| Document | Document Title |
|---|---|
| US08050087B2 |
Non-volatile memory device including block state confirmation cell and method of operating the same
Provided are a semiconductor device having a block state confirmation cell that may store information indicating the number of data bits written to a plurality of memory cells, a method of reading memory data based on the number of the data bits written, and/or a memory programming method of storing the information indicating the number of the data bits written. The semiconductor device may include one or more memory blocks and a controller. Each of the memory blocks may include a plurality of memory cells each storing data, and a block state confirmation cell storing information indicating the number of data bits written to the memory cells. The controller may read the data bits from the memory blocks based on the number of data bits, which is indicated in the information in the block state confirmation cell. |
| US08050085B2 |
Semiconductor processing device and IC card
A semiconductor processing device according to the invention includes a first non-volatile memory (21) for erasing stored information on a first data length unit, a second non-volatile memory (22) for erasing stored information on a second data length unit, and a central processing unit (2), and capable of inputting/outputting encrypted data from/to an outside. The first non-volatile memory is used for storing an encryption key to be utilized for encrypting the data. The second non-volatile memory is used for storing a program to be processed by the central processing unit. The non-volatile memories to be utilized for storing the program and for storing the encryption key are separated from each other, and the data lengths of the erase units of information to be stored in the non-volatile memories are defined separately. Therefore, the stored information can efficiently be erased before the execution of a processing of writing the program, and the stored information can be erased corresponding to the data length of a necessary processing unit in the write of the encryption key to be utilized in the calculation processing of the CPU. |
| US08050083B2 |
Phase change memory device and write method thereof
A phase change memory device and a write method thereof allow writing of both volatile and non-volatile data on the phase change memory device. The phase change memory device may be written by setting a write mode as one of a volatile write mode and a non-volatile write mode, and writing data as volatile or non-volatile by applying a write pulse corresponding to the write mode, wherein, when power is not supplied to the phase change memory device, the non-volatile data is retained and the volatile data is not retained. |
| US08050082B2 |
Two-stage 8T SRAM cell design
An integrated circuit device includes a first word-line; a second word-line; a first bit-line; and a static random access memory (SRAM) cell. The SRAM cell includes a storage node; a pull-up transistor having a source/drain region coupled to the storage node; a pull-down transistor having a source/drain region coupled to the storage node; a first pass-gate transistor comprising a gate coupled to the first word-line; and a second pass-gate transistor including a gate coupled to the second word-line. Each of the first and the second pass-gate transistors includes a first source/drain region coupled to the first bit-line, and a second source/drain region coupled to the storage node. |
| US08050079B2 |
Nonvolatile memory device using variable resistive element
A nonvolatile memory device, using a resistance material, includes a memory cell array having nonvolatile memory cells arranged in a matrix, multiple bit lines, a column selection circuit and column drivers. The bit lines are coupled to columns of the nonvolatile memory cells in the memory cell array. The column selection circuit selects at least one bit line in response to column selection signals. Each column driver supplies a column selection signal, and includes a first charge unit that charges an output port of the column driver to a first voltage level in response to a first charge signal, a second charge unit that charges the output port of the column driver to a second voltage level from the first voltage level in response to a second charge signal, and a current controller that controls a current path from the second charge unit to the first charge unit. |
| US08050076B2 |
One-time programmable memory cell with shiftable threshold voltage transistor
According to one exemplary embodiment, a one-time programmable memory cell includes an access transistor coupled to a shiftable threshold voltage transistor between a bitline and a ground, where the access transistor has a gate coupled to a wordline. The shiftable threshold voltage transistor has a drain and a gate shorted together. A programming operation causes a permanent shift in a threshold voltage of the shiftable threshold voltage transistor to occur in response to a programming voltage on the bitline and the wordline. In one embodiment, the access transistor is an NFET while the shiftable threshold voltage transistor is a PFET. In another embodiment, the access transistor is an NFET and the shiftable threshold voltage transistor is also an NFET. The programming voltage can cause an absolute value of the threshold voltage to permanently increase by at least 50.0 millivolts. |
| US08050072B2 |
Dual stage sensing for non-volatile memory
A method and apparatus for accessing a non-volatile memory cell. In some embodiments, a memory block provides a plurality of memory cells arranged into rows and columns. A read circuit is configured to read a selected row of the memory block by concurrently applying a control voltage to each memory cell along the selected row and, for each column, using a respective local sense amplifier and a column sense amplifier to successively differentiate a voltage across the associated memory cell in said column to output a programmed content of the row. |
| US08050070B2 |
Rectifier circuit, power supply circuit, and semiconductor device
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rectifier circuit that can suppress deterioration or dielectric breakdown of a semiconductor element due to excessive current. A rectifier circuit of the present invention includes at least a first capacitor, a second capacitor, and a diode which are sequentially connected in series in a path which connects an input terminal and one of two output terminals, and a transistor. The second capacitor is connected between one of a source region and a drain region and a gate electrode of the transistor. Further, the other one of the source region and the drain region and the other one of two output terminals are connected each other. |
| US08050059B2 |
Charging probe circuit
Various example embodiments are disclosed. According to one example embodiment, a charging probe may include an alternating current (AC) input configured to receive current from an AC source, a rectifier circuit configured to rectify the current received from the AC source, a primary coil, and a control circuit configured to convert the rectified current into a regulated voltage across a primary coil. The primary coil may be configured to induce a magnetic field from the regulated voltage. |
| US08050058B2 |
Switch apparatus and electronic device using the same
A switch apparatus and an electronic device using the switch apparatus are provided. The switch apparatus includes a first transmitting element, a second transmitting element, an elastic element, and a linkage pole located in the interior space of the electronic device and a slidable actuator mounted above an aperture defined in the electronic device. The slidable actuator is movable along the aperture between a first position and a second position. The first transmitting element is elastically supported by the elastic element and electrically coupled to an electronic board of the electronic device. The second transmitting element is electrically coupled to batteries received in the electronic device. The movement of the slidable actuator from the first position to the second position pushes the linkage pole, causing the linkage pole to move the first transmitting element and separate the first transmitting element from the second transmitting element. |
| US08050057B2 |
Mounting structure for an electronic element
A mounting structure for fixing an electronic element on a heat dissipation unit is provided. The mounting structure includes a heat dissipation unit, a fixing member, electronic elements and elastic elements. The fixing member is fixed on the heat dissipation unit. The elastic elements are sandwiched between the electronic elements and the fixing member, wherein the fixing member and the elastic elements press the electronic elements to make the electronic elements tightly contact the heat dissipation unit. |
| US08050055B2 |
Electronic apparatus
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus having a circuit board supporting structure, the circuit board supporting structure including: a casing including a first body and a second body, the first body having a first boss portion, the second body having a second boss portion; a jig including a cylindrical portion having, and a flange portion formed on an outer periphery, the cylindrical portion configured to slidably receive the first boss portion and the second boss portion in an inner peripheral wall; and a circuit board disposed in the casing. The first and second boss portions are configured to be fastened by a bolt member; the circuit board has a hole and a joining region provided around the hole, the hole configured to allow the cylindrical portion to penetrate therethrough; and the joining region is configured to be soldered to the flange portion. |
| US08050052B2 |
Expansion board retention and extraction mechanism
An apparatus for applying a uniform retention and extraction force to a computer expansion board. The apparatus includes a body with upper and lower retaining members that define a retention channel between them sized to receive an edge of an expansion board. At each end of the catch body pins are provided that extend into a support structure, which is mounted to the computer chassis adjacent a mounting surface for the expansion board. A handle assembly is provided with arms pivotally mounted to the support structure. Each arm includes a dowel that extends into a groove in the catch body. During operation of the mechanism, a handle attached to the arms is moved to pivot the arms and force the catch body from an open position to a closed position with the side pins riding in the guide slots and the dowels riding in the grooves of the catch body. |
| US08050044B2 |
Power plane and a manufacturing method thereof
A power plane includes a first circuit region and a second circuit region. The length of the first circuit region or second circuit region is related to the noise frequency to be filtered out. The width of the first circuit region can be wider or narrower than the width of the second circuit region. While manufacturing the power plane, a predetermined length is decided according to the resonance frequency of an original power plane, then the proposed power plane is formed with the first circuit region and the second circuit region of a predetermined length, and making the width of the first circuit region wider or narrower than the width of the second circuit region, such that the noises with the resonance frequency can be mitigated. |
| US08050042B2 |
Clock routing in multiple channel modules and bus systems and method for routing the same
The terminating module and method include integrated circuits and a termination circuit which receive clock signals from the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes at least one memory integrated circuit mounted on a printed circuit board. An electrical connector is configured to couple the terminating module to a motherboard. Additionally, the termination circuit includes a resistor. In another embodiment, the terminating module provides a printed circuit board, a memory integrated circuit mounted on the circuit board, a terminator circuit which includes a resistor, and an electrical connector. The electrical connector couples the terminating module to a motherboard. |
| US08050038B2 |
Heat dissipation device
A heat dissipation device for dissipating heat from an electronic component mounted on a printed circuit board, includes a fin unit, a heat-conducting board attached to the electronic component, a heat pipe thermally connecting the fin unit and the heat-conducting board, and a clip disposed on the heat pipe. Two engaging portions protrude upwardly from a top face of the heat-conducting board towards each other. The heat pipe extends between the two engaging portions. The two engaging portions press two opposite ends of the clip downwardly, thereby securing the heat pipe to the top face of the heat-conducting board. |
| US08050036B2 |
Liquid cooling unit and heat receiver therefor
A heat receiver includes a casing defining a flow passage on a thermal conductive plate. The thermal conductive plate is received on an electronic component. An outflow nozzle has an inflow opening at the downstream end of the flow passage at a position outside the thermal conductive plate. Since the thermal conductive plate is received on the electronic component, the outflow nozzle is connected to the flow passage at a position outside the electronic component. This results in avoidance of increase in the thickness of the casing as compared with the case where the outflow nozzle directly extends into the flow passage on the thermal conductive plate. |
| US08050034B2 |
Electronic apparatus and cooling system
An electronic apparatus comprises a case configured to house an electronic circuit unit and includes an air intake, through which external air is taken into the case, and an exhausting opening, from which the air is ejected, an circulator provided in the case and configured to take the external air into the case through the air intake and supply the air to the electronic circuit unit, an evaporation unit provided in the case and configured to cool the air by thermal exchange between the air and a working medium and guide the air to the exhausting opening, the working medium being vaporized as a result of the thermal exchange, and a condenser provided out of the case and configured to liquidize the working medium and supply the working medium to the evaporation unit. |
| US08050033B2 |
Cooling device for cooling a heat-generating component, and electronic apparatus having the cooling device
An electronic apparatus comprises a housing that contains a heat-generating component, a heat radiating component and a fan that is adapted to apply air to the heat radiating component and including an inlet port and an outlet port. The electronic apparatus further comprises a support member situated within the housing and arranged so that that the outlet port of the fan faces the heat radiating component. Being coupled to the fan and the heat radiating component, the support member comprises an opening portion to direct air to the fan, where the opening portion is aligned with the inlet port of the fan. |
| US08050032B2 |
Laptop elevation device
A laptop elevation device (1) that attaches to a bottom surface (13) of a laptop (12). Each laptop elevation device has a fold-up leg (2) pivotally or hingedly attached to a base (3). An arm (5) is pivotally attached to the base. When the laptop elevation device is in an open position, the arm may be folded downward to engage one of a plurality of holes (9) located on the leg, thereby locking the laptop elevation device at a desired height. The base may be built into a laptop or attached to the underside of an existing laptop using an attachment means (14). The leg may also have a layer of rubber (11) to prevent the leg from slipping while in use. A clip (11) located on the base locks the leg and arm in place while the laptop elevation device is in folded position. An alternative embodiment of the laptop elevation device provides a handle (17) for carrying the laptop computer. |
| US08050031B2 |
Electronic device with retractable support
An electronic device includes a main body, a cover, and two supports. The main body defines two receiving slots. The cover is hinged on the main body. Each support includes a supporting member and a driving member hinged on each other. The driving member is hinged on the main body, so that the supporting member of each support is capable of being fully received in the receiving slots or pushed out of the main body, in response of the positions of the cover. |
| US08050029B1 |
Hard drive form factor cooling device
Aspects of the invention include a method and apparatus for cooling a hard drive in a hard drive array. In one example, the cooling device has similar dimensions as a hard drive on a server. Within the cooling device is a fan. The positioning of the fan provides both impingement and indirect airflow on a hard drive. The cooling device may also have power and data connections identical to those of the hard drive. These connections allow the cooling device to be connected and controlled by a control unit. The control unit may operate to monitor and control the temperature of the hard drive by controlling the power and speed of the fan. In another example, the cooling device is operable to cool DIMMs on a circuit board. |
| US08050026B2 |
Hardware fastening structure for computer
A hardware fastening structure for fastening hardware of a computer includes a housing, a brace, a number of sliding bars. The housing includes a bottom plate and an attaching structure formed on the bottom plate. The brace is mounted on the bottom plate via the attaching structure of the housing. The sliding bars are respectively mounted on opposite sides of the hardware to fix the hardware on the brace, wherein the brace forms fixing structures corresponding to the sliding bars and the sliding bars being operable to slide in the brace, and engage and disengage with the brace via the fixing structures. |
| US08050025B2 |
Cover mechanism and electronic device using same
A portable electronic (200) device using a cover mechanism (100) to close off two or more interface holes (3512, 3522 and 353) is described. The portable electronic device includes a base portion (30). The cover mechanism includes a first cover member (50) and a second cover member (70). The first cover member has a first cover portion (51) to close off one or more interface holes. The second cover member has a second cover portion (71) to close off another one or more interface holes. The second cover member is latched to the base, and the first cover member is latched to the base and the second cover member. |
| US08050022B2 |
System and method for covering a monitor screen
A screen cover temporarily protects the screen of flat panel monitors. The screen cover generally includes a planar screen shield, which may be positioned in front of the monitor screen, and a plurality of elongated retention arms that are moveable between releasing and secured positions, which engage a rear surface of the monitor. The retention arms may include one or more articulating joints that employ springs to bias the retention arms toward a secured position. Some of the retention arms may extend from corner covers that removably receive corner portions of the shield. Springs may be slidably coupled with the corner covers to removably secure the corner covers with the shield under tension. |
| US08050017B2 |
Computer with a pen or touch sensitive display
A computer with a touch sensitive or pen sensitive display is disclosed in which the position of the fully opened display has been designed in order that the torque typically applied to the top most pen or touch sensitive part of the display, in relation to a rotational axis about which the computer would rotate if it were to tip backwards, is less than that needed to cause the computer to tip backwards about that rotational axis. The computer is therefore stable even when the display is being touched by pen or finger, unlike conventional clam shell designs. |
| US08050016B2 |
Control device particularly remote control for industrial appliances
Disclosed is a control device, particularly a remote control for industrial appliances, comprising a housing for accommodating the control electronics and at least one control element. The housing (10) is formed by a wall part (11) and holding elements (13, 14) which close the two faces of the wall part (11) and can be interconnected by means of bars (17, 18, 19). Preferably the holding elements are molded plastic parts while the wall part (11) and/or the bars (17, 18, 19) are profiled metal parts. The housing can thus be assembled from simple components, i.e. a wall part and holding elements that close the faces, as basic modules which can be expanded in many different ways, allowing an individually configured control device to be designed like a module or kit. Various requirement levels regarding mechanical stability, durability, service life, production costs, etc. can be met by adequately selecting the materials. |
| US08050014B2 |
Solid electrolytic capacitor and method for production thereof
A solid electrolytic capacitor having a solid electrolyte layer, comprising: the solid electrolyte layer having an electrically-conductive polymer hybrid layer containing an electrolytically-polymerized electrically-conductive polymer and a chemically-polymerized electrically-conductive polymer. |
| US08050013B2 |
Capacitor and method of producing the same
A capacitor includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a separator placed between the first and second electrodes, and an electrolyte. The first electrode includes a first collector made of metal foil, a first electrode layer containing carbon formed on the surface of the first collector, and a first protector covering the cross section of the first collector. The second electrode includes a second collector made of metal foil, a second electrode layer containing carbon formed on the surface of the second collector, and a second protector covering the cross section of the second collector. |
| US08050004B2 |
Power circuit with feed through protection circuit
A power circuit includes a gate drive sever comparator circuit operable to disconnect a pre-drive transistor circuit from ground in response to an over voltage fault condition. A back-up gate drive comparator circuit operable to switch a reference directly into a multiple of shunt MosFets such that the multiple of shunt MosFets are turned on to reverse the over voltage fault condition until voltage drops and the gate drive sever comparator circuit and the back-up gate drive comparator circuit turn off to maintain a regulated voltage between comparator controlled limits. |
| US08050002B2 |
Housing arrangement for fault determination apparatus and method for installing the same
A fault determination apparatus includes a housing. The housing includes a circuit board disposed there within. The housing is shaped and dimensioned for non-intrusive placement within an existing electrical system. The circuit board is configured to provide one of a transmitter or a receiver within a fault determination system. A first set of connectors is disposed at a first side of the housing and a second set of connectors disposed at the second end of the housing. The first set of connectors and the second set of connectors are directly connected through the wires provided inside the apparatus while at least one wires under fault monitoring are tapped to the circuit board and configured so as to be electrically coupled to the existing electrical system. |
| US08050001B2 |
Timed electrical outlet and a method of operation thereof
A timed electrical outlet (or pluggable apparatus) and a method of operation thereof. The electrical outlet (or pluggable apparatus) includes a current sensor, a counter, and an electrical switch. When an electrical load is plugged into the electrical outlet (or pluggable apparatus), the current sensor senses the flow of current and triggers the counter to start counting. When the counter is finished counting, the counter triggers the electrical switch, opening the current path within the electrical outlet (or pluggable apparatus) such that electrical current no longer flows to the electrical load. |
| US08049999B2 |
Magnetoresistance effect element with a layer containing an oxide as a principal component and containing a magnetic transition metal element which does not bond to oxygen
There are provided a magnetoresistance effect element, a magnetic head, a magnetic head assembly and a magnetic recording system, which have high sensitivity and high reliability. The magnetoresistance effect element has two ferromagnetic layers, a non-magnetic layer provided between the ferromagnetic layers, and a layer containing an oxide or nitride as a principal component, wherein the layer containing the oxide or nitride as the principal component contains a magnetic transition metal element which does not bond to oxygen and nitrogen and which is at least one of Co, Fe and Ni. |
| US08049994B2 |
Air bearing slider-disk interface for single-sided recording on a metal foil disk
A slider assembly for supporting a recording element in operative relation to a flexible moving recording medium is disclosed. The slider may have a face including air bearing surfaces positioned toward the recording medium. A recording element may be in an air bearing surface near the trailing edge of the face, wherein there is no other slider or other supporting surface on an opposite side of the recording medium. A vacuum cavity may be formed in the face for creation of sub-ambient pressure to attract the slider toward the recording medium. An air bearing surface may be provided with a transverse pressure contour (TPC) along at least one of its edges for providing flying height control, with the TPC having a step geometry. A mounting device may mount the slider in a biased manner toward the recording medium and urge the slider toward the recording medium. |
| US08049992B2 |
Tape reel, recording tape cartridge, take-up reel, pullout member, and drive device having a recording tape wound therein
The present invention provides a tape reel, a recording tape cartridge, a take-up reel, a pullout member and a drive device that can control fluctuation of a recording tape in the axial direction of a hub and can, even when the recording tape is thinned in accompaniment with an increase in recording capacity, prevent the occurrence of tape edge damage. A tape reel 20 includes: a hub 22 on which is wound a recording tape T on which is recorded servo signals S that are a reference for tracking by a recording/playback head 88 of a drive device 70; and flanges 24 and 26 provided integrally at both end portions of the hub 22, wherein the diameter of a substantially central portion of the hub 22 is formed larger than the diameters of each of the end portions of the hub 22. |
| US08049988B2 |
Perpendicular magnetic recording head that suppresses side fringing
In a perpendicular magnetic recording head including a main magnetic pole layer and a return yoke layer which are laminated with a magnetic gap layer interposed therebetween on a medium-opposing surface, and a pair of side shield layers positioned on both sides in the track width direction of the main magnetic pole layer while interposing a nonmagnetic material layer therebetween, the magnetic gap layer is formed in a partial area in the track width direction bridging the main magnetic pole layer and the pair of side shield layers. The pair of side shield layers are in contact with the return yoke layer in a remaining area where the magnetic gap layer is absent. |
| US08049987B2 |
Position control apparatus and disk apparatus using the same
According to one embodiment, a position control apparatus includes: a digital control module that performs position control including disturbance adaptive control with a predetermined sampling period using a control constant, in accordance with a position error between a target position and a current position of the object; and a table that stores the control constant corresponding to a value of sin(ωT) or cos(ωT), wherein the digital control module is configured to determine a control value of the actuator in accordance with the position error, calculates the value of sin(ωT) or cos(ωT) according to an adaptive law from a signal based on the position error, reads the corresponding control constant from the table in accordance with the calculated value of sin(ωT) or cos(ωT), and updates the control constant, to perform the position control including the disturbance adaptive control. |
| US08049984B2 |
Integrated slider bias control
In a method of biasing a slider, a bias voltage is generated for biasing a slider. The bias voltage is integratedly coupled to a conductive body of the slider via an existing signal path of the slider such that the slider is biased with the bias voltage. The existing signal path is primarily used for conveying another signal to or from the slider but at least sometimes conveys the bias voltage to the conductive body in an integral fashion along with another signal. |
| US08049983B1 |
Methods and apparatus for performing interpolated timing recovery
Methods and apparatus are provided for performing interpolated timing recovery using a frequency and phase estimate. An analog signal representing a sector is asynchronously sampled and stored in a storage device. A retiming circuit reads the stored samples and, based on first portions of first and second timing portions of the sector, determines phase adjustments. The retiming circuit generates a signal representing the samples at the adjusted phase and determines sample shift adjustments based on the generated signal and second portions of the first and second timing portions. The retiming circuit computes start and end indices of the sector in the buffer based on the sample shift adjustment and phase adjustment. The start and end indices may be used to compute a frequency estimate. The frequency estimate and a phase adjustment is used to interpolate the asynchronous samples at the appropriate frequency and phase. |
| US08049981B2 |
Method of controlling a filter coefficient of a continuous time filter and data storage device thereof
A method of controlling a filter coefficient of a continuous time filter of a data storage device is provided. The method of controlling filter coefficient includes positioning a magnetic head at a first reference height from surface of a magnetic disk and outputting a plurality of CSM values by measuring a channel state from a read signal output from the magnetic head when changing a cut-off frequency of the continuous time filter, positioning the magnetic head at a second reference height spaced from the first reference height and measuring a bit error ratio from a read signal output from the magnetic head positioned at the second reference height according to at least one CSM value selected among a plurality of CSM values, and controlling a filter coefficient value to determine a cut-off frequency of the continuous time filter according to a measured bit error ratio. |
| US08049980B1 |
Partial disk failures and improved storage resiliency
A mass data storage system including a hard disk drive comprising heads and platter surfaces determines when a head of the disk is faulty and the disk continues to operate as a partially failed disk with respect to the remaining heads which are not faulty. A striped parity disk array comprises disks capable of operating as partially failed disks allows copying of data from the platter surfaces not associated with a faulty head of a partially failed disk to a spare disk which reduces the amount of data that must be rebuilt in the rebuild process, thereby reducing the amount of time the array spends in degraded mode exposed to a total loss of data caused by a subsequent disk failure. |
| US08049975B2 |
Apparatus and method for assembling lens module
An apparatus for assembling a lens module, is provided. The lens module includes a lens and a lens holder for receiving the lens. The lens holder has a through hole and a retainer formed in the through hole. The apparatus includes a base for supporting the lens holder, and a supporter formed on the base, for extending through the through hole of the lens holder and supporting the lens thereon. A height of the supporter is greater than a depth of the through hole of the lens holder. The supporter is movable relative to and away from the lens holder so as to place the lens on the retainer in the through hole of the base. |
| US08049974B2 |
Method and apparatus for accurately aligning optical components
A first part has first, second and third inwardly-facing surface portions angularly spaced about an axis, and a second part has outwardly-facing fourth, fifth and sixth surface portions spaced angularly about the axis, a radial distance from the axis to each surface portion decreasing progressively in a given direction along the axis. Each of the fourth, fifth and sixth surface portions faces, is closely adjacent to, and is substantially congruent in shape with a respective one of the first, second and third surface portions. At least one of the first and second parts is an optical component. |
| US08049967B2 |
Anamorphic lens
Provided is a low-cost and compact super-wide-angle anamorphic lens having small number of lenses and exhibiting excellent lens performance when the lens is used for an onboard camera, capturing of an unwanted portion is minimized. The super-wide-angle anamorphic lens has an angle of view of 180° or more in the horizontal direction, and includes a first lens having a negative power, a second lens having a negative power, a third lens having a positive power, a fourth lens having a positive power in that order from an object side. One of the aforementioned third lens and fourth lens is provided with at least one non-rotationally symmetric aspherical surface. |
| US08049965B2 |
Display member
Provided is a display member containing: an display layer which exhibits a structural color and contains spherical bodies and a matrix; and a reflective interface which reflects a light transmitting through the display layer, wherein the reflective interface is made between the display layer and a reflective interface forming layer which is provided in contact with the display layer; and a refractive index of the spherical bodies na, a refractive index of the matrix nb and a refractive index of the reflective interface forming layer nc satisfy the following Formulas (1) and (2): 0.35 |
| US08049962B2 |
Controlling the angular extent of autostereoscopic viewing zones
A method and system for providing an increased angular extent of autostereoscopic viewing zones received from a display is presented. The design comprises providing a first column of data having a baseline number of views associated therewith, said first column of data provided to at least one lenticule in a lens sheet associated with the display. The design further comprises altering the first quantity of columns of data to a second quantity of columns of data provided to the at least one lenticule. The second quantity of columns comprises more views than the baseline number of views. Employing the second quantity of columns when constructing an autostereoscopic image provides a display having relatively clear viewing of autostereoscopic images for specific viewing distances. |
| US08049957B2 |
Scalable semiconductor waveguide amplifier
One embodiment of the present method and apparatus encompasses an apparatus that may have: a predetermined length, the self-imaging semiconductor waveguide having first and second opposed sides; quantum wells disposed within the self-imaging semiconductor waveguide along the length of the self-imaging semiconductor waveguide, the quantum wells being formed of a quantum well gain material; microchannel cooler that extends substantially the width of the self-imaging semiconductor waveguide, the microchannel cooler located adjacent the first side of the self-imaging semiconductor waveguide; and a plurality of pump arrays arranged along the microchannel cooler opposed from the first side of the self-imaging semiconductor waveguide; wherein the quantum well gain material is photopumped through the microchannel cooler. |
| US08049954B2 |
Color rotating element displays
A rotating element display includes a matrix having discrete regions of cells of different sizes occupied by rotatably disposed optically and electrically anisotropic elements (e.g., electrically anisotropic bichromal spheres). The regions of larger cells are occupied by larger rotating elements having a first combination of optical properties while the regions of smaller cells are occupied by smaller elements having a second combination of optical properties. The rotating elements having different combinations of optical properties are separately addressable by electromagnetic signals that cause rotation of selected optically dissimilar elements and create a desired color image. In a different aspect, a rotating element display includes a plurality of optically anisotropic rotatable elements occupying cells of a transparent matrix, in a configuration where a background color is viewable through the matrix. A color image is created using a combination of background color with optical properties of the rotating elements. |
| US08049952B2 |
Electrophoretic display and the manufacturing method thereof
An elecotrophoretic display device includes a first substrate, a gate line formed on the first substrate, a data line crossing the gate line to form a defined area, a source electrode connected to the data line, a drain electrode facing the source electrode to define a channel area, a color filter formed on the first substrate, a first electrode formed on the color filter, the first electrode electrically connected to the drain electrode, a second substrate facing the first substrate, a second electrode formed on the second substrate and a fluid and a plurality of charged particles interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. |
| US08049950B2 |
Tunable zero-chirp pulse generator using plasma dispersion phase modulator
An optical pulse generator comprising a phase modulator, wherein the phase modulator is configured to phase modulate and intensity modulate a continuous wave (CW) light signal in accordance with a received electrical signal, and an all-pass filter, the all-pass filter being coupled to the phase modulator to generate a pulsed light signal by filtering the modulated light signal from the phase modulator. |
| US08049949B2 |
Multi-layer electrode for high contrast electrochromic devices
An electrochromic device includes a first substrate spaced from a second substrate. A first transparent conductive electrode is formed over at least a portion of the first substrate. A polymeric anode is formed over at least a portion of the first conductive electrode. A second transparent conductive electrode is formed over at least a portion of the second substrate. In one aspect of the invention, a multi-layer polymeric cathode is formed over at least a portion of the second conductive electrode. In one non-limiting embodiment, the multi-layer cathode includes a first cathodically coloring polymer formed over at least a portion of the second conductive electrode and a second cathodically coloring polymer formed over at least a portion of the first cathodically coloring polymer. An ionic liquid is positioned between the anode and the cathode. |
| US08049948B2 |
Process for producing electrochemical display element and electrochemical display element
This invention provides a novel process for producing an electrochemical display element, which can easily form a white scattering layer between opposed electrodes, has a high level of suitability for production, and has high stability after long-term use. The production process is characterized in that a film containing a white scattering material and a polymeric binder is formed on at least one electrode in opposed electrodes, the other electrode is disposed so as to face the electrode with film formed thereon, a low-viscosity electrolyte is poured into a space between the opposed electrodes, and the polymeric binder is dissolved in or swollen in the electrolyte to form a gel-like electrolyte layer containing the white scattering material and the polymeric binder within the space. |
| US08049946B2 |
Lubricating micro-machined devices using fluorosurfactants
A method of lubricating MEMS devices using fluorosurfactants 42. Micro-machined devices, such as a digital micro-mirror device (DMD™) 940, which make repeated contact between moving parts, require lubrication in order to prevent the onset of stiction (static friction) forces significant enough to cause the parts to stick irreversibly together, causing defects. These robust and non-corrosive fluorosurfactants 42, which consists of a hydrophilic chain 40 attached to a hydrophobic fluorocarbon tail 41, are applied by nebulization and replace the more complex lubricating systems, including highly reactive PFDA lubricants stored in polymer getters, to keep the parts from sticking. This lubrication process, which does not require the use of getters, is easily applied and has been shown to provide long-life, lower-cost, operable MEMS devices. |
| US08049941B2 |
Method for the compensation of an inhomogeneous brightness perception in holographically reconstructed scenes
To compensate for an inhomogeneous brightness perception in a holographic reconstruction of 3D-scenes (4), a computing means encodes modulator cells of a SLM with a hologram point data pattern. Multiple bundles of rays illuminate the surface of the SLM and an array of focusing elements (21, 23) directs the bundles of rays to an observer's eye positions. Geometrical and optical properties of the array cause dissimilarly affected illumination regions on the SLM surface. The computing means determine parameters which describe the extent of these effects in combination with an expected spatial filtering at the eye pupil of the observer's eyes. Using these parameters, the computing means estimates which local errors of the reconstruction caused by these dissimilarly affected illumination regions will be perceived by the observer when watching the reconstruction, and corrects the hologram point data pattern such that the reconstruction appears at a corrected brightness uniformity level. |
| US08049934B2 |
Communication terminal device for managing print media
A communication terminal device includes a receiving unit, a printer unit, a selection registering unit, an extracting unit, and a determining unit. The receiving unit receives data. The printer unit prints an image onto printing paper according to the data received by the receiving unit. The selection registering unit registers a selection of whether or not to attach a storage medium, in which information can be electronically written, to the printing paper and to output the printing paper, by associating the selection with prescribed information. The extracting unit extracts the prescribed information from the data received by the receiving unit or data acquired in relation with transmission and reception of the data. The determining unit determines whether or not to attach the storage medium to the printing paper according to the selection registered in the selection registering unit by being associated with the prescribed information extracted by the extracting unit. |
| US08049932B2 |
Image forming apparatus and image density control method therefor
An image forming apparatus which having a plurality of image processing modes, that is capable of accurate density gradation control without performing output of any patch image to a recording medium in all the image processing modes. A first correction parameter corresponding to a first image processing mode is prepared on the basis of a result of detection, by a second density detection unit, of the image formed on a recording medium in a first image processing mode. A second correction parameter corresponding to a second image processing mode is prepared on the basis of the first correction parameter and a correlation, stored in a storage unit in advance, between density of a toner image formed on an image bearing member in the first image processing mode and density of toner image formed on the image bearing member in the second image processing mode. |
| US08049923B2 |
Method and apparatus for image processing capable of efficiently interfacing with different digital signal processors
An image processing apparatus includes a signal input mechanism, a signal output mechanism and a control device. The control device controls a writing of data received from the signal input mechanism and outputs the data to a plurality of digital signal processors for image processing through the signal output mechanism. The control device includes a decision mechanism and a write administration mechanism. The decision mechanism is configured to decide data to be written to the plurality of digital signal processors. The write administration mechanism is configured to administrate writing operations of the data decided by the decision mechanism to be written relative to the plurality of digital signal processors. |
| US08049921B2 |
System and method for transferring invoice data output of a print job source to an automated data processing system
A data capture system receives a sequence of document objects and, for each, writes output data values to a structure. A first tier extraction system is adapted to receive each document object. For each required data element, the first tier extraction system obtains identification of a positional element value from a positional data set that includes, as its data element, identification of the required data element; and, if the document object includes a qualifying text string, writes an output data value to the output data structure in association with identification of the required data element. A second tier extraction system receives each such document object that does not include a qualifying text string, performs character recognition on a graphical representation thereof and, for each required data element, writes an output data value to the output data structure in association with identification of the required data element. |
| US08049919B2 |
Image processing apparatus
