypass capacitor, which is connected to the bypass capacitor only within an IC chip is provided to inhibit the power ground noise from causing not only a variation in timing of the IC chip and a malfunction thereof but also a malfunction of another IC chip and the generation of an EMI noise in a case where the power ground noise propagates to a power supply side.
US07692299B2 Semiconductor apparatus having improved thermal fatigue life
A semiconductor apparatus having improved thermal fatigue life is provided by lowering maximum temperature on jointing members and reducing temperature change. A jointing member is placed between a semiconductor chip and a lead electrode, and a thermal stress relaxation body is arranged between the chip and a support electrode. Jointing members are placed between the thermal stress relaxation body and the chip and between the thermal stress relaxation body and the support electrode. A second thermal stress relaxation body made from a material having a thermal expansion coefficient between the coefficients of the chip and the lead electrode is located between the chip and the lead electrode. The first thermal stress relaxation body is made from a material which has a thermal expansion coefficient in between the coefficients of the chip and the support electrode, and has a thermal conductivity of 50 to 300 W/(m·° C.).
US07692297B2 Semiconductor device, semiconductor device module and method of manufacturing the semiconductor device
A reliable semiconductor device including support bumps so as to adequately seal the region between the chips is to be provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip; a bump formed on an upper face of the semiconductor chip; and a plurality of support bumps formed along a circumference of the region where the bump is provided, formed on the upper face of the semiconductor chip; and a flow path for a sealing resin is provided between the plurality of support bumps, so as to connect the region where the bump is provided and a periphery region of the semiconductor chip.
US07692289B2 Semiconductor devices with improved heat dissipation and method for fabricating same
The present invention is directed to improving the efficiency of removing heat from semiconductor devices. In addition, the method of manufacturing the improved devices has the potential of eliminating a key step in the traditional production process where the chips are highly susceptible to mechanical damage. A semiconductor element includes a semiconductor substrate having a heat removal side and a heat producing region, and at least one superstrate semiconductor layer defining the heat producing region. The heat removal side of the semiconductor substrate includes at least one recess region which extends closer to the heat-generating region than the remainder of the heat removal surface.
US07692288B2 MEMS packaging method for enhanced EMI immunity using flexible substrates
A MEMS package and methods for its embodiment are described. The MEMS package has at least one MEMS device mounted on a flexible and foldable substrate. A metal cap structure surrounds the at least one MEMS device wherein an edge surface of the metal cap structure is attached to the flexible substrate and wherein a portion of the flexible substrate is folded under itself thereby forming the MEMS package. A meshed metal environmental hole underlying the at least one MEMS device provides enhanced EMI immunity.
US07692283B2 Device including a housing for a semiconductor chip including leads extending into the housing
A device including a housing for a semiconductor chip is disclosed. One embodiment provides a plurality of leads. A first lead forms an external contact element at a first housing side and extends at the first housing side into the housing in the direction of an opposite second housing side. The length of the first lead within the housing is greater than half the distance between the first and the second housing side.
US07692269B2 Vertical organic transistor
A vertical organic transistor and a method for fabricating the same are provided, wherein an emitter, a grid with openings and a collector are sequentially arranged above a substrate. Two organic semiconductor layers are interposed respectively between the emitter and the grid with openings and between the grid with openings and the collector. The channel length is simply decided by the thickness of the organic semiconductor layers. The collector current depends on the space-charge-limited current contributed by the potential difference between the emitter and the openings of the grid. And the grid voltage can thus effectively control the collector current. Further, the fabrication process of the vertical organic transistor of the present invention is simple and exempt from using the photolithographic process.
US07692268B2 Integrated circuit with bipolar transistor
An integrated circuit including a bipolar transistor is disclosed. One embodiment provides an insulation structure used to form a junction insulation, a collector structure formed inside a semiconductor zone having openings dividing the collector structure into collector zones. The collector zones are arranged in such a manner that a shortest lateral distance between an emitter zone and the insulation structure runs at least through one of the collector zones.
US07692266B2 Integrated circuit with capacitor and method for the production thereof
An integrated circuit and fabrication method are presented. The integrated circuit includes a capacitor containing a base electrode, a covering electrode, and a dielectric between the base and covering electrodes. The dielectric contains an oxide of a material contained in the base electrode, which may be produced by anodic oxidation. A peripheral edge of the dielectric is uncovered by the covering electrode. A base layer on the capacitor includes a cutout adjacent to the dielectric. During fabrication, the base layer protects the material of the base electrode that is to be anodically oxidized from chemicals, and also protects the surrounding regions from anodic oxidation. A precision resistor may be fabricated simultaneously with the capacitor.
US07692258B2 Photosensitive device
A photosensitive device for enabling high speed detection of electromagnetic radiation. The device includes recessed electrodes for providing a generally homogeneous electric field in an active region. Carriers generated in the active region are detected using the recessed electrodes.
US07692254B2 Fin-type field effect transistor structure with merged source/drain silicide and method of forming the structure
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a multiple fin fin-type field effect transistor (i.e., a multiple fin dual-gate or tri-gate field effect transistor) in which the multiple fins are partially or completely merged by a highly conductive material (e.g., a metal silicide). Merging the fins in this manner allow series resistance to be minimized with little, if any, increase in the parasitic capacitance between the gate and source/drain regions. Merging the semiconductor fins in this manner also allows each of the source/drain regions to be contacted by a single contact via as well as more flexible placement of that contact via.
US07692250B2 Semiconductor structures integrating damascene-body FinFET's and planar devices on a common substrate and methods for forming such semiconductor structures
Methods of forming a semiconductor structure having FinFET's and planar devices, such as MOSFET's, on a common substrate by a damascene approach, and semiconductor structures formed by the methods. A semiconductor fin of the FinFET is formed on a substrate with damascene processing in which the fin growth may be interrupted to implant ions that are subsequently transformed into a region that electrically isolates the fin from the substrate. The isolation region is self-aligned with the fin because the mask used to form the damascene-body fin also serves as an implantation mask for the implanted ions. The fin may be supported by the patterned layer during processing that forms the FinFET and, more specifically, the gate of the FinFET. The electrical isolation surrounding the FinFET may also be supplied by a self-aligned process that recesses the substrate about the FinFET and at least partially fills the recess with a dielectric material.
US07692243B2 Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same
The present invention aims at offering the semiconductor device which has the structure which are a high speed and a low power, and can be integrated highly. The present invention is a semiconductor device formed in the SOI substrate by which the BOX layer and the SOI layer were laminated on the silicon substrate. And the present invention is provided with the FIN type transistor with which the gate electrode coiled around the body region formed in the SOI layer, and the planar type transistor which was separated using partial isolation and full isolation together to element isolation, and was formed in the SOI layer.
US07692241B2 Semiconductor device
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate and a super junction structure on the substrate. The super junction structure is constructed with p-type and n-type column regions that are alternately arranged. A p-type channel layer is formed to a surface of the super junction structure. A trench gate structure is formed to the n-type column region. An n+-type source region is formed to a surface of the channel layer near the trench structure. A p+-type region is formed to the surface of the channel layer between adjacent n+-type source regions. A p-type body region is formed in the channel layer between adjacent trench gate structures and in contact with the p+-type region. Avalanche current is caused to flow from the body region to a source electrode via the p+-type region without passing through the n+-type source region.
US07692240B2 Insulated gate semiconductor device
Channel regions and gate electrodes are also disposed continuously with transistor cells below a gate pad electrode. The transistor cells are formed in a stripe pattern and allowed to contact a source electrode. In this way, the channel regions and the gate electrodes, which are positioned below the gate pad electrode, are kept at a predetermined potential. Thus, a predetermined drain-source reverse breakdown voltage can be secured without providing a p+ type impurity region on the entire surface below the gate pad electrode.
US07692236B1 Multiple dual bit memory integrated circuit system
A multiple dual bit integrated circuit system is provided that includes forming first address lines in a semiconductor substrate and forming a charge-trapping layer over the semiconductor substrate. A semiconductor layer is formed over the charge-trapping layer and second address lines are formed in the semiconductor layer to form a plurality of dual bit locations.
US07692235B2 Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device including memory cells formed to have double-layered gate electrodes
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of floating gate electrodes respectively formed above a semiconductor substrate with first insulating films disposed therebetween, and a control gate electrode formed above the plurality of floating gate electrodes with a second insulating film disposed therebetween. In each of the plurality of floating gate electrodes is formed to have a width of an upper portion thereof in a channel width direction which is smaller than a width of a lower portion thereof in the channel width direction and one of contact surfaces thereof on at least opposed sides which contact the second insulating film is formed to have one surface, and the second insulating film has a maximum film thickness in a vertical direction, the maximum film thickness being set smaller than a distance from a lowest surface to a highest surface of the second insulating film in the vertical direction.
US07692233B2 Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
A technology capable of improving a charge retention characteristic of a nonvolatile memory is provided. In a memory cell in which an interlayer insulating film formed of an ONO film obtained by laminating a lower silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, and an upper silicon oxide film is formed between a floating gate formed of a polycrystalline silicon film and a control gate formed of a polycrystalline silicon film, the upper silicon oxide film is formed through LPCVD and is then nitrided through a remote plasma process, thereby introducing nitrogen of, for example, 5 to 6 atom % into the upper surface portion of the upper silicon oxide film.
US07692232B2 Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device which is superior in writing and charge holding properties, including a semiconductor substrate in which a channel formation region is formed between a pair of impurity regions formed with an interval, and a first insulating layer, a floating gate, a second insulating layer, and a control gate over an upper layer portion of the semiconductor substrate. It is preferable that a band gap of a semiconductor material forming the floating gate be smaller than that of the semiconductor substrate. For example, it is preferable that the band gap of the semiconductor material forming the floating gate be smaller than that of the channel formation region in the semiconductor substrate by 0.1 eV or more. This is because, by decreasing the bottom energy level of a conduction band of the floating gate electrode to be lower than that of the channel formation region in the semiconductor substrate, carrier injecting and charge holding properties are improved.
US07692227B2 Semiconductor device having an electrode pad
A semiconductor device has an electrode pad, a capacitor and a substrate. The substrate has a given area on which the electrode pad and the capacitor are arranged. The electrode pad and the capacitor are arranged on the substrate so that each of at least two sides of the capacitor and each of at least two sides of the electrode pad is adjacent to each other at a given interval. The capacitor has a connecting side that connects the two sides of the capacitor and faces to the electrode pad. Outside angles of the capacitor formed by the connecting side and the two sides of the capacitor are more than 90 degrees.
US07692225B2 CMOS image sensor
Disclosed are a CMOS image sensor and a method for manufacturing the same. The CMOS image sensor includes a photodiode area and a floating diffusion area formed on a semiconductor substrate, a transistor formed on the semiconductor substrate between the photodiode area and the floating diffusion area, an isolation layer formed below the transistor, and a channel area formed between the transistor and the isolation layer.
US07692223B2 Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same
A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of the present invention includes the steps of forming a stacked body in which a semiconductor film, a gate insulating film, and a first conductive film are sequentially stacked over a substrate; selectively removing the stacked body to form a plurality of island-shaped stacked bodies; forming an insulating film to cover the plurality of island-shaped stacked bodies; removing a part of the insulating film to expose a surface of the first conductive film, such that a surface of the first conductive film almost coextensive with a height of the insulating film; forming a second conductive film over the first conductive film and a left part of the insulating film; forming a resist over the second conductive film; selectively removing the first conductive film and the second conductive film using the resist as a mask.
US07692222B2 Atomic layer deposition in the formation of gate structures for III-V semiconductor
A semiconductor structure and method wherein a recess is disposed in a surface portion of a semiconductor structure and a dielectric film is disposed on and in contract with the semiconductor. The dielectric film has an aperture therein. Portions of the dielectric film are disposed adjacent to the aperture and overhang underlying portions of the recess. An electric contact has first portions thereof disposed on said adjacent portions of the dielectric film, second portions disposed on said underlying portions of the recess, with portions of the dielectric film being disposed between said first portion of the electric contact and the second portions of the electric contact, and third portions of the electric contact being disposed on and in contact with a bottom portion of the recess in the semiconductor structure. The electric contact is formed by atomic layer deposition of an electrically conductive material over the dielectric film and through the aperture in such dielectric film.
US07692220B2 Semiconductor device storage cell structure, method of operation, and method of manufacture
The invention can include at least one storage cell having a store gate structure formed from a semiconductor material doped to a first conductivity type and in contact with a channel region comprising a semiconductor material doped to a second conductivity type. A storage cell can also include at least a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region separated from one another by the channel region. A control gate structure, comprising a semiconductor layer doped to the first conductivity type can be formed over a substrate surface. The control gate structure can be in contact with the channel region. Such a storage cell can be more compact and/or provide longer data retention times than conventional storage cells, such as many conventional dynamic random access memory (DRAM) type cells.
US07692217B2 Matched analog CMOS transistors with extension wells
One embodiment of the invention relates to an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes a first matched transistor comprising: a first source region, a first drain region formed within a first drain well extension, and a first gate electrode having lateral edges about which the first source region and first drain region are laterally disposed. The integrated circuit also includes a second matched transistor comprising: a second source region, a second drain region formed within a second drain well extension, and a second gate electrode having lateral edges about which the second source region and second drain region are laterally disposed. Analog circuitry is associated with the first and second matched transistors, which analog circuitry utilizes a matching characteristic of the first and second matched transistors to facilitate analog functionality. Other devices, methods, and systems are also disclosed.
US07692216B2 Thin film transistor array panel for a liquid crystal display
A plurality of gate lines formed on an insulating substrate, each gate line including a pad for connection to an external device; a plurality of data lines intersecting the gate lines and insulated from the gate lines, each data line including a pad for connection to an external device; and a conductor overlapping at least one of the gate lines and the data lines are included. An overlapping distance of the gate lines or the data lines and a width of the conductor decreases as the length of the gate lines or the data lines increases. Accordingly, the difference in the RC delays due to the difference of the length of the signal lines is compensated to be reduced.
US07692215B2 Mixed-scale electronic interface
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to mixed-scale electronic interfaces, included in integrated circuits and other electronic devices, that provide for dense electrical interconnection between microscale features of a predominantly microscale or submicroscale layer and nanoscale features of a predominantly nanoscale layer. The predominantly nanoscale layer, in one embodiment of the present invention, comprises a tessellated pattern of submicroscale or microscale pads densely interconnected by nanowire junctions between sets of parallel, closely spaced nanowire bundles. The predominantly submicroscale or microscale layer includes pins positioned complementarily to the submicroscale or microscale pads in the predominantly nanoscale layer. Pins can be configured according to any periodic tiling of the microscale layer.
US07692211B1 Super GTO-based power blocks
A gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) device has a lower portion, an upper portion and a lid. The lower portion has a lower base region of a first conductivity type, and a lower emitter region of a second conductivity type disposed at or from a lower surface of the lower base region. A lower junction is formed between the lower base region and the lower emitter region. The upper portion has an upper base region of the second conductivity type, and upper emitter regions of the first conductivity type disposed at or from an upper surface of the upper base region. An upper-lower junction is formed between the lower base region and the upper base region, and upper junctions are formed between the upper base region and the upper emitter regions. The upper base region and upper emitter regions form an upper base surface with first conductive contacts to the upper base region alternating with second conductive contacts to the upper emitter regions. The lid has a layer of insulator with upper and lower surfaces. Upper metal stripes extend along the upper surface of the insulator, and lower metal stripes extend along the lower surface of the insulator. The upper and lower metal stripes are connected together by vias that extend through the insulator. One set of the lower metal stripes contacts the first conductive contacts, but not the second conductive contacts. Another set of the lower metal stripes contacts the second conductive contacts, but not the first conductive contacts.
US07692210B2 Intermeshed guard bands for multiple voltage supply structures on an integrated circuit, and methods of making same
The present invention is generally directed to intermeshed guard bands for multiple voltage supply regions or structures on an integrated circuit, and methods of making same. In one illustrative embodiment, an integrated circuit is provided that comprises a plurality of voltage supply structures formed above a substrate, the plurality of voltage supply structures being at differing voltage levels, and a guard band comprised of at least one doped region formed in the substrate under each of the plurality of voltage supply regions, each of the guard bands being comprised of a plurality of fingers extending from each end of the guard bands.
US07692208B2 Semiconductor optical device
The disclosed subject matter includes a semiconductor optical device with a stable optical characteristic, an excellent radiant efficiency, and a high mounting reliability. A casing can be configured with a concaved-shaped cavity that includes an opening and a bottom portion. Each of one end portions of first/second lead frame electrodes 3a, 3b can be exposed on the bottom portion. The first one end portion can include an optical chip mounted thereon, and the second one end portion can be connected to another electrode of the optical chip via a bonding wire. The first lead frame electrode extends from an outside surface substantially perpendicular to the bottom portion and is bent in a direction towards the opening. The second lead frame electrode extends from an outside surface of the casing that is opposite to the outside surface from which the first electrode extends. Various physical configurations of the electrodes are disclosed.
US07692203B2 Semiconductor light emitting device
A plurality of semiconductor layers including an active layer 6 and a light extract layer 4, and a reflective metal film 11 are formed in a semiconductor light emitting device. The light extract layer 4 is formed of a plurality of layers 23, 24 having different composition ratios. An irregularity 22 is formed on the layers 23, 24 including an outermost layer to provide a main surface S as a rough-surface.
US07692202B2 Semiconductor structure comprising active zones
A semiconductor structure with active zones, such as light diodes or photodiodes, including a substrate (SUB) with at least two active zones (AZ1-AZn), each of which emits or absorbs a radiation of differing wavelength. According to the invention, a multi-wavelength diode may be achieved, in which a first (lower) active zone (AZ1) is grown on a surface of the substrate (SUB), with one or several further active zones (AZ1-Azn) epitaxially grown one on the other and the active zones (AZ1-AZn) are serially connected from the lower active zone (AZ1) to an upper active zone (AZn), by means of tunnel diodes (TD1-TDn), serving as low-impedance resistors.
US07692199B2 Lighting device including first electrode, second electrode, light emitting layer therebetween and third electrode connected to the first electrode through opening in the second electrode and the light emitting layer
An object of the invention is to provide a lighting device which can suppress luminance nonuniformity in a light emitting region when the lighting device has large area. A layer including a light emitting material is formed between a first electrode and a second electrode, and a third electrode is formed to connect to the first electrode through an opening formed in the second electrode and the layer including a light emitting material. An effect of voltage drop due to relatively high resistivity of the first electrode can be reduced by electrically connecting the third electrode to the first electrode through the opening.
US07692197B2 Active matrix organic light emitting display (OLED) and method of fabrication
An organic light emitting display includes a substrate having a pixel driving circuit region and an opening region. A thin film transistor having source/drain electrodes is positioned on the pixel driving circuit region of the substrate. A passivation insulating layer is positioned on the source/drain electrodes to have a via hole for exposing one of the source/drain electrodes. A pixel electrode is positioned on a bottom surface of the via hole and in contact with the exposed source/drain electrode, and extends onto the passivation insulating layer. A first photosensitive organic insulating layer is positioned within the via hole in which the pixel electrode is formed to fill the via hole and to expose a portion of the pixel electrode around the via hole. An organic emission layer is positioned on the exposed pixel electrode.
US07692192B2 Display device and manufacturing method therefor
A display device includes a first insulating substrate having thin film transistors; a second insulating substrate of plastic having a black matrix comprising a plurality of horizontal extending portions extending in one directions and a plurality of vertical portions extending at an irregular interval in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a liquid crystal layer located between the first substrate and the second substrate.
US07692189B2 Polarization-type molecular color switch
A colorant molecule is provided that includes at least one switch unit. The switch unit comprises ring-based tautomers, of which there may be more than one per chromophore, and may include donor and/or acceptor moieties.
US07692188B2 Display device and manufacturing method thereof
A display device includes an insulation substrate, a source electrode and a drain electrode disposed on the insulation substrate and distanced from each other and including a channel area interposed therebetween, a wall exposing portions of the source electrode and the drain electrode, and defining an opening area surrounding the channel area, and an organic semiconductor layer covering the channel area, and comprising a first sub layer and a second sub layer having different grain sizes.
US07692187B2 Organic semiconductor material and organic device using the same
The present invention encompasses an organic field-effect transistor comprising an n-type organic semiconductor formed of a fullerene derivative having a fluorinated alkyl group which is expressed by the following chemical formula (wherein at least any one of R1, R2 and R3 is a perfluoro alkyl group or a partially-fluorinated semifluoro alkyl group each having a carbon number of 1 to 20), and a field-effect transistor production method comprising forming an organic semiconductor layer using the fullerene derivative by a solution process, and subjecting the organic semiconductor layer to a heat treatment in an atmosphere containing nitrogen or argon or in vacuum to provide enhanced characteristics to the organic semiconductor layer. The present invention makes it possible to form an organic semiconductor layer by a solution process and provide an organic field-effect transistor excellent in electron mobility and on-off ratio and capable of operating even in an ambient air atmosphere.
US07692180B2 Layered composite film incorporating quantum dots as programmable dopants
Quantum dots are positioned within a layered composite film to produce a plurality of real-time programmable dopants within the film. Charge carriers are driven into the quantum dots by energy in connected control paths. The charge carriers are trapped in the quantum dots through quantum confinement, such that the charge carriers form artificial atoms, which serve as dopants for the surrounding materials. The atomic number of each artificial atom is adjusted through precise variations in the voltage across the quantum dot that confines it. The change in atomic number alters the doping characteristics of the artificial atoms. The layered composite film is also configured as a shift register.
US07692177B2 Resistance variable memory element and its method of formation
A method for controlling silver doping of a chalcogenide glass in a resistance variable memory element is disclosed herein. The method includes forming a thin metal containing layer having a thickness of less than about 250 Angstroms over a second chalcogenide glass layer, formed over a first metal containing layer, formed over a first chalcogenide glass layer. The thin metal containing layer preferably is a silver layer. An electrode may be formed over the thin silver layer. The electrode preferably does not contain silver.
US07692176B2 Phase-changeable memory devices including an adiabatic layer
Phase-changeable memory devices include a lower electrode electrically connected to an impurity region of a transistor in a substrate and a programming layer pattern including a first phase-changeable material on the lower electrode. An adiabatic layer pattern including a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the first phase-changeable material is on the programming layer pattern and an upper electrode is on the adiabatic layer pattern.
US07692161B2 System and method for correcting spatial luminance variation of computed radiography image plates
A computed radiography plate including a substrate is provided. The computed radiography plate also includes at least one phosphor layer disposed above the substrate. The computed radiography plate also includes a protective layer disposed above the phosphor layer. The computed radiography plate further includes multiple patterns inscribed within at least one of the phosphor layer, the protective layer or the substrate.
US07692150B2 Real time imaging expandable passive millimeter wave system for detecting concealed objects
A passive millimeter wave system of this invention is comprised of; human body detector sensors which detect human bodies passing a scanner; passive millimeter wave image sensor modules arranged horizontally or vertically to acquire millimeter wave images radiated from human body in horizontal and vertical axes at certain time intervals; amplifier which amplifies the DC voltage from passive millimeter image sensor modules to a certain level; analog-digital converter which transforms the amplified DC voltage to digital signals; mobility detector which detects movement of human body passing predetermined position to acquire millimeter wave signals from human body; digital signal processor which interlinks and reconstructs signals with the time and position of the object obtained from mobility detector and the signals obtained by passive millimeter image sensor modules; monitor which displays the image of the signals processed with digital signal processor.
US07692147B2 Real-time, continuous-wave terahertz imaging using a microbolometer focal-plane array
The present invention generally provides a terahertz (THz) imaging system that includes a source for generating radiation (e.g., a quantum cascade laser) having one or more frequencies in a range of about 0.1 THz to about 10 THz, and a two-dimensional detector array comprising a plurality of radiation detecting elements that are capable of detecting radiation in that frequency range. An optical system directs radiation from the source to an object to be imaged. The detector array detects at least a portion of the radiation transmitted through the object (or reflected by the object) so as to form a THz image of that object.
US07692142B2 Differential-pressure dual ion trap mass analyzer and methods of use thereof
A dual ion trap mass analyzer includes adjacently positioned first and second two-dimensional ion traps respectively maintained at relatively high and low pressures. Functions favoring high pressure (cooling and fragmentation) may be performed in the first trap, and functions favoring low pressure (isolation and analytical scanning) may be performed in the second trap. Ions may be transferred between the first and second trap through a plate lens having a small aperture that presents a pumping restriction and allows different pressures to be maintained in the two traps. The differential-pressure environment of the dual ion trap mass analyzer facilitates the use of high-resolution analytical scan modes without sacrificing ion capture and fragmentation efficiencies.
US07692141B2 Polymer based electrospray nozzle for mass spectrometry
A MEMS device with an overhanging ‘polymer’ capillary provides vital and significant improvements in interfacing a MEMS electrospray nozzle to an MS inlet or other macroscopic instrumentation. The fabrication methodology associated therewith is easily expanded to include built-in micro particle filters and centimeter long serpentine micro channels provided on-chip and fabricated using a low temperature process.
US07692137B2 Reflected light detecting apparatus, reflection characteristic determining apparatus, and object detecting apparatus
A photographing section photographs a photographing object, a light-projector projects a light spot parallel to or approximately parallel to an optical axis of the photographing section onto the photographing object, and a detector detects, from an image of the photographing object photographed by the photographing section, a light spot from the light-projector reflected by the photographing object on the basis of an arrangement position of the light-projector relative to the photographing section. A reflected light spot of light projected onto a detection object can be detected with certainty, and erroneous detection of the reflected light spot, in particular, erroneous detection due to disturbance light, can be prevented at a low cost, without an increase in size of the apparatus.
US07692135B2 WDM signal detector
A detector includes a light detecting layer and a grating structure. The light detecting layer, which can be a photodiode, has an optical mode that resonates in the light detecting layer, and the grating structure is positioned to interact with the optical mode. The grating structure further couples incident light having a resonant frequency into the optical mode, and causes destructive interference to prevent light having the resonant frequency from escaping the detecting layer. The light detecting layer can be made transparent to light having other frequencies, so that a stack of such detectors, each having a different resonant frequency, can be integrated into a WDM detector that is compact and efficient.
US07692130B2 CMOS imaging sensor having a third FET device with a gate terminal coupled to a second diffusion region of a first FET device and a first terminal coupled to a row select signal
A CMOS image sensor and active pixel cell design that provides an output signal representing an incident illumination light level that is adapted for time domain analysis. Thus, the noise sources associated with charge integration and the contribution of dark current to it, is avoided. The active pixel cell design implements only three FETs: a transfer device, a reset device and an output transistor device having one diffusion connected to a Row Select signal. In this mode of operation, use is made of the voltage decay at the photo diode to generate a pixel output at one diffusion of the output transistor device, which is a pulse with fixed amplitude independent of the incident illumination level. For use of an NFET output transistor device, the pulse width is an inverse function of the incident illumination level. For a PFET output transistor device, the output pulse has a time delay, from a reference signal, by an amount that is an inverse function of the incident illumination level.
US07692125B1 Evanescent wave coupling for Fresnel direction finding
An apparatus includes a radome and an evanescent wave-coupled windowing system in the radome. In operation, the apparatus receives radiation reflected from an object that is incident upon a windowing system; emits evanescent waves from the windowing system whose amplitudes are proportional to the angle of incidence of the radiation; and non-coherent, Fresnel direction finds the object.
US07692121B2 Temperature control for an inductively heated heating element
A temperature control and method of operating the temperature control, for an inductively heated heating element. The heating element is heated by an inductor to which electrical power is supplied via a control circuit, which can also be a control circuit for an induction hob or oven. The temperature control is activated at a first point in time subject to at least one electrical value of the control circuit, which depends on the temperature of the heating element. A reference value is determined at the first point in time and a comparison value and a deviation value from the reference value is determined at least one later point in time. Depending upon the deviation value, the inductor is supplied with power so that the heating element is adjusted to a substantially constant value corresponding to the reference value.
US07692120B2 Transport robot and transport apparatus
A transport robot including a release-side high radiation ratio portion and a receive-side high radiation ratio portion that face each other. Heat in a substrate conducted to a base portion due to thermal conduction is released as radiant heat from the release-side high radiation ratio portion, and the radiant heat is absorbed by the receive-side high radiation ratio portion. The receive-side high radiation ratio portion is formed on a heat-receiving plate that is thermally connected to a vacuum chamber so that radiant heat absorbed by the receive-side high radiation ratio portion is transferred to the vacuum chamber. As a result, even in the case where the high-temperature substrate is transported in a vacuum atmosphere, heat from the substrate is not accumulated in a transport system, and the transport system hardly reaches a high temperature.
