| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US07951275B2 |
Sputtering target and method for finishing surface of such target
Provided is a hollow cathode sputtering target comprising an inner bottom face having a surface roughness of Ra≦1.0 μm, and preferably Ra≦0.5 μm. This hollow cathode sputtering target has superior sputter film evenness (uniformity), generates few arcing and particles, is capable of suppressing the peeling of the redeposited film on the bottom face, and has superior deposition characteristics. |
| US07951274B2 |
Diamond electrode, method for producing same, and electrolytic cell
A diamond electrode includes a conductive silicon substrate having a plurality of pores. The diamond electrode also includes a conductive diamond covering the conductive silicon substrate. The inner wall surfaces of the plurality of pores are at an angle of 60° to 85° with respect to a substrate of the conductive silicon substrate. |
| US07951271B2 |
System for recovering oil from used automobile tires
Described is an apparatus for recovery of energy and by-products from automobile and truck tires. The tires are heated in an oxygen poor environment, and the off gases are condensed to recover a liquid oil product and compressible natural gas. The tires are reduces to ash and steel, both of which can be feed streams for other processes. The apparatus includes a condenser with cooled plates, and oil recovery structures. |
| US07951270B2 |
Microwave induced pyrolysis reactor and method
Recycling a metal/organic laminate continuously involves providing a reactor having a first chamber with a first rotary stirrer, a second chamber with a second rotary stirrer, each chamber containing particulate microwave absorbing material, introducing laminate and additional absorbing material into the first chamber under a reducing or inert atmosphere, stirring and applying microwave energy sufficiently to pyrolyze organic material, transferring a portion of the mixture to the second chamber where it is stirred and microwave energy applied to pyrolyze remaining organic material, delaminate or delaminated metal migrating toward and floating on the upper surface of the mixture, where the second stirrer rotates in a horizontal plane and fluidizes the mixture to give the upper surface of the mixture a radial profile biasing metal floating to migrate radially outwardly, and recovering metal from an exit. |
| US07951267B2 |
Enzymatic hydrolysis of a polymer comprising vinyl acetate monomer
The invention relates to the use of certain lipolytic enzymes such as cutinases and lipases in the manufacture of paper and paper products from recycled paper. Examples of such enzymes are derived from strains of Humicola, Candida, Fusarium and Pseudomonas. By use of these enzymes, the problems relating to the so-called “stickies” derived from waste paper are reduced. |
| US07951264B2 |
Absorbent cellulosic products with regenerated cellulose formed in-situ
A method of making absorbent cellulosic sheet includes forming a web of papermaking fibers, extruding a cellulosic dope of underivatized cellulose, disposing the dope upon the web and regenerating the cellulose in-situ. Regenerated filaments may have a denier of from about 0.05 to about 20. |
| US07951257B2 |
Method for continuously producing a flexible complex and said flexible complex
A process for continuous manufacture of a flexible complex including at least one tight pocket including the steps of depositing an anti-adhesive agent on at least one sheet of coated fabric in zones for forming the pocket or pockets, and continuously assembling the sheet of coated fabric on which the anti-adhesive agent was deposited with the sheet of coated fabric by heating and/or pressure. |
| US07951254B2 |
Method of applying advertising to the surface of a moving handrail
A film bearing advertising can be applied to a moving handrail for a set period of time. The film bearing the advertising can include a first film layer and a first layer of adhesive on the underside of the first film layer, the film being generally elongated and having a width corresponding to a width of the moving handrail. The film can be aligned and adhered, continuously and progressively, to the handrail. The advertising can include a pattern repeated at regular intervals along the length of the film. The advertising can include at least one of text, images and logos. After the set period of time, the film can be removed. After removing the film, the surface of the handrail can be cleaned. A second film bearing second advertising can be applied for a second set period of time. First and second advertisers can be charged different advertising rates. |
| US07951250B2 |
Integrated folding/tabbing apparatus for creating mailpieces
A method is provided for configuring a mailpiece creation system to minimize system set-up, mitigate errors and reduce the skill level required to perform tabbing operations. The method includes the steps of (i) determining a fold configuration of the sheet material employed in the creation of a mailpiece, (ii) determining the dimension of an adhesive tab for securing a free edge of the sheet material, (iii) determining a target location for the placement of each adhesive tab relative to the free edge of the folded sheet material, (iv) configuring at least one system parameter of the mailpiece creation system in accordance with at the fold configuration, adhesive tab dimension, and/or target location, and (v) executing a mail run job by the mailpiece creation system. |
| US07951248B1 |
Electrostatic charge dissipation compositions including energetic particles
An electrostatic charge dissipation composition having at least one energetic particle component and at least one oxidized electrically active polymer deposited on the energetic component. In another embodiment, the electrostatic charge dissipation composition includes at least one energetic particle component, at least one non-conducting polymer binder, and at least one oxidized electrically active polymer deposited on the energetic/binder composition. |
| US07951245B2 |
Composition and method for road-film removal
A concentrate and a ready-to-use or diluted formulation for an aqueous vehicle cleaner can remove a wide range of different types of traffic film using either low pressure application, hand pressure application, water jet spray apparatus, clean-in-place systems or other manual or mechanical washing systems. The compositions may comprise, for example, one or more solutions that each or collectively contain or comprises: a) at least one anionic surfactant; b) at least one poly[oxyalkylene] ammonium cationic surfactant; and c) an alkaline agent. Optional additional ingredients may comprise at least one polycarboxylic acid chelating agent (preferably an aminocarboxylic acid chelating agent), at least one non-ionic or amphoteric surfactant, at least one hydrotrope, inorganic and/or organic acids and at least one silicate. The alkaline agent may provide a pH (when the finished product is diluted to 0.5 to 5% by weight in water) will be between about 9 to 13. The concentrate may be provided as a one-part or two part solution. Certain formulations have been found to be shelf stable as one-part concentrate or ready-to-use solutions, even with significantly different properties amongst the components. The compositions of the invention are also used in cleaning processes for surfaces, especially vehicle surfaces in car wash systems. The compositions are used in such processes where there are single or multiple liquid application steps. |
| US07951244B2 |
Liquid cleaning apparatus for cleaning printed circuit boards
A method and apparatus for cleaning printed circuit boards are provided. The method includes providing a cleaning apparatus with a housing having a conveyance mechanism for carrying printed circuit boards through the housing. The cleaning apparatus has at least a prewash station, a wash station and a final rinse station therein. The printed circuit boards are carried on the conveyance mechanism to the prewash station. A plurality of fluidic oscillator nozzles of the prewash station are utilized to direct liquid onto the printed circuit boards. Each fluidic oscillator nozzle outputs a stream of liquid with an instantaneous direction that oscillates back and forth relative to a nozzle axis over time. |
| US07951239B2 |
Method of producing roofing shingle coating asphalt from non-coating grade asphalt
A method of producing a roofing shingle coating asphalt from a non-coating grade asphalt feedstock includes the following steps. The non-coating grade asphalt feedstock is partially blown to lower its penetration to a first penetration that is within or close to a target penetration range of the coating asphalt, and to raise its softening point to a first softening point that is lower than a target softening point range of the coating asphalt. Then a wax is added to the partially blown non-coating grade asphalt to further raise its softening point to a second softening point that is within the target softening point range to produce the coating asphalt. |
| US07951238B2 |
Method for preparing fatty acid esters of natural origin functionalized by oxidation for use as fluxing oils for bitumen
A method for preparing a fluxing oil, having an iodine number ranging from 50 to 200, based on fatty substances of natural origin having been chemically functionalized by oxidation, includes the steps of: i) providing a fatty substance or a mixture of fatty substances of natural origin, ii) subjecting the fatty substance or the mixture of fatty substances of natural origin to at least one transesterification or esterification reaction by at least one alkanol or mono-alcohol, iii) subjecting the compound or mixture of compounds obtained at step ii) to at least one chemical functionalization reaction by oxidation introducing at least one functional group selected from carboxylic acid, epoxy, peroxide, aldehyde, ether, ester, alcohol and ketone groups, and iv) collecting the fluxing oil. |
| US07951235B2 |
Black azo dyes and their use in ink jet printing
A process is provided for printing an image on a substrate, the process comprising applying to the substrate an ink composition which comprises a liquid medium and a compound of Formula (1): wherein: A and D each independently represent optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl; E represents optionally substituted pyrazolyl; Z represents H, halogen, nitro, cyano, hydroxy, amino, carboxy, optionally substituted alkyl, optionally substituted alkoxy or optionally substituted aryloxy; and p is an integer from 0 to 5; provided that E does not have an optionally substituted carbonamide group of formula —CONR1R2 directly attached to it, wherein R1 and R2 each independently represent H, optionally substituted alkyl, optionally substituted cycloalkyl, or optionally substituted aryl. The printing is preferably ink jet printing. Also provided are compounds of Formula (1) and ink compositions containing the same. |
| US07951228B2 |
Self-propelled vehicle comprising an onboard equipment supplied with filtered air
The invention concerns a self-propelled vehicle, in particular an aircraft, comprising an onboard equipment such as an inerting system, means for vapour pollutant filtering (1) arranged between an air intake (8) connected to a compressed air source and an air outlet (9) connected to the equipment. The invention is characterized in that the vapour pollutant filtering means (1) comprise adsorption filtering means such as molecular sieve and/or activated carbon. |
| US07951226B2 |
Apparatuses and methods for reducing emissons of volatile organic compounds when pumping fluids containing volatile organic compounds with a positive displacement pump
An apparatus is provided for pumping a fluid, wherein the fluid comprises a volatile organic compound (“VOC”), the apparatus including: an enclosure for the exposed portion of the reciprocating piston or plunger; and a VOC-absorbing material operatively positioned to reduce VOC emissions from the enclosure to the atmosphere. According to another aspect, a method is provided for pumping a fluid comprising a VOC is provided. According to yet another aspect, a method is provided for reducing emissions of a VOC from a positive-displacement pump used for pumping a fluid, wherein the fluid comprises the VOC, and wherein the method includes the steps of: (i) enclosing at least the exposed portion of the reciprocating piston or plunger to form an enclosure; and (ii) operatively positioning a VOC-absorbing material to reduce VOC emissions from the enclosure to the atmosphere. Preferably, the VOC-absorbing material comprises peat moss. |
| US07951225B2 |
Fluid storage and dispensing systems, and fluid supply processes comprising same
Fluid storage and dispensing systems, and processes for supplying fluids for use thereof. Various arrangements of fluid storage and dispensing systems are described, involving permutations of the physical sorbent-containing fluid storage and dispensing vessels and internal regulator-equipped fluid storage and dispensing vessels. The systems and processes are applicable to a wide variety of end-use applications, including storage and dispensing of hazardous fluids with enhanced safety. In a specific end-use application, reagent gas is dispensed to a semiconductor manufacturing facility from a large-scale, fixedly positioned fluid storage and dispensing vessel containing physical sorbent holding gas at subatmospheric pressure, with such vessel being refillable from a safe gas source of refill gas, as disclosed herein. |
| US07951218B2 |
Dust separating apparatus of vacuum cleaner
A dust separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner is disclosed. The dust separating apparatus includes a body unit to separate dust from air and to store the dust separated from the air, a cover unit detachably coupled with the body unit and having an air discharging part with an inlet projected into the body unit, and a horizontal movement-permitting part formed in the body unit to prevent the body unit from colliding with the air discharging part when one of the body unit and the cover unit is moved in a horizontal direction with respect to the other. |
| US07951216B2 |
Dust separating apparatus of vacuum cleaner
The present exemplary embodiments relate to a dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner. The dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner according to present exemplary embodiments includes a cyclone in which a plurality of cyclone airflows is formed; a dust outlet for discharging dust separated by the plurality of cyclone airflows; and a dust container for storing dust discharged from the dust outlet, wherein the cyclone includes a body in which air flows along an inner surface thereof, and a pair of sides, each of the sides forming one of both side surfaces of the body and defining an outlet for discharging air. |
| US07951215B2 |
Filtering plant for removing dusts from gases
A filtering plant for removing dusts from gases, with a plurality of filter units, which are parallel connected to a line for crude gas and the outlets thereof are parallel connected to a line for purified gas, wherein an extraction blowing engine is connected to the line for purified gas, further with an apparatus for cleaning the filter units, which has a lower collecting space for the filter cake with a discharge opening with flap on the lower end of the collecting space, characterized in that the dust discharge openings of all the filter units except one are connected to a common collecting main and the collecting main is connected to the crude gas region of the one filter unit. |
| US07951210B2 |
Support-colouring means
The invention relates to catalytic systems which are used to generate colors on a support. The inventive means are characterized in that they comprise one or more deactivated oxidation catalysts. The invention can be used to color organic or inorganic supports. |
| US07951205B2 |
Modular proximal body trial
A system and method for trialing a modular hip replacement system permits evaluation and replication of the anatomic anteversion rotational angle of the femur. In one embodiment, a femoral hip implant kit includes at least one distal implant and a plurality of femoral heads, each of the plurality of femoral heads having a diameter different from the diameter of the other of the plurality of femoral heads. The kit includes a proximal trial housing with a bore within the housing, the bore configured to receive a portion of the distal implant, a collet located within the bore, the collet including an outer wall portion extending between a top surface portion and a bottom surface portion, a collapsing member for engaging the portion of the distal implant and for forcing the top surface portion of the collet toward the bottom surface portion of the collet along a first axis. |
| US07951202B2 |
Spacer device and insertion instrument for use in anterior cervical fixation surgery
An intervertebral spacer has curvate upper and lower rough surfaces that stimulate bone growth and is formed from a porous material that facilitates bone growth thereinto. The spacer has a plurality of smooth linear grooves to facilitate insertion of the spacer into an intervertebral space using a spacer insertion tool that has a scissor-style body. Each of the insertion tool's arm's heads has an inner surface having a pair of smoothed linear protrusions that fit within the linear grooves of the spacer when the heads are closed about the spacer. When the spacer is held, spaces are present between the spacer's rough surfaces and the heads' inner surfaces so that when the protrusions are longitudinally slid from the grooves to leave the spacer in the intervertebral spacer, the rough surfaces are not disturbed. |
| US07951201B2 |
Method and apparatus for the treatment of the intervertebral disc annulus
The present invention provides methods and devices for treating the annulus of an intervertebral disc. The methods and devices employ a fixation device delivery tool having a curved body portion. Fixation devices and methods are also disclosed for placement in intervertebral disc tissue. |
| US07951196B2 |
Annuloplasty ring for mitral valve prolapse
A mitral annuloplasty ring that has an outward and an upward posterior bow. The ring defines a closed, modified oval shape with a minor-major axis dimension ratio of between about 3.3:4 to 4:4. The ring is made of a material that will substantially resist distortion when subjected to the stress imparted thereon after implantation in the mitral valve annulus of an operating human heart. The outward and upward posterior bow of the annuloplasty ring corrects for pathologies associated with mitral valve prolapse, as seen with Barlow's syndrome for instance, in which the leaflets tend to be elongated or floppy. Desirably, the outward bow includes a more pronounced outward bulge having an angular extent that approximately equals the angular extent of the upward bow. Sections adjacent the outward bulge may be relatively straight. |
| US07951191B2 |
Bifurcated stent with entire circumferential petal
A stent has a main body, which has a circumference that defines a primary lumen and longitudinal axis, which extends therethrough. A first region of the main body comprises at least one band disposed circumferentially about the longitudinal axis. A second region of the main body comprises a plurality of interconnected rings concentrically disposed about a side branch opening. An outermost ring extends fully about the circumference of the main body. Each of the rings consist of two longitudinally oriented elements and two circumferentially extending elements. |
| US07951188B2 |
Intravascular stent
The invention is directed to an expandable stent for implantating in a body lumen, such as a coronary artery, peripheral artery, or other body lumen. The invention provides for a an intravascular stent having a plurality of cylindrical rings connected by undulating links. The stent has a high degree of flexibility in the longitudinal direction, yet has adequate vessel wall coverage and radial strength sufficient to hold open an artery or other body lumen. |
| US07951187B2 |
Stent configurations
Improved stent configurations exhibiting limited recoil, resistance to compression and improved longitudinal flexibility. |
| US07951185B1 |
Delivery of a stent at an elevated temperature
Methods and systems of delivering a stent at an elevated temperature are disclosed herein. Methods of delivering a stent include allowing reactants to react within a delivery system exothermically. The heat generated from the exothermic reaction increase a temperature of a stent mounted on a support member. The increase in temperature increases the flexibility of the stent which reduces or eliminates formation of cracks in the stent when it expands. A system can include a first reactant disposed within at least a portion of the support member, a catheter in fluid communication with the support member, or both. The first reactant being disposed in such a way to react exothermically with a second reactant disposed within the delivery system. |
| US07951184B2 |
Inflatable blanket for use in cardiac surgery
A method of performing cardiac surgery on a patient's heart, including covering a patient with an inflatable blanket for a forced air convection system, the inflatable blanket having at least one separable seal line within the blanket. The separable seal line may be separated to form a slit. A patient's femoral artery is accessed through the slit, and an elongate medical instrument is passed through the slit, and through the femoral artery toward the patient's heart. Cardiac surgery is performed with the elongate medical instrument, and the elongate medical instrument is withdrawn from the femoral artery through the slit. |
| US07951179B2 |
Bone attachment screw
A bone fastening assembly for use with a screw and including a bone plate and a bushing having a bore adapted for receiving the screw. The bone plate has a substantially planar portion and is provided with a hole in the portion for receiving the bushing. The portion of the bone plate and the bushing are cooperatively configured for providing pivotal movement of the bushing within the hole about a pivot axis and restricting the pivot axis to a plane extending in the portion of the bone plate. A new bone attachment screw for use with the bone fastening assembly is provided. |
| US07951173B2 |
Pedicle screw implant system
A pedicle screw fastening that can be made polyaxial, monoaxial, fixed, or provide a predefined monoaxial placement. The fastening system consists of an anchoring bone screw having threads on one end for use in anchoring to the screw to the spine and a spherical connector on the other end operating as a pivot point about which a U-shaped or side loading connecting assembly is used to secure to a connecting rod for use in stabilization of a spine. The connecting assembly, for receipt of a spinal connecting rod, includes a biased retainer ring for maintaining a positive tension between the connecting assembly and the anchored screw. The system allows for an improved manufacturing step wherein the threaded shank of a bone screws can be passed through a lower portion of the connecting assembly allowing a variety of bone screw sizes to be used with a common sized connector. |
| US07951170B2 |
Dynamic stabilization connecting member with pre-tensioned solid core
A dynamic longitudinal connecting member assembly includes an anchor member having an integral or otherwise fixed elongate core of circular or non-circular cross-section. The core is pre-tensioned and extends through at least one elastic spacer and at least one outer sleeve. The anchor member and the outer sleeve each attach to at least one bone anchor. In operation, the core is held in tension by the spacer. |
| US07951167B2 |
Fluidtight puncturing and occlusion device for anatomical structure
A combined device for plugging and fluidtight puncturing of a wall of a hollow organ, comprising a head bearing a surgical staple for the wall of the hollow organ, a fluidtight puncturing system comprising a puncturing device and a hollow channel, a keeping means for bringing the said staple from its open position to its closed position, a support connected to a traction member extending towards the distal part of the device. The device comprises an introducer capable of introducing the head of the device inside an organism. A staple particularly designed to fit this device is also describe. |
| US07951166B2 |
Annular support structures
Reinforcing lumen rings are configured and adapted for use in conjunction with a circular endoscopic stapling instrument having a staple cartridge assembly and an anvil assembly. The reinforcing lumen rings maintain anastomotic lumen, e.g. as formed by the circular endoscopic stapling apparatus, in an open condition. The reinforcing lumen rings can include an annular ring having an outer terminal edge and an inner terminal edge, the outer terminal edge having a diameter which is substantially equal to an outer diameter of the staple cartridge assembly and the inner terminal edge having a diameter which is substantially equal to an inner diameter of the staple cartridge assembly. |
| US07951165B2 |
Endoscopic medical instrument and related methods of use
A medical instrument has a tubular member having a distal end and a proximal end, a handle attached to the proximal end of the tubular member, a distal assembly including a pivot and an end effector assembly supported on the pivot. The end effector assembly has a pair of end effectors. The medical instrument also includes an elongate member corresponding to each of the pair of end effectors. Each elongate member extends through the tubular member and has a proximal end attached to the handle and a distal end attached to the end effector assembly. |
| US07951164B2 |
Balloon folding apparatus, methods and products
A medical balloon may be configured by at least partially inflating the medical balloon and forming at least one primary lobe in the balloon. The primary lobe extends from a central portion of the balloon. The primary lobe may be manipulated to form at least two secondary lobes therefrom. The balloon may then be deflated and the secondary lobes wrapped around the balloon. |
| US07951156B2 |
Skin treatment system and method of use
A device, a system employing the device, and method of performing skin treatment are provided for skin treatment. The device includes a vacuum head base defining a chamber therein and having a substantially smooth treatment tip attached and extending from an end thereof or integral therewith. The tip has at least one central opening that is open to the chamber, and is adapted to contact the skin and traverse the skin in a substantially nonabrasive manner. A vacuum access opening is provided through a side wall of the vacuum head base and adapted to connect with a source of vacuum. A tissue stop member is located within the chamber. It may have an abrasive surface for exfoliating skin cells, or a smooth surface for traversing the skin without substantial abrasion. |
| US07951153B2 |
Devices and methods for inter-vertebral orthopedic device placement
Disclosed are methods and devices for implanting an orthopedic device between skeletal segments, such as vertebrae, using limited surgical dissection. The implanted devices are used to adjust and maintain the spatial relationships of adjacent bones. The implanted device can be, for example, an artificial disc, a fusion cage or any other appropriate device for implantation between skeletal segments. |
| US07951152B2 |
Spinal distractor, compressor, and rod engaging system and method
Apparatus and methods for distracting or compressing distance between a first and second boney structure and for engaging a connecting element. |
| US07951144B2 |
Thermal and electrical conductivity probes and methods of making the same
According to the present disclosure, a system for sensing attributes of tissue in at least one direction is provided. The system includes a thermal conductivity probe having a sensor configured to measure thermal conductivity in the target tissue in at least one direction, and an electrical conductivity probe having a sensor configured to measure electrical conductivity in the target tissue in at least one direction, a power supply operatively coupled to the thermal conductivity probe and being configured to supply power to the thermal conductivity probe, an impedance analyzer operatively coupled to the electrical conductivity probe, and a computer operatively coupled to at least one of the power supply, the multimeter and the impedance analyzer. |
| US07951143B2 |
Cooled ablation catheter with reciprocating flow
The invention relates to an ablation catheter which controls the temperature and reduces the coagulation of biological fluids on an electrode of a catheter, prevents the impedance rise of tissue in contact with the electrode, and maximizes the potential energy transfer to the tissue, thereby allowing an increase in the lesion size produced by the ablation. The electrode includes passages positioned to allow blood and other biological fluids to flow into and out of an inner cavity of the electrode. This fluid flow produced the desired cooling effect and is accomplished, for example, by a reciprocating plunger or piston, or by a balloon that is alternately inflated and deflated. |
| US07951142B2 |
Cartilage treatment probe
An electrosurgical instrument for ablating cartilage while limiting collateral damage includes a non-conducting head with a small electrically conductive surface. The head of the instrument is coupled to a shaft by a flexible portion. The flexible portion biases the electrically conductive surface towards a tissue surface. The head is pivotably coupled to the shaft such that the electrically conductive surface is oriented substantially parallel to the tissue surface as the head slides across the tissue surface. A method of performing electrosurgery includes positioning the electrically conductive surface adjacent to the tissue surface, and sliding the shaft across the tissue surface with the head pivoting such that the electrically conductive surface is oriented substantially parallel to the tissue surface. |
| US07951139B2 |
Laser surgical apparatus
A laser surgical apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating a part to be treated by a laser beam is disclosed. This apparatus includes a laser source which emits the treatment laser beam; a multi-articulated arm for delivering the treatment laser beam emitted from the laser source, the arm including a plurality of light delivery pipes, a joint part for jointing the light delivery pipes, the joint part being rotatable with respect to at least one of the pipes jointed by the joint part, a reflection mirror disposed in the joint part; and a surgical instrument is connected to an end of the arm and used for irradiating the treatment laser beam delivered therein through the arm to the treatment part. |
| US07951127B2 |
Composite bodyside liner
An absorbent article for fecal matter handling, especially with respect to mushy and/or pasty fecal matter, along with methods of making the same. A composite bodyside liner can reduce the amount of fecal matter that remains on the skin of a wearer after removal of the absorbent article from the wearer. The bodyside liner can include only a fluid pervious liner layer. Alternatively, the bodyside liner can include a fluid pervious liner layer and a surge layer. A fecal adhering treatment composition is applied to at least a portion of the bodyside liner to reduce the amount of fecal matter that remains on the skin of the wearer after the absorbent article is removed. |
| US07951118B2 |
Introducer seal assembly
A seal assembly for use with an access device includes a seal housing defining a central longitudinal axis, an inner wall and an outer wall. The inner wall defines a longitudinal opening to permit passage of instrumentation through the seal housing. A gimbal mount is at least partially accommodated within a space defined between the inner wall and the outer wall of the seal housing. The gimbal mount includes a seal member defining an aperture for substantial sealed reception of a surgical instrument. The gimbal mount is adapted for angular movement relative to the central longitudinal axis upon angulation of the surgical instrument while substantially maintaining the sealed reception of the surgical instrument. |
| US07951114B2 |
Device and method employing shape memory alloy
A system for the metering and delivery of small discrete volumes of liquid is comprised of a small or minimal number of inexpensive components. One such component is a movable member, such as a miniature precision reciprocating displacement pump head, which is driven by an actuator that comprises a shape memory alloy material. The operating mechanism of the system is of little or minimal complexity. The system facilitates the precise metering and delivery of the small discrete volumes of liquid. Potential applications for the system include subcutaneous, long-term, automated drug delivery, for example, the delivery of insulin to a person with diabetes. In such an application, the small, simple and inexpensive nature of the invention would allow for its use as both a portable and a disposable system. |
| US07951112B2 |
Pump module for use in a medical fluid dispensing system
A pump module is provided for use in a medical fluid dispensing system that includes a pump body made of a non-compliant material and first and second pump chambers formed in the body. Each of the chambers has a first, open end and an opposite, closed end. The pump module further includes first and second pistons in the first and second pump chambers, respectively. At least one fluid inlet and a fluid outlet are selectively in fluid communication with the first and second pump chambers. Each of the pistons extends through the open end of a respective one of the pump chambers, with each of the pistons being operably translatable within the pump chamber toward and away from the closed end of the chamber. The pistons are translatable independently of one another. |
| US07951109B2 |
Liquid chamber cap with compartment for use with injectables
A storage and dispensing cap for a liquid receptacle having a cap body storage chamber for use with a receptacle such as a bottle, pouch or intravenous bag that is used to store a liquid for use with a syringe that is inserted into the receptacle for drawing the liquid contents into the syringe. A liquid, powder or capsule in the cap body chamber is mixed into the liquid receptacle for use with the syringe. A sleeve penetrator is mounted inside said cap body chamber and is sized in length to permit rupture of the bottom floor of said cap body chamber when manually depressed for dispensing whatever material is placed inside said cap body chamber and sleeve penetrator into said syringe bottle. An open passage from the cap body to the inside of the receptacle is provided once the storage chamber is ruptured by manually depressing the penetrator to allow the syringe needle end to be inserted into the liquid receptacle. |
| US07951106B1 |
Personal hygiene device and method for application of medication
A personal hygiene device for cleaning orifices, such as the nostrils, one at a time without batteries or power. The device can further be usable in the application of medications, which can be disposed in a tubular body of the device for exact dosage amounts. The personal hygiene device can be reusable without deformation. |
| US07951105B2 |
Medical shunt/valve for regulation of bodily fluids
Shunts (valves) (100) for controlled flow of bodily fluids, such as cerebrospinal fluid, include a valve actuating member (114) (such as a piston (120)) between inlet (108) and outlet (110) ports. The valve actuating member is biased toward a state wherein the valve is closed, and it includes a face adjacent the upstream side of the valve (and preferably isolated from the downstream side of the valve) whereby fluid pressure in the upstream side exerts an opening force on the face to urge the valve toward an open state. When the opening force on the valve exceeds the closing force by some amount, the valve actuating member moves the valve to the open state, allowing fluid flow through the fluid passage between the inlet and outlet ports. |
| US07951104B2 |
Brace for arm or elbow region including angularly-displaced muscle/tendon engaging portions
Systems and methods are disclosed for providing supplemental support to the arm and/or elbow region of an individual. In one exemplary implementation, a brace for a user's arm is provided comprising a rigid element including arm-engaging portions and a strap of flexible material configured to encircle the arm. Moreover, the exemplary rigid element and strap may be further characterized in that the strap comprises an elastic nature or portion that provides a force (such as a compressive or constraining force) to the user's arm, the arm-engaging portions include muscle/tendon-engaging regions that each engage the user's arm along a leading face/edge, with various leading faces/edges corresponding to the muscle/tendon-engaging regions being positioned in relationship with each other to apply a desired pressure or force to the user's arm. |
| US07951102B2 |
Cervical collar
The present invention discloses a novel cervical collar for maintaining the airways in head and neck immobilized trauma patient open. This collar comprises a rigid motion-restricting frame (220, 230, 240, 270, 280) attached to the head (100); and, a jaw clasp (210, 290) attached to the jaw (110). The collar is simultaneously restricting the motion of the head (100) and neck while allowing motion of the jaw (110) to maintain open airways. A jaw clasp (290) useful for performing the jaw-thrust maneuver motion of the jaw (110) to maintain open airways is also presented. Said device comprising a plurality of movable fitting elements adapted to fit the jaw (110) tightly; and, a plurality of movable mover elements adapted to move the jaw (110). |
| US07951100B2 |
Abdominal wound dressing
An abdominal wound dressing and methods of use are described that enable the application of negative pressure to the wound site in a healing manner while also limiting the formation of adhesions that would prevent the removal of the dressing. The dressing comprises a layer of porous foam material enclosed by sheets of elastomeric material punctuated by a number of appropriately placed holes. Multiple layers of porous foam may also be used. A suction tube connector is provided on an upper surface of a layer of foam for connection to a negative pressure source. At least one layer of foam is enclosed in elastomeric material and is placed in direct contact with the tissue within the open wound. Fluids are drawn by negative pressure through the holes positioned in the elastomeric envelope and through the foam. |
| US07951098B2 |
Amplitude change-over device for a body vibration machine
An amplitude change-over device for a body vibration machine includes two eccentric units respectively fixed on the opposite ends of a rotating shaft driven by a motor. Each eccentric unit contains an eccentric driving plate secured with the rotating shaft for rotating together and an eccentric driven plate movably fitted on the rotating shaft at one side of the driving plate. Either one of the driving plate or the driven plate has a surface bored with a slide groove with the rotating shaft acting as a pivot, and another one has a surface provided with a projecting stud inserted in the slide groove. The motor is a right-handed and left-handed one. When the motor is chosen to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, the included angle of the driving plate and the driven plate is changeable and hence amplitude power is adjustable by using a single motor. |
| US07951089B2 |
Apparatus and methods to harvest bone and bone marrow
An apparatus and method for harvesting bone and bone marrow are provided. The apparatus may include a driver operable to be releasably engaged with an intraosseous device. The intraosseous device may include a cannula having a first end operable to penetrate bone and bone marrow and to allow retrieval of portions of bone and/or bone marrow. The cannula may have a second end operable to be releasably engaged with bone marrow sampling equipment. The apparatus may include a removable trocar. The removable trocar may have an inner channel operable to convey portions of bone and/or bone marrow. The removable trocar may have an inner channel and a side port communicating with the inner channel. The removable trocar may have a first end operable to penetrate bone and bone marrow. |
| US07951088B2 |
Blood-flow-occluding, temperature-sensing catheters with elastic covers
A catheter assembly for sensing the temperature of an arterial wall or other body lumen includes a blood-flow-occluding feature to increase the accuracy the temperature measurements. In addition to the flow-occluding feature, the catheter includes a distal end with a temperature sensing structure and a proximal end including a manually operated expansion control. The temperature sensing structure includes one or more presentation elements in the form of a basket or braided structure having at least one temperature sensor supported thereon, each sensor being operative to generate an electrical signal indicative of temperature. In the preferred embodiment, the feature to occlude blood flow is an inflatable balloon disposed near the expandable basket or braid structure. The temperature sensors are preferably thermistors, and an elastic sleeve covering the expandable basket or braid structure is also preferably provided to further insulate the temperature sensors from the cooling effects of blood flow. |
| US07951086B2 |
Rapid non-invasive blood pressure measuring device
A measurement device for generating an arterial volume-indicative signal includes an exciter and a detector. The exciter is adapted to receive an oscillating signal and generate a pressure wave based at least in part on the oscillating signal on the artery at a measurement site on a patient. The pressure wave includes a frequency. The detector is placed sufficiently near the measurement site to detect a volumetric signal indicative of arterial volume of the patient. |
| US07951085B2 |
Automatic optimization in spectral doppler ultrasound imaging
Methods and systems for automatic optimization in spectral Doppler ultrasound imaging are provided. The value for one or more spectral Doppler parameter is optimized using numerical optimization rather than predefined sampling. Various spectral Doppler parameters are set, such as a position of the gate, gate size, transmit frequency, filter settings, Doppler gain, beamline orientation or angle of intersection between the gate position and the scan line, aperture size, or other spectral Doppler transmit or receive parameters effecting the spectral Doppler imaging. A processor automatically calculates a setting or value for one or more of the spectral Doppler parameters, resulting in more objective optimization than provided by a user setting. |
| US07951082B2 |
Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and tomographic image processing apparatus
A two-dimensional drawing module (25) (i) periodically reads acoustic line data (S401), (ii) checks a scanning method of a physical structure of a probe and acoustic line data, and (iii) selects the optimum coordinate conversion algorithm (S402). After that, the two-dimensional drawing module (25) (i) selects an interpolation algorithm, based on a display rate (S403), (ii) generates display data by performing a two-dimensional DSC process using the selected coordinate conversion algorithm and the like (S404a, 404b or 404c), (iii) performs a persistence process for the display data (S405), a frame interpolating process for a “B mode” image data (S406) and a display color conversion process (S407), and (iv) transmits the display data after such processes as described above to the display unit (14) (S408). |
| US07951081B2 |
Transducer/sensor assembly
An imaging transducer assembly is combined with a sensor of a medical positioning system, forming a transducer/sensor assembly. In one embodiment, the sensor includes a coil proximally coupled with the imaging transducer. A cable having first and second wires are proximally coupled to the coil. A non-conductive potting layer is wrapped around the coil. Traces are formed in the non-conductive potting layer that are used to electrically couple the imaging transducer with the first and second wires of the cable. |
| US07951073B2 |
Endoscopic device having spray mechanism and related methods of use
Various embodiments of a surgical device that combines tissue cutting and spraying in a single device and related methods of use are disclosed. The device may include an elongated member having a proximal end and a distal end, an end effector proximate the distal end of the elongated member, and a nozzle member configured to substantially seal the distal end of the elongated member. The nozzle member may define a flow path in fluid communication between inside and outside of the elongated member when the distal end of the elongated member is sealed with the nozzle member. |
| US07951069B2 |
Methods and devices for minimally invasive cardiac surgery for atrial fibrillation
Devices for enhancing minimally invasive cardiac surgery include a visualization device including an inflatable balloon at or near the distal end. Some visualization devices also include one or more lumens for allowing the introduction of one or more devices to a surgical site through the visualization device. Systems of the invention involve a visualization device which has at least one lumen for allowing introduction of an ablation device and/or other devices. A visualization device with an inflatable balloon may be positioned to create a space between a heart and pericardium when the balloon is inflated. |
| US07951063B2 |
Totally implantable hearing prosthesis
The invention comprises a totally implantable hearing prosthesis for hearing impaired persons. An inertial vibrational element is hermetically sealed and implanted in bone between the lateral and superior semicircular canals without breaching the integrity of the canals. The vibrational element is adapted to vibrate the walls of the canals and the fluids contained therein, thereby vibrating contiguous fluids within the cochlea thus stimulating hair cells and creating a hearing percept. The invention can also be adapted to be a tinnitus masking system, and/or used in combination with a cochlear implant hearing system. |
| US07951060B2 |
Methods and apparatus for intraocular brachytherapy
A method for performing intraocular brachytherapy and an apparatus for performing the same is disclosed. The apparatus preferably comprises a hand-held delivery device that advances a radiation source into an associated cannula or probe that is positioned adjacent the target tissue. The handpiece provides for shielded storage of the radiation source when retracted from the cannula and includes a slider mechanism for advancing and retracting the radiation source. The radiation source is mounted to a wire that has a flexible distal end and a relatively stiffer proximal end. A positioning system for the cannula is also disclosed. |