An image processing apparatus is connected to a specific network for processing an image according to image information input to the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus includes an apparatus information storage unit for storing apparatus information of other apparatus connected to the network; an inquiry unit for inquiring an operational state of the other apparatus according to the apparatus information stored in the apparatus information storage unit; a determining unit for determining the operational state of the other apparatus according to an inquiry result of the inquiry unit; and a switching control unit for switching an operational state of the image processing apparatus between an active state and a power save state according to a number of apparatus that the determining unit determines as being in the active state. |
| US08049915B2 |
Image processing apparatus, image processing method and storage medium
An image processing apparatus stores moving image data including a plurality of frames and enables a user to select at least one frame from the plurality of frames included in the moving image data and select a type of processing that is to be performed to the selected frame. The apparatus executes control to perform the selected type of processing to the selected frame. Further, the apparatus manages history information indicating the frame to which the processing is performed and the type of the performed processing. |
| US08049914B2 |
Multi-function machine, control method for the same, and program for implementing the method
A multi-function apparatus which is capable of properly coping with cases where an auto-clear function is activated to thereby improve operability after execution of the function. The operating section of a copying machine displays an operating screen associated with each function and receives inputs via the operating screen. According to the auto-clear function, set values associated with predetermined functions are reset to initial values when no input operation has been performed via the operating section over a predetermined time period, and the operating section is caused to display an operating screen associated with a predetermined function. A controller unit of the machine determines whether the copying machine should be operated in a first mode in which disconnection from the network is carried out or in a second mode in which connection to the network is maintained. The controller unit selects one of the first mode and the second mode based on a result of the determination. |
| US08049910B2 |
Configurable single submission event printer
A method for configuring a printer to automatically print multiple proof prints includes configuring a printer with an adjustable process parameter to a first value, configuring the adjustable process parameter to a second value; generating a single submission event that expresses the first value and the second value of the adjustable process parameter, and configuring the printer with the single submission event such that the printer automatically prints a first proof print with the first value and a second proof print with the second value. |
| US08049904B2 |
Printer having keyboard function, a printing system and printing method using the printing system
A printer, a printing system, and a printing method of the printing system where the printer is provided with a keyboard function, and the printer is connected with a computer via a Universal Serial Bus and includes a key operation section provided with a plurality of keys. The printer further includes: a switching key to select a keyboard function and a printer function; a Universal Serial Bus module to transmit keyboard equipment information and printer equipment information to the computer according to the selection by the switching key; and a key control section to map the keys of the key operation section to those of the keyboard or the those of the printer according to the selection via the switching key. Accordingly, the invention makes printing convenient by directly issuing a command from the printer to the computer to perform a task as requested by a user. |
| US08049903B2 |
High resolution monitoring of CD variations
An optical metrology method is disclosed for evaluating the uniformity of characteristics within a semiconductor region having repeating features such a memory die. The method includes obtaining measurements with a probe laser beam having a spot size on the order of micron. These measurements are compared to calibration information obtained from calibration measurements. The calibration information is derived by measuring calibration samples with the probe laser beam and at least one other technology having added information content. In the preferred embodiment, the other technology includes at least one of spectroscopic reflectometry or spectroscopic ellipsometry. |
| US08049902B2 |
Mobile vehicle
A mobile vehicle provided with moving means and a moving control device automatically travels while detecting an advance distance and a turning angle by means of one optical displacement sensor. The mobile vehicle comprises a moving unit (2) for moving a body (1), one optical displacement sensor (7) as a displacement sensor provided on the body (1), and a moving control device for controlling the moving unit (2) based on a moving distance detected by the optical displacement sensor (7). The moving control device determines the distance of rectilinear movement and a turning angle of the body (1) from an amount detected by the optical displacement sensor (7). The optical displacement sensor (7) picks up patterns or the like on a traveling floor surface at specified time intervals and detects a moving distance by comparing images before and after the specified time. |
| US08049900B2 |
Apparatus and methods for uniform frequency sample clocking
A method and a system for Uniform Frequency Sample Clocking to directly sample the OCT signal with a temporally-non-linear sampling clock derived from a k-space wavemeter on the external sample clock input port of a digitizer. The Uniform Frequency Sample Clocking comprises at least one Pathway, which includes characterizing the swept light source, creating a digital representation of the waveform based from the characterization data, and generating a clock signal using a waveform generator to output the clock signal to a digitizer external clock. |
| US08049896B2 |
Detecting element, detecting device, and method of producing the detecting element
A detecting element for detecting a target substance in a sample includes a substrate having a pore, in which a thickness direction of the substrate corresponds to a depth direction of the pore, and plurality of metal structures disposed in the pore. The plurality of metal structures have a ring shape. |
| US08049895B2 |
Instrument for measuring particle parameters
Values for one or more particle properties, such as an aerosol asymmetry parameter g, can be measured directly using a detector that measures scattered light. The detector can comprise two or more diffusers coupled to optical sensors responsive to scattered light that is incident on the surfaces of the diffusers. One or more weighing functions can be obtained based on diffuser geometry. In an example, the diffusers correspond to quadrants of a circular toroid. |
| US08049890B2 |
System and method for passive alignment of components in an optical bench
A system and method for facilitating passive alignment of an optical component in an optical bench. A groove is etched into the optical bench. The groove has two sections. The first section is configured to act as an optical guide. The second section is configured to receive the optical component. An optical component is inserted into the first section and moved into the second section. The optical component may be bonded to the optical bench. |
| US08049887B2 |
Spectroscopic module
The spectroscopy module 1 is provided with a body portion 2 for transmitting light L1, L2, a spectroscopic portion 3 for dispersing light L1 made incident from the front plane 2a of the body portion 2 into the body portion 2 to reflect the light on the front plane 2a, a light detecting element 4 having a light detecting portion 41 for detecting the light L2 dispersed and reflected by the spectroscopic portion 3 and electrically connected to a wiring 9 formed on the front plane 2a of the body portion 2 by face-down bonding, and an underfill material 12 filled in the body portion 2 side of to the light detecting element 4 to transmit the light L1, L2. |
| US08049880B2 |
System and method for time resolved spectroscopy
A system for time resolved spectroscopy comprises a CCD device arranged to receive a time varying spectrum. Time resolved spectroscopy is the analysis of a spectrum that varies with time due to any cause. The variation with time of the spectrum may be due, for example, to (i) changes of the spectrum from a given sample space with time (such as due to emission decay); and (ii) changes in the spectrum as successive portions of a sample space are sampled (such as laser scanning microscopy). The CCD device comprises an array of photosites arranged to detect the time varying spectrum and to produce signal charge representative of the spectrum, and one or more CCD multiplication registers arranged to receive the signal charge and to provide charge multiplication. An enhancement of speed and sensitivity is given by a storage area which receives the signal charge in parallel from the array of photosites to provide the charge in serial to the one or more multiplication registers. |
| US08049879B2 |
Method and apparatus for measuring transmitted optical distortion in glass sheets
An apparatus and associated method for measuring transmitted optical distortion in a glass sheet includes a glass stand which receives a glass sheet for mounting between a background screen which includes a matrix of spaced apart dots, and a digital camera which captures (1) an image of the glass sheet surface, and (2) an image of the dot matrix transmitted through the glass sheet. The captured images are downloaded to a computer that is suitably programmed to analyze the image data to (1) determine the presence of any markings or elements on the surface of the glass sheet that should be isolated from the dot matrix image, (2) modify the background image to eliminate the image data corresponding to any such surface markings or elements from the image, and (3) determine characteristics indicative of optical distortion in the modified image of the dot matrix background transmitted through the glass sheet. |
| US08049878B2 |
Systems and methods for detecting defects in ceramic filter bodies
Systems (50) and methods are disclosed for detecting defects (DEF1-DEF5) in a ceramic filter body (10) having a honeycomb structure (12) that defined multiple channels (20). Plugs (30) are used to seal select channel ends (22, 24). The methods include using a first light source unit (52) and a first detector unit (62) operably arranged at respective first and second ends (16, 18) of the honeycomb structure so as to be capable of being in optical communication. Light beams (LB) are transmitted from the first light source unit to the first detector unit through multiple channels. Defects in a given plug allow a detectable portion (LBD) of the corresponding light beam to be detected. Multiple detector elements (64) are used to detect the detectable light beam portion to provide location and intensity variation information, which helps deduce the precise location and nature of the defect. Light source units (52, 52′) at opposite ends (16, 18) and detector units (62, 62′) at opposite ends (18, 16) form a “double-ended” system that allows for the simultaneous measurement of defect at both ceramic filter body ends. Systems and methods for measuring defects (DEF4, DEF5) for unplugged ceramic filter bodies are also disclosed. |
| US08049875B1 |
Triangulation and light based angle setting instrument
One embodiment of an instrument for setting the angle between two work pieces. In operation, the instrument is placed on one of the work pieces at a user determined distance from the apex of the angle being set. The instrument projects a light beam creating a light spot on the other work piece. When the light spot is aligned with a user mark on the other work piece the work pieces are aligned at the correct angle. Use of this instrument provides a positive and accurate indication that the work pieces are aligned at the desired angle. |
| US08049874B2 |
Method for measuring illuminance of lamp
A method for measuring illuminance of a lamp utilizes at least one illuminance meter and a rotary apparatus. The lamp is installed on the rotary apparatus. The lamp emits light and projects onto an irradiation area. A measurement area is defined from within the irradiation area. The measurement area is evenly divided into n sub-measurement areas, wherein n is a natural number. The n sub-measurement areas are centrosymmetric. At least one illuminance meter measuring illuminance of the lamp is disposed on one of the n sub-measurement areas. The rotary apparatus drives the lamp to rotate 360/n° in turn. The single illuminance meter measures illuminance of the lamp in other (n−1) sub-measurement areas. |
| US08049873B2 |
Surgical microscopy system having an optical coherence tomography facility
A surgical microscopy system is provided wherein an optical coherence tomography facility is integrated into a microscopy system. A beam of measuring light formed by collimating optics of an OCT system is deflected by a beam scanner, traverses imaging optics, and is reflected by a reflector such that the beam of measuring light traverses an objective lens of microscopy optics and is directed to an object region of the microscopy optics. A position of the beam of measuring light being incident on the reflector is substantially independent on a direction into which the beam of measuring light is deflected by the beam scanner. When traveling through the beam scanner, the beam of measuring light is comprised of a bundle of substantially parallel light rays. |
| US08049872B2 |
Endpoint detection device for realizing real-time control of plasma reactor, plasma reactor with endpoint detection device, and endpoint detection method
An endpoint detection device, a plasma reactor with the endpoint detection device, and an endpoint detection method are provided. The endpoint detection device includes an OES data operation unit, a data selector, a product generator, an SVM, and an endpoint determiner. The OES data operation unit processes reference OES data by normalization and PCA. The data selector selects part of the linear reference loading vectors and selects part of the selected linear reference loading vectors. The product generator outputs at least one reference product value. The SVM performs regression and outputs a prediction product value. The endpoint determiner detects a process wafer etch or deposition endpoint and outputs a detection signal. |
| US08049871B2 |
Glass stress measurement using fluorescence
An apparatus and method for measurement of the stress in and thickness of flat glass or curved glass segments is disclosed that uses fluorescence to quickly and accurately ascertain both the thickness of the stress layers and the wall thickness in addition to the stress curve in flat glass or curved glass segments. The apparatus and method may be used to quickly and accurately measure both the stress in and the thickness of flat glass or curved glass segments at a plurality of various locations therein. The apparatus and method are adapted for large scale flat glass or curved glass segment manufacturing, and are capable of high speed measurement of the stress in and the thickness of the flat glass or curved glass segments. |
| US08049870B2 |
Semi-active optical tracking system
A system and method for tracking an airborne target including an illumination source (e.g., a diode laser array) is used to enhance a target signature and a detector (e.g., a passive high-speed camera) is used to detect to electromagnetic radiation (e.g., infrared radiation) reflected off the target. The received electromagnetic radiation may be processed by a digital computer and passed through a spatial filter that implements a band limited edge detection operation in the frequency domain. The filter may remove low spatial frequencies that attenuate soft edged clutter such as clouds and smoke as well as filter out artifacts and attenuated medium to high spatial frequencies to inhibit speckle noise from the detector as well as speckle from the laser return off the target. |
| US08049868B2 |
Concave-convex surface inspection apparatus
A concave-convex surface inspection apparatus includes a slit light source unit emitting a slit light to a concave-convex surface of an object to be inspected, an image-taking unit taking an image of the concave-convex surface illuminated by the emitted slit light with an imaging optical axis intersecting with an optical axis of the slit light with a narrow-angle equal to or narrower than 30 degrees, and an evaluation section obtaining a three dimensional shape of the concave-convex surface and evaluating the obtained three dimensional shape, wherein the slit light source unit includes a slit light source and a cylindrical lens, the image-taking unit includes a telecentric lens unit, an image-taking section having an imaging surface tilted relative to the imaging optical axis for increasing a focusing range of the concave-convex surface, and a P polarizer. |
| US08049862B2 |
Indium tin oxide (ITO) layer forming
A layer of material, such as crystalline indium tin oxide (ITO), is formed on top of a substrate by heating the material to a high temperature, while a temperature increase of the substrate is limited such that the temperature of the substrate does not exceed a predetermined temperature. For example, a layer including amorphous ITO can be deposited on top of the substrate, and the amorphous layer can be heated in a surface anneal process using radiation while limiting substrate temperature. Another process can pass electrical current through the amorphous ITO. In another process, the substrate is passed through a high-temperature deposition chamber quickly, such that a portion of a layer of crystalline ITO is deposited, while the temperature increase of the substrate is limited. |
| US08049855B2 |
Display device
A display device having a common electrode and pixel electrodes disposed in an insulating state on one of a pair of substrates between which a liquid crystal layer is held, in which each of the pixel electrodes includes a plurality of electrode portions disposed in parallel with one another, each of the electrode portions has a flat surface shape in which each of the electrode portions is bent approximately at a central portion in an extension direction, and each of the pixel electrodes also includes a bridge portion through which corresponding ones of the electrode portions are connected to one another in the bending portion. |
| US08049854B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and method for fabricating the same
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device having an array substrate with a top gate type TFT includes a first transparent metal layer deposited to enhance the adhesion between a data metal layer and an insulating substrate before a data metal deposition, and a second transparent metal layer deposited to enhance the adhesion between a gate metal layer and an insulating substrate before a gate metal deposition. The LCD device having the array substrate with a top gate type TFT can be fabricated with a reduced number of masking or sputtering processes, thereby reducing the fabrication time of the LCD device and increasing the yield of the LCD device. |
| US08049853B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and method of fabricating the same
A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate each including an active area and a non-active area; a black matrix on the first substrate in the non-active area; a color filter layer on the black matrix; a common electrode on the color filter layer and black matrix; an array element on the second substrate in the active area; a plurality of signal lines and a common bridge line in the non-active area; a protective layer on the array element, signal lines and a common bridge line; a transparent pattern connected to the common bridge line and extending to a border region between the active and non-active areas; a seal pattern formed in an edge portion of the first and second substrates; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first and second substrates. |
| US08049852B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and method of manufacturing the same
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display, the method including; disposing a thin film transistor having an input terminal and an output terminal on a first substrate, connecting a pixel electrode to the output terminal, disposing an organic layer on the pixel electrode, forming a first alignment layer having at least two different alignment directions by disposing a mask on the organic layer and radiating an ion beam to the organic layer, disposing a common electrode on a second substrate corresponding to the first substrate, forming a second alignment layer having at least two different alignment directions on the common electrode, and disposing a liquid crystal layer between the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer. |
| US08049851B2 |
Method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device having a second orientation film surrounding a first orientation film
A liquid crystal dripping method has a problem in that an uncured sealant increases in width at the time of attaching a pair of substrates and thus a liquid crystal material enters the sealant and unevenness occurs in the inner periphery of the sealant. A region in which reduced is the speed of diffusion of liquid crystal at the time of attaching a pair of substrates is provided between a sealant and an orientation film. Further, time for diffusing the liquid crystal and coming in contact with the sealant is made long. Accordingly, the sealant is subjected to photo-curing before the liquid crystal comes in contact with the sealant. The region in which reduced is the speed of diffusion of the liquid crystal is formed using a material for forming a vertical orientation film, a silane coupling agent, a substance having a photocatalytic function, or the like. |
| US08049845B2 |
Optical diffusion device
An optical diffusion device applied in a backlight module includes a plate. Multiple light sources are disposed on one side of the plate. Multiple optical microstructures provided with a longer axis and a shorter axis are disposed on the plate. The longer axis of each optical microstructure is approximately arranged in parallel with a direction extending from the light source, or, in other words, the shorter axis is arranged approximately crossing the direction extending from the light source. A diffusion effect is provided to each light source through the shorter axis of the optical microstructure to increase optical radiant energy among the light sources and to eliminate the dim and dark regions among the light sources for increasing general luminance of the backlight module. |
| US08049844B2 |
Color filter and liquid crystal display device
A color filter includes red, green and blue filter segments and is adapted to be used in a liquid crystal display device using, as a light source, a white LED having specified spectral properties. The red filter segment has a 50% transmittance wavelength within a range of 595 to 610 nm and a transmittance of 85% or more at a wavelength of 630 nm. The blue filter segment has a maximum transmittance wavelength of 455 nm or less and a transmittance of 55% or more at a wavelength of 450 nm. A thickness of each of the red, green and blue filter segments is 3.0 μm or less. A liquid crystal display device including this color filter and the white LED is also disclosed. |
| US08049843B2 |
Polarizing plate and liquid-crystal display device
Disclosed is a polarizing plate comprising at least first and second polarizing elements and satisfying (1) kx1>ky1=kz1, (2) kz2>ky2 and (3) (kx1−ky1)×d1>(kz2−ky2)×d2, wherein an x-axis and a y-axis are in-plane axes crossing perpendicularly to each other, and a z-axis is the axis crossing perpendicularly to the x-y axis plane; kx1, ky1 and kz1 each are the absorption coefficient in the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis directions, respectively, of the first polarizing element; ky2 and kz2 each are the absorption coefficient in the y-axis and z-axis directions, respectively, of the second polarizing element; and d1 and d2 each are the thickness (unit: nm) of the first and second polarizing elements, respectively. |
| US08049836B2 |
Display device, a front frame used therein, and a method of manufacture thereof
A display device, a front frame used therein, and a method of manufacture thereof are provided. The display device includes a display panel and the front frame. The display panel has a display surface which is partially covered by the front frame. The front frame includes a side wall corresponding to the sides of the display panel, a top plate extending from the side wall towards the center of the display panel, and cushion filler. The top plate has an inner surface featuring a groove distributed along the side wall. The cushion filler is contained within the groove while its top protrudes from the groove and contacts the display surface outside an active area. |
| US08049833B2 |
Liquid crystal display device
An LCD device with a simplified configuration is disclosed. The LCD device includes a reflection sheet configured to include an opened upper surface, a plurality of first supporters formed to inwardly project from the side walls of the reflection sheet, a bottom cover configured to receive the reflection sheet, a plurality of second supporters formed to inwardly project from the side walls of the bottom cover, and optical sheets disposed on the reflective sheet and configured to include a plurality of fixed protrusions which are formed to outwardly project from the edges of the optical sheets. The edges of a lower surface of a liquid crystal display panel are placed on the first supporters, and the fixed protrusions of the optical sheets are placed on the second supporters. |
| US08049830B2 |
Liquid crystal display device and fabrication method thereof
A method for fabricating an LCD device comprising: providing first and second substrates; forming an active area having a source region, a drain region, a channel region, and a storage region on the first substrate; forming a first insulation film on the first substrate; forming a gate electrode, a gate line and a pixel electrode on the first substrate and forming a storage line partially overlapping with the storage region; forming a second insulation film on the first substrate; forming first and second contact holes exposing a portion of the source and drain regions by removing a portion of the first and second insulation films and exposing the pixel electrode by removing the second insulation film on the pixel electrode; and forming a source electrode electrically connected to the source region through the first contact hole and forming a drain electrode electrically connected to the drain region through the second contact hole and partially overlapping with the storage line. |
| US08049824B2 |
Single-layer birefringent crystal trim retarders
A single-layer birefringent crystal trim retarder includes a birefringent crystal cut such that its optic axis is at a high oblique angle and such that it provides low in-plane retardance values even when the birefringent crystal is relatively thick. To compensate for the inherent high +C-plate retardance of this high-tilt O-plate, the single-layer birefringent crystal is coupled with a −C-plate thin-film retarder to provide a trim retarder having an overall A/−C-plate retarder functionality. This full-function trim retarder is practical to fabricate, is thickness and azimuthal angle tolerant, and is suitable for low sensitivity angular clocking requirements of LCoS panel compensation. |
| US08049823B2 |
Projector, optical compensation method therefor, and liquid crystal device
The disclosure is directed to projectors, optical compensation methods and liquid crystal devices. In one example, a liquid crystal panel has a liquid crystal layer pinched between a pair of substrates. A pair of polarizing plates is disposed with the liquid crystal panel in between the polarizing plates. A first phase difference plate is disposed between the pair of polarizing plates for compensating for a phase difference of the liquid crystal panel. A second phase difference plate is disposed between the pair of polarizing plates for compensating for a phase difference of the pair of polarizing plates. In certain embodiments, the first phase difference plate may have an optically anisotropic layer having a negative refractive index anisotropy and an optical axis oriented in a thickness direction of the first phase difference plate. This abstract is intended only to aid those searching patents, and is not intended to be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims in any manner. |
| US08049817B2 |
Method and system for calculating interlace artifact in motion pictures
A method and system for calculating an interlace artifact in image data are disclosed. A motion picture of the image data comprises a series of frames, captured at a predefined interval of time. During processing of the motion picture, the frames are divided into fields, each field comprising one or more pixels. A difference between the pixels of the fields is calculated. Thereafter, edges of the pixels are calculated in the fields. The method and system then identify the focused area in the fields. To calculate the interlace artifact in the motion picture, the displacement of the focused area is calculated by using motion vectors. The artifacts are calculated as a ratio of a number of pixels based on motion vector calculation. |
| US08049811B2 |
Automatic focusing apparatus and method for digital images using automatic filter switching
An apparatus and method for automatically focusing a lens of a digital imaging device, such as a digital still or video camera or camera phone, that reduces the auto focus time while not compromising image sharpness quality and simultaneously reducing device power consumption due to focus actuator movement, all without tuning or adjustment of thresholds or parameters is disclosed. The present invention automatically computes a set of digital band-pass filters matched to the imaging device specifications along with corresponding step-size magnitudes. A filter-switching search for the in-focus focus actuator position is formulated such that filters are switched and step-sizes are reduced as the search gets closer to the in-focus position by utilizing local estimates of the first and second-order differential information of the focus value surface. |
| US08049810B2 |
Imaging apparatus and method
If an aperture of the objective-imaging is the same as an aperture when a state has turned into a focused state with autofocus before the objective-imaging or if an F value of the objective-imaging is equal to or greater than an F value when a state has turned into a focused state with autofocus before the objective-imaging, the focused state is maintained and the focusing of the objective-imaging is skipped. Even in other cases, a in-focus position is detected near the in-focus position before the objective-imaging. Alternatively, if the user selects a speed priority, the in-focus position is detected in a narrow range near the in-focus position before the objective-imaging. This enables to achieve both enough speed and focus accuracy of the main-photographing. |
| US08049809B2 |
Solid-state image pickup device and electronic instruments
A solid-state image pickup device which includes a circuit board provided with a hole and with a circuit layer formed thereon, a solid-state image pickup element housed in the hole and having an upper surface constituting a light-receiving face and electrodes formed on a peripheral portion of the upper surface, and a glass plate disposed over the light-receiving face and provided with a connecting conductive layer which is extended from the underside of the glass plate, via the sidewall of the glass plate, to the upper surface of the glass plate. The electrode is electrically connected with the connecting conductive layer formed on the underside of glass plate, and the connecting conductive layer is electrically connected with the circuit layer formed on the upper surface of the circuit board. |
| US08049805B2 |
Color imaging device and color imaging device manufacturing method
A color imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate including a plurality of photoelectric transducers, and a color filter including a plurality of coloring layers provided to associate with the photoelectric transducers of the semiconductor substrate. Each of the coloring layers of the color filter including a side surface that is erected with respect to a surface of the semiconductor substrate, and an inclined surface that is continuous from an end of the side surface located in the opposite side of the semiconductor substrate toward an end portion of the coloring layer located in the opposite side of the semiconductor substrate. The coloring layers are arranged with their side surfaces being in contact with each other without a gap therebetween, and the end portion of the coloring layer has a curved surface shape protruding toward the opposite side of the corresponding photoelectric transducer. |
| US08049804B2 |
Lens driving device and imaging device
A contact portion 9 of a lens holding frame 1 and a contact portion 8 of a nut 10 are so formed that when the lens holding frame 1 and the nut 10 are brought into contact with each other by a coil spring 12, an urging force acts on the lens holding frame 1 in an optical axis direction and an orthogonal direction that orthogonally intersects the optical axis direction. |
| US08049802B2 |
CMOS camera adapted for forming images of moving scenes
A camera for forming an image of a scene that moves relative to the camera and the method of forming that image are disclosed. The camera includes an imaging array having a plurality of CMOS pixel sensors having a plurality of columns and rows, an imaging system, and a controller. The imaging system causes a portion of an image of a scene to be projected on the imaging array such that the image of the scene moves across the imaging array in the column direction. First and second images of the scene are formed at first and second times chosen such that the image of the scene moves a predetermined number of rows of the imaging array between the first and second times. The controller combines pixel values from rows in the first image with rows in the second image that are separated by the predetermined number of rows. |
| US08049796B2 |
Method of correcting sensitivity and imaging apparatus
An object of the invention is to provide a method of correcting sensitivity and an imaging apparatus, by which shading correction can be performed with good accuracy even with a simple structure. A method of correcting sensitivity includes providing imaging elements each including a photosensitive section (15) which performs photoelectric conversion of incident light, an electric charge accumulation section (18) which accepts transfer of electric charge accumulated in the photosensitive section (15) and temporarily accumulates the electric charge, and an electric charge correction section (20) which estimates electric charge intruding into the electric charge accumulation section (18); receiving light from an object by the imaging elements (3) to accumulate electric charge; thereafter transferring electric charge accumulated in the photosensitive section (15) to the electric charge accumulation section (18); correcting a first amount of electric charge (p1) accumulated therein with a second amount of electric charge (p2) having intruded into the electric charge correction section (20) to produce a third amount of electric charge (p3); and sequentially outputting third amounts of electric charge (p3) as amounts of electric charge of the respective imaging elements (3), thereby removing shading. |
| US08049794B2 |
Method and apparatus for processing image data
The method of processing a first digital image by combining the first digital image with a second digital image includes the first digital image being received from a pixel array, and when receiving the first digital image it is converted into a first continuous sequential data stream. The second digital image may be provided in the form of a second continuous sequential data stream, and the first and second digital images may be combined by continuously combining the data in the first and second data stream. |
| US08049790B2 |
Electronic camera for synthesizing two images having a white balance correction
Disclosed herein is an electronic camera for generating an image having a wide dynamic range by synthesizing two image pickup signals of different exposure amount generated by using an electronic shutter function and means for shutting off light, shading of image pickup signals resulting from difference in charge accumulating time among the pixels of image pickup device due to operation from opened state to closed state of the means for shutting off light being corrected by a shading correction means to form a synthesized image without an occurrence of false color due to shading. Also provided is an electronic camera generating two image pickup signals of different exposure amount by two shots of picture taking each using a flash emission in combination, at least one of an electronic shutter of image pickup device and means for shutting off light, as well as an emission of the flash emission means, being controlled to equalize between the two shots of picture taking ratio of exposure by normal light excluding light from the flash emission means and ratio of emission amount by the light from the flash emission means so that the two image pickup signals can be readily generated as having a predetermined exposure amount ratio in every part of a frame of picture even when a flash emission is used in combination. |
| US08049787B2 |
Image processing circuit, mobile terminal and method for controlling sensor
An image processing circuit capable of shooting a desired subject is provided in which increasing the size of the digital camera has been avoided. Sensor control unit 31 includes a moving image mode and a still image shooting mode. If a shutter button is operated when sensor control unit is driven in the moving image mode in which mechanical shutter 21 is open, image pickup control unit 37 stops the operation of sensor control unit. Then, after exposing image sensor 23 for a predetermined exposure time, image pickup control unit 37 closes mechanical shutter 21. Additionally, image pickup control unit 37 switches sensor control unit 31 to the still image shooting mode while mechanical shutter 21 is closed. |
| US08049784B2 |
Anti-shake device for optical instrument
An anti-shake device for positioning an image-capturing unit in an optical instrument. A base includes a shaft pillar. A clamp unit includes a first clamping arm and a second clamping arm. The first and second clamping arms pivot to the shaft pillar of the base and detachably clamp the image-capturing unit. A drive unit is connected to the base and includes a driven member driving the first and second clamping arms of the clamp unit to rotate and shifting between a first mode and a second mode. The first and second clamping arms are separated from each other and the image-capturing unit when the driven member is in the first mode. The first and second clamping arms close and clamp the image-capturing unit when the driven member is in the second mode. |
| US08049783B2 |
Blur correction device, blur correction method, electronic apparatus including blur correction device, image file and image file creating apparatus
Image files are rearranged according to the blurring amount obtained from each of blurring information pieces of the image files and displayed as thumbnail images. After several image files are selected from the displayed image files, the image information pieces of the selected image files are sequentially corrected. |
| US08049770B2 |
Printing apparatus
A printing apparatus includes a pulse motor which operates to carry a recording medium, a thermal head to print on the recording medium, a pulse motor control unit which controls the pulse motor so that the pulse motor is operated at a carrying velocity based on a print ratio of input print data, a head control unit which controls the thermal head in a first or second head control mode, a head detection unit which detects the type of thermal head attached in the printing apparatus and a judgment unit which judges on the basis of the type of head detected by the head detection unit whether to control the thermal head by the first head control mode or the second head control mode. |
| US08049767B2 |
Image editing method and apparatus thereof
An image editing method includes recording by coding edit information in a predetermined field of an original image frame, and displaying either the original image or an image edited based on the edit information. Accordingly, the edit information is recorded in a blank field of the original frame without damaging the original image, and thus, the image frame can be efficiently stored without wasting storage space. |
| US08049766B2 |
Automatic color adjustment of a template design
The present invention generates a color template design to format a presentation. According to one aspect, a plurality of template designs are provided on a visual display. A selection of one of the plurality of template designs is received from a user. A plurality of source images that are separate from the plurality of template designs are provided on the visual display. A selection of one of the plurality of source images is received from the user. A processor generates a histogram for the selected source image and analyzes the histogram. The processor automatically adjusts colors of the selected template design based on the analysis of the histogram. The selected template design may include framing, mat, background, and foreground portions, at least one of which is adjusted. After automatically adjusting the colors, the selected template design may be displayed and/or stored for use as a template. |
| US08049761B1 |
Bus protocol for transferring pixel data between chips
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a protocol for packing and transferring pixel data between integrated circuits. The data transfer protocol may be used between a graphics processing unit and a video output encoder unit. The data transfers may include up to 20 pixels per arbitration cycle. By packing pixel data for transfer over a bus with a relatively small set of output pins, overall package pin count is reduced, while maintaining sufficient bandwidth to carry the pixel data the output pins. By moving the analog circuitry to a separate device, linked to the GPU via the bus, noise from the GPU may be effectively mitigate through physical separation. |
| US08049760B2 |
System and method for vector computations in arithmetic logic units (ALUs)
The present disclosure describes implementations for processing instructions and data across multiple Arithmetic Logic Units (ALUs). In one implementation, a graphics processing apparatus comprises a plurality of ALUs configured to process independent instructions in parallel. Pre-processing logic is configured to receive instructions and associated data to be directed to one of the plurality of ALUs for processing from a register file, the pre-processing logic being configured to selectively format received instructions for delivery to a plurality of the ALUs. In addition, post-processing logic is configured to receive data output from the plurality of the ALUs and deliver the received data to the register file for write-back, the post-processing logic being configured to selectively format data output from a plurality of the ALUs for delivery to the register file as though the data had been output by a single ALU. |
| US08049758B2 |
Sensing ball game machine
A sensing baseball game apparatus (10) has a game machine (12) connected to a television monitor (18). A bat input device (32) is provided with an acceleration sensor. An acceleration signal is transmitted by an infrared-ray LED (34) to an infrared-ray receiving part of the game machine (12) whereby the game machine (12) determines a moving speed of the bat input device (32) to calculate a moving parameter of a ball to be batted. Accordingly, a batted ball is moved in the game scene according to the parameter. |
| US08049753B2 |
Computer graphics methods and systems for generating images with rounded corners
Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer program/software code products, operable in a computer graphics system designed to render images and to apply shading to images, enable the following: during rendering of an image, modifying the shading normal in the region of a corner of an object in the image, such that when shading is applied to the image, the shaded image is capable of providing to a human viewer, when viewing the corner in the image, the appearance or visual illusion of a rounded corner, wherein the modifying comprises: calculating an amount of modification to be applied to an original shading normal in the region of the corner to simulate the appearance of a given fillet radius R, the calculating comprising: interrogating surfaces within a distance R of the corner for their shading normal, and calculating a new normal that is a weighted blend between the shading normal of the original surface and the shading normal of the interrogated neighboring surface, thereby, by the shading effect, to simulate at render-time a rounding by varying the shading normal, creating a variation of the surface normal consistent with the appearance the object would have had, had it actually been rounded. |
| US08049752B2 |
Systems and methods of determining sampling rates for volume rendering