US07692118B2 Glow plug and method for manufacturing the same
A glow plug including a center pole extending along an axial direction; a heater including a heating element capable of generating heat upon energization, which heater is connected to a leading end portion of the center pole so as to constitute together with the center pole an integrated heater/center pole member in a mechanically rigid state; a metal shell as defined herein; and a vibration preventing member for preventing vibration of the center pole, the vibration preventing member being fixed on an outer peripheral surface of the center pole at an axial position corresponding to a portion where an inside diameter of the axial hole of the metal shell is constant.
US07692117B2 Wire gripper for a drive unit of a wire feeder
A gripping device is disclosed for a set of pinch rollers used in a wire feeder that supplies a welding operation with a consumable welding wire. The welding wire passes between the pinch rollers whereby the pinch rollers engage the wire with a gripping force and incrementally rotate to control the outflow of the wire to the welding operation. The gripping device has a first member which is displaceable relative to a second member and a spring mechanism extending between the first and second members which has at least a first and a second spring modulus. The spring mechanism produces the gripping force as the first and the second members are displaced toward one another. The gripper urges one roller of the set of pinch rollers toward the other roller of the set to engage the wire and to apply the gripping force. By including a spring with a first and second spring modulus, the gripper can apply a first range of gripping forces with the force produced by the first spring modulus and a second range of gripping forces with the force produced by the second spring modulus.
US07692114B2 Method and device for producing an internal thread by automatically machining in a bore
The invention relates to a method for producing a thread in a bore (2) by remote automatic machining characterized in that the method consists in introducing into the bore (2) an electrode (11) provided with a thread (20) whose shape and dimensions are pre-determined according to the shape and dimensions of an inside thread to be produced, in machining the internal threads by electroerosion displacing the electrode (11) in an orbital manner in the bore (2) according to a predetermined number of operations and in adjusting the machining parameters according to each operation. A device for carrying out said method is also disclosed.
US07692113B2 Switch assembly
The invention relates to a switch assembly comprising an essentially tubular enclosed housing. The tubular axis of the enclosed housing deviates from the horizontal and the vertical. The switch assembly comprises an interrupter unit, to which three main leads are connected.
US07692112B2 Control module
A control module for selectively switching electrical power from a circuit breaker with the circuit breaker including a load lug coupled to a load wire and mounted in a panelboard. The control module includes a housing in-line with and directly attached to the circuit breaker inside the panelboard and a pair of contacts coupled to an actuator mounted in the housing. One contact is coupled to the load lug and one contact is coupled to the load wire. The actuator is operated from a location remote from the control module and the contacts operate independently from the circuit breaker.
US07692110B2 Tilt switch
A tilt switch comprises an insulating housing, a cover covering the opening of the housing, three terminals fixed at the bottom of the housing and an electrically conductive ball movably received in the housing to on/off the switch by contacting/leaving said terminals. Three terminals are located at each vertex position of a triangle such that one terminal having a polarity opposite to the other two terminals and a protruding length longer than those of the other two terminals, allowing elevation difference to exist between them.
US07692109B2 Lever switch
A lever switch is provided, in which an arrangement of a push button is fixed with respect to an operation of a rotary ring to realize improvement in operation. A lever switch includes: a first shaft projecting from a base of a control means of a mobile unit; a plurality of push buttons provided at a distal end of the first shaft; a fixing-supporting part which fixes and supports a plurality of the push buttons for preventing a plurality of the push buttons from rotating relatively to the first shaft; and a rotary ring which is provided in the middle of the first shaft and is rotatable separately from a plurality of the push buttons, wherein when the rotary ring is operated, the rotary ring is rotated around the first shaft on a condition that a plurality of the push buttons are fixed and supported being prevented from rotating.
US07692100B2 Spacers for cable conductors
Spacers for use on power distribution lines are disclosed that include a body, a messenger hook, and a conductor hook. A messenger clamp is pivotally connected to the messenger hook, and is rotatable from an open position to a messenger engaging position. A conductor clamp is pivotally connected to the conductor hook, and is rotatable from an open position to a conductor engaging position.
US07692099B2 Flexible and lightweight seat-to-seat cabin cable system and method of manufacturing same
A cable system includes one or more bundles of conductive wire having multiple thin strands of flexible wire cable that are individually coated with an insulation layer. The bundles of conductive wire are covered by wire jacketing material and are further covered by a nylon braiding material. The cable is preferably made by coating individual wire strands with an insulating material, and then forming wire strands into wire. A thin insulating material may then be extruded over the bundles of wire strands, which are then twisted and/or shielded into cables forming a subassembly. The group of wires is formed into cables. A thin insulating material may be extruded over the cable subassemblies as a jacketing layer before the cable is cut to the desired length and braided or jacketed.
US07692094B1 Angularly positionable connector and wall plate combination for sectional plate
The present invention relates to wall plates for electrical wiring, and more specifically, to a plate including an opening for securing a connector or plurality of connectors therein. The plate includes a dual use opening at its center including cutouts that allow for a connector to be rotated at increments of 45 degrees up to 360 degree rotation at an angle in line to the angle of its receiving connector. Such angular mating requirements may originate from audio, video, and telecommunications applications where equipment is positioned at different elevations and distances away from an installed connector plate.
US07692093B2 High temperature high voltage cable
A cable having one or more conductive members and one or more strength members. Each conductive member has a metal microwire having an outer diameter and an inorganic cladding having an inner diameter. The microwire is positioned within the cladding, and the outer diameter of the microwire is at least about 2 microns less then the inner diameter of the cladding. Each strength member has a plurality of inorganic fibers surrounding the conductive members or an inorganic rod. The conductive members are conductive while applying a voltage of 5000 V to the conductive members and while exposing the cable to a temperature of about 1000° C.
US07692091B2 Shape memory alloy motor as incorporated into solar tracking mechanism
The present invention provides a motor driven by shape memory alloys for use in a variety of applications. In the disclosed embodiment, the motor is used to drive a photovoltaic panel so that the panel may remain in appropriate alignment with the sun throughout the day. In such a configuration, the motor assembly relies upon the intrinsic properties of shape memory alloys, in conjunction with a spring assembly, in order to generate sufficient torque in order to rotate the photovoltaic panel. In order to control the orientation of the panel, the system relies upon a sun tracking mechanism which includes an analog sensor circuit, a plurality of phototransistors and a power source. Accordingly, the device is able to rotate the photovoltaic panel in discrete and precise increments as the day progresses.
US07692090B2 Electronic musical performance instrument with greater and deeper creative flexibility
An electronic musical performance instrument that provides a user with a wide array of creative choices of operating systems, sound synthesis applications, user interfaces (including those emulating the interface of a conventional musical instrument and electronic control interfaces), supporting infrastructure components such as MIDI cards, sound cards, storage devices thus providing the performance artist with greater and deeper creative flexibility.
US07692089B2 Electronic keyboard instrument
An electronic keyboard instrument is assembled on a frame member. A keyboard has a plurality of keys pivotably supported by the frame member. A lower case is formed integrally with or separately from the frame member under the keyboard. An electroacoustic transducer is accommodated in a space between the keyboard and a bottom plate of the lower case, and outputs an acoustic wave. The acoustic wave outputted from the electroacoustic transducer is radiated outwardly through sound passages configured as gaps in the frame member and gaps between the plurality of the keys.
US07692085B2 Device for adjusting the tension of the strings of a stringed instrument
A device is disclosed for adjusting the tension of the strings of a string instrument, especially a guitar, preferably an electric guitar, or a bass, preferably an electric bass, said strings being secured at a first end to a winding mechanism and at a second end to another mount, said device having at least one motor, a gear connected to the motor and flexible shafts connected to the gear for transmission of a rotational movement generated by the combination of the motor and the gear to the winding mechanism whereby the device has fewer motors than there are strings on the string instrument.With this device it is possible to arrange a drive for automatic adjustment of the tension of the strings of the string instrument in a space-saving manner and in the smallest possible amount of space.
US07692081B2 Wind chime apparatus and method
Wind Chimes are provided, the notes of which are tuned to play a person's given name, according to the Ogham notation. The “tune” of the person's name is played on, e.g., anodized aluminum tubes, which are tuned to specific notes, based on the ancient system. The name being “played” is written on one side of the frame in English, and on the other side using the Ogham characters that translate as both the English letters, and the musical notes. The shape of the chime's frame is patterned after a Harp. The instrument can be used traditionally, as a wind chime, or it can be fitted with a base, allowing it to be used indoors as a décor item.
US07692070B2 Soybean variety D4125897
The invention relates to the soybean variety designated D4125897. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the soybean variety D4125897. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the soybean variety D4125897 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing soybean plants by crossing the soybean variety D4125897 with itself or another soybean variety and plants produced by such methods.
US07692069B2 Soybean cultivar SG3865N
A soybean cultivar designated SG3865N is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of soybean cultivar SG3865N, to the plants of soybean SG3865N, to plant parts of soybean cultivar SG3865N and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean cultivar SG3865N with itself or with another soybean variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to soybean cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from soybean variety SG3865N, to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar SG3865N and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar SG3865N with another soybean cultivar.
US07692066B2 Gene cluster of prenyl transferase from Hevea brasiliensis
According to the present invention, a gene cluster encoding various kinds of prenyl transferase of Hevea brasiliensis is obtained, and the nucleotide sequences of these genes are determined. The prenyl transferases are involved in the biosynthesis of isoprene backbone of natural rubber. Therefore, improvement of productivity of rubber can be expected, by transforming plants by the gene cluster obtained in the present invention.
US07692061B2 Maize cellulose synthase encoding sequences and uses thereof
The invention provides isolated cellulose synthase nucleic acids and their encoded proteins. The present invention provides methods and compositions relating to altering cellulose synthase concentration and/or composition of plants. The invention further provides recombinant expression cassettes, host cells, and transgenic plants.
US07692060B2 Genes that alter capacity to accumulate heavy metals and salts or resistance to heavy metals, salts or drought, and transformants expressing the genes
The present invention relates to a gene being capable of modifying resistance against a heavy metal or salt, or accumulation properties, a recombination vector including the genes, and a transformant using the recombination vector. A gene having heavy metal resistance and accumulation properties includes a sequence encoding a transmembrane protein having five times repeated similar four transmembrane domains. A recombination vector includes the gene having heavy metal resistance and accumulation properties, and further includes a salt or drought resistance gene having at least one selected from the group consisting of a sequence encoding an ABC transporter including twice repeated six transmembrane domains and ATP-binding domains.
US07692056B2 Process for producing lower olefins from methanol or dimethylether
The present invention provides a process for producing lower olefins from methanol or dimethyl ether. The technical problem mainly addressed in the present invention is to overcome the defects presented in the prior art including high operation temperature, low yield and selectivity of lower olefins as the target products, and poor stability and short regeneration period of catalyst. The present process, which is carried out under the conditions of catalytic cracking methanol and dimethyl ether and the presence of diluting gas, and adopts as a feedstock methanol, dimethyl ether or their mixture, comprises the steps of: a) letting the feedstock firstly enter a first reaction zone to contact with a first crystalline aluminosilicate catalyst having a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of at least 10, to thereby produce a first reaction effluent containing lower olefins; b) letting the first reaction effluent enter in turn at least one second reaction zone to contact with a second crystalline aluminosilicate catalyst having a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of at least 10, to thereby produce a second reaction effluent containing lower olefins; and c) separating lower olefins from the second reaction effluent; wherein the weight ratio of the diluting gas to the feedstock is 0.01-6:1, while controlling the reaction conditions.
US07692053B2 Process for obtaining crude 1,3-butadiene from a C4 cut
1,3-butadiene is obtained by extractive distillation with a selective solvent from a C4 cut comprising C4 acetylenes as secondary components in a dividing wall column having a bottom evaporator, in which a dividing wall is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the column to form a first subregion, a second subregion and a lower combined column region. The column is disposed upstream of an extractive wash column. The energy input into the dividing wall column via the bottom evaporator is controlled in such a way that a bottom stream containing solvent, C4 acetylenes and 1,3-butadiene restricted such that the loss of 1,3-butadiene is economically acceptable, is drawn off and fed to an acetylenes outgasser where the C4 acetylenes are stripped out overhead and purified solvent is obtained as the bottom stream.
US07692050B2 Apparatus and process for separation of organic materials from attached insoluble solids, and conversion into useful products
The present invention addresses the processing of waste and low-value products that contain bone material to produce useful materials in reliable purities and compositions, at acceptable cost, and with high energy efficiency. In particular, the invention comprises a process that converts various feedstocks such as offal, animal manures, and municipal sewage sludge, to useful materials including gas, oil, specialty chemicals, and carbon solids. The process heats the feedstock in order to breakdown proteins and separate organic material from bone material, applies further heat and pressure to the resulting liquid mixture, separates out various components, then further applies heat and pressure to one or more of those components. The invention further comprises an apparatus for performing a process of converting waste products into useful materials, and an oil product that arises from the process.
US07692048B2 Method for producing fluorine-containing halide
The present invention provides a method for producing a fluorine-containing halide, comprising reacting a fluorine-containing sulfonyl halide or fluorine-containing disulfonyl chloride with a metal halide or metal component in the present or absence of a solvent. In accordance with the present invention, a fluorine-containing bromide, fluorine-containing iodide or fluorine-containing chloride can be readily produced in high yield at low cost, using an industrially advantageous process.
US07692046B2 Heterogeneous arylalkyl oxidation promoter
A promoter can have utility in selective heterogeneous oxidation of arylalkyl hydrocarbons such as, for example, cyclohexyl benzene and/or sec-butyl benzene to form hydroperoxides. The promoter can include the product of contacting a solid support comprising a metal oxide surface and an iron compound. The solid support can include, for example, titanium dioxide and/or an iron oxide such as magnetite and can have magnetic susceptibility. A method for the oxidation of arylalkyl hydrocarbons to form hydroperoxides can include contacting 16 an arylalkyl hydrocarbon with oxygen in the presence of the promoter under catalytic oxidation conditions to form arylalkyl hydroperoxide, which can then be converted to phenol via cleavage 26. The method can include recovery 22 of the promoter from the arylalkyl hydroperoxide and can further include recycling the recovered promoter to the contacting 16. Where the solid support has magnetic susceptibility, the recovery 22 can include magnetic separation of the promoter.
US07692042B2 Process for preparing aniline
Crude aniline is produced by hydrogenating nitrobenzene in the presence of a catalyst. This crude aniline is then purified by means of a single-step or multi-step distillation process in which aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution is added to the crude aniline prior to distillation and/or during distillation of the crude aniline.
US07692040B2 Process for the production of acetic acid
A process for the production of acetic acid by carbonylating methanol and/or a reactive derivative thereof with carbon monoxide in at least one carbonylation reaction zone containing a liquid reaction composition comprising an iridium carbonylation catalyst, methyl iodide co-catalyst, a finite concentration of water, acetic acid, methyl acetate, at least one promoter selected from ruthenium, osmium and rhenium and at least one catalyst system stabiliser selected from indium, cadmium, mercury, gallium and zinc and wherein the molar ratio of iridium:promoter:stabiliser in the liquid reaction composition is maintained in the range 1:(>2 to 15):(0.25 to 12).
US07692038B2 Crystalline forms
The present invention relates to crystalline forms of (3S)-3-[N—(N′-(2-tert-butylphenyl)oxamyl)alaninyl]amino-5-(2′,3′,5′,6′-tetrafluorophenoxy)-4-oxopentanoic acid (see formula I). The invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such crystalline forms and to the use of said pharmaceutical compositions and said crystalline forms in the treatment of various conditions, particularly in the treatment of liver fibrosis.
US07692034B2 Process for the preparation of 7-amino syn 3,5-dihydroxy heptanoic acid derivatives via 6-cyano syn 3,5-dihydroxy hexanoic acid derivatives
The invention relates to novel synthesis methods for the preparation of the intermediates, which are suitable for the preparation of statin derivatives, especially to novel synthesis methods of the intermediate of formula VI wherein Ra and Rc are each independently of the other hydrogen or a hydroxy-protecting group or together are a bridging hydroxy-protecting group, and Rb is a carboxy-protecting group, which methods are carried out by conversion of the intermediate of formula XIX wherein Ra and Rc are each independently of the other hydrogen or a hydroxy-protecting group, and Rb is a carboxy-protective group.
US07692031B2 Separation of propylene oxide from a mixture comprising propylene oxide and methanol
A method of separating propylene oxide from a mixture (M) comprising propylene oxide and methanol, said method comprising: (i) introducing said mixture (M) into an extractive distillation column; (ii) additionally introducing an extracting solvent into said extractive distillation column; (iii) distilling propylene oxide overhead from said extractive distillation column as top stream; (iv) withdrawing a bottoms stream from said extractive distillation column; (v) compressing the top stream obtained overhead in (iii) by means of at least one compressor to give a compressed vapor.
US07692030B2 Conjugates of artemisinin-related endoperoxides and hydrazone derivatives for the treatment of cancer
Compounds having an artemisinin-related endoperoxide moiety covalently coupled to a hydrazone moiety through a linker. Compositions and methods for treating cancer using the compounds.
US07692027B2 Process for the preparation of telmisartan
A process for the preparation of telmisartan (I) and novel intermediates useful for its synthesis.
US07692026B2 Pyrrolotriazole compound
Disclosed is a pyrrolotriazole compound represented by the following formula (I) and having an organic compound incorporated into crystals thereof or a pyrrolotriazole compound represented by the following formula (II) and having an alcohol incorporated into crystals thereof.
US07692025B2 Process for the preparation of anticancer drugs
A process for preparing Anastrozole is provided. In the process the steps of a. combining 3,5-bis(2-cyanoisopropyl)toluene, a solvent selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, dichloromethane and chlorobenzene, a brominating reagent selected from a group consisting of N-bromosuccinimide and 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, and 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile); b. heating; c. combining with 1,2,4-triazole, a solvent selected from a group consisting of N-methylpyrrolidinone, dimethylformamide, mixtures of NMP and DMF, dimethylsulfoxide, mixtures of DMSO and toluene, acetone, ACN, and tetrahydrofuran, a base selected from a group consisting of NaOH, KOH, K2CO3, and Na2CO3, and 1,3-benzendiacetonitrile-5-(bromomethyl)-α,α,{acute over (α)},{acute over (α)}-tetramethyl, at a temperature below −20° C. are performed.
US07692021B2 NPN-type low molecular aromatic ring compounds and organic semiconductors and electronic devices incorporating such compounds
Disclosed herein are NPN-type low molecular aromatic ring compounds, organic semiconductor layers formed from such compounds that exhibit improved electrical stability and methods of forming such layers using solution-based processes, for example, spin coating processes performed at or near room temperature. These NPN-type compounds may be used, either singly or in combination, for fabricating organic semiconductor layers in electronic devices. The NPN-type aromatic ring compounds according to example embodiments may be deposited as a solution on a range of substrates to form a coating film that is then subjected to a thermal treatment to form a semiconductor thin film across large substrate surfaces that exhibits reduced leakage currents relative to conventional PNP-type organic semiconductor materials, thus improving the electrical properties of the resulting devices.
US07692019B2 Methods for the stereoselective synthesis of substituted piperidines
One aspect of the present invention relates to methods of synthesizing substituted piperidines. A second aspect of the present invention relates to stereoselective methods of synthesizing substituted piperidines. The methods of the present invention will find use in the synthesis of compounds useful for treatment of numerous ailments, conditions and diseases that afflict mammals, including but not limited to addiction and pain. An additional aspect of the present invention relates to the synthesis of combinatorial libraries of the substituted piperidines using the methods of the present invention. An additional aspect of the present invention relates to enantiomerically substituted pyrrolidines, piperidines, and azepines.
US07692014B2 Inhibitors of the HIV integrase enzyme
The present invention is directed to compounds of formula (I), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and solvates thereof, their synthesis, and their use as modulators or inhibitors of the human immunodeficiency virus (“HIV”) integrase enzyme.
US07692011B2 8-hydroxy and 8-mercapto quinazolinones
The present invention relates to neurologically active 8-hydroxy- or 8-mercapto-quinazolinones. Also disclosed are processes for the preparation of these compounds and their use as pharmaceutical or veterinary agents, in particular for the treatment of neurological conditions, more specifically neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease.
US07692006B2 Phthalazinone derivatives
4-[3-(4-cyclopropanecarbonyl-piperazine-1-carbonyl)-4-fluoro-benzyl]-2H-phthalazin-1-one as crystalline Form A.
US07692002B2 Metal complexes having vitamin B12 as a ligand
The present invention relates to a metal complex of the general formula M(L)n, wherein each L is independently selected and represents a ligand and at least one L is vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) or a derivative thereof bound through the nitrogen atom of its cyanide group to M, which is an element selected from the transition metals, thus, forming a M-NC-[Co] moiety with [Co] representing vitamin B12 without cyanide and wherein n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. The complex can be prepared by mixing a precursor molecule with vitamin B12. The metal complexes can be used for radiodiagnostics, chemotherapy and radionuclide therapy.
US07692001B2 Catalyst and method for production of polyols by hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates
A catalyst and method for the hydrogenolysis of carbohydrates is disclosed. The catalyst comprises nickel metal on an alumina-silica support. Optionally, the catalyst may be promoted with noble metals selected from the group consisting of copper, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, platinum, gold, silver, and combinations thereof. The method involves reacting hydrogen gas with a carbohydrate in a polar solvent in the presence of a fixed bed of catalyst.
US07691998B2 siRNA targeting nucleoporin 62kDa (Nup62)
Efficient sequence specific gene silencing is possible through the use of siRNA technology. By selecting particular siRNAs by rational design, one can maximize the generation of an effective gene silencing reagent, as well as methods for silencing genes. Methods, compositions, and kits generated through rational design of siRNAs are disclosed including those directed to nucleotide sequences for Nup62.
US07691997B2 Functional and hyperfunctional siRNA
Efficient sequence specific gene silencing is possible through the use of siRNA technology. By selecting particular siRNAs by rationale design, one can maximize the generation of an effective gene silencing reagent, as well as methods for silencing genes.
US07691991B2 Sequence-determined DNA fragments encoding cytochrome P450 proteins
The present invention provides DNA molecules that constitute fragments of the genome of a plant, and polypeptides encoded thereby. The DNA molecules are useful for specifying a gene product in cells, either as a promoter or as a protein coding sequence or as an UTR or as a 3′ termination sequence, and are also useful in controlling the behavior of a gene in the chromosome, in controlling the expression of a gene or as tools for genetic mapping, recognizing or isolating identical or related DNA fragments, or identification of a particular individual organism, or for clustering of a group of organisms with a common trait.
US07691989B2 Methods for producing soluble membrane-spanning proteins
Methods for producing membrane-spanning polypeptides in high yields, with native conformation, and/or in soluble form include solubilizing in non-ionic or zwitterionic detergents, as well as use of promoters and expression vectors for expressing high yields of membrane-spanning polypeptides in bacterial cells. Mutated promoters provide tight control of membrane-spanning polypeptides in bacterial cell hosts.
US07691986B2 High molecular weight, low methoxyl pectins, and their production and uses
Pectins having a combination of unexpectedly high molecular weights and low degrees of methylation have been isolated. These high molecular weight, low degree of methylation pectins form gels at unexpectedly low concentrations. Such pectins can be obtained by extracting homogenized Aloe Vera plants or portions thereof. These pectins can be used to prepare pharmaceutical compositions comprising pharmacological agents encapsulated in a pectin gel, for application to animals and humans so as to provide controlled release of the pharmacological agent.
US07691981B2 Growth factor homolog zvegf3
Polypeptide growth factors, methods of making them, polynucleotides encoding them, antibodies to them, and methods of using them are disclosed. The polypeptides comprise an amino acid segment that is at least 90% identical to residues 46-163 of SEQ ID NO:2 or residues 235-345 of SEQ ID NO:2. Multimers of the polypeptides are also disclosed. The polypeptides, multimeric proteins, and polynucleotides can be used in the study and regulation of cell and tissue development, as components of cell culture media, and as diagnostic agents.
US07691980B2 Enhanced capacity and purification of antibodies by mixed mode chromatography in the presence of aqueous-soluble nonionic organic polymers
This invention relates to the use of mixed mode chromatography for purification of at least one intact non-aggregated antibody from a mixture containing intact non-aggregated antibodies and undesirable materials, including fragmented or aggregated antibodies, host cell proteins, DNA, endotoxin, and/or virus. This invention further relates to the integration of such a method into a multi-step procedure with other fractionation methods for purification of antibodies suitable for in vivo applications.
US07691979B2 Anti-metastin antibody and its use
The present invention aims at providing an antibody, by which metastin or its derivative can be quantified specifically with a high sensitivity, a method of detecting/quantifying metastin or its derivative using the antibody, and a diagnostic agent (e.g., a diagnostic for pregnancy) the same. Specifically, an antibody capable of specifically reacting with a partial peptide at the N-terminus or C-terminus of a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 or its derivative, and a method of detecting/quantifying metastin or its derivative using the antibody as well as a diagnostic agent using the same.
US07691975B2 Interferon-β complex
The present invention relates to a complex between interferon-β and polyethylene glycol, which has high biological activity, and to a method for producing the complex at high efficiency. Namely, the present invention relates to a method for producing an interferon-β complex comprising binding interferon-β to polyethylene glycol in the presence of at least one additive selected from the group consisting of oligosaccharides having 5 or less sugar units, monosaccharides, their corresponding sugar alcohols, and C2-6 polyhydric alcohols, and to an interferon-β complex produced by the method, which has polyethylene glycol specifically bound with lysine located at the 19th or 134th position in the amino acid sequence of interferon-β.
US07691973B2 GFRα3 polypeptides
The present invention relates to nucleotide sequences, including expressed sequence tags (ESTs), oligonucleotide probes, polypeptides, vectors and host cells expressing, and immunoadhesions and antibodies to mammalian GFRα3, a novel α-subunit receptor of the GDNF (i.e. GFR) receptor family. It further relates to an assay for measuring activation of an α-subunit receptor by detecting tyrosine kinase receptor activation (i.e., autophosphorylation) or other activities related to ligand-induced α-subunit receptor homo-dimerization or homo-oligomerization.
US07691971B2 Protein NMB1125 and use thereof in pharmaceutical formulations
Use of a novel vaccine antigen applied in a preventive or therapeutic way against diseases in general, being such disease of bacterial, viral, cancer related, or other origin.The technical objective that this invention pursues is the development of formulations with the ability to increase the protective spectrum of existing vaccines and hence expanding it against different pathogens.In order to achieve this goal the NMB1125 protein was isolated and identified as a component of outer membrane preparations of Neisseria meningitidis capable of inducing bactericidal activity.Additionally, the gene codifying for NMB1125 protein was cloned and expressed, and the said polypeptide was purified and its immunogenicity evaluated in animal models. The sequence data from homologous genes showed, due to the high degree of conservation, its high value as a target antigen of a cross-reactive response when it is presented by different routes. Resultant formulations of this invention are of use in the pharmaceutical industry as vaccine formulations for human use.
US07691969B2 Isolated GRP94 ligand binding domain polypeptide and nucleic acid encoding same, crystalline form of same, and screening methods employing same
An isolated GRP94 ligand binding domain polypeptide, a three-dimensional crystal structure of the same, and methods of using the same to design modulators of Hsp90 proteins.
US07691967B2 Smart pro-drugs of serine protease inhibitors
The present invention relates to prodrugs of protease inhibitors, such as inhibitors of proteosome, DPOP IV, FAPα and the like. These “pro-inhibitors” are activated, i.e., cleaved by an “activated protease” to release an active inhibitor moiety in proximity to a “target protease”. The identity of activating protease and target protease can be the same (such pro-inhibitors being referred to as “Target-Activated Smart Protease Inhibitors” or “TASPI”) or different (e.g., “Target-Directed Smart Protease Inhibitors” or “TDSPI”). After activation of the pro-inhibitor, the active inhibitor moiety can self-inactive by, e.g., intramolecular-cyclization or cis-trans isomerization.