| US07951056B2 |
Rockable exercise apparatus
An exercise device includes a substantially planar upper surface having a first extent and a second extent and a support structure that supports and spaces the upper surface from the floor. The support structure has a curve with a vertex located between the first extent and the second extent and a support-structure extent that extends beyond the second upper-surface extent in a direction away from the first upper-surface extent. |
| US07951054B2 |
Rehabilitation and exercise apparatus
A therapeutic and/or exercise apparatus is provided for use in connection with structured, multiaxial, multi-pattern movement that aids in rehabilitation or enhances conditioning. The apparatus generally includes a base and a posture bar that is attached to and extends upwardly from the base. The posture bar is affixed to a top surface of the base and can be removable or collapsible for ease of storage. The top surface of the base also includes a recess therein for receiving one of a variety of controlled motion devices such as a rotary disk that moves freely or is restrained by resistance means or other proprioceptive tools. This feature provides a much more balanced exercise process while also naturally working the entire set of muscle groups related to the exercise rather than simply isolating a single motion or muscle. |
| US07951051B1 |
Variable resistance exercise device
An flexible elongated device for use in human exercise routines or as an implement having an elongated pultruded plastic rod or rods fitting loosely within a plastic tube. At least one of the rods is rectangular in cross section and the tube may be covered by a soft foam plastic sleeve. The rod may be produced by the pultrusion process. |
| US07951050B2 |
Apparatus for aerobic leg exercise of a seated user
An apparatus for aerobic leg exercise of a seated user includes a first unit having means for supporting a first linear track on a floor, means for joining a first unit to the first linear track for non-resistive movement and means for enabling the seated user with a multi-positional contact for moving the first unit along the first linear track without substantial vertical movement of the seated user's knee. A second unit has means for supporting a second linear track on the floor, means for joining a second unit to the second linear track for non-resistive movement and means for enabling the seated user with a multi-positional contact for moving the second unit along the second linear track without substantial vertical movement of the seated user's knee. A means secures the first unit and the second unit at a desired splay angle and a means stabilizes the apparatus. |
| US07951046B1 |
Device, method and computer program product for tracking and monitoring an exercise regimen
An exercise regimen tracking and monitoring device includes an electronic data recording device that allows users to manage their exercise regimens in a hands free manner. The device has a hand-held body provided with a display screen having graphical illustrating capabilities. An alpha numeric keypad is included for allowing a user to input and retrieve data. A clip is attached on the casing rear surface, facilitating attachment of the device to the user. A processor and a memory are included and is programmed to allow users to input and instantly recall a workout regimen. A timer is included to track and monitor progress reports on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. A playback device is also included to encourage users with motivational phrases. |
| US07951045B1 |
Multi-functional athletic training system
A multi-functional athletic training system for automating many currently manually implemented tasks and performing reaction time, football receiver pattern, and shuttle/split training exercises, including one or more identical training domes, a touchpad unit, and a handheld control unit. In each mode of operation, different cue methods such as MANUAL VISUAL, MANUAL VISUAL & AUDIBLE, CADENCE and PAD may be selected to vary and train the athlete to respond to different starting cues. |
| US07951042B2 |
Control device for automatic transmission
A control device for an automatic transmission having a torque converter with a lock-up clutch provided between an engine and the automatic transmission, and a lock-up control device for controlling an engaged condition of the lock-up clutch. The control device includes a plurality of different target slip ratio maps each having a plurality of target slip ratio characteristic lines of the lock-up clutch predetermined according to a throttle angle, a first map selector for selecting one of the target slip ratio maps according to a running range, according to whether the running road is a level road/downhill road or an uphill road, and according to a gear position during running in the condition where an accelerator pedal is depressed, and a second map selector for selecting one of the target slip ratio maps according to a running range, according to whether the running road is a level road/uphill road or a downhill road, and according to a gear position during running in the condition where the accelerator pedal is undepressed. |
| US07951040B2 |
Triple-axle-drive variable transmission for heavy machinery
A triple-axle-drive multistage transmission for heavy machinery includes an input part and a speed changing part. The input part includes a clutch part including a forward clutch part and a reverse clutch part to control transmission of the power received from a bevel gear unit, an input drive shaft coupled to the forward clutch part to mediate forward power transmission, a forward drive gear provided on a first end of the input drive shaft, and a reverse drive gear coupled to the reverse clutch part. The speed changing part includes a speed change drive shaft to mediate a change of speed of the power input from the input part, a planetary gear unit coupled to a first end of the speed changed drive shaft, and a reverse driven gear provided on a second end of the speed change drive shaft and engaging with the reverse drive gear. |
| US07951031B2 |
Chain guide of straddle type all terrain vehicle
A straddle type all terrain vehicle is provided with a chain guide for covering an outer peripheral edge of at least an engaged portion of a driven sprocket with a drive chain from outside in a radial direction inside a chain cover. A rear axle housing is formed with upper and lower flange portions extending upward and downward at opposite end portions in the vehicle width direction of the rear axle housing. The rear axle housing is coupled to a rear end portion of the rear swing arm for swinging forward and rearward about mounted portions of the upper flange portion. The chain cover is mounted on the swing arm side and the chain guide is mounted on the rear axle housing side, respectively. |
| US07951030B2 |
Tensioner
A tensioner comprising a base, an arm pivotally engaged with the base, a pulley journalled to the arm, a torsion spring engaged between the arm and the base, the base comprising a cantilever leaf spring, a first friction disk operationally disposed between the cantilever leaf spring and the arm, the cantilever leaf spring biasing the first friction disk into frictional contact with the arm, the first friction disk rotationally fixed with respect to the base, a second friction disk rotationally fixed with respect to the base, a separator member disposed between the first friction disk and the second friction disk, the first friction disk and the second friction disk each having a wet coefficient of friction of approximately 0.12, and the separator member rotationally fixed with respect to the arm. |
| US07951026B2 |
Oil pressure control apparatus
In one embodiment, an oil pressure control apparatus includes a belt-driven continuously variable transmission, a lockup clutch provided in a torque converter, a primary regulator valve that regulates a line oil pressure that becomes a source pressure of oil pressure of various parts, and a lockup control valve that performs switching when controlling engagement/release of the lockup clutch. Control of the primary regulator valve and control of the lockup control valve are performed with a single linear solenoid valve. In this case, control of the primary regulator valve and control of the lockup control valve are performed in different ranges. |
| US07951024B2 |
Blade-opening arrowhead
A blade-opening arrowhead or broadhead that has one or more blades each pivotally or otherwise movably mounted with respect to a body or a ferrule. Each blade is moveable between a closed position and an open position, for example to increase a cutting diameter of the arrowhead. An actuator or an activation arm can be used to operate a cam surface. The blade can move as a follower element in response to movement of the cam surface. In the open position, the cam surface can contact the blade. |
| US07951018B2 |
Golf tee and method of making same
A golf tee is provided for supporting a golf ball. The golf tee is adapted to sit on top of the ground and comprises a support rim or at least three support points for supporting a golf ball and an open body having a lower end suitable for placement on the ground and an upper end suitable for connection to the support rim. An optional neck may be used connecting the upper end of the open body to the support rim. The open body comprises a plurality of support columns and optionally one or more support rings connecting the support columns. The support columns are separated by holes thereby increasing the surface area of the golf tee. The open body and holes are adapted to receive grass and can allow for substantial level placement of the tee relative to the ground even when the grass is dense or longer. The support columns and holes result in a golf tee having a high drag and relatively low weight thereby providing a golf tee which travels a relatively short distance when struck by a swinging golf club. |
| US07951015B2 |
Multilayer golf ball containing at least three core layers, at least one intermediate barrier layer, and at least one cover layer
The present invention is directed to multi-layer golf balls having at least three core layers, at least one cover layer, and at least one intermediate layer between the core and the cover layer that acts as a vapor barrier. Advantageously, the at least three core layers have a hardness gradient that either increases or decreases toward the at least one intermediate vapor barrier layer. |
| US07951013B1 |
Golf club sleeve and golf clubs for use therewith
A golf club sleeve for use with various golf club structures is presented. The golf club sleeve may have an airfoil shaped cross section and may extend over at least a portion of the shaft of the golf club to reduce drag associated with the shaft during a golf swing, thereby increasing swing speed. The golf club sleeve may be rotatable relative to the shaft of the golf club to orient itself during a swing in order to improve air flow over the sleeve. |
| US07951010B2 |
Device in a thread-forming tool
The invention relates to a device (101) to provide helical rotating projection of a thread-forming thread core (102).According to the invention, internally in a cylindrical space (103) of a fluid cylinder-piston device (104), there is arranged a movably actuatable piston (105) provided with a number of helical holes (106). In that connection, a helical (109) shaft (108) shape-adapted to the respective hole (106) and helix (107) is receivable in said respective helical hole (106), and that the respective shaft (108) is, via a gear (110), connected with a mechanism (111) for the transmission of rotating (112) as well as axial (113) displacement motion to said thread-formed thread core (102). Finally, a stop member (114), which is arranged to limit the displacement motion (115) of the piston, is arranged internally in the cylinder space (103) of said piston cylinder. |
| US07951007B2 |
Method and apparatus using insertably-removable auxiliary devices to play games over a communications link
A method and apparatus that identifies and safely couples an insertably-removable auxiliary device (IRAD) to a processor so that games can be played over a communications link without damaging the IRAD or the processor. An auxiliary connector, into which the IRAD is inserted, is not connected to the processor until after the identity of the IRAD is determined. The processor resides in a communications device, such as a wireless telephone, walkie-talkie, toy, or the like. Upon the activation of an auxiliary mode, a user is prompted to insert an IRAD into the auxiliary connector. An IRAD used to play a game can be an auxiliary keypad, an auxiliary processor, an auxiliary display, a supplemental program module that stores computer-readable code, an electronic board game, an auxiliary graphical user interface (GUI) (e.g., auxiliary steering wheel, auxiliary joystick, virtual reality viewer), or a headset including a microphone and speaker. |
| US07951002B1 |
Using a gaming machine as a server
A disclosed gaming machine provides a game server. The game server may be used to provide a number of game services, including accounting, bonus game play, progressive game play, game serving and game configuration, to a group of gaming machine connected in a network The gaming machines can employ a number of standard components including a game server, a concentrator, and a translator. The concentrator gathers game information from a number of gaming machines connected in a network segment. The translator may be used to convert one communication protocol to another communication protocol for the transmission of game information. The game information may be utilized by the game server to provide a game service. When used for game serving, the game server may allow a player to select a game from a list of games stored on the game server on one gaming machine for game play on another gaming machine. |
| US07951000B2 |
Dynamic frame system
A video game system and method is described in which interactive portions of a display screen are displayed with non-interactive portions having cutscenes. The cutscenes may be related to, or developed from, the events transpiring in the interactive portion of the display screen. The non-interactive cutscenes may be converted into interactive areas, and may be enlarged to take the place of the original interactive portion of the display screen. Animation effects may be used for the various transitions. |
| US07950999B2 |
User interface system and method for a gaming machine
An embedded additional user interface 10 includes a web page display screen 20 and an embedded processor 30, and is incorporated into a gaming machine 40 that in turn includes a gaming screen 50 and a gaming processor 60. The embedded processor 30 employs an internal operating system and communicates with the gaming processor 60. The embedded processor reads incoming data, translates the data into a web authoring language, and maps the data to the web page display screen. The display screen 20 presents web page information to a user via the display screen, thereby increasing user excitement by providing a richer gaming experience. This provides a dramatic improvement over traditional system components 70 (input/output peripherals) that have been used in the past to access service and system information, such as a 2-line, 20-character VF display and a 12-digit keypad. |
| US07950998B2 |
Billing management system for game machine
A collective system for billing management of each game machine installed in shops or the like via communication network. A limit is set to the usable number, while the game machine is ensured continuous use as long as it is properly used and the billing is carried out regularly during the continuous use on a pay-per-use basis. The play count is counted up every time one game is played, and when the play count has reached or exceeded a count limit, the use of the game machine is restricted. The game machine is connected to a billing server via a communication network. The billing server includes a count limit renewing unit which renews the count limit of the game machine that has transmitted billing information, and transmits the new count limit back to the game machine every time the billing server receives the billing information from the game machine. |
| US07950996B2 |
Methods and devices for gaming account management
Methods and devices are provided for managing gaming accounts. Some aspects of the invention provide for the cancellation, revocation or consolidation of cashless gaming instruments. For example, if a player has lost a cashless gaming instrument, the player could request that the cashless gaming instrument be cancelled. The request could be made in response to information (such as an activity log, an account statement, etc.) presented by a central network device. The information could be presented on a screen, printed on paper, etc. In order for such a request to be acted upon, it is preferable that the player, the gaming establishment that issued the cashless gaming instrument and the cashless gaming instrument itself be positively identified. Some implementations of the present invention provide for more flexible redemption in a cashless gaming system. Some such implementations allow a player to “cash out,” preferably in a single transaction, after one or more gaming sessions. The gaming sessions may have been conducted at different gaming machines and/or at different casinos. Some implementations allow a player to cash out without a cashless gaming instrument. |
| US07950995B2 |
Method for adjusting a random number generator used for wagering by adjusting payouts or using liquid funds
A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage to implement a wagering game which uses a random number generator to affect outcomes. The random number generator can be weighted by the player in exchange for a change in payouts. The random number generator can also be weighted in exchange for a cash purchase from the player or a cash payment to the player. |
| US07950983B2 |
Retainer ring
A retainer ring and a method of using the retainer ring are provided. The retainer ring has openings along a bottom surface. Grooves encompass the openings and extend to an interior portion of the retainer ring wherein a semiconductor wafer may be held. In operation, a semiconductor wafer is placed inside the retainer ring. As the retainer ring and the semiconductor wafer are moved relative to an underlying polishing pad, slurry is dispensed through the openings in the retainer ring. The grooves in the retainer ring allow the slurry to flow from the openings to the interior portion of the retainer ring and the semiconductor wafer. |
| US07950980B2 |
System and device for supporting a breast shield
A breast shield support is provided which in one embodiment includes a central harness body adapted to hold a breast shield. The central harness body may include three spaced straps connected to or extending from the central harness body. Each of the harness straps includes a clip, for example, for attaching a respective strap to a portion of a nursing brassiere and at least one strap includes a plurality of protrusions or grooves formed along the length of the strap for engaging a respective clip and permitting the clip to be easily adjusted and held in a desired position along the length of the strap. |
| US07950977B2 |
Vehicle launcher assembly
This invention sets forth a vehicle launcher assembly comprising an inner vehicle carried within an outer vehicle. The outer vehicle has movable panel components which allow an inner vehicle to be released from the outer vehicle when the panel components are opened. Operation of the toy assembly involves one actuation step to open the panels of the outer vehicle, and second actuation step to launch the inner vehicle. In one embodiment, the outer vehicle is in the form of a car and the inner vehicle is in the form of a motorcycle. The vehicle launcher assembly may also include projectile launchers. |
| US07950976B2 |
Toy for rotating and launching an object
A toy for rotating and launching an object is disclosed. The toy comprises a launcher configured to impart rotary motion to an object. A launcher rotating system is connected with the launcher, and is configured to impart a rotary motion to the launcher. The launcher rotating system engages with a gear rack, the gear rack capable of moving to rotate the launcher rotating system. The launcher rotating system further comprises a clutch mechanism such that continued oscillatory motion of the gear rack causes the launcher rotating system to increase the rotary motion imparted to the launcher and such that withdrawal of the gear rack causes the clutch mechanism to decrease rotary motion imparted to the launcher, whereby a rotating object is released from the launcher. |
| US07950974B2 |
Weed cutter for a craft propelled by a water jet
A device for cutting weeds carried by water inducted into a housing includes an intake, an outlet, an impeller for pumping water from the intake to the outlet as the impeller rotates about an axis, the impeller including a blade formed with a leading edge facing the intake, and a baffle secured against movement and including a cutting edge located adjacent the leading edge when the leading edge rotates to the location of the cutting edge. |
| US07950968B2 |
Electrical connector having detachable cover
Provided is an electrical connector including an insulative housing having a main body and a supporting board extending downward from the main body so as to form an L shaped configuration. The main body defines a plurality of receiving passageways extending along a front-to-rear direction and then runs through the supporting board along a vertical direction. A pair of guiding grooves are respectively formed at opposite inner sides of the main body. A plurality of terminals are retained in the receiving passageways. A cover defines locking portions at opposite sides thereof for movably received in the guiding grooves and covers the terminals for preventing outward movement of the terminals. |
| US07950966B1 |
Audio jack connector
An audio jack connector for mating with an audio plug connector has an insulating housing. The insulating housing defines an inserting hole extended from the front to the rear for receiving the audio plug connector and a recess communicating with the inserting hole at a rear end thereof. A terminal received in the recess has a base plate. Two opposite sides of the base plate extend downwards to form two fixing wings. Two facing contacting arms extend frontward from two front edges of the two fixing wings. Free ends of the contacting arms arch towards each other to form two smooth V-shaped contacting portions protruded into the inserting hole. Each of the contacting portions has two spaced smooth ribs protruded from an inner surface thereof and spreading towards two ends of the contacting portion from a peak of the contacting portion to form a smooth V-shape. |
| US07950963B2 |
Connector with reinforced mounting structure and method of manufacturing connector
A connector includes a wiring board; a lead connecting the wiring board electrically to an external board; and a conductive layer connecting the lead to the wiring board so as to allow the lead to move when the conductive layer is melted. The lead includes first through third regions. The first region, in contact with the conductive layer, is sandwiched between the second and third regions lower in wettability with respect to the liquid melt of the conductive layer than the first region. The wiring board includes a first region and second regions. The first region, in contact with the conductive layer, is sandwiched between the second regions lower in wettability with respect to the liquid melt than the first region. The center of the first region of the lead is offset and away from the external board relative to the center of the first region of the wiring board. |
| US07950962B2 |
Connector with tapered ribs for improving resin flow
A male connector (10) is provided with a housing main body (20) formed with a plurality of cavities (21) penetrating in forward and backward directions, into which terminal fittings are insertable, a surrounding wall portion (36) arranged at a rear part of the housing main body (20) and open backward, and a plurality of seal tower portions (35) arranged inside the surrounding wall portion (36) at the rear part of the housing main body (20) and surrounding the cavities (21). Outer ribs (41) extend between the inner surfaces of the surrounding wall portion (36) and the outer surfaces of the seal tower portions (35). The outer ribs 41 are thick at connected parts with the surrounding wall portion (36) while being thin at connected parts with the seal tower portions (35). |
| US07950953B2 |
Multicore cable connector with an alignment plate with a cable receiving portion on one side and a substrate receiving portion on the other side
To provide a multicore cable connector in which alignment of signal lines of a cable and soldering of the signal lines to a wiring pattern of a substrate are facilitated, and impedance mismatch on the substrate is minimized. A multicore cable connector 1 includes a cable fixing member 2, an aggregate cable 3 accommodated in cable fixing member 2, an aligning plate 4 for aligning signal lines 312 included in aggregate cable 3, and a substrate 5 formed with a wiring pattern 53 conductively connected to signal lines 312 of aggregate cable 3. |
| US07950952B2 |
FPC connector with rotating latch
A cable connector includes a housing with an insertion recess for receiving an end of a flat cable and a plurality of terminals disposed in the housing for connecting to conductive leads of the flat cable. An actuator is attached to the housing so that the attitude of the actuator can be changed between a first position at which the flat cable can be inserted into the opening and a second position at which the actuator presses the conductive leads of the inserted flat cable into contact with the terminals. The actuator is attached to the housing at a cable insertion end side thereof and brought to the second position when the attitude of the actuator is changed in an insertion direction of the flat plate-like cable. A fulcrum of the attitude-changing movement of the actuator in the insertion direction is positioned further from the second position, as viewed from an effort point of a force applied by the flat cable to the actuator at the second position, than a point of action of the force being applied. |
| US07950951B2 |
Electrical plug connector
An electrical connector includes a connector housing and a printed circuit board with two sets of contact elements. The first set of contact elements is located on the front face of the printed circuit board and protrudes into an opening in the plug connector housing. The second set of contact elements is located on the rear face of the printed circuit board. The contact elements of the second set are configured to form insulation-displacement contacts. The plug connector also includes a cable manager which has a continuous opening and is configured on the front face with guides for cores or wires which are intended to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts. The guides in the region of the insulation-displacement contacts are configured with recessed receiving elements or holders for the insulation-displacement contacts, and the cable manager can be latched to the plug connector housing. |
| US07950950B2 |
Wire containment cap
A wire containment cap has twisted pair slots for routing twisted wire pairs through the wire containment cap. The twisted pair slots are provided with funnel-shaped entrances to assist in routing the twisted wire pairs from a rear end of the wire containment cap toward wire slots of the wire containment cap. The wire containment cap may be provided in shielded or unshielded versions, and is adapted for use with a communication jack assembly. |
| US07950945B2 |
SIM card connecting device for portable electronic device
A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card connecting device for a portable electronic device which is adapted to further reduce a thickness of the portable electronic device by limiting the height of the SIM card connecting device. The device includes: a printed circuit board (PCB); one or more patterned contacts provided on the PCB and being coupled with one or more contacts formed on the SIM card; and a housing mounted on the PCB for allowing the SIM card to be inserted into/extracted from the housing. The housing presses the inserted SIM card so that the contacts of the SIM card and the patterned contacts come into substantial pressurized contact and/or pressurized contact with each other, depending on a shape of the patterns. According to the present invention, the SIM card mounting space can be reduced, and the portable electronic device can have a further reduction in thickness. |
| US07950942B2 |
Secured plug connection and method for its production
A plug connection between electrical and/or electronic components, in which electrical plug contacts of a plug which is arranged directly adjacently to one component are inserted into a socket which is arranged directly adjacently to the other component, with the components being interlocked with one another by a connection arrangement or being combined to form an assembly, and in which a separate plug connection securing arrangement which is independent of the connection arrangement of the components is provided to secure the plug connection against movements of the plug relative to the socket and vice versa. |
| US07950938B1 |
Universal plug adapter
A universal plug adapter is provided plugs of different specifications to be selectively extracted and positioned to meet and connect an external wall socket. The plug thus supplies power to a railed recess, in which railed recess a rail-positioned socket having different specifications is installed and electrically connected, so as to form the universal plug adapter. Therein, the rail-positioned socket has sockets of different specifications for plugs of different specifications to insert. Additionally, the rail-positioned socket rail-positioned socket may be tailed with a functional electric device, such as a nightlight, an alarm, a wireless router, a USB socket or sockets of different specifications, for easy and convenient use. |
| US07950935B2 |
Electronic device with covering lid for covering insert hole
An electronic device with a covering lid for covering an insert hole includes a housing and the covering lid. The housing includes a first surface and a second surface which are connected to each other, and the first surface includes an insert hole. The covering lid includes a covering plate and a flexible handle, and the covering plate is disposed on the first surface and covers the insert hole. A first end of the flexible handle is connected to the second surface of the housing, and a second end of the flexible handle is connected to the covering plate. A bending portion is disposed between the first end and the second end to provide spring force to the covering plate to make the covering plate move along a direction away from the insert hole automatically when the covering plate is unfolded. |
| US07950932B2 |
Low profile socket connector
An electrical connector includes a base plate, a plurality of contacts, and a plurality of solder portions. The base plate has a plurality of through holes extending from a top surface and a bottom surface therebetween. The contacts is assembled in through holes, and each contact comprises a spring portion disposed upon the top surface, a soldering portion passing through the through hole and with a tail extending beyond the bottom surface, and a stopping portion connecting the spring portion and the soldering portion and abutting against the top surface. The solder portions are attached to the tails of the soldering portions for fixing the contacts to the base plate. |
| US07950931B2 |
Electrical junction box with drainage portions
The present invention provides an electrical junction box that can prevent water in a casing from attaching to a circuit board. The electrical junction box may include a casing, an upper connector housing and fuse-mounting sections that are disposed on and are open in an upper wall in the casing, a circuit board contained in the casing, an upper frame portion that is disposed below the upper connector housing and fuse-mounting sections in the casing to cover an upper part of the circuit board, side frame portions that extend downward from side edges of the upper frame portion and are disposed adjacent to sides of the circuit board, slopes that are formed on an upper surface of the upper frame portion and slant down to the side frame portions, and groove portions that extend in a vertical direction on outer surfaces of the side frame portions. The casing may be provided with first drainage portions that are open at positions opposite lower end edges of the groove portions. |
| US07950928B2 |
Electrical connector and assembly thereof
An electrical connector assembly includes an electrical connector, an IC seated on connector and a PCB. The electrical connector includes an insulative housing and a number of electrical contacts each having a retaining portion secured to the housing, a main portion connecting with the retaining portion and a contact portion. The contact portion has a pair of first contacting sections electrical connected with the PCB and a pair of second contacting sections contacting with the IC, and the first and second contacting sections of the electrical contact are disposed in passageways on the PCB. |
| US07950926B2 |
Electrical contact arrangement for telecommunications and data systems technology
The invention relates to an electrical contact arrangement (1) for telecommunications and data systems technology, comprising at least one electrical contact (K1) and a printed circuit board (2), the contact (K1) being connected to the printed circuit board (2) both electrically and mechanically. The contact (K1) comprises a contact region (7) on which an electrical contact for contacting the counter-contact is generated. The distance (L el) between the contact region (7) of the contact (K1, K8) and the electrical contact point (K8) for contacting the printed circuit board (2) is shorter than the distance (L mech) between the contact region (7) of the contact (K1, K8) and the mechanical contact point (9) for contacting the printed circuit board (2). |
| US07950917B2 |
Process and installation for molding an optical lens
The object of the invention is a process for molding an optical element such as a lens (2). According to the invention, the element is obtained by a reaction injection molding process comprising the steps of mixing at least two polymerizing reactants and forcing the obtained reacting mixture by an injection duct (5) for filling under pressure a scaled mold cavity (4) having an entry side (43) provided with a casting opening (42) and an evacuation side (44) and providing a laminated flow of mixture in a spout (6) having a progressive enlarging transversal section between the outlet opening (52) of the injection duct (5) and the casting opening (42) of the mold cavity (4), for avoiding any turbulent area in said laminated flow, said evacuation side (44) being provided with means (45) for evacuating air contained in the mixture during mold filling. The invention also covers the molding installation adapted for using such a process. |
| US07950915B2 |
Plastics injection molding machine with injection force measuring device
A plastics injection molding machine with an injection unit has an injection unit housing as central part of the injection unit, a plasticizing cylinder connected to the injection unit housing, a screw which is supported in the plasticizing cylinder for rotation to prepare injection material and for displacement to effect the injection stroke in axial direction, drive motors coupled to and generating the rotation and axial movements of the screw and supported on the injection unit housing via a motor flange, and an injection force measuring device for determining the injection force applied by the screw when executing its injection stroke, wherein the injection force measuring device includes at least one tensile force sensor which is integrated in the injection unit housing in such a manner that the reaction force of the injection force, as generated by the injection force and introduced via the motors and the motor flange into the injection unit housing, is detectable. |
| US07950914B2 |
Braze or solder reinforced Moineau stator
A Moineau style stator includes a helical reinforcement component that provides an internal helical cavity. A resilient liner is deployed on an inner surface of the helical reinforcement component. The helical reinforcement component includes a solder or braze material and is typically metallurgically bonded to an inner wall of a stator tube. In exemplary embodiments, the helical reinforcement component includes a composite mixture of solder and aggregate. Exemplary embodiments of this invention address the heat build up and subsequent elastomer breakdown in the lobes of prior arts stators by providing a helical reinforcement component. Solder reinforced stators tend to be less expensive to fabricate than reinforced stators of the prior art. |
| US07950905B2 |
Radial piston fuel supply pump
A high pressure radial piston fuel pump is featured having an hydraulic head with two individual radial pumping pistons and associated pumping chambers, annularly spaced around a cavity in the head where a rotating eccentric drive member with associated actuation ring are situated. A rolling interaction is provided between the actuation ring and the inner ends of the pistons for intermittent actuation. Relative rotation is provided between the actuation ring and the drive member. Each piston has a piston bore that has a centerline that intersects the actuation ring but is offset (X) from the drive axis as viewed in cross section perpendicularly to the drive axis and the piston bore centerlines are parallel to each other but offset (Y) from each other as viewed in longitudinal section along the drive axis. |
| US07950901B2 |
System and method for loads reduction in a horizontal-axis wind turbine using upwind information
A system and method provide a proactive mechanism to control pitching of the blades of a wind turbine to compensate for rotor imbalance during normal operation by pitching the blades individually or asymmetrically, based on turbulent wind gust measurements in front of the rotor, determined before it reaches the rotor blades. |
| US07950898B2 |
Fuel pump having impeller
A fuel pump includes a housing including an internally-large cylindrical portion coaxial with an internally-small cylindrical portion. A press-inserted portion is press-inserted to the internally-small cylindrical portion. An accommodating cylindrical portion is located in the internally-large cylindrical portion. An accommodating disc portion is opposed to the impeller. A cover is in contact with the accommodating cylindrical portion on the opposite side of the accommodating disc portion. The accommodating disc portion has an impeller-side surface abutted to the accommodating cylindrical portion via an accommodating corner. The outer circumferential periphery of the press-inserted portion has an axial end defining a press-inserted corner on the side of the accommodating cylindrical portion. The accommodating corner is distant from the press-inserted corner for a first distance. The outer circumferential periphery of the press-inserted portion has an axially center portion being distant from the impeller-side surface for a second distance. |
| US07950894B2 |
Adjustable operator interface
An implement for a machine is provided. The implement has a frame, an operator interface, and a ratchet. The operator interface is pivotally attached to the frame about an axis. The ratchet is mounted about the axis and coupled to the frame and the operator interface. |
| US07950892B2 |
Side puller accessory frame for a car carrier and for a tow truck
A side puller accessory frame for a tow truck having a cab and a truck frame mounts to the truck frame behind the cab. The accessory frame preferably includes two stiff legs, a wire rope winch mounted transverse to the longitudinal axis of the truck that provides pulling force via a removable pivotable center sheave that directs the pulling force to sides or the rear of the truck as desired. The accessory frame may include a removable pivotable side sheave that may mount in a side sheave mounting tube. The side puller accessory frame makes a conventional car carrier with a roll back bed a recovery truck. |
| US07950888B2 |
Self-penetrating screw
A screw includes a shaft, a trumpet-shaped head provided to a base end of the shaft, and a narrow-tip portion formed at a tip end of the shaft. The shaft has different diameters at a small-diameter portion contiguous to the narrow-tip portion and at a large-diameter portion contiguous to the head. Two screw threads are formed on the small-diameter portion and one screw thread is formed on the large-diameter portion. Therefore, a thread portion can be divided into a double-thread portion and a single-thread portion. It is preferable that the screw threads forming the double-thread portion have different heights. The screw is mainly used for fastening a plasterboard to a frame member. |
| US07950885B2 |
Fastening element
A fastening element for mineral constructional components has a shaft (12) provided with a tapping thread (14) extending, at least regionwise, along the shaft (12), and a coating (21) that covers the shaft (12) likewise at least regionwise and that is formed of a polar thermoplast. |
| US07950879B2 |
Variable speed drive for pneumatic transport system
Provided herein are systems and methods for use in controlling a translocation process of a pneumatic tube system in order to reduce the amount of energy transferred from the tube system to a pneumatic carrier and, hence, its contents. Generally, these utilities entail identifying and/or reducing forces applied to a pneumatic carrier traveling through a travel path within a pneumatic tube system. The systems and method disposed herein allow for varying the velocity of a pneumatic carrier as it passes through a travel path of the pneumatic system. Such varying of the velocity allows for reducing the total forces applied to the pneumatic carrier during passage through the system. In one arrangement, the power output of a power source connected to a compressor device is altered to vary the velocity of pneumatic carries in the system. |
| US07950878B2 |
Shoreline erosion control system
An erosion control system for reducing shoreline erosion resulting from wave action, runoff and hydrostatic pressure. The system includes a flexible geotextile provided over a shoreline. A plurality of rigid erosion control mats are provided over the flexible geotextile and secured in place by a plurality of anchors secured into the shoreline. The geotextile, erosion control mat and anchors may be adjusted to accommodate shorelines of varying slopes and susceptibility to erosion. |
| US07950872B2 |
Galvannealed steel forms
A form for receiving a filler material to create an island is provided. The form is made essentially entirely out of galvannealed steel that is easily paintable. The form has a substantially continuous wall having an outer surface and an inner surface. The wall is made out of a plurality of galvannealed steel wall sections. The wall has a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The inner surface forms an enclosed chamber for receiving the filler material. A first support made out of galvannealed steel is attached to the inner surface of the first side of the wall and a second support made out of galvannealed steel is attached to the inner surface of the second side of the wall. A brace made out of galvannealed steel is disposed between the supports, wherein the brace removably engages the supports. |
| US07950870B1 |
Energy absorbing vehicle barrier
A non-lethal energy absorbing vehicle barrier for decelerating an impacting vehicle includes a first gate member and a second gate member disposed downstream of the first gate member. The first and second gate members are movable from a retracted position in which the first and second gate members are disposed so as not to impede vehicular traffic on a vehicle pathway, to a deployed position in which the first and second gate members are disposed to impede vehicular traffic on the vehicle pathway. The first gate has a height that is lower than a height of the second gate in the deployed position. Both the first and second gate members include at least a pair of deformable energy absorbing members that are deformed in a substantially inboard direction by a deforming member when the first and second gates are deformed from a pre-impact configuration to an impact configuration. |
| US07950865B2 |
Packaging and applicator device
The present invention relates to a packaging and applicator device comprising: a reservoir containing at least one composition for application; an applicator element that is secured to the reservoir at least during application; an applicator-element holder; and a support for fastening the applicator-element holder on the reservoir, the support including a tubular sheath surrounding the applicator-element holder and the applicator element over at least a fraction of its length, the tubular sheath and the applicator-element holder presenting facing surfaces in contact; at least one hollow longitudinal channel being formed in one of the surfaces, so as to enable the composition coming from the reservoir to flow towards the applicator element. |
| US07950861B2 |
Opening-angle restricting device
An opening-angle restricting device includes a main casing, a cover member, a string member, a take-up unit, and a stopper unit. The main casing has an inner space for accommodating an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium. The cover member is coupled to the main casing via a hinge. The cover member has an inner side that faces the inner space when the cover member is closed. The string member has one end fixed to the main casing. The take-up unit is provided at the inner side of the cover member. The take-up unit is configured to pay out and take up the string member. The stopper unit restricts paying out of the string member when an amount of payout in the string member reaches a predetermined amount, thereby restricting an opening angle of the cover member at a predetermined angle. |
| US07950859B2 |
Lens cover and portable electronic device using the same
A lens cover slidably mounted to a lens comprises a main body and two guide plates protruding from opposite sides of the main body. Each guide plate has a plurality of contact portions. Each contact portion includes a plurality of projection strips protruding from a surface thereof and facing the lens. |
| US07950849B2 |
Method and device for geometry analysis and calibration of volumetric imaging systems