A system and method of determining a sampling rate for rendering a volumetric image, the method includes determining a regional variation value representing regional data, color, and/or alpha variation. An accumulated opacity value is determined that represents opacity accumulated over a ray in the image, and a regional opacity value is determined that represents regional opacity. A quality setting is accessed that represents a default image quality, and the sampling rate is adjusted as a function of the regional variation value, the accumulated opacity value, the regional opacity value, and the quality setting. The regional variation value may be determined by iteratively generating a maximum regional variation table during pre-processing, quantizing the maximum regional variation table where the transfer function is defined based on a histogram of the volumetric image, and computing the regional variation value using the maximum regional variation table. Also disclosed are methods to calculate the accumulated opacity value, and the regional opacity value, as well as systems and methods of rendering a volumetric image by using the sampling rate. |
| US08049750B2 |
Fading techniques for virtual viewpoint animations
In one aspect, an image of an event is obtained from a camera, and an object is detected in the image. Data of a textured 3d model of the event and data from the object are combined to depict virtual viewpoints of the event which differ from a real viewpoint of the camera. The object is at least partially faded out at a virtual viewpoint which meets a specified criterion, such as a specified angular offset, or exceeding a specified difference from the viewpoint of the camera. The fading can occur over multiple virtual viewpoints, or over a time period in which the fading is otherwise apparent to a human viewer. In another aspect, an animation is provided in which one object is faded out at a specified virtual viewpoint so that it does not fully occlude another object. For instance, the objects can be participants in a sports event. |
| US08049749B2 |
Image generator for medical treatment and its method
An image generator for medical use includes a shape information acquiring unit acquiring shape information of a subject, a functional information acquiring unit acquiring a functional value of the subject, a polyhedron generating unit generating a polyhedron so as to have a clearance within a virtual display space on the basis of the acquired shape information, a functional information mapping unit allocating the functional information to a face of the polyhedron, and a display unit displaying and outputting the virtual display space. |
| US08049739B2 |
Liquid crystal display with a liquid crystal touch panel having photo-sensing elements
A liquid crystal display includes a light source for emitting light, a first substrate, a second substrate parallel to and facing the first substrate, and a plurality of pixel units formed between the first substrate and the second substrate. At least one pixel unit comprises a reflecting element disposed on the first substrate for reflecting light from the light source, and a photo-sensing element, formed on the second substrate, for outputting a sensing parameter based on light reflected from the reflecting member. Each reflecting element is extended out of the first substrate and faces to one of the plurality of photo-sensing elements. A position of the force applied on the first substrate is determined by detecting a variation of the sensing parameter outputted by the photo-sensing element. |
| US08049737B2 |
Dual pointing device and method based on 3-D motion and touch sensors
A dual pointing device and method based on 3-D motion and touch sensors are provided. The dual pointing device includes a sensor including a first sensor sensing a motion in a space and a second sensor sensing a touch input, a movement-mode-determining unit determining a movement mode type using signals of the first and second sensors, and a pointer-moving unit moving a pointer on a display screen using at least one of the signals of the first sensor and the second sensor according to the determined movement mode type. |
| US08049736B2 |
Low EMI capacitive trackpad
A printed circuit board (PCB) assembly provides a two layer capacitive trackpad sensor in which an EMI ground grid is interposed among the sensor's capacitive elements on each of its layers. The EMI grid on each of the two layers is electrically coupled via, typically, vias. The described arrangement of sensor elements (capacitor plates) and EMI ground grid traces may be incorporated into a PCB having additional layers (e.g., a four, six or eight layer PCB). If used in this manner, additional vias are provided on the PCB which permit electrical coupling between these “additional layers” and which are electrically isolated from, and shielded by, the EMI ground grid. |
| US08049733B2 |
Blended transfer function for computer pointing devices
A transfer function is provided for use with computer pointing devices such as trackpads. The transfer function includes a first component having characteristics of a positional transfer function and a second component having characteristics of a velocity-based transfer function. The first (positional) component and the second (velocity-based) component of the transfer function are blended so that the transfer function exhibits purely positional behavior in response to a first range of inputs and exhibits combined positional and velocity-based behavior in response to a second range of inputs. The first range of inputs may, for example, correspond to a region in the input coordinate space that is bounded by a circle having a predetermined threshold radius. |
| US08049732B2 |
Front-end signal compensation
A touch surface device having improved sensitivity and dynamic range is disclosed. In one embodiment, the touch surface device includes a touch-sensitive panel having at least one sense node for providing an output signal indicative of a touch or no-touch condition on the panel; a compensation circuit, coupled to the at least one sense node, for generating a compensation signal that when summed with the output signal removes an undesired portion of the output signal so as to generated a compensated output signal; and an amplifier having an inverting input coupled to the output of the compensation circuit and a non-inverting input coupled to a known reference voltage. |
| US08049730B2 |
Devices and methods of controlling manipulation of virtual objects on a multi-contact tactile screen
A process for controlling computerized equipment with a device including a multi-contact bidimensional sensor that acquires tactile information and a calculator that generates command signals as a function of the tactile information, including graphical objects on a screen placed under a transparent multi-contact tactile sensor, each graphical object associated with at least one specific processing rule such that the sensor delivers during each acquisition phase a plurality of tactile information, and each piece of the tactile information forms an object of a specific processing determined by its localization relative to a position of one of the graphical objects. |
| US08049729B2 |
Easily deployable interactive direct-pointing system and presentation control system and calibration method therefor
A method for controlling movement of a computer display cursor based on a point-of-aim of a pointing device within an interaction region includes projecting an image of a computer display to create the interaction region. At least one calibration point having a predetermined relation to said interaction region is established. A pointing line is directed to substantially pass through the calibration point while measuring a position of and an orientation of the pointing device. The pointing line has a predetermined relationship to said pointing device. Movement of the cursor is controlled within the interaction region using measurements of the position of and the orientation of the pointing device. |
| US08049725B2 |
Wireless mouse
The present invention relates to a wireless mouse. The wireless mouse includes a base and a slidable battery cover. The slidable battery cover is pivotally coupled to the base. After the slidable battery cover is released from the base, the slidable battery cover is firstly slid outwardly and then rotated upwardly. |
| US08049724B2 |
AEE (articulated, elevated, ergonomic) computer mouse
An ergonomic computer mouse whose design and function is solely dedicated to ergonomic benefit and optimal operator comfort for improved operator efficiency and avoided injury. The ergonomically formed mouse body is elevated from a fixed base structure via a short rigid pedestal where the ball-and-socket interface to the mouse body allows for a wide range of adjustment across three axis of positioning. This adjustment is lockable into an operator-selected position which best meets individual operator's ergonomic and comfort requirements. Once in locked mode, the operator's arm, wrist and hand remain stationary to operate the standardized prior art mouse controls, thereby achieving a zero-motion ergonomic benefit. The current art ergonomic mouse solution provides any computer mouse operator with the ability to achieve optimal ergonomic form, comfort and operation under virtually any workstation condition. |
| US08049707B2 |
Display apparatus and method with reduced energy consumption
A display apparatus includes a spatial light modulator and an illumination unit for supplying light to the spatial light modulator. The power consumed by the illumination unit is reduced by adjusting both the intensity of light emitted by the illumination unit and video words that are supplied to the spatial light modulator in accordance with what is to be displayed. |
| US08049698B2 |
Liquid crystal display and driving method thereof
A liquid crystal display includes a timing controller to activate a dynamic charge share control signal to indicate a time at which the gray level of the data voltage is changed from a white gray level to a black gray level and a time at which the polarity of the data voltage is inverted, and to activate a dot inversion control signal for widening a horizontal polarity inversion period of data voltages to be supplied to the data lines when a weakness patterns are input, and a data driving circuit supplying one of a common voltage and a charge share voltage to data lines only when the gray level of data is changed from the white gray level to the black gray level and when the polarity of the data voltage in response to the dynamic charge share control signal. |
| US08049695B2 |
Correction of visible mura distortions in displays by use of flexible system for memory resources and mura characteristics
A display that includes at least one gray level being provided to a plurality of pixels that illuminates each of the pixels with the gray level. The display applies interpolated corrective data for the pixels so as to reduce the mura effects of said display for those characteristics generally visible by the human visual system and so as not to reduce the mura effects of the display for those characteristics generally not visible by the human visual system. |
| US08049692B2 |
Common voltage generation circuit and liquid crystal display comprising the same
A common voltage generation circuit includes a common voltage adjusting circuit adjusting a level of a common voltage in response to a compensation signal and providing the adjusted common voltage to a liquid crystal panel, and a common voltage compensating circuit including a resistor producing potential differences between the adjusted common voltage and each of the positive and negative polarity data voltages, a first voltage detector detecting a potential difference between the adjusted common voltage and the negative polarity data voltage, a second voltage detector detecting a potential difference between the adjusted common voltage and the positive polarity data voltage, and a voltage comparator comparing output signals of the first and second voltage detectors and feeding the compensation signal back to the common voltage adjusting circuit. |
| US08049688B2 |
Apparatus and method for creating a crowd-based visual display with pixels that move independently
The present invention provides a light-emitting apparatus and a method by which a crowd-based display is created wherein each light-emitting apparatus represents one of many independently moving pixels in the crowd-based display. This invention also provides methods, both internal and external to the light-emitting apparatus, by which the visual display sequence is controlled to provide various forms of colorful illumination. This invention discloses a shock wave method, a time-synchronized playback method, and a laser-based actuation method for creating the visual displays of illumination. |
| US08049676B2 |
Planer antenna structure
A planer antenna structure includes a first planer antenna and a second planer antenna. The first planer antenna has a first axial orientation and a conductive antenna pattern on a first surface of a supporting substrate. The second planer antenna has a second axial orientation and the conductive antenna pattern on the first surface of the supporting substrate. |
| US08049675B2 |
Multi-feed horn, low noise block downconverter provided with the same and antenna apparatus
A multi-feed horn includes a first feed horn, a second feed horn and a third feed horn which are connected to a first waveguide, a second waveguide and a third waveguide, respectively. The first feed horn is provided with a first proximal end opening and a first tip opening which are rectangular in shape, the second feed horn is provided with a second proximal end opening and a second tip opening which are rectangular in shape, and the third feed horn is provided with a third proximal end opening and a third tip opening which are rectangular in shape. Consequently, a multi-feed horn, a low noise block downconverter and an antenna apparatus which allow a further improvement in the reception characteristic and in the manufacturing accuracy can be provided. |
| US08049672B2 |
Ultra wideband antenna with band-notched characteristics
An ultra wideband antenna includes: a substrate; a grounding unit, installed on the substrate and scooped with a first slot and a first strip hole; a signal feeding unit, installed on the substrate and including a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, in which the horizontal portion is located in the first slot and the vertical portion is located in the first strip hole; a first complementary, separate, circular resonator; and a second complementary, separate, circular resonator, wherein the first complementary, separate, circular resonator and the second complementary, separate, circular resonator are installed in the horizontal portion of the signal feeding unit and are connected with each other. |
| US08049671B2 |
Antenna configurations for compact device wireless communication
A diversity antenna for use with a portable host device such as a laptop computer, for example as part of a PCMCIA card pluggable into the laptop computer to enable wireless computer by the laptop computer, includes a main antenna and a diversity antenna. Various configurations for these antennas are possible, including the use of a balanced dipole as the main antenna element and a split diversity antenna for the diversity antenna element. The diversity antenna provides high isolation between the antenna elements and isolation from interfering self-noise generated by the host device. |
| US08049665B1 |
System and method for selecting a local C/A code for GPS signal processing
A method for selecting a local C/A code for GPS signal processing includes performing an autocorrelation of a received GPS C/A code with a plurality of versions of a local coarse acquisition (C/A) code. In such an autocorrelation, each local C/A code version is autocorrelated with the received GPS C/A code over a plurality of autocorrelation periods, and an autocorrelation result is generated for each autocorrelation period. A maximum autocorrelation result and a minimum autocorrelation result are determined from among the autocorrelation results of each C/A code version. Next, one of the local C/A code versions is selected based upon that version's maximum autocorrelation result and the minimum autocorrelation result. |
| US08049664B2 |
Multi-band, multi-channel, location-aware communications booster
The invention is a device for multiband, multi-channel, wireless communications that automatically provides signal amplification when necessary, and that automatically avoids harmful interference to base stations and other parts of the communications infrastructure. The device is especially suitable for, but not limited to, cellular and PCS bands and channels. The invention is a unique combination of a bidirectional amplifier, a GPS receiver, a processor, and a removable, updatable memory. The memory stores comprehensive information that determines if amplification is necessary at a particular location sensed by the GPS receiver. Because the memory is removable and updatable, it therefore provides protection against piracy and unauthorized and improper use. |
| US08049662B2 |
Systems and methods for antenna calibration
A method according to an aspect of the present invention includes determining a phase offset by simultaneously providing a calibration signal to a first element of an antenna and a second element of the antenna opposite the first element. The method further includes receiving an intermix signal by a third element of the antenna, measuring an amplitude characteristic for the intermix signal, and determining a phase offset based on the amplitude characteristic. The phase offset can be used to adjust a signal provided to the first element so that signals transmitted from the first element and second element are in phase with each other. This method can account for phase errors due to the construction or design of the antenna, and allows antenna elements to be calibrated without the need for phase detector devices. |
| US08049661B1 |
Antenna array with robust failed-element processor
An array antenna has elements spaced less than one-half wavelength in order to produce a spatial pattern which has both visible and invisible regions. The elements in their nominal state are weighted so as to define particular sidelobe levels. In the presence of failed elements which might otherwise degrade the sidelobe levels, the element weighting function is compensated so as to preserve the sidelobe levels within the visible region of the antenna pattern by placing most or all of the degradation of the sidelobe levels into the invisible region of the antenna pattern. |
| US08049659B1 |
Firearm threat detection, classification, and location using wideband radar
An aimed or aiming firearm can be detected before it is able to shoot. Wideband radar signals can be used to identify the barrel of a firearm when the radar antenna and barrel are aiming at or near each other. Signal processing correlates reflected signals to the characteristics of specific firearms of interest, and alerts the user when someone is pointing such a firearm at them. Modern wideband radar systems with fast signal processing speed can enable real-time detection of firearm threats in crowded and cluttered areas before they shoot, which has never before been possible. Related systems, apparatus, methods, and articles are also described. |
| US08049657B2 |
Method for processing TOPS (terrain observation by progressive scan)-SAR (synthetic aperture radar)-raw data
Sub-aperture processing is carried out. Within each sub-aperture, range compression and a correction for the target range variation are carried out. Baseband azimuth scaling is used for processing the azimuth signal, wherein a long azimuth reference function and thus a wide azimuth dimension are prevented. The scaling range is not constant and depends on the range, which is not equal to the original range vector. It is calculated such that, in combination with a subsequent derotation step, constant azimuth scanning is achieved for all ranges. The selected derotation function, which is applied in the azimuth time domain, makes it possible for all the targets to be in base band, in this way varying the effective chirp rate. Since the phase is purely quadratic because of the azimuth scaling step, it is thus possible to use an optimal filter which takes account of the effective chirp rate. IFFT results in a focused image, and a final phase function in the time domain allows phase maintenance. Application for SAR, SONAR and seismic raw data processing in the TOPS mode, as well as other modes which make use of the antenna polar diagram being scanned in the azimuth and/or elevation direction. |
| US08049654B2 |
Digital trimming of SAR ADCs
Successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) generally employ capacitive digital-to-analog converters (CDACs) to perform data conversions. In these CDACs, matching of capacitive values is important, and for conventional high resolution SAR ADCs, complex trimming or calibration procedures can be too costly. Here, however, a SAR ADC is provided that performs error correction so as to reduce the overall cost compared to conventional SAR ADCs. |
| US08049653B2 |
Amplifier and analog/digital converter
An amplifier that is operated between first and second power supplies includes a transistor pair having control terminals to which input signals are input, a load resistor pair that is provided between each transistor of the transistor pair and the first power supply, a constant current source that is provided between the second power supply and the transistor pair, and a first switch that is connected with the constant current source in series between the second power supply and the transistor pair, the first switch being turned on or off in accordance with a clock signal. |
| US08049648B2 |
Systems and methods for constructing high-rate constrained codes
A high-rate constrained code is provided to encode/decode channel data. A transformer translates binary channel data into an arbitrary alphabet size. The transformer selects an indicator word and makes forbidden prefix substitutions in the data to be transformed. A finite-state encoder imposes some user-defined constraint on the transformed data before the data is transferred to the channel. The high-rate constrained coding technique may be used to produce high-rate DC-limited and run-length-limited codes. The high-rate code can be used in tandem with error-correcting codes. |
| US08049642B2 |
Load side voltage sensing for AMI metrology
Disclosed are apparatus and methodology subject matters for providing improved functionality of a meter in a 2-way communications arrangement, such as an Advanced Metering System (AMS) or Infrastructure (AMI). More particularly, the present technology relates to methodologies and apparatus for providing load side voltage sensing for utility meters which preferably are operable with remote disconnect features in an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) open operational framework. The present subject matter provides enhanced capabilities resulting in improved functionality, increased safety, and greater economy vis-à-vis fraud detection for individual metrology components in an open operational framework. Meters per the present subject matter utilize a detection circuit, which is situated generally downstream of a remote disconnect functionality. Such detection circuit is able to sense whether voltage exists or doesn't exist at such relatively downstream, or load side location. Providing such functionality allows for: (a) verification that a remote disconnect switch did open subsequent to an instruction or command to do so, (b) identification of possible user fraud, as would possibly be reflected by the presence of voltage at a time when the remote disconnect switch is open, (c) verification that the remote disconnect switch did re-close after having been given an instruction or command to close, and (d) verification of lack of voltage present before re-closing such remote disconnect switch, which serves an important safety feature. |
| US08049632B2 |
Switchable strobe lens
An alarm system notification device that comprises a single strobe, an input selector, and a controller is disclosed. The single strobe may be configured to operate at a first wavelength band in a first configuration and at a second wavelength band in a second configuration, the first wavelength band being different from the second wavelength band. The configuration of the single strobe (either in the first or second configuration) is determined based on a command that is input by the input selector. In response to receiving the command, the controller may control the single strobe so that the single strobe is configured to operate at one of the first wavelength band in the first configuration or the second wavelength band in the second configuration as indicated in the command. |
| US08049631B1 |
System and method for deterring impaired vehicle operation
A system of determining an impairment level of a vehicle operator and preventing operation of the vehicle in an impaired state and method of using the same that comprises a key portion to initiate the starting of the vehicle, an electrical source to power the system, a random pattern generator, a display, a user input to allow the user to attempt to replicate the generated random pattern, a processor that compares data from the user input to the generated random pattern to determine if the input sufficiently matches the generated random pattern, and an access preventing feature disabling the key portion from starting the vehicle unless the processor determines the user input sufficiently matches the generated random pattern. |
| US08049629B2 |
Multi-use linkage device
A linkage device that can be connected with other linkage devices and to itself, the linkage device comprising a strip having a first end and a second end, a closure hub attached to the first end of the strip and having an opening to receive a second end and a locking mechanism within the closure hub, a connecting surface protruding from the strip operable to secure the second end within a closure device, and a tampering detection device connected to the linkage device. |
| US08049628B2 |
Container-insertable anti-theft device
A container-insertable anti-theft device includes: a main housing containing an electronic article surveillance marker, the main housing being waterproof; and at least one elongated protrusion extending from the main housing, the elongated protrusion being flexible and having a length equal to at least the longest dimension of the main housing. There is also an anti-theft system that includes: (a) a container for strong flowable material having a hollow main body, a pour orifice and a closure for the pour orifice, the container having a maximum internal diagonal dimension x; and (b) a container-insertable anti-theft device that includes: a main housing containing an electronic article surveillance marker, the main housing being waterproof and having a predetermined length y; and, at least one elongated protrusion, the elongated protrusion being flexible and having a length, wherein the sum of the lengths y and y are greater than x, such that the container-insertable anti-theft device may be flexed and force-fitted into a maximum internal diagonal of the container, locking it therein so as to deter easy removal therefrom. |
| US08049627B1 |
Container with removable data storage mechanism
A container may be formed with a pocket to securely receive a tag, such as a radio-frequency identification tag. The tag is secured within the pocket such that it remains within the pocket during ordinary use and handling of the container, but it is substantially completely removable from the pocket without tools or solvents. |
| US08049621B1 |
Method and apparatus for remote merchandise planogram auditing and reporting
A system for remotely reading embedded RFID tags may generally facilitate the retail facility planogram auditing process. A set of RFID tags embedded with products displayed for sale at a retail facility may be provided and configured to store associated product information. An array configured to read the stored associated product data and triangulate the positions of the embedded tags may be located within range of the retail facility. The collected product data and triangulated positions may then be used by the system to audit the retail facility's compliance with a predetermined planogram. The audit results may be thereafter stored in a computer medium, aggregated in accordance with a predetermined format, communicated to personnel, and provided in a reviewable format via a user interface. |
| US08049619B2 |
Monitoring system and device
A monitoring system, for monitoring an object, which includes a microprocessor comprising a memory to store data, and a control program executed by said microprocessor, said microprocessor having a stand-by mode and an active mode, a communications means connected to said microprocessor for transmitting data from said microprocessor to a monitoring station, a zone monitoring device on the object connected to said microprocessor in a loop with said microprocessor in said stand-by mode, a power source for supplying power to said microprocessor, communications means and zone monitoring device, wherein upon said microprocessor receiving an input signal from said zone monitoring device, said control program directs said microprocessor to switch to active mode, generate and store in said memory an alarm message corresponding to said input signal from said zone monitoring device, activate said communications means, and transmit said alarm message to a monitoring station. |
| US08049615B2 |
Mobile surveillance
In some embodiments, a technique for logging an item encountered by a mobile device comprises automatically detecting an item in an uncontrolled environment, extracting an identity associated with the item, logging an encounter, wherein the encounter includes the identity, and deleting the encounter after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, wherein the encounter is not marked as relevant. |
| US08049611B2 |
Location mechanism for mobile device
A location mechanism for a mobile device, in which an electronic communication including a code is received at the mobile device and the code is parsed from within the received electronic communication. The code parsed from within the electronic communication is used to determine whether to classify the received electronic communication as a coded electronic communication, and the received electronic communication is classified as a coded electronic communication based on results of the determination. In response to classification of the electronic communication as a coded electronic communication, a process is initiated that facilitates location of the mobile device. For instance, volume control settings at the mobile device may be overridden and an audible alert at the device may be invoked, and/or a response electronic communication that includes location information indicative of a current location of the communication device may be generated and sent. |
| US08049608B2 |
System and method for calculating electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake cylinder piston travel
A system for determining a distance of travel of a brake cylinder piston includes a brake cylinder having the brake cylinder piston, a pressure transducer operationally coupled to the brake cylinder and configured to determine a pressure measurement within the brake cylinder, and a control module of an electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake control system. The control module is operationally coupled to the pressure transducer and configured to convert the pressure measurement within the brake cylinder determined by the pressure transducer into at least one of a displacement time of the brake cylinder piston, an equalization pressure within the brake cylinder, a pressure build-up time within the brake cylinder, a pressure leakage from the brake cylinder, or any combination thereof. The control module determines the distance of travel of the brake cylinder piston based on at least one of the displacement time of the brake cylinder piston, the equalization pressure within the brake cylinder, the pressure build-up time within the brake cylinder, the pressure leakage from the brake cylinder, or any combination thereof. |
| US08049607B2 |
Oil level detecting device
To determine a failure of a float switch for detecting whether or not the oil level is less than or equal to a predetermined oil level. A predetermined oil level OLth is set between a normal oil level and a minimum oil level in view of the fact that when the oil level in an oil pan is normal, the oil level is decreased from the normal oil level to the minimum oil level during a predetermined time period just after starting an engine. When a float switch is not changed from an OFF position to an ON position during the predetermined time period after starting the engine, it is determined that the float switch suffers a failure or the oil level is excessive. |
| US08049603B2 |
On-vehicle display device
An on-vehicle display device mounted on a ceiling including an open and close mechanism, which secures the rearward visibility during the backward driving of the vehicle and also enables the user to continue to enjoy display images. The on-vehicle display device includes a control means which controls the display 1, when the display 1 is open at a best view-angle position, to move in even more widely open direction to a predetermined angle (an displacement-angle position 1b), upon detection of entering a backward driving state of the vehicle. The display 1 is controlled to return to the best view-angle position when the backward driving state of the vehicle is terminated. |
| US08049600B2 |
Method and system for controlling radio controlled devices
The present invention is a method and system for controlling a RC device via a secure radio link. In one embodiment of the invention, spread spectrum modulation may be employed which may provide a digital radio frequency (RF) link between a controller and a RC device. A controller may be coupled with a transmitter module and a radio controlled device may be coupled with a receiver module in accordance with the present invention to provide an add-on upgrade capability. The method and system for controlling a RC device may also include error detection and correction, interpolation of lost packets, failsafe technology and force-feedback telemetric technology to further enhance the user experience with radio controlled devices. |
| US08049592B2 |
Network-based lighting equipment remote monitoring and management system
A network-based lighting equipment remote monitoring and management system is proposed, which is designed for use with a network system to allow the user to carry out monitoring and management tasks on one or more remotely-located lighting equipment systems in a real-time manner via the network system. The proposed system is characterized by the provision of a user-operated network-based real-time monitoring and management function for remotely-located lighting equipment, the capability to provide efficient and cost-effective management in the utilization of lighting equipment for saving energy and cost, and the capability to provide real-time warning of abnormal operating conditions of the lighting equipment. |
| US08049590B2 |
Inverter transformer
An embodiment provides an inverter transformer comprising: a first bobbin around which a first coil is wound, the first bobbin comprising a first through hole; a second bobbin around which a second coil is wound, the second bobbin comprising a second through hole; a spacer between the first and the second bobbins; and a core inserted into the first and the second through holes. |
| US08049589B2 |
Balun circuit manufactured by integrate passive device process
A Balun circuit manufactured by integrate passive device (IPD) process is provided. The Balun circuit includes a substrate, a first coplanar spiral structure, and a second coplanar spiral structure. At least two first left half coils of the first coplanar spiral structure are electrically connected to the corresponding two first right half coils through a first intersecting structure. At least two second left half coils of the second coplanar spiral structure are electrically connected to the corresponding two second right half coils through a second intersecting structure. The two ends of the second coplanar spiral structure are electrically connected to the innermost second left half coil and the second right half coil respectively. The first left half coils and the second left half coils are interlaced, and so are the first right half coils and the second right half coils interlaced. |
| US08049587B2 |
Cooling system for a dry-type air-core reactor
An air-core reactor with natural-air cooling of a winding includes first open spaces to let air flow through the winding in parallel with an axis of symmetry of the reactor and second open spaces crossing the first open spaces to let air flow through the winding angular to the axis of symmetry. A ventilation unit to produce a forced-air flow is arranged in such a way to the air-core reactor that a first part of the forced-air flow enters one of the first or second open spaces and at least one guiding element is arranged with respect to the crossing of the first and the second open spaces in such a way that the first part of the forced-air flow leaves and a second part of the forced-air flow enters the one of the first or second open spaces. A shielding element is arranged at another crossing of the first and the second open spaces so that substantially no air can leave or enter the one of the first or second open spaces. |
| US08049585B2 |
Vehicle power system and electrical contactor for use with same
A vehicle power system includes an electrical power source, an electrical bus, and a contactor electrically connected with the electrical power source and electrical bus. The contactor includes first and second poles, dual plungers each operatively associated with one of the first and second poles, and an electromagnetic coil configured to cause at least one of the dual plungers to move if the coil is energized. |
| US08049582B2 |
Transversal filter
The filter includes at least one acoustic track formed on a piezoelectric substrate. At least one SAW input transducer and at least one SAW output transducer are arranged in each track. Each track has a RSPUDT structure and thus a distributed excitation. The excitation function includes sources arranged in a main lobe and a tail function including at least one tail lobe. A fine and precise approximation to the desired continuous excitation function is obtained by decreasing the excitation strength in the tail function by a factor of at least 2. |
| US08049581B2 |
Piezoelectric filter and method for manufacturing the same
A piezoelectric filter of the present invention is provided with first and second piezoelectric vibrators, each having a substrate, a lower load film formed on the substrate, a lower electrode formed on the lower load film, a piezoelectric element formed on the lower electrode, an upper electrode formed on the piezoelectric element and an upper load film formed on the upper electrode, and the piezoelectric filter is configured by electrically connecting the first and second piezoelectric vibrators to each other, and the piezoelectric element of the first piezoelectric vibrator and the piezoelectric element of the second piezoelectric vibrator correspond to respectively different areas of the same piezoelectric element; thus, the resonance frequencies of the first and second piezoelectric vibrators are adjusted by the respective lower load films and upper load films of the first piezoelectric vibrator and the second piezoelectric vibrator so that the resonance frequencies of the first and second piezoelectric vibrators are made different from each other. |
| US08049577B2 |
Elastic wave device, duplexer using the same, and communication apparatus using the duplexer
An elastic wave device includes resonators having a piezoelectric substrate, a resonation unit formed on the piezoelectric substrate, and reflectors formed on respective sides of the resonation unit on the piezoelectric substrate, and bumps formed on the piezoelectric substrate. The resonators are configured such that two or more split resonators are connected in parallel, and a bump is formed in a region sandwiched between reflectors of the split resonators. |
| US08049573B2 |
Bidirectional multiplexed RF isolator
An isolator provides bidirectional data transfer for a plurality of communications channels. First and second dies are located on first and second sides of a voltage isolation barrier and have a first and second plurality of digital data input/output pins associated therewith. First circuitry on the first die and third circuitry on the second die serializes a plurality of parallel digital data inputs from the digital data input/output pins onto one link across the barrier and transmits synchronization clock signals associated with the digital data inputs over a link across the barrier. Second circuitry on the second die and fourth circuitry on the first die de-serializes the digital data inputs from the first link onto the second digital data input/output pins and receives the first synchronization clock signal associated with the digital data inputs on the second link. |
| US08049571B2 |
Frequency-jittering apparatuses, frequency-jittering methods and power management devices
A frequency-jittering apparatuses includes an oscillator and a frequency control circuit. The oscillator generates a signal. When the magnitude of the signal exceeds a magnitude of a reference signal, the oscillator operates substantially in a first state; and when the magnitude of the signal is lower than the magnitude of the reference signal, the oscillator operates substantially in a second state different from the first one. The frequency control circuit varies the reference signal to change the frequency of the signal output from the oscillator. |
| US08049570B1 |
Coupled bi-stable microcircuit system for ultra-sensitive electrical and magnetic field sensing
An electrical/magnetic current sensing system includes a first collection mechanism configured to convert an electric field into surface charge, a second collection mechanism comprising a magnetic reactive material, and a sensor coupled to the first and second collection mechanisms. The sensor comprises an odd number, greater than or equal to three, of unidirectionally-coupled non-linear over-damped bi-stable elements. Each element comprises a resistive load, an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) with a bipolar junction transistor differential pair, a cross-coupled OTA, and a non-linear OTA. Each element may comprise fully differential inputs and outputs. The sensor may be contained in a microchip or on a printed circuit board. A resident time difference readout device may be connected to the sensor, and may be configured to perform a power spectral density calculation. The sensor may include a resistance to voltage circuit connected between the second collection mechanism and the elements. |
| US08049566B1 |
Feedback LNA with resistor
A receiver includes a feedback low noise amplifier (LNA). The feedback LNA has an LNA gain and includes an LNA input configured to receive a signal from an antenna and an LNA output configured to output an amplified voltage signal. The receiver also includes a resistive element, having a resistance, coupled to the LNA output and configured to convert the amplified voltage signal into a current. The receiver also includes a current commuting mixer coupled to the resistive element and configured to receive the current from the resistive element, where the current output by the resistive element is determined at least in part by the amplified voltage signal and the resistance of the resistive element. |
| US08049563B2 |
Distributed circular geometry power amplifier architecture
The present invention discloses a distributed power amplifier topology and device that efficiently and economically enhances the power output of an RF signal to be amplified. The power amplifier comprises a plurality of push-pull amplifiers interconnected in a novel circular geometry that preferably function as a first winding of an active transformer having signal inputs of adjacent amplification devices driven with an input signal of equal magnitude and opposite phase. The topology also discloses the use of a secondary winding that matches the geometry of primary winding and variations thereof that serve to efficiently combine the power of the individual power amplifiers. The novel architecture enables the design of low-cost, fully-integrated, high-power amplifiers in the RF, microwave, and millimeter-wave frequencies. |
| US08049562B2 |
Amplifier with improved input resistance and controlled common mode
An amplifier includes a first pair of transistors (the first pair) that defines a first output, each transistor of the first pair having a gate coupled to a first input terminal; a second pair of transistors (the second pair) that defines a second output, each transistor of the second pair having a gate coupled to a second input terminal; a first capacitor coupled to the second output terminal and to the gate of a first transistor of the first pair; a second capacitor coupled to the second output terminal and to the gate of a second transistor of the first pair; a third capacitor coupled to the first output terminal and to the gate of a third transistor of the second pair; and a fourth capacitor coupled to the first output terminal and to the gate of a fourth transistor of the second pair. |
| US08049559B2 |
Semiconductor device, radio frequency circuit, and radio frequency power amplifier
A semiconductor device and a radio frequency circuit which are appropriate for multiband, multimode performance can be realized as a semiconductor device including a field-effect transistor formed on a semiconductor substrate, and include: ohmic electrodes serving as source and drain electrodes of the field-effect transistor, first and second Schottky electrodes provided between the ohmic electrodes and serving as gate electrodes of the field-effect transistor, and a third Schottky electrode provided and grounded between the first and second Schottky electrodes. |
| US08049555B2 |
Low leakage sampling switch