US07691966B2 Method for quantitative analysis for prolyl hydroxylase activity using fluorescence polarization
The present invention relates to a method for analyzing the interaction between HIF-1 peptide and VBC protein using fluorescence polarization, more precisely, a method for quantitative analysis of formation of HIF-1-VBC protein complex which is composed of the steps of 1) preparing a fluorescent probe by attaching a fluorescein to hydroxyproline containing HIF-1 peptide; 2) reacting the fluorescent probe with VBC protein; and 3) measuring the fluorescence polarization of the above reactant and then comparing the fluorescence polarization with that of the fluorescent probe itself to investigate the changes of fluorescence polarization; a method for screening an inhibitor of the binding of HIF-1 peptide and VBC protein using the above method; and a method for analyzing the activity of prolyl hydroxylase using the above method. The method of the present invention enables simple analysis of the interaction between HIF-1 peptide and VBC protein by observing changes of fluorescence polarization and thus, it can be effectively used for high-speed screening using a well plate.
US07691963B2 Exendins and exendin agonists modified with polyamino acids
Modified exendins and exendin agonists having an exendin or exendin agonist linked to one or more molecular weight increasing compounds, for example, polyamino acids, polyethylene glycol polymers, and related formulations and dosages and methods of administration thereof are provided. These modified exendins and exendin agonists, compositions comprising the modified exendin or the agonist thereof are useful in treating diabetes and conditions that would be benefited by lowering plasma glucose or delaying and/or slowing gastric emptying or inhibiting food intake.
US07691961B2 Polyimide film and use thereof
A polyimide film in which the dimensional change is reduced when it has undergone a step of laminating a metal on the polyimide film or a step of etching the metal layer to form wiring, and the rate of dimensional change can be stabilized across the entire width is provided. The object can be solved by a polyimide film produced by a continuous process, wherein when a coefficient of linear expansion a in a direction of the molecular orientation axis and a coefficient of linear expansion b in a direction perpendicular to the molecular orientation axis are measured in the temperature range of 100° C. to 200° C., a and b satisfy a particular relationship across the entire width, or a polyimide film produced by a continuous process, wherein when a tear propagation resistance c in the direction of the molecular orientation axis and a tear propagation resistance d in the direction perpendicular to the molecular orientation axis are measured, c and d satisfy a particular relationship across the entire width.
US07691960B2 Citric acid based emulsifiers for oilfield applications exhibiting low fluorescence
The present invention relates to a composition of citric acid based emulsifiers comprising polyamides for oilfield drilling applications that exhibit very low fluorescence, and to a process for their preparation.
US07691957B2 Butadiene-based polymer and method of producing the same as well as rubber composition and tire using the same
This invention is concerned with a butadiene-based polymer having a high cis-1,4 bond content, a low vinyl bond content and a molecular weight distribution of a specified range, and more particularly a butadiene-based polymer having a 1,3-butadiene monomer unit, characterized in that a cis-1,4 bond content and a vinyl bond content in the 1,3-butadiene monomer unit as measured by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) is not less than 98.0% and not more than 0.3%, respectively, and a ratio (Mw/Mn) of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number average molecular weight (Mn) is 1.6-3.5.
US07691955B2 Catalyst activation and resins therefrom
The present invention relates to the removal of hydrocarbon residues from a catalyst and more specifically the air activation of a catalyst containing hydrocarbon residues. It also relates to extruded pipe and utility conduit resins comprising polyethylene, household/industrial chemicals container resins, and to a polyethylene resin particularly suitable for large parts by blow molding and sheet extrusion procedures, wherein the resin is made by a process using an activated chromium and titanium-based catalyst.
US07691953B2 System and process for production of polyvinyl chloride
A method is disclosed for producing polyvinyl chloride which includes mixing a vinyl chloride solution with an initiator solution in at least one high shear mixing device comprising at least one rotor/stator set producing a rotor tip speed of at least 5.1 m/sec (1000 ft/min), to form a polymerization mixture; and allowing the mixture to polymerize by free radical polymerization to form polyvinyl chloride. The polymerization mixture may be subjected to free radical polymerization conditions comprising a temperature in the range of about 20° C. to about 230° C. In some embodiments, the high shear mixing device produces a shear rate of at least 20,000 s−1. A system for carrying out the method is also disclosed.
US07691949B2 Joining tissues with composition of bioabsorbable isocyanate and amine-substituted polyalkylene glycol
Bioabsorbable compounds which include a polyalkylene oxide backbone with two or more isocyanate substituents are useful as one component adhesives. Absorbable compositions useful as a two component adhesive contain a) a polyethylene oxide having two or more amine substituents with b) a bioabsorbable diisocyanate compound, or alternatively contain a) a polyethylene oxide having two or more isocyanate substituents with b) a bioabsorbable diamine compound, or, alternatively contain a) a bioabsorbable diisocyanate compound and b) a bioabsorbable diamine compound.
US07691948B2 (Meth)acrylic film, and making film and receptor sheet using the same
To provide a film having high tensile strength and elongation characteristics. A methacrylic film formed of (A) a carboxyl group-containing (meth)acrylic polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 0° C. or higher and a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 or more obtained by copolymerizing a composition containing a monoethylenically unsaturated monomer as a main component and an unsaturated monomer having a carboxyl group, and (B) an amino group-containing (meth)acrylic polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 0° C. or lower and a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 or more obtained by copolymerizing a composition containing a monoethylenically unsaturated monomer as a main component and an unsaturated monomer having an amino group, wherein a mixing ratio of the component (A) to the component (B) is from 10:90 to 90:10 in terms of a weight ratio.
US07691946B2 Soy-based thermosensitive hydrogels for controlled release systems
Biopolymeric hydrogel precursors are prepared by means of a ring-opening polymerization of epoxidized vegetable oils, followed by chemical hydrolysis. The recovered hydrogels having properties similar to Pluronic® type surfactants would have a plurality of end-use applications, including use as food additives and pharmaceutical ingredients. This invention provides the potential for an enhanced market for vegetable oils, and particularly for soybean oil.
US07691941B2 Low-solvent or solvent-free crosslinker dispersions with pyrazole-blocked isocyanate groups
The present invention relates to the preparation of aqueous, solvent-free or low-solvent, storage-stable polyurethane crosslinker dispersions having pyrazole-blocked isocyanate groups, to coating compositions prepared from them and to their use in coatings.
US07691938B2 Silyl ester copolymer compositions
The invention relates to a silyl ester copolymer solution having a solids content of at least 55 weight percent and a viscosity of less than 20 poise at 25° C., comprising a silyl ester copolymer having a weight-average molecular weight of less than 20,000. The invention further relates to coating compositions comprising a silyl ester copolymer and to substrates and structures having a cured coating prepared from such a coating composition.
US07691936B2 Fine fluoropolymer powders
Fine fluoropolymer powders substantially fluorinated surfactant free, in particular fluorinated ionic surfactants, preferably perfluorooctanoic acid or its salts, comprising an anionic polyelectrolyte.
US07691934B2 High molecular weight poly(dially dialkyl) ammonium salts
The invention is directed to a method of making ultra high molecular weight diallyldialkyl ammonium salt homopolymers, compositions thereof and use of compositions as a fixative in papermaking.
US07691928B2 Resin composition and process for producing resin molding
The present invention provides a polyester resin component having crystallization improved and including a cyclic compound shown by a below-described formula and polyester capable of having a crystal structure. (In the formula, a ring A and a ring B respectively represent benzene rings, and hydrogen bonded to the benzene rings may optionally be substituted with other groups. Y represents —CONH— or —NHCO—. X represents a heterocyclic group or a condensed heterocyclic group including one or more NH or CO respectively).
US07691927B2 Self-emulsifying liquid stabilizers
A process for stabilising a natural or synthetic organic polymer or copolymer obtained from a water based latex or emulsion of the polymer or copolymer comprising adding to the later or emulsion prior to coagulation of the polymer or copolymer a substantially water-free self-emulsifying liquid stabiliser mixture comprising (a) a phosphite or phosphonite stabiliser; (b) a phenolic antioxidant and (c) an emulsifying agent. The preferred stabiliser package is a blend of 2 parts by weight liquid phosphite stabiliser to 1 part by weight liquid phenolic antioxidant which has dissolved in it a fatty acid ester emulsifier.
US07691920B2 Ink jet of functionalized waxes
An ink jet ink includes an ink vehicle, wherein the ink vehicle includes at least one wax monomer functionalized to include in the chain at least one reactive group curable upon exposure to radiation. The reactive group is preferably curable via cationic or free radical polymerization. In a preferred embodiment, the ink vehicle includes a wax monomer having a structure: wherein C represents a cationically curable group and R represents a radically curable group. The inks may be used to form an image by jetting the ink onto a transfuse member surface, increasing the viscosity of the ink upon the transfuse member surface, subsequently transferring the ink from the transfuse member surface to an image receiving substrate, and exposing the ink to radiation following the transfer to the image receiving substrate to effect reaction of the at least one reactive group.
US07691917B2 Silcone-containing prepolymers
Prepolymers comprising at least one block of Formula II and terminated with a polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated radical are useful in hydrogel materials are disclosed: wherein n, R, R1, R2 and X+ are as defined herein.
US07691916B2 Biomedical devices containing internal wetting agents
This invention includes a wettable biomedical device containing a high molecular weight hydrophilic polymer and a hydroxyl-functionalized silicone-containing monomer.
US07691913B2 Rigid polyurethane foam based on toluene diamine-initiated polyols
Rigid polyurethane foams are made using a polyol component that includes toluene diamine-initiated polyols containing specified levels of oxyethylene groups. Foams made from these polyols have low k-factors and excellent demold expansion values.
US07691911B2 Polyolefin-based aerogels
The present invention relates to cross-linked polyolefin aerogels in simple and fiber-reinforced composite form. Of particular interest are polybutadiene aerogels. Especially aerogels derived from polybutadienes functionalized with anhydrides, amines, hydroxyls, thiols, epoxies, isocyanates or combinations thereof.
US07691904B2 pH sensitive prodrugs of 2,6-diisopropylphenol
The present invention is directed to water-soluble derivatives of 2,6-diisopropylphenol (Propofol). The compounds act as prodrugs of 2,6-diisopropylphenol and metabolize rapidly to Propofol thereby providing an alternative to the water-insoluble 2,6-diisopropylphenol. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds, methods of induction and maintenance of anesthesia or sedation as well as methods of treating neurodegenerative diseases utilizing pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds and methods of preparing them are also disclosed.
US07691902B2 Modulators of ATP-binding cassette transporters
Compounds of the present invention and pharmaceutically acceptable compositions thereof, are useful as modulators of ATP-Binding Cassette (“ABC”) transporters or fragments thereof, including Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (“CFTR”). The present invention also relates to methods of treating ABC transporter mediated diseases using compounds of the present invention.
US07691898B2 Phosphonic acid derivatives and the treating agents of diseases related hyperphosphatemia
This invention related to a series of new phosphonic acid derivatives having anti-hyperphosphatemia activity. wherein: A is selected from —(CH2)n—, —CO—, —(CH2)n—CO—(CH2)m—, —(CH2)n—CS—(CH2)m— or a branched alkylene group, B ring and C ring are selected from a benzene ring, naphthalene ring, azulene ring or, heterocycle or fused heterocycle compound, D is —(CH2)(n+1)—, —(CH2)—O—(CH2)m—, —(CH2)—S(O)o—(CH2)m—, —CF3 or —(CH2)n—NR10—(CH2)m— wherein a D ring is connected with the carbon atom composing the C ring, E is selected from an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom, P is a phosphine atom, R1˜R7, wherein R1 and R2, R4 and R5 are joined together with neighbored carbon atom to form 5˜7 membered saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon ring, or 5˜6 membered fused heterocycle, R1, R2 and R3 are not a hydrogen atom if the B ring is a benzene ring and may be the same or different and are substituents, R8 and R9 are may be the same or different and are substituents, R10 is an alkyl group, n and m are 0-10 and o is 0-2.
US07691896B2 Analogs of salinosporamide A
Disclosed herein are analogs of Salinosporamide A, having the Formula I as follows: Like Salinosporamide A, the compounds of the present invention will inhibit the proteasome, an intracellular enzyme complex that destroys proteins the cell no longer needs. Without the proteasome, proteins would build up and clog cellular machinery. Fast-growing cancer cells make especially heavy use of the proteasome, so thwarting its action is a compelling drug strategy.
US07691893B2 Chemical compounds
The present invention relates to (1S,6R)-6-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-[(methyloxy)methyl]-3-azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, prodrugs or solvates thereof; processes for their preparation, intermediates used in these processes, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use in therapy, as serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE), re-uptake inhibitors.
US07691891B2 Diphenylurea derivatives and their use as chloride channel blockers
The present invention relates to novel diphenylurea derivatives useful as chloride channel blockers. In other aspects the invention relates to the use of these compounds in a method for therapy, and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of the invention.
US07691889B2 Antimycobacterial compounds
Novel compounds belonging to the class of oxazolidinones possessing potent antimycobacterial properties especially useful in the treatment of acid fast organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium-intracellular complex, M. fortuitum and M. kansai. The compound and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts act as antibacterial agents. Also mentioned is a method for inhibiting growth of mycobacterial cells as well as a method of treating mycobacterial conditions such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium-intracellular complex, M. fortuitum and M. kansai., including administering an antimycobacterially effective amount of the compound and/or pharmaceutically acceptable salts. There is also mentioned a process for the manufacture of the compound or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
US07691884B2 Heterocyclic sulfonamide inhibitors of β amyloid production
Compounds of Formula (I), wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, T, W, X, Y and Z are as defined herein are provided, together with pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrates and/or prodrugs thereof. Methods of using these compounds for determining β-amyloid levels in a subject are described.
US07691881B2 1-isopropyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carboxamide derivatives having 5-HT4 receptor agonistic activity
This invention provides a compound of formula (I): wherein R1 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a halogen atom, R2 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy group, and A represents an oxygen atom or a group of the formula —C(R4)(R5)— (in which R4 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R5 represents a hydroxy group or an alkoxy group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These compounds have 5-HT4 receptor agonistic activity, and thus are useful for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, non-ulcer dyspepsia, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome or the like in mammalian, especially humans.
US07691880B2 Methylphenidate solution and associated methods of administration and production
A methylphenidate solution and associated methods of administration and production, which includes methylphenidate and at least one organic acid dissolved in a solvent system, where the solvent system includes at least one non-aqueous solvent. The solvent system may include water. The non-aqueous solvent can include, but is not limited to polyols and glycols and associated mixtures thereof. Pharmaceutical additives such as flavorings, colorants, buffers, preservatives and mixtures thereof may be optionally added to the methylphenidate solution.
US07691879B2 Isoquinoline potassium channel inhibitors
The present invention relates to compounds having the structure (I) useful as potassium channel inhibitors to treat cardiac arrhythmias, and the like.
US07691878B2 Heteroarylalkyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane compounds as mu opioid receptor antagonists
The invention provides heteroarylene substituted 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane compounds of formula (I): wherein R1, R2, A, and m are defined in the specification, or a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt thereof, that are antagonists at the mu opioid receptor. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, methods of using such compounds to treat conditions associated with mu opioid receptor activity, and processes and intermediates useful for preparing such compounds.
US07691874B2 Neuroprotective properties of dextrorotatory morphinans
The present application discloses a pharmaceutical composition for treating Parkinson's disease and psychotropic intoxication/abusive potential, which contains a morphinan compound.
US07691873B2 Preparation of pharmaceutical formulations
A process for the production of a composition comprising a water-insoluble opioid which comprises the steps of: a) providing a mixture comprising: i) a water-insoluble opioid, ii) a water soluble carrier, and iii) a solvent for each of the opioid and the carrier, and b) spray-drying the mixture to remove the or each solvent and obtain a substantially solvent-free nano-dispersion of the opioid in the carrier.
US07691872B2 Methods and compositions for optimizing blood and tissue stability of camptothecin and other albumin-binding therapeutic compounds
The present invention provides methods and formulations for optimizing the anti-cancer and anti-HIV activities of a camptothecin drug, including camptothecin and its related analogs including 9-aminocamptothecin and 9-nitrocamptothecin. The invention involves methodologies and formulations that limit human serum albumin-mediated reduction of the anti-cancer and anti-HIV effects of the camptothecins, and the methods and formulations provide combination therapies in which binding of the camptothecin agent to human serum albumin can be modulated by the administration of a competing agent that also binds human serum albumin. Reduced camptothecin drug binding to human serum albumin can result in elevated camptothecin free drug levels and thus improve the effectiveness of treatment regimens involving these drugs. Further agents such as methotrexate and AZT can also be used in cancer and HIV-positive patients employing camptothecin drugs.
US07691871B2 Multivitamin syrup for children or young adults
The invention relates to an improved pharmaceutical or dietary composition in form of an aqueous syrup, consisting essentially of (a) vitamins recommended for consumption by children or young adults, (b) a suitable calcium source, (c) at least one dibasic amino acids, (d) taurine, (e) at least one solubilizer, (f) at least one additional agent selected from the group consisting of sweetening agents, flavoring agents, flavor enhancers, preservatives, antioxidants, co-solvents, and (g) water.
US07691870B2 Benzimidazole carboxamides as raf kinase inhibitors
The present invention relates to benzimidazole carboxamides of formula I, the use of the compounds of formula I of as inhibitors of one or more kinases, the use of the compounds of formula I for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment, comprising administering said pharmaceutical compositions to a patients.
US07691868B2 Thiazolyl-dihydro-quinazoline
Disclosed are thiazolyl-dihydro-quinazolines of general formula (I) wherein the groups R1 to R4 have the meanings given in the claims and specification, the isomers thereof, and processes for preparing these compounds and their use as pharmaceutical compositions.
US07691866B2 2,6-disubstituted quinazolines, quinoxalines, quinolines and isoquinolines and methods of their use as inhibitors of Raf kinase
New substituted quinazoline, quinoxaline, quinoline and isoquinoline compounds, compositions and methods of inhibition of Raf kinase activity in a human or animal subject are provided. The new compounds compositions may be used either alone or in combination with at least one additional agent for the treatment of a Raf kinase mediated disorder, such as cancer.
US07691862B2 Method and composition for treating periodontal disease
The present invention is directed to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of misoprostol and an effective amount of an antibiotic. A suitable antibiotic is selected from the group consisting of doxycycline, gentamicin, tobramicin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and metronidazole. Preferred antibiotics are doxycycline and ciprofloxacin. More preferably, the antibiotic is doxycycline. In its second aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for treating periodontal disease in a mammalian patient comprising administering to a mammalian patient in need of such treatment a therapeutically effective amount of misoprostol and an effective amount of an antibiotic. Typically, the mammalian patient is a human.
US07691861B2 Indolymaleimide derivatives
A compound of formula I wherein R, Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd and Re are as defined in the specification, processes for their production, their uses, in particular in transplantation, and pharmaceutical compositions containing them.
US07691855B2 Phenyl-[4-(3-phenyl-1h-pyrazol-4-yl)-pyrimidin-2-yl)-amine derivatives
The invention relates to phenyl-[4-(3-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-pyrimidin-2-yl]-amine derivatives and to processes for the preparation thereof, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such derivatives and to the use of such derivatives—alone or in combination with one or more other pharmaceutically active compounds—for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment especially of a proliferative disease, such as a tumor.
US07691854B2 Dihydropyridine derivatives for use as human neutrophil elastase inhibitors
The invention relates to novel dihydropyridine derivatives, of Formula (I) processes for their preparation, and their use in medicaments, especially for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, acute coronary syndrome, acute myocardial infarction and heart failure development.
US07691853B2 Pyrazole compounds useful as protein kinase inhibitors
This invention describes novel pyrazole compounds of formula IV: wherein Ring D is a 5-7 membered monocyclic ring or 8-10 membered bicyclic ring selected from aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl or carbocyclyl; Rx and Ry are independently selected from T—R3, or taken together with their intervening atoms to form a fused, unsaturated or partially unsaturated, 5-8 membered ring having 1-3 ring heteroatoms selected from oxygen, sulfur, or nitrogen; and R2, R2′, T, and R3 are as described in the specification. The compounds are useful as protein kinase inhibitors, especially as inhibitors of aurora-2 and GSK-3, for treating diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.
US07691852B2 Compounds for enzyme inhibition
One aspect of the invention relates to inhibitors that preferentially inhibit immunoproteasome activity over constitutive proteasome activity. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to the treatment of immune related diseases, comprising administering a compound of the invention. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to the treatment of cancer, comprising administering a compound of the invention.
US07691846B2 Lactam-containing compounds and derivatives thereof as factor Xa inhibitors
The present application describes lactam-containing compounds and derivatives thereof of Formula I: P4-P-M-M4  I or pharmaceutically acceptable salt forms thereof, wherein ring P, if present is a 5-7 membered carbocycle or heterocycle and ring M is a 5-7 membered carbocycle or heterocycle. Compounds of the present invention are useful as inhibitors of trypsin-like serine proteases, specifically factor Xa.
US07691845B2 Anti-inflammatory agents
The invention provides compounds, compositions and uses of compounds of general formula (I) or (I′), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, which are 3-aminocaprolactam derivatives, for the preparation of a medicament intended to treat an inflammatory disorder.
US07691844B2 Nonpeptide substituted spirobenzoazepines as vasopressin antagonists
The invention is directed to nonpeptide substituted benzodiazepines of Formula I, wherein A, X, n, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, a and b are as described in the specification, which are useful as vasopressin receptor antagonists for treating conditions associated with vasopressin receptor activity such as those involving increased vascular resistance and cardiac insufficiency. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound of Formula I and methods of treating conditions such as hypertension, congestive heart failure, cardiac insufficiency, coronary vasospasm, cardiac ischemia, liver cirrhosis, renal vasospasm, renal failure, cerebral edema and ischemia, stroke, thrombosis, or water retention are also disclosed.
US07691839B2 Methods and compositions for blocking platelet and cell adhesion, cell migration and inflammation
The present invention provides compositions of saratin and methods of use thereof. One aspect of the invention is a method of prevention or mitigation of the development of adhesions, keloids and scars. The adhesions, keloids and scars can be due to surgery, such as plastic surgery or orthopedic surgery, or can be pre-existing scars. Another aspect of the invention is a method for treatment of flexor tendon injuries.
US07691829B2 Composition and method for healing tissues
The composition and method for healing tissues is a medicinal composition for facilitating the growth, protection and healing of tissues and cells in animals and humans. The composition is formulated as a either a powder, gel, paste, film, fluid injectable, rehydratable freeze-dried paste or sponge, sprayable solution, topically applied patch with adhesive and reservoir system, an intermediate for coatables such as films and bandages, a matrix for membranes, or as a matrix of flexible polymer(s), or delivered as either an orally ingestible liquid, tablet or capsule. The main ingredient of the formulated compositions is hydrolyzed collagen, which can be combined with polysulfated glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronic acid or salts thereof, or a glucosamine salt, and mixtures thereof. The composition may be formulated as an aqueous eye drop solution.
US07691824B2 Compositions and methods for inhibiting expression of a gene from the JC virus
The invention relates to a double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) for inhibiting the expression of a gene from the JC Virus (JC virus genome), comprising an antisense strand having a nucleotide sequence which is less that 30 nucleotides in length, generally 19-25 nucleotides in length, and which is substantially complementary to at least a part of a gene from the JC Virus. The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the dsRNA together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier; methods for treating diseases caused by JC virus expression and the expression of a gene from the JC Virus using the pharmaceutical composition; and methods for inhibiting the expression of a gene from the JC Virus in a cell.
US07691820B2 Preparation of thioarabinofuranosyl compounds and use thereof
Patients suffering from cancer are treated by being administered a compound represented by the following formula: wherein each R individually is H or an aliphatic or aromatic acyl group; A is selected from the group consisting of wherein X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, alkoxy, alkyl, haloalkyl, alkenyl, haloalkenyl, alkynyl, amino, monoalkylamino, dialkylamino, cyano and nitro. The above compounds also inhibit DNA replication in mammalian cells.
US07691819B2 Modulation of cell fates and activities by phthalazinediones
Phthalazinediones that function as intracellular redox modulators are useful in treating cells in various disease states where intracellular redox status is impaired. By buffering aberrant redox states, phthalazinediones enable cellular processes essential for survival and augment medical treatments. The phthalazinediones of the invention can modulate functions related to cell growth, differentiation, activity, or death, to correct aberrations and restore homeostasis, and can serve as adjunctive therapy in treating various disease conditions.
US07691818B2 Peptidomimetic inhibitors of retroviral proteases and their use as antivirals
New peptidomimetic inhibitors of retroviral proteases are in particular for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease. These inhibitors include as the core structure a new diamiriodiol isostere of the dipeptide Phe-Pro having four stereogenic centers. The inhibitors have been shown to inhibit HIV-protease and can therefore be usefully employed as antivirals for post-exposure prophylaxis and as a therapy for viral infections by a retrovirus, in particular HIV. The syntheses processes of the isosteres and inhibitors are also described.
US07691814B2 Osteogenic compositions comprising an amino acid sequence capable of being phosphorylated by CAMK2
Novel osteogenic compositions and methods are provided. In a broad aspect, the composition comprises either a first amino acid sequence which is capable of being phosphorylated by CAMK2; or a nucleic acid sequence encoding the first amino acid sequence; or a combination thereof. Optionally, the first amino acid sequence may further comprise a second amino acid sequence which is capable of binding the Smurf1 protein. Further, the composition may comprise a BMP protein and/or an agent capable of decreasing an amount or an activity of CAMK2. The compositions of the instant invention may be incorporated into an implant or delivered via a catheter.
US07691812B2 Methods for inhibiting growth of prolactin-responsive cancer cells with cyclosporine A or other cyclophilin inhibitors
Methods are provided for inhibiting growth of prolactin-responsive cancer cells and treating prolactin-responsive malignancies via administration of an agent such as cyclosporine A which directly inhibits an enzymatic activity of a cyclophilin.
US07691809B2 Lactoferrin for age related disorders in humans
The method of the present invention provides a novel use of lactoferrin to modulate the molecular events during development of age-related disorders in humans. More specifically, the present invention is directed to the use of lactoferrin to treat or prevent autoimmune, neurodegenerative and immune hypersensitivity disorders, and its use for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment or prevention of such conditions.
US07691807B2 Hybrid oligomers, their preparation process and pharmaceutical compositions containing them
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for producing therapeutic oligomeric compounds. In one aspect the invention relates to methods for administering the oligomeric compounds for the treatment and prevention of disease, for example, a fungal infection, bacterial infection, or cancer, in a mammal. In particular, the invention relates to medicaments comprising various novel oligomeric compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The compounds of the invention may optionally be administered with at least one of a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, pharmacologically active agent or a combination thereof.
US07691806B2 Repeat sequence protein polymer active agent congjugates, methods and uses
Biomolecular conjugates are provided which comprise the conjugation product of a repeat sequence protein polymer and at least one active agent. Additional aspects provide methods for their manufacture and various industrial and consumer applications.
US07691805B2 Antimicrobial compounds
The invention relates to compositions comprising a compound based on the general formula (I) R1-Arg-R2—NH—CH(R3)—CH2—NH—R4   (I) and a carrier, diluent or an excipient.
US07691804B2 BAFF receptor (BCMA), an immunoregulatory agent
A novel receptor in the TNF family is provided: BAFF-R. Chimeric molecules and antibodies to BAFF-R and methods of use thereof are also provided.
US07691801B2 Laundry product
A liquid fabric treatment composition comprising from 50 to 92% by weight of water, from 1 to 15% by weight of one or more alkylated sugars, from 1 to 15% by weight of one or more fatty acids, from 5 to 25% by weight of one or more fatty acid esters, and from 1 to 15% by weight of fatty acid soap.
US07691800B2 Water-based cleaning agent and method for cleaning a spray gun
The present invention generally relates to a cleaning agent for a spray gun and a method and apparatus for cleaning the spray gun, and more specifically, to the agent and method of use thereof for cleaning a water-based spray gun using a novel cleaning agent comprising a solvent of n-butanol, a solvent of n-propanol, a surfactant of ethoxylated nonylphenol, and water. The cleaning agent may also be used under specific pH conditions and an emulsifier or a foam suppressor may be used. What is also contemplated is the use of a spray gun having smooth interior and exterior surfaces. The method contemplates the contacting of the cleaning agent with the spray gun, the recovering of the cleaning agent, the separating of the cleaning agent and the reuse of the cleaning agent. What is also contemplated is the use of the cleaning agent in an automatic washing apparatus and the use of the cleaning agent as part of a fluid supply to an automated spray gun to clean the spray gun access.
