最新美国发明专利第2015-10-27期 - 专利汇|PatentHub专利检索|专利查询网|发明专利查询分析

Document	Document Title
US09168724B2	Method of label formation This invention provides a label forming apparatus including a release sheet having a release surface from which an adhered adhesive material is releasable, an adhesive material layer stacked on the release surface of the release sheet, a coat layer stacked on a surface of the adhesive material layer opposite to the release sheet, a label portion having a thermoplastic resin secured to a surface of the coat layer opposite to the adhesive material layer, and an edging portion provided on a surface of the coat layer opposite to the adhesive material layer and having a thermoplastic resin secured to a position spaced apart from the label portion so as to surround the label portion.
US09168722B2	Low glossiness-metallic luster decorative sheet, and laminated body laminating same A low glossiness-metallic luster decorative sheet with a low glossiness feeling added to a metallic luster feeling, and a laminated body thereof. Glossiness change at the time of molding is reduced. In a configuration with a metallic luster layer, and a low glossiness-resin layer containing a delustering agent provided to a substrate sheet in the order of the low glossiness-resin layer and the metallic luster layer from the closer side when viewed from one side, the low glossiness-resin layer has a large number of minute opening parts such that the metallic luster layer can be observed in the minute opening parts without the low glossiness-resin layer. By laminating the same onto the substrate by such as a molding method, a laminated body can be provided. The metallic luster layer viewed in the minute opening parts realizes a high brilliance metallic luster feeling while providing low glossiness.
US09168721B2	Tile and method for manufacturing the same A tile includes a protecting layer, a printing layer, and a filler layer. The protecting layer, the printing layer, and the filler layer are laminated to each other in a top-to-bottom sequence. The protecting layer, the printing layer, and the filler layer are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PETG). Hence, the tile made of PETG meets environmental friendly requirements, is suitable for use in different locations, and easy adhesion in installation. A method for manufacturing a tile includes the steps of: providing a protecting layer, a printing layer, and a filler layer, wherein the protecting layer, the printing layer, and the filler layer are made of PETG; laminating the protecting layer, the printing layer, and the filler layer in a top-to-bottom sequence so as to form a semi-finished product; and stress-releasing the semi-finished tile product to form a tile.
US09168712B2	Pelletizing press for producing pellets A pelletizing press for producing pellets from material to be pressed, preferably from biomass, for use as fuel in fire places, wherein the biomass consists of cellulosic and/or lignocellulosic fibers, chips or shreds. In the pelletizing press, a dispersion chamber is formed by at least one die having a plurality of bores for pressing the biomass and at least by a lateral wall, and at least one roller rolling on a rolling surface of the die is arranged in the dispersion chamber. A pelletizing press of this method for producing pellets enables the formation of a dispersion chamber that, by means of at least one lateral wall, is as compact and sealed as possible relative to the prior art. At least two lateral wall parts are arranged to form a lateral wall; at least the first lateral wall part is arranged to be movable in relation to the second lateral wall part for carrying out a relative movement.
US09168709B2	Process and apparatus for manufacturing tyres for vehicle wheels Building a carcass structure of a tire for vehicle wheels includes associating, at each end edge of a carcass ply laying on a forming support, at least one respective annular reinforcing structure obtained by depositing at least one respective reinforcing element. The deposition process includes feeding a continuous reinforced band-like element at a cutting unit, cutting to size at least one first reinforcing element from the continuous reinforced band-like element, moving the first reinforcing element from the cutting unit toward a first end edge of the carcass ply, positioning the first reinforcing element on the first end edge, cutting to size at least one second reinforcing element from the continuous reinforced band-like element, moving the second reinforcing element from the cutting unit toward a second end edge of the carcass ply opposite said first end edge, and positioning the second reinforcing element on the other end edge.
US09168707B2	Methods for manufacturing an embosser drum for use in pre-formatting optical tape media Various embodiments herein include utilities for generating embosser drums that are used to pre-format optical media such as optical tape with a pattern of nanostructures such as wobbled grooves. One utility includes generating a plurality of replicas from an embossing master, bonding the replicas together to form a bonded replica structure having a surface with the nanostructure pattern imprinted therein, creating a replica of the bonded replica structure and electroforming a metallic layer onto the bonded replica structure replica to create a single, one piece, metallic shim which can be used to create a weld-less embosser drum.
US09168705B2	Rotor blade for a wind turbine, method and manufacturing mold for the production thereof A rotor blade and a method and a manufacturing mold for the production of a rotor blade for a wind turbine, which extends longitudinally in the operational state from a blade root area to the connection to a rotor hub of the wind turbine and which is divided into at least two segments for its production, wherein at least one subdivision is provided approximately transverse to its longitudinal extension between the blade root area and the blade tip. The method facilitates and shortens the production of the rotor blade, in particular for a series production and to still provide the completed rotor blade as a familiar uniform rotor blade. In the method, the at least two segments, preferably after they have been at least partially produced or partially produced mainly parallel in time, are interconnected in an integration device.