A technique is provided for geometrical analysis and calibration of a volumetric imaging system. The technique includes computing a projection error between estimated locations of a set of markers of a phantom based on a estimated imaging geometry and observed locations of the respective markers for at least one projection image, decomposing the computed projection error into one or more error components corresponding to respective geometric parameters of the imaging geometry, and updating at least one parameter of the estimated imaging geometry based on the one or more error components. |
| US07950845B1 |
Time keeping system for turn-based games
We present a time keeping system for turn-based games which accepts time controls used in fast games but allows the game to be played in a correspondence manner similar to slow games. This gives players the enjoyment of playing fast games with time pressure but at a pace that is convenient for their busy schedule. |
| US07950838B2 |
Light directing film
A light directing film and an optical system incorporating same are disclosed. The light directing film includes a first major surface and a microstructured second major surface. The microstructured second major surface has at least two periodic microstructured patterns. The first periodic pattern is arranged along a first direction. The second periodic pattern is arranged along a second direction different from the first direction. |
| US07950832B2 |
LED luminaire
An LED luminaire is provided with a light emitting module composed of plural kinds of LEDs emitting lights of different colors, a lens unit having a lens for diffusing the mixed-color light from the light emitting module, a light output controller for controlling electric current fed to each of the LEDs, and a light sensor for sensing the light from the light emitting module. The light output controller performs feedback control on the electric current fed to each of the LEDs based upon light levels of the sensed light, so that the light emitted from the light emitting module has desired chromaticity. The lens unit contains a light guide for guiding the light from the lens to the light sensor and can guide the light from the light emitting module to the light sensor with a high efficiency. |
| US07950830B2 |
Illumination system for illuminating a display device
An illumination system for illuminating a display device includes a conical reflector associated with the light source for illuminating a light-exit window. The reflector is arranged for reflecting light emitted by the light source towards the light-exit window and is radially segmented into a plurality of reflector-cone segments, each including at least one convex-cone segment being convex shaped in a lateral direction with respect to a source axis for lateral distribution of light emitted by the light source over the light-exit window. |
| US07950821B1 |
Auxiliary lighting systems
Vehicle-mounted auxiliary lighting systems adapted to provide primary or auxiliary vehicle lighting using light emitting diodes (LEDs) are disclosed. |
| US07950820B2 |
Intrinsically safe flashlight
A lighting device (100) includes a housing (100), a battery receiving region (108), an active electrical circuit (202), and a light source (118). The active electrical circuit (202) uses energy from batteries (110) received in the batter receiving region (110) of the flashlight (100) to power the light source (118). The electrical circuitry of the flashlight (110) is energy limited so that the flashlight is intrinsically safe for use in hazardous locations. |
| US07950819B2 |
Portable light apparatus and method of attachment
An organic light emitting diode system is sufficiently thin and poser efficient to permit its attachment to different configurations such as pocketbooks, brief bags, suitcases and the like. At least one side of the OLED material can have an attachment mechanism to facilitate attachment to a surface in the area to be lighted. The system may include a portable power source that provides electrical power to actuate the OLED material, causing it to generate light. A switch connected to the battery can control power to the OLED material to switch the light on and off. The switch can be manually operated or automatic. The low power consumption of embodiments of the OLED apparatus also provides for unique applications and uses. |
| US07950818B2 |
LED lamps and LED driver circuits for the same
LED lamp has LEDs aimed rearwards with either a concave mirror to the rear of each LED, or one concave mirror to the rear of two or more LEDs, collecting the light from the LEDs to form a forward projecting beam. LEDs may be high power types that require heatsinking. LED lamp may have a lens forward of each LED to collimate the radiation produced by the LEDs into a beam, where at least one lens has at least one aspheric curved surface. LED lamp may have a transparent reflective optic to collimate the radiation produced by each LED into a beam. For an inspection lamp, the LEDs typically have a peak wavelength of 395 to 415 nanometers for seeing the area being irradiated but not so visible as to overwhelm fluorescence of fluorescent materials to be detected. Other wavelengths may be used. LED inspection lamp has a combination of LEDs of different wavelengths or a combination of at least one LED and at least one other light source such that the lamp produces radiation suitable for detection of materials to be detected and adequately illuminates the area being irradiated. LED lamp has LEDs that produce a beam of suitable radiation with a width of 10 degrees or less without additional optics. LED inspection lamp has head attached to a flexible member, with head serving as heatsink for one or more high power LEDs. Current regulator circuits are also disclosed. |
| US07950817B2 |
Lighting assemblies for vending machines
Display cases having lighting assemblies and methods of illuminating display cases with such lighting assemblies. Embodiments of the lighting assemblies may be used in display cases of any type and particularly in those where the purchaser selects via an external mechanism (e.g., buttons) a product from a variety of products stored inside the display, such as a vending machine. Lighting assemblies are installed within a vending machine, such as on or within the vending machine shelves or product dividers, and their light emission controlled depending on the product being selected from the vending machine. In on embodiment, all light sources within the vending machine except those illuminating the selected product are dimmed. In this way, the product being selected by the purchaser can be emphasized. In other embodiments, color or multi-color LEDs are used to emit light that best compliments the color of products housed within the vending machine. |
| US07950815B2 |
Back light unit
A back light unit includes a bottom cover, a plurality of light source modules mounted on the bottom cover, and an optical sheet unit over the light source modules, wherein each of the light source module includes a PCB having the plurality of light source modules mounted thereon, a diffusing plate spaced a distance from the LED light sources and surrounding the PCB fully for diffusing a light incident thereon from the LED light sources throughout a surface thereof uniformly, and a diffusing plate supporter for securing the diffusing plate to the PCB, and the diffusing plate includes a flat plate portion, a side wall portion extended from opposite edges of the plate portion to the diffusing plate supporter, and a plurality of light diffusing units each projected from a surface facing the LED light source on the plate portion at a position matched to the LED light source, thereby enabling to make effective response to fabrication of thinner liquid crystal display device and improve a light uniformity, and improve light utilization efficiency to improve a luminance, and enhance mechanical reliability. |
| US07950813B2 |
Composite triangular-pyramidal cube-corner retroreflective sheeting and retroreflective articles
Adoption of composite cube-corner retroreflective elements in which groups of each at least two sub-retroreflective elements which are each defined by three lateral faces mutually crossing at approximately right angles, as being configured by three-directional V-shaped parallel groove groups having substantially symmetrical sections and intersecting with each other, and which are arrayed in the closest-packed state, projecting on one side of their common sub-plane (SH-SH), each of said groups of sub-reflective elements being disposed on one main retroreflective element which is defined by three lateral faces mutually crossing at approximately right angles, as being configured by three-directional V-shaped parallel groove groups having substantially symmetrical sections and intersecting with each other, and which is disposed on the main plane (S-S). |
| US07950811B2 |
Projection display device
A projection display device includes: a housing; a fan disposed within the housing, the fan having a vane portion and a fan case accommodating the vane portion so as to be rotatable; and multiple vibration-proofing members having at least one of elasticity and viscosity, the vibration-proofing members being disposed at multiple positions in the circumferential direction of the perimeter face portion of the fan case surrounding the vane portion around the rotational axis of the vane portion, such that the vibration-proofing members are introduced between the housing and the fan case. |
| US07950808B2 |
Project display apparatus having diffusion element for reducing speckle
An illuminating optical system propagates a coherent light flux from at least one light source into a predetermined optical path to guide the light flux to a screen. A light bulb forms an image to be displayed on the screen on an illumination area illuminated with the light flux that is guided by the illuminating optical system. A projecting optical unit projects the image that is formed on the illumination area onto the screen in a magnifying manner. The illuminating optical system includes a diffusing unit that diffuses the light flux from the light source near a focusing position of the illuminating optical system. |
| US07950800B2 |
Method of measuring at least one geometrico-physiognomic parameter for positioning a vision correcting eyeglass frame on the face of a wearer
A method of capturing a substantially front-view image of the face of a wearer wearing at least one frame (10), the image being captured by an image-capture appliance (1), and calculating the geometrico-physiognomic parameter (H, TETA) by processing the captured image. The calculation of the geometrico-physiognomic parameter (H, TETA) includes identifying in the image the image of a predetermined remarkable point (RC) that is directly or indirectly associated with the wearer's face or with the frame, and it takes into consideration a magnitude representative of the absolute vertical angle of observation (GAMMA) formed between firstly an observation line (DO) connecting the pupil (7) of the image-capture appliance (1) to the remarkable point (RC), and secondly its projection onto a horizontal plane (PF). |
| US07950799B2 |
Optical elements with a gap between two lens materials
The present invention provides an ophthalmic lens comprised of two lens materials with a gap between them of less than about 5 mm. The gap is formed and maintained by particles on the perimeter of the surfaces of both lens materials. Methods are also provided for creating a gap between two lens materials and for producing an ophthalmic lens with a gap between two lens materials. |
| US07950794B2 |
Solvent based inkjet ink formulation
A solvent based ink formulation for inkjet printing, particularly on plastics and non-porous surfaces, including 1-40% by weight of a ketone solvent, 10-90% by weight of a mixture of cosolvents, 0.1-10% by weight of a (co)polymer binder, 0.1-10% by weight of dispersants/wetting agents, and 0.1-10% of plasticizers to give a formulation having flash point higher than 60.degree. C. |
| US07950793B2 |
Recording ink, ink cartridge, ink record, inkjet recording apparatus and inkjet recording process
The object of the present invention is to provide a recording ink having excellent color developing properties and high delivery stability, by which not only the color saturation of the obtained image can be remarkably improved, but also the image having a high quality can be formed. For this object, the present invention provides a recording ink used for an inkjet recording using a dye ink and a pigment ink properly alternately through one inkjet head, wherein the dye ink and the pigment ink have respectively a viscosity at 25° C. of 5 mPa·s or more and the difference between the viscosity of the dye ink and the viscosity of the pigment ink is 3 mPa·s or less. |
| US07950792B2 |
Inkjet printer refill cartridge with sliding moldings
An ink refill cartridge is provided for refilling an inkjet printer ink supply. The refill cartridge includes an outer molding defining a cavity. An inner molding is movably mounted to slide into the cavity and defines a recess. A deformable ink membrane is located within the recess, is configured to store ink and defines an outlet through which the stored ink can pass to the ink supply. A biasing arrangement is located within the cavity between the outer molding and the ink membrane. The biasing arrangement biases the membrane to deform and cause ink to pass from the outlet when the inner molding slides into the cavity. |
| US07950786B2 |
Ink-jet device and method for depositing ink using the same
An ink-jet device (20) is provided. The ink-jet device includes an ink reservoir (22), a print head (24), and a carry-in pipe (26) connected between the ink reservoir and the print head. The ink-jet device further includes an air outlet pipe (28) and a balance pipe (30). The air outlet pipe is connected with the print head and intercommunicates with the atmosphere. The balance pipe is connected between the carry-in pipe and the air outlet pipe. A method for eliminating air bubbles in print head is also provided. |
| US07950785B2 |
Method of controlling liquid droplet ejection apparatus, liquid droplet ejection apparatus, method of manufacturing electro-optical device, electro-optical device, and electronic device
A method of controlling a liquid droplet ejection apparatus includes: a pressure detecting step of detecting whether the pressure inside a functional liquid tank is below a lower-limit pressure of a working pressure or not; a step of confirming, when the pressure inside the functional liquid tank is below the lower-limit pressure, whether a functional liquid droplet ejection head is in imaging operation or not; and a pressurization control step of, upon confirmation that the functional liquid droplet ejection head is not in imaging operation, pressurizing the functional liquid tank to an upper-limit pressure of the working pressure. |
| US07950782B2 |
Droplet discharging head, energy converter, piezoelectric device, MEMS structure, cantilever actuator, piezoelectric sensor, and piezoelectric linear motor
A droplet discharging head includes a substrate, a cavity section positioned on a first surface side of the substrate, a piezoelectric thin film positioned on a second surface side of the substrate and disposed in an area opposing the cavity section, a cover section positioned on the first surface side of the substrate, and disposed covering the cavity section, the cover section having a through-hole, and a groove positioned on the second surface side of the substrate and disposed in a direction extending along an edge of the piezoelectric thin film. |
| US07950777B2 |
Ejection nozzle assembly
An ejection nozzle assembly is provided having a substrate defining a fluid supply passage, drive circuitry on the substrate, a chamber on the drive circuitry and in fluid communication with the fluid supply passage and an ejection port, an ejection member disposed between the fluid supply passage and the ejection port, and a heater element electrically coupled to the drive circuitry and the ejection member for causing ejection of fluid from the ejection port. |
| US07950772B2 |
Printhead assembly having supporting structure of alternating materials
A printhead assembly includes a support beam formed of two types of material having different coefficients of thermal expansion, the two materials being repeatedly alternated in segments over the length of the support beam to form the support beam; and a plurality of spaced apart printhead modules supported by the support beam. A first one of the materials has a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than that of silicon, and a second one of the materials has a coefficient of thermal expansion less than that of silicon. |
| US07950766B2 |
Printer and printing system
A printer 240 calculates the amount of ink used only for printing as a number of discharged ink shots, and sends this shot count with the printer serial number and ink cartridge ID to a server 220. The server 220 saves the shot count, printer serial number, ink cartridge ID, and an error correction code as status information. The server 220 or server upstream from the server 220 can reliably determine the number of ink shots used by the printer 240 only for printing from this status information. |
| US07950764B2 |
Pressure regulating mechanism and liquid ejecting apparatus
A pressure regulating mechanism which includes a pressure regulating chamber that introduces a liquid from a liquid supply source through an inlet port, stores the liquid, and discharges the stored liquid to an object through an outlet port, an on/off valve, a pressure receiving member that is provided to seal an opening surface of the pressure regulating chamber, a reduced-pressure space portion adjacent to the regulating chamber with a pressure that may be reduced to be less than the pressure of the pressure regulating chamber, and a partition wall disposed between the pressure regulating chamber and reduced-pressure space portion, wherein gas is capable of passing through the partition wall using the a difference in pressure between the reduced-pressure space and pressure regulating chamber and discharged to the reduced-pressure space portion. |
| US07950762B2 |
Recording apparatus
A recording apparatus for effecting recording by scanningly moving a recording head, wherein the apparatus is provided with a group of a plurality of arrays each including a plurality of nozzles, wherein the group is responsive to one-color recording data, includes selecting means for selecting a block of a predetermined number of the nozzles in the nozzle array in synchronism with cyclic signals; driving means for driving the nozzles in the block selected by the selecting means; managing means for managing information of the block selected by the selecting means, for each group of the nozzle arrays; generating means for generating, for each nozzle array, driving data including information indicative of a block to be selected by the selecting means and block data corresponding to the block, on the basis of the information of the block managed by the managing means; and transfer means for transferring the driving data generated by the generating means to the recording head. |
| US07950758B2 |
Liquid discharge apparatus and image forming apparatus
A liquid discharge apparatus is disclosed that includes a liquid discharge head that discharges plural types of liquid droplets; a drive waveform generating unit that generates and outputs a drive waveform including a first drive signal group made up of one or more drive signals and a second drive signal group made up of one or more drive signals within one drive period; a control signal output unit that outputs first control signals for controlling selection of the drive signals of the first drive signal group and second control signals for controlling selection of the drive signals of the second drive signal group; and a drive unit that inputs the drive waveform, the first control signals, and the second control signals, selects one or more drive signals from the drive signals of the first drive signal group and the second drive signal group using the first control signals and the second control signals, and supplies the selected drive signals to the liquid discharge head. |
| US07950743B2 |
Leg rest for economy class transportation seat
When stowed, this leg rest lies flat on the floor partially under the passenger's feet and partially under the seat. The leg rest pivots up from the floor to a raised position so that the edge nearest the seat aligns with the front of the seat pan. In its raised position, the leg rest and seat together form a continuous support surface along the entire length of a passenger's body. |
| US07950737B2 |
Motor vehicle seat
A vehicle seat (1) having an active headrest mechanism (20) actuated by a lower lumbar mechanism (30). A seat back frame (10) mounts the active headrest mechanism (20) and the lower lumbar mechanism (30). |
| US07950736B2 |
Adjustable seat assembly
A vehicle seat is slidably mounts to rails secured to a vehicle chassis. The rails extend downwardly and away from the steering shaft of the vehicle at a substantial slope. Grooves formed in the rails receive posts secured to the seat to slidably mount the seat. A plurality of registration surfaces, such as a row of apertures, are secured to the rails and engage one or more locking pins. The locking pins are actuated by cables extending to a lever positioned near the edge of the seat. Springs urge the locking pins into engagement with the registration surfaces when tension is not applied to the cables. In an alternative embodiment, an air spring mounts between the seat and vehicle chassis. The amount of air within the air spring controls the position of the seat along the rails. |
| US07950735B2 |
Temperature controlled vehicle seats
A seat temperature control system having a temperature controlled seat for use in a vehicle is disclosed. The temperature controlled seat may comprise a seat bottom, a seat back and an air conditioning system. The seat bottom includes a bottom heat exchanger fluid coil configured to direct a cooling fluid therethrough from a bottom inlet end to a bottom outlet end. The seat back includes a back heat exchanger fluid coil configured to direct the cooling fluid therethrough from a back inlet end to a back outlet end. The air conditioning system includes a coils inlet line in fluid communication with the bottom inlet end and the back inlet end, and a coils outlet line in fluid communication with the bottom outlet end and the back outlet end. The air conditioning system provides cooling fluid to the coils and receives cooling fluid from the coils. |
| US07950731B2 |
Roof header structure
A roof header structure which has a simple structure to allow effective reinforcement can be obtained.In an upper header panel 24, a bead 28 is formed which continues in the vehicle width direction, being the deepest in the central portion in the vehicle width direction, the depth being gradually reduced toward both ends in the vehicle width direction. The protruding end (the lower end) of the bead 28 is joined to the lower header panel 26 in the central portion in the vehicle width direction. The bead 28 reinforces the upper header panel 24, and further reinforces the entire front header part 22, thus with a simple structure, the front header part 22 can be reliably reinforced. |
| US07950729B2 |
Machine group and method for making machines
A method for making machines includes selecting one of a plurality of types of suspension elements for coupling between a body component and a frame component of a machine. If the suspension elements are of a first type, they are coupled with mounting elements on the body component having a configuration corresponding therewith. If the suspension elements are of a second type, they are coupled with mounting elements on the frame component which have a configuration corresponding therewith. Adapter mechanisms having a first connecting interface corresponding to mounting elements on one of the body component and frame component, and a second connecting interface corresponding with the selected suspension elements, are used to couple the body component with the frame component. A group of machines includes a first set using the first type of suspension elements coupled between the body component and frame component, and a second machine set which includes the second type of suspension elements coupled between a body component and frame component. |
| US07950728B2 |
Table assemblies for a vehicle
Disclosed herein are embodiments of vehicles having table assemblies. One embodiment of a vehicle comprises a vehicle body structure, a support member, and a table member. The vehicle body structure defines at least a portion of a compartment and has an opening permitting access to the compartment. The support member is coupled to the vehicle body structure to move from an interior position in which the support member is substantially inboard of the compartment, to an exterior position in which at least a portion of the support member moves through the opening to a location outboard of the vehicle body structure. The table member is coupled to the support member to move from a first position in which the table member is located inboard of the vehicle body structure, to a second position in which the table member is located outboard of the vehicle body structure. |
| US07950725B2 |
Reinforced structure for cabin of working machine
A reinforced structure for a cabin of a working machine is disclosed, which comprises a cabin, a boom installed along the cabin, and a reinforcing member provided for the cabin. The cabin includes front pillars, upper pillars and rear pillars. The reinforcing member includes a first member located longitudinally between upper ends of the front and rear pillars located on the working apparatus side of the cabin, the first member being fixed to the upper pillar located on the same side, and a second member, one end of the second member being fixed to an intermediate position of the first member, and the other end thereof being fixed to the other upper pillar. |
| US07950723B2 |
Noise reduction member and system
There is disclosed a noise reduction member. Preferably, the noise reduction member is employed for sealing or baffling within a pillar or other structure of an automotive vehicle, although not required. |
| US07950721B1 |
Truck skirting
A truck skirting is provided for a trailer for use in tractor-trailer combinations. Skirting elements depend from both trailer sides. Braces are provided extending from the skirting elements to the trailer underside. Further, each skirting element has a longitudinal bracing bar. |
| US07950719B2 |
Vehicle dual hinge rear door articulating and sliding system
A vehicle rear door articulating and sliding mechanism including an articulating hinge assembly having a hinge arm pivotally mounted to a vehicle C-pillar at one end thereof, and a vehicle rear door pivotally and slidably mounted to the hinge arm at an opposite end of the hinge arm. A guide track may be mounted to the rear door, and a slide block may be pivotally mounted to the hinge arm and slidably attached to the guide track. The hinge arm may be disposed at first and second angular positions relative to the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in closed and opened positions, and the slide block may be disposed at first and second positions along a length of the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in the closed and opened positions, to thus provide articulating and sliding movement of the rear door. |
| US07950716B2 |
Trim molding for a motor vehicle window panel
A motor vehicle window panel has a peripheral trim molding formed by an extruded body of plastics material, and the body includes a mounting flange and a vehicle body sealing flange integrally connected by an intermediate connecting portion. The mounting flange carries a pressure sensitive contact adhesive tape which bonds to an inner surface of the window panel, and the intermediate connecting portion has an internal stabilizing strip and a durometer greater than the durometer of the mounting flange and of the sealing flange. The molding may be supported within a fixture for receiving the window panel or may carry a tear-off locating flange which slides against an edge surface of the window panel to locate the molding on the panel. The mounting flange may carry a spacer rib, and the mounting flange, sealing flange and connecting portion are located inwardly of the inner surface of the window panel. |
| US07950715B2 |
Rear seat passenger detection device
A rear seat passenger detection device comprising: a first switch which closes a contact thereof when a front seat door is opened; a second switch which closes a contact thereof when a seatback of a front seat corresponding to the front seat door is inclined and lowered to an angle with respect to a seat face equal to or less than a predetermined angle, and is connected in series with the first switch; and a control device which detects a passenger boarding in a rear seat when the first switch and the second switch are closed. |
| US07950709B1 |
Method and apparatus for gripping and installing pipe
Apparatus for gripping and handling a length of pipe includes first and second pipe gripping members supported on a frame. The first pipe gripping member is movable along a straight line path from an open position to a closed position closer to the second pipe gripping member. The first pipe gripping member is supported on a movable transfer plate having an engagement member connected thereto and to a piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder. |
| US07950707B1 |
Sanitary collection apparatus for pet feces and associated method
A hand-operable feces collection apparatus for catching animal excrements prior to reaching a ground surface may include an elongated curvilinear handle and an annular ring attached to a distal end thereof. A retention bag may be attached directly to the annular ring in such a manner that the retention bag is maintained at a substantially stable position while receiving the animal excrements therein. The apparatus may also include a mechanism for resiliently adjusting a diameter of the annular ring such that the retention bag is caused to automatically disengage the annular ring. Such a mechanism may be activated by a lever attached to the proximal end of the handle. The annular ring may be composed of a semi-circular solid male core and a hollow female sleeve. The male core is urged along the female sleeve as the mechanism is activated, causing the diameter of the annular ring to adjust. |
| US07950699B2 |
Plug-type coupling
A plug-type coupling for connecting two fluid lines includes a coupling component which has an opening with an adjacent receiving duct, and a coupling piece which is inserted into the receiving duct and has a holding rib which extends from its circumference outwardly and forms a locking surface, wherein the holding rib interacts with a locking stirrup which has at least one leg which is resilient toward the opening. A disassembly element is movably mounted in the coupling component, wherein the disassembly element acts on the leg in the direction of opening the coupling. |
| US07950698B2 |
Ubiquitous imaging device based check image capture
A method or corresponding apparatus for remote transmission of a negotiable instrument. In an example embodiment, the process provides a carrier that secures a negotiable instrument. Next, the process creates a unique identifier, associated with the carrier, and generates an electronic image of the negotiable instrument. After generating the electronic image, the process transmits the electronic image of the negotiable instrument and the unique identifier to a remote location. The negotiable instrument may be transmitted via a fax, a scanner, a device designed to transmit electronic data, other image device compatible with ITU-T recommendations T.30 or T.4, or combination thereof. The process may also verify the negotiable instrument has a valid endorsement, verify image quality of the electronic image to ensure compliance with financial industry standards, or validate any received security information. |
| US07950697B2 |
Book, in particular an album
Book, in particular an album, characterised by two front and back covers which are separate from each other and are joined with a spacing from each other by at least one flat strip-like spine part, the portion of the spine part between the opposing inner edges of the two covers being foldable in the manner of a concertina into a predetermined number of peak folds of the same height, and four respective pages being formed by a centrally folded sheet which has, at the centre along the fold, at least one narrow slotted opening of predetermined length and width for feeding through a peak fold which projects above the slotted opening in at least one sheet at such a height that a narrow, web-like connecting element is configured so as to be insertable through the protruding opening in the peak fold for detachable connection to the book. |
| US07950696B2 |
Roll-over protection system
A roll-over protection system (1) for a vehicle (2), such as a quad bike. The system (1) comprises a telescopic hairpin-shaped roll-over guard (3), a lower mount (4) and an upper mount (5) for mounting the guard (3) to regions of the vehicle (2) that may move relative to each other. In use, the guard (3) extends upwardly from the vehicle (2) so as to prevent the vehicle (2) from remaining upside down after having turned over, and the mounts (4, 5) are moveable relative to the guard (3) when the two spaced apart regions move relative to each other during normal use of the vehicle (2). |
| US07950695B2 |
Safety guard mechanism for lifting device
The safety guard mechanism for a lifting device is a mechanism that can automatically deploy a safety guard pivotally mounted to the lower surface of the frame of a portable aerial lift device when the lift is raised. By lowering the guard member, the distance between the lower surface of the base and the ground is decreased. The helical screw-based mechanical device includes a mechanical translator coupled with a rotator, the entire assembly interconnecting the guard member and a scissors-type lift so that raising the lift drives the lowering of the guard member. In the lowered position, the guard prevents tipping of the lift should one or more wheels enter a pothole or other depression. A helical screw latch is included to provide a self-locking feature. |
| US07950686B2 |
Reducible chassis of a man-carrying vehicle
A man-carrying vehicle has a chassis, which can be reduced for the vehicle to be easy to store, put away and transport; the chassis includes a front part, a rear part, and a stretching and reducing device interposed between the front and the rear parts; the stretching and reducing device includes first and second stationary components, first and second crank and connecting rod combinations, and a stretching and reducing assistant unit; the first and the second stationary components are fixedly joined on the front and the rear parts respectively; the crank and connecting rod combinations are interposed between and pivoted to the stationary components; the stretching and reducing assistant unit is interposed between and pivoted on one of the stationary components and one of the crank and connecting rod combinations to provide power to change position of the front part in relation to the rear part of the chassis. |
| US07950676B2 |
Article of footwear comprising a unitary support structure and method of manufacture
An article of footwear comprising a pliable upper component and a molded unitary support structure formed of a plurality of wall stuctures and methods of manufacturing are disclosed. Some embodiments include a sole and first and second side wall structures extending therefrom and partitioned from one another. The sole and the first and second side wall structures may be in part or entirely constructed of multiple layers of fibers having different orientations from one another and disposed in a hardened resin matrix. The pliable upper component comprises outer and inner panels that overlap the inner and outer surfaces of one or more of the side wall structures and are conjoined thereto. |
| US07950671B2 |
Brush seal assembly
A brush seal assembly including a pair of annular plates (11,12) defining an annular slot (14) between them and a radially outer chamber (15) opening into the slot (14); and an annular brush seal (13) having bristles (16) and an enlarged portion (17) at its outer periphery formed by welding the bristles (16) together, the brush seal (13) extending through the slot (14) with its enlarged portion (17) retained in the chamber (15) wherein at least a portion of one of the plates (11, 12) has an extension thereof which is deformed over the other plate (11, 12) to hold the plates (11, 12) together to form the assembly characterised in that one of the plates (12) has a flat face in the region of the slot (14). |
| US07950670B2 |
Seal with pyramid shaped formation
A seal assembly having a seal bumper wall with a series of pyramid shaped formations lying on the bumper wall. The formations cause their apex portion to wear down rapidly in use, while the remainder of the pyramids remain and act as slingers and/or produce a convection effect to reduce temperature along the sealed area. In another embodiment, there are two each pyramid shaped formations located on each of several thrust bumpers, which are held in position by a retainer. |
| US07950662B2 |
Seal card game without early bonus round elimination
A system for playing a game of chance includes a plurality of playing cards, each of the playing cards displaying game symbols thereon. At least some of the plurality of playing cards display an eligible game symbol for participation in bonus levels of play. A master game card is provided for use in conjunction with the playing cards. The master game card includes a plurality of playing areas, each playing area representing a playing level. In each playing area, one or more of the eligible game symbols are included as a bonus level game symbol for the respective level of play. In each successive level of play, more of the eligible game symbols are identified as bonus level game symbols. Cover members conceal the bonus level game symbols prior to play. By opening one of the cover members at each level in turn, a winning one of the eligible game symbols is revealed. By including all of the eligible game symbols from the previous level, players are not aware of being eliminated until the final level of play is reached, thereby maintaining interest in the game. |
| US07950660B2 |
Sheet feeder and image forming apparatus
A sheet feeder includes a feed roller that includes a feed roller shaft, the feed roller being capable of feeding a sheet, a frame that supports the feed roller shaft, a helical gear attached to the feed roller shaft, a motor that drives the feed roller shaft via the helical gear, a disc attached to the feed roller shaft, a sensor body that detects a rotation of the disc, and a pressing member that presses the feed roller shaft from a side of the feed roller shaft in a thrust direction toward another side of the feed roller shaft. |
| US07950659B2 |
Sheet conveying device for image forming apparatus
In an embodiment of the present invention, a plate is laid over sides of a second guide and a first guide that pivots relative to the second guide. The plate pivots with a first pin on the side of the second guide as a fulcrum. A second pin on the side of the first guide is inserted through a slit of the plate. The plate is pivoted by pivoting of the first guide in an opening direction. The second pin is fit in a stop slit provided in the slit to maintain the first guide in an open state. The first guide is pivoted in a closing direction to remove the second pin from the stop slit and close the first guide. |
| US07950656B2 |
Method of detecting overlapping sheets within a paper feed mechanism, a detector for detecting overlapping sheets, a feed mechanism including such a detector and an apparatus including such a detector
A paper feed detector is disclosed for detecting when a plurality of overlapping sheets of paper occur in a transport path intended to transport paper to a first region. The paper feed detector includes a light source and an image forming arrangement adapted to form an image having a spatially varying intensity; and an image detector. An optical path from the light source to the image detector passes through the transport path. The image detector is adapted to assess degradation of the image to make an assessment of the number of sheets within the transport path. |
| US07950654B2 |
Film handling system with elongated film guide
A film handling system is described, including: a supply container for supporting a plurality of sheets of film; a film receiver; and a transport mechanism for retrieving a sheet of film from the supply container and transporting the sheet of film to the receiving mechanism, said transport mechanism comprising a vacuum head for adhering the sheet of film to the vacuum head; wherein the film receiver comprises a feed mechanism for conveying the sheet of film received by the film receiver, said feed mechanism including a sprocket for mating with at least one of a plurality of sprocket holes in the sheet of film transported by the transport mechanism. |
| US07950650B2 |
Feeding device and recording apparatus
A feeding device includes a mounting portion which mounts media thereon, a feeding roller which feeds the mounted media, an edge-guide which moves in a widthwise direction of the mounted media which traverses a feeding direction of the mounted media and aligns both sides of the mounted media, and a curve-imparting portion which imparts a curve to the mounted media in a direction which intersects a moving direction of the edge-guide. |
| US07950634B2 |
Linear filament compression and torsion spring
A spring including a wire having an elasticity by which the wire is compressible by an external force to a first position at which first and second ends thereof of are separated by a first distance and when the force is removed or an electrical current applied, the wire is extensible in response to an internal spring force to a second position at which the wire is substantially straight. A spring assembly is disclosed including a plurality of inventive wires cross-coupled with a support structure consisting of a plurality of coaxial rings. In the assembly, the wires extend parallel to an axis through a center of the rings. |
| US07950627B2 |
Fastener extraction tool
The hand tool is used to extract a fastener from a material by preferably gripping the fastener from a horizontal orientation. The hand tool has a head with two pivotally joined halves including at least one pair of gripping jaws. The tool head preferably includes tips that may be used to dig beneath a fastener head that is flush with or set below a surface. The tool includes a pair of handles operable to close the gripping jaws. The handles are preferably offset above the plane of the tool head such that they operate as a lever in cooperation with a fulcrum on the bottom of the tool head to extract the fastener. In one embodiment, the forward jaws of the tool have concave curved gripping surfaces. In one embodiment, the rearward jaws have non-complementary surfaces. |
| US07950625B2 |
Shut-off fitting
A shut-off instrument for a flow medium, in particular a slide valve instrument designed for pressurization on both sides with an instrument housing forming a flow channel and a slide valve chamber and with a soft-sealing shut-off element closing off the flow channel and with a slide valve stem which penetrates a seal arrangement and/or bearing arrangement in a housing neck extension delimiting the slide valve chamber and which is rotationally connected to a stem nut coupled to the shut-off element by a screw contact. The shut-off element is designed to include more than one part and at least one external dimension of the main body is slightly smaller than a nominal width of the flow channel and seal elements are arranged on opposite support surfaces of the main body via an engaged connection projecting over the external dimension with a peripheral edge collar. |
| US07950616B2 |
Form fitting connection between spindle and spindle holder of SLV gear
The invention relates to a holding device (5) of a seat slide drive for a motor vehicle, wherein the holding device (60) is designed as a metallic block, wherein the holding device (60) is provided with a through-bore (61), in which one end of the spindle (5) is placed and is held there by material (60z) of the holding device (60) pressed into the spindle thread (5a) as spindle (5). |
| US07950614B1 |
Medical equipment overhead mounting structure
A system for removable installation and nondestructive removal and reinstallation of a stationary mast from which to suspend equipment on articulated arms for point-of-need positioning thereof includes parallel headers extending in a first horizontal direction, each with fasteners adjustably movable along its top for releasable connection to building structure over the headers, for selective emplacement of the headers relative to the building structure. Cross members extending under the headers are releasably fastened to the headers for emplacement, stationary but variable, along the headers. A mast depends from the cross members to support articulated arms and medical equipments. |
| US07950612B2 |
Container device for a ladder
A container device having a paint receptacle allows a user to easily access paint with a brush while working on a ladder. The container device includes one or more fixed brackets for attachment to a desired ladder rung and a pivotable bracket to stabilize the container device on a lower ladder rung. The paint receptacle maintains the paint in a convenient manner during use and includes an interior wipe board for removing excess paint from a paint brush and a brush clamp for storing a paint brush when not in use. A lid and handle are also included for tightly sealing any remaining paint therein during transportation and storage. A fabric cover having a series of pockets can be placed on the lower portion of the container device for carrying various painting tools and accessories. |
| US07950602B2 |
Device and method for moving reels in an unwinder
Device for moving paper reels in an unwinder of the type in which a nearly empty reel (1) is moved along a predetermined path between more operating stations in each of which the reel (1) is free to rotate about its longitudinal axis. The device is disposed and acting between the said operating stations and comprises: a carriage (4) intended to support a nearly empty reel (1) and movable between said operating stations, the reel (1) being free to rotate about its longitudinal axis on the carriage (4); a structure (5) supporting said carriage (4); means for moving said carriage (4) between said operating stations; means for controlling said means for moving the carriage (4). |
| US07950601B2 |
Grinder