An electronic device includes a cascade of a plurality of transistors. Each transistor of the cascade receives an input voltage at a first terminal of its source/drain channel and receives a sampling clock signal at a control gate. The second terminal of the source/drain path of a first transistor drives a sampling capacitor. The second terminal of the source/drain channel of each subsequent transistor is connected to a backgate of a previous transistor. The backgate of the last transistor is connected to a supply voltage level. The second terminals of the subsequent transistors may be connected to corresponding buffer capacitors. The backgate of the last transistor may be supplied with the input during sampling and the supply voltage level at other times. |
| US08049554B2 |
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit includes a first internal voltage generating unit configured to receive an external power and to generate a first internal voltage, and a second internal voltage generating unit configured to receive the first internal voltage, and to generate a second internal voltage having an absolute value of a target voltage level that is less than an absolute value of the first internal voltage, wherein the second internal voltage generating unit is initially enabled at a later time than the first internal voltage generating unit is initially enabled. |
| US08049548B2 |
Digital synchronous circuit
A digital synchronous circuit includes a clock generator for generating a reference clock signal, a plurality of delays for delaying the reference clock signal by predetermined different times, a transition varying buffer for controlling input transitions of the clock signals received from the plurality of the delays, a transition controller for controlling operation of the transition varying buffer, and a plurality of registers driven by the clock signals from the plurality of delays. |
| US08049545B2 |
Delay-locked loop circuit controlled by column strobe write latency
The DLL circuit includes a control circuit which controls bias currents of the unit delay circuits according to an externally input column address strobe writing latency (CWL) signal, and/or a DCC control circuit which adjusts steps of a DCC current of the DCC according to the externally input column address strobe writing latency (CWL) signal. The CWL signal may be input by a semiconductor memory device and may be indicative of a column address strobe writing latency of the semiconductor memory device. The semiconductor memory device may be a double data rate (DDR) synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) device. |
| US08049541B2 |
Charge pump for PLL/DLL
A charge pump for use in a Phase Locked Loop/Delay Locked Loop minimizes static phase error through the use of an operational amplifier. The operational amplifier also mitigates the effects of low power supply voltage. |
| US08049537B2 |
Method and apparatus for reducing transmitter AC-coupling droop
As part of a transmitter and receiver system a droop compensator is provided between the channel isolation device and the driver system to compensate for reduced transition densities. The droop compensator is configured to improve power transfer to the channel in response to reductions in transition density without affecting power transfer during periods of high transition density. The droop compensator creates an impedance mismatch between the matching circuit and driver in relation to the line impedance. The droop compensator may comprise passive elements, such as capacitors, inductors, or resistor, or active elements including transistors or power control modules. The droop compensator may be configured to operate with transformer line couplers or capacitor line couplers, and either current drivers or voltage drivers. |
| US08049536B2 |
Half-power buffer amplifier
A half-power buffer amplifier includes a buffer stage having a first-half buffer stage and a second-half buffer stage. An output of the first-half buffer stage is controllably fed back to a rail-to-rail differential amplifier, and an output of the second-half buffer stage is controllably fed back to the rail-to-rail differential amplifier. A switch network controls the connection between the outputs of the buffer stage and an output node of the half-power buffer amplifier in a manner such that a same pixel, with respect to different frames, of a display panel is driven by the same rail-to-rail differential amplifier. |
| US08049535B2 |
Sense amplifier for low voltage high speed sensing
A memory system includes a sense amplifier for detecting content of data memory cells by comparison with a voltage stored in a reference cell. The sense amplifier may comprise a comparator, first and second load circuits, and a low impedance circuit. A first input of the comparator is coupled to the low impedance circuit and a reference voltage node. A second input of the comparator is coupled to a data voltage node. The first load circuit loads a reference cell coupled to the reference voltage node. The second load circuit loads a data cell coupled to the data voltage node. |
| US08049533B1 |
Receiver and method for dynamically adjusting sensitivity of receiver
A receiver and a method for dynamically adjusting sensitivity of the receiver are provided. The receiver includes a detection unit and a receiving unit. The detection unit detects an input signal group, and outputs a detection result. The receiving unit receives the input signal group according to a sensitivity. Wherein, the receiving unit dynamically adjusts the sensitivity used for receiving the input signal group according to the detection result of the detection unit. |
| US08049529B2 |
Fault triggerred automatic redundancy scrubber
A redundancy scrubber. The novel scrubber includes fault detection logic for detecting if a circuit has been upset and a mechanism for automatically rewriting data to the circuit when an upset is detected. In an illustrative embodiment, the scrubber corrects for upsets in a circuit comprised of a plurality of redundant circuits, each redundant circuit including a data port for receiving data and a load enable port for controlling when the redundant circuit should load new data. The fault detection logic processes the outputs from each of the redundant circuits and outputs a fault detect signal indicating whether an upset has been detected in one or more of the redundant circuits. The fault detect signal is coupled to the load enable ports, forcing the redundant circuits to immediately reload with corrected data from a voter or with new incoming data when an upset is detected. |
| US08049528B2 |
Operation of an electrical drive system
An electrical drive system includes an electrical machine controlled by an electronic controller, which requires feedback of signals representing quantities associated with the operation of the electrical machine. These signals may represent, for example, flux, current and/or rotor position. The integrity of these signals is validated by setting suitable thresholds for the signals and confirming that both are present at the appropriate time. |
| US08049526B2 |
Enhanced speed sorting of microprocessors at wafer test
A method and apparatus are provided for implementing optimized speed sorting of microprocessors at wafer test. A combination of speed-predicting metrics are measured early in the manufacturing process and are applied to a unique algorithm to properly sort parts into appropriate speed bins. The method significantly improves the accuracy of predicting the chip speed over conventional speed-predicting methods. |
| US08049523B2 |
Current sensing on a MOSFET
A device having a switch with a voltage applied across the switch. A current sensing circuit is connected to one terminal of the switch. The current sensing circuit receives power independently of the voltage applied across the switch. The power supply shares the other terminal of the switch with the current sensing circuit. The switch is adapted for opening and closing. When the switch closes, the current sensing circuit senses current through the switch and upon opening the switch the high voltage of the switch is blocked from the current sensing circuit. The sense current is caused to flow from the current sensing circuit to the other terminal when the switch is closed. The flow of the sense current produces a voltage which is compared differentially to another voltage referenced by the other terminal. |
| US08049521B2 |
Solar parametric testing module and processes
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a module that can test and analyze various regions of a solar cell device in an automated or manual fashion after one or more steps have been completed in the solar cell formation process. The module used to perform the automated testing and analysis processes can also be adapted to test a partially formed solar cell at various stages of the solar cell formation process within an automated solar cell production line. The automated solar cell production line is generally an arrangement of automated processing modules and automation equipment that is used to form solar cell devices. |
| US08049520B2 |
System for capacitive detection of a seat occupancy
A system for capacitive detection of seat occupancy in a vehicle comprises a sensing electrode and a shielding electrode arranged in substantially parallel layers. A spacer is arranged between the sensing electrode and the shielding electrode to keep the sensing electrode and the shielding electrode at a certain distance from each other. The spacer comprises an inner textile layer and at least one of the electrodes comprises a film-based electrode. |
| US08049518B2 |
Capacitive sensor system
The present invention relates to a capacitive sensor system provided for a moving object 21.The system comprises an antenna device with a first 26 and a second portion 39 which are movable in relation to each other, the two portions 26,39 being connected in parallel for capacitive influence from the surroundings. The first portion 26 constitutes in an electrical conductive part of said moving object 21 and the second section 39 constitutes in an electrical conductive device arranged at a rest position for the moving object 21. |
| US08049517B2 |
Sensor and method for detecting a substance
A sensor for detecting a substance in a physical space, having an RF energy emitter fed by a signal source on one side of the space and an RF energy receiving element coupled to a detector at an opposite side of the channel, spaced apart by a distance (r) selected so that when the signal wavelength (λ) changes based on the value of the dielectric constant (∈) of the particular substance in the physical space between the emitter and receiver, the mode of field type within the sensor channel changes between near field and intermediate or far field mode. |
| US08049513B2 |
Method for the adjustment of a device under test
A method for adjusting an output signal produced by a device under test from an input variable by: a) positioning the device under test at a first test device with a physical disturbance variable and a known input variable value, b) acquiring at least one measured value for the output signal, c) changing the adjustment state, d) acquiring a further measured value for the output signal, e) positioning the device under test at a further test device having a further disturbance variable value and the input variable value, f) acquiring a further measured value for the output signal, g) changing the adjustment state, h) acquiring a further measured value for the output signal, i) comparing the measured values acquired at the test devices for each adjustment state and determining a first adjustment state in which the correlation between the measured values is larger than in a second adjustment state. |
| US08049505B2 |
MRI system with direct digital receiver using resampling
The present invention relates to magnetic resonance imaging system and to a direct digital receiver (18) for an RF coil (D1, D2), in particular of a magnetic resonance imaging system. To obtain that the sampling frequency of an analog-to-digital converter (33) of the digital receiver can be chosen independently of the digital operating frequency at which the subsequent digital down converter (38), which particularly includes a demodulator (34), operates, a resampling unit (37) is introduced which is coupled between said analog-to-digital converter and said digital down converter for resampling a first digital sample signal at said sampling frequency to a second digital sample signal at said digital operating frequency. |
| US08049504B2 |
Simple decoupling of a multi-element RF coil, enabling also detuning and matching functionality
A coil (36) includes coil elements (381, 382, . . . , 38n). The coil (36) can transmit radio frequency excitation pulses into an examination region (14) and/or receive responsive radio frequency pulses from the examination region (14). A compensation network (42) includes decoupling segments (98), which each has a selected electrical length at least of a quarter wavelength (λ/4) and is electrically coupled to an associated coil element (381, 382, . . . , 38n) and a reactive network (100). The compensation network (42) at least compensates coupling between the coil elements (381, 382, . . . , 38n). |
| US08049503B2 |
Position detecting system and position detecting method
A system includes a body-insertable apparatus disposed while introduced in a subject in a detection space, and an external apparatus disposed on the outside of the subject. The body-insertable apparatus includes a first switch for connecting/interrupting a resonance circuit and an oscillation circuit or a ground line. The external apparatus includes a drive coil driving unit for outputting a drive signal having the resonance frequency; a drive coil for generating the drive magnetic field in the detection space in accordance with the drive signal; and a second switch for connecting/interrupting the drive coil driving unit and the drive coil. The second switch connects the drive coil driving unit and the drive coil when the first switch is off, and disconnects them when the first switch is on. The resonance circuit generates the resonance magnetic field in accordance with the induction signal or the drive magnetic field. |
| US08049501B2 |
Multi-frequency RF coil
A multi-frequency imaging radio frequency (RF) coil operational at three or more different frequencies, with a shifting frequency loop structure proximate the coil and switchably coupled to provide different frequencies when the loop structure is coupled to the coil. In one embodiment one of the frequencies is a proton frequency, one is a sodium frequency, and one of the frequencies is a carbon frequency. One example involves imaging examinations using hyperpolarized compounds. |
| US08049496B2 |
Wideband magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and method
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method is provided, including the steps of generating a wideband RF signal that has a plurality of frequency bands respectively corresponding to a plurality of different kinds of nuclei, to simultaneously excite the different kinds of nuclei, detecting a wideband responsive RF signal that has a plurality of frequency bands respectively emitted by the different kinds of nuclei, and reconstructing magnetic resonance images for the different kinds of nuclei based on the wideband responsive RF signal. An MRI apparatus employing the MRI method is also provided. |
| US08049495B2 |
Probe for a magnetic remanence measurement method, and method for detecting deposits of foreign material and inclusions in hollow spaces
A probe for a magnetic remanence measurement method, in particular for detecting foreign material deposits and inclusions in hollow spaces, the hollow spaces being formed in a non-ferromagnetic material and the foreign material deposits and inclusions being made of a ferromagnetic material, wherein the probe includes at least one magnetic field sensor, at least one first and one second magnet, the magnets being configured before the at least one magnetic field sensor in a direction of introduction into the hollow space, and being situated relative to one another in such a way that their pole axes run non-parallel to one another. |
| US08049494B2 |
Flexible array probe for the inspection of a contoured surface with varying cross-sectional geometry
A flexible array probe is disclosed suitable for use in the non-destructive testing and inspection of test pieces with varying cross-sectional geometries. Array elements—such as, but not limited to, eddy current sensors, piezoelectric sensor elements, and magnetic flux leakage sensors—are mounted on thin alignment fins and coupled together with pairs of pivot mechanisms along the axis of desired rotation. The pivot mechanisms allow rotation in exactly one dimension and force the flexible array probe to align its elements orthogonally to the surface of the structure under test. Alignment and coupling fixtures are also disclosed. |
| US08049491B2 |
Position detecting device, and seat position detecting device of vehicle
In a position detecting device including a movable member provided in a displaceable manner on a base member, and a proximity sensor which detects the position of the movable member, the proximity sensor includes a magnetic field generating portion, a detecting portion which detects a change in magnetic field according to the displacement of the movable member, and a protruding portion made of a nonmagnetic material, which protrudes toward an object to be detected. A seat position detecting device of a vehicle including the configuration of the position detecting device mentioned above is provided. The base member is comprised of a lower rail which is fixedly installed on a floor of a vehicle body, and the movable member is comprised of an upper rail which is attached to a seat for a vehicle and slidably engaged with the lower rail and which is allowed to be fixed in arbitrary sliding positions on the lower rail. |
| US08049487B2 |
Power measurement circuit
A power measurement circuit and method are described. The circuit comprises: a transconductance rectifier arrangement including an input and configured to receive a periodically varying input voltage signal having an approximate 50% duty cycle; and an averaging filter for producing a time averaged DC output signal proportional to the mean square of the voltage at the input of the transconductance rectifier arrangement and representative of the average power of the input voltage signal within a range of voltages at the input. |
| US08049486B1 |
Coupled electric field sensors for DC target electric field detection
In various embodiments, an apparatus for detecting electric fields is disclosed that includes an array of non-linear elements configured into an oscillator with each coupled to one or more electric-field sensing plates. In various embodiments, an output of the array produces a frequency that varies as a function of an electric field sensed by the one or more electric-field sensing plates. |
| US08049477B2 |
Apparatus and method for bias modulator using zero current switching
An apparatus and a method for a bias modulator using a Zero Current Switching (ZCS) are provided. The bias modulator includes a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal generator for converting an input envelope signal to a PWM signal; a PWM/ZCS converter for calculating the number of ZCS control signals to be provided within an on-time duration of the PWM signal and generating at least one ZCS control signal according to the number of the ZCS control signals; and a ZCS switching regulator for generating a bias current according to the ZCS control signal. |
| US08049474B2 |
Switching converter with plural converter stages having calibrated current uptake
A switching converter according includes a control arrangement to furnish a control signal dependent on the output voltage, as well as a first and at least one second converter stage. Each converter includes an inductive storage element, a ramp signal generator to furnish a signal having a ramp slope, a pulse width modulator which receives the control signal and the ramplike signal and which furnishes a pulse width modulated signal, and a driver circuit which receives the pulse width modulated signal and the input voltage and which applies the input voltage to the inductive storage element depending on the pulse width modulated signal. The ramp slope of the ramplike signal of the at least one second converter stage is adjustable. The ramp signal generator of the second converter stage receives a calibration signal which depends on the inductance of the inductive storage element of the first converter stage. |
| US08049465B2 |
Systems, methods and circuits for determining micro-short
Various systems and methods for determining micro-shorts are disclosed. For example, some embodiments of the present invention provide battery systems including a determination of potential micro-shorts based on rate of change of state of charge. Such battery systems include: a battery, a processor, and a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium includes instructions executable by the processor to: determine a rate of change of the state of charge of the battery; compare the rate of change of the state of charge of the battery against a threshold; and indicate a potential failure where the result of the comparison is beyond the threshold. |
| US08049464B2 |
Rechargeable battery and method for its operation
An apparatus and a method are disclosed relating to a rechargeable battery for operation with an external voltage which is applied at least at times to the output of the rechargeable battery and is below the output voltage of the rechargeable battery when in its fully charged state, which has at least one chargeable electrochemical cell, an electrical connection to the output of the rechargeable-battery for inputting and/or outputting electrical energy, a housing which surrounds the at least one chargeable electrochemical cell, and a control circuit for controlling the charging process of the rechargeable battery and/or the production of the rechargeable-battery voltage at the output of the rechargeable battery. The disclosed battery offers better characteristics, in particular for mobile electrical appliances, and is useable in appliances that are designed for use with rechargeable batteries of a different type, in particular with cells with a different cell voltage. |
| US08049462B2 |
Universal serial bus charger circuit and charging method
The present invention discloses a universal serial bus (USB) charging circuit, comprising: a charging path for charging a battery from a USB host; a charging switch located on the charging path; a current sensing circuit for sensing current information on the charging path; a maximum available current detection circuit for detecting the maximum available current from the USB host; and a loop controller circuit for controlling the charging switch so that the charging current on the charging path is substantially equal to the maximum available current detected by the maximum available current detection circuit, wherein the maximum available current detection circuit detects the maximum available current during circuit initialization and stores it. |
| US08049460B2 |
Voltage dividing vehicle heater system and method
An apparatus comprising a rechargeable battery pack installed in an electric vehicle, a power supply coupled to the rechargeable battery pack, the power supply operable to provide a charge voltage to perform charging operations on the rechargeable battery pack, a heater to heat a fluid to be circulated through the rechargeable battery pack, the fluid thermally coupled to a plurality of battery cells within the rechargeable battery pack, a switching circuit, the switching circuit coupled to the heater and to the power supply, the switching circuit operable in a first mode to couple the source of electrical power to the heater without coupling the source of electrical power to the rechargeable battery pack, the switching circuit operable in a second mode to couple a source of electrical power external to the electric vehicle to the power supply to form a recharging circuit in order to perform charging operations on the rechargeable battery pack. |
| US08049458B2 |
Field winding type of synchronous rotary electric machine
A speed-variable field winding type of synchronous rotary electric machine is provided, where a rotor with plural-phase windings faces a rotor with a field winding. A field current is limited to flow through the field winding in one direction thereof. A fundamental component of armature current, which corresponds to a synchronizing current for producing a rotating magnetic field rotating in sync with the rotation of the rotor, is supplied to the armature windings. The synchronizing current is adjusted in frequency to change a rotor rotation speed. A pulsed rotor exciting current is supplied to the armature windings. The exciting current causes the field winding to induce the field current only during a specified current-supply duration shorter than a one cycle of the synchronizing current. The number of current-supply times for the exciting current, per electrical angle 2π and per phase, has a positive correlation with the cycle of the synchronizing current. |
| US08049457B2 |
Press machine controller
A press machine controller (10) for controlling a press machine (30) having a servo motor (41) to drive a slide (38) via a reduction mechanism (37) changed in reduction ratio in accordance with the position of the slide (38) is disclosed. The device includes a command generator (20) for generating at least one of a position command, a speed command and a torque command for the servo motor (41); a vibration command generator (13) for generating a vibration command based on a parameter preset for the press machine controller (10); a slide position detector (12) for detecting the position of the slide (38); and a vibration command adding portion (21, 22, 23) for adding the vibration command to any one of the position command, the speed command and the torque command for the servo motor (41) in the case where the slide position is in a predetermined range. The press machine, even if stopped with the slide at the bottom dead center, can be restarted with a small torque. |
| US08049456B2 |
Dynamoelectric machine assemblies operable with serial communication signals and PWM control signals
A dynamoelectric machine assembly for connection to a system controller. The assembly includes at least one input contact for receiving a control signal from the system controller and a processor coupled to the input contact. The processor is configured to operate the assembly in a pulse width modulation (PWM) mode when the control signal is a PWM control signal and to operate the assembly in a serial mode when the control signal is a serial communication signal. |
| US08049454B2 |
Rough and fine movement device, and liquid supply device incorporating the same
A rough and fine movement device capable of moving a mobile body with high accuracy, and a liquid supply device incorporating such a device. First and second mobile bodies are movable along guide members with a connection member connecting the mobile bodies in a relatively movable manner. A first drive mechanism roughly moves the first mobile body by a first stroke. A second drive mechanism between the first and the second mobile bodies, finely moves the second mobile body relative to the first mobile body by a second stroke. The second drive mechanism on one of the first and second mobile bodies and includes an actuator having a contactor with a first contact surface. The other of the bodies includes a second contact surface which contacts the first contact surface. At least one of the first contact surface or the second contact surface is spherical. |
| US08049453B2 |
Static switch for motors of climate control units and climate control unit comprising the switch
A static switch for DC motors of climate control units, comprising a signal side and a power side, which are mutually separated by means of optoisolators, the side comprising in input at least one terminal for a motor on/off signal and a terminal for a pulse width modulation signal PWM to provide the amplitude modulation, on the power side, of a motor speed signal, the switch comprising a precharging device which has a control terminal connected to a power-on optoisolator and a precharging current supply terminal connected to a motor power supply pole, the switch further comprising at least one power-on transistor connected to the same motor supply pole of the power supply terminal of the device, so that a voltage applied across the power-on transistor that exceeds a certain threshold switches off the motor power-on transistor. |
| US08049447B2 |
Electric motor with power supply circuit supplying isolated electric power
Circuitry for controlling motors, such as a brushless motor (BLM), is disclosed. The circuitry may comprise one or more inputs for receiving rotor position signals from one or more Hall effect sensors that detect the position of, for example, a BLM rotor. The circuitry may also comprise an input for receiving a pulse width modulated speed control signal. The circuitry generates one or more drive signals, each of which may comprise a logical combination (e.g., a logical AND combination) of the speed control signal and a rotor position signal, for controlling power switches that are coupled to electromagnets of the BLM. |
| US08049444B2 |
Soft-start circuit
A soft-start circuit includes a power source, a switch, a capacitor and a regeneration brake circuit. The regeneration brake circuit absorbs a return current. The regeneration brake circuit includes a resistor, a diode and a transistor. The resistor is connected between two poles of the power source via the transistor. The diode is connected between the resistor and the positive pole of the power source via the switch. The capacitor is connected between the negative pole of the diode and the transistor. The switch is connected between the negative pole of the diode and resistor. When the switch turns off, the power charges the capacitor via the resistor and the diode of the regeneration brake circuit. When the switch turns on, the return current turns the transistor on, and the resistor absorbs the return current. |
| US08049442B2 |
Electric injection molding machine
An electric injection molding machine includes a motor driving circuit for driving a motor, and a delivery pipe. The motor driving circuit includes a rectifier circuit, a switch control circuit, a heater, a direct current (DC) link circuit, and an inverter circuit. The switch control circuit is configured for controlling the motor to output a regenerative current generated in a deceleration period of the motor. The heater is configured for receiving the regenerative current to heat the delivery pipe via the switch control circuit. A micro control unit (MCU) outputs a heat control signal according to the voltage from the DC link circuit to turn on the switch control circuit so as control deceleration of the motor such that a regenerative current from the motor is supplied to the heater to heat the delivery pipe. |
| US08049435B2 |
Frequency synchronizing method for discharge tube lighting apparatus, discharge tube lighting apparatus, and semiconductor integrated circuit
An oscillator generates a triangular wave signal whose inclination for charging a capacitor and inclination for discharging the same are the same and which is used to turn on/off FETs Qp1 and Qn1. A signal generation part generates first drive signal in a period shorter than a half period of the triangular wave signal to drive the Qp1, and generates a second drive signal having a pulse width substantially equal to that of the first drive signal and a phase difference of about 180 degrees with respect to the first drive signal, to drive the Qn1 and provide a current to the discharge tube in a direction opposite to the current driven by the first drive signal. Furthermore a pulse current generation circuit converts a synchronization pulse voltage signal into a pulse current that alternates between positive and negative current values. |
| US08049433B2 |
Inverter circuit and lamp control apparatus having the same
Disclosed is an inverter circuit. The inverter circuit comprises a transformer comprising a primary coil and a secondary coil wound at a predetermined turn ratio, a first switch circuit comprising first and second switch devices commonly connected with a first end of the primary coil of the transformer, a second switch circuit comprising third and fourth switch devices commonly connected with a second end of the primary coil of the transformer, and a third switch circuit comprising fifth and sixth switch devices commonly connected with a part of the primary coil of the transformer. |
| US08049430B2 |
Electronic ballast having a partially self-oscillating inverter circuit
An electronic ballast for driving a gas discharge lamp comprises an inverter circuit that operates in a partially self-oscillating manner. The inverter circuit comprises a push-pull converter having a main transformer having a primary winding for producing a high-frequency AC voltage, semiconductor switches electrically coupled to the primary winding of the main transformer for conducting current through the primary winding on an alternate basis, and gate drive circuits for controlling the semiconductor switches on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The drive circuits control (e.g., turn on) the semiconductor switches in response to first control signals derived from the main transformer, and control (e.g., turn off) the semiconductor switches in response to second control signals received from a control circuit. The control circuit controls the semiconductor switches in response to a peak value of an integral of an inverter current flowing through the inverter circuit. |
| US08049425B2 |
Gas-filled shroud to provide cooler arctube
A lamp is provided having an arctube having a light-transmitting envelope. The arctube is surrounded by a gaseous medium confined by a containment envelope such as a hermetic shroud. The gaseous medium is preferably He or H2 or Ne or another gas whose thermal conductivity is greater than that of N2 at 800° C., or a mixture thereof, to help cool the arctube. The inside and/or outside of the shroud may be coated with a diffusion barrier. To help cool the hot spot of the arctube the gap between the shroud and the envelope can be made small, the portion of the shroud wall near the arc can be thickened, the arctube can be offset above the longitudinal axis of the shroud, and the return lead of the arctube can be located between the shroud and the arctube. |
| US08049424B2 |
Light source incorporating a proximity guide portion on an external surface of a sealing portion for securing a trigger wire
The invention relates to a light source device having a high-voltage discharge lamp (1) on which a trigger line (10) for triggering the lamp is attached. The high-voltage discharge lamp (1) is formed such that an arc tube (7) having a pair of substantially cylindrical sealing portions (9R, 9L) formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction with a light emitting portion (8) in between is sealed with electrode assemblies (3R, 3L). The trigger line (10) is formed such that its one end (10a) is connected to a power supply lead (6), which is of the electrode assembly (3L) and protruded from the one sealing portion (9L), and its other end (10c) is wound around the outer circumference of the other sealing portion (9R). In the light source device, in order to drastically improve the performance for triggering and retriggering the lamp (1), a vicinity guide portion (C) including a hollow groove (11) and an insert opening (17) is formed on a cylindrical portion of the other sealing portion (9R) at a position away from the light emitting portion (8). The vicinity guide portion (C) allows the trigger line (10) to be disposed at a distance shorter than the distance from the electrode assembly to the outer circumference surface of the cylindrical portion. |
| US08049421B2 |
Light emitting device including plural barriers
When a light emitting element is actuated to allow the light emission, the generation of Joule heat occurs, leading to the decomposition or crystallization of an organic compound to cause the degradation of the light emitting device. Therefore, a light emitting element of the present invention is provided for effecting removing or decreasing the generation of heat. In the present invention, between two electrodes, layers having organic compounds and carbon-based thin films are alternatively laminated one after another for stepping down the driving voltage in the light emitting element using the tunnel effect. In addition, a carbon-based thin film is placed on a film containing an organic compound, so that it prevents the electric field from being locally concentrated and also prevents the generation of short-circuit between the anode and the cathode. |
| US08049410B2 |
Organic light emitting display with a ground ring and method of manufacturing the same
An organic light emitting display including: a substrate having a center region; a pixel unit on the substrate and at the center region of the substrate; a non-pixel unit on the substrate and at an external circumference of the pixel unit; a ground ring in the non-pixel unit; a mother substrate wiring line on the substrate and at the external circumference of the ground ring; and a connection wiring line for electrically connecting the ground ring and the mother substrate wiring line to each other. |
| US08049408B2 |
Light emissive device having electrode comprising a metal and a material which is codepositable with the metal
An organic light emissive device comprising: a first electrode; a second electrode; and an organic light emissive region between the first and second electrodes comprising an organic light emissive material which has a peak emission wavelength, wherein at least one of the electrodes is transparent and comprises a composite of a charge injecting metal and another material which is codepositable with the charge injecting metal, the other material having a different refractive index to that of the charge injecting metal and wherein the other material has a lower degree of quenching at the peak emission wavelength than the charge injecting metal whereby quenching of excitons by the at least one electrode is reduced, the charge injecting metal comprising either a low work function metal having a work function of no more than 3.5 eV or a high work function metal having a work function of no less than 4.5 eV. |
| US08049407B2 |
Organic electroluminescent element including blue phosphorescent luminescent material
The present invention provides an organic electroluminescent element that includes a pair of electrodes and a plurality of organic compound layers being disposed between the pair of electrodes. The organic compound layers include a luminescent layer containing a blue phosphorescent luminescent material and a host material having the lowest excited triplet energy (T1) of 272 kJ/mol (65 kcal/mol) or more, and hole transport layers. One of the hole transport layers is a layer adjacent to the luminescent layer, and when the ionization potentials of the luminescent layer, the hole transport layer adjacent to the luminescent layer, and another of the hole transport layers, respectively, designated to Ip1, Ip2 and Ip3, the relationship Ip1>Ip2>Ip3 is satisfied. |
| US08049405B2 |
Light-emitting element and display device using same
A self light emitting display device having high level of the external coupling efficiency and high grade image presentation as no optical cross-talk or blur can be obtained by a new light-emitting element. The device is constructed as follows. A plurality of picture elements, each of which picture elements has an organic layer composing light emitting areas, a transparent electrode and a reflective electrodes, are formed on a substrate. Between the picture elements, a bank which has a tilted reflective surface is formed so that the light emitting area is surrounded by the bank wherein the transparent optical waveguide layer is formed as optically isolated for each of the picture elements. |
| US08049400B2 |
Surface light source apparatus with dual-side emitting light
A surface light source apparatus with dual-side emitting light includes a transparent cathode structure, a transparent anode structure, a fluorescent layer and a low-pressure gas layer. The transparent cathode structure and the transparent anode structure are opposite to each other and respectively a surface structure. The fluorescent layer is located between the transparent cathode structure and the transparent anode structure. The low-pressure gas layer fills a space between the transparent cathode structure and the transparent anode structure and functions to induce the cathode for evenly emitting electrons. In addition, the electron mean free path of the low-pressure gas layer allows at least sufficient electrons to directly impact the fluorescent layer under an operation voltage. |
| US08049399B2 |
High power discharge fuel ignitor
A spark-ignited, internal combustion engine ignition device to increase electrical transfer efficiency of the ignition by peaking the electrical power of the spark during the streamer phase of spark creation and improving combustion quality, incorporating an electrode design and materials to reduce electrode erosion due to high power discharge, an insulator provided with capacitive plates to peak the electrical current of the spark discharge, and concomitant methods. |
| US08049393B2 |
Rotor for an electric machine having a retaining device for the end winding
A rotor for an electric machine includes a rotor yoke having a plurality of axial winding slots distributed on an outer periphery of the rotor yoke; a winding bar disposed in one of the plurality of axial winding slots, the winding bar having at least one winding end emerging axially from the rotor yoke so as to form an end winding; and a retaining device including a plurality of radial bolts, each of the plurality of radial bolts having a head fixedly connected to a shank, wherein the retaining device retains the end winding against a centrifugal force acting on the end winding. |
| US08049389B2 |
Axial gap motor
An axial gap motor includes a rotor and a stator, and the rotor includes within a rotor frame a plurality of main magnet pieces which are disposed in a circumferential direction in such a manner that their magnetized direction is in a rotational axis direction and magnetic members which are disposed on surfaces of at least one sides in the rotational axis direction of the main magnet pieces. The magnetic member has a fitting portion on one end face in a radial direction of the rotor thereof which is adapted to fit in the rotor frame. |
| US08049385B2 |
Liquid deflecting baffle for an electric motor
A fluid deflecting baffle is provided for use on an electric motor to be used in an environment where liquid may otherwise pass through a vent opening in an endshield of the motor. The baffle is secureable to the endshield and extends in a partial covering relationship with the vent opening. The baffle includes a vent passage therethrough and has at least one liquid flow obstructing louver that extends across the vent opening to deflect liquid away from the vent passage while allowing venting air to flow through the vent passage. The louver includes a generally flat liquid deflection surface that is disposed at an oblique angle relative to the axis of the motor and at least partially faces a venting direction of incoming air and fluid. |
| US08049384B2 |
Electronic drive unit
An electronic drive unit includes a case housing that extends along a primary axis. A sleeve shaft and an electric motor are disposed in the hollow interior of the case housing. The electric motor is operatively connected to the sleeve shaft to rotate the sleeve shaft about the primary axis. At least one gear set is disposed in operative engagement with the sleeve shaft and is configured for rotation about the primary axis. A pair of output shafts each extends along the primary axis within the case housing. The output shafts are rotatably connected to the gear set and are configured for rotation about the primary axis. The gear set is configured to translate rotation of the sleeve shaft into rotation of the output shafts about the primary axis at a rotational velocity that is less than the rotational velocity of the sleeve shaft. |
| US08049382B2 |
Brushless motor
A Hall element is placed under an outside rotor at an identical angular position to a centerline between two adjacent outer teeth. This structure allows narrowing a dead band of the Hall element when it senses a leakage magnetic flux. |
| US08049381B2 |
End cover and external rotor motor using the same
An end cover for an external rotor motor. The external rotor motor has a stator core having a center hole, and the end cover including a body, a cylindrical connecting portion, and multiple protruding bars each having an arc-shaped top surface. The cylindrical connecting portion is extended from the center of the body and received in the center hole of the stator core, the protruding bars are disposed on outer surface of the cylindrical connecting portion and extended in an axial direction, and the arc-shaped top surface of the protruding bar is fit with inner wall of the center hole of the stator core. The end cover is accurately fit with a stator core, requires no further processing after die-casting and thus reducing production cost, and is capable of preventing aluminum scraps from entering a stator. |
| US08049379B2 |
Dynamoelectric machine rotors having enhanced heat transfer and method therefor
A radial duct for a dynamoelectric machine having a rotor, and a plurality of radial slots in the rotor is provided. A plurality of coils are respectively seated in the radial slots, and the coils form a plurality of radially stacked turns. The radial duct includes one or more cooling slots defined in at least a portion of the radially stacked turns, and extend in a substantially radial direction to the rotor. At least a portion of an interior surface of one or more cooling slots includes one or more ribs for enhanced heat transfer. |
| US08049378B2 |
Forced cooling rotary electric machine