US07691798B1 Coating to reduce friction on skis and snow boards
A polymer coating applied to a load bearing or contact surface of objects such as skis and snowboards is provided. The polymer coating is a drag reducing, water soluble long chain polymer such as polyethylene oxide. The polymer coating is applied to the contact surface of the object and dissolves into the thin layer of water that forms between the contact surface and a water-containing surface over which the object is passed. The polymer readily dissolves in the thin water layer, decreasing the friction between the contact surface of the ski or snowboard and the surface of the snow or ice.
US07691791B2 Lubricant molded body, lubricant application apparatus, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus
A lubricant molded body, which is to be applied to a surface of a photosensitive layer for electrophotography in an image forming apparatus, for example, is composed of at least two kinds of higher fatty acid metallic salts having respectively different carbon numbers. As the higher fatty acid metallic salt that forms lubricant molded body, compounds such as zinc stearate, calcium stearate, barium stearate, aluminum stearate, zinc laurate, calcium laurate, etc. may be recited. The higher fatty acid metallic salts may contain at least one kind of fillers selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, tungsten disulfide, molybdenum disulfide, graphite fluoride, graphite, boron nitride, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).
US07691786B2 Oxide superconducting film and method of preparing the same
The present invention relates to a method of preparing an oxide superconducting film, the method includes reacting a metal acetate containing metal M selected from the group consisting of lanthanum, neodymium and samarium with fluorocarboxylic acid having not less than three carbon atoms, reacting barium acetate with fluorocarboxylic acid having two carbon atoms, reacting copper acetate with fluorocarboxylic acid having not less than two carbon atoms, respectively, followed by refining reaction products, dissolving the reaction products in methanol such that a molar ratio of the metal M, barium and copper is 1:2:3 to prepare a coating solution, and coating a substrate with the coating solution to form a gel film, followed by calcining and firing the gel film to prepare an oxide superconducting film.
US07691783B2 Transfer substrate, method for fabricating display device, and display device
A transfer substrate includes a support base which transmits laser light with a predetermined wavelength, a photothermal conversion layer provided on the support base, and a transfer layer provided on the photothermal conversion layer, the transfer layer including at least a luminescent layer. The photothermal conversion layer is composed of a first material and a second material having different absorptances with respect to the laser light.
US07691782B2 Active carbon, production method thereof and polarizable electrode
The present invention relates to an active carbon containing an alkaline earth metal compound inside the particle and having a specific surface area of 10 to 2,000 m2/g, which is suitable to be used for polarizable electrodes in an electric double layer capacitor. The active carbon of the present invention enables to increase the capacitance of an electric double layer capacitor as well as to control the expansion of electrodes. The active carbon of the present invention can be obtained by adding an alkaline earth metal compound to a material such as pitch and performing heat treatment and activation.
US07691781B2 Layered porous titanium oxide, process for producing the same, and catalyst comprising the same
This invention provides layered porous titanium oxide comprising an inorganic oxide as a core and titanium oxide deposited on the surface of the inorganic oxide, wherein the titanium localization index B/A represented by the ratio of the proportion of titanium (Ti) to the sum of the constituent metal (M) of the inorganic oxide and titanium (Ti) determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [B=Ti XPS/(Ti XPS+M XPS)] to the bulk mixing molar ratio of titanium (Ti) to the sum of the constituent metal (M) of the inorganic oxide and titanium (Ti) [A=Ti/(Ti+M)] is 1.6 or more and the titanium oxide is deposited on the surface of the inorganic oxide so as to be chemically and/or microscopically united to the inorganic oxide and also provides a process for producing the same and a catalyst comprising the same. The layered porous titanium oxide of this invention has a regulated pore structure, a large specific surface area, and excellent mechanical strength and is useful as a catalyst or a catalyst carrier.
US07691780B2 Platinum- and platinum alloy-coated palladium and palladium alloy particles and uses thereof
The present invention relates to particle and nanoparticle composites useful as oxygen-reduction electrocatalysts. The particle composites are composed of a palladium or palladium-alloy particle or nanoparticle substrate coated with an atomic submonolayer, monolayer, bilayer, or trilayer of zerovalent platinum atoms. The invention also relates to a catalyst and a fuel cell containing the particle or nanoparticle composites of the invention. The invention additionally includes methods for oxygen reduction and production of electrical energy by using the particle and nanoparticle composites of the invention.
US07691773B2 Supported catalyst and method for preparing the same
The invention provides and a highly-dispersed supported catalyst that has a reduced average particle size of catalytic metal particles and is also supported by a porous support material. A method of preparing a supported catalyst that can reduce the average particle size of catalytic metal particles supported by a support material includes first mixing a charged support material with a solution containing a polymer electrolyte having a charge opposite to that of the support material to adsorb the polymer electrolyte on the support material. Next, the support material having the polymer electrolyte adsorbed thereon is mixed with a solution containing a catalytic metal precursor ion having a charge opposite to that of the polymer electrolyte to adsorb the catalytic metal precursor ion on the support material having the polymer electrolyte adsorbed on it. Finally, the catalytic metal precursor ion adsorbed on the support material having the polymer electrolyte adsorbed thereon is reduced to a catalytic metal in a reducing solution.
US07691772B2 Catalyst and method for producing catalyst
The present invention provides a method for producing a catalyst comprising the steps of: producing a metal salt solution containing salts of one or more metals; dispersing the metal salt solution, an organic matter and a porous carrier made of one or more metal oxides in a solvent to form a composite complex comprising one or more metal ions having 10 to 50,000 atoms, the organic matter bonded to the metal ions, and simultaneously make the composite complex carried on the porous carrier; and calcining the carrier having the composite complex carried thereon. The method may further comprise a step of reducing the metal ions on the porous carrier by reducing the carrier, after the step of making the composite complex carried on the carrier.
US07691769B2 Catalyst for reduction of nitrogen oxides
A Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst was prepared by slurry coating ZSM-5 zeolite onto a cordierite monolith, then subliming an iron salt onto the zeolite, calcining the monolith, and then dipping the monolith either into an aqueous solution of manganese nitrate and cerium nitrate and then calcining, or by similar treatment with separate solutions of manganese nitrate and cerium nitrate. The supported catalyst containing iron, manganese, and cerium showed 80 percent conversion at 113 degrees Celsius of a feed gas containing nitrogen oxides having 4 parts NO to one part NO2, about one equivalent ammonia, and excess oxygen; conversion improved to 94 percent at 147 degrees Celsius. N2O was not detected (detection limit: 0.6 percent N2O).
US07691768B2 Additive to maximize GLP and propene suitable for use in low-severity operations of a fluid catalytic cracking unit and its preparatory process
A process for the preparation and modification of additives, with a zeolite base and a high silica alumina ratio (SAR) like the ZSM-5, to increase the yield of propene and LPG in low severity FCC operations, that seeks to maximize the production of medium-distillates with low aromaticity and to minimize molecular cracking in the LCO range. The additives involved guarantee an increase in light olefin yields without altering the yield or the quality of the LCO produced. The innovative process includes surprising actions from rare earths (RE) on the active sites of zeolite, that at once partially block their pores and, in this way, make molecular cracking in the medium-distillate range difficult, which preferably occur at low reaction temperatures and keeps the remaining sites quite active. These sites are sufficiently active to crack smaller molecules in the gasoline range, guaranteeing an overall increase in light olefins and allowing the additive involved to be used industrially in operations to maximize medium-distillates in an FCC unit. This new additive may be obtained by modifying any commercial ZSM-5 zeolite additive.
US07691765B2 Translucent material and manufacturing method of the same
After synthesizing particles by liquid phase synthesis, the solution is substituted without drying these particles, and here, a solution comprising a grain boundary phase composition consisting of at least one or more types selected from a group consisting of Al2O3, yttrium oxide, silicon oxide, yttrium-silicon complex oxide, aluminum-silicon complex oxide, and a compound having a garnet structure with a lower melting point than the aforementioned particles, or a solution comprising a precipitate is introduced. Microparticles are adjusted by allowing adhesion and growth of the solution comprising a composition of grain boundary phase or the solution comprising a precipitate on the surface of the particles; these microparticles are allowed to align in 3-dimensions in solution and are formed into a molded body, and this molded body is sintered.
US07691764B2 Translucent ceramic, optical component, and optical device
Provided is a translucent ceramic which has a high Abbe number, is advantageous in aberration correction, and can be easily produced. The translucent ceramic contains, as a main component, a garnet type compound represented by the General Formula: Y3AlvOw, wherein the condition of 4.4≦v≦5.4 is satisfied and w is a positive number for maintaining electrical neutrality, in which the Al is partially or entirely substituted by Ga and the Y is optionally partly substituted by Gd. The translucent ceramic is suitably used, for example, for lenses arranged with a diaphragm interposed therebetween in a Gauss lens optical system, such as an optical system for single-lens reflex cameras.
US07691759B2 Barrel assembly with removable barrel insert for pneumatic paintball gun
A barrel assembly for a pneumatic paintball gun includes a barrel body and a barrel insert. The barrel body has a breech end, a muzzle end, and a barrel bore extending longitudinally through the barrel body from the breech end to the muzzle end. The barrel insert has a breech end, a distal end, and an insert bore, and is configured to be removably housed within a breech portion of the bore of the barrel body. The breech end of the barrel body is configured to attach to a breech end of the paintball gun. The barrel insert collaborates with the barrel body to provide a firing bore for the barrel assembly which guides a paintball fired from the breech end of the gun through the barrel and out the muzzle end of the barrel body. The barrel insert can be constructed having a thin, flexible wall so as to permit lateral deformation of the barrel insert. This lateral flexibility enables the insert to dynamically adapt to the shape and diameter of the paintball, thereby increasing the efficiency of the energy transfer from the compressed gas to the paintball.
US07691758B2 Method of forming insulating film and method of manufacturing semiconductor device
A method of forming an insulating film according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is a method of forming an insulating film for use in a semiconductor device, performs thermal oxidation of a tantalum nitride film at a temperature range of 200 to 400 degrees centigrade by a wet oxidation process, whereby a tantalum oxide film is formed as the insulating film.
US07691755B2 Plasma immersion ion implantation with highly uniform chamber seasoning process for a toroidal source reactor
A method is provided for performing plasma immersion ion implantation with a highly uniform seasoning film on the interior of a reactor chamber having a ceiling and a cylindrical side wall and a wafer support pedestal facing the ceiling. The method includes providing a gas distribution ring with plural gas injection orifices on a periphery of a wafer support pedestal, the orifices facing radially outwardly from the wafer support pedestal. Silicon-containing gas is introduced through the gas distribution orifices of the ring to establish a radially outward flow pattern of the silicon-containing gas. The reactor includes pairs of conduit ports in the ceiling adjacent the side wall at opposing sides thereof and respective external conduits generally spanning the diameter of the chamber and coupled to respective pairs of the ports. The method further includes injecting oxygen gas through the conduit ports into the chamber to establish an axially downward flow pattern of oxygen gas in the chamber. RF power is coupled into the interior of each of the conduits to generate a toroidal plasma current of SixOy species passing through the chamber to deposit a seasoning layer of a SixOy material on surfaces within the chamber, while leaving the pedestal without a wafer so as to expose a wafer support surface of the pedestal.
US07691754B2 Method for removing photoresist layer and method of forming opening
A method for removing a photoresist layer is provided. The method is suitable for a dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer has a patterned photoresist layer formed thereon and a metal silicide layer disposed thereunder and there is an etching stop layer disposed between the dielectric layer and the metal silicide layer. The method comprises steps of removing a portion of the dielectric layer by using the patterned photoresist layer as a mask so as to form an opening, wherein the opening exposes a portion of the etching stop layer above the metal silicide layer. the patterned photoresist layer is removed by using an oxygen-free plasma.
US07691753B2 Deposition-selective etch-deposition process for dielectric film gapfill
A deposition/etching/deposition process is provided for filling a gap in a surface of a substrate. A liner is formed over the substrate so that distinctive reaction products are formed when it is exposed to a chemical etchant. The detection of such reaction products thus indicates that the portion of the film deposited during the first etching has been removed to an extent that further exposure to the etchant may remove the liner and expose underlying structures. Accordingly, the etching is stopped upon detection of distinctive reaction products and the next deposition in the deposition/etching/deposition process is begun.
US07691750B2 Methods of forming films in semiconductor devices with solid state reactants
A method of self-aligned silicidation involves interruption of the silicidation process prior to complete reaction of the blanket material (e.g., metal) in regions directly overlying patterned and exposed other material (e.g., silicon). Diffusion of excess blanket material from over other regions (e.g., overlying insulators) is thus prevented. Control and uniformity are insured by use of conductive rapid thermal annealing in hot wall reactors, with massive heated plates closely spaced from the substrate surfaces. Interruption is particularly facilitated by forced cooling, preferably also by conductive thermal exchange with closely spaced, massive plates.
US07691743B2 Semiconductor device having a capacitance element and method of manufacturing the same
A dielectric film is formed by depositing an amorphous strontium oxide film to a thickness of one to several atomic layers on a first electrode layer, then depositing an amorphous titanium oxide film to a thickness of one to several atomic layers on the amorphous strontium oxide film, and then heat-treating a laminated film of the amorphous strontium oxide film and the amorphous titanium oxide film at a temperature close to a crystallization start temperature, thereby converting the laminated film to a single-layer amorphous strontium titanate film containing a plurality of crystal grains therein. The laminated film may have a plurality of amorphous strontium oxide films and a plurality of amorphous titanium oxide films that are alternately laminated. A semiconductor device includes a capacitor having as its dielectric film a single-layer amorphous strontium titanate film containing a plurality of crystal grains therein.
US07691741B2 Method of forming bit line in semiconductor device
A method of forming a bit line of a semiconductor device wherein an etch-stop nitride film, a trench oxide film and a hard mask nitride film are formed on a semiconductor substrate. The hard mask nitride film and the trench oxide film are etched to a limited etch thickness of a photo mask. The remaining trench oxide film is etched using the hard mask nitride film as a mask, thus forming a trench. The etch-stop nitride film and the hard mask nitride film are etched on condition that an oxide film has a high selectivity with respect to a nitride film. Accordingly, the loss of a top surface of the trench oxide film can be minimized and a bit line can be formed to have a uniform height. In accordance with the invention, bit line resistance and capacitance variation can be reduced and the reliability of a device can be improved.
US07691737B2 Copper process methodology
A method of deprocessing a semiconductor structure is provided. The method involves removing one or more interlevel dielectric layers and one or more metal components from a frontside of the semiconductor structure. By removing the interlevel dielectric layer and the metal component, the exposed portion of the semiconductor structure can be subjected to an inspection for defects and/or other characteristics by using an inspection tool. The inspection can aid in defect reduction strategies, among other things, when applied to new technology ramp, monitoring of baseline wafer starts, customer returns, etc.
US07691736B2 Minimizing low-k dielectric damage during plasma processing
Embodiments of the invention provide a semiconductor device having dielectric material and its method of manufacture. A method comprises a short (≦2 sec) flash activation of an ILD surface followed by flowing a precursor such as silane, DEMS, over the activated ILD surface. The precursor reacts with the activated ILD surface thereby selectively protecting the ILD surface. The protected ILD surface is resistant to plasma processing damage. The protected ILD surface eliminates the requirement of using a hard mask to protect a dielectric from plasma damage.
US07691734B2 Deep trench based far subcollector reachthrough
A far subcollector, or a buried doped semiconductor layer located at a depth that exceeds the range of conventional ion implantation, is formed by ion implantation of dopants into a region of an initial semiconductor substrate followed by an epitaxial growth of semiconductor material. A reachthrough region to the far subcollector is formed by outdiffusing a dopant from a doped material layer deposited in the at least one deep trench that adjoins the far subcollector. The reachthrough region may be formed surrounding the at least one deep trench or only on one side of the at least one deep trench. If the inside of the at least one trench is electrically connected to the reachthrough region, a metal contact may be formed on the doped fill material within the at least one trench. If not, a metal contact is formed on a secondary reachthrough region that contacts the reachthrough region.
US07691726B2 Reduced footprint packaged microelectronic components and methods for manufacturing such microelectronic components
The present disclosure describes microfeature workpieces, microelectronic component packages, and methods of forming microelectronic components and microelectronic component packages. In one particular example, a microelectronic component package includes a substrate and a microelectronic component that has a first surface with a surface area greater than that of a second surface. A cementitious material, e.g., a die attach paste, may attach the second surface of the microelectronic component to a mounting surface of the substrate, with the cementitious material extending outwardly beyond a perimeter of the second surface and covering a surface area of the mounting surface that is no greater than the surface area of the first surface. Such a microelectronic component package may be formed with a smaller footprint or, alternatively, may include a microelectronic component having larger dimensions in a microelectronic component package of the same size.
US07691723B2 Bonding system having stress control
An approach where items of different temperatures are bonded to each other such that upon cooling down they contract in size resulting in zero residual stress between the bonded items at an ambient temperature. If materials of the bonded items have different thermal expansion coefficients and the items are put together at different bonding temperatures, then they may have insignificant residual stress upon cooling down to the ambient temperature (e.g., room temperature) because the different ranges of the temperature drops compensate for the different contractions.
US07691716B2 Vertical bipolar transistor with a majority carrier accumulation layer as a subcollector for SOI BiCMOS with reduced buried oxide thickness for low-substrate bias operation
The present invention provides a “subcollector-less” silicon-on-insulator (SOI) bipolar junction transistor (BJT) that has no impurity-doped subcollector. Instead, the inventive vertical SOI BJT uses a back gate-induced, majority carrier accumulation layer as the subcollector when it operates. The SOI substrate is biased such that the accumulation layer is formed at the bottom of the first semiconductor layer. The advantage of such a device is its CMOS-like process. Therefore, the integration scheme can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced. The present invention also provides a method of fabricating BJTs on selected areas of a very thin BOX using a conventional SOI starting wafer with a thick BOX. The reduced BOX thickness underneath the bipolar devices allows for a significantly reduced substrate bias compatible with the CMOS to be applied while maintaining the advantages of a thick BOX underneath the CMOS. A back-gated CMOS device is also provided.
US07691709B2 Method of fabricating flash memory using metal-oxide-crystal charge trap
A method of fabricating a flash memory includes forming a first oxide film over a semiconductor substrate, forming a metal film over the first oxide film, forming a photoresist pattern on the metal film, etching the metal film using the photoresist pattern as a mask and forming a metal film pattern, forming a second oxide film overlying the metal film pattern, and heat-treating the first and second oxide films at high temperature and processing the metal film pattern using metal oxide crystallization.
US07691701B1 Method of forming gate stack and structure thereof
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of forming gate stacks for field-effect-transistors. The method includes forming a metal-containing layer directly on a first titanium-nitride (TiN) layer, the first TiN layer covering areas of a semiconductor substrate designated for first and second types of field-effect-transistors; forming a capping layer of a second TiN layer on top of the metal-containing layer; patterning the second TiN layer and the metal-containing layer to cover only a first portion of the first TiN layer, the first portion of the first TiN layer covering an area designated for the first type of field-effect-transistors; etching away a second portion of the first TiN layer exposed by the patterning while protecting the first portion of the first TiN layer, from the etching, through covering with at least a portion of thickness of the patterned metal-containing layer; and forming a third TiN layer covering an areas of the semiconductor substrate designated for the second type of field-effect-transistors.
US07691700B2 Multi-stage implant to improve device characteristics
One aspect of the inventors' concept relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device. In this method, a gate structure is formed over a semiconductor body. A source/drain mask is patterned over the semiconductor body implanted source and drain regions are formed that are associated with the gate structure. After forming the implanted source and drain regions, a multi-stage implant is performed on the source and drain regions that comprises at least two implants where the dose and energy of the first implant varies from the dose and energy of the second implant. Other methods and devices are also disclosed.
US07691697B2 Power composite integrated semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
A high-reliability power composite integrated semiconductor device uses thick copper electrodes as current collecting electrodes of a power device portion to resist wire resistance needed for reducing ON-resistance. Furthermore, wire bonding connection of the copper electrodes is secured, and also the time-lapse degradation under high temperature which causes diffusion of copper and corrosion of copper is suppressed. Still furthermore, direct bonding connection can be established to current collecting electrodes in the power device portion, and also established to a bonding pad formed on the control circuit portion in the control circuit portion. A pad area at the device peripheral portion which has been hitherto needed is reduced, so that the area of the device is saved, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.
US07691691B1 Semiconductor device and methods for making the same
Thin film transistors (TFT) and methods for making same. The TFTs generally comprise: (a) a semiconductor layer comprising source and drain terminals and a channel region therebetween; (b) a gate electrode comprising a gate and a gate dielectric layer between the gate and the channel region; (c) a first dielectric layer adjacent to the gate electrode and in contact with the source and drain terminals, the first dielectric layer comprising a material which comprises a dopant therein; and (d) an electrically functional source/drain extensions in the channel region, adjacent to the source and drain terminals, comprising a material which comprises the same dopant as the first dielectric layer.
US07691686B2 Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof
An object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device manufactured in short time by performing the step of forming the thin film transistor and the step of forming the photoelectric conversion layer in parallel, and to provide a manufacturing process thereof. According to the present invention, a semiconductor device is manufactured in such a way that a thin film transistor is formed over a first substrate, a photoelectric conversion element is formed over a second substrate, and the thin film transistor and the photoelectric conversion element are connected electrically by sandwiching a conductive layer between the first and second substrates opposed to each other so that the thin film transistor and the photoelectric conversion element are located between the first and second substrates. Thus, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device which suppresses the increase in the number of steps and which increases the throughput can be provided.
US07691684B2 Fin-type antifuse
A method of forming an antifuse forms a material layer and then patterns the material layer into a fin. The center portion of the fin is converted into a substantially non-conductive region and the end portions of the fin into conductors. The process of converting the center portion of the fin into an insulator allows a process of heating the fin above a predetermined temperature to convert the insulator into a conductor. Thus, the fin-type structure that can be selectively converted from an insulator into a permanent conductor using a heating process.
US07691679B2 Pre-plated leadframe having enhanced encapsulation adhesion
A process for producing a pre-plated leadframe that has enhanced adhesion by molding compound is provided, wherein a base leadframe material is first plated with multiple layers of metallic material. Thereafter, the plated base leadframe material is covered with a mask, so as to expose selected surfaces thereof at unmasked areas where enhanced adhesion of molding compound is desired. The said unmasked areas are plated with a layer of copper before removing the mask. Optionally, the layer of copper may further be oxidized to form a layer of specially controlled copper oxide.
US07691677B2 Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device
The quality of a non-leaded semiconductor device is to be improved. The semiconductor device comprises a sealing body for sealing a semiconductor chip with resin, a tab disposed in the interior of the sealing body, suspension leads for supporting the tab, plural leads having respective to-be-connected surfaces exposed to outer edge portions of a back surface of the sealing body, and plural wires for connecting pads formed on the semiconductor chip and the leads with each other. End portions of the suspending leads positioned in an outer periphery portion of the sealing body are not exposed to the back surface of the sealing body, but are covered with the sealing body. Therefore, stand-off portions of the suspending leads are not formed in resin molding. Accordingly, when cutting the suspending leads, corner portions of the back surface of the sealing body can be supported by a flat portion of a holder portion in a cutting die which flat portion has an area sufficiently wider than a cutting allowance of the suspending leads, whereby it is possible to prevent chipping of the resin and improve the quality of the semiconductor device (QFN).
US07691676B1 Mold array process for semiconductor packages
A mold array process (MAP) for manufacturing a plurality of semiconductor packages is revealed. Firstly, a substrate strip including a plurality of substrate units arranged in an array within a molding area is provided. A plurality of chips are disposed on the substrate units. An encapsulant by molding is formed on the molding area of the substrate strip to continuously encapsulate the chips. During the molding process, an adjustable top mold is implemented where a cavity width between two opposing sidewalls inside a top mold chest can be adjusted to make the mold flow speeds at the center and at the side rails of the molding area the same.
US07691675B2 Encapsulating electrical connections
An electrical connection is encapsulated by dispensing an encapsulant on a first side of the electrical connection only, and directing the encapsulant to a second side of the electrical connection from the first side, where the second side generally faces opposite the first side.
US07691670B2 Interconnection of lead frame to die utilizing flip chip process
Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to techniques which avoid the problems of deformation in the shape of a solder connection in a flip chip package, resulting from solder reflow. In one embodiment, a solder-repellent surface is created adjacent to the solder to constrain the reflow and thereby maintain the vertical profile of the solder. Examples of such a solder-repellent surface include an oxide (such as Brown Oxide) of the lead frame, or a tape (such as Kapton) which is used as a dam bar to control/constrain the solder flow on the leads prior to the encapsulation step. In another embodiment, the solder connection may be formed from at least two components. The first component may reflow at high temperatures to provide the necessary adhesion between solder ball and the die, with the second component reflowing at a lower temperature to provide the necessary adhesion between the solder ball and the leads. An example of such multi-component connections include a first high temperature reflow solder ball paired with a second low temperature reflow solder. Another example includes a solder ball with a hard core (such as Cu, stainless steel, or a plastic material stable at high temperatures) coated with a lower temperature reflow material.
US07691665B2 Process for making an organic field effect transistor
The present invention relates to a process for reducing the mobility of an semiconductor (OSC) layer in an electronic device, which has a semiconducting channel area, in specific areas outside said channel area by applying an oxidzing agent to the OSC layer.
US07691662B2 Optical module producing method and apparatus
An optical module is produced by coating, with respect to a substrate having a substrate surface provided with terminal pads and landing pads a solder material on the terminal pads, mounting an optical element package having terminals and a flat top surface on the substrate using the landing pads so that the top surface becomes approximately parallel to the substrate surface and a gap is formed between a bottom surface of the optical element package and the substrate surface, preheating the terminal pads simultaneously as the mounting, and electrically connecting the terminal pads to corresponding terminals of the optical element package by melting the solder material and thereafter hardening the solder material.
US07691656B2 Method for fabricating a semiconductor component based on GaN
A semiconductor component has a plurality of GaN-based layers, which are preferably used to generate radiation, produced in a fabrication process. In the process, the plurality of GaN-based layers are applied to a composite substrate that includes a substrate body and an interlayer. A coefficient of thermal expansion of the substrate body is similar to or preferably greater than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the GaN-based layers, and the GaN-based layers are deposited on the interlayer. The interlayer and the substrate body are preferably joined by a wafer bonding process.
US07691650B2 Thin film light emitting diode
Light emitting LEDs devices comprised of LED chips that emit light at a first wavelength, and a thin film layer over the LED chip that changes the color of the emitted light. For example, a blue LED chip can be used to produce white light. The thin film layer beneficially consists of a fluorescent material, such as a phosphor, and/or includes tin. The thin film layer is beneficially deposited using chemical vapor deposition.
US07691643B2 Mass analysis method and mass analysis apparatus
The invention provides a mass analysis method and apparatus capable of identifying proteins or peptides at greater speed and with improved accuracy. Specifically, a mass analysis method whereby a sample is ionized and a protein is analyzed using a mass analysis apparatus is provided, said method comprising: selecting predetermined information from a database in which information about proteins and peptides is stored, estimating the mass of the selected component, and calculating frequency information for each mass; analyzing a sample using a mass analysis apparatus so as to acquire a mass spectrum, selecting, based on the acquired mass spectrum and said frequency information, a mass to be used for identification, performing mass analysis using the mass spectrum of the selected mass as a precursor ion, and performing an identification process using a resultant mass spectrum. The method allows a precursor ion for obtaining an MS/MS spectrum required for identification processing to be efficiently selected using the frequency information matched with the purpose of analysis.
US07691641B2 Polysaccharide-peptide conjugates for use as thrombin substrates
The present invention relates to macromolecular polysaccharide-peptide conjugates which contain a peptide portion which C-terminally contains the amino acid sequence Ala-Gly-Arg, which is cleaved by thrombin.