A grinder includes a generally vertical, rotatable shaft having at least one set of cutter blades driven thereby and a fan assembly mounted on the shaft below the cutter blades in position to receive output therefrom. The fan assembly includes a fan disc secured to the shaft and rotatable therewith. A plurality of fan blades are secured to the fan disc in a generally radial orientation. Each fan blade includes a bottom flange secured to a top surface of the fan disc, a web extending upwardly from the bottom flange and a top flange extending outwardly from the web in a direction of rotation of the fan disc. The fan blades are preferably moveably mounted to the fan disc such that the angle of the fan blades relative to a true radial orientation can be adjusted. |
| US07950597B2 |
Actuator for a receptacle having a pressurized content and method for spraying a pressurized content
The invention relates to an actuator (1) for a dispenser device for spraying contents of a receptacle that is pressurized or of a receptacle that has a pump, the actuator (1) comprising a channel connectable to a receptacle outlet (19) on one side of the actuator (1) for receiving the pressurized contents of the receptacle, said channel having an orifice (11) for spraying the contents on another side of the actuator (1), wherein the channel comprises a volume chamber, said orifice forming an outlet of the volume chamber (71), wherein the orifice (11) has a valve for opening and closing the orifice (11), the valve biased by at least biasing means in the closed position, and further comprising actuation means arranged to allow a flow of content from the receptacle into the channel and volume chamber (71). The invention is characterized in that the actuation means is coupled with the biasing means for attenuating the bias on the valve biasing the valve in the closed position, if the actuation means is actuated. |
| US07950595B2 |
Wicking apparatus for liquid droplet spray device
This wicking apparatus includes a liquid reservoir, a wick holder, and a wick.The wick holder has a top part for fitting on the reservoir neck and a bottom part for insertion into the reservoir opening, the top part being plate-formed with a central opening, and with two peripheral projections that are spaced apart and that extend downward from the plate towards the reservoir body, projections for contacting inner and outer walls of the reservoir neck, and a second projection for contacting an outer wall of the reservoir neck, the bottom part having wick supporting arms that extend downwards and have flexible end portions projecting inwardly towards the centre of the reservoir opening. The wick is step-shaped with a larger diameter part, and a smaller diameter part: the interface between them defines a shoulder which is supported and held in place by the flexible end portions of the supporting arms. |
| US07950592B2 |
Wholly wrapped railroad crosstie and its manufacturing method
A wholly wrapped railroad crosstie comprises an inner core and an outer casing that is made of deformable composite materials. The outer casing is molten and integrally united with and attached to the inner core as a whole when it is formed. The outer casing completely covers the inner core. There's no seam on the crosstie at all. So it successfully avoids the separation and friction of the crosstie. It greatly increases the reliability and service life of the crosstie, and reduces the cost of maintenance. |
| US07950591B2 |
Composite load bearing structure
A composite load bearing member is provided comprising an elongated inner structural member and a thick polymeric composite outer member. An apparatus for producing the composite load bearing member is provided including devices for suspending the inner structural member within a mold cavity prior to and during injection of the polymeric composite outer member. A method of using the apparatus to produce the composite load bearing member is provided. |
| US07950581B2 |
System and method of acquiring a machine-readable symbol
A system and method for acquiring a machine-readable symbol are disclosed. Briefly described, one embodiment comprises receiving at least one scan line of a codeword row, determining a number of codewords of the codeword row, and collapsing an initialization symbol matrix into a partially-collapsed machine-readable symbol matrix based upon the determined number of codewords. Once the number of rows in the machine-readable symbol are determined, the partially collapsed machine-readable symbol matrix is further collapsed to the determined number of codeword rows. |
| US07950579B2 |
System and method for evaluating inventory
A computer assisted method for evaluating inventory is provided. The method includes receiving case composition information and case cost information for a case at a store where the case composition information identifies an item of the case and the case cost information identifies cost of the case. An item cost of the item is calculated using the case composition information and case cost information and the item cost is stored in memory. Consumer code information is received for the item and the item cost of the item is retrieved. Inventory cost data is generated using the item cost. |
| US07950577B1 |
Apparatus, system and method for verifying authorized using an immigration customs visa card
The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus, system and method, and more particularly to an electronic immigration customs visa card, which includes biometric verification means for verifying a biometric identifier stored thereon used to uniquely identify the immigration customs visa cardholder. The system and method includes the electronic immigration customs visa card and a passport reader connected to a computer, where the computer is configured for verifying an individual's authorized entry at a country's port of entry by validating a reusable immigration customs visa card's compliance with at least one immigration protocol for obtaining access into a country. |
| US07950573B1 |
Data bearing record based capture and correlation of user image data at a card reading banking system machine
A banking system operates responsive to data read from data bearing records. Based on user data read by a card reader from a user card, a banking system machine can be used to carry out a transaction. Data read by the card reader is compared by a computer to data stored in an authorized machine user database. The banking system machine is operative to capture images of machine users. The captured user images can be stored in correlation with user transaction data in data bearing records. The banking system machine can produce markup language documents which include the data bearing records. The markup language documents can be communicated to a remote authorized analysis terminal. |
| US07950566B2 |
Method of welding heated log segments in an aluminum extrusion process
A method of processing heated metal logs in a metal extrusion process. The remainder of each log is attached to the succeeding log. Specifically, the abutted ends of the two log segments are aligned with a saw. The saw is actuated to simultaneously remove material from both of the abutted ends. The cut ends are friction welded together through relative rotation of the log segments. The process creates a heated log column that is effectively endless, eliminating log remainders. |
| US07950563B2 |
Apparatus and method for bearing a tool against a workpiece
An apparatus for bearing a tool against a workpiece includes: (a) a pneumatically driven motor unit rotating a drive shaft substantially about a longitudinal drive axis; (b) a process shaft coupled with the drive shaft for rotating the tool substantially about a longitudinal process axis; (c) a flywheel coupled with one shaft of the drive shaft and the process shaft; and (d) at least one urging unit coupled with at least one of the motor unit and the process shaft. The urging unit moves the tool with respect to the workpiece. The flywheel and the one shaft impart inertial rotational energy to the tool after the pneumatic motor achieves a predetermined rotational speed. |
| US07950557B2 |
Pneumatic tool with air duster
An air duster duct is formed to branch off at an intermediate portion along the length of an air duct which connects a compressed air supply source with a pneumatic tool. A valve mechanism having a selector valve and an operating device is provided at the branch portion. The sector valve can shift to a first position where the selector valve opens an upstream side duct which communicates with the air supply source to a downstream side duct which communicates with a nailing machine and shuts the upstream side duct relative to the air duster branch duct and a second position where the selector valve shuts the upstream side duct relative to the down stream side duct and opens the upstream side duct to the branch duct. The selector valve is operated from the outside by the operating device. |
| US07950555B1 |
Stackable desk-top tape dispenser and stapler
A stapler is stacked on top of a roll-type tape dispenser. The tape dispenser top surface and the stapler base bottom surface have complemental three dimensional contours which cause the tape dispenser and stapler longitudinal axes to be in parallel relationship when the surfaces are in abutment, prevent relative displacement of the tape dispenser and the stapler when they are stacked and permit the stapler to be dismounted from the tape dispenser and rested for separate use on a flat surface in a stable condition. |
| US07950554B2 |
Harness for firearm accessories
A harness 10 for supporting at least two firearm accessories from a wearer's belt includes a primary support 20, a belt latch 22 for removably connecting the primary support to the belt, and a curvilinear rail 16 secured to the primary support opposite the belt latch for positioning about the thigh of the user. The rail 16 may support a handgun holster 12 and one or more other firearm accessories 14 each spaced along the rail. A strap 30 is provided for removably connecting the rail to the thigh of the wearer. A harness may also support a rail directly from the wearer's belt. |
| US07950549B1 |
Powered dispenser with interchangeable cartridges
An electric or battery powered hand tool, which dispenses a wide variety of semi-soft materials. It is held in one hand and dispenses the material by pressing a pressure sensitive flow-control button. The power of the motor is adjustable, depending upon the consistency of the product to be dispensed. The dispenser features a quick-change cartridge system, which allows the user to quickly and easily change cartridges, which are pre-filled with the material of the user's choice, without having to clean out the barrel. The dispenser can be used in many applications such as cake decorating, craft applications, woodworking and construction. |
| US07950545B1 |
Drinking vessels with sensory enhancers
A drinking vessel having one or more sensory enhancing features disposed within a circumferential region in close proximity of the rim of the drinking vessel, such as a wine glass, is provided. The sensory enhancing features are located on the vessel near the rim at such a location that, when a user places the vessel or glass to his or her mouth, the sensory enhancing features of the present invention first contact the sensitive nerve endings on the user's tongue. The designs are etched into or raised from the surface of the vessel and placed where the touch sensitive nerve endings on the tongue can be stimulated. Thus, the sensitive nerve endings on the tongue are stimulated such that a sense of touch is enhanced, and further the flow of saliva is also stimulated to enhance the sense of taste. |
| US07950542B2 |
Recessed opening assembly apparatus
The present disclosure is directed to a beverage container having an opening assembly apparatus and method having an advanced design for sealing the contents within the container after opening. The opening assembly includes a lid having a top and bottom side, the lid being attached to a receptacle for containing the beverage contents, and a recess located about the top side of the lid for facilitating the filling of the receptacle. An aperture is located about the recess and projecting from the aperture is an undulating flange on the bottom side of the lid. A closure member coactively engaging the aperture and recess to provide a sealing engagement by inserting a first portion of the closure member into the recess and a second portion of the closure member into the aperture and rotating the closure member from an opened position to a closed position. The closure member includes a breakable seal for providing security that the container is tamper free. |
| US07950540B2 |
Apparatus for securing tubes
An apparatus for securing containers for receiving and preserving biological specimens comprising a plug that comprises at least one connecting means such that, after interlocking with the apparatus, access to contents of the apparatus necessarily brings about a physical transformation that is irreversible and can be ascertained by the naked eye of the container, and not of the plug, which physical transformation consists, e.g., but not necessarily, of a rupture or a tear of this means. |
| US07950537B1 |
Ventilated shelf divider
A ventilated shelf divider comprises a downwardly opening frame assembly including laterally diverging wire walls that are releasably mountable to laterally spaced shelf wires. Each of the wire walls includes a plurality of spaced legs that extending to couplers for gripping the shelf wires. The legs may be manually moved towards one another and positioned between the shelf wires, and, upon release, the legs bias the couplers into gripping engagement with the shelf wires. |
| US07950535B1 |
Skateboard deck display system
A skateboard deck display system for efficiently displaying one or more skateboard decks. The skateboard deck display system generally includes a support base, a plurality of support members extending from the support base and aligned with the deck holes of a skateboard deck, and a plurality of T-nuts connected to the distal portion of the support members with an elongated portion of the T-nuts extending through the deck holes of the skateboard deck. |
| US07950534B2 |
Hand tool rack
A hand tool rack has an elongated base bracket and multiple clamping elements. The base bracket has a baseboard and a rail bracket. The rail bracket is formed on and protrudes from the baseboard. The clamping elements are movably mounted on the rail bracket and each clamping element has a clamping arm and a tool mount. The clamping arm is slidably mounted and clamps on the rail bracket and has two holders. The tool mount is formed on and protrudes from the clamping arm and has a tool hole, a mounting slit and two recesses. The tool hole is formed through an upper surface and a lower surface of the tool mount. The mounting slit is formed through the upper surface, a front surface and the lower surface of the tool mount and communicates with the tool hole. The recesses are respectively formed in the sidewalls of the tool mount. |
| US07950529B2 |
Separation membrane made from blends of polyimides with polyimidazoles
A membrane for fluid separation made of a blend of at least a polyimide polymer and a polyimidazole polymer. |
| US07950524B2 |
Wafer container having the purging valve
A wafer container includes a container body, a door, and a purging valve, wherein the purging valve is disposed in the through hole of the container body. The purging valve includes a fixed sleeve body, a purging head, an elastic component, and a valve lid. The fixed sleeve body comprises a base, and a lower opening is formed at the center of the base for the purging head to be disposed therein. The purging head comprises a bottom portion and a hollow sleeve portion protruding upward from the bottom portion, wherein the hollow sleeve portion is surroundingly disposed with elastic component and with vent disposed on its circumference wall. The valve lid is disposed on top of the hollow sleeve portion so that the purging head can move from the first position to the second position inside the fixed sleeve body when being propped up by an upward force. |
| US07950522B2 |
Customizable package for feminine hygiene articles
A package for feminine hygiene articles. The package includes a refillable cabinet having a front, a back, a top, a bottom, a first side, a second side, and a frame, the frame forming at least one feminine hygiene storage cavity having a frontward facing opening, and a plurality of replaceable drawers each containing a plurality of feminine hygiene articles and being slidingly installed within the feminine hygiene storage cavity. |
| US07950513B2 |
Coin drop mechanism
A coin drop mechanism comprises a support member movably connected to a channel member. A contoured channel configured to receive at least one coin is formed on at least one of the members and defines a coin slot when the members are in contact with each other. The channel is configured to guide the at least one coin to a desired location aligned with an actuator opening on the members. The mechanism further comprises an actuator. The actuator comprises a actuation member configured to travel through the actuator opening, engage the at least one coin against a surface of the channel member, and displace the channel member relative to the support member causing a selected product to be dispensed from a product receptacle. |
| US07950512B2 |
Transportation withdrawal and inventory verification of cash handling device
A system and method for automatically conducting an inventory verification of a cash recycler are disclosed. Upon receiving an indication of a malfunction or other service issue, the cash recycler will automatically conduct an inventory verification of the cash storage portion of the cash recycler upon completion of the repair of the malfunction or service issue. In some arrangements, the automatic inventory verification will occur at regularly scheduled intervals. In still other arrangements, an upcoming transport of funds will initiate a transfer of funds from a storage region to a transport region. The cash recycler will automatically rebalance funds in the storage region upon completion of the transfer. |
| US07950511B2 |
Vehicle seat with a device for a seat height adjustment mechanism thereof, and device for seat height adjustment mechanism of a vehicle seat
The invention relates to a device for a seat height adjustment mechanism of a vehicle seat, comprising a drive element which can be driven in opposite directions of rotation, and a driven element which can be driven by means of this drive element, and also comprising two unilaterally acting freewheels which are arranged between this drive element and this driven element and are connected to run in opposite directions, and of which in each case one can be brought out of engagement by means of an unlocking device, and further comprising a restoring device, by means of which the drive element can automatically be brought back into the neutral position when it is deflected out of its neutral position, wherein, in order to allow a fine adjustability of the driven element driven by the drive element, the pivotability of the drive element is limited by means of two stops. |
| US07950497B2 |
Ladder stabilising device
The invention relates to a device 10 for stabilising ladders 60 that bridge a floor 70 and an elevated structure, such as an elevated floor 70 in a multi-storey construction. The device 70 includes a body that is fixable to the elevated structure and an arm 50 extending from the body. The arm 50 has a tab 52 which engages a beam 64 of the ladder 60 when the ladder 60 is abutting an edge 40 of the body. In this arrangement, outward sliding movement of a heel of the ladder is prevented and thus the ladder 60 is stabilised. |
| US07950496B2 |
Safety line traveller and support
A support for a safety line of a fall arrest system includes a support section having a tube through which the safety line extends, an arm for attachment to a structure, an arm that is narrower than the support and that mounts the tube on the attachment, and at least one guide surface for rotating a traveller on the safety line for movement past the support. |
| US07950495B2 |
Steering system and method for adapting return torque relative to hand wheel speed
A method for generating a return torque signal in an electric servo steering system of a vehicle, including the steps of: determining a current steering wheel position; determining a current vehicle speed; generating a return torque signal as a function of the steering wheel position and the vehicle speed; determining a current speed of steering wheel rotation; determining a scaling factor dependent on the speed of steering wheel rotation; and multiplying the return torque signal by the scaling factor in order to obtain a modified return torque signal. Also, a servo steering system which is designed to carry out such a method. |
| US07950494B2 |
Torque detecting device and electric power steering apparatus using the same
There is provided a torque detecting device including: magnetic flux concentrating rings which locate on a magnetic circuit forming member provided in a rotating body to which a torque is exerted, the rings concentrating a magnetic flux generated by the member; a detecting part which detects the torque to the rotating body based on a density of the magnetic flux concentrated by the rings; and a holding ring which holds the magnetic flux concentrating rings and the detecting part and includes an attachment portion attaching to a stationary substance, on a circumference of the holding ring. Both end faces of the holding ring in an axial direction of the holding ring are substantially parallel. The attachment portion includes a fitting groove into which a sealing ring, which seals a gap between the attachment portion and the stationary substance, fits. |
| US07950492B2 |
Wiper control arrangement
An operator's station for a machine having at least two stations comprises a seat mounted to swivel between at least a first position and a second position, at least first and second windshield portions disposed generally opposed or at an angle to one another and generally corresponding to the first and second positions, and at least first and second windshield wipers movably mounted to selectively sweep the first and second windshield portions, respectively. At least one control device selectively renders the first windshield wiper selectively operable when the seat is disposed in the first position and inoperable when the seat is disposed in the second position. |
| US07950491B2 |
Saddle-ride type four-wheeled vehicle
A saddle-ride type four-wheeled vehicle has a structure that ensures a sufficient clearance between a shock absorber and a front rod of an upper arm supporting front wheels, and also achieves satisfactory frame strength. The body frame of the saddle-ride type four-wheeled vehicle includes a lower frame extending below an engine to the rear of the vehicle. The body frame includes a front frame which is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy and located above the lower frame. In the front frame, pairs of arm-supporting portions which are spaced away from each other in a front-rear direction and support the front rods and a rear rods of the upper arms, and shock-absorber-supporting portions which are situated above the arm-supporting portions and support upper ends of the shock absorbers, are provided. The front frame has, at a forefront of the front frame, an extending portion extending obliquely upward and rearward from a lower end of the extending portion connected to the lower frame. In the extending portion, front arm-supporting portions and the shock-absorber-supporting portions are provided. |
| US07950489B2 |
Safety interlock system for left foot operated accelerator control devices
A safety interlock system for left foot operated vehicle accelerator control systems is disclosed which permits a left foot operated accelerator control system to be immobilized so that it cannot be activated unintentionally or accidentally by an individual operator who is not familiar with a vehicle so equipped. The safety interlock system may be selectively activated by the vehicle operator manually directly by mechanical means or remotely by means of a switch-controlled hydraulic, pneumatic or electrical activator. An indicator system is provided which indicates the status of the safety interlock system to the vehicle operator. |
| US07950484B2 |
Electrically driven wheel and vehicle
An electrically driven wheel includes a wheel disc and a wheel hub; an in-wheel motor mounted within the wheel disc to drive the wheel disc and the wheel hub or to be driven by the wheel disc and the wheel hub; a brake rotor and a brake caliper suppressing rotation of the wheel disc and the wheel hub while a vehicle is moving; and a parking lock mechanism provided in the in-wheel motor separately from a brake mechanism formed of the brake rotor and the brake caliper. The parking lock mechanism is a band-type brake frictionally engaging a planetary carrier serving as an “output portion” of a “reduction mechanism”. |
| US07950474B2 |
Dual stripper rubber cartridge with leak detection
A method to detect leaks in a rotating control device includes positioning a leak detection device in communication with a chamber located between an upper sealing element and a lower sealing element of the rotating control device, and signaling with the leak detection device when a pressure of the chamber exceeds a selected critical pressure. |
| US07950472B2 |
Downhole local mud weight measurement near bit
A method for detecting a change in a wellbore fluid includes estimating at least two pressure differences in the wellbore fluid and estimating a change in a density of the fluid using the at least two pressure differences. The density change may be estimated by the equation, Δρ=(ΔPbefore—influx−ΔPafter—influx)/(g×ΔTVD), wherein ΔP is a fluid pressure difference between two points along the wellbore, ρ is a mean value of density of the fluid between the two points, g is gravity and ΔTVD is a vertical distance between the two points. The method may include estimating a density change using an estimated inclination of the wellbore. An apparatus for estimating density changes includes at least two axially spaced apart pressure sensors. The sensor positions may be switched to estimate a correction term to reduce a relative offset between the two pressure sensors. |
| US07950470B2 |
Mechanical tee post driver
A mechanical fence post driver for attachment to a lift arm of a standard front-loader which includes a mounting plate, guide tube, and roller latch assembly. The guide tube receives a tee or other fence post inserted therein such that it contacts the mounting plate. The fence post is held in place by a roller latch assembly which compresses the post against the rearward side of the guide tube. Insertion of the fence post into the ground is accomplished by lowering the lift arm while the post is held within the guide cylinder. A rotation plate assembly may be positioned between the mounting plate and guide cylinder to provide a convenient mechanism to rotate the guide cylinder in relation to the mounting plate. |
| US07950466B2 |
Wellhead system and connector for wellheads
A wellhead system, connector, and method of assembling a wellhead system. The connector includes a member having a set of left-hand threads and a set of right-hand threads on its interior surface. The connector provides a quick connection to threads on wellhead components such as a tubing head and a casing head. |
| US07950465B2 |
System for dewatering boreholes by means of alternative cycles of vacuum and exhaust, based on the principle of pneumatic displacement
A system of de-watering boreholes by alternating cycles of aspiration and expulsion based on pneumatic displacement, includes a double hose to be introduced into a borehole. The double hose includes a flexible outer hose and a flexible inner hose separated by an annular space therebetween, the double hose adapted to reach a full depth of the borehole. The outer hose has an outer diameter less than a diameter of the borehole to provide an annular clearance between the borehole and the outer hose. An upper closing element is connected to an upper end of the double hose outside of the borehole, and has two outlets which permit entry and exit of air and water. A lower closing element is attached to the double hose at a lower end thereof, and includes a foot valve, a filter, and a protective element to serve as a battering ram. |
| US07950459B2 |
Using a biphasic solution as a recyclable coiled tubing cleanout fluid
Methods and apparatus for forming a fluid for use within in a subterranean formation including combining a partitioning agent and viscosifying polymer into a fluid, introducing the fluid into the subterranean formation, and recovering at least a portion of the fluid at a uppermost surface of the subterranean formation. Methods and apparatus of forming a fluid for use within in a subterranean formation including combining a partitioning agent and viscosifying polymer into a fluid, introducing the fluid into the subterranean formation at a temperature of about 45° C. or higher, and recovering at least a portion of the fluid at a uppermost surface of the subterranean formation at a temperature of about 45° C. or lower. |
| US07950458B2 |
Drilling, completing and stimulating a hydrocarbon production well
An apparatus and method for drilling a well in a heavy oil or bitumen reservoir for in situ recovery of heavy oil and bitumen is provided. More particularly, an apparatus and method for drilling, completing and/or stimulating a heavy oil or bitumen well in a heavy oil or bitumen reservoir is provided, comprising: providing a concentric drill string having an inner tube and an outer tube defining an annulus therebetween, the outer tube further having a plurality of slots sealed with a temporary filler material; drilling a borehole into the reservoir using a drilling member connected at the lower end of the concentric drill string and delivering drilling medium through one of the annulus or inner tube and extracting the exhaust drilling medium through the other of the annulus or inner tube; leaving the concentric drill string in the well after drilling of the borehole is completed; and removing the temporary filler material to expose the plurality of slots in the outer tube and form a slotted liner. |
| US07950452B2 |
Anti-fouling system for offshore drilling structures
An anti-fouling system for offshore drilling structures which injects metallic ions into seawater pumping systems. An ion generator may be positioned at various positions including the strainer basket of one or more of the seawater pumps or at various positions in the system. As well, ion generators may be skid mounted and/or otherwise centrally located and connected by controllable valves to various treated water injection points, whereby the flow rates are determined and ion concentrations are maintained at desired levels throughout the system, regardless of different pumping rates. |
| US07950449B2 |
Stress and torque reducing tool
A stress and torque reducing tool has a plunger that reciprocates inside of a body. The tool is connected between the pump and the sucker rod string and reduces stress transmitted therebetween. The body and plunger have longitudinally extending surfaces located at the plunger upper end portion, which surfaces cooperate and limit rotation of the body with respect to the plunger. An upper fluid port is located in an upper end of the body, while one or more lower fluid ports are located in a lower end of the body. |
| US07950448B2 |
Combined FTC support system
A combined system for treating an oil or gas well is provided which includes a truck, having a truck bed attached thereto and a fracturing support unit and an iron skid mounted on the truck bed. The fracturing support unit includes well head control equipment, and the iron skid includes a manifold having an arrangement of valves for controlling the flow of fluid to the well. The iron skid may be advantageously articulated off the truck bed and onto the ground for unloading the iron components used to treat the well. |
| US07950447B2 |
Heat dissipation module
A heat dissipation module includes a cooling base, at least a guide heat pipe and a cooling fin set. The cooling base provides at least a circular recess and at least a receiving groove. The guide heat pipe is placed in the circular recess. The cooling fin set is joined to the cooling base and provides a lower folding side at each cooling fin thereof and the folding side has at least a concave upward portion corresponding to the circular recess. The receiving groove is disposed at two end sides of the circular recess for receiving solder, soldering paste, solder club or bonding agent. Therefore, when the cooling fin set and the guide heat pipe are joined to the cooling base, the receiving groove is capable of speeding up the joint and preventing abnormal phenomena such as incomplete soldering, creating clearance and excessive solder. |
| US07950442B2 |
Die casting design method and software
A method for designing the location, surface temperature, flow rate, length and type of cooling lines within a mold for a casting process. The method allows the user to optimize each value for each individual cooling line of the mold. The method can utilize one or more parameters of the casting process and the heat load to be carried by each of the cooling lines in designing the mold. |
| US07950438B2 |
Doorway screening apparatus
A screen closure for a garage doorway has a plurality of screened panels movable from an elevated, stored position in which such panels are side-by-side to an extended, operative position in which the panels extend vertically a distance sufficient to close the doorway. Those panels which are at eye level and below when the panels are in their extended position are substantially coplanar. |
| US07950437B2 |
Window covering
A window covering is disclosed that includes a first rail, window covering material adjacent the first rail, at least one lift cord extending through the window covering material to the headrail, a plurality of pulleys positioned adjacent the first rail, at least one spring motor adjacent the first rail, at least one spring motor cord extending from the one or more spring motors and a rigid connector attached to one or more spring motor cords and one or more lift cords. The connector and one or more spring motor cords are configured to pass along at least one of the pulleys during movement along a cord path defined by one or more of the pulleys. The connector should have a length that is not greater than ⅙ of the circumference of at least one of the pulleys the connector passes over during extension of the window covering material. |
| US07950436B1 |
Room darkening system and method
A room darkening screen apparatus includes a shade roll. A shade with a first end and a second end is provided wherein the first end is connected with the shade roll and the second end is connected with a bottom bar. A header is connected with the shade roll and a folding rod is connected with the header such that the folding rod, when released from the header, folds the shade. |
| US07950426B2 |
Tread blocks having reduced edge stiffness
A tire comprising a circumferential tread including at least one tread block having at least one edge. The tread block includes at least one void provided therein not more than about 4 millimeters from the edge of the tread block. Exemplary voids include sipes, such as one-end open sipes, two-end open sipes, and internal sipes, and cutouts, such as internal cut-outs and edge cut-outs. |
| US07950419B2 |
Condensate draining pipe for a heating, ventilating and/or air conditioning system and method for assembling a condensate draining pipe
A condensate draining pipe is provided for a heating system, a ventilating system, and/or an air conditioning (HVAC) system that includes, but is not limited to a condensate feed portion and a condensate drain portion. The condensate feed portion and the condensate drain portion are connectable to one another by a press-fit coupling assembly comprising an O-ring seal. |
| US07950410B2 |
Gate valve with replaceable inserts and method of refurbishing same
A gate valve includes a valve body having a cylindrical passage defining a flow path through the valve, a gate for controlling fluid flow through the valve and a replaceable wear-resistant flow-path liner for in the flow path. The flow-path liner includes a plurality of replaceable wear-resistant inserts, including wear sleeves lining ports of the valve body, valve seats and a gate insert for a flow path bore through the gate. Each replaceable valve seat has a wiper ring for cleaning the gate when it opens and closes. By regularly inspecting and replacing worn-out inserts, the service life of the gate valve can be prolonged and the expense associated with replacing or rebuilding the valve body is avoided. |
| US07950409B2 |
Rupture disc assembly that withstands much higher back pressures than actuation pressure
An activation rupture disc unit is provided that is capable of withstanding a substantially higher back pressure than its burst activation pressure. The unit includes a tubular housing having a fluid passage. Tapered wall structure defines at least a portion of the passage with the fluid outlet thereof being of greater area than the fluid inlet. A rupture disc is carried by the housing and has a central bulged section in fluid-blocking relationship to the passage. A tapered, self-releasing solid plug is positioned in and conforms to the tapered portion of the passage. The plug has a curved surface conforming to and positioned in full supporting relationship to the central section of the rupture disc. The plug is of sufficient mass to prevent rupture of the central section of the disc under a back pressure substantially greater than the activation pressure of the disc. |
| US07950408B2 |
Pressure relief vent devices
A pressure relief device is disclosed that is designed to open in response to a pre-determined pressure differential. The pressure relief device includes a panel member, and at least one release mechanism. The release mechanism has a first end, a failure portion configured to fail upon experiencing a predetermined load, and a second end. The at least one release mechanism is configured to hold the panel member against a frame prior to experiencing the predetermined pressure differential. |
| US07950402B1 |
Contoured eye shadow applicator system and make-up method
An applicator system for applying eye shadow is provided that includes flexible body, which may be a bundle of bristles, having a proximal end secured to a handle, and a distal end having a concave shape that is substantially complementary to a portion of a closed eye lid. The concave shape is asymmetrical so that one end of the bristle bundle extends farther out than the other end to facilitate the application of make-up under the brow region and in the corners of the eye area. Eye make-up is preferably applied to the concave brush by a convex-shaped pad of eye shadow in the shape of a cylindrical section having a convex profile that is complementary in shape to the concave profile of the distal end of the bristle bundle. |
| US07950391B2 |
Dispenser and dosing subassembly for dosing of a medium
A dispenser for a liquid or pulverulent, in particular a pharmaceutical medium with a medium reservoir, is provided for single-handed operation. The dispenser includes a dosing opening and is bounded in some sections by wall sections of flexible design, and by a dimensionally stable holding plate, which is provided as a handle for the application of actuating forces to the medium reservoir. |
| US07950390B2 |
Packaging and delivery of pharmaceuticals and drugs
A blister pack for use with inhalation therapy inhalers comprises an elongate bottom element having an overlying top element defining a plurality of spaced top crowned areas containing powder or liquid medications or drugs. |
| US07950389B2 |
Inhaler
An inhaler (1) is disclosed. It comprises a housing (2) to receive a strip (6) of blisters (6a) each having a puncturable lid (6c) and containing a dose of medicament for inhalation by a user, a mouthpiece through which a dose of medicament is inhaled by a user and, an actuator (3) operable to sequentially move each blister into alignment with a blister piercing member (7, 9). The actuator is also operable to cause the blister piercing element to puncture the lid of a blister such that, when a user inhales through the mouthpiece, an airflow through the blister is generated to entrain the dose contained therein and carry it but of the blister and via the mouthpiece into the user's airway. |
| US07950385B2 |
Disposable warmer and bag member for the same
A disposable warmer of the present invention has a bag including a bag member (A) and a bag member (B); a heater; a heat-sealed portion where the bag member (A) and the bag member (B) are heat-sealed; and a portion with the heater sealed therein. The bag members (A) and (B) are heat-sealed with each other to form the bag, the bag member (A) includes at least a layered structure with a porous film and a nonwoven fabric layer, and the bag member (B) includes at least another layered structure with a stretchable film and another nonwoven fabric layer. The disposable warmer comprises two or more of the portions with the heaters sealed therein independently, and a slit in at least the porous film constituting the bag member (A) of the bag members (A) and (B) in at least one region between the adjacent portions with the heaters sealed therein. |
| US07950384B2 |
Dual gas compatible cooking appliance
Cooking appliance having an external and control panel equipped with one or more regulating valves, where the rotary regulator organ is equipped with various peripheral openings for supplying a flow Q. According to two embodiments of the cooking appliance, for the supply of one or another type of gas, NG or LPG, either the control knob or a bezel disk in the external panel are interchangeable on the appliance, being chosen between two different available units, one and the other permitting two different angular position limits A2, A3 of the regulator organ for the supply of a constant flow Qmin through one or another opening with calibrated sections, respectively for NG or LP gas. An appendix in the control knob guided in a slide groove on the control panel of the appliance, or a tongue on the bezel disk stopping the rotation of the control knob, determines the travel limit A2 for the supply of Qmin of NG. |
| US07950383B2 |
Ventilating kitchen range subframe
A kitchen range subframe includes air channels for passively directing air to and/or from an element enclosure within the kitchen range, and a range component shelf that is configured to mount one or more range components to the kitchen range subframe. The kitchen range subframe provides improved ventilation for the kitchen range, and mounting locations for range components such as gas lines and kitchen range controls. |
| US07950381B2 |
Magazine ejector structure for air gun
A magazine has a magazine body provided with a rotary clip, and the magazine body comprises an ejector member capable of movement, an ejector elastic member provided on the ejector member and being capable of expansion and contraction, and an engagement indent section capable of being engaged with a magazine catch at the time of loading the magazine into the air gun body, and the air gun body has a magazine ejector structure with the magazine catch that is urged by a catch elastic member to the magazine holding section and capable of engaging with the engagement indent section of the magazine, and a stopper that is capable of pressing part of the ejector member. |
| US07950374B2 |
Device for supplying fuel to an energy producing installation of a ship
A device for supplying fuel from an onboard energy producing installation on a ship transporting liquefied gas from at least one tank (2) of liquefied gas of said ship, comprising a pump (20) arranged in the bottom of the tank and a reservoir (23) arranged in the tank around the pump and designed to maintain a suction of the pump in a submerged state, characterized in that it comprises a liquid ejector (12) arranged in the tank so as to be able to suction the liquefied gas at the bottom of the tank, and a liquid circuit (21, 22, 24, 250) connecting an outlet of the pump to an inlet of the ejector, on one hand, and an outlet of the ejector to the reservoir, on the other hand. |
| US07950369B2 |
Internal combustion engine controlling apparatus
In a predetermined low-temperature startup state (in a rich atmosphere), in principle, over-advanced ignition control for advancing ignition timing beyond MBT and intake-synchronized injection control for causing the entire amount of to-be-injected fuel to undergo intake-synchronized injection are executed. Thus, the peak of intra-cylinder temperature increases, and the amount of port-adhering fuel decreases, whereby the emission amount of unburnt HC can be reduced. However, when the PM emission amount exceeds a PM permissible amount, instead of the intake-synchronized injection control, there is performed processing for causing a portion of the to-be-injected fuel to undergo intake-unsynchronized injection and causing the remaining fuel to undergo intake-synchronized injection. Thus, the amount of intra-cylinder-adhering fuel decreases, and the partial oxidation reaction of the intra-cylinder-adhering fuel, which is a cause of generation of PM, is suppressed. As a result, the PM emission amount decreases, whereby the PM emission amount can be suppressed to the PM permissible amount. |
| US07950366B2 |
Engine control system
An engine control device includes a governor lever, a centrifugal governor, a control lever operated to oscillate between a low-speed position and a high-speed position, and a governor spring expandedly provided between the control lever and the governor lever. An automatic choke device is connected to a choke valve of a carburetor. A play is provided between the governor lever and the governor spring. The play holds the governor spring in a free state during rotation of the control lever from the low-speed position to the high-speed position by a predetermined angle. A subsidiary spring is provided between a fixed structure and the governor lever so as to constantly urge the governor lever in a direction to open the throttle valve. A spring constant of the subsidiary spring is smaller than that of the governor spring. Thus, there is provided the engine control system with the automatic choke device, which can meticulously control an air/fuel ratio from start of an engine to under-load operation of the engine in accordance with increase and decrease in temperature of the engine. |
| US07950364B2 |
Prechamber for a gas engine