The invention aims at providing a forced cooling rotary electric machine capable of bringing temperature distribution close to a designed temperature distribution and avoiding becoming a larger size, and employs a wedge formed with ventilation grooves and a wedge not formed with the ventilation grooves to regulate the flow rates of cooling gas passing through air ducts, so that the cooling gas supplied to a part of a stator core, in which temperature is low, can be caused to flow positively to a part in which the temperature is high and the temperature distribution in the axial direction of the stator core can be uniformized. As a result, the temperature distribution in the axial direction of the stator core can be brought close to a designed temperature distribution, and a forced cooling rotary electric machine that need not be made larger in size with a margin can be obtained. |
| US08049376B2 |
Motor system with magnet for a vehicle fuel pump
A rotor for a brushless motor is resistant to degradation in alternative fuels and has desirable magnetic properties. A stator for a brushless DC motor includes coils wound both clockwise and counterclockwise around teeth of a back iron. Pairs of the coils are electrically connected in parallel. |
| US08049374B2 |
Mover assembly of reciprocating motor
A mover assembly of a reciprocating motor includes: a mover body disposed at a gap between an inner stator and an outer stator; permanent magnets fixed at an outer circumferential surface of the mover body and reciprocally moved together with the mover body in a direction of an induction magnetic field between the inner stator and the outer stator; and a mixed member made of a fiber and a resin to cover and fix the permanent magnets. The permanent magnets are arranged at an outer circumferential face of the mover body, covered with the mixed member obtained by mixing a fiber and a resin, and hardened to be fixed. Therefore, the permanent magnets can be firmly and easily fixed at the mover body. In addition, by molding the mover body with a non-magnetic and non-conductive material, leakage of the magnetic force of the permanent magnets can be prevented. |
| US08049370B2 |
Centrally controlled inductive power transmission platform
An inductive power transmission platform includes a plurality of inductive power outlets connected to a common driver via individual power switches. The inductive power outlets are configured to couple with inductive power receivers to provide power to electrical loads wired thereto. The switches may be configured to remain closed while current passes therethrough. The common driver may be used to manage the power drawn by the transmission platform to each of the inductive power outlets. |
| US08049369B2 |
Power inverter controller and method
A controller for a power inverter having a gate assembly with an alternating current power output. A gate driver controls the activation of the gate assembly while a processor controls the operation of the gate driver. A current sensor has an output signal representative of the current at the power output. A noise detector circuit provides an output signal to the processor of the frequency of electromagnetic noise in the power inverter and the processor is programmed to sample the current from the current sensor at the frequency of the noise. |
| US08049366B2 |
DC power system for household appliances
A DC power system is provided to generate the power from renewable energy and directly supplies the DC power to DC household appliances, thus saving energy that would be wasted during the conversion of DC to AC and back to DC and saving the cost of a rectifier or power factor corrector. The DC power system includes a generator, a DC/DC converter, a battery bank, a bi-directional inverter, a DC load and a controller. |
| US08049361B2 |
RF adapter for field device with loop current bypass
A wireless adapter for use with a two-wire process control loop is configured to couple to a process field device in an industrial process control system. The wireless adapter is coupled to the two-wire process control loop and provides wireless communication to the process field device. The adapter includes first and second loop terminals configured to couple in series with the two-wire process control loop. Wireless communication circuitry is coupled to the first and second loop terminals and is adapted to provide wireless communication to the process field device. Loop current bypass circuitry is electrically connected between the first and second loop terminals and is configured to provide a loop current path therebetween in response to an open circuit in wireless communication circuitry. |
| US08049359B2 |
Method for allocating high voltage electrical energy to vehicle systems during propulsion
A method is disclosed that defines a protocol for distributing power to high voltage components when two conditions exist: they being when the vehicle is being propelled or operated and when the power requested of the power supply is less than what the power supply can provide. The method determines which high voltage components can receive reduced or intermittent voltage and still allow the vehicle to operate in a proper manner. Calibrations of the usage and energy loss are based on parameters that dictate how important it is that a particular high voltage component receives as much of its requested power as possible. The critical function components will be weighted differently than those less critical components. |
| US08049350B2 |
Method and apparatus for controlling cogeneration system
In an apparatus (and a method) for controlling a cogeneration system equipped with a generation unit having a generator connectable to an AC power feed line between a commercial power network and an electrical load and an internal combustion engine driving the generator, and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between coolant and exhaust heat from the engine, there are provided with a condensate water hose discharging condensate water generated by condensation of moisture in exhaust gas, a hose temperature sensor detecting temperature in the hose, an exhaust gas temperature sensor detecting temperature of the exhaust gas from the engine and an exhaust gas blowout discriminator discriminating that the exhaust gas blows out through the hose when a difference between the hose temperature and the exhaust gas temperature is found to be less than a predetermined value. With this, exhaust gas leakage caused by blowout can be easily detected. |
| US08049348B2 |
Device for controlling an electricity generator set
The present invention relates to a control device (1) for an electricity generator set, the generator set comprising: an engine fitted with at least one actuator (2) for controlling fuel admission; an alternator driven by the engine; and a speed regulator (4) for the engine and controlling the actuator(s); the control device being arranged to detect a variation in the load on the alternator as a function of at least one voltage thereof and to control the actuator(s) in such a manner as to compensate for the load variation thus detected; the control device delivering a control signal that acts directly on the actuator(s) taking the place of or being superposed on an output signal of the speed regulator when a variation in load is detected; or the control device delivering a control signal that acts on the actuator(s) via at least a portion of the speed regulator by taking the place of a speed regulator signal. |
| US08049346B2 |
Reliability and serviceability enhanced engine driven electrical generating system
A engine driven electrical generating system and its support cradle for use in confined space enclosures with a triple redundant troubleshooting system, a triple redundant troubleshooting data transmission system, and a double redundant electric fan cooling system wherein the most common modes of motor or generator failure can be repaired quickly and easily with the genset in situ. With the most common mode of failure for a genset being overheating, enhanced fan monitoring and replacement systems have been incorporated. |
| US08049341B2 |
Semiconductor package and method for manufacturing the same
A stacked semiconductor package and a method for manufacturing the same are presented which exhibit a reduced electrical resistance and an increased junction force. The semiconductor package includes at least two semiconductor chips stacked upon each other. Each semiconductor chip has a plurality of bonding pads formed on upper surfaces and has via-holes. First wiring lines are located on the upper surfaces of the semiconductor chips, on the surfaces of the via-holes, and respectively connected onto their respective bonding pads. Second wiring lines are located on lower surfaces of the semiconductor chips and on the surfaces of the respective via-holes which connect to their respective first wiring lines. The semiconductor chips are stacked so that the first wiring lines on an upper surface of an upwardly positioned semiconductor chip are respectively joined with corresponding second wiring lines formed on a lower surface of a downwardly positioned semiconductor chip. |
| US08049339B2 |
Semiconductor package having isolated inner lead
A semiconductor package with isolated inner lead(s) is revealed. A chip is disposed on a leadframe segment and encapsulated by an encapsulant. The leadframe segment includes a plurality of leads, an isolated lead, and an external lead where each lead has an internal portion and an external portion. The isolated inner lead is completely formed inside the encapsulant and the external lead is partially formed inside and extended outside the encapsulant. At least one of the internal portions of the leads is located between the isolated inner lead and the external lead. Two fingers are formed at two opposing ends of the isolated inner lead without covering by the chip. One of the fingers imitates a plurality of fingers of the leads to arrange along a first side of the chip. The other finger of the isolated inner lead and a finger of the external lead are arranged along a second side of the chip. A jumping wire electrically connecting the isolated inner lead and the external lead is adjacent to the second side to achieve the redistribution of pin assignments without affecting wire-bonding. Especially, this package can be applied for multi-chip stacking. |
| US08049329B2 |
Wafer stacked package waving bertical heat emission path and method of fabricating the same
A wafer stacked semiconductor package (WSP) having a vertical heat emission path and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The WSP comprises a substrate on which semiconductor chips are mounted; a plurality of semiconductor chips stacked vertically on the substrate; a cooling through-hole formed vertically in the plurality of semiconductor chips, and sealed; micro holes formed on the circumference of the cooling through-hole; and coolant filling the inside of the cooling through-hole. Accordingly, the WSP reduces a temperature difference between the semiconductor chips and quickly dissipates the heat generated by the stacked semiconductor chips. |
| US08049324B1 |
Preventing access to stub traces on an integrated circuit package
An integrated circuit (IC) package includes a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate and a plurality of package attachment terminals. The package attachment terminals are used to conduct electrical signals from a die that is attached and bonded onto the PCB substrate. The PCB substrate has a side edge and includes a plurality of electrically-conductive paths. Each one of the plurality of paths includes an electroplated bond pad, a trace, and a stub trace. The die is connected to the bond pad and the trace couples the bond pad to a respective one of the package attachment terminals. The stub trace is used to facilitate the electroplating process. The stub trace extends from the trace and terminates at a distance away from the side edge. The stub trace is not visible from the side of the IC package and therefore prevents access to IC buses on the package. |
| US08049323B2 |
Chip holder with wafer level redistribution layer
A chip holder formed of silicon, glass, other ceramics or other suitable materials includes a plurality of recesses for retaining semiconductor chips. The bond pads of the semiconductor chip are formed on or over an area of the chip holder that surrounds the semiconductor chip thus expanding the bonding area. The bond pads are coupled, using semiconductor wafer processing techniques, to internal bond pads formed directly on the semiconductor chip. |
| US08049317B2 |
Grid array packages
A semiconductor device assembly includes a substrate and a semiconductor die adjacent to a first surface of the substrate. The substrate also includes a second surface opposite from the first surface, an opening extending from the first surface and the second surface, contact pads on the second surface, and substrate pads on the second surface, adjacent to the opening. Bond pads of the semiconductor die are aligned with the opening through the substrate. Intermediate conductive elements, such as bond wires, extend from bond pads of the semiconductor die, through the opening, to substrate pads on the opposite, second surface of the substrate. An encapsulant, which fills the opening and covers the intermediate conductive elements, protrudes beyond a plane in which the second surface of the substrate is located. Discrete conductive elements, such as solder balls, may protrude from the contact pads of the substrate. |
| US08049310B2 |
Semiconductor device with an interconnect element and method for manufacture
A semiconductor device is provided configured to be electrically connected to another device by through silicon interconnect technology. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate with at least one through hole. A through silicon conductor extends inside the through hole from the upper side to the bottom side of the semiconductor substrate. The through silicon conductor is electrical isolated from the semiconductor substrate and includes a conductor bump at one of its ends. Between the inner surface of the through hole and the through silicon conductor a gap is formed. The gap surrounds the through silicon conductor on one side of the semiconductor substrate having the conductor bump, and extends from this side of the substrate into the substrate. The gap is filled with a flexible dielectric material. |
| US08049304B2 |
Constructions comprising hafnium oxide and/or zirconium oxide
The invention includes ALD-type methods in which two or more different precursors are utilized with one or more reactants to form a material. In particular aspects, the precursors are hafnium and aluminum, the only reactant is ozone, and the material is hafnium oxide predominantly in a tetragonal crystalline phase. |
| US08049300B2 |
Inductor energy loss reduction techniques
An inductive device including an inductor coil located over a substrate, at least one electrically insulating layer interposing the inductor coil and the substrate, and a plurality of current interrupters each extending into the substrate, wherein a first aggregate outer boundary of the plurality of current interrupters substantially encompasses a second aggregate outer boundary of the inductor coil. |
| US08049299B2 |
Antifuses with curved breakdown regions
An antifuse (40, 80, 90′) comprises, first (22′, 24′) and second (26′) conductive regions having spaced-apart curved portions (55, 56), with a first dielectric region (44) therebetween, forming in combination with the curved portions (55, 56) a curved breakdown region (47) adapted to switch from a substantially non-conductive initial state to a substantially conductive final state in response to a predetermined programming voltage. A sense voltage less than the programming voltage is used to determine the state of the antifuse as either OFF (high impedance) or ON (low impedance). A shallow trench isolation (STI) region (42) is desirably provided adjacent the breakdown region (47) to inhibit heat loss from the breakdown region (47) during programming. Lower programming voltages and currents are observed compared to antifuses (30) using substantially planar dielectric regions (32). In a further embodiment, a resistive region (922) is inserted in one lead (92, 92′) of the antifuses (90, 90′) with either planar (37) or curved (47) breakdown regions to improve post-programming sense reliability. |
| US08049298B2 |
Isolation trenches for memory devices
A first dielectric plug is formed in a portion of a trench that extends into a substrate of a memory device so that an upper surface of the first dielectric plug is recessed below an upper surface of the substrate. The first dielectric plug has a layer of a first dielectric material and a layer of a second dielectric material formed on the layer of the first dielectric material. A second dielectric plug of a third dielectric material is formed on the upper surface of the first dielectric plug. |
| US08049297B2 |
Semiconductor structure
In various embodiments, semiconductor structures and methods to manufacture these structures are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes removing a portion of a semiconductor material to form a cavity that extends at least about one micron or greater below the surface of the semiconductor material, filling the cavity with a sacrificial material, forming a dielectric material over the sacrificial material and over at least a portion of the surface of the semiconductor material, and removing a portion of the dielectric material to form an opening to expose a portion of the sacrificial material, wherein the opening has a width that is substantially less than a width of the cavity and the dielectric material is rigid or substantially rigid. The method further includes removing the sacrificial material. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US08049296B2 |
Semiconductor wafer
A deep isolation trench extending from the main surface of a substrate to a desired depth is formed on the substrate with an insulating film in buried in it to form a through isolation portion. Subsequently, after a MOSFET is formed on the main surface of the substrate, an interlayer insulating film is deposited on the main surface of the substrate. Then, a deep conduction trench extending from the upper surface of the interlayer insulating film to a depth within the thickness of the substrate is formed in a region surrounded by the through isolation portion. Subsequently, a conductive film is buried in the deep conduction trench to form through interconnect portion. Then, after the undersurface of the substrate is ground and polished to an extent not to expose the through isolation portion and the through interconnect portion, wet etching is performed to an extent to expose parts of the lower portion of each of the through isolation portion and the through interconnect portion. |
| US08049295B2 |
Coupling well structure for improving HVMOS performance
A semiconductor structure includes a substrate, a first well region of a first conductivity type overlying the substrate, a second well region of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type overlying the substrate, a cushion region between and adjoining the first and the second well regions, an insulation region in a portion of the first well region and extending from a top surface of the first well region into the first well region, a gate dielectric extending from over the first well region to over the second well region, wherein the gate dielectric has a portion over the insulation region, and a gate electrode on the gate dielectric. |
| US08049287B2 |
Substrate-level assembly for an integrated device, manufacturing process thereof and related integrated device
A substrate-level assembly having a device substrate of semiconductor material with a top face and housing a first integrated device, including a buried cavity formed within the device substrate, and with a membrane suspended over the buried cavity in the proximity of the top face. A capping substrate is coupled to the device substrate above the top face so as to cover the first integrated device in such a manner that a first empty space is provided above the membrane. Electrical-contact elements electrically connect the integrated device with the outside of the substrate-level assembly. In one embodiment, the device substrate integrates at least a further integrated device provided with a respective membrane, and a further empty space, fluidly isolated from the first empty space, is provided over the respective membrane of the further integrated device. |
| US08049286B2 |
Semiconductor device and semiconductor device manufacturing method
In the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device including: element isolation regions formed in a state of being buried in a semiconductor substrate such that an element formation region of the semiconductor substrate is interposed between the element isolation regions; a gate electrode formed on the element formation region with an gate insulating film interposed between the gate electrode and the element formation region, the gate electrode being formed so as to cross the element formation region; and source-drain regions formed in the element formation region on both sides of the gate electrode, wherein a channel region made of the element formation region under the gate electrode is formed so as to project from the element isolation regions, and the source-drain regions are formed to a position deeper than surfaces of the element isolation regions. |
| US08049277B2 |
Epitaxy silicon on insulator (ESOI)
Methods and structures for semiconductor devices with STI regions in SOI substrates is provided. A semiconductor structure comprises an SOI epitaxy island formed over a substrate. The structure further comprises an STI structure surrounding the SOI island. The STI structure comprises a second epitaxial layer on the substrate, and a second dielectric layer on the second epitaxial layer. A semiconductor fabrication method comprises forming a dielectric layer over a substrate and surrounding a device fabrication region in the substrate with an isolation trench extending through the dielectric layer. The method also includes filling the isolation trench with a first epitaxial layer and forming a second epitaxial layer over the device fabrication region and over the first epitaxial layer. Then a portion of the first epitaxial layer is replaced with an isolation dielectric, and then a device such as a transistor is formed second epitaxial layer within the device fabrication region. |
| US08049275B2 |
Semiconductor device
There is provided a thin film transistor having improved reliability. A gate electrode includes a first gate electrode having a taper portion and a second gate electrode with a width narrower than the first gate electrode. A semiconductor layer is doped with phosphorus of a low concentration through the first gate electrode. In the semiconductor layer, two kinds of n−-type impurity regions are formed between a channel formation region and n+-type impurity regions. Some of the n−-type impurity regions overlap with a gate electrode, and the other n−-type impurity regions do not overlap with the gate electrode. Since the two kinds of n−-type impurity regions are formed, an off current can be reduced, and deterioration of characteristics can be suppressed. |
| US08049274B2 |
Semiconductor integrated circuit and method of manufacturing the same
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of trenches formed to extend in one direction in the semiconductor substrate, at least one connecting trench connecting at least two of the plurality of trenches to each other, a plurality of trench transistors including a plurality of gate electrodes, each gate electrode partially filling a corresponding trench, and a capping layer filling the at least one connecting trench. |
| US08049273B2 |
Semiconductor device for improving the peak induced voltage in switching converter
A power semiconductor device includes a backside metal layer, a substrate formed on the backside metal layer, a semiconductor layer formed on the substrate, and a frontside metal layer. The semiconductor layer includes a first trench structure including a gate oxide layer formed around a first trench with poly-Si implant, a second trench structure including a gate oxide layer formed around a second trench with poly-Si implant, a p-base region formed between the first trench structure and the second trench structure, a plurality of n+ source region formed on the p-base region and between the first trench structure and the second trench structure, a dielectric layer formed on the first trench structure, the second trench structure, and the plurality of n+ source region. The frontside metal layer is formed on the semiconductor layer and filling gaps formed between the plurality of n+ source region on the p-base region. |
| US08049266B2 |
Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device is provided in such a manner that a semiconductor layer is formed over a substrate, a charge accumulating layer is formed over the semiconductor layer with a first insulating layer interposed therebetween, and a gate electrode is provided over the charge accumulating layer with a second insulating layer interposed therebetween. The semiconductor layer includes a channel formation region provided in a region overlapping with the gate electrode, a first impurity region for forming a source region or drain region, which is provided to be adjacent to the channel formation region, and a second impurity region provided to be adjacent to the channel formation region and the first impurity region. A conductivity type of the first impurity region is different from that of the second impurity region. |
| US08049265B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same
Provided are semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the same. The semiconductor device comprises: a floating gate pattern formed in a cell area of a semiconductor substrate; a dummy floating gate pattern extending from the floating gate pattern into an interface area around the cell area; and a control gate pattern intersecting the floating gate pattern at the cell area of the semiconductor substrate. |
| US08049264B2 |
Method for producing a dielectric material on a semiconductor device and semiconductor device
Method for producing a dielectric material on a semiconductor device and semiconductor deviceMethod for producing a dielectric material on semiconductor device with an atomic layer deposition procedure, whereby an aluminum oxide nitride or a silicon oxide nitride or an aluminum silicon oxide nitride layer is deposited comprising a rare earth metal-element.The invention describes a semiconductor device with a dielectric layer comprising aluminum oxide nitride or silicon oxide nitride or an aluminum silicon oxide nitride comprising a rare earth metal element. |
| US08049261B2 |
Semiconductor structure and method of manufacture
In various embodiments, semiconductor structures and methods to manufacture these structures are disclosed. In one embodiment, a capacitor embedded in a dielectric material below the surface of a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US08049260B2 |
High-density integrated circuitry for semiconductor memory
Processes are disclosed which facilitate improved high-density memory circuitry, most preferably dynamic random access memory (DRAM) circuitry. A semiconductor memory device includes i) a total of no more than 68,000,000 functional and operably addressable memory cells arranged in multiple memory arrays formed on a semiconductor die; and ii) circuitry formed on the semiconductor die permitting data to be written to and read from one or more of the memory cells, at least one of the memory arrays containing at least 100-square microns of continuous die surface area having at least 128 of the functional and operably addressable memory cells, more preferably, at least 100 square microns of continuous die surface area having at least 170 of the functional and operably addressable memory cells. |
| US08049259B2 |
Semiconductor device including memory cell having charge accumulation layer
A semiconductor device includes MOS transistors, capacitor elements, a voltage generating circuit, a contact plug, and a memory cell. The MOS transistor and the capacitor element are formed on a first one of the element regions and a second one of the element regions, respectively. In the voltage generating circuit, current paths of the MOS transistors are series-connected and the capacitor elements are connected to the source or drain of the MOS transistors. The contact plug is formed on the source or the drain to connect the MOS transistors or one of the MOS transistors and one of the capacitor elements. A distance between the gate and the contact plug both for a first one of the MOS transistors located in the final stage in the series connection is larger than that for a second one of the MOS transistors located in the initial stage in the series connection. |
| US08049257B2 |
CMOS image sensor
Provided are a CMOS image sensor in which microlenses are formed in a remaining space in a patterned light shielding layer to improve image sensor characteristics and to protect the microlenses during packaging. The CMOS image sensor may include: a semiconductor substrate; at least one photodiode on or in the semiconductor substrate; a first insulating layer on the substrate including the photodiode(s); a plurality of metal lines on and/or in the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer on the first insulating layer including at least some of the metal lines; a patterned light shielding layer on the second insulating layer; and microlenses in a remaining space on the second insulating layer. |
| US08049256B2 |
Active pixel sensor having a sensor wafer connected to a support circuit wafer
A vertically-integrated active pixel sensor includes a sensor wafer connected to a support circuit wafer. Inter-wafer connectors or connector wires transfer signals between the sensor wafer and the support circuit wafer. The active pixel sensor can be fabricated by attaching the sensor wafer to a handle wafer using a removable interface layer. Once the sensor wafer is attached to the handle wafer, the sensor wafer is backside thinned to a given thickness. The support circuit wafer is then attached to the sensor wafer and the handle wafer separated from the sensor wafer. |
| US08049255B2 |
Display device and method of manufacturing the same
A semiconductor device includes an insulating substrate and a TFT element disposed on the substrate. The TFT element includes a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor layer, and a source electrode and a drain electrode arranged in that order on the insulating substrate. The semiconductor layer includes an active layer composed of polycrystalline semiconductor and a contact layer segment interposed between the active layer and the source electrode and another contact layer segment interposed between the active layer and the drain electrode. The source and drain electrodes each have a first face facing the opposite face of the active layer from the interface with the gate insulating layer and a second face facing an etched side face of the active layer. Each contact layer segment is disposed between the active layer and each of the first and second faces of the source or drain electrode. |
| US08049254B2 |
Semiconductor device with gate-undercutting recessed region
A semiconductor device comprises a gate structure on a semiconductor substrate and a recessed region in the semiconductor substrate. The recessed region has a widest lateral opening that is near a top surface of the semiconductor substrate. The widest lateral opening undercuts the gate structure. |
| US08049251B2 |
Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same
In a semiconductor film having a heterojunction structure, for example a semiconductor film (11) including a SiGe layer (2) and a Si layer (3) formed on the SiGe layer (2), impurity concentration is controlled in such a manner that the concentration of impurity in the lower, SiGe layer (2) becomes higher than that in the upper, Si layer (3) by exploiting the fact that there is a difference between the SiGe layer (2) and the Si layer (3) in the diffusion coefficient of the impurity. The impurity contained in the semiconductor film 11 is of the conductivity type opposite to that of the transistor (p-type in the case of an n-type MOS transistor whereas n-type in the case of a p-type MOS transistor). In this way, the mobility in a semiconductor device including a semiconductor film having a heterojunction structure with a compression strain structure is increased, thereby improving the transistor characteristics and reliability of the device. |
| US08049240B2 |
Dual emission organic light emitting display device and method of driving the same
A dual emission organic light emitting display device and method of driving the same. The display device includes a pixel driver and an organic light emitting diode that can display different images on a top surface and a bottom surface and/or a same image on both the top and bottom surfaces. The display device includes a top/bottom selector that receives a driving current from the pixel driver and selectively supplies the driving current to a top organic light emitting diode or a bottom organic light emitting diode. The top/bottom selector includes transistors, which are connected between the pixel driver and the organic light emitting diode and select a top emission operation or a bottom emission operation. Here, the circuit configuration of the pixel driver is reduced so that the dual emission organic light emitting display device can be improved in terms of a layout, an interconnection, and an aperture ratio. |
| US08049238B2 |
Light emitting module having light guide plate
A light emitting module includes a light source, a light guide plate, and a reflecting mask. The light source includes a circuit board and a light emitting device fixed on the circuit board. The light emitting device includes a plurality of light emitting elements and a control circuit. The light guide plate receives light from the light emitting device and exits from the light guide plate, includes a plurality of light emitting sidewalls, a plurality of reflection walls, and a receiving hole defined in the light guide plate. The receiving hole includes a plurality of light incident sidewalls. The reflecting mask covers the receiving hole, including a bottom surface and a plurality of reflecting surfaces. |
| US08049236B2 |
Non-global solder mask LED assembly
A substrate for an LED assembly can have a plurality of cups formed therein. At least one cup can be formed within another cup. The cups can be co-axial with respect to one another, for example. A machined surface of the substrate can enhance reflectivity of the LED assembly. A transparent and/or non-global solder mask can enhance reflectivity of the LED assembly. A transparent ring can enhance reflectivity of the LED assembly. By enhancing reflectivity of the LED assembly, the brightness of the LED assembly can be increased. Brighter LED assemblies can be used in applications such as flashlights, displays, and general illumination. |
| US08049235B2 |
Nitride semiconductor light emitting element with bragg reflection layers and anti-reflection layers to improve light extraction efficiency
Provided is a nitride semiconductor light emitting element that has improved light extraction efficiency and a wide irradiation angle of outgoing light irrespective of the reflectance of a metal used for an electrode. An n side anti-reflection layer 2 and a p side Bragg reflection layer 4 are formed so as to sandwich an MQW active layer 3 that serves as a light emitting region, and the nitride semiconductor light emitting element has a double hetero structure. On top of the n side anti-reflection layer 2, an n electrode 1 is formed. Meanwhile, at the lower side of the p side Bragg reflection layer 4, a p electrode 5, a reflection film 7, and a pad electrode 8 are formed, and the pad electrode is bonded to a support substrate 10 with a conductive bonding layer 9 interposed in between. Both the n side anti-reflection layer 2 and the p side Bragg reflection layer 4 also serve as contact layers. The n side anti-reflection layer 2 is disposed on the light-extracting-direction side while the p side Bragg reflection layer 4 is disposed on the opposite side to the light-extracting-direction side. Consequently, the light extraction efficiency is improved. |
| US08049234B2 |
Light emitting devices with improved light extraction efficiency
Light emitting devices with improved light extraction efficiency are provided. The light emitting devices have a stack of layers including semiconductor layers comprising an active region. The stack is bonded to a transparent optical element. |
| US08049233B2 |
Light-emitting device
A light-emitting device of the present invention includes: a semiconductor layer 1 including a light-emitting layer 12; a recess/projection portion 14 including recesses and projections formed in a pitch larger than a wavelength of light emitted from the light-emitting layer 12, the recess/projection portion 14 being formed in a whole area or a partial area of the surface of the semiconductor layer which light is emitted from; and a reflective layer formed on an opposite surface of the semiconductor layer to the surface from which light is emitted, the reflective layer having a reflectance of 90% or more. According to the light-emitting device having such arrangement, the light can be emitted efficiently by synergetic effect of the reflective layer and the recess/projection portion. |
| US08049232B2 |
Organic EL element having a plurality of light emitting layers
To provide an organic EL element in which the hue of display light can be restrained from varying according to a change of the viewing angle. The organic EL element includes: a first electrode (anode) 4 having translucency; an organic layer 7 at least including a charge injection transport layer (hole injection transport layer) 7a formed on the first electrode 4, and a plurality of light-emitting layers 7b, 7c formed on the charge injection transport layer 7a and different in emission color; and a second electrode (cathode) 8 formed on the organic layer 7. The organic EL element is characterized in that a total film thickness T of the first electrode 4 and the charge injection transport layer 7a is in such a range that change of hue of display light according to a viewing angle θ cannot be recognized. |
| US08049230B2 |
Apparatus and system for miniature surface mount devices
In one embodiment, a surface-mount device comprises a casing having opposed, first and second main surfaces, side surfaces, and end surfaces. A lead frame partially encased by the casing comprises (1) an electrically conductive LED chip carrier part having a surface carrying a linear array of LEDs adapted to be energized to produce in combination a substantially full range of colors, each LED having a first electrical terminal and a second electrical terminal, the first terminal of each of the LEDs being electrically and thermally coupled to the chip carrying surface of the chip carrier part; and (2) electrically conductive connection parts separate from the chip carrier part, each of the connection parts having a connection pad, the second terminal of each of the LEDs being electrically coupled to the connection pad of a corresponding one of the connection parts with a single wire bond. The linear array of LEDs extends in a first direction, and each of the chip carrier part and connection parts has a lead. The leads may be disposed in parallel relationship with each other and extend through the end surfaces of the casing in a second direction, the second direction being orthogonal to the first direction. An array of the surface-mount devices may be used in an LED display such as an indoor LED screen. |
| US08049224B2 |
Process for transferring a layer of strained semiconductor material
Semiconductor wafers having a thin layer of strained semiconductor material. These structures include a substrate; an oxide layer upon the substrate; a silicon carbide (SiC) layer upon the oxide layer, and a strained layer of a semiconductor material in a strained state upon the silicon carbide layer, or a matching layer upon the donor substrate that is made from a material that induces strain in subsequent epitaxially grown layers thereon; a strained layer of a semiconductor material of defined thickness in a strained state; and an insulating or semi-insulating layer upon the strained layer in a thickness that retains the strained state of the strained layer. The insulating or semi-insulating layers are made of silicon carbide or oxides and act to retain strain in the strained layer. |
| US08049220B2 |
Flat panel display device with polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor
The present invention relates to a flat panel display device comprising a polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor and provides a flat panel display device having improved characteristics by having a different number of grain boundaries included in polycrystalline silicon thin film formed in active channel regions of a driving circuit portion and active channel regions of pixel portion. This may be achieved by having a different number of grain boundaries included in the polycrystalline silicon thin film formed in active channel regions of a switching thin film transistor and a driving thin film transistor formed in the pixel portion, and by having a different number of grain boundaries included in polycrystalline silicon thin film formed in active channel regions of a thin film transistor for driving the pixel portion for each red, green and blue of the pixel portion. Further, this may be achieved by having a different number of grain boundaries included in polycrystalline silicon formed in active channel regions of an NMOS thin film transistor and a PMOS thin film transistor for forming CMOS transistor used in flat panel display device, thereby constructing a thin film transistor to obtain the improved characteristics for each transistor. |
| US08049219B2 |
Integrated circuit, semiconductor device comprising the same, electronic device having the same, and driving method of the same
An integrated circuit mounting a DRAM which can realize high integration without complicated manufacturing steps. The integrated circuit according to the invention comprises a DRAM in which a plurality of memory cells each having a thin film transistor are disposed. The thin film transistor comprises an active layer including a channel forming region, and first and second electrodes overlapping with each other with the channel forming region interposed therebetween. By controlling a drain voltage of the thin film transistor according to data, it is determined whether to accumulate holes in the channel forming region or not, and data is read out by confirming whether or not holes are accumulated. |
| US08049212B2 |
Thin film transistor, method of fabricating a thin film transistor and flat panel display device having the same
A TFT includes a substrate, a transparent semiconductor layer on the substrate, the transparent semiconductor layer including zinc oxide and exhibiting a surface roughness of about 1.3 nm or less, a gate electrode on the transparent semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer between the gate electrode and the transparent semiconductor layer, the gate insulting layer insulating the gate electrode from the transparent semiconductor layer, and source and drain electrodes on the substrate, the source and drain electrodes being in contact with the transparent semiconductor layer. |
| US08049211B2 |
Laminate structure and its manufacturing method, including wettability variable layer of material of variable critical surface tension
A disclosed laminate structure is capable of having its surface free energy changed with a small amount of UV irradiation. The invention also discloses a method of manufacturing the laminate structure; an electronic device having the laminate structure; an electronic device array having a plurality of the electronic devices; and a display apparatus having the electronic device array. The laminate structure includes a substrate 11, a wettability variable layer 12 disposed on the substrate, and a conducting layer 13 patterned on the wettability variable layer 12. The wettability variable layer 12 includes a material whose critical surface tension varies upon application of energy. The material with variable critical surface tension has a main chain and a side chain. The side chain has two or more sites of which the bond is cleaved upon absorption of energy. |
| US08049207B2 |
Organic optoelectronic device
A method for manufacturing an organic electronic device including a stack of layers including a release layer, the stack having a lateral structure on a substrate, at least one of the layers being an organic material layer. A method includes with the step of providing a stamp with at least one protrusion of the surface area corresponding to the lateral structure. The stack of layers is deposited with a first face on the surface area of the protrusion of the stamp. A second face of the stack that is opposite to the first face is brought into adhesive contact with the substrate. The stamp is released from the stack. |
| US08049200B2 |
Bottom electrode for memory device and method of forming the same
Contacts having use in an integrated circuit and exemplary methods of forming the contacts are disclosed. The methods involve forming a conductive cap over a metal plug. The invention can mitigate keyholes in the contacts by capping and encapsulating the conductive material used to form the contact. The exemplary cap may be made of a nitride material. |
| US08049194B2 |
Container for nuclear fuel transportation
A transport container for nuclear fuel is provided with an outer container having internal insulation, the insulation defining an internal cavity. The cavity receives a plurality of fuel containers wherein the internal volume of the fuel containers is at least 5% of the external volume of the outer container. The container allows substantially higher volume proportions of enriched fuel to be safely transported than is possible with prior containers. |
| US08049193B1 |
Systems, devices, and methods for large area micro mechanical systems
Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a first isogrid defining a first plurality of zones, each zone from said first plurality of zones comprising a plurality of ligaments, each zone from said first plurality of zones defining a plurality of spaces, each space bounded by a first sub-plurality of ligaments from said plurality of ligaments, each of said ligaments comprising a plurality of ligament surfaces. |