US07691640B2 Biochemical marker for diagnosing a leukodystrophy
A biochemical marker for the diagnosis of a central nervous system leukodystrophic genetic disorder, e.g., Childhood Onset Ataxia and Central Nervous System Hypomyelination (CACH)/Vanishing White Matter Disease (VWM) has been discovered herein. Such a marker has been found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of such patients. A two dimensional gel electrophoresis/mass spectrometry or image analysis of stained transferrin isoforms approach revealed that patients with CACH/VWM have a pronounced deficiency of the basic asialo form of the transferrin compared to the amounts of asialotransferrin normally present in CSF from healthy controls or other CNS disorders. The acidic sialotransferrin isoform is not reduced in these disorders. The transferrin isoform abnormality described in the CSF of patients with CACH/VWM is unique and may be used as a clinical diagnostic biomarker. The rapid (48 hr) and efficient diagnosis of this disorder described herein will have great clinical utility.
US07691639B2 Misfolded protein sensor method
A catalytic conformational sensor method for detecting abnormal proteins and proteinaceous particles. The method is based on the interaction of a peptide fragment or probe with an abnormal proteinaceous particle. The interaction catalyzes transformation of the probe to a predominately beta sheet conformation and allows the probe to bind to the abnormal proteinaceous particle. This in turn, catalyzes propagation of a signal associated with the test sample-bound probe. As a result signals can be propagated even from samples containing very low concentrations of abnormal proteinaceous particles. The peptide probes can be designed to bind to a desired peptide sequence or can even be based on dendrimer structure to control further aggregate propagation.
US07691637B2 Method and apparatus for ion sequestration and a nanostructured metal phosphate
A nanostructured substance, a process for sequestration of ionic waste, and an ion-sequestration apparatus are disclosed in the specification. The nanostructured substance can comprise a Lewis acid transition metal bound to a phosphate, wherein the phosphate comprises a primary structural component of the substance and the Lewis acid transition metal is a reducing agent. The nanostructured substance has a Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area greater than or equal to approximately 100 m2/g, and a distribution coefficient for an analyte, Kd, greater than or equal to approximately 5000 ml/g. The process can comprise contacting a fluid and a nanostructured metal phosphate. The apparatus can comprise a vessel and a nanostructured metal phosphate. The vessel defines a volume wherein a fluid contacts the nanostructured metal phosphate.
US07691636B2 Method and apparatus for compensating for variations in particle trajectories in electrostatic sorter for flowcell cytometer
A flow cytometer subsystems monitors a particle sensing zone within a fluid transport chamber for the presence of a particle (e.g., blood cell) traveling therethrough, and produces an output pulse, whose width is representative of the trajectory and thereby the length of time that the particle is within the particle sensing zone as it travels through the fluid transport chamber. This output pulse is then processed in accordance with geometry parameters of successive time delay zones of the particle fluid transport chamber through which the particle passes, in order to derive a composite time delay between the sensing of the particle to the time at which a fluid droplet containing the particle will break off from the carrier fluid. The composite time delay is employed to accurately establish the time at which the particle is controllably charged as the particle breaks off from the carrier fluid.
US07691631B2 Use of a modified phosphate for enhancing the natural mutation rate in bacteria and mutating recombinant DNA phage inserts
Methods are presented for enhancing the natural mutation rate of micro-organisms, particularly bacteria via a modified phosphate. The novel metabolite inhibits DNA repair mechanisms in vivo resulting in a 100-200 hundred fold increase in the mutation rate of bacteria. The method yields viable cells and allows for the continuous selection of incremental traits.The modified phosphate can also be used to randomly mutate specific genes. In particular, high rates of random mutagenesis can be readily achieved in vivo using recombinant DNA phage. The phage are amplified in mutator media containing the modified phosphate. The resultant phage can be further mutated by another round of infection and growth in mutator media. After two such rounds of amplification significant mutation rates are achieved such that each phage insert bears a novel mutation. The mutator media can also be used to mutagenize recombinant DNA plasmids in virtually any bacterial host.
US07691629B2 Transplantation of human neural cells for treatment of neurodegenerative conditions
A method of treating neurodegenerative conditions is provided. Neural stem cells may be implanted at and/or remote from a region of neuron degeneration. The methods can include isolating neural stem cells from regions where specific types of neurons corresponding to the neurons to be replaced are generated. The methods can include isolating neural stem cells secreting growth factors affecting the growth and/or regeneration of specific types of neuron. In this invention, we disclose a method of treating such disorders, including several neurodegenerative disorders arising from the lack of cells that produce particular neurotransmitters in neural circuitry by transplanting exogenously cultured and expanded neural progenitors which, upon transplantation into a neural tissue, differentiate into neurons capable of integrating and producing neurotransmitters in sufficient quantities and in a sufficient manner to overcome the symptoms associated with the neurodegeneration.
US07691627B2 Nucleic acid sequences encoding D1 and D1/D2 domains of human coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR)
The invention provides recombinant human CAR (coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor) polypeptides which bind adenovirus. Specifically, polypeptides corresponding to adenovirus binding domain D1 and the entire extracellular domain of human CAR protein comprising D1 and D2 are provided. In another aspect, the invention provides nucleic acid sequences encoding these domains and expression vectors for producing the domains and bacterial cells containing such vectors. The invention also includes an isolated fusion protein comprised of the D1 polypeptide fused to a polypeptide which facilitates folding of D1 when expressed in bacteria. The functional D1 domain finds application in a therapeutic method for treating a patient infected with a CAR D1-binding virus, and also in a method for identifying an antiviral compound which interferes with viral attachment. The invention also provides a method for specifically targeting a cell for infection by a virus which binds to D1.
US07691622B2 Method and apparatus for transferring heat to or from an organ or tissue container
An organ perfusion apparatus and method monitor, sustain and/or restore viability of organs and preserve organs for storage and/or transport. Other apparatus include an organ transporter, an organ cassette and an organ diagnostic device. The apparatus and methods include the cassette and transporter with heat transfer surfaces arranged to transfer heat between a cooling source in said transporter and the heat transfer surfaces of the cassette.
US07691618B2 Alkaline proteases and detergents and cleaners comprising these alkaline proteases
The present application relates to two novel alkaline proteases (SEQ ID NO. 4 and 7) which are similar to one another, whose DNA was obtained from soil samples, and which were C-terminally deleted. The present application also provides proteolytically active fragments thereof (SEQ ID NO. 5 and 8), all alkaline proteases similar at least to 90% to SEQ ID NO. 4 or to 87.5% to SEQ ID NO. 7, and those which can be summarized under a consensus sequence (SEQ ID NO. 9) derived from SEQ ID NO. 4 and 7. Furthermore, the present application relates to all nucleic acids which have a homology of at least 85% identity to the associated nucleic acids (SEQ ID NO. 3 and 6) or the fragments concerned. Furthermore, the present application relates to use for these proteases and especially describes their use in detergents and cleaners.
US07691617B2 Acid-stable alpha amylases having granular starch hydrolyzing activity and enzyme compositions
The present invention relates to an acid-stable alpha amylase (asAA) derived from a strain of Aspergillus kawachi, which has granular starch hydrolyzing (GSH) activity, the heterologous expression of the asAA having GSH activity in filamentous fungal host cells and enzyme compositions including the same which optionally include glucoamylase.
US07691612B2 Heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan lyase and uses thereof
The invention provides recombinant B. thetaiotaomicron GAG lyase polypeptides. The invention also provides nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides, recombinant expression vectors containing B. thetaiotaomicron GAG lyase nucleic acid molecules, and host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced. Characterization, diagnostic and therapeutic methods utilizing compositions of the invention are also provided.
US07691609B2 Modified xylanase exhibiting improved expression
A modified Family 11 xylanase enzyme comprising a sequence that introduces a functional consensus glycosylation site is provided. Non-limiting examples of introduced glycosylation sites include mutation of the amino acid at position 34, 131, 180, 182, or a combination thereof, to an asparagine. The indicated amino acid position in the Family 11 xylanase is determined from sequence alignment of the xylanase of interest with that of a Trichoderma reesei xylanase II amino acid sequence. The introduced consensus glycosylation site facilitates increased expression efficiency of the modified xylanase when compared to the expression efficiency of a corresponding xylanase from which the modified xylanase was derived, using similar host strains and growth conditions.
US07691607B2 Expression system of NELL peptide
Methods of preparing a NELL peptide are disclosed.
US07691605B2 Selection of cells expressing heteromeric polypeptides
This invention relates to the general field of recombinant expression of polypeptides in animal cell culture. More particularly, the invention concerns improved selection in cells of recombinantly engineered vectors designed to express polypeptides.
US07691601B2 Medium for detecting and/or identifying of microorganisms
The invention relates to a medium for detecting and/or identifying microorganisms present in a sample, comprising a culture medium and at least one substrate that can be hydrolysed to a labelled product by at least a first enzyme not free in the sample, and specific for the microorganisms, characterized in that it also comprises at least one inhibitor of at least a second enzyme, different from the first enzyme or identical to it, but free in said sample and not originating from a microorganism. The present invention also finds a preferred application in the field of biomedical diagnosis or in food microbiology, and more particularly in bacteriology and mycology.
US07691596B2 Methods for determining GTP cyclohydrolase I or II activity
The present invention relates to methods for determining GTP Cyclohydrolase I or II activity in a sample.
US07691595B2 Sensitive immunochromatographic assay
Methods for quantitatively measuring the amount of an analyte of interest in a fluid sample, and kits useful in the methods, are disclosed. The methods involve providing a solid phase apparatus comprising a membrane having an application point, a sample capture zone, and a control capture zone, where the sample capture region is between the application point and the control capture zone; and providing a sample collection apparatus comprising a population of analyte binding particles or a population of analyte coated particles. In the assays, a fluid sample is introduced into the sample collection apparatus, and the resultant mixture is applied to the application point of the membrane. The fluid allows transport components of the assay by capillary action to and through the sample capture zone and subsequently to and through the control capture zone. The amount of analyte in the fluid sample is related (e.g., either directly or inversely) to a corrected particle amount, which can be determined, for example, as a ratio of the amount of particles in the sample capture zone and the amount of particles in the control capture zone.
US07691593B2 Regulation of lung tissue by patched therapeutics and formulations and uses related thereto
The present application relates to a method for modulating the growth state of an lung tissue, or a cell thereof, e.g., by ectopically contacting the tissue, in vitro or in vivo, with a hedgehog therapeutic, a ptc therapeutic, or an FGF-10 therapeutic in an amount effective to alter the rate (promote or inhibit) of proliferation of cells in the lung tissue, e.g., relative to the absence of administration of the hedgehog therapeutic or ptc therapeutic. The subject method can be used, for example, to modulate the growth state of epithelial and/or mesenchymal cells of a lung tissue, such as may be useful as part of a regimen for prevention of a disease state, or in the treatment of an existing disease state or other damage to the lung tissue.
US07691589B2 Method of preventing differentiation of a chicken differentiable cell using chicken leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)
The present invention is to provide a chicken LIF gene. Based on this genetic information, LIF protein derived from the chicken can be stably supplied and it solves the problems of the creation of transgenic chickens in the past. In addition, the present invention provides not only transgenic chickens for testing purposes but also supplies the first practical transgenic stock animals. The present invention relates to leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) shown in sequence No. 2, and the gene that encodes thereof shown in sequence No. 1, and a manufacturing method of chicken LIF. In addition, the present invention pertains to a differential preventer of the chicken differentiable cell, and a method of chicken differential prevention and a culturing method for the chicken differentiable cell using thereof, and a medium comprising thereof.
US07691584B2 Screening of compounds for OCT3 transporter activity
OCT3 is consistently expressed at high levels in brain microvessel endothelial cells. Disclosed herein are assays for determining whether a test material/molecule is a substrate for, and/or is actively transported by, the OCT3 transporter, and therefore a candidate substrate for crossing the blood brain barrier. The assays are useful in screening for therapeutic, cytotoxic or imaging compounds used in the treatment or diagnosis of neurological diseases.
US07691582B2 Methods of secretory vimentin detection and modulation
The present invention relates to methods for screening and modulating the bioavailability of extracellular secretory vimentin. In particular, the present invention provides inhibitors and activators of secretory vimentin including antibodies, small interfering RNAs, and antisense oligonucleotides. The present invention thus provides novel drug targets for enhanced anti-microbial response, and methods of using such modulators to beneficially alter the pathophysiologic effects of secretory vimentin.
US07691579B2 Methods and compositions for producing an enhanced immune response to a human papillomavirus immunogen
The present invention relates to novel methods for producing an enhanced immune response to an immunogen in a subject via the co-administration of a CD40 agonist and a GM-CSF agent.
US07691574B2 Methods for monitoring multiple gene expression
The present invention relates to methods for monitoring differential expression of a plurality of genes in a first Bacillus cell relative to expression of the same genes in one or more second Bacillus cells using microarrays containing Bacillus genomic sequenced tags. The present invention also relates to computer readable media and computer-based systems. The present invention further relates to substrates containing an array of Bacillus licheniformis or Bacillus clausii GSTs.
US07691571B2 Detection of bordetella
The invention provides methods to detect Bordetella pertussis and/or Bordetella parapertussis in a biological sample. Primers and probes for the differential detection of B. pertussis and B. parapertussis are provided by the invention. Articles of manufacture containing such primers and probes for detecting B. pertussis and/or B. parapertussis are further provided by the invention.
US07691568B2 Antibody composition-containing medicament
A medicament for treating a patient who cannot be cured with a medicament comprising as an active ingredient an antibody composition produced by a cell unresistant to a lectin which recognizes a sugar chain in which 1-position of fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bond in a complex N-glycoside-linked sugar chain, which comprises as an active ingredient an antibody composition produced by a cell resistant to a lectin which recognizes a sugar chain in which 1-position of fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bond in a complex N-glycoside-linked sugar chain, and a method for screening the patient by using the medicament.
US07691567B2 Methods and compositions relating to fortilin, an anti-apoptotic molecule, and modulators of fortilin
The polypeptide Fortilin (also known as Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein, TCTP) specifically interacts with p53, a tumor suppressor involved in the induction of apoptosis and the normal growth regulation of a cell. Fortilin also specifically binds MCL1 (Myeloid Cell Leukemia 1). Fortilin has the ability to prevent apoptosis, which may be unregulated in hyperproliferative cells. The present invention is directed at compositions and methods involving a Fortilin modulator, which can induce apoptosis, for the prevention, treatment, or diagnosis of hyperproliferative diseases and conditions, including cancer and atherosclerosis. It is directed also at compositions and methods involving Fortilin, which can inhibit apoptosis, for the treatment of diseases and condition characterized by apoptosis, including certain vascular conditions.
US07691566B2 Compositions and methods for treatment of cancer
The present invention concerns compositions and methods for the treatment of disorders characterized by the overexpression of an LIV-1. More specifically, the compositions include DNA and amino acid sequences of an LIV-1, antibodies to an LIV-1, and methods for the treatment of a mammal susceptible to or diagnosed with cancer wherein an LIV-1 is overexpressed.
US07691565B2 Binding molecules for human factor VIII and factor VIII-like proteins
It is an object of the present invention to provide novel binding molecules for factor VIII and factor VIII-like proteins. Preferred binding molecules of the present invention exhibit not only distinct characteristics for binding of the target factor VIII polypeptides but also specific and desirable characteristics for release (elution) of the target polypeptides. Especially preferred binding molecules according to the invention are short polypeptide sequences, characterized by a stable loop structure.
US07691562B2 Method for forming film pattern, and method for manufacturing device, electro-optical device, electronic apparatus and active matrix substrate
A method for forming a film pattern, comprises: disposing a first bank forming material to a substrate so as to form a first bank layer; disposing a second bank forming material on the first bank layer so as to form a second bank layer; and pattering the first bank layer and the second bank layer so as to form a bank including a pattern forming region having a first pattern forming region and a second pattern forming region, the second pattern forming region having a width larger than a width of the first pattern forming region, and being continuously formed from the first pattern forming region, wherein the first bank layer has a sidewall facing the pattern forming region and a first contact angle of less than 50 degrees with respect to a functional liquid containing H2O on the sidewall, and the second bank layer has a second contact angle larger than the first contact angle with respect to the functional liquid.
US07691561B2 Positive resist compositions and patterning process
In a positive resist composition comprising (A) a resin component which becomes soluble in an alkaline developer under the action of an acid and (B) a photoacid generator, component (A) is a polymer of formula (1) wherein R1 is H, methyl or trifluoromethyl, R2 and R3 are alkyl, R4 is a monovalent hydrocarbon group, X1 is O, S or CH2CH2, X2 is O, S, CH2 or CH2CH2, n is 1 or 2, a and b each are from 0.01 to less than 1, c, d1 and d2 each are from 0 to less than 1, and a+b+c+d1+d2=1. The resist composition forms a pattern with high rectangularity at an enhanced resolution when processed by ArF lithography.
US07691560B2 Resist composition and pattern forming method using the same
A resist composition comprising at least one kind of a nitrogen-containing compound selected from the group consisting of an amine compound having a phenoxy group, an ammonium salt compound having a phenoxy group, an amine compound having a sulfonic acid ester group and an ammonium salt compound having a sulfonic acid ester group; and a pattern forming method using the composition.
US07691556B2 Antireflective compositions for photoresists
The present invention relates to a coating solution comprising a polymer obtained by reacting a glycoluril compound with at least one reactive compound containing at least one hydroxy group and/or at least one acid group, and further where the polymer is soluble in an organic solvent. The invention also relates to a process for imaging a photoresist coated over such a coating composition and to a polymer for the coating composition.
US07691551B2 Imaging member
A layer on the reverse side of an imaging member provides excellent crack resistance to the imaging layer(s) on the front side. The crack-deterring backing layer can be a laminated self-adhesive, such as tape, or a coating. Because the crack-deterring backing layer is on the reverse side, it does not affect the electrical properties of the imaging member. Overcoat layers may be used whose function is limited to improved scratch resistance.
US07691549B1 Multiple exposure lithography technique and method
A method for forming high resolution patterns on a substrate surface is disclosed. A photolithographic patterning tool is loaded with a substrate having a photoimagable layer. Multiple exposures to using interference patterns and developments are performed on the photoimagable layer to define a composite line pattern in the photoimagable layer. The composite line pattern having a greater pitch density than possible with single exposure with the same photolithographic patterning tool. The lines of the composite line pattern are selectively cut or trimmed at a plurality of locations to define a desired pattern in the photoimageable layer. The cuts can themselves be achieved with a plurality of photomasks or exposure to direct write tools to achieve densities beyond that allowed by k1>0.25 limit.
US07691539B2 Non-aqueous secondary battery having increased discharge capacity retention
A method of increasing the discharge capacity retention of a non-aqueous lithium ion secondary battery having a positive electrode active material, a combination of a lithium element and a complex metal oxide, a negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolytic solution comprising an electrolyte dissolved in a non-aqueous solvent which is a combination of a cyclic carbonate and a linear carbonate by incorporating a disulfide derivative having the formula: R1—S—S—R2 wherein each of R1 and R2 independently represents a phenyl group, a benzyl group, a tolyl group, a pyridyl group, a pyrimidyl group, an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atom, or a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, in which each group has no substituent groups or has one or more alkyl groups into the non-aqueous electrolytic solution.
US07691537B2 Electrolyte for lithium secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery including the same
An electrolyte for a lithium secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery having the electrolyte, the electrolyte including a lithium salt; a non-aqueous organic solvent including γ-butyrolactone; and succinic anhydride.
US07691529B2 Lithium battery separator having a shutdown function
Electrical separators for batteries, especially lithium batteries, having a shutdown mechanism. A process for their production. An electrical separator is used in batteries and other systems in which electrodes have to be separated from each other while maintaining ion conductivity. Safety is very important in lithium batteries, since in contrast to other types of battery (Pb, NiCd, NiMeH) the solvent for the electrolyte is not water but a combustible solvent. A separator for lithium cells must possess a shutdown mechanism while not being able to melt down. This is achieved by an electrical separator having a shutdown layer which comprises particles which melt at a desired temperature, close the pores of the separator, and so stop ion flow. Since the separator also comprises a porous inorganic (ceramic) layer on a carrier, the cells cannot melt down as a result of a completely melted separator.
US07691527B2 Method and apparatus for generating hydrogen
One embodiment of the present invention is a hydrogen generator that includes: (a) an anode material; (b) a cathode material; and (c) an electrolyte; wherein the electrolyte comprises a metal hydride, at least one stabilizing agent, and a solvent; and wherein hydrogen gas is generated whenever the anode material and the cathode material are electrically connected.
US07691518B2 Prevention of flooding of fuel cell stack
A fuel cell stack (1) generates power by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in plural stacked fuel cells (2a, 2b). Each fuel cell (2a, 2b) comprises an anode (26a) to which hydrogen is supplied, a cathode (26b) to which air containing oxygen is supplied, and a electrolyte membrane (20) which conducts hydrogen ions from the anode (26a) to the cathode (26b). The fuel cells (2a, 2b) comprise center cells (2a) and end cells (2b). By arranging the moisture absorption capacity of the end cells (2b) to be larger than that of the center cells (2a), flooding in the end cells (2b) which do not easily rise in temperature is prevented, and the low-temperature start-up performance of the fuel cell stack (1) is enhanced.
US07691516B2 Fuel cell system and stack used therein
A fuel cell system optimizing the ratio of width of a channel to a width of a rib forming a passage for supplying fuel and air, the ratio of width thereof to a height of a channel, and the number of passages, thereby improving the fuel diffusing performance and reducing a pressure drop therein is provided. The fuel cell system includes at least one stack for generating electrical energy by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, a fuel supply portion for supplying fuel to the stack, and an oxygen supply portion for supplying oxygen to the stack. The stack is formed into a stacked configuration having a plurality of membrane electrode assemblies separated by separators. The separators have ribs which closely contact the adjacent membrane electrode assemblies and form channels through which the oxygen and hydrogen flow. The ratio of the width of a channel to the height of the same is between about 0.6 and about 0.8.
US07691514B2 Polymer-zeolite nanocomposite membranes for proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells
A suite of polymer/zeolite nanocomposite membranes. The polymer backbone is preferably a film forming fluorinated sulfonic acid containing copolymer, such as a Teflon type polymer, a perfluorinated polymer, or a perfluorinated polymer with sulfonic groups. The zeolites formed in accordance with the present invention and which are used in the membranes are plain, phenethyl functionalized and acid functionalized zeolite FAU(Y) and BEA nonocrystals. The zeolite nanocrystals are incorporated into polymer matrices for membrane separation applications like gas separations, and in polymer-exchange-membrane fuel cells. For the purpose of developing zeolite-polymer nanocomposite membranes, the zeolite nanocrystals are size-adjustable to match the polymer-network dimensions.
US07691505B2 Fuel cell system
This cathode-side humidification tank 1038 also functions as a coolant tank. The water in the cathode-side humidification tank 1038 cools the fuel cell 1030 and returns to the cathode-side humidification tank 1038. In the foregoing situations where the fuel cell 1030 is low in temperature, such as during the startup of the fuel cell system 1100, the coolant warmed by the heat exchanger HEX05 can also be supplied to the fuel cell 1030 to warm up the fuel cell 1030. Moreover, a coolant channel 1040 for supplying a coolant to a cooling plate 1036 provided in the fuel cell 1030 is in connection with a heat exchanger HEX06 which is formed in an anode-side humidification tank 1042. Consequently, the coolant even plays the role of maintaining the cathode-side humidification tank 1038 and the anode-side humidification tank 1042 in almost the same temperatures.
US07691503B2 Modular fuel cell power system, and technique for controlling and/or operating same
The present inventions relate to power systems (for example, fuel cell power systems) and architectures having an integration plane to incorporate various technology modules therein including, for example, one or more fuel cell stacks, fuel storage containers/tanks (for example, hydrogen, methanol and/or hydrogen containing compounds or substances from which hydrogen can be extracted on demand (e.g., a hydride)), power unit having a power management unit to provide a conditioned and/or regulated electrical power using electrical power provided by a fuel cell, fuel cartridge having one or more fuel storage containers/tanks and electrical circuitry to monitor and/or store one or more parameters of the fuel storage container(s)/tank(s), supercapacitors, batteries, and/or electrical or electronic devices such as mobile communications (for example, phones and/or modems), data processor circuitry, and/or monitoring or surveillance device (for example, a imaging sensing device (for example, camera) and/or audio sensing device).
US07691502B2 Modular fuel cell power system, and technique for controlling and/or operating same
The present inventions relate to power systems (for example, fuel cell power systems) and architectures having an integration plane to incorporate various technology modules therein including, for example, one or more fuel cell stacks, fuel storage containers/tanks (for example, hydrogen, methanol and/or hydrogen containing compounds or substances from which hydrogen can be extracted on demand (e.g., a hydride)), power unit having a power management unit to provide a conditioned and/or regulated electrical power using electrical power provided by a fuel cell, fuel cartridge having one or more fuel storage containers/tanks and electrical circuitry to monitor and/or store one or more parameters of the fuel storage container(s)/tank(s), super-capacitors, batteries, and/or electrical or electronic devices such as mobile communications (for example, phones and/or modems), data processor circuitry, and/or monitoring or surveillance device (for example, a imaging sensing device (for example, camera) and/or audio sensing device).
US07691501B2 Fuel cell system and controlling method thereof
A fuel cell system comprises: a fuel storage means for storing a fuel; a direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC); a fuel circulation supply means for circulation and supplying a fuel to an anode of the DBFC from the fuel storage means; a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for receiving hydrogen generated at the anode of the DBFC as a fuel; a hydrogen control means for controlling hydrogen generated from the anode of the DBFC in correspondence to an amount required by the PEMFC and thereby supplying the hydrogen to the PEMFC; and an air supply means for supplying air to a cathode of the DBFC and an cathode of the PEMFC.
US07691499B2 Corrosion-resistant granular magnetic media with improved recording performance and methods of manufacturing same
A corrosion-resistant granular magnetic recording medium with improved recording performance comprises a non-magnetic substrate having a surface; and a layer stack on the substrate surface, including, in order from the surface: a granular magnetic recording layer; an intermediate magnetic de-coupling layer; and a corrosion preventing magnetic cap layer. The intermediate magnetic de-coupling layer has an optimal thickness and/or composition for: (1) promoting magnetic exchange de-coupling between the granular magnetic recording layer and the magnetic cap layer; and (2) reducing the dynamic closure field (Hcl) for determining writeability and eraseability of the medium. Grain boundaries of the magnetic cap layer are substantially oxide-free, and have a greater density and lower average porosity and surface roughness than those of the granular magnetic recording layer.
US07691496B2 Cutting tool having high toughness and abrasion resistance
Disclosed herein is a cutting tool having high toughness and abrasion resistance, in which a coated cutting tool including a cemented carbide substrate, a cermet substrate or a ceramic substrate coated with a hard coating film by means of chemical vapor deposition, moderate temperature-chemical vapor deposition or physical vapor deposition, and/or a cemented carbide cutting tool, a cermet cutting tool or a ceramic cutting tool are subjected to wet blasting using 10-300 μm sized particles to decrease residual tensile stress or increase residual compressive stress, thereby improving toughness, and also, reducing surface roughness of the cutting tool, thus remarkably increasing chipping resistance and flaking resistance.
US07691492B2 Fluorene compound and organic light-emitting device using same
A novel substituted fluorene compound is provided which is represented by the general formula [I]:
US07691485B2 Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer composition and multilayer structure using the same
An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer composition excellent in neck-in reduction, stretching properties and further, gas barrier properties and a multilayer structure using the same, are disclosed. The ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer composition of the present invention is the blend of two or more ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers and at least one of the copolymers has the following structural unit (1). (wherein X represents any binding chain excluding an ether bond, each of R1 to R4 represents independently any substituent and n represents 0 or 1). Preferably, the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer having the structural unit (1) is obtained by hydrolyzing of a copolymer of 3,4-diacyloxy-1-butene, a vinyl ester monomer and ethylene.
US07691477B2 Polyformals as a coextrusion protective layer on polycarbonate
A multi-layer article is disclosed. The article contains a base layer that contains at least one thermoplastic resin and a second layer containing a thermoplastic (co)polyformal superimposed over the base layer. The (co)polyformal conforms to formulae (1a) or (1b), in which O-D-O and O-E-O independently denote a diphenolate group, -D- and -E- independently denote an aromatic group having 6 to 40 carbon atoms, k is a whole number from 1 to 1500, o stands for numbers from 1 to 1500, and m is z/o and n is (o-z)/o wherein z is 0 to o.