The invention relates to a device for a prechamber unit (10) of a gas engine, comprising a prechamber unit (10) in the form of an elongated body (12) arranged to be placed in an upper part of the engine's cylinder, and where the elongated body (12) comprises a prechamber gas valve (20) and an ignition means (22) arranged side by side, and one or more channels (24) for supply of fuel gas via the prechamber gas valve (20) to a prechamber (26) in a lower part of the elongated body (12). Said prechamber (26) comprises further in the axial direction, an elongated cavity (28) with nozzles (30) placed at the end for supply of ignited fuel gas to the engine's cylinder with the help of the ignition means (22). The elongated cavity (28) in the prechamber (26) is divided into several connected, and in cross-section, graduated or tapered cavities (28a, 28b, 28c), where an uppermost cavity (28a) is widest in the cross-sectional direction and a bottom cavity (28c) is narrowest in the cross-sectional direction. |
| US07950363B2 |
Air inlet system for internal combustion engine
An air inlet system for an internal combustion engine includes an air inlet duct for drawing charge air into a charge air processor, and an intake manifold system leading from the charge air processor to the power cylinders of the engine. A resonator which suppresses pressure pulses within the inlet duct is mounted to the intake manifold system, but fluidically connected to the air inlet duct, and not to the intake manifold system. |
| US07950349B1 |
Avian egg fertility and gender detection
Following exposure to an external light source, determining: 1) the fertility of an avian egg by measuring the photon intensity (photons per second) of the egg's biophoton and luminescence; and 2) the gender of an avian egg by measuring the photon spectrum of the egg's biophoton emission and luminescence. The external light source is either an incandescent, fluorescent, LED, (pulsed or continuous wave) monochromatic or dichromatic laser light source. The detector of the photon intensity is either a low light sensing photomultiplier tube (PMT), silicon based photon counting sensor, or Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode detector. The detector of the photon spectrum is a spectrometer. Following exposure to the referenced light sources, fertile avian eggs will exhibit a higher intensity of photons than that of unfertilized avian eggs, and avian eggs of the female gender will emit a different spectrum of photons than will avian eggs of the male gender. |
| US07950348B2 |
Substrate processing apparatus and semiconductor device producing method
A substrate processing apparatus is provided with a reaction chamber (201), a substrate rotating mechanism (267) for rotating a wafer (200), and a gas supplying part for supplying the wafer (200) with gas. At least two types of gases A and B are alternately supplied a plurality of times, and a desired film is formed on the wafer (200). A control part (321) is provided to control a rotation cycle of the wafer (200) so as not to synchronize a gas supply cycle, which is prescribed by a period between a time when the gas A is flowed and a time when the gas A is flowed subsequently, with the rotation cycle of the wafer (200), at least for a time the alternate gas supply is performed prescribed times. The thickness uniformity of a film formed by an ALD method within the substrate plane is prevented from deteriorating. |
| US07950347B2 |
Rotatable device for holding a substrate
The invention provides a rotatable and optionally heatable device for holding a flat substrate. The device includes a supporting means for placing and holding the substrate on a supporting surface, optionally a heater, a means for rotating the supporting means and a means for applying a fluid, e.g. a solvent, onto the side of the substrate facing the supporting surface. The fluid is applied when the supporting device for supporting and holding the substrate is caused to rotate. |
| US07950345B2 |
Dispenser for liquid crystal display panel and dispensing method using the same
A dispenser for a liquid crystal display panel includes a substrate on which a plurality of image display parts is formed, a table on which the substrate is loaded, a plurality of syringes for dispensing a material on the substrate, and a plurality of supports aligning and affixing the plurality of syringes, wherein at least a first predetermined number of the plurality of syringes is affixed and aligned to at least one of the plurality of supports. |
| US07950344B2 |
Head unit, a droplet ejection apparatus, a method of manufacturing a panel from a base, an image display apparatus and an electronic apparatus
A head unit 103 for use in a droplet ejection apparatus is provided with a plurality of droplet ejection heads for ejecting some kinds of liquid materials each having a predetermined color onto a base in the form of droplets. Each of the droplet ejection heads includes at least one nozzle array constituted from a plurality of nozzles linearly aligned. The some kinds of liquid materials are adapted to be ejected through the plurality of nozzles of the plurality of droplet ejection heads in the form of droplets. The plurality of droplet ejection heads include at least two sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads which are arranged in a consecutive manner in a first direction parallel to each of the nozzle arrays. The two adjacent nozzle arrays of each of the at least two sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads are arranged so that the nozzles thereof are consecutive via a seam between the two adjacent nozzle arrays of the two adjacent droplet ejection heads when viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. All the sets of two adjacent droplet ejection heads for ejecting the droplets of the some kinds of liquid materials are arranged so that all the seams thereof are shifted with respect to each other in the first direction when viewed from the second direction. |
| US07950343B2 |
Printer with a vibrating tray
A printer includes a driving station. The driving station includes a pair of pinch rollers between which print media can be fed. A printing station is configured to print upon the fed print media. An adhesive application station is configured to apply adhesive to the printed print media. A tray assembly includes a tray in which the printed print media can collect in a stack, and a vibrator configured to vibrate the tray. |
| US07950340B1 |
Pontoon boat
A pontoon boat having enhanced handling characteristics includes a deck, a central pontoon mounted to said deck, two outer pontoons mounted to said deck on respective opposite sides of said central pontoon, and a motor, wherein the central pontoon extends below the outer pontoons to create a V-shaped hull, and the motor is capable of causing said center and outer pontoons to plane during normal operation. |
| US07950336B2 |
Table assembly, jointed table, and method of creating a clean interstice
This disclosure relates to a table assembly, a jointed table, and a method of creating a clean interstice between adjacent tables. More particularly, this disclosure relates to the use of both male and female support connectors where the male connector includes a junction plate and the female connector includes a spacer and a holder plate to create a female connector space. In another embodiment, silicone joints and industrial grade stainless steel plate are used. A method of creating a clean joint by depositing silicone in an interstice between adjacent tables is also disclosed. |
| US07950335B1 |
Utility tray for tripod
A removable tray assembly is disclosed for use with a tripod or easel. The tray assembly includes a shelf having a back edge, a front edge, and two side edges. The tray assembly also includes a pair of support tabs spaced from the back edge of the shelf by respective slots. The removable tray is attached to two legs of the tripod, with one leg passing through each slot. The support tabs contact the side of the tripod legs opposite the shelf and thereby support the shelf in a cantilever fashion. |
| US07950327B2 |
Stamping device and a media processing device
A stamping device comprising a stamp, a drive mechanism for moving the stamp between a printing position and a standby position, and a return urging member that urges the stamp towards the standby position in order to return the stamp to the standby position if the drive mechanism becomes inoperable. |
| US07950325B2 |
Trash compactor
A side loading trash compactor, comprising a frame defining a cavity, a receptacle for containing trash, a platen movable to compress trash collected in the receptacle, a first set of linkages having a first end attached to the frame by a first simple hinge joint, the first simple hinge joint having an axis of rotation, and a second end attached to the platen by a second simple hinge joint, a second set of linkages having a first end attached to the frame by a third simple hinge joint, and a second end attached to the platen by a fourth simple hinge joint, and a drive mechanism configured to move the plate up and down, wherein the first and second set of linkages operate in intersecting planes. |
| US07950322B2 |
Plunger assembly
A plunger assembly including a pony rod adapter, a plunger releasably attached to the pony rod adapter, and a pony rod being releasably attached to the pony rod adapter. The pony rod adapter has a first cylindrical body and a number of apertures penetrating the first cylindrical body for receiving a lever. A first helically threaded pin is affixed to the first cylindrical body and projects from one of its ends. A second helically threaded pin is affixed to the first cylindrical body and projects from the other of its ends. The plunger has a second cylindrical body for reciprocating within a pumping chamber. The second cylindrical body has a first outer end with a first helically threaded bore for threadably receiving the first helically threaded pin. The second cylindrical body also has a first inner end with a polygonal socket for receiving a plunger key. The pony rod has a third cylindrical body for reciprocating into, and out of, the power end of a pump. The third cylindrical body has a second inner end with a second helically threaded bore for threadably receiving the second helically threaded pin. The third cylindrical body also has a second outer end. A peripheral flange is affixed to, and extends outwardly from, the second outer end. The peripheral flange is provided with a number of holes through which an equal number of threaded fasteners are extended for connecting the pony rod to the power end of a pump. |
| US07950318B2 |
Driver for a twin cutting device with counter-rotating blades
The invention relates to a driver (1) for a twin cutting device (2), which comprises a first blade (4), which is non-rotatably arranged on a drive shaft (11) to be rotated about an axis of rotation (r) in a first direction, and a second blade (3), which is non-rotatably arranged on a drive socket (15), which encloses the drive shaft (11), to be rotated about the same axis of rotation (r) in a second direction opposite to said first direction. The drive shaft (11) constitutes a driving central shaft in a gear (10), which comprises a sun wheel (24), which is non-rotatably arranged on the drive shaft (11) to be rotated by the same, at least a first planet wheel (25), which meshes with the sun wheel (24) and is rotatable about an axis (p) parallel to the axis of rotation (r), at least a second planet wheel (29), which is arranged to rotate simultaneously with the first planet wheel (25), and a gear rim (30), which with internal teeth meshes with the second planet wheel (29) and is non-rotatably mounted on the drive socket (15) to rotate the same. |
| US07950316B2 |
Automated system for precision cutting short pieces of lumber
An automated saw system, including a saw head movable in a cutting stroke and rotatable in angle to perform miter cuts and a lumber feed conveyor to feed lumber to be cut to the saw head. The short lumber member conveyor has a floating gripping assembly that is shiftable along a substantially linear path that is substantially parallel to the lumber long axis whereby a short lumber member cut from the lumber is supported by the short lumber member conveyor during at least part of a cutting process and, after the cutting process is complete, is conveyed from the vicinity of the saw head to an out-feed area for removal. |
| US07950314B2 |
Method of cutting sheet materials
At the time of cutting stacked sheet members, a knife or a punch pierces the sheet members at positions such as along a cutting line, in a region outside the cutting line, or in a seam allowance inside the cutting line. By moving the knife or the punch vertically, heat is applied to the sheet members such that the seam members are welded (i.e., fused) together vertically. Even if at the time of cutting stacked sheet members having low air permeability, it is possible to prevent warpage or slippage of the sheet members, and cutting is performed accurately. |
| US07950313B2 |
Method and apparatus for removing boiler tube stubs
A rotary milling head removing all but a shell of a boiler tube stub and a plug to punch out from the boiler drum the remaining boiler tube stub. |
| US07950308B2 |
Hammer for breaking polycrystalline silicon
The hammer for breaking polycrystalline silicon is provided with a handle portion extending along a center axis and a head portion extending in a direction intersecting a direction of the center axis at the leading end of the handle portion. The head portion is provided with a head main body connecting with the handle portion, a striking part installed at one end of the head main body via a coupling shaft portion, and a counter weight portion installed at the other end of the head main body. The head main body, the coupling shaft portion, the striking part and the counter weight portion are formed integrally from a hard metal. A round-raised striking surface is formed at the striking part. |
| US07950307B2 |
Bicycle brake and shift operation device
The bicycle brake and shift operation device is a device mounted on a drop handle of a bicycle, and includes: a bracket, a lever member, a winding body, a positioning mechanism, and a shift position display portion. The bracket is mounted on the drop handle. The lever member is a member that is pivotally supported by the bracket. The winding body is mounted to be rotationally movable on a support shaft provided on the lever member, and engages with a shift cable. The positioning mechanism, supported by the lever member, is a mechanism for positioning the winding body to positions that correspond to a plurality of shift positions of a rear derailleur. The shift position display portion is mechanically interlocked with the rotational movement of the winding body to display shift positions. |
| US07950306B2 |
Manipulator
A manipulator, such as for use in medical procedures, is provided. The manipulator includes a body and a first actuator system connected to the body at a first attachment point and capable of moving the first attachment point with at least three degrees of freedom. A second actuator system is connected to the body at a second attachment point and capable of moving the second attachment point with at least three degrees of freedom. A third actuator system is integrated with the body and is capable of moving at least a portion of the body with at least one degree of freedom. |
| US07950305B2 |
Toothing system of a gearwheel having involute roller toothing
In the toothing system (1) of a gearwheel having a plurality of teeth (2, 3; 19) whose tooth flanks (4, 5, 6; 22) have involute form above a tooth-root region (7, 8, 9; 23) of the tooth flanks (4, 5, 6; 22), the tooth-root region (7, 8, 9; 23) of the tooth flanks (4, 5, 6; 22) that, as viewed in normal section, extends between a root useful point (15, 16, 17; 23) and a root point (F) has elliptical shape, tangentially adjoins the involute region of the tooth flank (4, 5, 6; 22) at the root useful point (15, 16, 17; 24) and tangentially contacts the root circle (FKS) at the root point (F). In its tooth-root region (7, 8, 9; 23), the tooth flank (4, 5, 6; 22), as viewed in normal section, substantially follows a partial section (B) of an ellipse (10, 11, 12; E) whose semiaxes (a, b) have different lengths, one semiaxis (a, b) of the ellipse (10, 11, 12; E) being inclined at an ellipse tilting angle alpha larger than 0° and smaller than 90° relative to a radial (R) through the root point (F). Furthermore, the tooth flanks (4, 5, 6; 22) of the teeth (2, 3; 19) of the toothing are symmetric to one another across a symmetry plane (A) that divides the respective tooth (2, 3; 19) in axial direction. |
| US07950298B2 |
Motorized bracelet assembly for moving sensor modules around a pipe
A motorized bracelet assembly for ultrasonic crack detection in a pipe. The bracelet has a motorized frame adapted for installation around the pipe and a sliding arrangement slideably mounted onto the frame. The sliding arrangement guides a displacement of sensor modules in periphery of the pipe. A first driving device controllably drives the sliding arrangement and thereby displacing the sensor modules in periphery of the pipe at desired operating positions. The bracelet comprises biasing devices for biasing the sensor modules against the pipe and a second driving device for controllably driving the frame along the axial direction of the pipe at a desired operating position. |
| US07950297B2 |
Nondestructive inspection heads for components having limited surrounding space
An inspection head where non-destructive inspection is structured to fit into narrow spaces, and to accurately and repeatably move an inspection probe along a surface to be inspected. Movement of the inspection head along an X, Y, Z, Θ, and Φ-axis is precisely controlled by individual drive mechanisms. |
| US07950295B2 |
Handheld torque and linear force meter
A handheld torque measuring meter adapted to measure the downward thrust and torsional force required to apply or remove a screw type closure from the threaded neck or finish of an associated container is disclosed, the handheld meter having a first portion graspable a user, a member adapted to receive a portion of a closure of a container, means connecting said main body to said member including a load cell, and a means for displaying a measurement adapted to receive the output signal from the load cell and indicate one of the torsional force and the linear force required to effect a movement of the closure relative to the associated container. |
| US07950291B2 |
Instrument housing
An instrument housing comprising a first portion having a wedge form, a third portion having a wedge form, a second portion between the first portion and the third portion, a first hinge portion between the first portion and the second portion, the first hinge portion extending normal to a major axis A-A, a second hinge portion between the second portion and the third portion, the second hinge portion extending normal to a major axis A-A, and the second portion having a portion for receiving an instrument. |
| US07950290B2 |
Apparatus and method for determining failure mode in a shear or pull test device
A method and apparatus for determining a mode of failure of a bond between an electrically conductive ball deposit and a substrate when breaking the ball deposit off of the substrate. The method and apparatus utilize tool force and displacement values to plot a force/displacement curve. The force/displacement curve is used to calculate the energy necessary to break the ball deposit off of the substrate. The energy value of a portion of a force/displacement curve is selected by reference to a peak force. In one preferred embodiment, this energy value is compared with a predetermined reference energy value to indicate a mode of failure. The peak force is preferably the maximum peak force, in the preferred embodiment, the method and apparatus distinguish between a ductile failure mode and a brittle failure mode. |
| US07950289B2 |
Damage sensors
A damage sensor comprises a probe track, a sense track, and a signal generator operable to input a probe signal to the probe track. The probe track and the sense track are electromagnetically coupled by a structure on which they are provided, such that the probe signal induces, in dependence on the degree of electromagnetic coupling between the probe track and the sense track, a sensed signal in the sense track. The magnitude, phase and frequency of the sensed signal can be analysed in order to determine whether and where damage has occurred to the structure. |
| US07950280B2 |
Balance ring and method for balancing a rotating component
A balance ring for a component (1) rotating about a rotation axis (3), for example a tool holder for a rotating tool or else a machine spindle or the like, is proposed. The balance ring has an annular body (11) which is rotationally symmetrical with respect to an axis of rotational symmetry, a guide arrangement (13) guiding the annular body (11) in a radially movable but axially fixed manner on the component (1) with an axis of rotational symmetry essentially parallel to the rotation axis (3) of the component (1), and a plurality of adjusting elements (21) arranged in the circumferential direction of the annular body (11), preferably at equal angular distances from one another, radially supported between the annular body (11) and the component (1) and having a variable radial supporting length. The guide arrangement may be designed as an axially extending spring link arrangement or else as spring webs extending in the circumferential direction. Instead of the adjusting screws (21), electrically controllable actuators, such as, for example, piezoelectric elements or nanotube elements, may also be provided. |
| US07950277B2 |
Apparatus for actuating a pressure delivery system of a fluid sampler
An apparatus for actuating a pressure delivery system of a fluid sampler. The apparatus includes a housing (302) having a longitudinal passageway and defining first and second chambers (338, 348). A piston (346) is disposed within the longitudinal passageway between the first and second chambers (338, 348). A valving assembly (356) is disposed within the longitudinal passageway. The valving assembly (356) is operable to selectively prevent communication of pressure from a pressure source of the fluid sampler to the second chamber (348). The valving assembly (356) is actuated responsive to an increase in pressure in the first chamber (338) which longitudinally displaces the piston (346) toward the valving assembly (356) until at least a portion of the piston (346) contacts the valving assembly (356), thereby releasing pressure from the pressure source into the second chamber (348) and longitudinally displacing the piston (346) away from the valving assembly (356). |
| US07950273B2 |
Engine misfire and rough road detection systems and methods
An engine misfire system comprises a rough road detection module and a misfire detection module. The rough road detection module selectively generates a rough road indicator based upon a transmission output speed of a vehicle. The misfire detection module selectively diagnoses engine misfire and selectively generates a misfire indicator based on diagnosed engine misfire and the rough road indicator. |
| US07950272B2 |
Apparatus for detecting sealability of lithium ion cell
An apparatus for detecting the sealability of a lithium ion cell comprises a container which is filled with a detecting liquid, a clamp and a high-pressure-gas joint member. The clamp can carry a lithium ion cell to be detected and put it into said container. One end of the high-pressure-gas joint member is connected to an injecting hole of the lithium ion cell to be detected and the other end is connected to a high-pressure gas supply. The detecting apparatus also comprises an elevator which can move the lithium ion cell into and out the detecting liquid within the container. |
| US07950271B2 |
Gated beta-molybdenum oxide sensor
An apparatus for sensing an analyte gas is provided. The apparatus may include a signal amplifier that may include a thin film transistor that may include a semiconducting film that may include a metal oxide capable of chemical interaction with the analyte gas, such as carbon monoxide. The apparatus may be tuned for detecting the analyte gas by varying the gate voltage of the transistor. |
| US07950270B2 |
Method and device for detecting volatile analytes in air samples
The invention relates to a method and a device (16) for detecting volatile analytes in air samples, where a masssensitive sensor (20) with at least one sensor area (21) which is equipped with a surface layer with selective sensitivity for the analyte(s) to be detected is brought into contact with the air sample to be analyzed, the mass change of the surface layer is detected in the form of electrical signals and the electrical signals are evaluated. It is provided in accordance with the invention that the sensor signal is already evaluated at a point in time at which the maximum sensor signal for the analyte concentration in question is not yet obtained. |
| US07950268B2 |
Vehicle rollover test fixture
A test fixture for rollover crash testing of a test vehicle onto a movable sled surface employs a cradle to support and rotate the test vehicle. A suspension assembly is attached to each end of the cradle for vertically supporting and dropping the cradle. A gantry has a cross beam supported by a first telescoping column for support of a first of the suspension assemblies and translationally supported by a second telescoping column for support of a second of the suspension assemblies to position and releasably hold the suspension assembly. Roll control arms rotate the cradle and a trigger assembly releases the cradle and test vehicle from the cross beam for contact within a drop impact zone on the contact surface of the sled. A brake assembly then arrests vertical motion of the cradle. |
| US07950266B2 |
Method and apparatus for fluid pressure testing
A method and apparatus for testing the functionality of automatic air valves positioned at high points of a pipeline system are provided. The invention generally provides a testing flange and a process for performing various fluid pressure tests to determine whether automatic air valves are properly releasing and/or stabilizing air within a pipeline system. |
| US07950264B2 |
Disposable measurement arrangement and method of testing and/or calibrating it
A measurement arrangement comprising a flexible disposable container and a disposable measurement probe for measuring an analytical property of a medium. The measurement probe is mounted on an inside wall of the disposable container and comprises a sensing element extending into the container, which is ready to use and which produces reliable measurement results. The disposable measurement arrangement comprises a closed capsule containing a buffer solution and a tether connecting said capsule to said probe. The container, the measurement probe, the capsule and the buffer solution are sterilized. The sensing element is inserted in the buffer solution during storage and the capsule is removed from the sensing element during measurement operation. |
| US07950263B2 |
Can body manufacturing method, can body and can body manufacturing apparatus
A can body manufacturing method has a barrel section of the can body held between first and second rotation bodies. The first body has at a first recess in its outer surface, and the second body has a second projection on its outer surface. The bodies are brought together so the barrel section is pressed radially inward by the second projection and fits into the first recess. When the holding of the barrel section by the rotation bodies is released, that portion of the barrel section corresponding to the first recess and the second projection is caused to restore elastically radially outward. As a result, the outer surface of that portion of the barrel corresponding to the projection and recess is caused to position more outside than the rest of the outer surface of the barrel section. |
| US07950261B2 |
Method and apparatus for press forming sheet material
A press forming apparatus comprises an upper die provided with an upper drawing die, a punch, an upper movable blank holder, and a trimming member and a lower die provided with a lower drawing die, a die, an outer periphery drawing die, and a lower movable blank holder. The upper die is lowered with respect to the lower dye, and the outer periphery portion of a blank is held by the trimming member and the upper blank holder. The central portion of the blank is drawn by the upper and lower drawing dies. The outer periphery portion of the blank is trimmed by the trimming member and the outer periphery drawing die, and drawing of the outer periphery portion of the blank is started by the upper drawing die and the outer periphery drawing die. |
| US07950259B2 |
Method and apparatus for trimming a can
A trimming turret including a first trimmer head including a first pilot. The turret is configured to receive a stress induced plastically deformed container having earing about a respective opening in the container, and at least one of (i) direct the container to the first trimmer head so that the pilot becomes located inside the opening, and (ii) direct the first trimmer head to the container so that the pilot becomes located inside the opening. The turret is configured to trim off the earing from the container with the first trimmer head. |
| US07950257B2 |
Steam generator and washing machine therewith
A dryer or a washing machine includes a cabinet which forms an exterior of the dryer or the washing machine. A drum is rotatably mounted in the cabinet and a steam generator is provided outside the drum to supply steam to the drum, where the steam generator includes a water chamber to hold water, the water chamber having a heater mounted thereto for heating the water. The steam chamber is provided above the water chamber to hold steam generated as the water is heated, where the steam chamber has a steam discharge opening for discharging the steam, where the steam discharge opening is provided with a separator for isolating a steam discharge area from other areas and where the water chamber has a vertical direction length relatively greater than a horizontal direction length. |
| US07950256B2 |
Washing machine capable of measuring surface properties of liquids, and process for detecting such surface properties
A washing appliance, particularly a laundry washer or a dishwasher, comprises a tank (2) for loading washing liquor and items to be washed and control means adapted to carry out a predetermined washing program. It further comprises an inclined drain surface (2a) for collecting a portion of the washing liquor and means (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) for assessing properties of such liquid on the basis of the drainage behavior thereof. |
| US07950255B2 |
Tangling detection for an automatic washer
A method and apparatus for determining the degree of tangling of fabric items during a wash process based on at least one of the motor speed or motor current. |
| US07950253B2 |
Molding device and method for setting up mold
A molding device includes an upper mold 10 (first mold), a lower mold 20 (second mold) and a body mold 30 that aligns axes of the upper and lower molds 10, 20 with each other by being fitted to an exterior of the upper mold 10 and an exterior of the lower mold 20 with the body mold 30 straddling the upper and lower molds 10, 20. The lower mold 20 is supported by a support member 50. The support member 50 can support the lower mold 20 with the lower member 20 being in a floating state. |
| US07950251B2 |
Piece of jewellery comprising a mobile part
The piece of jewellery comprises at least two rings (2, 4) that can nest inside each other and have different diameters. These rings are assembled to each other so as to pivot relative to each other. The piece of jewellery can thus pass from a configuration wherein the rings are tilted to a configuration wherein they are nesting, such that the surface of the smaller ring (2) is concealed. The piece of jewellery further comprises indexing means (26, 11c) comprising a stud (26) secured to one of the rings (2, 4) and which is arranged for cooperating with the edge (30) of an elongated aperture (11c) made in another ring (4), so as to immobilize the rings selectively in a plurality of relative positions. |
| US07950250B2 |
Jet ejector system and method
According to one embodiment of the invention, a jet ejector method includes providing a primary jet ejector having a primary inlet stream, coupling one or more secondary jet ejectors to the primary jet ejector such that all of the jet ejectors are in a cascaded arrangement, bleeding off a portion of the primary inlet stream and directing the portion of the primary inlet stream to the secondary jet ejector that is closest to the primary jet ejector in the cascaded arrangement, and directing a motive fluid into the secondary jet ejector that is farthest from the primary jet ejector in the cascaded arrangement. The method further includes, at each secondary jet ejector, receiving at least some of the portion of the primary inlet stream and at least some of the motive fluid to create respective mixtures within the secondary jet ejectors, and at each secondary jet ejector, directing at least a portion of the respective mixture to adjacent jet ejectors in the cascaded arrangement. |
| US07950249B1 |
Ice cubes cooled container
A portable insulated cooler has a bottom space adapted to hold ice cubes. A removable perforated panel suspended over the bottom space separates the bottom space from a central cooled storage area. A removable frame suspended above the central cooled areas holds ice cube containing flasks. Each flask has a large closable opening in its upper broad flat face to easily receive ice cubes. The lower broad face of the flask forms a cooling upper margin of the central cooled area so that the contents of the area are cooled from both top and bottom. The flasks have a flange around the upper face to rest upon the frame, while most of the flask is below the frame. This enables the insulated cooler top to close. By cooling from both top and bottom, the central area is more uniformly cooled. Opening the cooler top to access the central area creates less heat gain than with prior art devices. |
| US07950247B2 |
Refrigerator related technology
A refrigerator, in which a guide member is arranged at an inlet of a cold air generating compartment that houses an evaporator. The guide member uniformly distributes cold air introduced into the cold air generating compartment to upper and lower portions of the evaporator. |
| US07950245B2 |
Refrigerator related technology
In a refrigerator, cold air discharged from a cold air fan is guided by a guide member such that it flows directly to an evaporator. The guide member reduces flow of air through a gap between an inner surface of a cold air generating compartment and the evaporator. The guide member also includes a drainage portion configured to guide defrost water generated at the cold air fan to a position beneath the evaporator. |
| US07950243B2 |
Carbon dioxide as fuel for power generation and sequestration system
An integrated energy production system and carbon dioxide reaction system for enhancing the energy efficiency and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions of thermally activated power production methods. The system utilizes heat of reaction from the carbon dioxide reaction system to directly reduce the fuel requirements of the thermally activated power production method. The system, when utilizing a reverse fuel cell, achieves concurrent carbon dioxide sequestration resulting from the fuel combustion. |
| US07950239B2 |
Method for operating a gas turbine plant
A method for operating a gas turbine plant utilizing sequential combustion is provided. The gas turbine plant includes a compressor for compressing inducted combustion air, a first combustion chamber for combustion of a first fuel by utilizing the compressed combustion air, with a first turbine which is connected downstream of the first combustion chamber, and a second combustion chamber for combustion of a second fuel by utilizing the gases which emerge from the first turbine, with a second turbine which is connected downstream of the second combustion chamber. The method provides quick running up with simultaneously low emissions and homogeneous distribution of the turbine inlet temperature is achieved by the second combustion chamber being completely shut down for achieving a low partial load mode of the gas turbine plant. |
| US07950235B1 |
Jet engine
A jet engine is constructed of a fanjet; a plurality of ramjets provided around said fanjet; a plurality of air flow spaces between said fanjet and said plurality of ramjets; and a cooling jacket provided around said plurality of ramjets. |
| US07950234B2 |
Ceramic matrix composite turbine engine components with unitary stiffening frame
Aspects of the invention are directed to a ring seal segment having a base portion and a frame portion. The base portion and the frame portion are a unitary structure. The frame portion is made of four unitary side walls: a forward wall, an aft wall and a pair of transverse side walls. The side walls can be arranged in a rectangular configuration. At least a part of the base portion can be coated with a thermal insulating material. A ring seal segment according to aspects of the invention is well suited to withstand the expected operational loads in the turbine section. The transverse side walls can provide bending strength to the base and can strengthen the forward and aft side walls. Transition regions between the side walls and the base portion are strengthened by three perpendicular planes that cooperate to provide structural strength to the ring seal segment. |
| US07950233B2 |
Combustor
A combustor is provided having one or more apertures adapted to asymmetrically introduce air adjacent the fuel nozzles to reduce smoke resulting from unburned hydrocarbons in a gas turbine engine combustion system by impeding escape of unburned hydrocarbons. |
| US07950231B2 |
Low emission turbo compound engine system
A diesel or HHCI engine has an air intake and an exhaust for products of combustion. A pair of turbochargers receive the products of combustion in a series relationship and an exhaust aftertreatment device receive the products of combustion from the downstream turbine. A power turbine receives the output from the exhaust aftertreatment device and an EGR system of the power turbine passes a selected portion of the output to a point upstream of the upstream turbocharger compressor. A device adds fuel to the aftertreatment device to regenerate the particulate filter and the power turbine recoups the additional energy. The power turbine may be used to drive accessories or the prime output of the engine. |
| US07950230B2 |
Waste heat recovery apparatus
A waste heat recovery apparatus including a Rankine cycle which includes a heater for heating an operation fluid by waste heat from a heat-generating device, an expansion unit for converting energy of expansion of the operation fluid flowing out from the heater into mechanical energy, and a condenser for condensing and liquefying the expanded operation fluid, a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the operation fluid on the inlet side of the expansion unit, a pressure detector for detecting inlet-side pressure of the expansion unit, a pressure detector for detecting outlet-side pressure of the expansion unit, and a control unit. The control unit controls a command rotational speed of the expansion unit based on superheated degree information at the inlet of the expansion unit obtained from the operation fluid temperature and the inlet-side pressure, and pressure information in which the outlet-side pressure is considered. |
| US07950228B2 |
Turbo charge system of an engine
A turbo charge system of an engine minimizes energy loss of exhaust gas as a consequence of a crossover pipe that connects exhaust manifolds respectively mounted to cylinder heads at both sides of the engine with each other and that is mounted in each cylinder head, and the crossover pipe is formed as a double pipe structure. The turbo charge system of the engine may include a pair of exhaust manifolds respectively mounted to cylinder heads at both sides of the engine; a pair of turbo chargers connected respectively to the pair of exhaust manifolds and increasing intake air amount by using energy of exhaust gas; and a crossover pipe connecting the pair of exhaust manifolds with each other, wherein a crossover pipe is mounted in each cylinder head. |
| US07950226B2 |
LNT-SCR system optimized for thermal gradient
In an exhaust aftertreatment system, two LNTs having differing compositions are configured in series downstream from an inline fuel reformer. The downstream LNT is adapted for desulfation at higher temperatures than the upstream LNT. During desulfation, the system develops temperature gradients with the temperatures increasing in the direction of exhaust flow. The ordering of the LNTs is designed utilize these gradients. In a preferred embodiment, the system also includes two SCR catalysts having different compositions. The SCR catalyst with a composition adapted to tolerate higher temperatures is located nearer the downstream end of the system. |
| US07950215B2 |
Sequential combustion firing system for a fuel system of a gas turbine engine
A gas turbine combustion system for a turbine engine is disclosed. The gas turbine combustion system may include a plurality of combustor baskets positioned circumferentially about a longitudinal axis of the turbine engine, at least one firing nozzle extending into each of the plurality of combustor baskets and a fuel delivery system in communication with each of the at least one firing nozzles and in communication with at least one fuel source. Each combustor basket may include a fuel flow control device of the fuel delivery system inline with each of the at least one firing nozzles in that combustor basket such that fuel flow to some of the combustor baskets can be shut off while fuel flow to firing nozzles in other combustor baskets remains unobstructed, thereby permitting some combustor baskets to remain non-fired while other combustor baskets are firing to reduce CO emissions. |
| US07950214B2 |
Method of and apparatus for pressurizing gas flowing in a pipeline
The present invention is directed to auxiliary apparatus for augmenting the pressure head of a gas flowing in a pipeline that may be provided by at least one gas turbine running a first pressure augmenting means, said auxiliary apparatus comprising: a vapor turbine operatively connected to a second pressure augmenting means; first connection means for providing fluid communication between said pipeline and said second pressure augmenting means; second connection means for providing fluid communication between said first pressure augmenting means and said second pressure augmenting means; and heating means for vaporizing a working fluid of said vapor turbine. In one embodiment, a bypass means for said pipeline having a bypass conduit and shut-off valve system are provided for connecting said first pressure augmenting means to the downstream portion of said pipeline via a bypass conduit. In a further embodiment, the vaporizer of the working fluid utilizes the heat of an intermediate fluid. Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for augmenting the pressure head of a gas flowing in a pipeline for transporting natural gas in a natural gas pipeline transmission system. |
| US07950212B1 |
Cutterbar support for a crop harvesting header
A system for supporting a cutterbar of a crop harvesting header includes a first arm pivotably secured to the header. The first arm includes a first portion configured to support the cutterbar. The first arm includes a second portion including a torsion device having a mass of elastic material connected to an adjustment assembly. The second portion is configured to be pivotably rotatable about an axis by the adjustment assembly to selectably increase or decrease a force appliable to the first portion in order to raise or lower the first portion with respect to the header. |
| US07950210B2 |
Flywheel for timed knife drive
A cutter bar drive system for a draper header has a cutter bar disposed at a leading edge of the header to cut crop. A cutter bar gear box in operative engagement with the cutter bar is mounted on a forward portion of the header with a drive train mounted on the header to drive the gear box and cutter bar. An external flywheel is mounted along the drive train remote from the gear box and is engaged with the drive train to reduce vibration in the cutter bar and gear box from a remote, external position. |
| US07950206B2 |
Pill dispenser with canisters having electronically readable/writeable identification
A device for dispensing pills includes a set of pill canisters, each having a machine-readable canister identifier. The device for dispensing pills further includes a reader adapted to read the machine-readable canister identifier and a selector interfaced to the reader. An active pill canister from the plurality of pill canisters is selected by the selector using data from the reader to determine which of the plurality of pill canisters is at a target location. A control is provided for releasing a desired quantity of pills from the selected pill canister at a target location into a target package. |
| US07950203B2 |
System for metering a length of duct from a flexible container retaining the duct in a longitudinally compressed state
A method of retaining a longitudinally compressed flexible duct, the method includes disposing a strap about a closed flexible container enclosing a longitudinally compressed duct to circumferentially restrict a circumferential dimension of the flexible container and a corresponding circumferential dimension of the longitudinally compressed duct intermediate a first end of the longitudinally compressed duct and a second end of the longitudinally compressed duct. The method further includes opening an end of the flexible container to allow expansion of the longitudinally compressed duct intermediate the opened end of the flexible container and the strap. |
| US07950201B1 |
Underdeck drainage
Drainage under a deck can be performed by a structure that includes hanging components and corrugated panels. For example, a hanging component can have connected first and second portions, with the first portion being connected to hang from one of the joists and extending downward to where it connects to the second portion, which is below the joist. The second portion can be connected to support of at least one of the panels from above. The upper surfaces of panels are sloped so that drainage occurs from a high part to a low part. The direction of slope and the direction of corrugations are not perpendicular, and can be approximately the same. The hanging components can, for example, be L-shaped brackets, U-shaped, or inverted T-shaped, and can be integrally formed by extrusion of plastic or can be metal. The panels can be corrugated plastic or metal sheets. |
| US07950200B2 |
Multi-purpose anchoring apparatus and method