| US08049189B2 |
Charged particle system
A charged particle system comprises a particle source for generating a beam of charged particles and a particle-optical projection system. The particle-optical projection system comprises a focusing first magnetic lens (403) comprising an outer pole piece (411) having a radial inner end (411′), and an inner pole piece (412) having a lowermost end (412′) disposed closest to the radial inner end of the outer pole piece, a gap being formed by those; a focusing electrostatic lens (450) having at least a first electrode (451) and a second electrode (450) disposed in a region of the gap; and a controller (C) configured to control a focusing power of the first electrostatic lens based on a signal indicative of a distance of a surface of a substrate from a portion of the first magnetic lens disposed closest to the substrate. |
| US08049180B2 |
Achromatic mass separator
An ion beam device is described. The ion beam device includes an ion beam source for generating an ion beam, the ion beam being emitted along a first axis, an aperture unit adapted to shape the ion beam, and an achromatic deflection unit adapted to deflect ions of the ion beam having a predetermined mass by a deflecting angle. The achromatic deflection unit includes: an electric field generating component for generating an electric field, and a magnetic field generating component for generating a magnetic field substantially perpendicular to the electric field. The device further includes a mass separation aperture adapted for blocking ions with a mass different from the predetermined mass and for allowing ions having the predetermined mass to trespass the mass separator, and an objective lens having a second optical axis, wherein the second optical axis is inclined with regard to the first axis. |
| US08049178B2 |
Semiconductive materials and associated uses thereof
High rate radiation detectors are disclosed herein. The detectors include a detector material disposed inside the container, the detector material containing cadmium, tellurium, and zinc, a first dopant containing at least one of aluminum, chlorine, and indium, and a second dopant containing a rare earth metal. The first dopant has a concentration of about 500 to about 20,000 atomic parts per billion, and the second dopant has a concentration of about 200 to about 20,000 atomic parts per billion. |
| US08049177B2 |
Radiation image detection apparatus and manufacturing method of the same
A radiation image detection apparatus comprising a scintillator, which is configured to include columnar crystals and converts radiation into light when the radiation is irradiated thereon, and an optical detector, which converts the light, emitted from the scintillator into an electrical signal, the scintillator and the optical detector being arranged on a support such that the radiation is incident on the optical detector and the scintillator in this order, wherein a columnar crystal area is present at a radiation-incident side of the scintillator, and a non-columnar crystal area is present at a side of the scintillator opposite to the radiation-incident side; and a method for manufacturing the radiation image detection apparatus are provided. |
| US08049175B2 |
Scintillator operation and control
A method and system for reducing scintillator afterglow. Methods for reducing afterglow include conditioning a scintillator by exposing it to high flux densities of ionizing radiation. One technique includes operating an x-ray tube at elevated amperage. |
| US08049173B1 |
Dual use RF directed energy weapon and imager
There is disclosed an dual use RF directed energy weapon and imager. A generator may provide a first beam of RF electromagnetic energy which may be directed to an object by a beam director. An imager may form an image of the object. The imager may share an aperture defined by the beam director. |
| US08049172B2 |
Radiometric measuring of thin fluid films
Methods and devices relate to radiometric measurement of a thin fluid film (4) using absorption of IR radiation. At least one IR radiator (1) is directed to send signals to an IR detector (2) via a bed (3) on which the fluid film (4) is placed. The IR detector is set to receive IR radiation in a band around a characteristic absorption band of the fluid of the fluid film (4). The present invention is developed for printing presses, where the thickness of fountain solution on the printing plate and the proportion of printing ink in an emulsion of printing ink and fountain solution may be controlled. |
| US08049170B2 |
Induction electrode, ion generation element, ion generation apparatus, and electric equipment
An ion generation element includes an induction electrode and a plurality of discharge electrodes. The induction electrode is formed of one metal plate. A circumferential portion of a through hole is bent, and a thickness of a wall portion of the through hole is greater than a thickness of a top plate portion. A needle-like tip end of the discharge electrode is located within a range of the thickness of the through hole. Thus, an induction electrode having a structure realizing a small thickness, capable of lessening variation in an amount of ion generation caused by variation in positional relation between the tip end of the discharge electrode and the induction electrode, an ion generation element, an ion generation apparatus, and electric equipment can be obtained. |
| US08049169B2 |
Ion guide device, ion reactor, and mass analyzer
A charged particle reaction cell of the present invention has a serially-arranged plurality of ring electrodes, wherein a modulated radio frequency voltage obtained by modulating the amplitude of a radio frequency voltage is applied, whereby ions are captured at the bottom of the ups and downs of a formed pseudopotential and are transferred with the move of the pseudopotential. In the charged particle reaction cell, the time required for the charged particle reaction can be secured and also the problem of the decrease of the throughput or the mass resolution can be solved, and the speed of the structure analysis of a measurement sample can be accelerated. |
| US08049161B2 |
Optoelectronic component with flip-chip mounted optoelectronic device
Provided are optoelectronic components which include an optoelectronic device and a structure for self-aligning the optoelectronic device. Also provided are optoelectronic modules and methods of forming optoelectronic components. |
| US08049158B2 |
Photonic proximity sensor and scalable photonic sensing system
A photonic proximity sensor and photonic sensor system are provided. The photonic proximity sensor includes a first light source, a second light source, and a magneto-optic device. The magneto-optic device receives light emitted from the first and second light sources, and is responsive to variations of a magnetic field to rotate the light from one of the sources significantly more than the light from the other light source. |
| US08049153B2 |
Image sensor and method having an anti-reflection stack with films of different refractive indexes
An image sensor pixel that includes a photoelectric conversion unit supported by a substrate and an insulator adjacent to the substrate. The pixel includes a light guide that is located within an opening of the insulator and extends above the insulator such that a portion of the light guide has an air interface. The air interface improves the internal reflection of the light guide. Additionally, the light guide and an adjacent color filter are constructed with a process that optimizes the upper aperture of the light guide. These characteristics of the light guide eliminate the need for a microlens. |
| US08049151B2 |
Digital type anti-glare device using touch and method of controlling the same
Disclosed is a digital type anti-glare device capable of conveniently performing input, operation and adjustment, and a method of controlling the same. The digital type anti-glare device includes a touch sensor input unit recognizing a shade degree and a grind mode level by direct selective operation or adjustment of a user as a digital contact signal and inputting the shade degree and the grind model level to the control unit, and an encoder switch input unit recognizing a sensitivity level and an opening delay level by the selective operation or adjustment of the user and inputting the sensitivity level and the opening delay level to the control unit. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent operation failure due to switch contact, dust or humidity or the like by a touch sensor and encoder input and to facilitate input, operation and adjustment even in a state in which an operator wears gloves. |
| US08049150B2 |
Solar collector with end modifications
In one embodiment, a concentrating solar energy collector, which tracks movements of the sun along one axis has a reflective trough, at least one solar receiver mounted above the reflective trough and configured so that incident sunlight striking the reflective trough is directed toward the at least one solar receiver, and a reflector extender coupled to a first end of the reflective trough and configured to capture and direct incident sunlight towards the at least one solar receiver. In another embodiment, one or more extended end reflectors is attached with a reflective trough of a solar energy collector. |
| US08049144B2 |
Plasma arc coating system
A system for coating a substrate includes a heater that heats the substrate. The heater includes a two-dimensional array of a plurality of heat sources which supply heat to the substrate when the substrate is in the presence of the array of heat sources. The heater further includes a controller that controls the operation of each heat source to heat a localized area of the surface of the substrate according to a predetermined temperature profile for the substrate. |
| US08049142B2 |
Convection preheat system and method for radiant baking
A cooking appliance includes a cabinet forming an oven cavity, a broil heating element, a bake heating element, a convection heating system and a controller. The convection heating system develops a flow of heated air into the oven cavity, and includes a fan and a convection heating element. The controller controls activations of the broil, bake and convection heating elements during an oven cavity preheating operation in which the broil heating element and the bake heating element are alternately activated while the convection heating element is activated. |
| US08049135B2 |
Systems and methods for alignment of laser beam(s) for semiconductor link processing
A method makes a discrete adjustment to static alignment of a laser beam in a machine for selectively irradiating conductive links on or within a semiconductor substrate using the laser beam. The laser beam propagates along a beam path having an axis extending from a laser to a laser beam spot at a location on or within the semiconductor substrate. The method generates, based on at least one measured characteristic of the laser beam, at least one signal to control an adjustable optical element of the machine effecting the laser beam path. The method also sends said at least one signal to the adjustable optical element. The method then adjusts the adjustable optical element in response to said at least one signal so as to improve static alignment of the laser beam path axis. |
| US08049133B2 |
Laser beam machining apparatus
A laser beam machining apparatus including a laser beam irradiation unit, the laser beam irradiation unit including: a laser beam oscillator for oscillating a laser beam; a beam splitter by which the laser beam oscillated by the laser beam oscillator is split into a first laser beam and a second laser beam; a rotary half-wave plate disposed between the laser beam oscillator and the beam splitter; a condenser lens disposed in a first optical path for guiding the first laser beam split by the beam splitter; a first reflecting mirror disposed in a second optical path for guiding the second laser beam split by the beam splitter; a first quarter-wave plate disposed between the beam splitter and the first reflecting mirror; a second reflecting mirror disposed in a third optical path for splitting thereinto the second laser beam returned to the beam splitter through the second optical path; a second quarter-wave plate disposed between the beam splitter and the second reflecting mirror; and a cylindrical lens disposed between the beam splitter and the second quarter-wave plate. |
| US08049132B2 |
Method of repairing a blisk and test pieces by welding
A method of repairing a turbomachine blisk having at least one damaged zone by build-up of metal in the damaged zone using a laser build-up welding machine is disclosed. The method includes preparing the damaged zone by machining the damaged zone to obtain a zone of defined profile to be repaired, build-up welding of a start-of-run test piece that includes the defined profile using the laser build-up welding machine, checking geometric and metallurgical quality of the test piece, and build-up welding the zone to be repaired of the blisk using the laser build-up welding machine. |
| US08049129B2 |
Housing for a vacuum interrupter module
A housing for a vacuum interrupter module that resists fracture when fasteners received therethrough are tightened, comprises an elongated hollow body from which a mounting flange extends from at least one end. Extending between the mounting flange and the body and/or coextensive with the mounting flange is a curved transition that maintains at least one curved recess, which partially surrounds corresponding mounting bores that are configured to receive suitable fasteners to mount the housing. Once mounted, the curved transition prevents stress forces imparted by the fasteners from deflecting the mounting flange, thereby inhibiting the formation of fractures therein. |
| US08049125B2 |
Key structure
A key structure including at least two protruding keys and a key frame is provided. The at least two protruding keys are arrayed adjacently. Each of the at least two protruding keys has a first side edge, a second side edge and a protrusion. The second side edge is opposite to the first side edge. The protrusion has a curved-convex surface, a first side surface and a second side surface. The curved-convex surface is getting protruding inwardly from the first side edge and the second side edge. The top end of the curved-convex surface has a crest line. The first side surface passes through the end points of the first side edge, the second side edge and the crest line in the same side. The second side surface is opposite to the first side surface. The key frame is used for carrying the at least two protruding keys. |
| US08049123B2 |
Computer input device and waterproof button mechanism thereof
A waterproof button mechanism of a computer input device has a bottom case having a coding module and at least two micro switches mounted therein and connected with the inner case. Two mounting holes are formed on a front end of the inner case to respectively correspond to the two micro switches on the bottom case. Two waterproof assemblies are respectively mounted on the two mounting holes. A top cover is mounted on the inner case. Two slots are formed through a front end of the top cover. A button is movably mounted in the slot and a front end of the button corresponds to the waterproof assembly. When the button is pressed down, the input device is operated by triggering the micro switches through the waterproof assembly. The waterproof mechanism is waterproof function to be added without sacrificing easy customization of appearance. |
| US08049119B2 |
Integrated circuit package having integrated faraday shield
A packaged integrated circuit (IC) (100) includes a first substrate (110) comprising a first plurality of layers and a first circuit coupling features (112) at an upper surface of the first substrate (110), the first plurality of layers including a first electromagnetic interference shielding layer (132). The packaged IC also includes a second substrate (106) having an upper surface attached to a lower surface of the first substrate (110) by an electrically conductive adhesive material (136). The second substrate (106) includes a second plurality of layers and a second circuit coupling feature (108) at a lower surface of the second substrate (106). The first plurality of layer includes a second EMI shielding layer (134). The packaged IC further includes a functional die (124) disposed between the first (110) and the second (106) substrates and functionally coupled to the first (112) and/or the second (108) circuit coupling features. In the packaged IC, the adhesive material (136) electrically couples the first (132) and the second (134) shielding layers. |
| US08049116B2 |
Circuit substrate and method for fabricating inductive circuit
A circuit substrate including a laminated layer, an embedded electronic device, at least a circuit structure, and a solder mask layer is provided. The embedded electronic device is disposed within the laminated layer. The circuit structure is disposed on a surface of the laminated layer and is connected between a reference plane and the embedded electronic device. In addition, the solder mask layer is disposed on the surface of the laminated layer and exposes a portion of the circuit structure. The circuit structure has a specific layout by which a circuit trace with an adjustable length can be formed by disconnecting or connecting the exposed portion of the circuit structure. |
| US08049111B2 |
Printed circuit board and method of manufacturing the same
A first insulating layer is formed on a suspension body. Wiring traces are formed in parallel at an interval on the first insulating layer. A second insulating layer is formed in a region on the first insulating layer on both sides of the wiring traces. A wiring trace is formed in a region on the second insulating layer on the side of the wiring trace. A wiring trace is formed in a region on the second insulating layer on the side of the wiring trace. A third insulating layer is formed on the first and second insulating layers to cover the wiring traces. |
| US08049110B2 |
Microelectronic device
A method of manufacturing a microelectronic device including imprinting a layer on a substrate with an imprinted pattern, the imprinted pattern defining a first anchor impression within the layer that includes a first base region positioned adjacent the layer and a first distal region positioned opposite the first base region, the first distal region defining a cross sectional area greater than a cross sectional area of the first base region, and the imprinted pattern defining a second anchor impression within the layer that includes a second base region positioned adjacent the layer and a second distal region positioned opposite the second base region, the second distal region defining a cross sectional area greater than a cross sectional area of the second base region and greater than a cross sectional area of the first distal region. |
| US08049109B2 |
Grommet for cables
A cable grommet system for installation in data centers, offices and the like, for sealing cable openings in raised flooring, wall or ceiling panels, server cabinets, etc. to facilitate the installation and revision of wiring and cabling to server installations while minimizing losses of any provided conditioned air. A wide variety of grommet configurations is possible with a limited number of component parts. An advantageous acute angle mounting of sealing brushes enhances the sealing effectiveness thereof, particularly for smaller sizes of cable openings. In some embodiments, a novel arrangement of electrical conductors is incorporated into the grommet structures for dissipation of electrostatic charges, enabling the basic frame components to be formed of a flame retardant material. |
| US08049108B2 |
High voltage bushing and high voltage device comprising such bushing
A high voltage bushing for a high voltage device containing insulating liquid includes a voltage grading shield, improving performance and facilitating manufacturing. |
| US08049107B2 |
Wall plate bracket
The wall plate bracket is for a high voltage outlet, and includes a wall plate having front and rear surfaces. The wall plate has an interior opening. A support housing has an inner surface and an interior region bounded by the inner surface. The support housing is connected to the rear surface such that the interior opening provides access to the interior region. The support housing is configured for support of the high voltage outlet within the interior region. A clamp is connected to the wall plate for securing the wall plate to a wall structure. The rear surface of the wall plate may have a rib to limit the clearance between the support housing and rear surface. Alternatively, the clearance may be limited by a recess in the rear surface in which a mounting tab of the support housing is located. |
| US08049105B2 |
Porous electrodes, devices including the porous electrodes, and methods for their production
Disclosed is a porous electrode comprising a porous film (A) with through pores and an electrically conducting material selected from the group consisting of conductor and semiconductor, the porous film (A) having an average pore size d1 of from 0.02 to 3 μm and a porosity of from 40 to 90%, the electrically conducting material being filled in the through pores of the porous film (A). A dye-sensitized solar cell and an electric double layer capacitor including the porous electrode as a constituent are also disclosed. |
| US08049100B2 |
Multijunction rare earth solar cell
Examples of device structures utilizing layers of rare earth oxides to perform the tasks of strain engineering in transitioning between semiconductor layers of different composition and/or lattice orientation and size are given. A structure comprising a plurality of semiconductor layers separated by transition layer(s) comprising two or more rare earth compounds operable as a sink for structural defects is disclosed. |
| US08049090B1 |
Apparatus and method for actuating keyboard mechanisms and evaluating their mechanical properties and stroke characteristics
New parameters (Down Force, Up Force, Balance Force, and Average Friction) are defined for evaluating important “stroke characteristics” of individual key actions of one or more pianos or keyboards, describing exactly how these parameters are to be tested, measured and determined. The new parameters are designed to replace the prior art parameters of Down Weight, Up Weight, Balance Weight and Friction. Various methods, means and apparatus are disclosed for accurately testing, measuring and determining these new parameters, with the capability of performing thousands of measurements—on thousands of different key mechanisms—in a short amount of time. |
| US08049081B2 |
Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH872467
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH872467. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH872467, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH872467 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH872467. |
| US08049080B1 |
Maize variety PHPAR
A novel maize variety designated PHPAR and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PHPAR with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PHPAR through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PHPAR or a trait conversion of PHPAR with another maize variety. Inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHPAR, methods for producing other inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHPAR and the inbred maize varieties and their parts derived by the use of those methods. |
| US08049077B2 |
Sweet pepper line SBR28-1244
The invention provides seed and plants of the pepper line designated SBR28-1244. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of pepper line SBR28-1244, and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing a plant of pepper line SBR28-1244 with itself or with another pepper plant, such as a plant of another line. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of a plant of pepper line SBR28-1244, including the fruit and gametes of such plants. |
| US08049076B2 |
Garden bean SB4348
A novel garden bean cultivar, designated SB4348, is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of garden bean cultivar SB4348, to the plants of garden bean line SB4348 and to methods for producing a garden bean plant by crossing the cultivar SB4348 with itself or another garden bean line. The invention further relates to methods for producing a garden bean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other garden bean lines derived from the cultivar SB4348. |
| US08049070B2 |
Delta-5 desaturase and its use in making polyunsaturated fatty acids
Isolated nucleic acid fragments and recombinant constructs comprising such fragments encoding delta-5 desaturase along with a method of making long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) using this delta-5 desaturase in plants and oleaginous yeast are disclosed. |
| US08049068B2 |
Nucleotide sequences and polypeptides encoded thereby for enhancing plant drought tolerance
Isolated polynucleotides and polypeptides encoded thereby are described, together with the use of those products for making transgenic plants with increased tolerance to abiotic stress (e.g., high or low temperature, drought, flood). |
| US08049067B2 |
Organogenic transformation and regeneration
This invention provides methods of transforming organogenic plant cells and regenerating plants from transformed cells. |
| US08049064B2 |
Method for producing polyunsaturated C20- and C22-fatty acids with at least four double bonds in transgenic plants
The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in transgenic plants, by introducing, into the plant, the nucleic acids which code for polypeptides with Δ6-desaturase, Δ6-elongase, a Δ5-desaturase, Δ5-elongase, Δ4-desaturase, Δ12-desaturase and/or ω3-desaturase activity. These desaturases and elongases are advantageously derived from Phytophthora sojae. The invention furthermore relates to the nucleic acid sequence, nucleic acid constructs, vectors and organisms comprising the nucleic acid sequences according to the invention, vectors comprising the nucleic acid sequence and/or the nucleic acid constructs and to transgenic plants comprising the abovementioned nucleic acid sequence, nucleic acid constructs and/or vectors. A further part of the invention relates to fatty acid compositions produced by the process according to the invention and to their use. |
| US08049057B2 |
Reinforced closure anchor
A reinforced closure anchor includes a fabric layer having an adhesive side, an opposite non-adhesive side, and an outer edge. An anchor member layer having a reinforcing structure is disposed on the fabric layer. The anchor member is adhered to the fabric layer adhesive side. The anchor member is disposed within the outer edge of the fabric layer. |
| US08049055B2 |
Process and device for separation in a simulated moving bed with a bypass fluid flow rate that is not regulated automatically
Process for separation of a feedstock F by adsorption in a simulated moving bed in an SMB device that comprises a zone 1 for desorption of compounds produced by extraction, a zone 2 for desorption of compounds produced with a raffinate, a zone 3 for adsorption of compounds produced by extraction, and a zone 4 that is located between the draw-off of the raffinate and the supply of the desorbent,whereby the device comprises external bypass lines Li/i+1 directly joining two successive plates Pi, Pi+, that are equipped with non-automated means for adjusting flow rate and closing means, in which the degree of opening of the restriction means of the scavenging flow rate of the bypass lines Li/i+1 is adjusted so as to obtain the best performance of the SMB. |
| US08049049B2 |
Method of upgrading biomass, upgraded biomass, biomass water slurry and method of producing same, upgraded biomass gas, and method of gasifying biomass
This method of upgrading a biomass comprises: an upgrading step for performing upgrading treatment of a cellulose based biomass with an oxygen/carbon atomic ratio of at least 0.5, in presence of water and under a pressure of at least saturated water vapor pressure, and reducing said oxygen/carbon atomic ratio of said biomass to no more than 0.38, and a separation step for separating an upgraded reactant obtained from said upgrading step into a solid component and a liquid component. |
| US08049048B2 |
Renewable engine fuel
The present invention provides fully renewable engine fuels derived completely from biomass sources. In one embodiment the fully renewable engine fuel is comprised of one or more low carbon number esters, one or more pentosan-derivable furans, one or more aromatic hydrocarbon, one or more C4-C10 straight chain alkanes derivable from polysaccharides, and one or more bio-oils. In addition, the fuel may contain triethanolamine. Such a lower octane renewable fuel may be utilized, for example, in automobile fuel, 100 LL aviation fuel applications, and turbine engine applications. These ethanol-based, fully renewable fuels may be formulated to have a wide range of octane values and energy, and may effectively be used to replace 100 LL aviation fuel (known as AvGas), as well as high octane, rocket, diesel, and turbine engine fuels. In another embodiment, there is provided a synthetic high octane aviation fuel comprising isopentane and mesitylene, and process of producing same from a biomass. |
| US08049042B2 |
Resist polymer, resist composition, process for pattern formation, and starting compounds for production of the resist polymer
To provide a resist polymer comprising, as a structural unit, an acid-decomposable unit having a structure represented by formula (1) or (2) which exhibits a small line edge roughness and produces little defects in DUV excimer laser lithography or the like. In formulas (1) and (2), n represents an integer of 2 to 24; J represents a single bond or a divalent hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent/heteroatom when n=2, or represents an n-valent hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent/heteroatom when n≧3; E represents a residue of a polymerization terminator, a chain transfer agent or a polymerization initiator; K1 and K2 each represent at least one selected from alkylene, cycloalkylene, oxyalkylene, arylene, a divalent thiazoline ring, a divalent oxazoline ring and a divalent imidazoline ring; L1 and L2 each represent at least one selected from —C(O)O—, —C(O)— and —OC(O)—; M1, M2 and M3 each represent at least one selected from alkylene, cycloalkylene, oxyalkylene and arylene; Y, Y1 and Y2 each represent an acid-decomposable linkage; k1, k2, l1, l2, m1, m2, and m3 each represent 0 or 1; and R1 represents H or a methyl group. |
| US08049040B2 |
Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene phosphate composition
Fluorophosphate containing an ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene moiety of formula (I) or (II): (A)w-P(O)(O−M+)3-w (I) or wherein A is Rf—(CH2)k—[(CF2CF2)y—(CH2CH2)z]mO and contains from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms; Rf is CnF2n+1; n and k are each independently 1 to about 6; y, z, and m are each independently 1, 2, 3, or mixture thereof; w is 1 or 2 or a mixture thereof; and M is hydrogen, ammonium ion, an alkali metal ion, or an alkanolammonium ion, said fluorophosphate useful as a surfactant for altering the surface behavior of a liquid by addition thereto, and for providing surface effects to a substrate treated with a composition containing the fluorophosphate. |
| US08049035B2 |
Crystalline potassium salt of lipoxin A4 analogs
This invention is directed to the crystalline potassium salt of a lipoxin A4 analog of Formula (I): processes for preparing the crystalline potassium salts, methods for using them to treat disease-states characterized by inflammation, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising such crystalline potassium salts. |
| US08049033B2 |
Dendrimer solid acid and polymer electrolyte membrane including the same
Provided are a dendrimer solid acid and a polymer electrolyte membrane using the same. The polymer electrolyte membrane includes a macromolecule of a dendrimer solid acid having ionically conductive terminal groups at the surface thereof and a minimum amount of ionically conductive terminal groups required for ionic conduction, thus suppressing swelling and allowing a uniform distribution of the dendrimer solid acid, thereby improving ionic conductivity. Since the number of ionically conductive terminal groups in the polymer electrolyte membrane is minimized and the polymer matrix in which swelling is suppressed is used, methanol crossover and difficulties of outflow due to a large volume may be reduced, and a macromolecule of the dendrimer solid acid having the ionically conductive terminal groups on the surface thereof is uniformly distributed. Accordingly, ionic conductivity is high and thus, the polymer electrolyte membrane shows good ionic conductivity even in non-humidified conditions. |
| US08049029B2 |
Process for preparing 2-amino-5-cyanobenzoic acid derivatives
Disclosed is a method for preparing a compound of Formula 1 comprising contacting a compound of Formula 2 with a metal cyanide reagent, a copper(I) salt reagent, an iodide salt reagent and at least one compound of Formula 3 wherein R1 is NHR3 or OR4; R2 is CH3 or Cl; R3 is H, C1-C4 alkyl, cyclopropyl, cyclopropylcyclopropyl, cyclopropylmethyl or methylcyclopropyl; R4 is H or C1-C4 alkyl; Y is Br or Cl; X is NR13 or O; n is 0 or 1; and R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, R12 and R13 are as defined in the disclosure. Also disclosed is a method for preparing a compound of Formula 2 wherein Y is Br and R1 is NHR3 comprising introducing a gas containing bromine into a liquid containing a compound of Formula 4, and further disclosed is a method for preparing a compound of Formula 5 wherein R14, R15, R16 and Z are as defined in the disclosure using a compound of Formula 1 characterized by preparing the compound of Formula 1 by the method disclosed above. |
| US08049020B2 |
Substituted N -acyl homoserine lactones
The substituted N-acyl homoserine lactones have the formula (I) wherein R is a saturated or unsaturated straight chain or branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbyl group containing from 5 to 14 carbon atoms; R2 is H or a 1-4C alkyl group; R3 is H or F; and any enantiomer thereof. These compounds exhibit immunosuppressant activity while exhibiting reduced biosensor (autoinducer) activity compared to known N-acyl homoserine lactones. |
| US08049011B2 |
Process for the preparation of levocetirizine and intermediates thereof
The present invention describes a novel process for the preparation of levocetirizine and pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof using diglycolic acid or derivatives thereof and new intermediates used in that process. |
| US08049006B2 |
7-membered ring compound and method of production and pharmaceutical application thereof
A 7-membered heterocyclic compound having the formula (I), or its salt, or a solvate thereof with a chymase inhibitory action and useful for the prevention or treatment of various diseases, in which chymase is involved: a method for producing the same, and a pharmaceutical composition useful for the prevention or treatment of diseases, in which chymase is involved, including the compound of having the formula (I), or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, or a solvate thereof are provided. |
| US08049005B2 |
Substituted tetrahydropyrazolo-pyrido-azepine compounds
The present invention relates to substituted tetrahydropyrazolo-pyrido-azepine compounds and methods of synthesizing these compounds. The present invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing substituted tetrahydropyrazolo-pyrido-azepine compounds and methods of treating cell proliferative disorders, such as cancer, by administering these compounds and pharmaceutical compositions to subjects in need thereof. |
| US08049003B2 |
Sulfoalkyl ether cyclodextrin compositions and methods of preparation thereof
A particulate SAE-CD composition is provided. The SAE-CD composition has an advantageous combination of physical properties not found in known solid forms of SAE-CD. In particular, the SAE-CD composition possesses an advantageous physicochemical and morphological property profile such that it can be tailored to particular uses. The SAE-CD composition of the invention has improved flow and dissolution performance as compared to known compositions of SAE-CD. |
| US08049000B2 |
Early endosperm promoter eep2
This invention relates generally to the field of plant molecular biology. More specifically, this invention relates to methods and reagents for the temporally- and/or spatially-regulated expression of genes, particularly in plant seeds and related female reproductive tissue. Compositions comprise novel nucleotide sequences for a seed-preferred promoter known as eep2. A method for expressing a heterologous nucleotide sequence in a plant using the promoter sequences disclosed herein is provided. The method comprises transforming a plant cell to comprise a heterologous nucleotide sequence operably linked to one of the promoters of the present invention and regenerating a stably transformed plant from the transformed plant cell. |
| US08048991B2 |
Antibody to an integrin heterodimer and/or a subunit thereof
A recombinant or isolated integrin heterodimer comprising a novel subunit α10 in association with a subunit β is described. The α10 integrin may be purified from bovine chondrocytes on a collagen-type-II affinity column. The integrin or the subunit of α10 can be used as a marker or target of all types of cells, e.g. of chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and fibroblasts. The integrin or the subunit α10 thereof can be used as a marker or target in different physiological or therapeutic methods. They can also be used as active ingredients in pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines. |
| US08048990B2 |
Modified vitamin K-dependent polypeptides
The invention provides vitamin K-dependent polypeptides with enhanced membrane binding affinity. These polypeptides can be used to modulate clot formation in mammals. Methods of modulating clot formation in mammals are also described. |
| US08048989B2 |
Biodegradable biopolymers, method for their preparation and functional materials constituted by these biopolymers
A biodegradable biopolymer material consists of silk fibroin from domesticated silkworm; silk fibroin from wild silkworm; a composite material comprising silk fibroin from domesticated silkworm and silk fibroin from wild silkworm; or a composite material comprising either silk fibroin from domesticated silkworm or silk fibroin from wild silkworm and at least one secondary substance selected from the group consisting of cellulose, chitin, chitosan, chitosan derivatives, keratin from wool and polyvinyl alcohol. The material may be prepared by, for instance, casting an aqueous solution of domesticated silkworm silk fibroin on the surface of a substrate and then cast drying the applied solution. The biodegradable biopolymer material is effectively used as, for instance, a metal ion-adsorbing material, a sustained release substrate for a useful substance such as a medicine, a biological cell-growth substrate and a biodegradable water-absorbing material. |
| US08048987B2 |
Polypeptides having DNA polymerase activity
A polypeptide having a high fidelity DNA polymerase activity and thus being useful as a genetic engineering reagent; a gene encoding this polypeptide; a method of producing the polypeptide; and a method of amplifying a nucleic acid by using the polypeptide. |
| US08048986B2 |
Reversed mammalian protein-protein interaction trap
The invention relates to a recombinant receptor, comprising a ligand-binding domain and a signaling domain that comprises a heterologous bait polypeptide, which receptor is inactivated by binding of a prey polypeptide to the heterologous bait peptide, either in presence or absence of a ligand binding to the ligand-binding domain. The receptor is activated by addition of a compound that disrupts the bait-prey interaction. The invention also relates to a method of screening compounds that disrupt compound-compound binding using the recombinant receptor. |
| US08048985B2 |
Diphtheria toxin variant
The present invention relates to methods and compositions of modified variants of diphtheria toxin (DT) that reduce binding to vascular endothelium or vascular endothelial cells, and therefore, reduce the incidence of Vascular Leak Syndrome. One aspect of the present invention relates to a polypeptide toxophore from a modified DT, wherein the mutation is the substitution or deletion at least one amino acid residue at the amino acid residues 6-8, 28-30 or 289-291 of native DT. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a fusion protein which comprises a modified DT and a non-DT fragment. Another aspect of the present invention relates to the use of modified DT for the treatment of cancer. |
| US08048984B2 |
Human GIL-19/AE289 proteins
Novel human GIL-19/AE289 protein is disclosed which shows a high degree of homology to interleukin-10 (IL-10). Polynucleotides encoding such protein are also enclosed. |
| US08048978B2 |
Silphenylene compound and process for producing the same
The present invention relates to a silphenylene compound represented by the following formula (1): in which R1 to R4 each independently represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and R5 and R6 each independently represents a divalent hydrocarbon group having 2 to 8 carbon atoms. The silphenylene compound of the present invention is useful as a flexible printed wiring board material, a passivation film for IC chips, and a panel material for liquid crystals. |
| US08048977B2 |
Organosilicon polymers
The present invention is directed to compositions and processes that are useful in making organosilicon polymers, including cross-linked organosilicon networks. The invention is also directed to articles that incorporate the cross-linked organosilicon networks. |
| US08048976B2 |
Polyfarnesenes
Provided herein are polyfarnesenes such as farnesene homopolymers derived from a farnesene and farnesene interpolymers derived from a farnesene and at least a vinyl monomer; and the processes of making and using the polyfarnesenes. The farnesene homopolymer can be prepared by polymerizing the farnesene in the presence of a catalyst. In some embodiments, the farnesene is prepared from a sugar by using a microorganism. |
| US08048974B2 |
Initiators for optical coating formulations with reduced yellowness
The invention relates to a acrylated-based optical coating composition containing an organic peroxide initiator which presents a low yellowness level. The initiator has a range of free radical energy that is below a predetermined level. The cure process is controlled by the use a catalyst and a low energy initiator to avoid deleterious reactions that can increase yellowness. The composition is well suited to be applied to a lens and cured in the mold to form a coating with reduced yellowness having high adhesion and abrasion-resistant properties. A dye can be introduced into the composition to form a tinted lens. |
| US08048967B2 |
Method for preparing nylon microspheres and nylon microspheres prepared thereby
A method for preparing nylon microspheres is provided, said method comprising steps (1), (2) and (3) or steps (1′), (2) and (3) as follows: (1) a radically polymerizable monomer is dispersed in a molten lactam monomer, and a free radical initiator is added, so that radical polymerization of the radically polymerizable monomer is carried out, to give a mixture of a free radical polymer and the lactam monomer; or (1′) a mixture of a free radical polymer and a molten lactam monomer is provided; and (2) an initiator and an activator, used for anionic ring-opening polymerization of the lactam monomer, are added to the mixture obtained in step (1) wherein the remaining radically polymerizable monomer and water are removed, or to the mixture obtained in step (1′), so that the anionic ring-opening polymerization of the lactam is carried out to give a polymer alloy of the free radical polymer/polyamide; and (3) the free radical polymer in the polymer alloy obtained in step (2) is removed by dissolution, giving nylon microspheres. Nylon microspheres are also provided, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the nylon lies in the range of 10000-300000, and the particle size of the nylon microspheres lies in the range of 0.1-500 μm. |
| US08048966B2 |
Use of a kinked rigid-rod polyarylene
Use of a kinked rigid-rod polyarylene of a particular type for its fire resistance properties. |
| US08048964B2 |
Crosslinking agent
In order to make available a crosslinking agent for ethylene acrylate (AEM) and polyacrylate (ACM) elastomers, which is equivalent to the crosslinking agents containing guanidine that have been used until now, but which does without the teratogenically acting guanidines which are toxologically hazardous, it is proposed that the crosslinking agent for diaminically crosslinkable AEM and ACM elastomers comprise a diamine crosslinker, an accelerator selected from 1,8-diazabicyclo-5,4,0-undec-7-ene (DBU), derivatives and salts thereof, and a moderator of the pyrrolidone type. |
| US08048962B2 |
Resin composition, and film, sheet or laminate comprising the same resin composition
A resin composition comprising at least one copolymer (A) selected from an ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid copolymer (A1) and an ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/(meth)acrylic acid ester copolymer (A2), and a polyethylene (B), wherein when the total amount of (A) and (B) in the resin composition is set to be 100% by weight, the content of (A) is less than 100 to 46% by weight, the content of (B) is in excess of 0 but not larger than 54% by weight, and (A) contains 0.1 to 5% by weight of a (meth)acrylic acid unit. There are thus provided a resin composition comprising an ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid bicopolymer or an ethylene/(meth)acrylic acid/(meth)acrylic acid ester tercopolymer and a polyethylene, as well as a film or a sheet made from the resin or the resin composition, and a laminate thereof featuring high-speed workability in the extrusion lamination working, particularly excellent adhesiveness to the polar base materials, adhering little in the extrusion-molding machine, without requiring the use of a purging agent and/or a purging resin at the time of changing the kind of the resin or changing the colored lot of the resin, or requiring the purging agent and/or the purging resin in conspicuously small amounts if they are used. |