US07691471B2 Polycyclic polyimides and compositions and methods relating thereto
The present invention is directed to the use polycyclic diamines. These diamines, when polymerized with dianhydrides, and optionally other non-polycyclic diamines are used to form new polyamic acids. The polyamic acids can be imidized to form a new class of useful polyimide resins and polyimide films, particularly in electronics type applications.
US07691467B2 Gypsum board
A plaster board including a plaster core having a front surface, a back surface, two opposite side surfaces and two opposite end surfaces and a covering base paper covering the front surface, back surface, and two opposite side surfaces, which core includes high-density hard edge parts including the two opposite side surfaces, at least one high-density part including the front or back surface, and having a density substantially equal to densities of the high-density hard edge parts, and a central low-density part having a density less than the densities of the high-density hard edge parts and the high-density part and being inscribed in the high-density hard edge parts and the high-density part, wherein each of the high-density hard edge parts is formed so as not to be present in the nailing area along longitudinal directions of the board in which a nail for fixing the board is driven.
US07691465B2 Drop cloth systems and methods of using same
Drop cloth systems include drop cloths having edge supports extending along two opposite edges of the drop cloths for preventing folding of the opposite edges along which the edge supports extend. Extending between the edge supports is at least one spring strip having the property of being substantially straight when unwound to maintain the drop cloths substantially spread out on the surface area to be protected. Also the spring strips have the property of being windable to permit the drop cloths to be rolled up from one of the opposite edges along which the edge supports extend for easy storage and transportation when not in use.
US07691464B2 Surface
A surface for an article has an artificially producible base structure (10). The structure (12) has or develops a capillary effect at which the quotient from capillary work (K) and adhesion work (A) is larger 1. The capillary structures and their capillaries have a negative capillary rise such that liquid is forced from the capillaries, allowing for a self-cleaning effect.
US07691462B2 Wire label with carrier
A label assembly comprised of a carrier strip and a plurality of labels. The carrier strip comprises at least a first backing layer and a layer of adhesive material located over said first backing layer. A second backing layer may be located over said adhesive layer. Predetermined areas are removed from the second backing area to expose the adhesive layer, which allows the labels to be removably adhered to the carrier strip. Sections may be further cutout of the carrier strip for a dual-sided printing arrangement.
US07691459B2 Inorganic fine particle-containing composition, optical film, antireflection film and polarizing film, and polarizing plate and display device using the same
An inorganic fine particle-containing composition comprising a silylation-treated inorganic oxide fine particle, which comprises 1.4 or more silyl groups per a surface area of 1 nm2 of the inorganic oxide fine particle.
US07691458B2 Carrier substrate with a thermochromatic coating
Numerous embodiments of a carrier substrate having thermochromatic materials are described. In one embodiment of the present invention, a carrier substrate has a visible surface, and a thermochromatic material is disposed near the carrier substrate. The thermochromatic material produces a visual change of the visible surface when an activation temperature of the thermochromatic material is reached.
US07691455B2 Liquid crystalline medium and liquid crystal display
The instant invention relates to dielectrically positive liquid crystalline media comprising a dielectrically positive component, component A, comprising a dielectrically positive compound of formula I wherein the parameters have the meaning given in the specification, and optionally a second dielectrically positive component, component B, comprising one or more dielectrically positive compounds having a dielectric anisotropy of more than 3 and optionally a dielectric neutral component, component C, as well as to liquid crystal displays comprising these media, especially to active matrix displays and in particular to TN and to IPS displays.
US07691450B2 Painting method
Two sprayer units are arranged along a conveyer. A coating surface of a panel conveyed by the conveyer is divided into four coating areas. Then, the sprayer units reciprocate parallel to the conveying direction and coat the individual coating areas. At this time, at the boundaries of the coating areas, the positions of the turning paths for reciprocation of the sprayer units are shifted from the front side to the rear side in the conveying direction and step-like coating trajectories are formed. As a result, the size of the area coated by each of the sprayer units can be expanded.
US07691449B2 Coating materials and the use thereof for the production of weldable coatings
Coating materials for the coil coating process, comprising (A) as binder at least one aliphatic, araliphatic and/or aromatic polyester having an acid number of <10 mg KOH/g, a hydroxyl number of from 30 to 200 mg KOH/g, and a number-average molecular weight Mn of between 1000 and 5000 daltons, (B) as crosslinking agent at least two amino-containing resins of different reactivity, processes for preparing them, and their use as coil coating materials.
US07691443B2 Non-pressure gradient single cycle CVI/CVD apparatus and method
A method for densifying porous structures inside a furnace using non-pressure gradient CVI/CVD in a single cycle is described. A hardware assembly for use in the single cycle non-pressure gradient CVI/CVD process is provided as well are process and process conditions are described.
US07691433B2 Method for structured application of molecules to a strip conductor and molecular memory matrix
The invention relates to a method for a structured application of molecules on a strip conductor and to a molecular memory matrix. The inventive method makes it possible, for the first time, to economically and simply apply any number of molecular memory elements on the strip conductor in a structured and targeted way, thereby making available, also for the first time, a memory matrix at a molecular level.
US07691432B2 Dispenser for liquid crystal display panel and method for detecting residual quantity of dispensing material using the same
A dispenser for a liquid crystal display panel includes a syringe for applying a dispensing material to a substrate through a nozzle provided at one end portion thereof, a cap unit provided at the other end portion of the syringe, a gas supply unit for supplying a gas to the syringe through a gas pipe penetrating the cap unit, a valve provided in the gas pipe, a detecting unit for detecting a residual quantity of the dispensing material remaining in the syringe through a flow amount of gas supplied from the gas supply unit to the syringe and a controller for controlling the gas supply unit, the valve and the detecting unit.
US07691430B2 Food material technology with controllable functional characteristics and industrial process applications, and the resulting fabricated foods
A novel high-protein, reduced carbohydrate food material technology, and high-protein, reduced carbohydrate food products made therefrom, in which the food products meet high organoleptic, stability, and taste/texture standards. This novel material technology possesses numerous controllable functional characteristics, including high to low adhesion, high to low volume expansion, high to low tensile strength, and high to low break elongation, all of which are critical to both processing needs as well as final food product specifications. The material technology allows for the processing of proteinaceous foods on common process equipment, the foods including but not limited to chips, snacks, crackers, wafers, bars, flat breads, cookies, biscuits, breads, bagels, cakes, waffles, pancakes, french fries, pasta, pizza dough, breakfast cereals, muffins, doughnuts, pastries, and meat analogs. The material is an edible dough that possesses the material characteristics necessary for numerous industrial food processes, including direct reduction sheeting, lamination sheeting, extrusion, die cutting, and rotary molding, followed by on or more of baking, drying, microwaving, boiling, steaming, frying, seasoning, and enrobing.
US07691429B2 Nutritional supplements containing methylselenocysteine
A method of producing metal-rich plants for the production of nutritional supplements. Edible plants are placed in a growth environment containing metal, and are cultivated in a fashion which enhances the uptake of metal into edible portions of the plants. The plants are then harvested, and may be eaten directly or processed into capsule or tablet form, in order to obtain the metallic nutrients so incorporated.
US07691426B2 Animal chew combining edible resin and rawhide
The present invention relates to providing an animal chew formed of rawhide and edible resin. The edible resin may be positioned on the outer surface of the rawhide and/or retained within the rawhide. The edible resin may include one or a mixture of starch, gluten, vegetable protein, carbohydrate or fat.
US07691422B2 Oral compositions for the treatment of cellulite
The present invention relates to oral pharmaceutical and cosmetic compositions for the treatment of cellulite containing Vitis vinifera extracts, Centella asiatica triterpenes and dimeric Ginkgo biloba flavonoids, in the free form or complexed with phospholipids.
US07691419B2 Compositions and methods for treating skin conditions in mammals
A topical composition for treating skin diseases is provided. The composition comprises calendula, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, grape seed oil, and Aloe vera. In some embodiment, the composition may also include beeswax, vegetable oil, vitamin E, rosemary oil, or shea butter or combinations thereof to further enhance its beneficial effects. In some embodiments, the composition may also include herbs. Kits and methods for treatment of skin diseases are also disclosed.
US07691417B2 Tumor and mutation suppressing plant extract
A compound derived from an extract of vegetative tissue of plants of the Genus Shortia demonstrates antitcarcinogenic potential by inhibiting the growth and development formation of tumors in living tissue in response to an organism known to cause the initiation of tumors in living tissue and by reducing mutation rates in living tissues exposed to a known mutagen.
US07691416B2 Methods of treating vascular disease
The present invention relates to a method of treating patients suffering from, or at risk for, intimal hyperplasia and/or arteriosclerosis. The treatment includes administering a pharmaceutical composition that includes carbon monoxide to the patient.
US07691404B2 Transdermal delivery system of diclofenac with improved water absorbability and adhesion properties
An active agent containing adhesive composition suitable for transdermal drug delivery having excellent water absorbability which comprises an effective amount of an active agent, an acrylate adhesive, a polyvinylpyrrolidone having a molecular weight of 1,000,000-5,000,000; a polyvinylpyrrolidone having a molecular weight of 2,000-50,000; a non-ionic surfactant; a terpene; and a dissolution assistant.
US07691400B2 Medical device having coating with zeolite drug reservoirs
A medical device having a drug-eluting coating that includes a pharmaceutical compound or, more generally, a therapeutic material housed within pores of a zeolite carrier. The zeolite carrier has an open porous structure with reservoirs for holding the therapeutic material. The therapeutic material loaded zeolites may be suspended or dispersed within a bioerodible polymer matrix to provide controlled delivery of the therapeutic material. Zeolite drug carriers may have enhanced or optimally engineered pore sizes for a particular therapeutic material and release profile. Along with a therapeutic material, reservoirs of a zeolite drug delivery system may include a release agent. The release agent may be used to entrap the therapeutic material until such time as a triggering condition is met that prompts the release agent to activate and thereby release the therapeutic material from the zeolite reservoir.
US07691397B2 Ultra-stable composition comprising Moringa oil and its derivatives and uses thereof
Compositions may include long-chain organic molecules obtained from natural oils, particularly plant, bean, seed and nut oils, and their derivatives can be provided with increased oxygen stability by their combination with mixtures of particular classes of antioxidants, particularly combinations of at least one synthetic free-radical terminating antioxidant. The stabilization combination is particularly effective in combination with long-chain oils having less than 5% methylene interrupted unsaturation and free-radical terminating antioxidants present in an amount of from 0.001 to 5% or more by weight of the long-chain oils. The long-chain oil may include a natural oil or wax, such as Macadamia oil and its derivatives, Moringa oil and its derivatives, Babassu oil and its derivatives, Meadowfoam oil and its derivatives, and High Oleic Sunflower oil.
US07691393B2 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.
US07691389B2 Infectious cDNA clone of north american porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus and uses thereof
The invention provides isolated polynucleotide molecules, including plasmids; viral vectors; and transfected host cells that comprise a DNA sequence encoding an infectious RNA sequence encoding a North American PRRS virus; and also North American PRRS viruses encoded thereby. The invention further provides isolated infectious RNA molecules encoding a North American PRRS virus. The invention also provides isolated polynucleotide molecules, infectious RNA molecules, viral vectors, and transfected host cells encoding genetically-modified North American PRRS viruses; and genetically-modified North American PRRS viruses encoded thereby. The invention also provides vaccines comprising such plasmids, RNA molecules, viral vectors, and North American PRRS viruses, and methods of using these vaccines in swine and in other animals. Also provided are isolated polynucleotide molecules, viral vectors, and transfected host cells that comprise a nucleotide sequence encoding a peptide of a North American PRRS virus. These viral vectors and transfected host cell lines are useful in providing peptides to compensate for mutated peptide coding sequences of DNA sequences encoding genetically-modified North American PRRS viruses so that functional virions can be generated.
US07691388B2 Compositions comprising Porphyra and methods of making and using thereof
Disclosed herein are compositions comprising Porphyra, as well as methods of making and using such compositions.
US07691382B2 Antiviral polypeptides comprising tandem repeats of APOE 141-149 and variants thereof
The present invention concerns polypeptides derived from a tandem repeat of apoE141-149 and their uses as medicaments. The peptides may comprise the tandem repeat, and truncations thereof, for which at least one Leucine (L) is replaced by an amino acid with a side chain comprising at least 4 carbon atoms and at least one Nitrogen atom. Such peptides are useful for preventing or treating viral infections.
US07691379B2 Anti-IL-9 antibody formulations
The present invention provides liquid formulations of antibodies or antibody fragments that immunospecifically bind to an IL-9 polypeptide, which formulations exhibit stability, low to undetectable levels of aggregation, and very little to no loss of the biological activities of the antibodies or antibody fragments, even during long periods of storage. In particular, the present invention provides liquid formulations of antibodies or fragments thereof that immunospecifically bind to an IL-9 polypeptide, which formulations are substantially free of surfactants, sugars, sugar alcohols, amino acids other than histidine (preferably with pKa values of less than 5 and above 7), and/or other common excipients. Furthermore, the invention provides methods of preventing, treating or ameliorating a disease or disorder associated with or characterized by aberrant expression and/or activity of an IL-9 polypeptide, a disease or disorder associated with or characterized by aberrant expression and/or activity of the IL-9R or one or more subunits thereof, an autoimmune disease, an inflammatory disease, a proliferative disease, or an infection (preferably, a respiratory infection), or one or more symptoms thereof, utilizing the liquid formulations of the present invention.
US07691377B2 Methods and compositions for treating melanoma
A method for inhibiting melanoma cell growth in a patient by administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a glutamate release inhibitor, a GRM1 antagonist, or a combination thereof
US07691368B2 Vaccine formulations
The present invention relates to oil-in-water emulsions, their use as adjuvants, and pharmaceutical, immunologic, or vaccine compositions that may comprise the same. In one embodiment, the oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion may comprise an aqueous solution containing an immunogen, a mineral oil, a non-ionic lipophilic ethoxylated fatty alcohol and a non-ionic hydrophilic surfactant. In another embodiment, the oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion may comprise an aqueous solution containing an immunogen, a non-ionic lipophilic surfactant, a mineral oil and a non-ionic hydrophilic ethoxylated fatty alcohol. The present invention also encompasses a method of making a vaccine composition using the adjuvant of the instant invention, the vaccine composition so obtained and methods of use.
US07691367B2 Branched polyalkylene glycols
The present invention provides branched polyalkylene glycols useful as a chemically modifying agent for physiologically active polypeptides, wherein two single-chain polyalkylene glycols are linked to a group having a cyclic structure other than a plane structure, and wherein a group having reactivity with an amino acid side chain, an N-terminal amino group or a C-terminal carboxyl group in a polypeptide or a group convertible into the group having reactivity is linked to the group having a structure other than a plane structure.
US07691365B2 Methods of using chimeric coiled coil molecule to treat ischemic disease
The present application discloses a method of treating a disease that is treatable by therapeutic angiogenesis comprising administering to a needy subject an effective amount of a chimeric coiled coil molecule comprising a coiled-coil domain linked to a receptor binding domain of a ligand.
US07691362B2 Method for producing an α-alumina power
A method for producing an α-alumina powder is provided. T method for producing an α-alumina powder comprising steps of: (1) pulverizing a metal compound having a full width at half maximum (Ho) of a main peak in XRD pattern to obtain a seed crystal having a full width at half maximum (H) of the main peak in XRD pattern in the presence of pulverizing agent, (2) mixing the obtained seed crystal with an aluminum salt, (3) calcining the mixture, and wherein a ratio of H/Ho is 1.06 or more.
US07691361B1 Method and apparatus for generating mercury (II) sulfide from elemental mercury
An approach is provided for generating mercury (II) sulfide from elemental mercury. Elemental mercury is injected into a reaction vessel containing vaporized sulfur. The elemental mercury reacts with at least a portion of the vaporized sulfur to form the mercury (II) sulfide.
US07691357B2 Method for producing polycrystalline silicon
A by-product mixture produced when polycrystalline silicon is deposited on a base material in a CVD reactor is made to react with chlorine to form a tetrachlorosilane (STC) effluent in a chlorination reaction vessel, and the tetrachlorosilane (STC) distillate is made to react with hydrogen in a hydrogenation reaction vessel to be converted into trichlorosilane (TCS). In the chlorination step, poly-silane contained in the above described by-product mixture can be efficiently recycled as a raw material for producing the polycrystalline silicon, which can enhance a yield of the production process. In addition, in the chlorination step, methyl chlorosilanes having boiling points close to TCS are hyper-chlorinated to be converted into hyper-chlorinated methyl chlorosilanes having higher boiling points, which facilitates the hyper-chlorinated methyl chlorosilanes to be separated into high concentration, and reduces carbon contamination of the polycrystalline silicon.
US07691346B2 Process for recausticizing cyanide leach solutions
A method is shown for raising the pH of a cyanide leach solution of the type used in a heap leaching mining operation. Lime slurry is mixed with a side stream of barren cyanide solution in a reactor vessel in order to remove carbonate hardness, to regenerate the hydroxide alkalinity and to raise the pH of the resulting recausticized leach solution. A portion of the calcium carbonate precipitate formed in the reactor vessel is retained in order to encourage further crystal growth. Overflow from the reactor vessel passes through one or more cyclone separation stages in order to remove particulate solids. A cyclone overflow stream is directed back to the process to upwardly adjust the pH of the bulk of the barren cyanide solution. A cyclone underflow stream is directed back to the reactor vessel to provide seed crystal nuclei for precipitate growth. Periodically, precipitate grains are drained from the bottom of the reactor vessel, water-washed to recover cyanide solution, and discharged as carbonate sand and lime grit.
US07691345B2 Sterilizing and disinfecting apparatus
An apparatus for sterilizing and disinfecting a target space by spraying a chemical including alcohol includes a spray gun 4 to which a chemical container 7 containing a sterilizing and disinfecting chemical including alcohol is attachable, a gas cylinder 1 filled with a compressed carrier gas that does not react with alcohol, and a pressure reducing valve 2 for decompressing the carrier gas discharged in a vaporized state from the gas cylinder 1 to a predetermined pressure, and is constructed so that the pressure reducing valve 2 and the spray gun 4 are directly connected with a gas hose 3 and mounted on a common truck 5. The sterilizing and disinfecting apparatus can operate with a simple structure requiring no power supply, and is much lighter in weight compared to conventional apparatuses.
US07691343B2 Double-walled chamber for ultraviolet radiation treatment of liquids
The object of the invention is a double-walled chamber for the UV disinfection of liquids, preferably drinking water and/or waste water. It realizes a rectangular and/or square cross-sectional shape of the UV radiation chamber even at higher pressures, whereby the radiation chamber can moreover be provided with a thin-walled configuration and allows an optimal and close arrangement of UV radiators as compared with a round chamber. By applying the inventive idea, the known dead zones at the entrance are completely eliminated and an entrance turbulence is produced which runs simultaneously with the piston flow in the chamber.
US07691338B2 Two stage catalytic combustor
A catalytic combustor (14) includes a first catalytic stage (30), a second catalytic stage (40), and an oxidation completion stage (49). The first catalytic stage receives an oxidizer (e.g., 20) and a fuel (26) and discharges a partially oxidized fuel/oxidizer mixture (36). The second catalytic stage receives the partially oxidized fuel/oxidizer mixture and further oxidizes the mixture. The second catalytic stage may include a passageway (47) for conducting a bypass portion (46) of the mixture past a catalyst (e.g., 41) disposed therein. The second catalytic stage may have an outlet temperature elevated sufficiently to complete oxidation of the mixture without using a separate ignition source. The oxidation completion stage is disposed downstream of the second catalytic stage and may recombine the bypass portion with a catalyst exposed portion (48) of the mixture and complete oxidation of the mixture. The second catalytic stage may also include a reticulated foam support (50), a honeycomb support, a tube support or a plate support.
US07691337B2 Thermal conditioning container and method of manufacturing it
A container for thermal conditioning of a fluid under pressure, use of the container for thermally conditioning a fluid under pressure, a chemical reactor including the container and a polymerization process using the reactor, and a method of producing the container and the reactor. The container is bounded over at least part of its surface facing the outside by at least one external plate and facing the inside by at least one internal plate, the external plate being thicker than the internal plate, the external plate and the internal plate being joined together in places to define a space between joints for circulation of a heat-transfer fluid and the container including a mechanism to adjust the pressure of the heat-transfer fluid to that of the fluid under pressure.
US07691334B2 Temperature control apparatus for microchemical chip
A temperature control apparatus for a microchemical chip having at least one chemical reactor includes a temperature regulator, and a controller. The temperature regulator can advantageously be configured to allow the microchemical chip to be mounted thereon. The temperature regulator can advantageously be configured to be thermally engaged with the at least one chemical reactor so as to control the temperature of the at least one chemical reactor. The controller can advantageously be removably connected to the temperature regulator. The controller can advantageously be configured to control the temperature regulator.
US07691331B2 Microfluidic flow device and method for use thereof
A microfluidic flow device includes at least one flow channel flowing into a branch point, to which at least two branched channels are connected, and at least one linking channel interconnecting the two branched channels. The linking channel flows into each branched channel at a short-circuit point which is preferably located at less than half of the length of each branched channel.
US07691329B2 Methods for detecting contaminants in a liquid
In one embodiment, a method for detecting contaminants in a liquid comprises: contacting a sensor with a liquid, generating electrical information based upon a concentration of the contaminant in the liquid, transmitting the electrical information to a controller, and determining the concentration of a contaminant in the liquid. The sensor can comprise a film, a purge chamber, and a transducer, which are configured such that a first surface of the film is in fluid communication with the liquid and the purge chamber is in fluid communication with a second surface of the film that is opposite the first surface, and wherein the transducer is in fluid communication with the purge chamber.
US07691328B2 Chip using method and test chip
An object of the invention is to provide a test chip which allows efficient and convenient separation and measurement. This invention provides a measuring chip for separating and measuring a target component in a sample by rotation around first and second axes of rotation. The measuring chip includes a centrifugal separation tube that centrifugally separates the target component from the sample by rotating the measuring chip around the first axis of rotation; a first holding section installed in the bottom of the centrifugal separation tube, wherein non-target components other than the target component in the sample are introduced therein by rotation around the first axis of rotation, and the first holding section holds the non-target components during rotation around the second axis of rotation; and a measuring section connected to one end of the centrifugal separation tube that measures the non-target components introduced from the centrifugal separation tube by rotation around the second axis of rotation.
US07691326B2 System for non-invasive extraction, secure handling and storage and facile processing and facile processing of a specimen
A novel system, apparatus, composition and method provide facile collection of a physical sample, including in particular noninvasive extraction of buccal cells, specifically directed to capture of PCR-ready DNA from such cheek cells. It is particularly useful in achieving simplified collection, transit, processing and storage of biological samples with minimal chain of custody.
US07691323B2 Rare-earth alloy, rare-earth sintered magnet, and methods of manufacturing
A rare-earth alloy ingot is produced by melting an alloy composed of 20-30 wt % of a rare-earth constituent which is Sm alone or at least 50 wt % Sm in combination with at least one other rare-earth element, 10-45 wt % of Fe, 1-10 wt % of Cu and 0.5-5 wt % of Zr, with the balance being Co, and quenching the molten alloy in a strip casting process. The strip-cast alloy ingot has a content of 1-200 μm size equiaxed crystal grains of at least 20 vol % and a thickness of 0.05-3 mm. Rare-earth sintered magnets made from such alloys exhibit excellent magnetic properties and can be manufactured under a broad optimal temperature range during sintering and solution treatment.
US07691322B2 Furnaces and methods of melting
The invention provides an improved furnace structure and methods of melting material in furnaces, particularly aimed at reducing the start up time for such furnaces. The furnace (2) defines a container for the molten metal having a maximum depth of molten metal in that container during use. A flow generator (30) for the molten metal within the furnace is fed through a first conduit (32) and supplies material back to the furnace through a second conduit (36). The first conduit entrance is provided in the upper 60% of the maximum depth of the molten metal in the container and/or the second conduit exit is provided in the lower 25% of the maximum depth of the molten metal in the container. The flow generator may receive material preferentially from around the periphery of the container and/or direct material towards the centre of the container. The inlet and outlet to the flow generator may be angled downwards towards the container. All of these features improve heat transfer and material circulation within the furnace.
US07691319B2 Method of manufacturing porous body
A method of manufacturing a porous body having a high open porosity and a small thermal expansion coefficient is provided. In the manufacturing method, a raw material including an aluminum source and a titanium source is fired to obtain the porous body containing aluminum titanate as a main component, and inorganic microballoons containing an aluminum component and/or a silicon component are used as a pore former.
US07691316B2 Devices and methods for the synthesis of nucleic acids
Cylindrical devices (frits) are prepared by embedding aminoalkyl- or mercaptoalkyl-modified Controlled Pore Glass (CPG) in high-density polyethylene. Methods and devices pertaining to their use in the synthesis of nucleic acids are described. A reusable synthesis column or a reusable 96-chamber synthesis plate have been designed to hold one to 96 of the said frits that are inserted reproducibly into the synthesis chambers with a frit insertor. A short gas surpressure is required to drive entry of chemical reagents into the said frit. Reagents are retained into the frit until a second, longer surpressure is applied to drain the said reagents.
US07691314B2 Method of injection compression molding
In an injection compression molding method, dies are clamped with low pressure and a melted thermoplastic resin composition is filled in a cavity space from a gate while moving the cavity space relative to the gate, and then the dies are clamped with a high pressure substantially simultaneously with completion of the filling to compress and form the thermoplastic resin composition filled in the cavity space. Since the thermoplastic resin composition containing a high content of thermally-conductive filler such as an electrically-conductive filler can be injected and compressed to be molded, the injection compression molding method can be applied in manufacturing molding such as a fuel cell separator and a flat antenna.
US07691313B2 Method for expelling gas positioned between a substrate and a mold
The present invention is directed towards a method and a system of expelling a gas positioned between a substrate and a mold, the substrate and the mold further having a liquid positioned therebetween.
US07691305B2 Articles comprising a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition
A method for making a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition and forming a fabricated article therefrom. A thermoplastic polymer, a masterbatch comprising an elastomer and a reinforcing fiber material are compounded, extruded and immediately formed into a fabricated article. The fabricated article is formed by compression molding, vacuum forming, thermoforming, injection molding, blow molding, profile extrusion or combinations thereof.
US07691304B2 Thermoplastic composition, method of manufacture thereof, and articles derived therefrom
Disclosed herein is a thermoplastic composition comprising a combination of 10 to 80 wt. % of a polyester, more than 0 to 50 wt. % of a polycarbonate, and 10 to 90 wt. % of at least one polyester-polycarbonate copolymer comprising, based on the total weight of the copolymer, 15 to 95 wt. % of arylate ester units, and 5 to 85 wt. % of aromatic carbonate units. Also disclosed is a method of forming the compositions, and articles prepared therefrom, for example transparent covers.
US07691303B2 Method and apparatus for manufacturing base member bearing projections, and base member bearing projections
A method is provided including a step of preparing a base member; a step of preparing a metal mold which comprises a reference surface and plural projection-shaping die parts which have ring-like protruding sections projecting from a reference surface and surrounding hollow spaces which are shaped to match with the profiles of the projections; a step of placing a thermoplastic or thermosetting sheet-like molding material on the base member; a step of pressing the metal mold against the molding material placed on the base member, pressurizing the molding material at least with the ring-like protruding sections and accordingly bonding the molding material thus pressurized with the ring-like protruding sections to the base member, and forming and shaping projections from the molding material which is opposed against the insides of the hollow spaces surrounded by the ring-like protruding sections; and a step of leaving on the base member the molding material which is opposed against the plural projection-shaping die parts and stripping off the molding material other than the molding material which is opposed against the plural projection-shaping die parts.
US07691302B2 Disposable cup lid
A disposable cup lid including a body and a mounting portion extending around the periphery of the body. The body defines a suitably shaped clearance area to accommodate a person's nose when drinking the contents of a cup having the lid positioned thereon. The body also defines an enhanced drinking area which is suitably configured to provide a person with a drinking experience more similar to the drinking experience of drinking from an uncovered cup or glass. In one embodiment, the body includes a raised portion which defines a lip engaging front wall and an enhanced drinking area. The enhanced drinking area includes a closure member having an upwardly extending gripping member and a drink-through opening initially covered by the closure member, wherein the drink-through opening is positioned substantially adjacent to the lip engaging front wall. The closure member is movable about a hinge from an initial closed position to an open position. The closure member of the top wall is also movable into a locking position wherein the gripping member frictionally engages the walls of a locking recess.