US09168698B2	Three-dimensional printer with force detection An extruder or other tool head of a three-dimensional printer is instrumented to detect contact force against the extruder, such as by a build platform or an object being fabricated. The tool head may also be instrumented to detect deflection forces and the like acting on the tool that might indicate an operating error. The resulting feedback data can be used in a variety of ways to control operation of the three-dimensional printer during fabrication or diagnostics.
US09168696B2	Marked thermoplastic compositions, methods of making and articles comprising the same, and uses thereof In an embodiment, a method of inscribing a substrate comprises contacting the substrate with a laser beam to generate a mark, wherein the mark results from increasing the reflectivity of the thermoplastic material, wherein the substrate comprises a composition comprising a non-reflective thermoplastic material. In an embodiment, a method for generating a mark on an article comprises bonding a first component to a second component with a laser beam having a wavelength of greater than or equal to 800 nanometers, wherein the first component composition comprises a thermoplastic composition absorbing light having a wavelength of less than or equal to 500 nanometers and wherein the second component comprises a thermoplastic composition absorbing light having a wavelength of greater than or equal to 800 nanometers.
US09168693B2	Laminate material A self supporting curved laminate product resulting from curving of a planar precursor, wherein the planar precursor is a self supporting laminate of two sheets of an acrylic thermoplastic, or of sheets including an acrylic thermoplastic, spaced by, but attaching to, an interposed thermoset polyester system, and wherein curving has involved heating of the laminate sufficient to allow its curving without any substantial degradation of the lamination or its component layers.
US09168690B2	Expanded compression molding of composite plastics Composite polymeric articles significantly larger than the size of a compression molding press are produced by providing a plurality of expandable pillows interposed between an upper plate and the upper exterior surface of an outside the press upper mold. The upper plate has a plurality of downwardly extending paired vertical arms attached to opposite sides of the upper plate. Each vertical arm has a lower portion having a eyelet (or aperture), and each pair of vertical arms together forms an aligned pair of eyelets. When the upper and lower mold portions are pressed together, the eyelets reside below the exterior lower surface of the outside the press lower mold portion. Each eyelet is dimensioned to reversibly receive a horizontal or lateral arm that is deployed below the exterior lower surface of the outside the press lower mold portion. A plastic material is introduced onto the interior surface of the lower mold portion, which is compressed between the upper and lower mold portions via a press having a press area that does not extend out over the outside the press portions of the upper and lower mold portions. The lateral arms are extended through the paired and aligned eyelets. The plurality of expandable pillows are expanded, and the lateral arms are brought into compressive abutment with the exterior lower surface of the outside the press lower mold portion. The plastic material residing between the outside the press upper mold portion and the outside the press lower mold portion is then correspondingly compressed.
US09168686B2	Apparatus for forming a composite component Apparatus 200 for forming a composite component is disclosed, the apparatus comprising: a deformable mold tool 204 that at least partially defines a mold cavity 212; an interface layer 222 formed on an external surface of the mold tool 204; and at least two peristaltic actuators 206, mounted to contact the interface layer 222 and to generate a peristaltic pressure wave in the mold tool 204. The peristaltic actuators comprise rollers 206, pistons 306 or bi-metallic blocks 406. A method of forming a composite component is also disclosed, the method employing a mold tool 204 that at least partially defines a mold cavity 212. The method comprises: placing reinforcing fibers into the mold cavity 212, forcing a matrix material into the mold cavity 212 through the reinforcing fibers, and generating a peristaltic pressure wave within the mold tool 204 during forcing of the matrix material into the mold cavity 212.
US09168685B2	Print head assembly and print head for use in fused deposition modeling system A print head assembly that includes a print head carriage and multiple, replaceable print heads that are configured to be removably retained in receptacles of the print head carriage. The print heads each include a cartridge assembly and a liquefier pump assembly retained by the cartridge assembly.
US09168682B2	Medium supply appartus A medium supply apparatus includes: a storage part storing, in advance, information indicating a relation between a change in the amount of medium supplied by a medium drive part and a change in a frequency obtained by conversion in an inverter in accordance with a pipe resistance in a state that an electric motor is operated in a given condition; a frequency detection part detecting the frequency of the inverter in a case that the electric motor is operated in the given condition; a medium amount calculation part, on the basis of the frequency detected by the frequency detection part and the information stored in the storage part, calculating the amount of medium to be supplied by the medium drive part; a setup part setting up a necessary amount for the medium; and a frequency control part, on the basis of the necessary amount of medium set up by the setup part, the detected frequency, and the calculated medium amount, controlling the frequency to be obtained by conversion in the inverter.