| US08048958B2 |
Golf ball
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball comprising a core and a cover, wherein the cover is made from a cover composition containing, as a resin component, a thermoplastic polyurethane (A) and a polyisocyanate mixture (B) in which a polyisocyanate (b-1) having at least three isocyanate groups is dispersed in a thermoplastic resin (b-2) which does not substantially react with an isocyanate group; and wherein the cover composition has a slab hardness of more than 60 and not more than 75 in Shore D hardness, and the cover has the thickness of 2.5 mm or less. |
| US08048957B2 |
Modifier for polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene blends
Disclosed is a composition comprising a blend and a modifier in which the blend comprises polycarbonate and acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene terpolymer and 15 weight % or less of a modifier wherein the modifier comprises an ethylene ester copolymer and either an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene block copolymer or a core-shell polymer. Also disclosed are shaped articles prepared from the composition. |
| US08048955B2 |
Aromatic polycarbonate molded article and resin composition
A polycarbonate thin molded article containing a resin composition, the resin composition containing: 100 parts by weight of a resin (A), the resin (A) being an aromatic polycarbonate or a resin mainly containing an aromatic polycarbonate;0.1 to 200 parts by weight of an inorganic compound (B); 0.001 to 10 parts by weight of at least one compound (C) selected from an organic acidic compound and an organic acidic compound derivative; and 0.001 to 1 part by weight of at least one metal salt (D) selected from an organic acid alkali metal salt and an organic acid alkaline earth metal salt, a part corresponding to at least 50% of the surface area of the polycarbonate thin molded article having a thickness of less than 0.7 mm, and a shrinkage ratio S1(%) in a molding flow direction of the polycarbonate thin molded article upon its being left under an atmosphere of 170° C. for 30 minutes satisfying the following formula (1): −60 |
| US08048954B2 |
Non-ionically hydrophilised binding-agent disperisions
The present invention relates to aqueous non-ionically hydrophilised binding-agent dispersions based on polyurethane ureas with terminal polyethylene-oxide groups, to the preparation thereof, and to the use thereof for producing coatings. |
| US08048949B1 |
Composite repair resins containing minimal hazardous air pollutants and volatile organic compound
The present invention relates to a composition and method for fabricating composite resins that produce either reduced or zero volatile organic compound (VOC) and zero hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions. The non-volatile reactive diluents of the composite resin, fatty acid monomers, enhance the stability, shelf-life, flexibility and strength of the composite resin. The resins incorporating fatty acid monomers may be used to repair military equipment or for any commercial repair purposes. |
| US08048948B2 |
Filler-dispersed melt-kneaded products, molded resin products thereof, and production method thereof
A melt-kneading method for filling material-containing resin or elastomer includes: a step of preparing a filling material as a filler and a resin or elastomer comprising an incompatible blend; and a step of introducing the filling material-containing resin or elastomer into a material feed part provided at an end of a cylindrical melt-kneading part having a heater and provided with a screw, and then melt-kneading the filling material-containing resin or elastomer under conditions where the rotation speed of the screw is about 600 rpm to about 3,000 rpm and its shear rate is about 900 to about 4,500 sec−1, thereby forming a co-continuous structure comprising the incompatible blend. |
| US08048946B2 |
Hydrolytically stable phosphite compositions
Hydrolytically stable phosphites as secondary antioxidants for polymer resins comprising a phosphite and an amine compound. The phosphite may be a liquid phosphite composition. The amine compound may have the structure of formula I: wherein x is 1, 2 or 3; R1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, and straight or branched C1-C6 alkyl, and R2 is selected from the group consisting of straight or branched C1-C30 alkyl. |
| US08048944B2 |
Polyamide resin composition
The present invention provides a polyamide resin composition comprising a polyamide resin (A), a melamine cyanurate-based flame retardant (B) and a surfactant (C), wherein the polyamide resin composition comprises 100 parts by mass of the total of 60 to 75% by mass of the polyamide resin (A) comprising at least one or more polyamide resin (A1) having a melting point of 255 to 270° C. and 25 to 40% by mass of the melamine cyanurate-based flame retardant (B), and 0.1 to 1.0 part by mass of the surfactant (C) comprising at least one or more fatty acid ester of a polyalkylene polyhydric alcohol, and wherein the melamine cyanurate-based flame retardant (B) dispersed in the polyamide resin composition has an average dispersion particle diameter of 1 to 20 μm. |
| US08048942B2 |
Process for the production of a superabsorbent polymer
The present invention relates to a process for the production of a superabsorbent polymer comprising preparing an aqueous mixture of monomers selected to provide after polymerization a superabsorbent polymer; feeding said monomer mixture to a reactor; subjecting the aqueous monomer mixture in the reactor to free-radical polymerization to obtain a superabsorbent polymer gel; removing the superabsorbent polymer from the reactor; and working-up the superabsorbent polymer removed from the reactor to obtain a final product, whereby a basic aqueous medium comprising carbonate and/or hydrogen carbonate is fed to the superabsorbent polymer gel. |
| US08048940B2 |
Reactive graphitic carbon nanofiber reinforced polymeric composites showing enhanced flexural strength
Composites comprising at least one graphite-carbon nanofiber (GCNF) and a polymer phase covalently linked to a surface thereof. |
| US08048938B2 |
Reflective film for thermal control
A reflective film includes a polymeric layer and a reflective component. The polymeric layer includes a polyimide polymer, where the polyimide polymer has a backbone with at least one non-terminal phenyl group. A linkage is connected to the non-terminal phenyl group, where the linkage can be an amide linkage or an ester linkage. An oligomeric silsesquioxane compound is connected to the linkage through an organic substituent, where the oligomeric silsesquioxane is not incorporated into the polymer backbone. |
| US08048937B2 |
Radiation-curable aqueous polyurethane dispersions
The present invention relates to UV-curable polyurethane dispersions, to a process for preparing them, and to their use. |
| US08048931B2 |
Emulsifier containing thermally exfoliated graphite oxide
An emulsifier containing a modified graphite oxide material, which is a thermally exfoliated graphite oxide with a surface area of from about 300 m2/g to 2600 m2/g. |
| US08048925B2 |
Bis(thio-hydrazide amide) salts for treatment of cancers
Disclosed are bis(thio-hydrazide amide) disalts, which are represented by Structural Formula (I): Y is a covalent bond or a substituted or unsubstituted straight chained hydrocarbyl group. R1-R4 are independently —H, an aliphatic group, a substituted aliphatic group, an aryl group or a substituted aryl group, or R1 and R3 taken together with the carbon and nitrogen atoms to which they are bonded, and/or R2 and R4 taken together with the carbon and nitrogen atoms to which they are bonded, form a non-aromatic heterocyclic ring optionally fused to an aromatic ring. Z is —O or —S. M+ is a pharmaceutically acceptable monovalent cation and M2+ is a pharmaceutically acceptable divalent cation.Also, disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising a bis(thio-hydrazide amide) disalt described above. Further disclosed are methods of treating a subject with cancer. The methods comprise the step of administering an effective amount of a bis(thio-hydrazide amide) disalt described above. |
| US08048924B2 |
Methods and compositions employing 4-aminophenylacetic acid compounds
The invention provides compositions comprising 4-APAA compounds and methods for treating disorders involving inflammation of the intestinal system, such as inflammatory bowel disease. The methods and compositions of the invention also include combinations of 4-APAA compounds and 5-ASA compounds for treatment of such disorders. |
| US08048919B2 |
Use of ethyl lactate as an excipient for pharmaceutical compositions
This invention is based upon the unexpected discovery that ethyl lactate can be used as an emulsifying/dispersing excipient for numerous biologically active compounds without destroying the pharmacological activity of the active ingredient. Ethyl lactate proves to be an extremely effective agent for solubilizing biologically active compounds that are difficult to solubilize in conventional excipients. The operability of this invention is predicated on the necessity for the ethyl lactate to be essentially free of peroxide compounds. Such pharmaceutical grade ethyl lactate can be made by reducing the level of peroxide compounds in high purity ethyl lactate by hydrogenation, reduction with a non-catalytic chemical reducing agent, absorption into activated carbon or alumina, or distillation. In any case, it has been determined to be critical for the level of peroxide compounds to be reduced to less than 10 ppm for the pharmaceutical grade ethyl lactate to be viable as an excipient for many biologically active ingredients. The present invention more specifically discloses a pharmaceutical composition which is comprised of a biologically active ingredient wherein said biologically active ingredient is dispersed in ethyl lactate and wherein said ethyl lactate contains no more than 10 ppm of peroxidic materials and maintains a Gardner 1 color rating throughout its shelf-life period. |
| US08048918B2 |
Treatment of hyperproliferative diseases
We describe methods and compositions for treating a patient suffering from a hyperproliferative disorder or photoageing. Our methods involve blocking the activity of a retinol binding protein receptor (RBPr) in cells of the patient, and/or administering to the patient an antagonist of a retinol binding protein receptor (RBPr) and/or lowering the endogenous level of retinoic acid (RA) in cells of said patient. |
| US08048916B2 |
Ester compound and use thereof
A compound represented by the formula (I): has an excellent pest controlling activity and therefore is useful for an effective ingredient of a pest control composition. |
| US08048914B2 |
Methods for isolation of triptolide compounds from Tripterygium wilfordii
Methods for extraction, isolation, and purification of therapeutically useful compounds from Tripterygium wilfordii are described. Extraction steps employing aqueous base and a hydrocarbon solvent, respectively, are found to increase the efficiency of the process and reduce the amount of material that must be removed by chromatography. |
| US08048912B2 |
Benzopyran derivatives having inhibitory activities against liver fibrosis and cirrhosis and their pharmaceutical uses
The present invention relates to a novel benzopyran derivative having goodantagonistic activity on TGF-β receptor which can be effectively used as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent for liver disease as well as several fibroplasiadiseases such as hepatic fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, pulmonary fibrosis, dermatosclerosis, glomerular fibrosis and the like; and a pharmaceutical use thereof. |
| US08048911B2 |
Melanin eliminator preparation
A melanin eliminator preparation comprising a metal chelate compound represented by the following formula (I), wherein M denotes a metal, and R denotes hydroxyl, O-lower alkyl, an amine bonded at N, an amino acid bonded at N, or a peptide bonded at N, or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof. |
| US08048907B2 |
Receptor antagonists and their methods of use
The present invention relates to novel oxo-prolinamide derivatives of formula (I) which modulate P2X7 receptor function and are capable of antagonizing the effects of ATP at the P2X7 receptor and the use of such compounds or pharmaceutical compositions thereof in the treatment of disorders mediated by the P2X7 receptor, for example pain, inflammation and neurodegeneration. |
| US08048902B2 |
Antagonists of lysophosphatidic acid receptors
Described herein are compounds that are antagonists of lysophosphatidic receptor(s). Also described are pharmaceutical compositions and medicaments that include the compounds described herein, as well as methods of using such antagonists, alone and in combination with other compounds, for treating LPA-dependent or LPA-mediated conditions or diseases. |
| US08048901B2 |
1,3-substituted cycloalkyl derivatives having acidic, mostly heterocyclic groups, processes for their preparation and their use as pharmaceuticals
The invention relates to 1,3-substituted cycloalkyl derivatives having acidic, mostly heterocyclic groups and to their physiologically acceptable salts and physiologically functional derivatives.What is described are compounds of the formula I, in which the radicals are as defined, and their physiologically acceptable salts and processes for their preparation. The compounds are suitable for the treatment and/or prevention of disorders of fatty acid metabolism and glucose utilization disorders as well as of disorders in which insulin resistance is involved. |
| US08048900B2 |
Use of 15-lipoxygenase inhibitors for treating obesity
The invention concerns the treatment of obesity, in particular abdominal visceral obesity. More specifically, the invention concerns the use of selective 15-lipoxygenase (LO) inhibitors for preparing medicines useful in the treatment of obesity, or at least abdominal visceral obesity, and/or its consequences. |
| US08048896B2 |
Methods for inhibiting and breaking AGE complex formation
Various methods of administering medication(s) that inhibit the nonenzymatic formation of glycation and dehydration condensation complexes known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) or modulate the advanced glycation end-product receptor (RAGE) are provided. |
| US08048895B2 |
Kappa opioid receptor ligands
Kappa opioid receptor antagonists are provided that yield significant improvements in functional binding assays to kappa opioid receptors, and the use of these antagonists in treatment of disease states that are ameliorated by binding of the kappa opioid receptor such as heroin or cocaine addictions. |
| US08048894B2 |
Quinolones and azaquinolones that inhibit prolyl hydroxylase
Compounds of Formula I are useful inhibitors of HIF prolyl hydroxylases. Compounds of Formula I have the following structure: where the definitions of the variables are provided herein. |
| US08048888B2 |
Anti-proliferative combination therapy using certain platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents and EGFR inhibitors or pyrimidine analogues
The present invention describes a method or uses of prevention and/or treatment of a cancer or a tumor, and in particular to a combination therapy, methods, compositions and pharmaceutical packages comprising an inhibitor of receptors of the EGFR family or a chemotherapeutically active pyrimidine analogue and certain platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents. |
| US08048886B2 |
Substituted pyrazine-3-one-derivatives as IAP inhibitors
The present invention relates to novel IAP inhibitor compounds of formula I: |
| US08048884B2 |
Substituted piperazinyl pyrazines and pyridines as 5-HT7 receptor antagonists
The present invention provides selective 5-HT7 receptor antagonist compounds of Formula I and their use in the treatment of migraine: where A is —C(H)═ or —N═; m is 0, 1 or 2; R1 is optionally substituted phenyl, optionally substituted pyrazol-4-yl; optionally substituted imidazolyl, optionally substituted pyridyl, or thienyl; R2 is hydrogen or methyl; and R3 and R4 are as defined herein. |
| US08048878B2 |
Two cyclic cinnamide compound
The present invention relates to a novel two cyclic cinnamide compound and a pharmaceutical agent comprising the compound as an active ingredient. The two cyclic cinnamide compound represented by the general formula (I): wherein represents a single bond or a double bond; Ar1 represents a phenyl group or pyridinyl group that may be substituted with 1 to 3 substituents; R1 and R2 each represent a C1-6 alkyl group, a hydroxyl group, or the like; Z1 represents a methylene group or vinylene group, which may be substituted with 1 or 2 substituents selected from Substituent Group A1, an oxygen atom, or an imino group that may be substituted with a substituent selected from Substituent Group A1; and p, q, and r each represent an integer of 0 to 2, which has an effect of reducing Aβ40 and Aβ42 production, and thus is particularly useful as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for a neurodegenerative disease caused by Aβ such as Alzheimer's disease or Down's syndrome. |
| US08048876B2 |
Process for preparing quetiapine and quetiapine fumarate
The invention comprises a process for preparing quetiapine and/or its salts, including, quetiapine fumarate. The process generally comprises reacting dibenzothiazepinone (dibenzo[bf][1,4]thiazepin-11(10H)-one) with phosphorous oxychloride in the presence of triethylamine in an aromatic organic solvent such as toluene or, preferably, xylene at reflux temperature to obtain an aromatic hydrocarbon solution of 11-chloro-dibenzo[bf][1,4]thiazepine. Thereafter, the 11-chloro-dibenzo[bf][1,4]thiazepine is reacted with 2-(2-piperazin-1-ylethoxy)-ethanol to yield, following several processing steps, quetiapine. Compound I can then be further reacted with fumaric acid at elevated temperature to yield quetiapine fumarate. The resulting quetiapine fumarate obtained is suitable for use in pharmaceutical preparations. |
| US08048875B1 |
Topical pharmaceutical composition comprising a cholinergic agent or a calcium channel blocker
Bethanechol, diltiazem, or a combination thereof is administered locally to the anus for the treatment of benign anal disorders, in particular anal fissures and hemorrhoids. The agents induce a reduction in the mean and resting pressure, thereby assisting in the healing of the anal fissures and hemorrhoids. |
| US08048872B2 |
Treatment of hyperproliferative diseases with vinca alkaloid N-oxide and analogs
The present invention relates to vinca alkaloid and analog N-oxides having activity for treating hyperproliferative disorders. Further, the invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions and methods of using vinca alkaloid and analog N-oxides, alone or in combination with one or more other active agents or treatments, to treat hyperproliferative disorders. |
| US08048863B2 |
RNAi-mediated inhibition of spleen tyrosine kinase-related inflammatory conditions
RNA interference is provided for inhibition of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) mRNA expression, in particular, for treating patients having a Syk-related inflammatory condition or at risk of developing a Syk-related inflammatory condition such as allergic conjunctivitis, ocular inflammation, dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma, allergy, or mast-cell disease. |
| US08048857B2 |
Flowable carrier compositions and methods of use
A composition is provided for faster bone repair and early orthopedic implant fixation. The composition comprises an osteoinductive or osteopromotive biological factor embedded in a carrier slurry. The slurry is prepared by wetting a biodegradable polymer and calcium phosphate particles with a biocompatible fluid. The composition may be applied to the site of the bone fracture, to an orthopedic implant or to both during the surgical procedure. The composition utilizes low dosages of the biological factor and, therefore, is cost effective to be used routinely. |
| US08048855B1 |
Method for suppressing graft-versus-host-disease
A method for effectively suppressing GVHD, which occurs after peripheral blood stem cells allotransplantation, without causing marked side effects, and a pharmaceutical composition intended for this purpose and containing human G-CSF as an active ingredient. GVHD can be suppressed by administering human G-CSF to a transplantation recipient after peripheral blood stem cells transplantation. |
| US08048854B2 |
Amidated insulin glargine
The invention relates to insulin glargine which is modified by amidation, especially Gly(A21), Arg(B31), Arg amide (B32) human insulin (insulin glargine amide). |
| US08048846B2 |
Protein-silane/siloxane copolymers, their preparation and their use
The present invention provides a protein-silane and/or protein-siloxane copolymer obtainable by reacting a protein and a silane compound, the relative amounts of the protein and the silane compound being such that in the range of from 0.1 to 0.4 silane molecule is present for each reactive amino group of the protein. The copolymer is suitable for use in hair treatment compositions and is useful in reducing damage to hair caused by flexure and/or abrasion thereof. |
| US08048842B2 |
Thickening/foam-promoting agent
The present invention provides a thickening/foam-promoting agent having thickening/foam-promoting properties and a low odor, and a detergent composition containing the agent. The thickening/foam-promoting agent is composed of the following component (A):(A) a compound represented by the following formula (1): R1O—(PO)n/(EO)m—R2 (1), wherein R1 is a linear alkyl or an alkenyl group having 8 to 10 carbon atoms, PO is a propyleneoxy group, EO is an ethyleneoxy group, an average added molar number n is a number of 1.5 to 3.0, an average added molar number m is a number of 0 to 1.0, and R2 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, wherein the content of an alcohol of the formula (1), when n=0, m=0 and R2 is a hydrogen atom, is not more than 3000 ppm, and the detergent composition contains the component (A) and a surfactant (B). |
| US08048841B2 |
Spray-type bleaching agent
The present invention is a spray mold remover, prepared by filling a bleaching composition in a container having a spraying means, the bleaching composition containing (a) an alkali metal hypochlorite, (b) a cationic surfactant and (c) a compound represented by the formula (1): X1—O(AO)n—X2 (1) wherein, AO represents an alkyleneoxy group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms; n represents an average addition mole number of the alkyleneoxy group ranging from 5 to 150; X1 and X2 each represent a hydrogen atom, —SO3M, —CH2COOM (M represents an alkali metal atom), or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, with the proviso that X1 and X2 do not represent hydrogen atoms or alkyl groups at the same time. |
| US08048839B2 |
Highly anti-deodorizing and aiding agents for washing clothing articles
A highly anti-deodorizing cleansing and aiding agent for washing clothing articles, wherein the aiding agent comprises active principles including alpha and beta hydroxy acid and aliphatic alcohol esters having anti-deodorizing properties. |
| US08048834B2 |
Additives and lubricant formulations for improved catalyst performance
A method and compositions for lubricating surfaces with lubricating oils exhibiting increased phosphorous retention. The lubricated surface includes a lubricant composition containing a base oil of lubricating viscosity, an amount of a phosphorus-containing compound and an amount of at least one hydrocarbon soluble titanium compound that is effective to provide an aged catalyst temperature that converts at least fifty percent of exhaust gas hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and NOx that is lower than an aged catalyst temperature that converts at least fifty percent of exhaust gas hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and NOx of the lubricant composition devoid of the hydrocarbon soluble titanium compound. |
| US08048832B2 |
1,3 dithiolane-2-thione additives for lubricants and fuels
Fuels, especially hydrocarbon fuels, and lubricants, especially lubricating oils, contain a class of anti-corrosion, anti-wear, anti-fatigue, and extreme pressure additives that are derived from 1,3-dithiolane-2-thiones. |
| US08048830B1 |
Method of forming and using carbonated machining fluid
A method of forming and delivering a carbonated machining fluid to be used in a machining process, the machining process including a tool contacting a substrate, comprises supplying a pressure vessel with a non-carbonated machining fluid and non-supercritical carbon dioxide. The machining fluid and carbon dioxide are allowed to admix such that at least a portion of the carbon dioxide dissolves into the machining fluid to form the carbonated machining fluid. The carbonated machining fluid is then delivered under pressure from the vessel to an applicator and applied to the tool or the substrate to impart cooling and lubricating effects. |
| US08048827B2 |
Kinetic gas hydrate inhibitors in completion fluids
Gas hydrate formation in a well completion fluid in the annular space of a hydrocarbon producing well may be controlled by the incorporation of effective amounts of one or more low dose gas hydrate inhibitors, including but not limited to, low dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHIs), kinetic hydrate inhibitors, dendrimeric or branched compounds, linear polymers and copolymers, grafted or branched linear polymers and copolymers, and onium compounds. |
| US08048825B2 |
Haloalkylsulfonanilide derivatives or salt thereof, herbicide comprising the derivatives as active ingredient, and use of the herbicide
A haloalkylsulfonanilide derivative represented by general formula (I) or a salt thereof wherein R1 represents a halo(C1-C8)alkyl group, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9 and R10 represent hydrogen atoms, etc., n represents 1 or 2, A represents an oxygen atom, W represents an oxygen atom, X represents a halogen atom and m represents an integer of 0 to 4, are compounds useful as herbicides having both of remarkable herbicidal effect and characteristics such as excellent crop-weed selectivity. General formula (I): |
| US08048821B2 |
Catalyst composition for the synthesis of thin multi-walled carbon nanotube and its manufacturing method
The present invention relates to a catalyst composition for the synthesis of thin multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and a method for manufacturing a catalyst composition. More particularly, this invention relates to a multi-component metal catalyst composition comprising i) main catalyst of Fe and Al, ii) inactive support of Mg and iii) optional co-catalyst at least one selected from Co, Ni, Cr, Mn, Mo, W, V, Sn, or Cu. Further, the present invention affords thin multi-walled carbon nanotube having 5˜20 nm of diameter and 100˜10,000 of aspect ratio in a high yield. |
| US08048820B2 |
Shaped catalyst body for partial oxidation reactions
The invention relates to a shaped catalyst body for preparing maleic anhydride, which comprises mixed oxides of vanadium and of phosphorus as catalyst components. To develop a generic shaped catalyst body further so that it has improved properties, it is proposed that the basic geometric body enveloping the shaped catalyst body (100; 200) be a prism (180) having a first triangular face and a second triangular face and the shaped catalyst body (100; 200) be provided with three through openings (111, 121, 131; 211, 221, 231) which extend from a first face of the shaped body (100; 200) which contacts the first triangular face of the prism (180) to a second face of the shaped body (100; 200) which contacts the second triangular face of the prism (180). |
| US08048815B2 |
Composite article and method of manufacture
The present invention relates to a composite article and to a process for manufacturing the composite article. The composite article comprises multiple layers including high tenacity fibers incorporated into a fabric and a core thermoplastic resin. The fabric may be coated with a surface treatment agent, a polymer matrix resin. Single or multiple layers of the composite articles may be formed into a composite part having high strength, rigidity, fast molding cycle time and extremely good conformability in a 3-dimensional mold. The composite parts formed by this process have high part strength in all directions. |
| US08048812B2 |
Pitch reduced patterns relative to photolithography features
Differently-sized features of an integrated circuit are formed by etching a substrate using a mask which is formed by combining two separately formed patterns. Pitch multiplication is used to form the relatively small features of the first pattern. Pitch multiplication is accomplished by patterning an amorphous carbon layer. Sidewall spacers are then formed on the amorphous carbon sidewalls which are then removed; the sidewall spacers defining the first mask pattern. A bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) is then deposited to form a planar surface and a photoresist layer is formed over the BARC. The photoresist is next patterned by conventional photolithography to form the second pattern, which is transferred to the BARC. The combined pattern is transferred to an underlying amorphous silicon layer. The combined pattern is then transferred to the silicon oxide layer and then to an amorphous carbon mask layer. The combined mask pattern, is then etched into the underlying substrate. |
| US08048809B2 |
Polishing method using chemical mechanical slurry composition
A slurry composition includes about 4.25 to about 18.5 weight percent of an abrasive, about 80 to about 95 weight percent of deionized water, and about 0.05 to about 1.5 weight percent of an additive. The slurry composition may further include a surfactant. In a polishing method using the slurry composition, a polysilicon layer may be rapidly polished, and also dishing and erosion of the polysilicon layer may be suppressed. |
| US08048807B2 |
Method and apparatus for thinning a substrate
Provided is a method for fabricating a semiconductor device that includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a front side and a backside, where active or passive devices are formed in the front side, rotating the semiconductor substrate, and etching the backside of the semiconductor substrate by introducing a first etchant while the substrate is rotated, the first etchant including an R—COOH. |
| US08048801B2 |
Substrate with feedthrough and method for producing the same
A substrate with first and second main surfaces includes at least one channel extending from the first main surface to the second main surface. The at least one channel includes a first cross-sectional area at a first location and a second cross-sectional area at a second location. An electrically conductive first material is disposed in the at least one channel. |
| US08048800B2 |
Fabrication method of two-terminal semiconductor component using trench technology
A method of fabricating a two-terminal semiconductor component using a trench technique is disclosed that includes forming a trench by etching an etching pattern formed on a substrate on which an active layer having impurities added is grown, forming a front metal layer on a front upper surface of the substrate by using an evaporation method or a sputtering method after removing the etching pattern, forming a metal plated layer on the front surface of the substrate on which the front metal layer is formed, polishing a lower surface of the substrate by using at least one of a mechanical polishing method and a chemical polishing method until the front metal layer is exposed, forming a rear metal layer on the polished substrate, and removing each component by using at least one of a dry etching method and a wet etching method. |
| US08048799B2 |
Method for forming copper wiring in semiconductor device
A method for forming copper wirings in a semiconductor device may include depositing a lower insulating film over a semiconductor substrate; forming vias in the lower insulating film; depositing tungsten over the entire surface of upper portion of the lower insulating film so that the vias are gap-filled with the tungsten; forming tungsten plugs by performing a tungsten chemical mechanical polishing process to remove excess tungsten deposited over the upper portion of the lower insulating film; removing the tungsten remaining over the upper portion of the lower insulating film by performing a tungsten etchback process; depositing an upper insulating film over the upper portion of the lower insulating film; exposing upper portions of the tungsten plugs by forming trenches on the upper insulating film; depositing copper over the entire surface of the upper insulating film so that the trenches are gap-filled with the copper; and planarizing the copper over the upper portion of the trenches. |
| US08048798B2 |
Method for manufacturing a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device where memory cells are arranged three dimensionally
A method for manufacturing a nonvolatile semiconductor storage device, including: forming a first conductive layer so that it is sandwiched in an up-down direction by first insulating layers; forming a first hole so that it penetrates the first insulating layers and the first conductive layer; forming a first side wall insulating layer on a side wall facing the first hole; forming a sacrificing layer so that the sacrificing layer infills the first hole; forming a second conductive layer on an upper layer of the sacrificing layer so that the second conductive layer is sandwiched by the second insulating layer in an up-down direction; forming a second hole on a position which matches with the first hole so that the second hole penetrates the second insulating layer and the second conductive layer; forming a second side wall insulating layer on a side wall facing the second hole; removing the sacrificing layer after the formation of the second side wall insulating layer; and forming a semiconductor layer so that the semiconductor layer infills the first hole and the second hole after the removal of the sacrificing layer. |
| US08048797B2 |
Multilayer low reflectivity hard mask and process therefor
A method utilizing a multilayer anti-reflective coating layer structure can achieve low reflectivity at high numerical apertures. The multilayer anti-reflective coating structure can be utilized as a hard mask forming various integrated circuit structures. A multilayer anti-reflective coating structure can be utilized to form gate stacks comprised of polysilicon and a dielectric layer. A photoresist is applied above the multilayer anti-reflective coating which can include silicon oxynitride (SiON) and silicon rich nitride (SiRN). |
| US08048796B2 |
Microstructure device including a metallization structure with self-aligned air gaps formed based on a sacrificial material
In a sophisticated metallization system of a semiconductor device, air gaps may be formed in a self-aligned manner on the basis of a sacrificial material, such as a carbon material, which is deposited after the patterning of a dielectric material for forming therein a via opening. Consequently, superior process conditions during the patterning of the via opening and the sacrificial material in combination with a high degree of flexibility in selecting appropriate materials for the dielectric layer and the sacrificial layer may provide superior uniformity and device characteristics. |
| US08048789B2 |
Mesoscale pyramids, arrays and methods of preparation
Ordered, two-dimensional arrays of pyramidal particulates and related methods of preparation. |
| US08048786B2 |
Method for fabricating single-crystalline substrate containing gallium nitride
The present invention provides a method for fabricating a single-crystalline substrate containing gallium nitride (GaN) comprising the following steps. First, form a plurality of island containing GaN on a host substrate. Next, use the plurality of islands containing GaN as a mask to etch the substrate and form an uneven host substrate. Then, perform epitaxy on the uneven host substrate to make the islands containing GaN grow in size and merge into a continuous single-crystalline film containing GaN. Finally, separate the single-crystalline film containing GaN from the uneven host substrate to obtain the single-crystalline substrate containing GaN. According to the present invention, process time can be saved and yield can be improved. |
| US08048785B2 |
Method of fabricating nanosized filamentary carbon devices over a relatively large-area
Nanosized filamentary carbon structures (CNTs) nucleating over a catalyzed surface may be grown in an up-right direction reaching a second surface, spaced from the first surface, without the need of applying any external voltage source bias. The growth process may be inherently self-stopping, upon reaching a significant population of grown CNTs on the second surface. A gap between the two surfaces may be defined for CNT devices being simultaneously fabricated by common integrated circuit integration techniques. The process includes finding that for separation gaps of up to a hundred or more nanometers, a difference between the respective work functions of the materials delimiting the gap space, for example, different metallic materials or a doped semiconductor of different dopant concentration or type, may produce an electric field intensity orienting the growth of nucleated CNTs from the surface of one of the materials toward the surface of the other material. |
| US08048783B2 |
Method of forming polycrystalline silicon layer and atomic layer deposition apparatus used for the same
A method of forming a polycrystalline silicon layer and an atomic layer deposition apparatus used for the same. The method includes forming an amorphous silicon layer on a substrate, exposing the substrate having the amorphous silicon layer to a hydrophilic or hydrophobic gas atmosphere, placing a mask having at least one open and at least one closed portion over the amorphous silicon layer, irradiating UV light toward the amorphous silicon layer and the mask using a UV lamp, depositing a crystallization-inducing metal on the amorphous silicon layer, and annealing the substrate to crystallize the amorphous silicon layer into a polycrystalline silicon layer. This method and apparatus provide for controlling the seed position and grain size in the formation of a polycrystalline silicon layer. |
| US08048781B2 |
Methods and systems for packaging integrated circuits
Methods of packaging integrated circuits are described. One method relates to attaching a singulated device wafer to a substrate. The singulated device wafer includes a multiplicity of integrated circuit dice arranged in a first configuration. The method also involves a substrate, which includes a sacrificial semiconductor wafer having device areas with metalized contacts. The device areas on the substrate may be arranged in a configuration matching that of the dice on the device wafer. The method also entails aligning the singulated device wafer as a whole with the substrate so that the dice of the device wafer are positioned substantially simultaneously over associated device areas on the substrate. The method also involves attaching the dice from the singulated wafer as a whole substantially simultaneously to the substrate such that each die of the device wafer is attached to an associated device area of the substrate. |
| US08048772B2 |
Substrate bonding method and electronic component thereof
A substrate bonding method has a film forming step of forming an insulating film for bonding in such a manner that an SiO2 film made of TEOS is deposited on at least one of a first substrate and a second substrate by a CVD method, and a bonding step of bonding the first substrate and the second substrate with the insulating film for bonding being interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. |
| US08048771B2 |
Method for manufacturing semiconductor device, semiconductor device and electronic appliance
A non-single-crystal semiconductor layer is formed over a substrate, and then a single crystal semiconductor layer is formed over part of the non-single-crystal semiconductor layer. Thus, a semiconductor element of a region which requires a large area (e.g. a pixel region in a display device) can be formed using the non-single-crystal semiconductor layer, and a semiconductor element of a region which requires high speed operation (e.g. a driver circuit region in a display device) can be formed using the single crystal semiconductor layer. |
| US08048762B2 |
Manufacturing method of semiconductor device
A manufacturing method for a semiconductor device includes: forming a first layer on a member to be etched; forming a first hard mask that includes a first hard mask pattern, in the first layer; forming a second layer on the first hard mask and on an exposed surface of the member to be etched; removing by selective etching the second layer to form a side wall core that includes a core pattern; forming side wall spacers on side walls of the side wall core; and using the side wall spacers and the first hard mask to remove by etching the member to be etched. |
| US08048761B2 |
Fabricating method for crack stop structure enhancement of integrated circuit seal ring
An improved crack stop structure (and method of forming) is provided within a die seal ring of an integrated circuit die to increase crack resistance during the dicing of a semiconductor wafer. The crack stop structure includes a stack layer (of alternating insulating and conductive layers) and an anchor system extending from the stack layer to a predetermined point below the surface of the substrate. A crack stop trench is formed in the substrate and filled with material having good crack resistance to anchor the stack layer to the substrate. |
| US08048760B2 |
Semiconductor structure and method of manufacture
In various embodiments, semiconductor structures and methods to manufacture these structures are disclosed. In one embodiment, a structure includes a dielectric material and a void below a surface of a substrate. The structure further includes a doped dielectric material over the dielectric material, over the first void, wherein at least a portion of the dielectric material is between at least a portion of the substrate and at least a portion of the doped dielectric material. Other embodiments are described and claimed. |
| US08048757B2 |
Method for fabricating capacitor utilizes a sacrificial pattern enclosing the upper outer walls of the storage nodes
A method for fabricating a capacitor includes forming an isolation layer over a cell region and a peripheral region of a substrate. The isolation layer forms a plurality of open regions in the cell region. Storage nodes are formed on surfaces of the open regions. An upper portion of the isolation layer is etched to expose upper outer walls of the storage nodes. A sacrificial pattern is formed over the isolation layer to enclose the upper outer walls of the storage nodes. The isolation layer in the peripheral region is etched to expose side portions of the resulting structure obtained after forming the sacrificial pattern in the cell region. With the sacrificial pattern supporting the storage nodes, the isolation layer in the cell region is removed. The sacrificial pattern is then removed. |
| US08048756B2 |
Method for removing metal layers formed outside an aperture of a BPSG layer utilizing multiple etching processes including electrochemical-mechanical polishing
A microelectronic substrate and method for removing adjacent conductive and nonconductive materials from a microelectronic substrate. In one embodiment, the microelectronic substrate includes a substrate material (such as borophosphosilicate glass) having an aperture with a conductive material (such as platinum) disposed in the aperture and a fill material (such as phosphosilicate glass) in the aperture adjacent to the conductive material. The fill material can have a hardness of about 0.04 GPa or higher, and a microelectronics structure, such as an electrode, can be disposed in the aperture, for example, after removing the fill material from the aperture. Portions of the conductive and fill material external to the aperture can be removed by chemically-mechanically polishing the fill material, recessing the fill material inwardly from the conductive material, and electrochemically-mechanically polishing the conductive material. The hard fill material can resist penetration by conductive particles, and recessing the fill material can provide for more complete removal of the conductive material external to the aperture. |
| US08048748B2 |
Reducing contamination in a process flow of forming a channel semiconductor alloy in a semiconductor device
In sophisticated approaches for forming high-k metal gate electrode structures in an early manufacturing stage, a threshold adjusting semiconductor alloy may be deposited on the basis of a selective epitaxial growth process without affecting the back side of the substrates. Consequently, any negative effects, such as contamination of substrates and process tools, reduced surface quality of the back side and the like, may be suppressed or reduced by providing a mask material and preserving the material at least during the selective epitaxial growth process. |
| US08048745B2 |
Transistor and method of fabricating the same
Disclosed are a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same. The semiconductor device can include a transistor structure including a gate electrode and a first channel region and source/drain regions on a substrate, and a second channel region and source/drain regions provided on the transistor structure. Accordingly, transistor operations can utilize the current path above and below the gate electrode. |
| US08048742B2 |
Transistor including bulb-type recess channel and method for fabricating the same