US07691298B2 Plastic cantilevers for force microscopy
A method disclosed for producing polymer-based cantilevers for use in atomic force microscopy in a batch process. The method includes forming a mold in a mold material, for example PDMS, using a master cantilever, removing the master cantilever from the mold material to reveal a mold cavity, filling the mold cavity with plastic, for example polystyrene, to form a plastic cantilever in the mold, and removing the plastic cantilever from the mold, for example using adhesive tape or flexing the mold. At least one surface of the plastic cantilever can be coated with a reflective metal, such as gold. The plastic cantilever can be functionalized for use in magnetic force microscopy by attaching a probe tip formed of magnetic metal, for example a 10 μm nickel sphere.
US07691296B2 Method for stabilizing active components using polyol/polymer microcapsule, and cosmetic composition containing the microcapsule
The present invention relates to a method for stabilizing enzyme and water- and oil-soluble active components using polyol/polymer microcapsules, and to a cosmetic composition containing the enzyme and the microcapsules. More particularly, the present invention relates to polyol/polymer microcapsules which effectively stabilize the enzyme and active components, which are unstable in the formulations, through increasing the solubility thereof in hydrophobic polymer by using polyol, and to a method for preparing the polyol/polymer microcapsules.
US07691295B2 Metal oxide paste composition and method of manufacturing semiconductor electrode using the same
Disclosed herein are a metal oxide paste composition comprising a carboxylic ester dispersant and/or a phosphate dispersant, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor electrode for solar cells using the same. The disclosed metal oxide paste composition improves the dispersibility of metal oxide nanoparticles. Thus, if it is used to manufacture a semiconductor electrode for solar cells, it will allow the increased adsorption of a dye, thus improving the photoelectric efficiency of the resulting solar cell.
US07691286B2 Piezoelectric ceramic composition, method for manufacturing the same, and piezoelectric ceramic electronic component
A piezoelectric ceramic composition includes a primary component represented by the formula (1-x)(K1-a-bNaaLib)m(Nb1-c-dTacSbd)O3-xM1nM2O3, and 0.1 to 10 moles (preferably 1.5 to 10 moles) of at least one specific element selected from the group consisting of In, Sc, Y, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, and Lu with respect to 100 moles of the primary component, wherein M1 is Ca, Sr, or Ba M2 is Ti, Zr, or Sn; and x, a, b, c, d, m, and n satisfy 0.005≦x≦0.1, 0≦a≦0.9, 0≦b≦0.3, 0≦a+b≦0.9, 0≦c≦0.5, 0≦d≦0.1, 0.9≦m≦1.1, and 0.9≦n≦1.1. Preferably, Mn, Ni, Fe, Zn, Cu, or Mg is further added. As a result, at both a very low and a high electric field, a high piezoelectric d constant can be stably obtained with a high efficiency.
US07691285B2 Magnetic nanoparticles having improved magnetic properties
The invention relates to a method for producing magnetic nanoparticles which are made of metal oxide-polymer composites and are provided with an increased magnetic mobility, among other things, due the high metal oxide content and the morphological structure thereof. High-pressure homogenization has proven to be a reliable technique for producing the inventive magnetic nanoparticles. According to said technique, the components metal oxide and polymer are processed in a carrier medium. Water is used in most cases at pressures ranging from 500 bar to 1200 bar while using great shearing forces. High pressure homogenization creates a colloidally stable magnetic particle population having a diameter ranging below 200 nm while also resulting in the produced magnetic nanoparticles being provided with greater magnetic moments than the metal oxide used as an initial material at low magnetic field strengths. The inventive particles are particularly suitable for applications in the bioanalytical and diagnostic field, in bioseparation processes, and as a carrier material in high throughput screening.
US07691284B2 Tunable variable emissivity materials and methods for controlling the temperature of spacecraft using tunable variable emissivity materials
Tunable variable emissivity materials, methods for fabricating tunable variable emissivity materials, and methods for controlling the temperature of a spacecraft using tunable variable emissivity materials have been provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a variable emissivity material has the formula M1(1−(x+y))M2xM3yMnO3, wherein M1 comprises lanthanum, praseodymium, scandium, yttrium, neodymium or samarium, M2 comprises an alkali earth metal, M3 comprises an alkali earth metal that is not M2, and x, y, and (x+y) are less than 1. The material has a critical temperature (Tc) in the range of about 270 to about 320K and a transition width is less than about 30K.
US07691279B2 Method of producing a glass substrate for a mask blank and method of producing a mask blank
A method of producing a glass substrate for a mask blank has the steps of measuring a convex/concave profile of a surface of the glass substrate, controlling a flatness of the surface of the glass substrate to a value not greater than a predetermined reference value by specifying the degree of convexity of a convex portion present on the surface of the glass substrate with reference to a result of measurement obtained in the profile measuring step and executing local machining upon the convex portion under a machining condition depending upon the degree of convexity, and polishing, after the flatness control step, the surface of the glass substrate subjected to the local machining. The surface of the glass substrate subjected to the local machining is subjected to acid treatment after the flatness control step and before the polishing step.
US07691278B2 Apparatus for the removal of a fluorinated polymer from a substrate and methods therefor
An apparatus generating a plasma for removing fluorinated polymer from a substrate is disclosed. The embodiment includes a powered electrode assembly, including a powered electrode, a first dielectric layer, and a first wire mesh disposed between the powered electrode and the first dielectric layer. The embodiment also includes a grounded electrode assembly disposed opposite the powered electrode assembly so as to form a cavity wherein the plasma is generated, the first wire mesh being shielded from the plasma by the first dielectric layer when the plasma is present in the cavity, the cavity having an outlet at one end for providing the plasma to remove the fluorinated polymer.
US07691271B1 Filamentous carbon particles for cleaning oil spills and method of production
A compact hydrogen generator is coupled to or integrated with a fuel cell for portable power applications. Hydrogen is produced via thermocatalytic decomposition (cracking, pyrolysis) of hydrocarbon fuels in oxidant-free environment. The apparatus can utilize a variety of hydrocarbon fuels, including natural gas, propane, gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, crude oil (including sulfurous fuels). The hydrogen-rich gas produced is free of carbon oxides or other reactive impurities, so it could be directly fed to any type of a fuel cell. The catalysts for hydrogen production in the apparatus are carbon-based or metal-based materials and doped, if necessary, with a sulfur-capturing agent. Additionally disclosed are two novel processes for the production of two types of carbon filaments, and a novel filamentous carbon product. The hydrogen generator can be conveniently integrated with high temperature fuel cells to produce an efficient and self-contained source of electrical power.
US07691270B2 Method for removing impurities from an impurity-containing fluid stream
A method of removing at least one polar component from a fluid stream. The method comprises providing a fluid stream comprising at least one nonpolar component and at least one polar component. The fluid stream is contacted with a supercritical solvent to remove the at least one polar component. The at least one nonpolar component may be a fat or oil and the at least one polar component may be water, dirt, detergents, or mixtures thereof. The supercritical solvent may decrease solubility of the at least one polar component in the fluid stream. The supercritical solvent may function as a solvent or as a gas antisolvent. The supercritical solvent may dissolve the nonpolar components of the fluid stream, such as fats or oils, while the polar components may be substantially insoluble. Alternatively, the supercritical solvent may be used to increase the nonpolarity of the fluid stream.
US07691268B2 Waste gas/wastewater treatment equipment and method of treating waste gas/wastewater
Waste gas/wastewater treatment equipment treats waste gas in a scrubber 18 by using micronanobubble water produced in a micronanobubble reaction vessel 31 as washing water. Waste gas is efficiently cleaned by the substance surface high-velocity cleaning function which micronanobubbles have. The washing water having been used in the waste gas treatment is reused in wastewater treatment in adjustment tank 1, denitrification tank 3 and nitrification tank 11 which constitute a wastewater treatment section. Thus, the micronanobubbles contained in the washing water are utilized in wastewater treatment, so that efficiency of wastewater treatment is enhanced.
US07691267B2 Multi-gas bioreactor and related methods
A bioreactor is for processing a fluid stream. The bioreactor may include a bioreaction chamber for receiving the fluid stream therethrough, a pair of spaced apart gas header assemblies within the bioreaction chamber for coupling to first and second gases, a first plurality of hollow fiber membranes (HFMs) extending between the pair of gas header assemblies for introducing the first gas into the fluid stream within the bioreaction chamber, and a second plurality of HFMs extending between the pair of gas header assemblies for introducing the second gas into the fluid stream within the bioreaction chamber.
US07691266B2 Separation devices and processes
A separation device comprises a cylindrical separation pack including a spirally wound porous medium, a feed channel including a shear region, a plurality of permeate passages extending along the permeate side of the porous medium opposite the shear region and perpendicular to the feed channel, a feed inlet, a retentate outlet, and a plurality of permeate outlets.
US07691264B2 Semipermeable membrane system for magnetic particle fractions
In a semi-permeable membrane system for transferring magnetic particle fractions contained in a first fluid to a second fluid, comprising a membrane through which passages extend and which separates the first fluid from the second fluid being a pressure generation arrangement is provided for generating a reversible pressure differential between the two fluids across the membrane for alternately causing fluid movement in the membrane in opposite directions and a magnetic field generator is provided for alternately generating a magnetic field in the membrane wherein, during the fluid movement in one direction, the magnetic field is switched on to hold the magnetic particles in place in the membrane and, during fluid flow in the opposite flow direction, the magnetic field is switched off to permit the magnetic particles to be moved through the membrane in the other direction.
US07691263B1 Monolithic column technology for liquid chromatography
A monolith for liquid chromatography is disclosed that involves a reaction product of; a (1) crosslinker having at least three adjacent groups, selected from ethylene oxide, polyethylene oxide, and mixtures thereof, and two or more pendent vinyl groups, and (2) monomer having the formula, CH2═CR—Y—Z, where R is H or CH3, where Z is a functional group selected to impart a desired interaction property to the monolith, and where Y is nothing, or any group that will not materially affect or compete with the function of the functional group (Z) in the monolith, or the reactivity of vinyl groups in the crosslinker or monomer.
US07691262B2 System for treating wastewater having a controlled reaction-volume module usable therein
A wastewater treatment system including a biological reactor is disclosed. At least one controlled-reaction-volume module is provided to the biological reactor. The at least one controlled-reaction-volume module includes a fixed-film media for supporting a biological growth. At least one mixer, such as, for example, a high momentum mixer, for communicate a fluid to the at least one controlled-reaction-volume module so that wastewater and the biological growth communicate to thereby treat the wastewater.
US07691259B2 Separation of tar from sand
A system for separating hydrocarbons from a solid source including a primary separation tank including a first hydrocarbon removing device to remove hydrocarbons from a slurry of water and solids. Further, the system including a transfer device between the primary separation tank and a secondary separation tank, wherein the transfer device is configured to transfer solids from the slurry to the secondary separation tank. Further still, the system including a second hydrocarbon removal device, a fine particle separation device to remove remaining solids in the secondary separation tank, and a product collection tank to receive hydrocarbons removed from the primary and secondary separation tanks.
US07691258B2 Process for treating hydrocarbon liquid compositions
A process for treating a hydrocarbon liquid composition to improve its storage and/or transportation stability, comprises contacting the hydrocarbon liquid composition with a polar trap, wherein the conductivity of the hydrocarbon liquid composition is not reduced by said contacting with a polar trap. The polar trap may be a clay treater containing attapulgus clay. The process may include sequentially passing the hydrocarbon liquid composition through a dehydrator and a clay treater at a flow rate of between about 100 and about 1000 m3 per hour. Advantageously, the hydrocarbon liquid composition is refined and in particular, may be a Merox™-treated jet fuel.
US07691255B2 Sensor, measuring device, and measuring method
A sensor capable of measuring a plurality of measuring items quickly and accurately, a measuring device, and a measuring method are provided. The sensor includes a sample-holding unit for holding a sample containing an analyte; a sample-supplying port for supplying the sample to the sample-holding unit; a detecting unit for carrying out an electrochemical measurement, the unit being provided in the sample-holding unit; an optical measuring unit for carrying out an optical measurement, the unit being provided in the sample-holding unit; and a reagent-holding unit for holding a reagent for the optical measurement, the unit being provided in the sample-holding unit; wherein in the flowing direction of the sample supplied from the sample-supplying port in sample-holding unit, the sample-supplying port, the detecting unit, and the reagent-holding unit are positioned in the order recited.
US07691250B2 Membrane-mediated electropolishing with topographically patterned membranes
This invention provides membrane-mediated electropolishing (MMEP) processes for polishing and/or planarizing metal work pieces using topographically patterned membranes. The processes can be used for both pure metals and alloys, and provide advantages over conventional electropolishing processes and known MMEP processes using smooth membranes. This invention also provides a cathode half-cell and an apparatus useful in membrane-mediated electropolishing processes. The invention also provides processes for electroengraving and electromachining topographic patterns, holes and/or grooves into the surface of a metal work piece.
US07691249B2 Method and apparatus for making electrolyzed water
An insulating end cap for a cylindrical electrolysis cell the type comprising at least two tubular electrodes with a cylindrical membrane arranged co-axially between them, comprises a first annular section with first and second axial ends, having at its first axial end a circular seating or one end of an outer cylindrical electrode and at its second end a circular aperture, of smaller diameter than the circular seating and co-axial therewith, to accommodate one end of the membrane. A second annular section of the end cap is detachably secured to the first and has a central circular aperture of smaller diameter than the central aperture of the first section and co-axial therewith, to accommodate one end of the inner cylindrical electrode. The two part construction of the end cap facilitates the assembly of the cell, and reduces the likelihood of breakage of the fragile ceramic membrane.
US07691247B2 Optical detection alignment coupling apparatus
An apparatus for aligning a capillary column with one or more excitation fibers and with one or more optical lens elements for Capillary Electrophoresis. The apparatus includes two identical blocks having a plurality of grooves for positioning and aligning the capillary column with the one or more excitation fibers, and a plurality of lens seats for optically coupling the lens element with the capillary column. Each block includes a male and female part for mating the two identical blocks together.
US07691245B2 Microfluidic device for controlling sample introduction in microcolumn separation techniques and sampling device
A microfluidic device for controlling sample introduction in microcolumn separation techniques, more particularly in capillary electrophoresis (CE), where a sample is injected as a sample plug into a sampling device which comprises at least a channel for the electrolyte buffer and a supply and drain channel for the sample. The supply and drain channels discharge into the electrolyte channel at respective supply and drain ports. The distance between the supply port and the drain port geometrically defines a sample volume. The injection of the sample plug into the electrolyte channel is accomplished electrokinetically by applying an electric field across the supply and drain channels for a time at least long enough that the sample component having the lowest electrophoretic mobility is contained within the geometrically defined volume. Means are provided for electrokinetically injecting the sample into the sample volume.
US07691243B2 Internal antennae for plasma processing with metal plasma
A plasma processing system and method provide an internal coil in a vacuum chamber for maintaining a high density plasma therein in a manner that may have a less restrictive requirement on metal flux shielding than when the shield protects a dielectric window. The shield also shields the coil from plasma heat load. The coil need not be actively cooled. Some metal is allowed to pass through the shield and deposit on the coil. This leads to a thinner shield with less complicated slots than for shields in external coil configurations. Good RF transparency of the shield is a result of the much simpler shield shape. The coil is not sputtered and is thus not consumable. The coil is enclosed in a small conductive space, reducing its inductance, resulting in reduced coil current and voltage, in turn simplifying the design and construction of the tuning network and RF connectors. Stiffeners support the coil and are profiled to avoid formation of conductive paths forming from metal deposits.
US07691237B2 Belt for transferring an in-production fibrous web
This invention relates to a belt for transferring an in-production fibrous web, in particular a paper web or paperboard web, in a machine area of a machine producing the fibrous web, in particular a paper machine or paperboard machine, including at least one textile substrate and a coating, which is applied to the substrate and touches the in-production fibrous web, for obtaining a partial or complete impermeability of the belt. The inventive belt has at least one continuously differencing characteristic in at least one region across its overall width. Also, this invention relates to a machine, in particular a paper machine or paperboard machine, for producing a fibrous web, in particular a paper web or paperboard web, as well as to a use of a belt for transferring an in-production fibrous web, in particular a paper web or paperboard web, in one machine area or between two machine areas of a machine producing the fibrous web, in particular a paper machine or paperboard machine.
US07691236B2 Creping blade with a highly smooth bevel surface
The present invention relates to a doctor blade comprising: a body having a thickness, a sharp leading side, a trailing side, and working end comprising a bevel surface, wherein the bevel surface is defined by a leading edge and a trailing edge, and wherein the Ra of the bevel surface is from about 1 μ-in to about 7 μ-in. The present invention further relates to a method of removing a material from a surface of a piece of equipment, the method comprising providing a material on the surface of the piece of equipment; providing a doctor blade adjacent to the surface of the equipment, the creping blade having a working end including a leading edge, which is disposed closest to the surface of the equipment, a trailing edge disposed farthest from the surface of the equipment and a bevel surface disposed therebetween; passing the surface of the equipment past the doctor blade or the doctor blade past the surface of the equipment such that the material impacts the doctor blade and at least a portion of the material is removed from the surface of the piece of equipment; and passing the removed material over the bevel surface of the doctor blade wherein the Ra of the bevel surface is from about 1 to about 7 μ-in.
US07691229B2 High caliper web and web-making belt for producing the same
A web-making fabric for producing a high caliper fibrous web and the fibrous web produced thereby. The web-making fabric comprises a reinforcing structure and a framework joined to the reinforcing structure. The framework defines a plurality of deflection conduits, at least one deflection conduit is a negatively radiused deflection conduit, and at least one deflection conduit is a positively radiused deflection conduit. The positively radiused deflection conduits are sized, shaped, and arranged to maximize fiber deflection along the periphery of the conduits. The web comprises three regions, a first region a second region and a third region. The first region is immediately adjacent to at least one of the second region and the third region. The second region comprises a plurality of negatively radiused domes. The third region comprises a plurality of positively radiused domes.
US07691228B2 Wet crepe throughdry process for making absorbent sheet and novel fibrous products
An improved process for making sheet from a fibrous furnish includes: depositing the furnish on a foraminous support; compactively dewatering the furnish to form a nascent web; drying the web on a heated cylinder; creping the web therefrom and throughdrying the web to a finished product. The microstructure of the web is controlled so as to facilitate throughdrying. The product exhibits a characteristic throughdrying coefficient of from 4 to 10 when the airflow through the sheet is characterized by a Reynolds Number of less than about 1. The novel products of the invention are characterized by wet springback ratio, hydraulic diameter and an internal bond strength parameter.
US07691223B2 Apparatus and method for making fiber reinforced sheet molding compound
An apparatus for making SMC comprising a conveyor belt assembly having a feed end and a transfer end. The conveyor belt assembly including a belt having an outer surface and an inner surface. A cutting support structure disposed between the feed end and the transfer end, and in contact with the inner surface. A cutting wheel having a perimeter surface and disposed adjacent to the cutting support structure. A feed tension member proximate the outer surface and disposed between the feed end and the cutting wheel. The feed tension member positions the fiber rovings onto the outer surface to be cut by the cutting wheel. The feed tension member, cutting wheel and belt cooperate to feed the fiber rovings at a feed rate, cut the fiber rovings into a plurality of parallel discontinuous fibers, and convey the fibers at substantially the same rate as the feed rate.
US07691221B2 Method for gluing decorative stones
Method for gluing decorative stones (1) with a tapered off backside, in particular of faceted glass, onto leather (2), wherein in the fastening region of each stone (1) a recess (5) is punched out of the leather (2), which recess is smaller than the greatest diameter of the stone (1). The end of the recess (5) facing the stone (1) is expanded by stamping corresponding to the contour of the stone (1). The stone (1) is subsequently glued in the expansion (6) to the base layer (4) of the leather (2).
US07691218B2 Method of attaching a label to a thermoplastic substrate
A label with top, bottom and edge surfaces is attached to a thermoplastic substrate by a method comprising the steps of: A. Placing the bottom surface of the label in contact with a surface of the substrate; B. Melting a portion of the substrate beneath the label or adjacent to an edge of the label; C. Drawing a portion of the melted substrate over an edge of and onto the top surface of the label such that the portion of the melted substrate on the top surface of the label is continuous with the substrate; and D. Solidifying the melted substrate. The attachment does not require adhesive or mechanical fasteners, and the label and thermoplastic substrate can be made of any material that will withstand the conditions of the environment to which they will be exposed.
US07691208B2 Cleaning method
In a process chamber of a substrate processing apparatus, such as an RTP apparatus, a carrier is placed and configured to carry out a contaminant that has been attached to it. In this state, a cleaning gas containing N2 and O2 is introduced into the process chamber, and cleaning is performed under conditions including a pressure of 133.3 Pa or less and a temperature of 700° C. to 1,100° C. This cleaning is repeatedly performed by sequentially replacing a plurality of carriers.
US07691206B2 Wafer cleaning process
The invention is directed to a wafer cleaning process for being applied on a wafer after an etching process is performed on the wafer, wherein the wafer has a wafer center, a wafer radius and a wafer circumference. The wafer cleaning process comprises a step of dispensing a cleaning solution over the wafer by using a dispenser while the dispenser is moving back and forth along a swing path over the wafer around the wafer center, wherein the wafer center is projected to a midpoint of the swing path.
US07691203B2 Film forming apparatus
A film forming apparatus is provided that can prevent source gases from reacting together before reaching the substrate being processed in the apparatus, minimize the influence of the radiation heat from the substrate, and make the gas behavior in the reaction chamber better for crystal film formation. The apparatus forms a film on a surface of a heated substrate 5 by causing a first source gas and a second source gas to react together. The apparatus has a processing chamber 1, in which the substrate 5 is placed. The processing chamber 1 is divided into a heating chamber 1a and a reaction chamber 1b by at least the substrate 5 so that the substrate surface can be exposed to the source gases in the reaction chamber 1b. The apparatus further has an exhaust duct 7, through which the exhaust gas can be discharged. The exhaust duct 7 faces the exposed substrate surface and connects with the reaction chamber 1b. The apparatus further has first supply ports 11 and second supply ports 12, through which the first and second source gases respectively can be supplied independently onto the substrate surface. The supply ports 11 and 12 are positioned outside the exhaust duct 7. This enables the source gases to react immediately near the substrate 5 so that high-quality crystal film formation can be performed on the substrate.
US07691202B2 Ultraviolet light-emitting device in which p-type semiconductor is used
An object is to provide an ultraviolet light-emitting device in which a p-type semiconductor which has high conductivity and an emission peak in ultraviolet region, and emits light efficiently is used. The p-type semiconductor is prepared by supplying a p-type impurity raw material at the same time or after starting supply of predetermined types of crystal raw materials, besides before starting supply of other types of crystal raw materials than the predetermined types of crystal raw materials in one cycle wherein all the types of crystal raw materials of the plural types of crystal raw materials are supplied in one time each in case of making crystal growth by supplying alternately the plural types of crystal raw materials in a pulsed manner.
US07691199B2 Melter assembly and method for charging a crystal forming apparatus with molten source material
A melter assembly supplies a charge of molten source material to a crystal forming apparatus for use in forming crystalline bodies. The melter assembly comprises a housing and a crucible located in the housing. A heater is disposed relative to the crucible for melting solid source material received in the crucible. The crucible has a nozzle to control the flow of molten source material such that a directed flow of molten source material can be supplied to the crystal forming apparatus at a selected flow rate.
US07691196B2 Effect pigments
Disclosed are yellowing-stable, silver-white effect pigments having high whiteness based on synthetic mica flakes and to the use thereof in paints, lacquers, printing inks, plastics, button pastes, ceramic materials, glasses, for coloring seed, as dopant in laser markings of plastics and papers, as additive for laser welding of plastics, as additive for coloring in the foods and pharmaceuticals sectors and in cosmetic formulations, and for the preparation of pigment compositions and dry preparations.
US07691194B2 Self-dispersible colorants, method of preparing the same and ink composition comprising the colorants
A self-dispersible colorant has a hydrophilic group incorporated into a colorant. A method of preparing the self-dispersible colorant reacts a cyclic anhydride with a reactive colorant in the presence of a Lewis acid. An ink composition comprising the self-dispersible colorant provides long-term storage stability and dispersion stability.
US07691189B2 Printed wiring board and its manufacturing method
The present invention is directed to a process for manufacturing multilayer printed circuit boards which is capable of simultaneous via hole filling and formation of conductor circuit and via holes of good crystallinity, and by which uniform deposition can be constructed on a substrate and high-density wiring and highly reliable conductor connections can be realized without annealing.
US07691187B2 Electrode wire for an electrostatic precipitator
An electrode wire for use in an electrostatic precipitator is provided according to an embodiment of the invention. The electrode wire includes a wire portion of a predetermined length L, a first end, and a second end. The electrode wire further includes retaining bodies formed on the first end and the second end of the wire portion. A retaining body of the retaining bodies is substantially solid.
US07691184B2 Method and arrangement at gas removal, and the use thereof
The invention relates to an arrangement for gas removal including a vertical cylindrical vessel (1) having an outlet (8) and a tangentially arranged inlet (6). The inlet includes means which bring an incoming fluid (4) into a jet which is sharply delimited in the radial direction and runs close to the vessel's (1) inner surface (5) at such a high initial velocity that an upwards open whirlpool (12) comprising a curved fluid surface (11) is formed. The outlet (8) is arranged tangentially at a level which is below the fluid surface (11). The invention also relates to a method for degassing a process fluid, wherein a deep whirlpool (12) including a curved fluid surface (11) is formed in a cylindrical vessel. At said fluid surface gas is brought to escape by means of centrifugal forces acting within the fluid. The invention further relates to the use of the above arrangement and method, respectively, for deaerating a process fluid in paper- or cellulose making.
US07691180B2 Mixtures of ionic liquids with lewis acids
Ionic liquids comprising a mixture of one or more triflate or bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide salt(s) with one or more Lewis acids(s), wherein the total of the molar contents of the Lewis acid(s) in the mixture is from about 0.01-98%, are provided, that are useful as catalysts in Lewis acid catalyzed reactions.
US07691167B2 Ceramic honeycomb filter, its production method, and plugging material for ceramic honeycomb filter
A ceramic honeycomb filter comprising a sintered ceramic honeycomb body having porous partition walls defining flow paths, and plugs formed in predetermined flow paths for removing particulate matter from an exhaust gas passing through the porous partition walls, the sintered ceramic honeycomb body being formed by a cordierite-based ceramic material, at least part of the plugs comprising ceramic particles and an amorphous oxide matrix formed from colloidal oxide.
US07691166B2 Filter element having sealing members and methods
A filter arrangement includes a media construction comprising a corrugated sheet secured to a flat sheet rolled into a coiled construction. A frame and a first seal member are provided. The frame secures the first seal member to the coiled construction. The first seal member is preferably oriented to form a radial seal with a housing. A second seal member is secured to the outer annular surface of the coiled construction. The second seal member includes a gasket extension having first and second opposite ends; an attachment portion; and a protrusion extending from the attachment portion. The second seal member is preferably oriented to form an axial seal with a housing. Air cleaners preferably utilizing filter arrangements as described herein operably installed within housings. Methods of installing, filtering, assembling, and servicing preferably include arrangements as described herein.
US07691165B1 Fluid filter frame system and method
The present invention may be used for framing a fluid flow filter pack. A first frame member may have a first border element with an open portion. The first border element may have four first side walls bendable along a line parallel to a peripheral edge of each of the first side walls. A second frame member may have a second border element with an open portion. The second border element may have four side walls bendable along a bend line parallel to an outer edge of each side wall. Each side wall of the second frame member may have a sealing flap bendable along the outer edge. The second frame member may be positioned on the first frame member with each side wall overlapping and attached to one of the first frame member side walls. The sealing flap may be bent to be adjacent to the second frame member side walls.
US07691160B2 Fuel reformer and methods for using the same
In one embodiment, a fuel reformer can comprise: a mixing zone capable of mixing a fuel and an oxidant to form a fuel mixture and a reforming zone disposed downstream of the mixing zone. The reforming zone comprises a primary substrate and a secondary substrate. The primary substrate is disposed upstream of the secondary substrate and has a primary thermal mass that is greater than a secondary thermal mass of the secondary substrate. One embodiment of a method for operating a fuel reformer can comprise: mixing an oxidant and a fuel to form a fuel mixture, combusting the fuel mixture, heating the secondary substrate above its light-off temperature, changing an air to fuel ratio of the fuel mixture to a reforming mixture, producing an exotherm and a reformate at the secondary substrate, heating a primary substrate with the exotherm to above its light-off temperature, and producing a reformate.