An apparatus is disclosed which includes a drilling device and a tube. The drilling device typically has a first end, at which a point is located and a second end which is connected to a first end of the tube. The apparatus also includes an insertion bar having a first end inserted into the tube and a second end at which a latching device is located. The latching device can set a location of the insertion bar with respect to the tube so that a height is set. The apparatus may also include a first pole receiver connected at the second end of the insertion bar. The apparatus may include a handle which can be inserted into the insertion bar for rotating the insertion bar, tube, and drilling device to drill the drilling device into the ground. |
| US07950194B2 |
Plastic spacer stock, plastic spacer frame and multi-sheet unit, and method of making same
A corner key for joining ends of spacer sections to form a corner of a spacer frame of a multi-sheet unit includes an elongated body having a first end and an opposite second end and a cut out between the ends of the body. The body is bendable to decrease spacing of the cut out to form a corner of the spacer frame. |
| US07950193B1 |
Decorative security panels for doors and windows
A decorative security panel assembly for insertion into an opening of a door or an opening of a window. The assembly can include a polymer security with a low-moisture content of no more than five wt %, such that the polymer security grille does not produce condensation within the assembly. A seal can be disposed about the polymer security grille. A translucent panel can be disposed over each side of the polymer grille and engaged with the seal. An air space can be formed between the two translucent panels, with the polymer security grille disposed within the air space. A first frame can be engaged over one of the translucent panels, while a second frame is engaged over the second translucent panel, forming a frame assembly. The frame assembly can be inserted into an opening of a door or an opening in a structure. |
| US07950189B1 |
Modular in-wall medical services unit
A modular in-wall medical services unit for medical care facilities. A frame supports a cabinet with a cover panel providing electrical and/or gas outlets. Built-in electrical and gas conduits are included. A junction box and ends of the gas conduits near the top of the frame are accessible after wallboard is applied. Thus, wallboard can be installed before or after wiring is completed and gas connections are made. The self-aligning cover panel is “floatingly” supported on the frame so that a bead of sealant can be applied around the edge before the cover panel is “snugged up” to the wall and secured. The trim flanges on the cover panel include vertical equipment mounting tracks. Manufacturing is simplified by making the height of the frame adjustable; the same frame elements can be used to assemble units for different ceiling heights, decreasing the number of required parts in inventory and expediting assembly. |
| US07950184B2 |
Two-action gate requiring two steps to open
To open a two-action gate, a sliding of a latch and a lifting of the gate to disengage a double stop is required. Performing one step without the other fails to open the gate. The gate is engaged in a frame which may in turn be engaged in a partition or doorway. Via a thumb tab, a portion of the latch can be slid out of the frame. Then the gate is lifted to lift the double stop up and clear of a lower portion of the frame such the gate is swingable. The gate is journaled to a vertically running frame member which serves as the swinging and sliding axis for the gate. |
| US07950183B2 |
Methods of producing a synchronized population of conifer somatic embryo germinants
In one aspect, the present invention provides methods of producing a synchronized population of conifer somatic embryo germinants in preparation for transplantation. The methods of the invention comprise the steps of: (a) culturing conifer somatic embryos on sterile germination medium for a sufficient period of time to produce germinants comprising a visible, well-defined epicotyl stem of a desired length; (b) selecting a plurality of germinants having an epicotyl stem of the desired length; (c) storing the selected germinants having an epicotyl stem of the desired length produced in step (a) while still on the sterile germination medium from step (a) in a cold environment in which the temperature is in the range of 0.5° C. to 10° C. for a time period up to six months; and (d) transferring the germinants stored according to step (c) from the germination medium into water for a time of up to about four weeks at a temperature of about 0.5° C. to about 5° C. prior to planting the selected germinants into growth medium. |
| US07950181B2 |
Apparatus and methods for production of biodiesel
A photobioreactor includes a cultivation zone configured to contain a liquid culture medium and facilitate growth of a microalgae biomass, a plurality of parallel edge-lit light transmitting devices mounted within the cultivation zone, and a collection zone oriented in relation to the cultivation zone such that at least a portion of the liquid culture medium and microalgae from the cultivation zone may be periodically harvested. Methods for illuminating algae, for dissolving materials into an algae medium, for extracting oil from algae, and for producing biodiesel from algal oil are also provided. |
| US07950178B1 |
Rifle striking mechanism for semi-automatic operation
A striking mechanism for the semi-automatic operation of a cartridge firing firearm includes a receiver, a barrel attached to the receiver and providing a breach, an op rod assembly, and a bolt adapted for reciprocating movement within the receiver and engagable with the breach of the barrel and the face of a cartridge chambered therein. The bolt carries a primary firing pin, and a bolt lock means is pivotally connected to the bolt for selectively locking the bolt within the receiver. A bolt link assembly is pivotally connected to the bolt lock means and to the op rod assembly. The bolt link assembly provides a bolt link transfer pin. An op rod transfer pin is carried by the op rod assembly and can engage the bolt link transfer pin. A linear hammer can engage the op rod transfer pin such that, when a cartridge is chambered and the primary firing pin, the bolt link transfer pin and the op rod transfer pin are in alignment, the force of the linear hammer engaging the op rod transfer pin is transferred through the op rod transfer pin, the bolt link transfer pin and the primary firing pin to strike the primer of a cartridge chambered within the barrel. The striking mechanism is incorporated into prior art fully-automatic firearms to convert them to semi-automatic operation, and methods for such conversion are included. |
| US07950177B2 |
Bolt action firearm
A bolt action firearm includes a bolt assembly with a bolt body having an outer surface defining a longitudinal guide channel extending along a length of the bolt body from a rearward end to a forward end. A receiver defines a central longitudinally extending bore for accommodating the bolt body. A bolt guide is configured to be coupled to the receiver. The bolt guide includes a projection configured for traveling in the guide channel when moving the bolt body in the receiver so as to ensure that the bolt body is at a predetermined correct angular orientation within the receiver. |
| US07950175B1 |
Attachable single fold double wall track with sliding tab
A folded folder track with sliding tab either writable and/or channel tab which travels along the folded track area of the folder whereby the user can position the tab wherever it is needed along the top horizontal edge of the folder. This allows every tab in the filing system to be moved into a convenient, viewable position. Also, the user will be able to maintain the files in alpha numeric order without the tabs being hidden behind other tabs or without hiding other tabs which provides for quick and efficient retrieval of folders and the filing of folders. This folded folder track and writable tab will be of various lengths and colors to be of greater value for the user with multiple identification needs. |
| US07950169B2 |
Contoured fluid-filled chamber
A fluid-filled chamber may be incorporated into footwear and other products. The chamber is formed from a polymer material that defines a first surface, a second surface located opposite the first surface, and a sidewall surface extending around a periphery of the chamber and between the first surface and the second surface. A plurality of bonds are spaced inward from the sidewall surface and join the first surface and the second surface, and the bonds are distributed to form a regularly-spaced array, such as a hexagonal array. In some configurations, the first surface and the second surface may define elliptically-shaped structures between the bonds. In addition, the bonds may be formed to have a slope that is an average of slopes of the first surface and the second surface in areas proximal the bonds. |
| US07950168B2 |
Adjustable footwear sole construction
A sole construction includes a cushion insert that is installable in the sole at different orientations to vary the support/cushioning characteristics of the sole. The sole construction may include a midsole defining a receptacle configured to receive the cushion insert in different orientations. The sole may be inserted into low-profile footwear having an outsole with a receptacle for retaining a corresponding differentiated heel portion of the sole. The sole may be included in a shoe construction having an outsole portion capable of bending or pivoting to provide access to the cushion insert for adjustment thereof. The sole may be included in a shoe construction having an outsole that defines an opening, through which the cushion insert may be accessed and manipulated. The cushion insert may include at least one channel that varies in depth about the insert so that different regions of the insert provide different support/cushioning characteristics. |
| US07950166B1 |
Simplified energy-return shoe system
A simplified energy-return shoe system includes an energy-return shoe system is disclosed including a shoe portion for containing a user's foot with an upper sole having an upper toe sole area and an upper heel sole area. The upper sole is affixed to a bottom surface of the shoe portion and the upper sole is bendable at a point between the upper toe sole area and the upper heel sole area. A lower sole has a lower toe sole area and a lower heel sole area. The lower sole is bendable at a point between the lower toe sole area and the lower heel sole area. A heel suspension mechanism links the upper heel sole area to the lower heel sole area whereas the upper heel sole area is held in a parallel relationship to the lower heel sole area and the upper heel sole is allowed to move backwards in relationship to the lower heel sole. A device such as a spring is provided for pushing the upper heel sole area away from the lower heel sole area. |
| US07950156B2 |
Power tools
A power tool is provided with a perforated material remover to remove perforated material from power tool cutting implements. The power tool also includes a rip guide which has a long guide edge and two attachment points to the shoe/base of the saw. The rip guide is attached to the base/shoe via a pair of L-shaped openings that accept L-shaped support arms of the rip guide. The rip guide can also be folded for compact storage. The power tool also includes dual bevel scales for quickly and easily setting the bevel angle on the power tool. |
| US07950154B2 |
Method for forming a taper roller bearing assembly
An assembly of a pair of roller bearings in which the inner bearing rings are axially spaced apart by a first member and the outer bearing rings are spaced apart by a second member with one of the inner or outer ring of each bearing being an axially outer bearing ring spaced axially further from the outer bearing than the other ring of that bearing. The method comprises forming an assembly of the two members and bearings in which one of the axially outer bearing ring is a loose fit on one of the first and second members, and then axially moving the axially outer bearing ring of the one bearing which is loose fit in a direction towards the other bearing to create a pre-load, and then increasing the degree of pre-load to effect elastic deformation of that ring and thereby create a shrink fit type interface load. |
| US07950152B2 |
Method of mounting a bearing block on a mounting plate
A method is described for the mounting of a bearing block of a coupling plate on a mounting plate, with the bearing block having a bridge-like shape, being provided with bores at its opposite front and rear ends to accommodate fixing screws and being kept in place on the mounting plate by means of the fixing screws, and the coupling plate engaging with the bearing block in a central area, with the attachment of the bearing block to the mounting plate comprising at least one additional form fitting element. The invention was based on the task of providing a secure attachment of a self-supporting bridge-like bearing block to a mounting plate even under the extreme operating forces that are to be expected. The task is solved in accordance with the invention by means of a method in which by tightening the fixing screw together with the at least one form fitting element causes a deformation of the mounting plate. |
| US07950151B2 |
Method of making integral sun gear coupling
A method of constructing an integral coupling system containing a sun gear is disclosed. An integral sun gear is provided that has a sun gear component and a connection shaft. A first straight flat inner edge is machined on a first diaphragm to use as a datum point, and then the straight flat edge is fixtured. A tapered outer edge is machined on the first diaphragm, and the first diaphragm is welded to the integral sun gear. The flat inner edge is generally perpendicular to a central axis of the connection shaft. |
| US07950146B2 |
Co-forged steel rotor component for steam and gas turbine engines
A method of forming a rotor for a turbine engine such that the rotor is formed of two materials including: an outer ring formed from a first steel material, and a disk formed from a second material, such as a low alloy steel, having a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the first material forming the inner disk. The ring may include an inner aperture having a conical shape, and the disk may have an outer surface with a conical shape and a diameter with a portion that is larger than a portion of the ring. The ring may be heated such that the aperture expands to a size greater than the largest diameter of the inner disk. The ring may be positioned over the disk and allowed to cool to allow the ring to be attached to the disk. The ring and disk may then be co-forged. |
| US07950139B2 |
Method of making a deposit on an SiC-covered substrate
The invention relates to a method of depositing a coating on a part having its surface made of silicon carbide. The method comprises the following steps: a) applying laser treatment to the SiC surface by superposing laser impacts for the purpose of increasing the roughness of said surface; and b) depositing a coating on the SiC surface by atmospheric thermal spraying. The invention also provides a device for measuring deformation, which device comprises a first alumina coating obtained by atmospheric thermal spraying onto the silicon carbide layer covering the substrate of the part after it has been treated by superposing laser impacts, a free filament strain gauge placed on the coating, and an additional alumina coating obtained by atmospheric thermal spraying onto the strain gauge. |
| US07950137B2 |
Method for manufacturing a magnetic write head
A method for manufacturing a write pole for perpendicular magnetic recording for accurately defining a side shield throat height and write pole flare point. The magnetic structure includes a write pole portion and first and second side shield portions. The side shields portions are magnetically connected with the write pole portion in a region in front of an intended air bearing surface plane (e.g. in the direction from which lapping will progress). The side shields portions are each separated from the write pole portion in a region behind the intended air bearing surface plane by notches that terminate at a desired location relative to the intended air bearing surface plane and which open up in a region behind the intended air bearing surface plane. |
| US07950136B2 |
Process of making an improved AP1 layer for a TMR device
A process to manufacturing a TMR read head with improved voltage breakdown is performed by laying down the AP1 layer as two or more layers. Each AP1 sub-layer is exposed to a low energy plasma for a short time before the next layer is deposited. This results in a smooth surface, onto which to deposit the tunneling barrier layer, with no disruption of the surface crystal structure of the completed AP1 layer. |
| US07950135B2 |
Manufacturing method of magnetoresistive effect element
A manufacturing method of an MR element in which current flows in a direction perpendicular to layer planes, includes a step of forming on a lower electrode layer an MR multi-layered structure with side surfaces substantially perpendicular to the layer lamination plane, a step of forming a first insulation layer on at least the side surfaces of the formed MR multi-layered structure, a step of forming a second insulation layer and a magnetic domain control bias layer on the lower electrode layer, and a step of forming an upper electrode layer on the MR multi-layered structure and the magnetic domain control bias layer. |
| US07950133B2 |
Method of resin sealing permanent magnets in laminated rotor core
A method comprising: a first process of placing a laminated rotor core in a preheating device to preheat the laminated core; a second process of removing the preheated laminated core from the preheating device and disposing the laminated core between upper and lower dies of a resin sealing apparatus; a third process of pressing the laminated core by the upper and lower dies and liquefying resin material in resin reservoir pots by heating; and a fourth process of ejecting the liquefied resin material from the pots into the magnet insertion holes by plungers inserted and moving vertically in the pots and thermally curing the resin material. The method improves efficiency of resin sealing the permanent magnets in the laminated core. |
| US07950126B2 |
Simplified method and apparatus for making cored wire and other tubular products
Improved cored-wire fabrication replaces multiple roller pairs with one or more dies. In the preferred embodiment, flat stock is pulled through a single cylindrical die including an upper tab to ensure and orient the formation of a gap to receive internal powders. Once the powders are introduced, a cylindrical die is used for closure though again, one or more rollers may be used between the powder feed and the die used for closing. In the preferred embodiment, however, a single gap-forming die is used before the powder feed, and a single closing die is used after the powder feed, replacing numerous rollers and other moving parts, thereby dramatically simplifying the apparatus and method of manufacture. |
| US07950124B2 |
Method for producing metal strips
The invention relates to a method for joining cathode metal sheets to form crude strips that can be coiled and rolled and for the production of metal strips of a constant thickness from crude strips that have been produced from cathode metal sheets of varying thicknesses. The aim of the invention is to produce metal strips of a high purity that are devoid of non-metallic inclusions. The method can be used whenever highly pure and/or inclusion-free metal in strip or foil form is required in large quantities. The application of said method is only limited by the fact that the metal is deposited electrolytically on cathodes, and if permanent cathodes are used, must be separated from said cathodes without fragmentation. This is possible with the following metals: lead, zinc, tin, copper, nickel, cobalt, cadmium, iron and gold. |
| US07950123B2 |
Transporter shaft coupling and uncoupling
Apparatus and methods for transporter shaft coupling and decoupling to assure alignment of a user interface with a control shaft through matching asymmetric cylindrical surfaces and alignment of an upper shaft segment and a lower shaft segment with ribs meshing with grooves on rings attached to the upper shaft. A tone confirms proper connection. Alignment apparatus is protected from damage associated with torques applied to the control shaft by tab features designed to first give way before other damage is incurred and from moisture by apparatus that seals the connection between upper and lower shaft segments. The user is protected from sudden loss of control by requiring the user interface to execute a sequence of linear and rotational manipulations during assembly of the shaft. |
| US07950122B2 |
Pool cue clamp
The pool cue clamp is a spring squeeze clamp having sturdy, flexible fingers extending therefrom for holding pool cues. The fingers are rotatable within the clamp and can be configured to comply with horizontal, vertical or angular surfaces. The pool cue clamp holds up to five cue sticks in a vertical position. |
| US07950119B2 |
Battery pole plate grid producing method, and battery producing method
The method of producing a grid for a battery electrode plate is characteristic in that in producing a grid formed from a sheet by means of a rotary expander equipped with the disk cutter cluster with disk edge disk cutters, there is a notch that penetrates the outer periphery of the said edge disk cutter in the thickness direction of the said edge disk cutter. |
| US07950117B2 |
Broken heart necklace-urn
A complementary pair of broken heart shaped urn pendants, each having an access port, magnet, jagged inner surface, curved outer surface, clasp, front vertical wall, and rear vertical wall, and means for removably securing the pair together. |
| US07950116B2 |
Cantilevered tray clip with aperture
A cantilevered clip is provided for holding a stack of at least one tray and tray cover. Stack compressive forces applied by the clip are substantially limited to tray and cover edge portions. The clip has a channel base with left and right side walls attached for restricting movement of a stack in left and right directions. Pressure members are positioned orthogonal to at least one wall. An aperture is located adjacent to each pressure member and partially extends into each wall. Protrusions above the base extend inward towards the walls of the channel for captivating the stack in an upward direction. |
| US07950114B2 |
Self-adhering device and method
A self-adhering device connects two portions in a surface-to-surface interfaced juxtaposition by resiliently interspersing undercut nodules within corresponding receptors. At least one portion is generally flexible. The device may be configured in diverse configurations including alternative geometries, double-sided embodiments, and embodiments with no greater thickness when attached than when unattached. The method of use includes application of a relative compressive force to the portions which may be optionally provided by a sliding mechanism. |
| US07950108B2 |
Castor that is braked and positioned simultaneously
A castor includes a suspension unit, a castor body, a wheel unit, and a brake unit. The suspension unit includes an upright fixing bolt and a locking member. The wheel unit includes two rollers. The brake unit includes a positioning block, a sliding block, a biasing member, a drive member, and a braking pin. Thus, when the drive member of the brake unit is pressed, each of the rollers of the wheel unit is braked by and locked onto the castor body, and the castor body is locked onto the fixing bolt simultaneously, thereby locking the castor exactly and stably. |
| US07950106B2 |
Squeegee assembly for a floor cleaning machine
The present invention relates to an improved squeegee assembly. Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to a uniquely shaped squeegee configuration that has been found to remove liquids from a floor in an efficient manner. One particular embodiment utilizes a W-shaped squeegee. Other embodiments are directed to a squeegee fixation device. Yet other embodiments are directed toward a squeegee orientation device. Some embodiments are also directed toward a lifting mechanism and the connection between the squeegee assembly and the lifting mechanism. |
| US07950105B2 |
Cleaning apparatus with motorised endless belt
A motor-driven endless absorbent belt on an apparatus may be used for scrubbing or polishing surfaces, or removing liquid from surfaces. The belt is located about a cleaning head demountable from a housing for replacement of the belt, a roller mounted to the head and cooperating with a roller mounted to the housing to squeeze liquid and contaminants from the belt into a first reservoir in the housing. A driven roller mounted on the removable cleaning head preferably encloses a rotary motor, the belt being pinched between the driven roller and the housing-mounted roller. |
| US07950103B2 |
Portable cleaning system
A portable vacuum cleaning system includes a portable vacuum unit for cleaning debris. The vacuum unit is powered by a self-contained first battery and may be carried with a strap in backpack-fashion. The system also includes a cart defining a receptacle for receiving the vacuum unit. The vacuum unit may be used when supported by the cart or when carried by an operator. A second battery is supported by the cart and electrically connectable to the vacuum unit for charging the first battery when the vacuum unit is supported by the cart. Further, when disposed in the cart, the vacuum unit is disposed at an angle of about 45 degrees allowing for ease of movement of the cart. |
| US07950100B2 |
Oral care implement
An oral care implement with a handle includes a head with a tissue cleanser. The tissue cleanser may be a pad composed of an elastomeric material. The pad is disposed on the head on a surface opposite the tooth cleaning elements. The tissue cleanser may include a plurality of nubs extending for cleaning between the papillae of the tongue. The tissue cleanser may include a plurality of conically shaped nubs. A tissue cleanser can be used to reduce oral malodor problems and remove oral epithelial cells. |
| US07950098B2 |
Support unit for a scraper and method for positioning the support elements of a scraper
The present invention provides a device and a method for positioning components (3) of a scraper moved through laid pipelines along the inner pipeline wall, the components (3) being located on radially expandable support elements (2) in such a way that with the same spacing between the components and pipe wall for different pipe diameters there is a uniform coverage of the pipe circumference by the components (3). For this purpose in each case at least two support elements (2) succeeding one another in the pipeline circumferential direction are pivotably interconnected by at least one connecting member (4) articulated thereto, so that the support elements (2) are equidistantly spaced in each expansion position. |
| US07950097B2 |
Cleaning apparatus for a preferably planar surface
A cleaning apparatus is provided for a preferably planar surface, in particular a window pane, and has a wiping device and a plunger which keeps the wiping device in contact with the surface and also, by way of an open side, bears against the surface and seals it around the edge. A suction device generates a negative pressure in the plunger. The plunger is provided with driving rollers, which are actuated by motor, for moving the plunger together with the wiping device. The suction device has at least two fans which are each provided with their own outlet opening. |
| US07950093B2 |
Tension member for structures and method for manufacturing the same
A tension member is provided for structures, in particular a cable stay for a cable-stayed bridge, in which one or more tension elements, such as steel rods, steel wires, or stranded steel wires, run inside a tubular sheath. The tension elements fill only a portion of the cross-section of the tubular sheath, so that a remaining unoccupied area is left. In order to prevent the tension elements from moving in the transverse direction with respect to the tension member, there is arranged in the remaining unoccupied area of the tubular sheath a filler body that extends over a limited longitudinal section of the tension member and includes a deformable sheath, which tightly encloses a hollow space that is delimited on all sides and can be filled with a filler medium. The invention further concerns a method for producing such a tension member, in which, after an axially delimited longitudinal section has been established, an empty filler body is introduced into the remaining unoccupied area between the tubular sheath and the tension elements, and, finally, the filler body is filled with a filler medium until the remaining unoccupied area is filled in the region of the selected longitudinal section. |
| US07950091B2 |
Cleated article of footwear and method of manufacture
A cleated article of footwear includes a chassis assembly having a sole plate having a plurality of bosses extending from a lower surface thereof. A heel counter extends upwardly from a heel portion of the sole plate. An outer assembly is secured to the chassis assembly and includes a sole portion and an upper secured to the sole portion. A plurality of cleats extends downwardly from a lower surface of the sole portion. Each of a plurality of apertures extends downwardly into a corresponding cleat and receives a boss. |
| US07950088B2 |
Method of indicating operational information for a dispensing system having both single use and bulk dispensing
A user interface of a cleaning appliance and the method of operation for a cleaning appliance having a single dose treating chemistry dispenser and a bulk dispensing system. |
| US07950084B1 |
Multi-layer mattress with an air filtration foundation
A breathable mattress including a plurality of layers, where one of the mattress layers is further comprised of a plurality of sections and the sections are comprised of different types of materials, which have varying firmnesses and feel, and where each of the layers is comprised of material that is perforated or of an open-cell structure to allow for air circulation. The mattress is supported by an air filtration foundation capable of creating an air flow within the mattress. |
| US07950076B2 |
Spa cover lifter
A spa cover lifter for use with a spa cover. According to various embodiments, the spa cover comprises a first section and a second section pivotably connected to the first section at a hinge interface. The spa cover lifter comprises a drive system, a first cable connected to the drive system, and a post assembly. The post assembly is extendable from a retracted position to an extended position. Also, the first cable is routed by the post assembly. In various embodiments, the spa cover lifter is configured to connect to the spa cover. |
| US07950075B2 |
Protective cover for preventing spilled liquids from flowing into drains or holes
A protective cover for drains and other holes is provided which prevents spills and unwanted liquids from flowing therein. The protective cover includes a durable backing layer and a pliable, tacky sealing layer adjacent a portion of the durable backing layer which conforms and adheres to a surface surrounding the drain to reduce or eliminate the flow of liquids into the drain. The pliable, tacky sealing layer can have a periphery inside the periphery of the durable backing layer. |
| US07950074B2 |
Hard hat outer shell having clear acrylic construction and internal illumination
A hard hat which includes an outer shell constructed entirely of clear acrylic that is additionally provided with a means to internally illuminate the clear acrylic outer shell. |
| US07950072B1 |
Reversible belt with slide buckle
A reversible belt with a slide buckle. One end of the reversible belt is thick enough to prevent the slide buckle from sliding there off so as to be retained thereon without looping the one end of the reversible belt. The other end of the reversible belt is thin enough to allow the slide buckle to slide there off so as to be replaceable on the reversible belt without compromising the structural integrity of the reversible belt, thereby allowing the slide buckle to be slide there off, the reversible belt reversed, and the slide buckle slide back thereon so as to allow the reversible belt to be reversible without looping of the one end of the reversible belt and without compromising the structural integrity of the reversible belt. |
| US07950069B2 |
Pants having body-shaping function
Provided is pants having a body-shaping function including; an elastic fabric included in the pants, and having a boundary that is partially fixed on the pants to elastically support hips of a wearer; and a hip-up band fixed on the elastic fabric to push the hips up so as to make contours of the hips more voluminous or compression bands on lower side portions of the elastic fabric in order to compress thighs of the wearer so as to make the thighs look thin, or a pair of pads having predetermined thicknesses and disposed on the elastic fabric to make the hips of the wearer look more attractive. Therefore, since the elastic fabric is integrally fixed in the pants for shaping the hips, the conventional girdle is not required. In addition, since the girdle in the pants only compresses the hips, it does not affect blood circulation around the belly, and is easily wearable. Also, the contours of the hips look more attractive due to the pads. |
| US07950067B2 |
Clip-on protective kneepad
A kneepad includes connectors (32 and 34) at its lower side edges (30 and 31) below the position of articulation of the joint. The connectors are biased toward a plurality of ribs (40) integrally formed in the external side surface of the outer hard shell (22) for trapping the side seams of the pant leg against the ribs and holding the kneepad firmly in place. |
| US07954164B2 |
Method of copy detection and protection using non-standard TOC entries
The invention relates to a method of copy detection of a record carrier. In one particular embodiment the table of content entries are mastered on the record carrier in a detectable non-standard way, e.g. the sequence of table of content entries is mixed or the number of repetitions is varied. According to another embodiment additional synchronization symbols are used in one or more subcode frames which can be detected by a read-out device in order to distinguish between an original or a copy of a record carrier. |
| US07954159B2 |
Method and apparatus for verifying the integrity and security of computer networks and implementing counter measures
A system securing a computer network having various devices connected thereto. The system includes a security subsystem connected to the devices in the network, a master security system, and a first communication medium connected between the security subsystem and the master security system. The network devices generate event messages when under attack. The security subsystem generates multiple views, each view including a subset of the event messages generated by the devices. The security subsystem includes an event analyzer, which analyzes the event messages across multiple views to determine if any of the associated events exceeds a predetermined threshold. The master security system receives the associated events, which exceed the predetermined threshold, from the security subsystem through the first communication medium. |
| US07954155B2 |
Identifying unwanted electronic messages
An unwanted message may be identified by inspecting the payload portion of a message being communicated, comparing the characteristics of the payload portion with stored data indicating characteristics of other messages, and identifying a security condition based on a comparison of the message inspected. The characteristics inspected may include the payload portion of a message or the whole message when the characteristics are being compared against messages being exchanged on more than one local exchanging system. Furthermore, the characteristics of messages may be tracked for comparison against the characteristics of future messages. A threshold number of those characteristics may subsequently implicate a hostile security condition, even if a current comparison of these characteristics does not reach the threshold necessary to implicate a hostile security condition. |
| US07954152B2 |
Session management by analysis of requests and responses
Session management by analysis of requests and responses is described herein. A gateway receives requests from a client system, forwards the same to a protected resource, and receives responses from the protected resource. The gateway includes a session management module that manages an authenticated session between the client system and the protected resource. In one aspect, the session management module receives responses that are labeled to indicate whether the requests corresponding to the responses are user-initiated or automatically-initiated. In other aspects, the session management module analyzes the requests to identify any periodic patterns appearing therein. The session management module identifies any requests that are part of a periodic pattern as automatically-initiated requests. In either case, the session management module maintains a timer for each session, and resets the timer when a user-initiated request is identified. Any session whose timer expires is terminated. |
| US07954150B2 |
Methods and systems for assigning access control levels in providing access to resources via virtual machines
A system for granting access to resources includes a client machine, a collection agent, a policy engine, and a broker server. The client machine requests access to a resource. The collection agent gathers information about the client machine. The policy engine receives the gathered information and assigns one of a plurality of levels of access responsive to application of a policy to the received information. The broker server establishes, responsive to the assigned level of access, a connection between the client machine and a computing environment providing the requested resource, the computing environment provided by a virtual machine. |
| US07954144B1 |
Brokering state information and identity among user agents, origin servers, and proxies
Methods, signals, devices, and systems are provided for using proxy servers to transparently forward messages between clients and origin servers if, and only if doing so does not violate network policies. In some systems, a transparent proxy uses a combination of standard-format HTTP commands, embedding auxiliary information in URLs and other tools and techniques to redirect an initial client request to one or more policy modules, such as a login server or an identity broker or an access control server. The policy module authenticates the request, and uses HTTP redirection to have the client transmit authorization data to the proxy. The proxy extracts the authorization data, directs the client to use a corresponding cookie, and subsequently provides the implicitly requested proxy services to the client in response to the client's subsequently providing the authorization data in a cookie. This is accomplished without requiring installation of any invention-specific software or hardware on either the client or the origin server, and also works with proxy servers that are known to the client. Unless the client request violates network policy, a person using the client will generally perceive no reduction of services, and will instead benefit from the proxy's caching and/or other performance enhancements. |
| US07954141B2 |
Method and system for transparently authenticating a mobile user to access web services
A system and method for authenticating a subscriber of a first network to access application services through a second network, wherein the second network is a packet data network. The system includes a mobile station connected to a cellular network and apt to generate access-request messages enclosed in data packets, the access-request messages being expressed with a syntax that complies with an application-level protocol; an allocation server apt to allocate an address in the second network to the subscriber and to provide a mapping between the subscriber's address and a first subscriber's identifier; a gateway which interfaces the first network to the second network and assigns the subscriber's address to the mobile station; a service token injector linked with the gateway and apt to intercept the data packets generated from the endpoint station and directed to the second network through the gateway and to capture in the data packet at least the subscriber's address, and an identity authority logical entity linked with the service token injector. |
| US07954138B2 |
Method and system for multiplexing multiple level security server applications on the same internet address and port
The invention provides a system and method for sharing (or “multiplexing”) of the same internet (IP) address/port by multiple instances of multiple level security and/or single level security (SLS) server applications (each of which is used for processing one or more client request(s) falling within a range of security labels or other security attribute(s)) where the client processing request is directed to the system server capable of processing the request using the identified security label. |
| US07954136B2 |
Self-management network access using localized access management
The invention provides a method and system for locally tracking network usage and enforcing usage plans at a client device. In an embodiment of the invention, a unique physical key, or token, is installed at a client device of one or more networks. The key comprises a usage application and one or more access parameters designated the conditions and/or limits of a particular network usage plan. Upon initial connection to the network, the usage application grants or denies access to the network based on an analysis of the current values of the access parameters. Therefore, network usage tracking and enforcement is made simple and automatic without requiring any back-end servers on the network while still providing ultimate flexibility in changing billing plans for any number of users at any time. |
| US07954134B2 |
Set back box with digital receiver for upgrading TV with analog receiver
A set-back box (SBB) includes a digital TV signal receiver. The SBB can be connected via a HDMI cable to a TV having only an analog TV signal receiver so that digital TV signals from the SBB can be displayed on the TV screen. The TV processor recognizes the SBB and in effect treats the digital receiver of the SBB as its own, such that a single remote control can be used to control both analog channel selection within the TV and digital channel selection within the SBB. |
| US07954133B2 |
Digital living network alliance (DLNA) enabled portable electronic devices, DLNA management consoles and related methods of operating DLNA enabled portable electronic devices
Digital living network alliance (DLNA) enabled portable electronic devices are provided that include a DLNA device circuit and a DLNA management console circuit. The DLNA device circuit is configured to attach the portable electronic device to an existing DLNA network having at least one existing DLNA management console so as to allow the portable electronic device to be a source for data on the existing DLNA network. The DLNA management console circuit is configured to enable the portable electronic device to operate as a portable management console for the existing and/or a new DLNA network. Related management consoles and methods of operating DLNA enabled portable electronic devices are also provided. |
| US07954132B2 |
Method for reducing channel change time of internet protocol television (IPTV) and IPTV service provision server for implementing the same
The present invention provides a method for reducing channel change time of an IPTV and an IPTV service provision server for implementing the same, which comprise: determining the type of each of individual channels to be provided to a user and the number of additional intraframes required to be inserted into video data to be provided via the channels; inserting the additional intraframes corresponding to the determined number into the video data; encoding the video data; and transmitting the encoded video data to a first router or a second router according to the determined channel type, before receiving a channel request signal from the user. |
| US07954127B2 |
Direct broadcast signal distribution methods
A direct broadcast system having a high altitude communication device that transmits broadcast signals, which are received by an antenna, is provided. The system includes an outdoor unit (ODU) electrically coupled to the antenna. The ODU includes a low noise block converter (LNB) that receives and amplifies the broadcast signals. An ODU receiver is electrically coupled to the ODU and selects a desired frequency of the broadcast signals. Integrated receiver and decoders (IRD(s) are electrically coupled to the ODU receiver via a single distribution cable. The IRD(s) convert the broadcast signals into IRD output signals. Methods of performing the same are also provided, herein, including a transport select method and a service select method for receiving the broadcast signals. A direct broadcast system installation method and wireless communication between the ODU and the IRD(s) are also provided. |
| US07954123B2 |
System, method, and computer-readable medium for synchronizing multicast customized content to facilitate DSLAM complexity reduction
A method, computer readable medium, and system for advertisement and content distribution are provided. Supplementary content is synchronized with advertisement slots, or commercial intervals, of a program stream and distributed via separate multicast group addresses. The program content is distributed via an alternative multicast group address during commercial intervals. Ports associated with respective users are mapped or otherwise associated with multiple multicast group addresses in a forwarding table thereby allowing distribution of supplementary content, or alternatively the program content, during commercial intervals. |
| US07954121B2 |
Methods and system for controlling access to individual titles
Methods and system for controlling access to viewable content on an individual title basis. In one embodiment, the method enables a user, such as a parent, to assign passwords to individual titles, thereby preventing unauthorized users, such as children, from viewing content corresponding to a selected title while enabling authorized users to view the content via correct entry of the password. In another embodiment, the method enables an administrative user (e.g., parent) to define allowed access levels and assign the same to various users of the system. The administrative user is also enabled to assign access levels to individual titles. In response to a user selection to view a title, the system identifies the user and determines whether the user is authorized to view the content based on the access level assigned to the title and any allowed access levels assigned to the user. The system includes set-top boxes and the like that may be used to implement the methods. |