A method for fabricating a transistor including a bulb-type recess channel includes forming a bulb-type recess pattern in a substrate, forming a gate insulating layer over the substrate and the bulb-type recess pattern, forming a first gate conductive layer over the gate insulating layer, forming a void movement blocking layer over the first gate conductive layer in the bulb-type recess pattern, and forming a second gate conductive layer over the void movement blocking layer and the first gate conductive layer. |
| US08048741B2 |
Semiconductor memory device and method of fabricating the same
A semiconductor memory device includes: a semiconductor substrate, on which an impurity diffusion layer is formed in a cell array area; a gate wiring stack body formed on the cell array area, in which multiple gate wirings are stacked and separated from each other with insulating films; a gate insulating film formed on the side surface of the gate wiring stack body, in which an insulating charge storage layer is contained; pillar-shaped semiconductor layers arranged along the gate wiring stack body, one side surfaces of which are opposed to the gate wiring stack body via the gate insulating film, each pillar-shaped semiconductor layer having the same conductivity type as the impurity diffusion layer; and data lines formed to be in contact with the upper surfaces of the pillar-shaped semiconductor layers and intersect the gate wirings. |
| US08048740B2 |
Vertical MOS transistor and method therefor
In one embodiment, a vertical MOS transistor is formed without a thick field oxide and particularly without a thick field oxide in the termination region of the transistor. |
| US08048739B2 |
Method of manufacturing flash memory device
According to yet another embodiment, a method for forming a non-volatile memory device includes etching a substrate to form first and second trenches. The first and second trenches are filled with an insulating material to form first and second isolation structures. A conductive layer is formed over the first and second isolation structures and between the first and second isolation structures to form a floating gate. The conductive layer and the first isolation structure are etched to form a third trench having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion having vertical sidewalls and the lower portion having sloping sidewalls. The third trench is filled with a conductive material to form a control gate. |
| US08048738B1 |
Method for forming a split gate device
A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a dielectric layer over a substrate. The method further includes forming a select gate layer over the dielectric layer. The method further includes etching the select gate layer at a first etch rate to form a first portion of a sidewall of a select gate, wherein the step of etching the select gate layer at the first etch rate includes using an oxidizing agent to oxidize at least a top portion of the substrate underlying the dielectric layer to form an oxide layer. The method further includes etching the select gate layer at a second etch rate lower than the first etch rate to form a second portion of the sidewall of the select gate, wherein the step of etching the select gate layer at the second etch rate includes removing only a top portion of the dielectric layer. |
| US08048737B2 |
Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same
The invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of fabricating the same, wherein a storage node contact hole is made large to solve any problem caused during etching a storage node contact hole with a small CD, a landing plug is formed to lower plug resistance, and the SAC process is eliminated at the time of the bit line formation. A method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to the invention comprises: forming a device isolation film for defining a multiplicity of active regions in a semiconductor substrate; forming a multiplicity of buried word lines in the semiconductor substrate; forming a storage node contact hole for exposing a storage node contact region of two adjoining active regions; filling the storage node contact hole with a storage node contact plug material; forming a bit-line groove for exposing a bit-line contact region of the active region and splitting the storage node contact plug material into two; and burying the bit line into the bit-line groove. |
| US08048736B2 |
Semiconductor device comprising a capacitor in the metallization system and a method of forming the capacitor
By forming metal capacitors in the metallization structures of semiconductor devices, complex manufacturing sequences in the device level may be avoided. The process of manufacturing the metal capacitors may be performed on the basis of well-established patterning regimes of modern metallization systems by using appropriately selected etch stop materials, which may enable a high degree of compatibility for forming via openings in a metallization layer while providing a capacitor dielectric of a desired high dielectric constant in the capacitor. |
| US08048735B2 |
Manufacturing method of semiconductor device
The present invention provides an MIM capacitor using a high-k dielectric film preventing degradation of breakdown field strength of the MIM capacitor and suppressing the increase of the leakage current. The MIM capacitor comprises a first metal interconnect, a fabricated capacitance film, a fabricated upper electrode, and a third metal interconnect. The MIM capacitor is realized by forming an interlayer dielectric film comprising silicon oxide so as to cover the first metal interconnect, then forming a first opening in the interlayer dielectric film to a region corresponding to a via hole layer in the interlayer dielectric film just above the first metal interconnect so as not to expose the upper surface of the first metal interconnect, then forming a second opening to the inside of the first opening so as to expose the surface of the first metal interconnect and then forming a capacitance film and a third metal interconnect. |
| US08048729B2 |
Method for manufacturing semiconductor device
A highly responsive semiconductor device in which the subthreshold swing (S value) is small and reduction in on-current is suppressed is manufactured. A semiconductor layer in which a thickness of a source region or a drain region is larger than that of a channel formation region is formed. A semiconductor layer having a concave-convex shape which is included in the semiconductor device is formed by the steps of forming a first semiconductor layer over a substrate; forming a first insulating layer and a conductive layer over the first semiconductor layer; forming a second insulating layer over a side surface of the conductive layer; forming a second semiconductor layer over the first insulating layer, the conductive layer and the second insulating layer; etching the second semiconductor layer using a resist formed partially as a mask; and performing heat treatment to the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. |
| US08048724B2 |
Semiconductor switching device
A switching device and methods of making and operating the same are provided. In one aspect, a method of operating a switching device is provided that includes providing a MOS transistor that has a gate, a source region, a drain region and a body region. A bipolar transistor is provided that has a collector, a base and an emitter. The body region of the MOS transistor serves as the base of the bipolar transistor and the drain region of the MOS transistor serves as the collector of the bipolar transistor. Activation of the MOS transistor causes the bipolar transistor to turn on. The MOS transistor is activated to turn on the bipolar transistor and the bipolar transistor delivers current to the source region. |
| US08048721B2 |
Method for filling multi-layer chip-stacked gaps
A method for filling multi-layer chip-stacked gaps is revealed, primarily comprising the steps as below. Firstly, a chip-stacked assembly is provided, comprising a substrate and a plurality of chips vertically stacked on the substrate where at least a first underfilling gap is formed between each two adjacent ones of the stacked chips with a height difference from the substrate. Then, the chip-stacked assembly is flipped and dipped into an underfilling material where the underfilling material is disposed in a storage tank in a flowing state to completely fill the first underfilling gap. Then, the chip-stacked assembly is taken out. Finally, the chip-stacked assembly is heated to cure the underfilling material filled in the first underfilling gap. Accordingly, multi-layer chip-stacked gaps with different heights can be simultaneously filled at one single step. The conventional underfilling difficulty of multi-layer chip-stacked gaps can be solved leading to higher productivity. |
| US08048717B2 |
Method and system for bonding 3D semiconductor devices
A method and system and for fabricating 3D (three-dimensional) SIC (stacked integrated chip) semiconductor devices. The system includes a vacuum chamber, a vacuum-environment treatment chamber, and a bonding chamber, though in some embodiments the same physical enclosure may serve more than one of these functions. A vacuum-environment treatment source in communication with the vacuum-environment treatment chamber provides a selected one or more of a hydrogen (H2)-based thermal anneal, an H2-based plasma treatment, or an ammonia (NH3)-based plasma treatment. In another embodiment, a method includes placing a semiconductor chip in a vacuum environment, performing a selected vacuum-environment treatment, and bonding the chip to a base wafer. A plurality of chips formed as dice on a semiconductor wafer may, of course, be simultaneously treated and bonded in this way as well, either before or after dicing. |
| US08048715B2 |
Multi-chip module and methods
A substrate includes first and second regions over which first and second semiconductor devices are to be respectively positioned. The first region is located at least partially within the second region. Contact areas are located external to the first region but within the second region. In one embodiment, in which semiconductor devices are to be stacked over and secured to the substrate in a flip-chip type arrangement, the contact areas correspond to bond pads of an upper, second semiconductor device, while other contact areas located within the first region correspond to bond pads of a lower, first semiconductor device. In another embodiment, the contact areas correspond to bond pads of the first semiconductor device, which are electrically connected thereto by way of laterally extending discrete conductive elements, while other contact areas that are located external to the second region correspond to bond pads of the upper, second semiconductor device. |
| US08048714B2 |
Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having improved heat dissipation capabilities
A semiconductor device mountable to a substrate includes a semiconductor die and an electrically conductive attachment region having a first attachment surface and a second attachment surface. The first attachment surface is arranged for electrical communication with the semiconductor die. A housing at least in part encloses the semiconductor die and the interlayer material. The housing has a recess disposed through the second attachment surface of the electrically conductive attachment region. A dielectric, thermally conductive interlayer material is located in the recess and secured to the housing. A metallic plate is located in the recess and secured to the interlayer material. |
| US08048708B2 |
Method and apparatus providing an imager module with a permanent carrier
Method and apparatus providing a wafer level fabrication of imager modules in which a permanent carrier protects imager devices on an imager wafer and is used to support a lens wafer. |
| US08048701B2 |
Nitride semiconductor LED using a hybrid buffer layer and a fabrication method therefor
The present invention relates to a nitride semiconductor light emitting device using a hybrid buffer layer and a method for fabricating the same which can minimize the lattice mismatch between a buffer layer and a nitride semiconductor. The method for fabricating the nitride semiconductor light emitting device using the hybrid buffer layer includes a first step of forming an AlxGa1-xN(0≦x<1) layer on a substrate, a second step of forming a three-dimensional crystal seed layer made of a material included in a general formula of AlxGa1-xN(0≦x<1) and AlOyNz on the substrate by recrystallizing the substrate with the AlxGa1-xN(0≦x<1) layer thereon, and a third step of forming an AlN nanostructure by annealing the substrate subjected to the second step at NH3 gas atmosphere, thus forming a hybrid buffer layer composed of the three-dimensional crystal seed layer and the AlN nanostructure on the substrate. |
| US08048696B2 |
Light emitting diode devices and manufacturing method thereof
A light emitting diode (LED) device includes a stacked epitaxial structure, a heat-conductive plate and a seed layer. The stacked epitaxial structure sequentially includes a first semiconductor layer (N—GaN), a light emitting layer, and a second semiconductor layer (P—GaN). The heat-conductive plate is disposed on the first semiconductor layer, and the seed layer is disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the heat-conductive plate. Also, the present invention discloses a manufacturing method thereof including the steps of: forming at least one temporary substrate, which is made by a curable polymer material, on an LED device, and forming at least a heat-conductive plate on the LED device. |
| US08048695B2 |
Method for fabricating a light source that includes phosphor-converted LED
A light source and method for fabricating the same are disclosed. The light source includes a die, a light conversion component, and a scattering ring. The die emits light of a first wavelength through a top surface of the die and one or more side surfaces of the die, and is bonded to a mounting substrate. The light conversion component converts light of the first wavelength to light of a second wavelength, the light conversion component having a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the die. The light conversion component has lateral dimensions such that a space exists around the die, the space being bounded by the substrate and the light conversion component. The scattering ring is positioned in the space such that a portion of the light emitted from the side surfaces of the die is scattered into the light conversion component. |
| US08048693B2 |
Methods and structures for relaxation of strained layers
The present invention provides methods for relaxing a strained-material layer and structures produced by the methods. Briefly, the methods include depositing a first low-viscosity layer that includes a first compliant material on the strained-material layer, depositing a second low-viscosity layer that includes a second compliant material on the strained-material layer to form a first sandwiched structure and subjecting the first sandwiched structure to a heat treatment such that the reflow of the first and the second low-viscosity layers permits the strained-material layer to at least partly relax. |
| US08048690B2 |
Pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet and process for producing semiconductor device having same
A pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet according to the present invention is a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet in which a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is provided on a base film, in which the base film contains conductive fibers, and in which an electrically conductive path is formed between the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and the base film. With this structure, an electrical continuity test can be performed even in a condition where a semiconductor wafer or a semiconductor chip formed by dicing the semiconductor wafer is applied, and deformation (warping) and damage of the semiconductor wafer and generation of flaws and scratches on the backside can be prevented in the test. |
| US08048688B2 |
Method and apparatus for evaluation and improvement of mechanical and thermal properties of CNT/CNF arrays
A method and apparatus for the evaluation and improvement of the mechanical and thermal properties of carbon-nanotube (CNT) and carbon nanofiber (CNF) arrays grown on a substrate is disclosed. The Young's modulus of a CNT/CNF material is measured by applying an axial compressive force on the CNT/CNF array and measuring the applied forces and the induced displacements. Also disclosed are the evaluation of the nonlinear stress-strain relationship of the CNT/CNF material, increasing of the Young's modulus and decreasing the thermal resistance by application of a compressive load, the application of rapid thermal annealing to improve the quality of the CNT/CNF material and to reduce the interfacial thermal resistance, improvement of the bonding strength of the CNT/CNF array to a substrate, evaluation of the bonding strength of the CNT/CNF array to a substrate, evaluation of the shearing force at failure, and an analytical stress model that enables one to predict the interfacial shearing stress from the measured force. |
| US08048687B2 |
Processing method for recovering a damaged low-k film of a substrate and storage medium
There is provided a processing method for performing a recovery process on a damaged layer formed on a surface of a low-k film of a target substrate by introducing a processing gas containing a methyl group into a processing chamber. The method includes: increasing an internal pressure of the processing chamber up to a first pressure lower than a processing pressure for the recovery process by introducing a dilution gas into the processing chamber maintained in a depressurized state; then stopping the introduction of the dilution gas, and increasing the internal pressure of the processing chamber up to a second pressure as the processing pressure for the recovery process by introducing the processing gas into a region where the target substrate exists within the processing chamber; and performing the recovery process on the target substrate while the processing pressure is maintained. |
| US08048675B1 |
Integration-free human induced pluripotent stem cells from blood
Provided herein are methods for generating human induced pluripotent stem cells free from genomic integration of exogenous transgenes by transfecting into nucleated blood cells one or more DNA expression vectors (e.g., plasmid vectors) that do not contain a mammalian origin of replication, and encode and permit expression of one or more reprogramming factors (e.g., Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc). Also provided herein are the integration-free human induced pluripotent stem cells obtained by the methods described herein. |
| US08048674B2 |
Methods and compositions for cellular and metabolic engineering
The present invention is generally directed to the evolution of new metabolic pathways and the enhancement of bioprocessing through a process herein termed recursive sequence recombination. Recursive sequence recombination entails performing iterative cycles of recombination and screening or selection to “evolve” individual genes, whole plasmids or viruses, multigene clusters, or even whole genomes. Such techniques do not require the extensive analysis and computation required by conventional methods for metabolic engineering. |
| US08048673B2 |
Use of adipose tissue-derived stromal cells for chondrocyte differentiation and cartilage repair
Methods and compositions for directing adipose-derived stromal cells cultivated in vitro to differentiate into cells of the chondrocyte lineage are disclosed. The invention further provides a variety of chondroinductive agents which can be used singly or in combination with other nutrient components to induce chondrogenesis in adipose-derived stromal cells either in cultivating monolayers or in a biocompatible lattice or matrix in a three-dimensional configuration. Use of the differentiated chondrocytes for the therapeutic treatment of a number of human conditions and diseases including repair of cartilage in vivo is disclosed. |
| US08048668B1 |
System and method of aeration for compost processes
A composting aeration system is provided with a central air duct that is placed in open fluid communication with a plurality of elongated aeration strips, which form a portion of a supporting surface for composting material. One or more aeration hubs or manifolds may be used to place the aeration strips in open fluid communication with the central air duct. The aeration hubs may be provided to selectively vary the fluid flow through the system and substantially limit the passage of debris from the aeration strips to the central air duct. Components to the system are removably coupled with one another to provide ease of cleaning and maintenance between composting operations. |
| US08048665B2 |
Nucleotide sequences encoding alanine racemase from coryneform
The invention relates to an isolated polynucleotide having a polynucleotide sequence which codes for the alr gene, and a host-vector system having a coryneform host bacterium in which the alr gene is present in attenuated form and a vector which carries at least the alr gene according to SEQ ID No 1, and the use of polynucleotides which comprise the sequences according to the invention as hybridization probes. |
| US08048663B2 |
Crystal of pregnane X receptor fused to steroid receptor coactivator-1
The present invention relates to Pregnane X receptor (PXR) polypeptides and crystals that are useful, for example, for crystallization and in assays for identification of modulators of PXR. |
| US08048655B2 |
Recovery of organic acids
A method is disclosed for the recovery of an organic acid from a dilute salt solution in which the cation of the salt forms an insoluble carbonate salt. A tertiary amine and CO2 are introduced to the solution to form the insoluble carbonate salt and a complex between the acid and an amine. A water immiscible solvent, such as an alcohol, is added to extract the acid/amine complex from the dilute salt solution to a reaction phase. The reaction phase is continuously dried and a product between the acid and the solvent, such as an ester, is formed. |
| US08048652B2 |
Biomass hydrolysate and uses and production thereof
The present invention includes a palatable, stable composition comprising a biomass hydrolysate emulsion for incorporation, into, or used as, nutritional products, cosmetic products or pharmaceutical products. Preferred sources for biomass are microbial sources, plant sources and animal sources. The present invention also provides methods for making such compositions, specifically, a method for producing a product comprising a nutrient, particularly a long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid, comprising hydrolyzing a biomass comprising the nutrient and emulsifying the hydrolyzed biomass. Such compositions and methods are useful, for example, for increasing intake of nutrients such as omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids having 18 or more carbons. |
| US08048648B2 |
Corynebacterium glutamicum variety producing L-arginine and method for fabricating the same
The present invention relates to an L-arginine producing mutant strain, and a method for fabricating the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a polynucleotide comprising an argD2 gene (Ncgl2355) that is a putative gene of acetylornithine aminotransferase involved in arginine biosynthesis of Corynebacterium glutamicum, a polypeptide encoded by the polynucleotide, a recombinant vector comprising the polynucleotide, a transformant capable of producing L-arginine in a high yield, which is prepared by introducing the recombinant vector into an L-arginine producing host microorganism to overexpress the argD2 gene, and a method for producing L-arginine by culturing the transformant. The transformant of the present invention overexpresses the argD2 gene to produce L-arginine in a high yield, thereby being used in medicinal and pharmaceutical industries. |
| US08048644B1 |
Biological indicator for monitoring the transport of micro-organisms in the environment
A method of using a biological indicator to detect and identify sources of fecal contamination such as leaking sewer lines, septic tanks, and holding lagoons, using a microorganism having a biological indicator including an exogenous DNA indicator sequence incorporated into the genome of the microorganism. The exogenous DNA indicator sequence functions as a detectable signal that may be detected by visual detection methods or direct detection methods of the indicator sequence itself. |
| US08048639B2 |
Method for evaluating risk in multiple sclerosis
The invention relates to methods and reagents for diagnosing and assessing the prognosis of multiple sclerosis. |
| US08048638B2 |
Biomarkers of liver injury
Novel, sensitive and specific markers for diagnostics and monitoring of liver injuries, including, but not limited to ischemic liver damage, are provided. This includes identification of several enzymes of arginine/urea/nitric oxide cycle, sulfuration enzymes and spectrin breakdown related products, among others. |
| US08048637B2 |
Diagnostic composition and method for the detection of a Trichinella infection
A diagnostic composition to detect antibodies in a sample obtained from an animal or human being infected by Trichinella, comprising at least one peptide containing a series of amino acids that form a continuous or discontinuous epitope recognized by sera from pigs infected with Trichinella. |
| US08048633B2 |
Methods of performing nucleic acid amplification assays using modified primers
The invention relates to a method for the extraction of nucleic acid from cells, the amplification of segments of nucleic acid using modified primers, and the detection of nucleic acids. |
| US08048632B2 |
Canola event PV-BNGT04(RT73) and compositions and methods for detection thereof
The present invention provides assays for detecting the presence of the PV-BNGT04(RT73) canola event based on the DNA sequence of the recombinant construct inserted into the canola genome and of genomic sequences flanking the insertion site. |
| US08048625B2 |
Method of examining inflammatory disease and method of screening remedy for inflammatory disease
A single nucleotide polymorphism occurring on a leptin receptor gene is analyzed and an inflammatory disease is examined on the basis of the analytical data. Further, a substance capable of changing the interaction between the leptin receptor and galectin-2 is selected to thereby screen a remedy for an inflammatory disease. |
| US08048623B1 |
Compositions, products, methods and systems to monitor water and other ecosystems
Disclosed are compositions, products, methods and systems for monitoring ecosystems, such as bodies of water, for a parameter of the ecosystems, such as the presence or absence of mercury. In one embodiment, the product may include a plurality of oligonucleotides immobilized at known locations on a substrate as an array, such that each location on the array is an oligonucleotide having a sequence derived from a single, predetermined operational taxonomic unit (OTU) and wherein at least one sequence on the array is associated with the presence or absence of mercury. The sequences immobilized on the array may be from known, or unknown organisms. Also disclosed are methods for identifying and isolating bioindicators diagnostic of ecosystem parameters, such as whether mercury is present. The compositions, products, methods and systems of the invention may be used for rapid, and continual monitoring of ecosystems for parameters of interest, such as the presence or absence of mercury. |
| US08048621B2 |
Biological markers predictive of anti-cancer response to insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor kinase inhibitors
The present invention provides diagnostic and prognostic methods for predicting the effectiveness of treatment of a cancer patient with an IGF-1R kinase inhibitor. Methods are provided for predicting the sensitivity of tumor cell growth to inhibition by an IGF-1R kinase inhibitor, comprising assessing whether the tumor cell has undergone an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), by determining the expression level of epithelial and/or mesenchymal biomarkers, wherein tumor cells that have undergone an EMT are substantially less sensitive to inhibition by IGF-1R kinase inhibitors. Improved methods for treating cancer patients with IGF-1R kinase inhibitors that incorporate the above methodology are also provided. Additionally, methods are provided for the identification of new biomarkers that are predictive of responsiveness of tumors to IGF-1R kinase inhibitors. Furthermore, methods for the identification of agents that restore the sensitivity of tumor cells that have undergone EMT to inhibition by IGF-1R kinase inhibitors are also provided. pErk, HER3 and pHER are also demonstrated to be effective biomarkers for predicting sensitivity of tumor cells to IGF-1R kinase inhibitors. |
| US08048613B2 |
Alkali development-type solder resist, cured product thereof, and printed wiring board prepared by using the same
An alkali development-type solder resist includes (A) a carboxyl group-containing photosensitive resin obtained by reacting (a) a compound having two or more cyclic ether or thioether groups in the molecule with (b) an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid, reacting the product with (c) a polybasic acid anhydride, reacting the resulting resin with (d) a compound having a cyclic ether group and an ethylenic unsaturated group in the molecule, and reacting the product additionally with (c) a polybasic acid anhydride, (B) an oxime ester-based photopolymerization initiator containing a specific oxime ester group, (C) a compound having two or more ethylenic unsaturated groups in the molecule, and (D) a thermosetting component, wherein the dry film obtained by applying the composition has an absorbance of 0.3 to 1.2 per 25 μm of the film thickness at a wavelength of 350 to 375 nm. |
| US08048606B2 |
Imaging methods
An imaging method is disclosed. An imaging composition is coated on a work piece followed by applying a sufficient amount of energy from a 3-D imaging system to form an image on the coated work piece. The image may be a logo or marker for alignment of parts. |
| US08048604B2 |
Hydrofluoroalkanesulfonic acids and salts from fluorovinyl ethers
Hydrofluoroalkanesulfonates of the general formula R—O—CXH—CX2—SO3M, where R is selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups, functionalized alkyl groups, and alkenyl groups; X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and fluorine with the proviso that at least one X is fluorine; and M is a cation, are made by reacting fluorovinyl ether with aqueous sulfite solution. Organic onium hydrofluoroalkanesulfonates are useful as ionic liquids and photoacid generators. |
| US08048603B2 |
Toner, two-component developer, developing device, and image forming apparatus
A toner is composed of toner particles which contain at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent. As to particle size distribution and particle number distribution of the toner particles, a volume average particle size of the toner particles is set to be 3.0 μm to 6.0 μm, and a content of 5.0 μm or smaller toner particles is set to be 40% by number while a content of 8.0 μm or larger toner particles is set to be less than 2% by volume. Furthermore, an amount of the release agent in toner particle surface is set to be 0.7% by weight or more and 1.8% by weight or less. And furthermore, the release agent is a petroleum-based release agent. |
| US08048601B2 |
Aminosilane and self crosslinking acrylic resin hole blocking layer photoconductors
A photoconductor that includes, for example, a substrate; a first layer like a ground plane layer; an undercoat layer thereover wherein the undercoat layer contains an aminosilane and a crosslinked acrylic resin; a photogenerating layer; and at least one charge transport layer. |
| US08048600B2 |
Parameter extracting method
A parameter extracting method capable of accurately and effectively extracting parameters used for charged particle beam exposure. The method comprises the steps of forming an unknown parameter layer on a known parameter layer, forming a resist on the unknown parameter layer, subjecting the resist to exposure through patterns changed in an existing range, and extracting parameters of the unknown parameter layer using the exposure result. In the parameter extraction method, parameters of layers lower than the unknown parameter layer are known. Therefore, layer combinations to be considered and the number of experimental data can be drastically reduced. After parameter extraction of the unknown parameter layer, an unknown parameter layer is newly formed on the layer. Then, the parameter thereof is extracted in the same manner. Thus, the parameter is extracted sequentially from lower layers and therefore, the parameter in the multitiered structure having various layer combinations can be accurately and effectively extracted. |
| US08048597B2 |
Semiconductor device with a bulb-type recess gate
An exposure mask includes a plurality of active region patterns, and a plurality of recess patterns with a first line width, passing across the active region patterns, wherein the line width of at least one of the plurality of recess patterns neighboring one of the plurality of active region patterns is narrowed down into a second line width. |
| US08048589B2 |
Phase shift photomask performance assurance method
A method for inspecting a phase shift photomask employs a phase shift photomask having an active pattern region. An optical property of the phase shift photomask is measured within the active pattern region, rather than, for example, a non-active pattern border region. By making the measurement within the active pattern region, performance of the phase shift mask may be properly assured. The method is particularly useful for inspecting attenuated phase shift photomasks to assure absence of side-lobes when photoexposing blanket photoresist layers. |
| US08048587B2 |
Compliant current collector for fuel cell anode and cathode
An electrically-conductive mesh spacer incorporated into the hydrogen and air gas flow spaces between each anode and cathode and its adjacent interconnect in a fuel cell stack. The mesh is formed of metal strands and is formed into a predetermined three-dimensional pattern to make contact at a plurality of points on the surfaces of the electrode and the interconnect element. The formed mesh spacer is secured as by brazing to the interconnect element at a plurality of locations to form an interconnect, which preserves the pattern during assembly of a fuel cell stack. The height of the formed pattern is greater than the height of a gas flow space after fuel cell assembly, such that the mesh spacer is slightly compressed during assembly of a fuel cell stack. Because the metal mesh is both compliant and resilient, the compressed spacer is continuously urged into mechanical and electrical contact with its electrode over all temperatures and pressures to which the fuel cell assembly may be subjected during use. |
| US08048586B2 |
Fuel cell stack structure
A fuel cell stack induces smooth current collection and liquid or gas flow without using a heavy bipolar plate. The fuel cell stack includes: a membrane and electrode assembly (MEA) in which an electrolyte membrane is disposed between a cathode electrode and an anode electrode; a current collector disposed in the MEA to form an electrical path with an adjacent MEA; and a non-conductive separation plate disposed between the MEA and the adjacent MEA, the non-conductive separation plate forming flow channels to supply a liquid or gas to the cathode electrode and the anode electrode. A fuel cell stack structure having the above structure is simple and lightweight as the MEA includes a thin and lightweight non-conductive polymer separation plate and a current collector to connect adjacent MEAs. |
| US08048584B2 |
Fuel cell structures and assemblies
The present invention relates to microfibrous fuel cell sub-bundle structures, fuel cell bundles and fuel cell assemblies formed by such fuel cell sub-bundles and bundles. Specifically, a fuel cell sub-bundle is provided, which comprises multiple microfibrous fuel cells. Each microfibrous fuel cell comprises: (a) a hollow microfibrous membrane separator comprising an electrolyte medium, (b) an inner electrocatalyst layer in contact with an inner surface of such membrane separator, (c) an outer electrocatalyst layer in contact with an outer surface of such membrane separator, and (d) an individual current collector in electrical contact with the inner surface of such membrane separator. Each of such multiple microfibrous fuel cells is in electrical contact with a common current collector at the outer surface of its membrane separator. |
| US08048583B2 |
Compact air preheater for solid oxide fuel cell systems
The present invention provides, among other things, a method of operating a solid oxide fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack. The method can include the acts of combining an exhaust flow from an anode side of the fuel cell stack and an exhaust flow from a cathode side of the fuel cell stack, transferring heat from the combined exhaust flow to a first air flow, and combining a second air flow and the heated first air flow upstream from the fuel cell stack to control a temperature of the combined air flow entering the cathode side of the solid oxide fuel cell. |
| US08048581B2 |
PEM fuel cell system with a porous hydrophobic gas venting member with gas flow blockage prevention
A polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell power plant is cooled evaporatively with a water coolant system which does not permit liquid water to exit or flow through the coolant system. The coolant system utilizes a hydrophobic porous member (28) for venting gases such as fuel and/or air from a coolant water flow field in the system. Coolant water (36) is prevented from continuosly contacting the porous member during operation of the power plant thus preventing blockage of the porous member by coolant water or contaminants disposed in the coolant water. |
| US08048578B2 |
Fuel cell system and vehicle mounted with fuel cell system
When a vehicle mounted with a fuel cell system travels using electric power supplied from the system, a predetermined portion forming the system, such as a fuel cell, is prevented from being frozen by the relative wind. The fuel cell system is mounted on a vehicle and has the fuel cell for generating electric power by using fuel gas and oxidized gas as fuel and also has a control section for controlling the system. When the speed of the vehicle is higher than or equal to a predetermined threshold and predetermined conditions determined by physical quantities relating to power generation conditions of the fuel cell are satisfied, the control section determines that freeze prevention processing is necessary even if the fuel cell is generating electric power and performs the processing. |
| US08048574B2 |
Fuel cell system and shutoff method
A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, an operation controller, a checking unit, a scavenging unit, an instructing unit, a temperature sensor, a humidifier and a humidification controller. The operation controller selects one of a normal operation mode and a low-temperature operation mode. The checking unit determines whether the fuel cell has been started up in the low-temperature operation mode. The instructing unit provides an instruction for a shutoff of electricity generation. When the scavenging unit conducts scavenging based on the checking unit determining that the fuel cell has been started in the low-temperature operation mode in response to an instruction for a shutoff of electricity generation and an actual temperature of the fuel cell is higher than a predetermined temperature, the humidification controller controls an amount of humidification according to the actual temperature. |
| US08048573B2 |
Organic electrolytic solution and lithium battery using the same
Organic electrolytic solutions and lithium batteries using the organic electrolytic solutions are provided. One organic electrolytic solution includes a lithium salt, a mixed organic solvent consisting of a high-dielectric constant solvent and a low-boiling point solvent, and a compound represented by Formula 1 or 2 as an additive. The organic electrolytic solution and the lithium battery using the organic electrolytic solution may inhibit the reductive cleavage reaction of a polar solvent, thereby increasing capacity retention of the battery, and improving charge-discharge efficiency and battery lifetime. |
| US08048572B2 |
Long life lead acid battery having titanium core grids and method of their production
A lead acid electric storage battery uses conventional lead-acid secondary battery chemistry. The battery may be a sealed battery, an unsealed battery or a conventional multi-cellbattery. It has 12 to 25 cells in a single case. The case is less than 12 inches long and may be less than 6 inches long. The battery has a set of positive battery grids (plates) which are constructed with a core of thin titanium expanded metal having a thickness preferably, for start batteries etc. in the range 0.1 mm to 0.7 mm and most preferably 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm. The grid cores are of a titanium alloy containing a platinum group metal. The cores are coated with hot melt dip lead and are not lead electroplated. The grid cores expand and contract, with temperature changes, much less than conventional lead grids. |
| US08048560B2 |
Alkaline battery
An alkaline battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode includes manganese dioxide and graphite; the cumulative pore volume of pores with diameters of 3 to 5 nm in the manganese dioxide is X (cm3/g), and the weight loss rate of the manganese dioxide when heated from 150 to 400° C. is Y (%), X and Y satisfying 0.005≦X≦0.011, 3.4≦Y≦3.9, and −16.7X+3.58≦Y≦66.7X+3.17; the negative electrode includes zinc; and the alkaline electrolyte includes an aqueous potassium hydroxide solution. |
| US08048558B2 |
Cylindrical nickel-zinc cell with negative can
A nickel-zinc battery cell is formed with a negative can, a positive cap, and a jelly roll of electrochemically active positive and negative materials within. The inner surface of the can is protected with an anticorrosive material that may be coated or plated onto the can. Good electrical contact between the jelly roll and the cap is achieved through folding the nickel substrate over to contact a positive current collection disk. |
| US08048552B1 |
Battery module mount
A battery module mount for securing a battery module to a housing of a handheld device, including one or more latch elements attached to the housing and movable between a free position and an unlatched position, with a tab portion, and one or more elongate resilient elements biasing each latch element to the free position. Each latch element is positionable in a latched positions. The mount also includes one or more mating means attached to the battery module with an abutment with which the tab portion is engageable when the latch element is in the latched position, to hold the abutment in a retainable position, thereby securing the battery module to the housing. The tab portion is disengaged from the abutment when the latch element is in the unlatched position, to permit removal of the battery module from the housing. |
| US08048548B2 |
Electrocatalyst for alcohol oxidation at fuel cell anodes
In some embodiments a ternary electrocatalyst is provided. The electrocatalyst can be used in an anode for oxidizing alcohol in a fuel cell. In some embodiments, the ternary electrocatalyst may include a noble metal particle having a surface decorated with clusters of SnO2 and Rh. The noble metal particles may include platinum, palladium, ruthenium, iridium, gold, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the ternary electrocatalyst includes SnO2 particles having a surface decorated with clusters of a noble metal and Rh. Some ternary electrocatalysts include noble metal particles with clusters of SnO2 and Rh at their surfaces. In some embodiments the electrocatalyst particle cores are nanoparticles. Some embodiments of the invention provide a fuel cell including an anode incorporating the ternary electrocatalyst. In some aspects a method of using ternary electrocatalysts of Pt, Rh, and SnO2 to oxidize an alcohol in a fuel cell is described. |
| US08048546B2 |
Perpendicular magnetic recording disk with ordered nucleation layer and method for making the disk
A continuous-media perpendicular magnetic recording disk with an oxide-containing granular Co alloy recording layer (RL) having minimal grain size dispersion has an ordered nucleation layer (ONL) formed below RL. The ONL has ordered nucleation sites arranged in a generally repetitive pattern. The nucleation sites are generally surrounded by non-nucleation regions of a different material than the nucleation sites. The Co-alloy grains of the subsequently deposited RL grow on the nucleation sites and the oxide of the RL become generally segregated on the non-nucleation regions. The ordered nucleation sites may be formed of a Ru-containing material and the non-nucleation regions may be formed of an oxide. The ONL is formed by nanoimprint lithography, preferably by a master mold fabricated with a method using self-assembling block copolymers for creating periodic nanometer scale features. |
| US08048545B2 |
Perpendicular magnetic recording media with magnetic anisotropy gradient and local exchange coupling
A perpendicular magnetic recording medium adapted for high recording density and high data recording rate comprises a non-magnetic substrate having at least one surface with a layer stack formed thereon, the layer stack including a perpendicular recording layer containing a plurality of columnar-shaped magnetic grains extending perpendicularly to the substrate surface for a length, with a first end distal the surface and a second end proximal the surface, wherein each of the magnetic grains has: (1) a gradient of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy field Hk extending along its length between the first end and second ends; and (2) predetermined local exchange coupling strengths along the length. |