US07691159B2 Method of converting triglycerides to biofuels
A triglyceride-to-fuel conversion process including the steps of (a) preconditioning unsaturated triglycerides by catalytic conjugation, cyclization, and cross-link steps; (b) contacting the modified triglycerides with hot-compressed water containing a catalyst, wherein cracking, hydrolysis, decarboxylation, dehydration, aromatization, or isomerization, or any combination thereof, of the modified triglycerides produce a crude hydrocarbon oil and an aqueous phase containing glycerol and lower molecular weight molecules, and (c) refining the crude hydrocarbon oil to produce various grades of biofuels. A triglyceride-to-fuel conversion process further including the steps of (a) carrying out anaerobic fermentation and decarboxylation/dehydration, wherein the anaerobic fermentation produces hydrogen, volatile acids, and alcohols from fermentable feedstocks, and the decarboxylation/dehydration produces alkenes from the volatile acids and alcohols, respectively; (b) feeding the alkenes to the cyclization process; (c) feeding the hydrogen to the post refining process; and (d) recycling the aqueous phase containing glycerol to the decarboxylation/dehydration process. A biofuel composition including straight-chain, branched and cyclo paraffins, and aromatics. The paraffins are derived from conversion of triglycerides. The aromatics are derived from conversion of either triglycerides, petroleum, or coal.
US07691157B2 Solid electrolytic capacitor and method for producing the same
The present invention relates to a method for producing a solid electrolytic capacitor in which a solid electrolyte layer is provided by a process comprising a step of dipping a valve-acting metal having thereon a dielectric film layer in a monomer-containing solution, followed by drying (Step 1), a step of dipping the valve-acting metal in an oxidizing agent-containing solution, followed by drying (Step 2), and a step of dipping the valve-acting metal in an oxidizing agent-free solution, followed by drying (Step 3); and to a solid electrolytic capacitor produced thereof. According to the present invention, a thin capacitor element with reduced failure of short circuit and less fluctuation in the element shape can be stably produced, the number of capacitor elements stacked in a solid electrolytic capacitor chip can be increased to realize high capacitance, and a solid electrolytic capacitor element suitable for a solid electrolytic multilayer capacitor with less fluctuation in the equivalent series resistance can be provided.
US07691156B2 Device for repairing conducting line and repairing method using same
An exemplary repairing method includes providing a substrate having a plurality of conducting lines; detecting a broken position of one of the conducting lines; switching on a nozzle; and forming a copper layer at the broken position on the substrate. The repairing method of the present invention employing a repairing device for performing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to forming the copper layer at a position of the broken defect of one of the conducting lines.
US07691154B2 Systems and methods of controlling pressure within a prosthetic knee
The invention in some embodiments relates to systems and methods of controlling pressure within a prosthetic knee. The knee in one embodiment comprises a flexible diaphragm that substantially prevents or mitigates undesirable pressure build-up in a sealed chamber of the knee. The knee in another embodiment comprises a compressible gas in the chamber that substantially prevents or mitigates undesirable pressure build-up in the chamber.
US07691148B2 Frusto-conical spinal implant
The present invention is directed to a variety of interbody spinal fusion implants having at least a partially frusto-conical configuration. The spinal fusion implants of the present invention may be relatively solid or hollow and may have surface roughenings to promote bone ingrowth and stability. The spinal fusion implants of the present invention may have wells extending into the material of the implant from the surface for the purpose of holding fusion promoting materials and to provide for areas of bone ingrowth fixation. A variety of surface irregularities may be employed to increase implant stability and implant surface area, and/or for the purpose of advancing the spinal fusion implant into the fusion site.
US07691147B2 Intervertebral implant
An intervertebral implant comprising a lower implant part, having a central axis and an apposition section, designed to rest against the covering surface of the adjacent lower vertebra and an upper implant part comprising a bore with an internal thread, a central axis and an apposition section, designed to rest against the covering surface of the adjacent upper vertebra. Specifically, the lower and upper implant parts are secured in relation to each other against rotation about the central axis and a threaded screw with an external thread is guided in the upper implant part and connected to the lower implant part, the external thread cooperating with the internal thread. The lower and upper implant parts, and the threaded screw lie coaxially along their common central axis, the threaded screw being connected to the lower implant part so that it is axially fixed but able to rotate.
US07691146B2 Method of laterally inserting an artificial vertebral disk replacement implant with curved spacer
In various embodiment of the invention an implant can be placed between two adjacent vertebral bodies using a lateral insertion method. The implant is characterized as having a first end plate and a second end plate which a crossbar spacer there between. The crossbar spacer preferably fits within a channel on the inner surfaces of the first end plate and the second end plate, where the spacer allows the first end plate to pivot, twist and/or rotate relative to the second end plate. The first end plate and the second end plate include a keel extending therefrom, where the keel traverses longitudinally between a first lateral side and a second opposed lateral side and is substantially perpendicular to the sagittal plane of the patient's spine.
US07691138B2 Method and device for providing full protection to a stent
A catheter comprises a catheter shaft, at least a portion of which defines a medical device receiving region, and at least one sleeve. The at least one sleeve comprises a tubular member constructed and arranged to transition between an extended state and a retracted state. The tubular member has a first portion being engaged to a portion of the catheter shaft adjacent to the medical device receiving region. In the extended state a second portion is constructed and arranged to at least partially overlay the medical device receiving region. In the retraced state the second portion is removed from about the medical device receiving region. At least one of the first portion and the second portion of the tubular member are at least partially constructed from a shape memory material.
US07691136B2 System for protecting a coated medical implant
A system for protecting a coated reconfigurable medical implant is provided. This system may include a carrier device having a proximal end and a distal end and a reconfigurable deployable coated medical implant in physical communication with an implant carrying region of the carrier device. In this system the deployable medical implant may be coated with a coating positioned on an exposed surface of the deployable medical implant and the deployable medical implant may be reconfigurable from a first larger configuration to a second contracted configuration. For protecting the coating, the coated medical implant may be encased by a hollow deformable membrane when the deployable medical implant is in the first larger configuration and the membrane may define a cavity with a cross-section that is smaller than the external cross-section of the deployable medical implant. The medical implant may be crimped to its second contracted configuration while the hollow deformable membrane is in place.
US07691131B2 Intervertebral connecting device
The invention concerns a device comprising at least a fixed element (2), secured to a vertebra, at least a mobile element (10), capable of moving relative to the or each fixed element, and at least an intermediate element (22) for articulating the mobile element relative to the fixed element. The intermediate element (22) is received in an internal volume of the mobile element % (10), and the fixed element (2) is received at least partly in an internal volume (26) of the intermediate element (22). Means are provided for securing, at least in translation, said intermediate element (22) to the fixed element (2), comprising the periphery of the substantially rigid outlet of the internal volume of the intermediate element.
US07691130B2 Spinal implants including a sensor and methods of use
A method of spacing spinal elements includes installing a first spinal implant having a sensor associated therewith; selecting a second spinal implant based on measurement data provided by the sensor; and replacing the first spinal implant with the second spinal implant. The first and second implants may be installed in separate surgical procedures, or during the same surgical procedure, and the implants may be positioned between a superior spinous process and an inferior spinous process and advantageously directly engage the same. The selection of the second implant may be based on the data provided by the sensor and a material property of the second spinal implant, such as its stiffness. The measurement data may correspond to strain or force data. The sensor may be, but is not required to be, embedded in the first spinal implant. A corresponding apparatus is described.
US07691129B2 Spinal stabilizing system
A spinal stabilizing system includes a collar having a tubular sidewall with an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface at least partially bounding a longitudinal passage extending therethrough. A shoulder radially inwardly projects from a second end of the sidewall so as to at last partially encircle the longitudinal passage. A pair of spaced apart channels transversely extend through the sidewall at the first end thereof. The system further includes a screw having a threaded portion and an enlarged head mounted on the end thereof, the head of the screw resting against the shoulder of the collar so that the head can pivot on the shoulder, a locking slot being formed on the head of the screw. A pin is secured to the collar and projects into the locking slot on the head of the screw such rotation of the collar facilitates rotation of the screw.
US07691127B2 Drug eluting vascular closure devices and methods
Drug eluting vascular closure devices and methods for closing a blood vessel puncture site disposed at a distal end of a tissue tract are described. The devices and methods rely on a combination of the body's own natural mechanism to achieve hemostasis with bio-chemical agents to accelerate the hemostatic process. One method includes the steps of introducing a closure device through the tissue tract and deploying an expansible member at a distal end of the device within the blood vessel to occlude the puncture site. A bio-chemical sealing member disposed proximal the expansible member is then displaced so as to expose a bio-chemical region or release region of the device. At least one bio-chemical agent is thereafter released from the device and into the tissue tract to accelerate the occlusion process in the tract.
US07691125B2 System and method for forming a stent of a desired length at an endoluminal site
Described herein are a system and a method for forming a stent of a desired length endoluminally. The system includes an elongate stent body and an outer sheath overlying the stent body. An endoluminal cutting mechanism is operatively connected to a drive cable in communication with the outer sheath. The cutting mechanism is configured to cut the stent body in response to motion of the drive cable. The method of forming the stent of a desired length endoluminally includes directing a system including an elongate stent body and an outer sheath overlying the stent body into a body lumen, positioning the stent body at an endoluminal site, and severing the stent body to form a stent of a desired length at the endoluminal site. An undeployed portion of the stent body remains in the outer sheath for optional deployment in a subsequent severing operation.
US07691124B2 Delivery of therapeutic devices
Therapeutic devices, especially vaso-occlusive devices or embolic coils, are delivered by an apparatus that includes a pullwire having a tine or tines that have an offset orientation that engages a therapeutic device. The pullwire passes through an opening of a headpiece. When the pullwire moves in a relative proximal direction, the tine moves toward a straight-line orientation, and the therapeutic device is liberated from the tine and from the pullwire. At this state, the therapeutic device is ready for deployment at a desired intraluminal location.
US07691123B2 Percutaneous catheter and guidewire having filter and medical device deployment capabilities
The invention provides a nested tubing cannula which comprises outer and inner elongate tubular members, both having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen therebetween. The inner tubular member is sealed at its distal end and is nested substantially coaxially within the lumen of the outer tubular member, so that the gap between the inner and the outer tubular member defines a second lumen whereas the first lumen is the lumen of the inner tubular member. A tubular sleeve is disposed coaxially between the inner and outer tubular members. A balloon is mounted on a distal region of the outer tubular member and is in communication with the first lumen. The cannula further comprises a port proximal or distal the balloon occluder and is in communication with the second lumen. Methods for making the devices herein are disclosed.
US07691120B2 Access systems and methods for minimally invasive surgery
A device for provides access to a surgical location within a patient. The device has an elongate body that has a proximal portion, a distal portion, a first slot segment, and a second slot segment that is angled relative to said first slot segment. The elongate body defines a passage for accessing the surgical location with surgical instruments. The elongate body has a contracted configuration for insertion into the patient and an expanded configuration for providing access to the surgical location. The cross-sectional area of the passage at a first location of the elongate body is greater than the cross-sectional area of said passage at a second location of the elongate body. A movable tab is configured to extend into the second slot segment when the elongate body is in the expanded configuration to retain the elongate body in the expanded configuration.
US07691116B2 Cutting blade for medical devices
An athertome assembly comprises a series of spanning and descending members extended between a segmented base and a cutting surface. This athertome assembly configuration provides both flexibility and structural strength which facilitates the implantation of medical devices.
US07691112B2 Devices, systems, and methods for suturing tissue
The invention relates to devices, systems, and methods for percutaneously suturing biological material, such as a patient's tissues. In one embodiment, a suturing device includes first and second tissue engaging members connected to one another by a first interconnecting member. In another embodiment, systems and methods are provided for forming holes through two overlapping layers of tissue. Subsequent to forming holes through the two layers of tissue, the suturing device is positioned through the holes to join or bring into contact the two layers of overlapping tissue.
US07691110B2 Snare injection device
A snare injection device for performing endoscopic transection procedures is disclosed. The device includes a snare system and a needle system, each containing actuator components separately routed in one of two channels of an elongated dual lumen. Deployment of the snare and needle are independently operated by two separate handle controls. The device includes needle travel stop and anti-puncture features for safety and ease of use.
US07691109B2 Method of producing low profile stent and graft combination
Large diameter self-expanding endoprosthetic devices, such as stents and stent grafts for delivery to large diameter vessels, such as the aorta, are disclosed having very small compacted delivery dimensions. Devices with deployed dimensions of 26 to 40 mm or more are disclosed that are compacted to extremely small dimensions of 5 mm or less, enabling percutaneous delivery of said devices without the need for surgical intervention. Compaction efficiencies are achieved by combining unique material combinations with new forms of restraining devices, compaction techniques, and delivery techniques. These inventive devices permit consistent percutaneous delivery of large vessel treatment devices. Additionally, small endoprosthetic devices are disclosed that can be compacted to extremely small dimensions for delivery through catheter tubes of less than 1 mm diameter.
US07691107B2 Rongeur
A rongeur having a fixed shank and a moveable crossbar is disclosed. The crossbar is connected to and axially aligned with the fixed shank. The crossbar has a distal end with a cutting portion located therein. A port is connected to one of the fixed shank and the moveable crossbar. An access channel is connected to the port for improved flushing, cleaning, sterilization, drying and lubricating capabilities in a rongeur.
US07691106B2 Transverse acting surgical saw blade
Various embodiments provide surgical cutting devices and systems for orthopedic and other procedures. Specific embodiments provide saw devices for accessing and cutting subjacent bone and other tissue while minimizing injury to surrounding tissue. One embodiment provides a transverse acting saw blade for performing surgical cuts to bone tissue with minimal injury to surrounding tissue. The blade comprises an elongated member having a first portion and a second portion and a longitudinal and lateral axis. The first portion is configured to engage a drive source to produce longitudinal movement of the first portion that is atraumatic to surrounding tissue. The second portion includes a cutting surface. The longitudinal movement of the first portion is converted to a lateral movement of the second portion that is sufficient to cut engaged bone tissue with the cutting surface. The movement of the second portion is substantially transverse to the movement of the first portion.
US07691105B2 Tissue augmentation, stabilization and regeneration technique
A method of treating a fractured vertebral body by using a) a plurality of reinforcement rods combined with the b) a bone growth agent, wherein the reinforcement rods act to mechanically join disparate bone fragments across the fracture planes, thereby stabilizing the fracture site, and the bone growth agent promotes the growth of new bone across the fracture planes, thereby permanently replacing the fracture site with new bone.
US07691102B2 Manifold for gas enhanced surgical instruments
There is disclosed a fluid supply manifold for use with various surgical instruments, such as, electrosurgical instruments. The fluid supply manifold includes two or more connection ports for receipt of sources of fluid supply by either bulk sources or sources contained within canisters. The manifold may include a mixing chamber for mixing the various sources of fluids within the manifold or may include flow tubes for providing the sources of fluid directly to the surgical instrument to be mixed within the surgical instrument. Control valves are associated with each of the connection ports to control the flow of fluids through the manifold. The manifold may also include a gas inlet to facilitate drawing the fluids out of the various sources as well as mixing the fluids within the manifold.
US07691100B2 Hyperthermia treatment and probe therefor
An MRI guided surgical apparatus includes a heat source formed by a laser and an optical fiber carrying the heat energy into a part to be coagulated by hyperthermia with an end reflector to direct the energy in a beam to one side of the fiber end. A reinforcing sleeve for the fiber is mounted in a shielded, Piezo-electric motor which causes movement of the fiber longitudinally and angularly within a rigid elongate cannula. A magnetic resonance imaging system is arranged to generate a series of output signals over a period of time representative of temperature in the part as the temperature of the part changes during that time. The heat source is controlled in heat energy applied and location and orientation of the beam to stop heating when the temperature at the boundary of a tumor reaches the required hyperthermic temperature. Cooling of the tip portion of the probe is effected by expansion of a supplied cooling fluid in gaseous form through a restrictive orifice into an expansion zone at the probe end. The fiber is thus encased in a stiff tubular titanium probe with a relatively small fluid supply duct along the inside of the probe with the interior of the probe acting as a return duct for the expanded gas. Thus the fiber end is contained in gas rather than liquid and the temperature of the probe end can be monitored by a sensor in the probe end and controlled by controlling the pressure in the supplied cooling fluid. The probe is driven in the longitudinal and rotational directions to move the fiber tip.
US07691098B2 Platform link wrist mechanism
The present invention provides a robotic surgical tool for use in a robotic surgical system to perform a surgical operation. The robotic surgical tool includes a wrist mechanism disposed near the distal end of a shaft which connects with an end effector. The wrist mechanism includes a distal member configured to support the end effector, and a plurality of rods extending generally along an axial direction within the shaft and movable generally along this axial direction to adjust the orientation of the distal member with respect to the shaft. Advancement or retraction of a first rod generally along the axial direction tips the base through a first angle. The addition of a second angle allows the distal member to direct the end effector in essentially a compound angle. The robotic surgical tool may also include provisions for roll movement.
US07691093B2 Method of and apparatus for controlling flashback in an introducer needle and catheter assembly
A method is provided for controlling the fluid flow rate in an extension tube of an introducer needle assembly for use as confirmation flashback. The introducer needle assembly has a catheter attached to a catheter hub with a side port, an extension tube attached to the side port on the catheter hub, and an introducer needle with a notch adapted to be inserted into a bore in the catheter. A lumber extends through the needle and is in fluid communication with the notch. The needle has an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore such that an annular space is defined between the catheter and the needle. The fluid, typically blood, is at a pressure and has a viscosity when the needle accesses it. A preferred minimum fluid velocity of the fluid through the extension tube is selected (preferably at least 1 inch per minute though the extension tube in certain applications). The notch and the annular space are sized based, at least in part, on the viscosity of the fluid and the pressure of the fluid to achieve the preferred flow rate though the extension tube.
US07691092B2 Ambulatory device for measuring urine flow
An ambulatory device for measuring urine flow comprises a portable hand-held container and a handgrip mounted thereto. A flow-measuring device is located in the container, and a means for collecting the data measured by the flow-measuring device is also provided. The parameters of the urine flow in the container are measured by the flow-measuring device and are processed by the aforementioned means for collecting data. The handgrip is pivotally mounted to the container by a double-pivot mechanism for maintaining the container substantially vertical in a number of positions of the handgrip. The flow-measuring device includes a sensor that measures a displacement of an air column related to a variation of pressure due to a variation of a urine level in the container.
US07691090B2 IV catheter with in-line valve and methods related thereto
Featured is a vascular access device such as an IV catheter device including a housing, a tubular member and a seal member, and a securing mechanism. The housing includes a proximal and distal portion and a chamber that extends between the proximal and distal portions. The tubular member is coupled to the housing distal portion so it is fluidly coupled to the chamber. The seal member is disposed within the chamber and the securing mechanism secures the seal member distal end to the housing proximal portion so the seal member is sealingly and compressibly retained between a chamber proximal end and the securing mechanism. Such a seal member also is constituted so a portion of the seal member moves axially responsive to an axial force applied to the proximal end.
US07691089B2 Adjustable trocar washer
An adjustable trocar washer is provided to facilitate sealing an incision in skin. The adjustable trocar washer is configured for use with a trocar or cannula assembly. The adjustable trocar washer generally includes a compressible collar and a skirt formed at the distal end of the compressible collar for sealing an incision in skin. The compressible collar is longitudinally movable along an elongate tubular member associated with the trocar or cannula assembly. A latch mechanism is provided on the compressible collar to secure the collar in a compressed condition about the elongate tubular member.
US07691075B1 Apparatus and method for minimizing arm fatigue of a videographer
The arm support bridge 11 is then uniformly bent outward away from the common lateral plane of the main panel 10 by applying a thermal press to the arm support bridge 11. The arm support bridge 11 is bent outward at acute angle of 20 to 40 degrees relative to the common lateral plane of the main panel 5 such that the underarm support 13 is disposed anterior of a longitudinal centerline of the main panel 5 and cantilevered from the main panel 10 with the arm support bridge 11.
US07691069B2 Method, system and computer program product for performance monitoring and planning
A method for predicting athletic performance for a subject, the method comprising: obtaining first heart rate data for varying speed, constant incline running; obtaining second heart rate data for varying incline, constant speed running; determining a first power per change in speed at the constant incline; determining a second power per change in incline at the constant speed incline; predicting athletic performance in response to the first power and the second power.
US07691068B2 System and method for passive monitoring of blood pressure and pulse rate
System and method that can monitor pulse rate and passively produce a blood pressure measurement and automatically log the data for the user. Additionally, coupling to the Internet or Information Systems expands the options for the early detection of diseases, based on sudden detected changes and trend analyses, and the successful treatment of these patients while reducing the high costs associated with invasive procedures and in-hospital care.
US07691066B2 Paracentesis needle holder
A paracentesis needle holder attachable to an ultrasonic probe is provided. The holder includes a needle guide, an adjustment mechanism, and an open/close mechanism. The needle guide includes a first base and a second base and is configured to guide a needle in a plurality of directions between the first and second bases. The adjustment mechanism is provided at the needle guide and configured to adjust spacing between the first base and the second base in accordance with a diameter of the needle. The open/close mechanism is coupled with the needle guide and configured to close the first and second bases so that the needle is guided in one of the directions and to open the first and second bases so that the needle becomes releasable from the holder.
US07691065B2 Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic device
In an ultrasonic probe including an insert section which is to be inserted into a body cavity organ of a subject and a handle section which is coupled with the insert section, a plurality of vibrator elements (104) are disposed at a tip end of the insert section over the entire 360 degree circumference thereof and in the handle section, a connection change over switch (105) is disposed which successively changes over the electrical connection of a predetermined number of the vibrator elements among the plurality of the vibrator elements to be connected with a predetermined number of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception channels (701,702) in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic wave signals. Accordingly, an ultrasonic probe which permits to collect ultrasonic wave images including tomograms and blood flow images of high quality without positional irregularity over the entire circumference of the insert section of the ultrasonic probe and to display the same, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same are obtained.
US07691062B2 Method and apparatus for the non-invasive determination of prominent structures of the body of a human being or an animal
In a method for the non-invasive determination of the position and orientation of prominent structures inside the body of a human being or an animal, wherein the body is irradiated with ultrasonic radiation in the area of the prominent structure by means of an ultrasonic head which emits ultrasound and receives ultrasound, the ultrasonic radiation reflected on the prominent structure is received, and an image corresponding to the travel time of the reflected radiation is represented on a display, in order to determine the position of the prominent structure in the body, it is proposed that the position and orientation of the ultrasonic head and of the body in the area of the prominent structure be determined by means of a navigation system with the assistance of marking elements fixed to the ultrasonic head and to the body, that a prominent structure be selected on the display, that the position and orientation of the prominent structure relative to the ultrasonic head be determined on the basis of the radiating direction of the ultrasonic head and the measured travel time of the ultrasonic radiation, and that the position and orientation of the prominent structure relative to the body be determined from the position and orientation of the ultrasonic head relative to the body.
US07691060B2 Probe for 3-dimensional scanning and focusing of an ultrasound beam
An ultrasound probe for three-dimensional scanning and focusing of an ultrasound beam in both an azimuth direction and an elevation direction normal to the azimuth direction. The probe is composed of an ultrasound transducer array which has a linear division of the elements in the azimuth direction for electronic steering of the beam direction and focus in the azimuth direction. The array elements have a coarse division in the elevation direction for electronic steering of the focus in the elevation direction, and possibly small angle direction steering of the beam in the elevation direction for parallel receive and/or transmit beams. Large angle direction scanning of the beam in the elevation direction is obtained by mechanical rotation of the array around an axis. The invention implies useful embodiments for insertion of the probe into the body, through mounting the array at the distal tip of an elongated device.
US07691058B2 Surgical retractor device and method of use
A surgical retractor device includes a frame and at least one retracting member configured for being secured to the collapsible frame. The retracting member is formed from a spring-biased rotatable member, a tension line secured at a proximal end to the spring-biased rotatable member, and a tissue securing member disposed at a distal end of the tension line. In certain embodiments, the surgical retractor may be collapsible and delivered laparoscopically to the resection site.
US07691057B2 Surgical access system and related methods
A surgical access system including a tissue distraction assembly and a tissue retraction assembly, both of which may be equipped with one or more electrodes for use in detecting the existence of (and optionally the distance and/or direction to) neural structures before, during, and after the establishment of an operative corridor to a surgical target site.
US07691055B2 Endoscopic apparatus having an improved elevator
A grasping apparatus for use with an elevator of an endoscope having enhanced grasping features for grasping an elongate medical device is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a body comprising a grasping surface and an opening formed through the grasping surface to receive the elevator. The opening of the body is configured to be disposed about the elevator of the endoscope. The grasping surface is configured to be disposed on the elevator for grasping of the elongate medical device.
US07691050B2 Devices for minimally invasive pelvic surgery
Devices and methods relating to percutaneous and hiatal approaches for treating urinary incontinence are provided herein. In particular, guide member placement devices, sling application catheters, tissue dissectors/dilators, sling application devices and a sling application system, tissue expanders, grasping devices, and balloon catheters are disclosed herein. Methods for using the preceding devices to stabilize the bladder neck or the urethral floor in order to maintain or improve urinary incontinence are also disclosed.
US07691048B2 Incubator patient health care system
An infant monitoring system includes an incubation chamber configured to house an infant. Furthermore, the infant monitoring system includes a data reception interface configured to receive a wireless signal indicative of a vital sign. The infant monitoring system may be configured to communicate wirelessly with a LAN or a remote monitoring system.
US07691042B2 Abdominal exercising apparatus and method
The disclosed invention provides an abdominal exerciser comprised of a padded bench with an adjustable arc shaped lumbar support mounted to a tubular support frame. The radius of the lumbar support is slightly larger than the radius of ordinary spinal arching. The lumbar support fully extends the lumbar section of the spine decompressing the intervertebral space while stretching the abdominal muscles and neutralizing the lumbar muscles in preparation for a sit-up or legs-up movement in which the spine is fully supported. Adjustably attached on either side of the lumbar support are two generally semicircular shaped side extensions. The support frame includes a base, two feet, and an arc shaped extension with a plurality of parallel footrests. The support frame also includes a hinge about which the bench rotates through the arc of the extension to adjust the inclination angle of the bench.
US07691040B1 Universal grip-handle for exercise equipment
A grip-handle for coupling to a resistance force provided by exercise equipment. The handle includes a hollow, generally-cylindrical hand hold. A flexion cable is fixed to opposed ends of a central shaft that is coaxial with the hand hold with a pulley guide member having a hook for engaging the equipment cable located therebetween. Generally-planar, circular side members having notched peripheries are fixed to the ends of the hand hold. The diameters of the side members exceed that of the hand hold to maintain the cable in position and removed from the hand of a user during the full range of wrist motion provided by the grip-handle during exercise.
US07691039B2 Step barrel/chair exercise apparatus
A Pilates step barrel/chair exercise apparatus has side walls and a unique elastic resistance member anchor structure fastened to each of the side walls. Each anchor structure has an anchor socket assembly fastened to one of the side walls and a removable elastic member anchor bar assembly mounted in the anchor socket assembly. The anchor socket assembly has a central tubular portion passing through the one of the side walls and a flange portion fastening the tubular portion to the side wall. The anchor bar assembly has an L shaped anchor bar, a cylindrical yoke receiving and holding a long leg of the anchor bar, and a spring bar tube rotatably fastened to a short leg of the anchor bar. The cylindrical yoke has a portion adapted to fit within a central bore of the tubular portion of the anchor socket assembly, and has a plurality of spaced radial holes therearound for engaging with and retain the anchor bar assembly in the anchor socket assembly.
US07691033B2 Method for conducting a targeted training and a corresponding training device
The invention relates to a method for a targeted training of the human body as well as a corresponding training device for realizing said method. The training device is used for the training of the body region (vertebral column) between shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle (back region) by using the limbs, arms and legs, such that the body region of the shoulder girdle is turned (twisted) in the opposite direction as the body region of the pelvic girdle, thereby resulting in a relative turning movement between the respective vertebras of the vertebral column.