| US07954118B2 |
Scalable integrated high-density optical data/media storage delivery system
An apparatus and system for recording, playing, handling, and storing a plurality of media disks in a plurality of configurations and a device for moving any disk into and out of a media disk storage mechanism and into or out of a selected media player/recorder on demand, and a controller for directing operation of the device for moving the disks and controlling selection of operation of the media disk storage mechanism. |
| US07954115B2 |
Mashup delivery community portal market manager
A computer-implementable method and system for managing a mashup web-based community portal. A network-based community portal having a mashup platform integrated therewith can be provided and one or more pre-negotiated bartering agreements designated, in response to a particular user input by one or more users of the network-based community portal. A management module (e.g., a “Market Manager”) can be associated with the network-based community portal in order to permit the users of the network-based community portal to describe to the mashup platform the pre-negotiated bartering agreement(s), in order to permit the network-based community portal to manage the utilization of mashup applications associated with the mashup platform and one or more widget contained by the mashup applications. |
| US07954114B2 |
Firmware socket module for FPGA-based pipeline processing
A firmware socket module is deployed on a reconfigurable logic device, wherein the firmware socket module is configured to provide both commands and target data to an entry point in a data processing pipeline, wherein each command defines a data processing operation that is to be performed by the data processing pipeline, and wherein the target data corresponds to the data upon which the data processing pipeline performs its commanded data processing operation. Also, the firmware socket module may be configured to (1) access an external input descriptor pool buffer that defines an order in which commands and target data are to be provided to the data processing pipeline, and (2) transfer the commands and target data from an external memory to the data processing pipeline in accordance with the defined order. |
| US07954111B2 |
Data structures for context information related to business events
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, related to data structures for context information related to business events. Data characterizing an event of one or more business processes (e.g., an event corresponding to a business activity in one or more computer-implemented business processes) is received, and a data structure is generated to enable event resolution. The data structure is generated in response to receiving the data and the data structure includes information about the event derived from the data and information to assist retrieving further information related to the event. The data structure may be defined in accordance with a declarative programming language. A business process to include events that are resolved with the use of a data structure including context information and a data structure (e.g., a designtime data structure) may be modeled in a visual modeling tool. |
| US07954109B1 |
Systems and methods for time based sorting and display of captured data events in a multi-protocol communications system
Systems, device and methods are provided for displaying time sorted data events captured in a multi-protocol communications system. Initially, data events are captured in connection with detection of one or more trigger conditions, and each captured data event includes a clock timestamp. The captured data events are then sorted and displayed by a graphical user interface according to their respective clock timestamp. Once the data events have been sorted and displayed, then the temporal relationships and causal relationships, if any, between and among the captured data events can be determined. |
| US07954108B2 |
Method and apparatus for accelerating generic inter-ORB protocol for a CORBA ORB
An HDL description of a communications protocol machine for transforming object communications into low-level octet sequences for physical transport is synthesized onto a programmable logic device such as an FPGA. This communications protocol machine replaces traditional software-based inter-ORB protocol engines in distributed computing environments, including embedded environments, to provide reduced latency. The communications protocol machine is described with two distinct elements: a protocol messaging machine and an encoder/decoder. The protocol messaging machine converts an object communication into a low-level octet sequence comprising one or more inter-ORB protocol messages and converts a low-level octet sequence comprising an inter-ORB protocol message into an object communication. The encoder/decoder encodes each data type associated with the object communication into a low-level octet sequence according to a set of rules, such as CDR, and decodes a low-level octet sequence into data types associated with the object communication according to the same rules. |
| US07954102B2 |
Scheduling method in multithreading processor, and multithreading processor
In regard to a scheduling method in a multithreading processor, a thread to be executed is dynamically selected from the threads allotted to the context units according to an operation state of the multithreading processor, and the number of threads to be executed simultaneously or the combination thereof is changed. Also, at the time of context switching, threads to be allotted to the context units are dynamically selected according to an operation state of the multithreading processor. As an example of a method for deciding the operation state, the decision is made by whether a set reference value is exceeded by the number of fetch stall times in a predetermined period on a thread-by-thread basis, number of missing cache times, memory access latency, IPC counter, or the like. |
| US07954101B2 |
Skipping non-time-critical task according to control table when operating frequency falls
This task management method includes dividing a unit time of processing into a reserved band for guaranteeing real-timeness and a non-reserved band not for guaranteeing real-timeness, and skipping a task to be executed in the non-reserved band as appropriate when processor throughput falls. That is, when the operating frequency of the processor is lowered in order to suppress heat generation, the real-timeness of tasks to be executed in the reserved band is guaranteed at the expense of processing the task to be executed in the non-reserved band in a best-efforts fashion. |
| US07954097B2 |
Automatically analyzing and modifying a remote graphical program via a network
A system and method for programmatically analyzing and modifying a graphical program via a network. The graphical program may be stored on a memory medium at a first location. A program may be executed on a computer system at a second location. The computer system at the second location may be coupled via a network to the memory medium at the first location or may be coupled to a computer system or device which includes or has access to the memory medium at the first location. The program on the computer system at the second location may execute to programmatically analyze the graphical program via the network. In one embodiment the program on the computer system at the second location may also execute to programmatically modify the graphical program via the network, based on the programmatic analysis of the graphical program. |
| US07954087B2 |
Template integration
A system and method are provided for integrating configuration templates. Usage-based configuration templates are created. The configuration templates are integrated into a configuration structure by assigning system instances to the configuration templates based on the usage of each of the system instances. The system instances are associated with one or more systems coupled with the configuration structure. |
| US07954086B2 |
Self-describing kernel modules
A method, and a corresponding mechanism, are used for creating a self-describing kernel module. The method includes the steps of expressing data describing a module in a modmeta file format and creating a C language source file. The C language source file is created by translating the expressed data into a series of C language data structures, wherein the series of C language data structures comprises the C language source file. The C language source file is then compiled and linked into the module itself, thus making the module contain its own descriptive data. |
| US07954082B2 |
Automatically analyzing and modifying a graphical program
A system and method for programmatically analyzing and modifying a graphical program. The graphical program may be stored in a memory. The graphical program may then be programmatically analyzed. In various embodiments, the graphical program may be a graphical program that performs any function for any application, and the graphical program may be analyzed to determine any information or characteristics regarding the graphical program. One or more suggested modifications to the graphical program may be displayed based on the programmatic analysis performed on the graphical program. The user may be able to select which of the suggested modifications to automatically apply to the graphical program. The graphical program may then be programmatically modified to implement the one or more suggested modifications selected by the user. |
| US07954081B2 |
Implementing enhanced wiring capability for electronic laminate packages
Structures and a computer program product are provided for implementing enhanced wiring capability for electronic laminate packages. Electronic package physical design data are received. Instances of line width and space limit violations in the electronic package physical design data are identified. The identified instances of line width and space limit violations are evaluated using predefined qualified options and tolerance limitations and the electronic package physical design data are modified to optimize shapes to replace the instances of line width and space limit violations. |
| US07954080B2 |
Method and apparatus for de-embedding on-wafer devices
A method and system for de-embedding an on-wafer device is disclosed. The method comprises representing the intrinsic characteristics of a test structure using a set of ABCD matrix components; determining the intrinsic characteristics arising from the test structure; and using the determined intrinsic characteristics of the test structure to produce a set of parameters representative of the intrinsic characteristics of a device-under-test (“DUT”). |
| US07954077B2 |
Integrated circuit design utilizing array of functionally interchangeable dynamic logic cells
A method utilizes an array of functionally interchangeable dynamic logic cells to implement an application specific logic function in an integrated circuit design. Each functionally interchangeable dynamic logic cell is comprised of a dynamic logic circuit configured to generate an output as a function of a plurality of inputs, and an output latch that is configured to latch the output generated by the logic circuit. The array of functionally interchangeable dynamic logic cells are used to implement an application specific logic function within a specific logic design by routing a plurality of conductors between inputs and outputs of at least a subset of the functionally interchangeable dynamic logic cells. |
| US07954076B2 |
Transmission delay analyzing apparatus, medium recording transmission delay analyzing program, and transmission delay analyzing method
A transmission delay analyzing apparatus includes: a first acquisition section that acquires a noise waveform from among waveforms which propagate in a first transmission line and acquired by a receiving circuit;a first calculation section that calculates a noise peak level which is the peak level of the noise waveform acquired by the first acquisition section; a second acquisition section that acquires a signal waveform free from noise from among the waveforms which propagate in the first transmission line and acquired by the receiving circuit; and a second calculation section that calculates a delay variation of a transmitted signal based on the signal waveform acquired by the second acquisition section, a threshold for determining the level of a signal that the receiving circuit has received from the first transmission line, and the noise peak level calculated by the first calculation section. |
| US07954065B2 |
Two-dimensional timeline display of media items
A computer-implemented method includes displaying, within a user interface in a digital media system, a media pane having a vertical direction and horizontal direction, displaying, within the media pane, a plurality of thumbnail groups, each thumbnail group comprising one or more thumbnails collectively representing a corresponding media item, a first thumbnail group being displayed as arranged in a first row extending across the media pane in the horizontal direction such that the first thumbnail group is displayed substantially adjacent to a first vertical edge of the media pane and subsequent thumbnail groups are displayed substantially adjacent to one another in the first row until a thumbnail group in the first row is displayed substantially adjacent to a second vertical edge of the media pane, and displaying a next thumbnail group in a second row vertically displaced from the first row. |
| US07954058B2 |
Sharing of content and hop distance over a social network
A method, system, and apparatus are directed to sharing information over a network. A drag-and-drop of a selection of a portion of content may be received at a sharing area. A sharing message may be generated based on a type of the portion. If the type of the portion indicates storage, the sharing message may comprise a hyperlink to a storage. The sharing message may be useable for providing the portion on at least one client device associated with at least one of a plurality of members of a social network. Sharing over the network of the portion between an originating sharing member and the plurality of members of the social network may be enabled. The portion may be shared for a customizable project. A hop distance may be provided for the shared portion. |
| US07954052B2 |
Method for processing a web page for display in a wiki environment
A computer implemented method for processing a collaborative web page. An initiation method is invoked to locate commands within nodes in a tree. The commands may place events in a queue to form queued events. Events are processed on a data hub to deliver the queued events to the data hub. A discover method is invoked on the commands present in the tree for allowing identical commands to update. A render method is invoked on the commands present in the tree to display the commands on the collaborative web page. |
| US07954050B2 |
Systems and methods for rendering and increasing portability of document-based user interface software objects
Systems and methods for rendering document-based user interface software objects are disclosed. User interface software objects may be represented in a document object model on a first computer system. These objects may then be communicated to a second computer system on which they are similarly rendered through use of a document object model on a second computer system. A document on a first computer system may also be updated to reflect either user input through a user interface software object included in the document, or changes induced by server side logic. The updates may be incrementally communicated to and rendered in a second computer system. Location-neutral user interface software objects may be developed without regard to whether the software object will ultimately reside on a client or server computer system, wherein the user interface software object is equally capable of being supported on either one of a client or server computer system. |
| US07954048B2 |
Content management via configuration set relationships in a content management system
Method, system, and article of manufacture for a content management system (CMS) to bind a data object (typically, an XML document) to an associated configuration set (or sets) are disclosed. The configuration set may reference a set of configuration files such as XML schemas/DTDs, style sheets, CMS processing rules, and the like. The CMS may store bindings between a data object and a given configuration set in a CMS repository. |
| US07954047B2 |
Cutting and copying discontiguous selections of cells
Cutting and copying discontiguous selections of cells is disclosed. In some embodiments, in response to receiving an indication of a selection of a set of cells that does not include only a continuous grid of selected cells and receiving an indication of a selection of a paste destination in which the set of cells is desired to be pasted, the set of cells is pasted in the paste destination in a manner that preserves a respective relative position of each cell in the set. In some embodiments, if a paste destination is not large enough to accommodate a paste operation, the paste destination is automatically expanding so that it is large enough to accommodate the paste operation. |
| US07954045B2 |
Recommendatory information provision system
A recommendatory information provision system has a management apparatus and a user terminal device. The management apparatus includes a browsed information acquisition unit for acquiring information of a browsed document, a recommended document retrieval unit for retrieving a recommended document relevant to the browsed document, a recommendation history management unit for storing and managing history information which concerns recommendations of the recommended document, a recommendation history retrieval unit for retrieving from the recommendation history management unit, the history information of the recommended document which has been retrieved by the recommended document retrieval unit, and a recommendatory information provision unit for providing, to the user terminal device, the information concerning the recommended document and the history information of the recommended document as have been retrieved. The user terminal device has a display process unit for displaying the information on a screen. |
| US07954039B2 |
Memory card and memory controller
A memory card has a plurality of non-volatile memories and a main controller for controlling the operation of the non-volatile memories. The main controller performs an access control to the non-volatile memories in response to an external access instruction, and an alternate control for alternating an access error-related storage area of the non-volatile memory with other storage area. In the access control, the speeding up of the data transfer between flash memories is achieved by causing the plurality of non-volatile memories to parallel access operate. In the alternation control, the storage areas is made alternative for each non-volatile memory in which an access error occurs. |
| US07954036B2 |
Method and system for providing low density parity check (LDPC) encoding
An approach is provided for a method of encoding structure Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes. Memory storing information representing a structured parity check Matrix of Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes is accessed during the encoding process. The information is organized in tabular form, wherein each row represents occurrences of one Values within a first column of a group of columns of the parity check matrix. The rows correspond to groups of columns of the parity check matrix, wherein subsequent columns within each of the groups are derived according to a predetermined operation. An LDPC coded signal is output based on the stored information representing the parity check matrix. |
| US07954035B2 |
Low density parity check encoder using costas array, and channel encoder of high speed portable internet system comprising the same and channel encoding method
The present invention provides an LDPC encoder, a channel encoder of a portable internet system including the LDPC encoder, and an encoding method thereof. The LDPC encoder according to the present invention generates a Costas array, shifts it, generates an analogous circulation parity check matrix having a repeated pattern from the shifted Costas array, and performs encoding by using the parity check matrix. With this LDPC encoder, complexity of encoding system may be reduced. |
| US07954032B2 |
Apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving broadcast data in a mobile communication system
A method and apparatus for transmitting a broadcast physical layer packet in a mobile communication system supporting multi-slot transmission and hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (H-ARQ) are provided. The method comprises initially transmitting the broadcast physical layer packet according to a fixed transmission format for at least one first slot interval and retransmitting the broadcast physical layer packet for at least one second slot interval using a variable transmission format different from the transmission format used in the first slot interval. |
| US07954027B2 |
Reduced signaling interface method and apparatus
This disclosure describes a reduced pin bus that can be used on integrated circuits or embedded cores within integrated circuits. The bus may be used for serial access to circuits where the availability of pins on ICs or terminals on cores is limited. The bus may be used for a variety of serial communication operations such as, but not limited to, serial communication related test, emulation, debug, and/or trace operations of an IC or core design. Other aspects of the disclosure include the use of reduced pin buses for emulation, debug, and trace operations and for functional operations. |
| US07954025B2 |
Scan architecture for full custom blocks
A output storage latch within a combinational logic circuit may be adapted to form a scan flip-flop latch that supports both functional operation and scan chain testing of a combinational logic matrix included in the combinational logic circuit. A described master/slave clock approach allows the scan flip-flop latch to support receiving into a scan chain a sequence of test input data, execution of combinational logic matrix testing based on the test input data, and sequentially outputting test results to a test result register for comparison with expected results. The described scan flip-flop latch may be used along side unaltered output storage latches thereby allowing flexibility with respect to the number and placement scan chain test points within an integrated circuit. Use of the described dual-use scan flip-flop latch results in a less complex circuit design, reduced circuit area requirements and improved reliability. |
| US07954021B2 |
Solid state drive with flash sparing
A method for flash sparing on a solid state drive (SSD) includes detecting a failure from a primary memory device; determining if a failure threshold for the primary memory device has been reached; and, in the event the failure threshold for the primary memory device has been reached: quiescing the SSD; and updating an entry in a sparing map table to replace the primary memory device with a spare memory device. |
| US07954017B2 |
Multiple embedded memories and testing components for the same
A method of sharing testing components for multiple embedded memories and the memory system incorporating the same. The memory system includes multiple test controllers, multiple interface devices, a main controller, and a serial interface. The main controller is used for initializing testing of each of the dissimilar memory groups using a serial interface and local test controllers. The memory system results in reduced routing congestion and faster testing of plurality of dissimilar memories. |
| US07954016B2 |
Efficient multi-symbol deinterleaver
Embodiments disclosed herein address the need in the art for an efficient multi-symbol deinterleaver. In one aspect, a plurality of memory banks are deployed to receive and simultaneously store a plurality of values, such as soft decision values determined from a modulation constellation, in accordance with a storing pattern. In another aspect, the storing pattern comprises a plurality of cycles, a selected subset of the plurality of memory banks and an address offset for use in determining the address for storing into the respective memory banks indicated for each cycle. In yet another aspect, the stored values may be accessed in order with a sequentially increasing index, such as an address. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects have the benefit of allowing multiple symbol values to be deinterleaved in an efficient manner, thus meeting computation time constraints, and conserving power. |
| US07954014B2 |
Health check framework for enterprise systems
A health check framework for enterprise systems is described herein. In one embodiment, a health check framework includes one or more first layer methods as public interfaces to allow an application client to initiate one or more stages of a health checking session, where the first layer methods are independent of a particular component of the enterprise system. The health check framework further includes one or more second layer methods to provide an abstract interface to the one or more system and/or application components with respect to the one or more first layer methods. The second layer methods include one or more methods that are specific to a corresponding one of the system and/or application components of the enterprise system. During a health check session, the first layer methods invoke the second layer methods to perform health check operations. Other methods and apparatuses are also described. |
| US07954013B2 |
Storage device and performance measurement method for the same
A storage system including a maintenance terminal, at least one disk drive, and a plurality of volumes that are provided by the at least one disk drive, and each store therein data written by the plurality of host devices. In this storage system, the maintenance terminal sets information for use to measure the performance of the storage device, and the storage device acquires the set information, measures the performance of the storage device with respect to the data stored in the plurality of volumes based on the information, and transmits, to the maintenance terminal, performance information about the performance being a measurement result. The storage system as such can collect information about the performance of a storage device that is not measurable from the side of the host devices, and a method for collecting such performance information can be provided. |
| US07954012B2 |
Hierarchical debug information collection
Embodiments of the invention are generally related to retrieving debug data from a plurality of nodes of a parallel computer system. To retrieve debug data, a message may be broadcast from a service node of the system to each of the plurality of nodes via a first network, the message indicating a debug operation that is to be performed. A node of the plurality of nodes may transfer an interrupt signal to the rest of the plurality of nodes via a second network. Upon receiving the interrupt signal, the plurality of nodes may perform the debug operation comprising transferring the debug data to the service node via a third network. |
| US07954008B2 |
Objective assessment of application crashes from a customer environment
A computerized method for collecting error data and providing error reports relating to occurrences of errors of software applications installed on one or more computing devices is disclosed. Data for describing software applications and identifying software application errors is collected from the computing devices and stored in a catalog. Data associated with error occurrences is obtained and combined with related data being stored in the catalog. A report is generated based on the error occurrences and related catalog data. |
| US07954005B2 |
SIP server architecture for improving latency during message processing
Systems and methods are provided for improving latency during message processing in a network environment via the use of SIP server architecture. The SIP server can be comprised of an engine tier and a state tier distributed on a cluster network. The engine tier can send and receive messages and execute various processes. The state tier can maintain in-memory state data associated with various SIP sessions. The state tier can store various long lived data objects and the engine tier can contain short lived data objects. The state data can be maintained in partitions comprised of state replicas. When processing messages, the engine can pull state data objects from the state tier, use the objects and push them back to the state tier after processing is complete. If one state replica is unavailable, such as during garbage collection, the engine can retrieve the objects from another replica in the partition. |
| US07954004B2 |
Systems and methods for retrieving data
Apparatus and methods, such as those that read data from non-volatile integrated circuit memory devices, such as NAND flash. For example, disclosed techniques can be embodied in a device driver of an operating system. Errors are tracked during read operations. If sufficient errors are observed during read operations, the block is then retired when it is requested to be erased or a page of the block is to be written. One embodiment is a technique to recover data from uncorrectable errors. For example, a read mode can be changed to a more reliable read mode to attempt to recover data. One embodiment further returns data from the memory device regardless of whether the data was correctable by decoding of error correction code data or not. |
| US07953999B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit device and method of operating the same
A semiconductor integrated circuit device is provided. The semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a central processing unit (CPU) configured to output first control signals in response to a first clock signal, a first bus connected to the CPU, a bridge circuit connected to the first bus, a second bus connected to the bridge circuit, a plurality of peripheral circuits connected to the second bus, and a clock monitor connected to the first bus or the second bus and configured to output a register value corresponding to a second clock signal to the bridge circuit. The bridge circuit receives the first control signals, generates second control signals based on the register value, and outputs the second control signals to one of the peripheral circuits via the second bus. |
| US07953993B2 |
Method and apparatus for a zero voltage processor sleep state
Embodiments of the invention relate to a method and apparatus for a zero voltage processor sleep state. A voltage regulator may be coupled to a processor to provide an operating voltage to the processor. During a transition to a zero voltage power management state for the processor, the operational voltage applied to the processor by the voltage regulator may be reduced to approximately zero while an external voltage is continuously applied to a portion of the processor to save state variables of the processor during the zero voltage management power state. |
| US07953992B2 |
System in package semiconductor device suitable for efficient power management and method of managing power of the same
Provided are a system in package (SIP) semiconductor device suitable for efficient power management, and a method of managing power of the SIP semiconductor device. The SIP semiconductor device includes chips including first and second chips. Each of the chips includes an alive block, a local interface, and an intellectual property (IP) block. The alive block is continuously supplied with power in order to continuously be in an on-state. The local interface transmits/receives data to/from other chips. The IP block individually stores and processes data. The alive blocks of the chips are connected to each other through a first signal line unit for transmitting a signal required to wake up or initialize the chips. The alive blocks control power to the chips, respectively, in response to an external wake-up instruction signal or the signal transmitted through the first signal line unit. Therefore, power can be efficiently managed since power that is supplied to the chips of the SIP semiconductor device is managed by the alive blocks or the local interfaces of the chips. |
| US07953989B1 |
Secure transaction microcontroller with tamper control circuitry
A high security microcontroller (such as in a point of sale terminal) includes tamper control circuitry for detecting vulnerability conditions: a write to program memory before the sensitive financial information has been erased, a tamper detect condition, the enabling of a debugger, a power-up condition, an illegal temperature condition, an illegal supply voltage condition, an oscillator fail condition, and a battery removal condition. If the tamper control circuitry detects a vulnerability condition, then the memory where the sensitive financial information could be stored is erased before boot loader operation or debugger operation can be enabled. Upon power-up if a valid image is detected in program memory, then the boot loader is not executed and secure memory is not erased but rather the image is executed. The tamper control circuitry is a hardware state machine that is outside control of user-loaded software and is outside control of the debugger. |
| US07953988B2 |
Modular tamper resistant enclosure for secure systems
An active membrane creates a secure area around one or more devices. The active membrane forms a physical barrier between the encased secure area and an external environment. Linked to the membrane and acting as the sole interface between the secure area and the outside environment is a boundary interface. The boundary interface tunnels data to the secure area in a secure fashion. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the boundary interface utilizes symmetric and/or asymmetric cryptographic techniques to secure the data path. The boundary interface is also coupled to the active membrane, and upon the membrane sensing a breach of the membrane (thus signifying an intrusion of the secure area), the boundary interface can be configured to sever the data paths linking the secure area with the unsecured area as well as take other active steps to ensure that data within the secure area is not compromised. |
| US07953987B2 |
Protection of secure electronic modules against attacks
A method and apparatus is disclosed for preventing the unintended retention of secret data caused by preferred state/burn-in in secure electronic modules. Sequentially storing the data and its inverse on alternating clock cycles, and by actively overwriting it to destroy it, prevents SRAM devices from developing a preferred state. By encrypting a relatively large amount of secret data with a master encryption key, and storing said master key in this non-preferred state storage, the electronic module conveniently extends this protection scheme to a large amount of data, without the overhead of investing or actively erasing the larger storage area. |
| US07953985B2 |
Memory card, application program holding method, and holding program
A memory card receives an encrypted application program from a host apparatus. The memory card includes an Integrated Circuit (IC) card unit having a tamper resistant function, and a flash memory unit. The IC card unit also includes a tamper resistant storage unit, a program acquisition unit that acquires the encrypted application program from the host apparatus, a storage control unit which stores the acquired encrypted application program in the tamper resistant storage unit or the flash memory unit, and a move control unit. The memory control unit, when the application program stored in the tamper resistant storage unit is to be executed and the size of the application program to be executed in the decrypted form exceeds the size of free space of the tamper resistant storage unit, moves an arbitrary encrypted application program stored in the tamper resistant storage unit to the flash memory unit. |
| US07953984B1 |
Enhanced malware detection utilizing transparently integrated searching
A computer-implemented method detecting malware that includes providing a malware detection application and providing a search engine, the search engine being configured to receive data and commands from the malware detection application and to return data pertaining to search results to the malware detection application. The method also includes sending at least one of scan options and at least one malware-suggestive pattern from the malware detection application to the search engine. The method additionally includes searching, using the search engine and the at least one of scan options and the at least one malware-suggestive pattern, to obtain data pertaining to scan targets. The method also includes sending the data pertaining to the scan targets from the search engine to the malware detection application. The method further includes performing malware detection, using the malware detection application and the data pertaining to the scan targets, on the scan targets. |
| US07953979B2 |
Systems and methods for enabling trust in a federated collaboration
Systems and methods consistent with the present invention enable explicit and multilateral trust across a community of federated servers via a network. A trusted third party establishes a framework of policies and procedures governing a federation. Organizations joining the federation submit to an audit process of internal policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the policies and procedures of the federation. Upon successful completion of an audit, an organization may receive a digital certificate containing the digital public key of the organization and indicating approval of the trusted third party. The organization may then use the associated digital private key for signing security assertions associated with a request for resources from another federation service provider. The service provider may trust the assertion from the organization based on trust placed in trusted third party by the service provider and the trust placed in the organization by the trusted third party. |
| US07953978B2 |
Key generation and retrieval using key servers
Provided are techniques for key generation and retrieval. Unique identifiers of two or more key servers are stored, wherein each key server is capable of generating keys for encryption of data and of returning keys for decryption of data. A key request is received. A technique for selecting one of the key servers to which the key request is to be forwarded is identified. One of the key servers is selected using the identified technique. The key request is sent to the identified key server. |
| US07953972B2 |
System and method for managing files
A computer-based method for managing files includes: configuring an access control list which illustrates all the accessible rights to corresponding users, the accessible rights comprise the right for comparing selected files, the right for merging selected files and the right for dividing a selected file; saving created files in a file transfer protocol (FTP) server, and saving file information of the files in a database, the file information including a file path of each of the files; reading from the FTP server selected files that need to be compared according to respective file paths if a files comparing request is received, comparing the selected files, and outputting differences between the selected files; reading from the FTP server selected files that need to be merged according to respective file paths if a files merging request is received, merging the selected files to create a merged file, and saving information of the merged file in the database; reading from the FTP server a selected file that needs to be divided according to a corresponding file path and a file position of the file, if a file dividing request is received, dividing the selected file into two files at the file position, and saving information of two divided files in the database. A related system is also disclosed. |
| US07953970B2 |
Method and apparatus for storage of security keys and certificates
A method and apparatus for storage of security keys and certificates is provided in which the keys and certificates are fragmented into non-uniform lengths and stored in a data file (110). The fragments (152, 154) of the keys and certificates are intermixed within the data file (110). The fragmentation is carried out according to an algorithm (200) which may be based on a pass phrase (140) to the data file (110). The position of storage of each fragment (152, 154) within the data file (110) is also determined by the algorithm (200). |
| US07953965B2 |
One wire boot loader
A power tool system component has a microprocessor, a one wire communication terminal connecting the microprocessor to an external device, and a flash memory storing: (a) an application program governing operation of an application mode during which the power tool system component is operated; and (b) a boot loader program governing operation of a boot loader mode during which at least part of the application program can be updated. The microprocessor accesses the flash memory and implements the boot loader program and the application program by setting up and observing a temporal window during which one or more predetermined conditions must be met for the boot loader mode to be entered. The predetermined conditions include successful completion of a calibration process that includes sending a calibration byte to the external device according to a format predetermined to allow the external device to adjust its baud rate for sending and receiving information. Upon successful completion of the conditions within the temporal window, the microprocessor sends a confirmation to the device that the conditions have been satisfied and enters the boot loader mode. |
| US07953961B1 |
Trace unit with an op path from a decoder (bypass mode) and from a basic-block builder
An instruction processing circuit for a processor includes a decoder circuit, a cache circuit, a sequencer circuit operable to select a next sequence of operations, and an operations fetch circuit operable to convey the next sequence of operations to an execution circuit, receive an indication that a sequencing action of the sequencer circuit is sequencing ahead of the execution circuit, and switch, based on the indication, a source of the operations fetch circuit between the cache circuit and the decoder circuit. |
| US07953960B2 |
Method and apparatus for delaying a load miss flush until issuing the dependent instruction
A pipeline processor has circuits to detect the presence of a register access instruction in an issue stage of the pipeline. A load-miss occurring at a later stage may cause the register access instruction to be marked with an associated bit. The register access instruction progresses down the pipeline and when the flush stage is reached, the processor checks the associated bit and flushes the register access instruction. |
| US07953957B2 |
Mapping and distributing parallel algorithms to compute nodes in a parallel computer based on temperatures of the compute nodes in a hardware profile and a hardware independent application profile describing thermal characteristics of each parallel algorithm
Methods, apparatus, and products for distributing parallel algorithms of a parallel application among compute nodes of an operational group in a parallel computer are disclosed that include establishing a hardware profile, the hardware profile describing thermal characteristics of each compute node in the operational group; establishing a hardware independent application profile, the application profile describing thermal characteristics of each parallel algorithm of the parallel application; and mapping, in dependence upon the hardware profile and application profile, each parallel algorithm of the parallel application to a compute node in the operational group. |
| US07953956B2 |
Reconfigurable circuit with a limitation on connection and method of determining functions of logic circuits in the reconfigurable circuit
A reconfigurable circuit of reduced circuit scale. The reconfigurable circuit of the present invention comprises a plurality of ALUs capable of changing functions. The plurality of ALUs are arranged in a matrix. At least one connection unit capable of establishing connection between the ALUs selectively is provided between the stages of the ALUs. This connection unit is not intended to allow connection between all the logic circuits in adjoining stages, but is configured so that the logic circuits are each connectable with only some of the logic circuits pertaining to the other stages. The connection limitation allows a reduction in circuit scale. |
| US07953953B2 |
Method and apparatus for reducing page replacement time in system using demand paging technique
A method and apparatus for reducing a page replacement time in a system using a demand paging technique are provided. The apparatus includes a memory management unit which transmits a signal indicating that a page fault occurs, a device driver which reads a page having the page fault from a nonvolatile memory, and a page fault handler that searches and secures a space for storing the page having the page fault in a memory. The searching and securing of the space in the memory is performed within a limited time calculated beforehand and a part of data to be loaded to the memory of the system is stored in the nonvolatile memory. |
| US07953952B2 |
Computer and method for controlling whether or not to release all real storage areas assigned to virtual volume
The management server performs a release/non-release selection determining whether or not to release all of the real storage areas assigned to a virtual volume switched from a used target to an unused target. The management server exercises control to determine whether or not to release all of the real storage areas assigned to the specified virtual volume in accordance with the result of the release/non-release selection. |
| US07953950B2 |
Storage device including flash memory and capable of predicting storage device performance
A storage device includes a semiconductor memory storing data. A controller instructs to write data to the semiconductor memory in accordance with a request the controller receives. A register holds performance class information showing one performance class required to allow the storage device to demonstrate best performance which the storage device supports, of performance classes specified in accordance with performance. |
| US07953946B2 |
Controlled anticipation in creating a shadow copy
Controlling data retention of a collection of data in a data store. An instruction is received to store a shadow collection of data to the data store. The data store has a previous version of the shadow collection of data. An available amount of data storage space on the data store is identified. An amount of data storage space needed is estimated for storing the shadow collection of data to the data store based on the received instruction. It is determined whether the identified available amount of data storage space is sufficient for storing the estimated amount of data storage space. The shadow collection of data is stored to the data store when said determine indicates that the identified available amount of data storage space is sufficient and the previous version is permitted to be deleted or to be overwritten. |
| US07953945B2 |
System and method for providing a backup/restore interface for third party HSM clients
A method for performing backup of a stub object located on a file system managed by a hierarchical storage manager configured to migrate data objects from the file system 10 a migration storage pool includes determining whether a backup copy of the migrated data object is stored in a backup storage pool if the backup is performed in an incremental backup operation. The storage manager recalls the migrated data object to the file system if the backup copy of the migrated data object is not stored in the backup storage pool or if the backup is performed in a selective backup operation. If the migrated data object is recalled, the backup copy of the migrated data object is created and stored in the backup storage pool. If the migrated data object is not recalled, a backup copy of the stub object is created and stored in the backup storage pool. |
| US07953940B2 |
Storage system and control method thereof
The plurality of host systems or the plurality of applications include an insertion unit for sending the identifier. The storage controller includes an analysis unit for identifying a host system or an application based on the identifier contained in the access information and analyzing an access pattern of access information sent from the identified host system or application, a management unit for managing the identifier, the analysis result of the access pattern analyzed with the analysis unit, and a control method for controlling the processing of data to be sent from a host system based on the analysis result or data to be stored in a logical volume, and a data processing controller for controlling the processing of data to be sent from a host system or data to be stored in a logical volume according to the control method managed by the management unit. |
| US07953939B2 |
Storage system and method of controlling a storage system
A storage system includes a plurality of disk drives, and a disk controller for controlling the plurality of disk drives. The plurality of disk drives are configured from a plurality of virtual devices, to which logical devices are allocated. The disk controller apparatus comprises a channel adapter connected to the host computer, a disk adapter for accessing predetermined storage regions of the logical devices, cache memory arranged between the channel adapter and the disk adapter, a compression unit for carrying out compression processing on the data, and a power controller for controlling supplying of power to the plurality of disk drives. The disk controller forms logical devices after compression based on data compressed by the compression processing, and the logical devices after compression are allocated to the virtual devices. |
| US07953938B2 |
Processor enabling input/output of data during execution of operation
When free bank information representing that a bank is not used by a PE and outputted from a PE controller coincides with used bank information representing that a bank is used for data transfer and outputted from a bus controller, a memory controller controls LM-banks 0 to 3 and a switching network so as to enable all communications. Therefore, data reading and data writing by the PE is performed in parallel with the data transfer with the outside, so that processing time of the PE can be reduced. |
| US07953935B2 |
Cache memory system, and control method therefor
A cache memory system which readily accepts software control for processing includes: a cache memory provided between a processor and memory; and a TAC (Transfer and Attribute Controller) for controlling the cache memory. The TAC receives a command which indicates a transfer and an attribute operation of cache data and a target for the operation, resulting from the execution of a predetermined instruction by the processor, so as to request the operation indicated by the command against the address to the cache memory. |
| US07953934B2 |
Cache management system
Embodiments disclosed herein provide a cache management system comprising a cache and a cache manager that can poll cached assets at different frequencies based on their relative activity status and independent of other applications. In one embodiment, the cache manager may maintain one or more lists, each corresponding to a polling layer associated with a particular polling schedule or frequency. Cached assets may be added to or removed from a list or they may be promoted or demoted to a different list, thereby changing their polling frequency. By polling less active files at a lower frequency than more active files, significant system resources can be saved, thereby increasing overall system speed and performance. Additionally, because a cache manager according to embodiments disclosed herein does not require detailed contextual information about the files that it is managing, such a cache manager can be easily implemented with any cache. |
| US07953930B2 |
Device identifiers for nonvolatile memory modules
A memory card has a data scrambler that performs a data scrambling operation on data stored in the memory card according to a device ID associated with the memory card. The device ID is either set at the factory and permanently stored in the card, or configurable by a user or a host system. |
| US07953929B1 |
Expanding the storage capacity of a virtualized data storage system
A system, method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium are provided for expanding the data storage capacity of a virtualized storage system, such as a storage cluster. According to one method, maps are generated and stored that define a stripe pattern for storing data on the storage nodes of a storage cluster. The stripe pattern for each map is defined such that when a storage node is added to a cluster and the data is re-striped according to the new map, only the data that will subsequently reside in the new storage node is moved to the new storage cluster during re-striping. The stripe pattern may be further defined so that during re-striping no movement of data occurs between two storage nodes that existed in the cluster prior to the addition of the new storage node. The stripe pattern may be further defined such that during re-striping an equal amount of data is moved from each of the storage nodes that existed in the cluster prior to the addition of the new storage node to the new storage node. |
| US07953928B2 |
Apparatus and a method to make data sets conform to data management policies
An apparatus and a method to make data sets conform to data management policies are presented. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a conformance checker and a conformance engine. The conformance checker may be operable to compare a state of a data set against a data management policy associated with the data set to determine if the data set currently conforms to the data management policy. The conformance engine may then make the data set conform to the data management policy if the conformance checker determines that the data set currently violates the data management policy. |
| US07953925B2 |
Transparent data temperature sensitive cluster duplication
A method of selecting candidates for data cluster duplication that can be used as an alternative or as an addition to existing duplication techniques. The method determines a read temperature of a data cluster. If the read temperature of the data cluster exceeds a threshold value, a write temperature of the data cluster is determined. If the write temperature of the data cluster is below a threshold value the cluster is selected for duplication. |
| US07953924B1 |
System and method for coordinating cluster state information
A method for managing a plurality of servers is disclosed. Each server of the plurality of servers has access to data stored by other servers. The data is stored to one or more data storage devices. Coordinating information is written for the plurality of servers to a master mailbox record. The coordinating information includes data that each server uses to recover after a failure by a server. The master mailbox record is stored on a selected storage device at a location known to the plurality of servers, and the selected storage device is designated as a lock storage device. A plurality of lock storage devices is chosen so that in the event of failure of a server of the plurality of servers, at least one lock storage device will be available to the remaining servers. |
| US07953919B2 |
Physical block addressing of electronic memory devices
Systems and/or methods that facilitate accessing data to/from a memory are presented. An electronic memory component can operate with reduced data access times by eliminating/reducing the use of logical block addressing and employing physical block addressing. Data access is thereby directly associated with the physical location of the stored bits and the need to translate between a logical address and the physical address is reduced or eliminated. This can be even more efficient under asymmetric data access patterns. Further, legacy support for logical block addressing can be included to provide backward compatibility, mixed mode operation, or complimentary mode operation. |
| US07953917B2 |
Communications protocol expander
An expander device is configurable to identify itself as an end device and not an edge expander device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. |
| US07953915B2 |
Interrupt dispatching method in multi-core environment and multi-core processor
Disclosed is an interrupt dispatching system and method in a multi-core processor environment. The processor includes an interrupt dispatcher and N cores capable of interrupt handling which are divided into a plurality of groups of cores, where N is a positive integer greater than one. The method generates a token in response to an arriving interrupt; determines a group of cores to be preferentially used to handle the interrupt as a hot group in accordance with the interrupt; and sends the token to the hot group, determines sequentially from the first core in the hot group whether an interrupt dispatch termination condition is satisfied, and determines the current core as a response core to be used to handle the interrupt upon determining satisfaction of the interrupt dispatch termination condition. With the invention, delay in responding to an interrupt by the processor is reduced providing optimized performance of the processor. |
| US07953911B2 |
Apparatus and method to read information from an information storage medium
A method and apparatus to read information from an information storage medium using a read channel, where that read channel includes a data cache. The invention generates an analog waveform comprising the information, and provides that analog waveform to a read channel, and generates a digital signal from that analog waveform using one or more first operating parameters. The method error corrects that digital signal at an actual error correction rate, and determines if the actual error correction rate is greater than an error correction rate threshold. If the actual error correction rate exceeds the error correction rate threshold, then the method captures the digital signal, stores that captured data in a data cache, reads that digital signal from the cache, generates one or more second operating parameters, and provides those one or more second operating parameters to the read channel. Thereafter, the method uses those one or more second operating parameters to read the information from the information storage medium. |
| US07953910B2 |
All-in-one personal computer with external video input
An AIO PC has its LVDS link or interface, between the mother board and the LCD, modified by the insertion of an LVDS Switch which can connect to a second LVDS source such as LCD controller which takes its input from a socket mounted on the housing of the AIO PC. The LVDS switch and LCD controller are located within the enclosure or housing of the AIO PC. The LVDS switch is controlled by a physical electromechanical switch. |
| US07953905B1 |
Methods and apparatus for modeling a storage area network
Configurations herein present a multi-segment perspective of the SAN that models the SAN as an interconnection of protocol independent segments, each operable according to a particular transport mechanism and connected to other segments by an intersegment device such as a network bridge. Each segment is operable to include a fabric of manageable entities, such as storage arrays, switches, and hosts, that operate according to particular protocols and transport mechanisms employed by the fabric. Groups of manageable entities operable according to a particular protocol or transport mechanism are enumerated as a separate segment, and managed as a separate entity from the management application. The intersegment connections occur via an inter segment device operable to perform the mapping or translation from the respective address space of the segments. Therefore, a path from an initiator to a receiver manageable entity may be enumerated and managed by the management application as a multi-segment connection. |
| US07953903B1 |
Real time detection of changed resources for provisioning and management of fabric-backplane enterprise servers
Real time provisioning and management of fabric-backplane enterprise servers includes monitoring system status and configuration, displaying monitoring results, accepting user commands, and providing hardware and software management and configuration commands to the system. In one embodiment, an event is generated when a pluggable module is inserted into the system. In response to the event, the availability of the pluggable module is displayed to a system operator, and the operator enters a command to provision a server that includes the pluggable module. The server provisioning command is processed, resulting in a hardware configuration command being issued to the system, and an event indicating a status associated with processing the command is returned. The recognition of the inserted module, the display to the operator, and the processing of the server provisioning command occur in real time. |
| US07953898B2 |
Apparatus and method for using expansion key in portable terminal
An input apparatus for using an expansion key in a portable terminal includes an expansion key matrix unit which forms a key matrix through which a plurality of expansion keys are input; an input/output (I/O) expansion chip which, in response to a key input through the expansion key matrix unit, transmits a value of an input port of the input/output (I/O) expansion chip to store in an internal parameter, changes the input port to an output port, and vice versa, reads a value of the changed input port, and transmits the read value to the MSM chip to be stored in the internal parameter; and the MSM chip which recognizes a corresponding expansion key based on the stored parameters. |
| US07953892B2 |
Control server, control terminal, control system, and recording medium storing control communication program
Screen data is generated by a screen generating processor (74) of a control host computer (7) and transmitted to a programmable display apparatus (5). In accordance with the screen data, the programmable display apparatus (5) inquires a PLC (3) or the like about a state of a device (21), so as to update the display or transmit a control instruction depending on an input result. On the other hand, a control host computer (7) has a public server section (77) to transmit to a client apparatus (9) via the Internet an applet, which is generated by a compiler (76) compiling the screen data. The client apparatus (9) executes the applet to transmit to the public server section (77) an or the control instruction inquiry similar to those the programmable display apparatus (5) makes. In this way, the display is updated in accordance with a response. This realizes a control system, which allows a display content of the programmable display apparatus (5) to be remotely checked from a remote area remote from the programmable display apparatus (5), without newly generating a display screen. |
| US07953888B2 |
On-demand overlay routing for computer-based communication networks
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for dynamically discovering and utilizing an optimized network path through overlay routing for the transmission of data. A determination whether to use a default network path or to instead use an alternate data forwarding path through one or more overlay nodes is based on real-time measurement of costs associated with the alternative paths, in response to a user request for transmission of message data to a destination on the network. Cost metrics include delay, throughput, jitter, loss, and security. The system chooses the best path among the default forwarding path and the multiple alternate forwarding paths, and implements appropriate control actions to force data transmission along the chosen path. No modification of established network communication protocols is required. |
| US07953881B1 |
Network characteristic-based compression of network traffic
A network optimization device may receive a stream of data and identify a selected compression dictionary from among a number of compression dictionaries based on the received stream of data. A receiving network device may be notified regarding the selected compression dictionary. The stream of data may be compressed using the selected compression dictionary and transmitted to the receiving device. |
| US07953880B2 |
Content-aware adaptive packet transmission
The embodiments of the invention relate to video streaming, particularly adaptive and selective transmissions, for example, based on feedback reports received from receivers. The feedback reports are used to determine transmission rates and which content elements within the transmission buffer, for example, are to be dropped or not sent by the sender, and which are to be sent. |
| US07953879B1 |
System and method for assigning symbolic names to data streams
Various embodiments of methods and systems for assigning symbolic names to data streams within a file are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method involves receiving a request to access a file that includes multiple data streams and then selecting one of the data streams to be accessed, based on the symbolic name. In response to identifying that one of the data streams is associated with the symbolic name, that data stream is accessed. |
| US07953877B2 |
System and method for controlling data flow based upon a temporal policy
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for controlling data flow based on a temporal policy. These mechanisms and methods for controlling data flow based on a temporal policy can enable embodiments to provide a different service level agreement to control network traffic selected from a plurality of service level agreements based upon one or more temporal conditions. The ability of embodiments to provide different service level agreement to control network traffic can enable embodiments to control one or more of access to network resources and traffic flow coordination to enhance efficient usage of the network resources. |
| US07953870B1 |
Dynamic HTTP service timeout adjustment
Media and system are provided for monitoring and adjusting timeout parameters in devices to prevent or reduce timeout scenarios for the devices. A dynamic timeout management server (DTMS) monitors wait times and behaviors of devices to implement an optimum timeout parameter that will prevent the occurrence of a timeout. When timeouts occur for a particular device, the DTMS changes the amount of time in the timeout parameter and communicates this new timeout parameter to relevant devices to prevent a timeout. The timeout parameter or new timeout parameter is stored in a global centralized timeout database as well as a local or regional timeout database. |
| US07953869B2 |
Cooperative proxy auto-discovery and connection interception
In a network supporting transactions between clients and servers and proxies that are interposable in a network path between at least one client and at least one server, wherein a pair of proxies can modify a packet stream between a client and a server such that packet data from the client to the server is transformed at a client-side proxy of the proxy pair and untransformed at a server-side proxy of proxy pair and such that packet data from the server to the client is transformed at the server-side proxy and untransformed at the client-side proxy, a method and apparatus for a discovering proxy to transparently discover its position in a proxy pair by using proxy signals to indicate to other proxies that could pair with the discovering proxy. A discovering proxy might determine that it is a client-side proxy by receipt of a packet from client without a proxy signal. A discovering proxy might determine that it is a server-side proxy by receipt of a packet from server without a return proxy signal. Once a proxy pair is discovered, that proxy pair might transform traffic from the server to the client or vice versa, transforming the traffic at one proxy of the proxy pair and untransforming the traffic at the other proxy of the pair. |
| US07953866B2 |
Protocols for connecting intelligent service modules in a storage area network
Implementations are disclosed that provide protocols for connecting an intelligent service module within a storage area network (SAN). The protocols support physical connections between the intelligent service module and a director-level switch of the SAN. In some variations, the intelligent service module may comprise a director service module (DSM), a domain-sharing leaf switch service module (LSSM), or a non-domain-sharing LSSM. The protocols provide for establishing link parameters and negotiating responsibilities between the intelligent service module and the director-level switch. In one configuration, for example, ELP and ELP_ACCEPT frames may be used to establish the link parameters. In another configuration, ESC and ESC_ACCEPT frames may be used to negotiate responsibilities between the intelligent service module and the director-level switch. Other configurations also provide an ownership status of the intelligent service module that is used to determine whether the switch can initiate management of the intelligent service module. |
| US07953855B2 |
Distributed denial-of-service attack mitigation by selective black-holing in IP networks
In an IP network during a DDoS attack on a website or other internet entity having an IP address, selective black-holing of attack traffic is performed such that some of the traffic destined for the IP address under attack continues to go to the IP address under attack while other traffic, destined for the same IP address is, rerouted via BGP sessions to a black-hole router. Such a selective black-holing scheme can be used to allow some traffic to continue in route to the IP address under attack, while other traffic is diverted. |
| US07953853B2 |
System and method for providing access and utilization of context information
A method provides for access to an electronic profile of a first client to a second client. The method comprises creating a network accessible electronic profile of the first client, wherein the electronic profile is accessible by an active object, wherein the active object is bound to the electronic profile. The method further comprises defining an access right of the second client, wherein the access right determines a portion of the electronic profile of available to the second client via the active object. The method verifies an identity of the second client, and provides access to the portion electronic profile to the second client via the active object, wherein the active object is transferable. |
| US07953851B2 |
Method and apparatus for asymmetric internet traffic monitoring by third parties using monitoring implements
Disclosed is an internet traffic monitoring method. In the method, copied packets that are based on original packets sent from a user client are monitored for a web content request meeting certain monitoring selection criteria. Upon detection of a copied packet having a web content request meeting the selection criteria, a replacement packet is forwarded to the user client such that the user client receives the replacement packet before receiving a response packet from a target server of the corresponding original packet, wherein the replacement packet has a redirection with a fabricated web content request to a monitoring web page including at least one monitoring implement. |
| US07953847B2 |
Monitoring and management of distributing information systems
A method of managing a computing system (300) includes generating (1702) transaction requests in accordance with a transaction profile of the system (300). The transaction requests are provided for processing by the system (300). Status data of a set of managed resources (102) of the system (300) is collected (1704) in accordance with a system model stored in a knowledge base (204). Performance indicators of the system (300) are determined (1706) from the status data in accordance with the system model. The transaction performance of the system (300) is monitored (1710) by comparing the performance of the system (300) in processing the transaction requests with an expected performance. When a degradation in transaction performance is detected, a signal (1712) is generated to indicate that a degradation in performance has occurred, to enable the status data and/or performance indicators to be analysed at the time at which the performance degradation occurs. The method improves over prior art management methods by providing for the simultaneous measurement of the transaction performance of the system (300), along with monitoring of defined status and performance metrics, thereby enabling correlation between changes in performance and changes in the status of the system. A corresponding computer implemented means for managing a computer system, and computer program products, are also provided. |
| US07953842B2 |
Open network-based data acquisition, aggregation and optimization for use with process control systems
A system and method of collecting one of process control data and asset data from a plurality of data sources communicatively coupled to an open network stores location information associated with the plurality of data sources and periodically sends requests for process control information to each of the plurality of data sources by using the location information to communicate with each of the plurality of data sources via the open network. In addition, the system and method collects the process control data from messages received in response to the requests for process control information, aggregates the process control data to form aggregated process control data, and stores the aggregated process control data within a database. Additionally, the aggregated data is used in making decisions with regards to operation and maintenance of a process control system or a plant. |
| US07953833B2 |
Desktop delivery for a distributed enterprise
Techniques are provided for desktop delivery in a distributed enterprise. In one embodiment, a system comprises multiple computing devices that are communicatively connected to a data center. The data center comprises a separate virtual disk for each separate computing device. A virtual disk for a computing device comprises an image that includes: an Operating system (OS) for the computing device; one or more applications for a user of the computing device; a machine profile associated with the computing device; and user data and settings that are specific for the user of the computing device. The data center also comprises logic which is stored in a storage medium and which, when executed at the data center, is operable at least to: send the image to the computing device; receive, from the computing device, changes made by the user at the computing device to each of the OS, the one or more applications, and the user data; and update the image for the computing device by applying the changes to each of the OS, the one or more applications, and the user data. |
| US07953832B2 |
IP endpoint automated activation
The specification teaches a method for automated configuration and installation of IPEPs such as VoIP devices. Configuration may utilize a configuration server in communication with the IPEP through a WAN. The configuration process may temporarily utilize the MAC address of the IPEP during the configuration process. The IPEP may respond directly to commands from the configuration server or a configuration proxy server. The server stores information on a database and creates files upon request of an IPEP. The specification also teaches networks created by this method. |
| US07953830B2 |
Automatic network reconfiguration upon changes in DHCP IP addresses
Generally speaking, systems, methods and media for detection and network reconfiguration upon changes in dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) IP addresses are disclosed. Embodiments of a method may include setting a renew time and a rebind time of a DHCP configuration and establishing an IP address with a first DHCP server. Embodiments may also include, after passage of the renew time, transmitting a renew request to the first DHCP server at its IP address and, in response to failure to receive an acknowledgement message from the first DHCP server, determining if the first DHCP server IP address is still valid. Embodiments may also include, in response to determining that the first DHCP server IP address is not still valid, retrieving a second, different DHCP server IP address from a network change event signal and configuring a network adapter based on the second DHCP server IP address. |
| US07953823B2 |
Controlling access rights to network resources
Mechanisms for securing access to network resources are described. The mechanisms may provide functionality for securing access to a network element and which can include associating a network element with a set of data, and configuring a portion of the data to be responsive to a first subset of access rights. The mechanisms may further provide for selection of an appropriate security to govern access by a user to network resources. |
| US07953822B2 |
Method of and apparatus for downloading data
A method of and apparatus for downloading data. The method includes: connecting the downloading apparatus to a server via a communication network and downloading data from the server; generating download information on the data downloading; when connection to the server is interrupted and the data downloading is discontinued, reconnecting the downloading apparatus to the same server using the download information; and downloading data from the server. |
| US07953821B2 |
Presence information providing system, and method and server thereof
The invention provides a presence information providing system providing suitable presence information for each application using a presence service without providing a special apparatus on the existing presence service side, and a method and a server thereof. A presence processing server 30 connected between a presence server 10A and a presence server 10B processes presence information of a client A received from the presence server 10A and presence information of a client B received from the presence server 10B into suitable presence information for each application. |
| US07953820B2 |
Method and system for providing enhanced performance of web browsing
An approach is provided for supporting retrieval of web content over a meshed communication network (111). A first server (105) receives a request from a browser application (103) for the content resident in the web server (109). The first server (105) includes a downstream proxy (401) configured to modify the request to include information specifying support of a parse and pre-fetch service within an optional header field of the request as to permit handling of the modified request by the web server (109) in absence of an upstream proxy (403) that is communicating with the web server (109). A second server (107) is configured as the upstream proxy (403) to intercept the modified request and pre-fetch the content from the web server (109). The second server (107) forwards the pre-fetched content over the communication network (111) to the first server (105). This approach has particular applicability in relatively high latency networks, such as a satellite communications system. |
| US07953818B2 |
Output device and system for rendering digital content
An output system for rendering digital content received over a network that includes the Internet. The output system may include a television and an audio output device among others. The output system may provide security or authentication information and payment or subscription information to one or more servers over the Internet, the security or authentication information for enabling access of digital content to the output system. The output system further may provide one or more output content objects that may include a reference or a pointer to the digital content to the one or more servers over the Internet and the output system thereafter may receive the referenced digital content over the Internet. The output system may include an output controller for decoding the digital content and for applying at least a digital imaging operation on the digital content, and may include a rendering engine for rendering the processed digital content. |
| US07953815B2 |
Cooperative location based tasks
A method for providing location dependent information to a user for selective colleague assistance. The method on a Client Wireless Component includes the steps of receiving location data from a plurality of Global Positioning System GPS satellites and transmitting the location data to an Active Calendar Component. The method further includes on an Active Calendar Component the steps of receiving Client Wireless Component location data and determining if within a threshold distance a Colleague item list exists for user completion. |
| US07953810B2 |
System and method for effectively performing a streamlined photo distribution procedure
A system and method for effectively performing a streamlined photo distribution procedure may include a photo data source that provides photo data to a source device in an electronic network. A source photo manager of the source device may be utilized to designate one or more message targets for receiving the photo data from the source device. A source mail program may access the photo data to automatically create a photo message that includes the photo data and photo identifier means to request special handling of the photo data. The source mail program may then automatically transmit the photo message over the electronic network to be downloaded by a target mail program of a target device corresponding to the foregoing designated message target. The target mail program may automatically detect the photo identifier means in the photo message, and may responsively provide the photo data to a target photo manager of the target device for automatic storage into a target photo album of the target device. |
| US07953800B2 |
Integrating a web-based business application with existing client-side electronic mail systems
A method, system, computer program product, and related business methods are described in the context of a web-based business information system having an internal e-mail facility, wherein e-mail communications between a native e-mail system of an end user of the web-based business information system and an external contact are facilitated and automatically tracked by the web-based business information system, the native e-mail system lying outside the web-based business information system but often being preferred by the end user over the internal e-mail facility of the web-based business information system. The described preferred embodiments provide for easy-to-use, reasonably transparent, “no-click” integration of the web-based business information system with the end user's native e-mail system in a manner that is independent of the particular type and choice of native e-mail system. |
| US07953799B2 |
Service control device and method
The invention relates to a service control device and method for controlling service execution in a communication network. A service script for a user is loaded in response to the receipt of an incoming message, and it is checked based on a comparison of the loaded service script and the incoming message whether a service is to be triggered. If a service triggering has been determined, a service is activated in an external service execution environment. Due to the fact that the service execution is not performed in the service control point but in an external service execution environment, the service logic does not have to be provided at the service control point. It provides a flexible way to define, execute, and control user-specific, operator, and third party services combining various service capabilities. |
| US07953796B2 |
Sharing content using selection and proposal
A system may facilitate “almost automatic” sharing of content by regularly selecting content to be shared, and by publishing the content to certain entities if a person agrees, or does not object, to the sharing. A content item may be selected based on a criterion. A proposal to share the content item then may be displayed to a person. The proposal may specify a time by which the content item will be published if the proposal is not rejected. The person may explicitly accept or reject the proposal, or may passively allow the content to publish by not rejecting the proposal before the specified time. The content may be published so as to be receivable by a set of one or more entities that have been designated to receive shared content items. |
| US07953794B2 |
Method and system for transitioning between synchronous and asynchronous communication modes
Many different users may access, revise and update the same shared object simultaneously through several different transports. Clients may communicate asynchronously by accessing the shared object through a physical server. Clients may also communicate synchronously by accessing the shared object through a peer-to-peer network. A manifest file associated with the shared object identifies the locations where other versions and instances of the shared object are stored. The shared object and the associated manifest file allow a client to transition seamlessly between local access, synchronous and asynchronous communication such that the user is not aware that the mode of communication has changed. A user may change location and any available data sharing transports are automatically identified. Thus, the user may access a shared object and collaborate with other authorized users through different mechanisms. |
| US07953787B2 |
System and method for providing highly available processing of asynchronous requests using distributed request and response queues and a service processor
Highly-available processing of an asynchronous request can be accomplished in a single transaction. A distributed request queue receives a service request from a client application or application view client. A service processor is deployed on each node of a cluster containing the distributed request queue. A service processor pulls the service request from the request queue and invokes the service for the request, such as to an enterprise information system. If that service processor fails, another service processor in the cluster can service the request. The service processor receives a service response from the invoked service and forwards the service response to a distributed response queue. The distributed response queue holds the service response until the response is retrieved for the client application. |
| US07953786B2 |
Method and system for preferences-based mail distribution and digital postal services
A system and method for collecting and storing communications preferences of recipients and delivering communications to a recipient in accordance with the recipient's preferences is disclosed herein. Preferably, the communications preferences consist of at least one mail formatting preference and at least one sending preference. The system automatically formats a message in accordance with the intended recipient's communications preferences stored in a profile table. In an alternative embodiment, the system provides for a prompting function that can alter the communications preferences in the event that a particular preference must be changed. This prompting function is also useful if recipient does not have a corresponding profile in the profile table. |
| US07953783B2 |
Interpolating cubic spline filter and method
A filter for high speed digital signal processing. In one embodiment the filter includes a linear, phase-B, interpolating cubic spline filter having a pre-filter section and an interpolating post-filter section. The pre-filter section may be formed to implement any one of a 1-4-1 cubic spline function, a 2-5-2 cubic spline function or a 1-2-1 cubic spline function. The post-filter may be formed using a plurality of running average filters arranged in a cascade (i.e., serial) fashion. The filter can be constructed using significantly fewer independent component parts for a given level of pass band and stop band performance criteria, as compared with a conventional finite impulse response (FIR) filter. The filter is thus ideally suited for implementation with very large scale integration (VLSI) technology, and in a wide variety of electronic devices where high speed digital filtering is required. |
| US07953780B2 |
Shift significand of decimal floating point data
A decimal floating point finite number in a decimal floating point format is composed from the number in a different format. A decimal floating point format includes fields to hold information relating to the sign, exponent and significand of the decimal floating point finite number. Other decimal floating point data, including infinities and NaNs (not a number), are also composed. Decimal floating point data are also decomposed from the decimal floating point format to a different format. For composition and decomposition, one or more instructions may be employed, including a shift significand instruction. |
| US07953774B2 |
Aggregation of write traffic to a data store
A method and a processing device are provided for sequentially aggregating data to a write log included in a volume of a random-access medium. When data of a received write request is determined to be suitable for sequentially aggregating to a write log, the data may be written to the write log and a remapping tree, for mapping originally intended destinations on the random-access medium to one or more corresponding entries in the write log, may be maintained and updated. At time periods, a checkpoint may be written to the write log. The checkpoint may include information describing entries of the write log. One or more of the checkpoints may be used to recover the write log, at least partially, after a dirty shutdown. Entries of the write log may be drained to respective originally intended destinations upon an occurrence of one of a number of conditions. |
| US07953773B2 |
System and method for deterministic garbage collection in a virtual machine environment
In a virtual machine, Java Virtual Machine, or other runtime environment, a system and a method for improving the garbage collection times of the virtual machine memory. The JVM, or a garbage collector operating therein, can estimate, for an area of the memory space, the sum of the pause times for garbage collection of the software objects within the area, and control the garbage collection process so that the sum of the pause times for garbage collection will be lower than a target pause time limit, with a high degree of probability. A preselected compaction area can be pre-compacted to keep the compaction time within the target limit. The garbage collector can also predict the time required for final marking and repeat precleaning until the predicted final marking time is within the limits for pause times, and can improve pause times by redirecting application worker threads to do garbage collector work when entering or leaving the memory subsystem. |
| US07953770B2 |
Conflict management in a versioned file system
Multiple files in a versioned file system are grouped to form a fusion unit on a server. The fusion unit is exposed to a client as a browsable folder having separate files. When the server receives an indication of a change to file belonging to the fusion unit, the server determines whether the change to the file causes a conflict on the fusion unit. If the change does cause a conflict, then the conflict is reported; otherwise the fusion unit is updated to incorporate the change. |
| US07953768B2 |
Poly vectoral reverse navigation
This invention includes a method of navigating a collection of nodes by selecting a first node, generating a context list and displaying first node and context list. Each context of the context collection includes a second node essentially referencing the first node. Another aspect of the invention includes a method of generating an address from a collection of contexts containing steps of receiving a selected attribute collection and generating the address. Each context includes a resolution address and an attribute collection. Each of the attribute collections contains at least one attribute. Whenever the attribute collection of a first context of the context collection is essentially the same as the selected attribute collection, the resolution address of the first context is selected as the generated address. Another aspect of the invention includes a method of navigating a hypergraph. The hypergraph includes at least one context list. Each context list contains at least one context. Each context includes a node. The method includes steps of selecting a first context list of the context lists, selecting a first context of the first context list, and displaying the node of the first context of the first context list. Aspects of this invention include computer programs implemented on computer readable media, situated both local to a user and in client-server configurations. |