US09168681B2	Method for making hollow stiffening elements A method for making hollow stiffening elements with co-curing technique on a structure made of composite material 1 includes the use of at least a lamination and polymerization spindle 2 upon which is positioned at least a rolled section 3. The rolled section 3 forms at least a hollow structure 11 where there is the spindle 2, including the following operational phases: coating the spindle 2 with at least a first anti-adherent layer 41; coating the spindle 2 with at least a second heat-shrinking layer 42; heating the coated spindle 2; positioning the spindle 2 on the surface of the structure 1; laminating the surface 1 through at least a rolled section 3; heating the structure 1 with at least a positioned rolled section 3; extracting the spindle 2 from the hollow structure 11.
US09168680B2	Apparatus for nano structure fabrication One or more techniques for nano structure fabrication are provided. In an embodiment, an apparatus for manufacturing a nano structure is disclosed. The apparatus includes a stamp having a line pattern on a surface thereof that comprises a plurality of protrusions, a die configured to hold a substrate thereon, and a mechanical processing unit configured to press the plurality of protrusions of the stamp against the substrate with a predetermined pressure so as to form at least one channel pore therebetween.
US09168677B2	Controlling moisture in and plasticization of bioresorbable polymer for melt processing Methods and systems for controlling the moisture content of biodegradable and bioresorbable polymer resin during extrusion above a lower limit that allows for plasticization of the polymer resin melt and below an upper limit to reduce or prevent molecular weight loss are disclosed. Methods are further disclosed involving plasticization of a polymer resin for feeding into an extruder with carbon dioxide and freon.
US09168674B2	Liquid reclamation and recirculation system for a wet saw cutting apparatus A liquid reclamation and recirculation system for a wet saw cutting apparatus comprising: a wet saw having a blade onto which liquid is dispensed by a liquid dispenser adjacent thereto; a first tank for receiving the liquid that has been dispensed onto the blade, the liquid received by the first tank defining a water level of the first tank; a second tank for receiving the liquid at or near the water level of the first tank; wherein the liquid dispensed by the liquid dispenser is drawn from the second tank.
US09168670B2	Battery driven electric power tool with brushless motor An electric power tool (100) includes a power source (102) enclosed in a casing (104). The power source (102) is a brushless DC motor (202) which drives a drive mechanism (106) for a cutting device. Further, an oil pump is at least partly housed in the casing (104) of the electric power tool (100). The oil pump is also driven by the brushless DC motor (202).
US09168669B2	Double arbor vertical shape saw Embodiments relate to systems, methods, and apparatuses for shape sawing wood. Specifically, embodiments include an infeed with laterally displaceable positioning rolls and a longitudinal axis between the positioning rolls. The embodiments further include a saw box with a frame and a plurality of saws coupled with a plurality of vertical arbors within the frame. In certain embodiments, the frame is operable to move laterally or rotationally with respect to a horizontal axis of rotation.
US09168668B2	Device for assisting in cutting a layer of fiber texture wound on an impregnation mandrel of a winding machine A device for assisting in cutting of a fiber texture layer wound on an impregnation mandrel of a winding machine, the device including two positioning stops each configured to be positioned on a respective side plate of the impregnation mandrel, and a plate forming a cutting jig that is configured to be positioned on the fiber texture layer that is to be cut in register with the protective film, the plate including a slot extending in position between the side plates of the impregnation mandrel and serving to guide a cutting tool.
US09168664B2	Low stress hard coatings and applications thereof In one aspect, coated cutting tools are described herein. In some embodiments, a coated cutting tool comprises a substrate and a refractory layer deposited by PVD adhered to the substrate, the refractory layer comprising M1−xAlxN wherein x≧0.4 and M is titanium, chromium or zirconium, the refractory layer having a thickness greater than 5 μm, hardness of at least 25 GPa and residual compressive stress less than 2.5 GPa.
US09168663B2	Blade bushing for rotary knife A powered rotary knife includes a handle, a blade housing, an annular blade, and a blade bushing for rotatably mounting the blade within the housing. The blade housing includes an inner groove that is operable to receive the blade bushing therein. The blade housing and blade bushing are split in order to expand and receive the blade. The blade includes an outer groove that is also operable to receive the blade bushing. Thus, the blade bushing is spaced between the blade housing and blade and rotatably secures the blade within the blade housing.
US09168662B1	Lighted razor A lighted razor that directs light in one or more different directions. The directed light enables a user to shave when in dark environments, and to adjust the amount of light that emanates from the razor. The lighted razor generally includes a body with a blade for shaving. A light is attached to the body, and may be powered and controlled by mechanisms in the body. A sleeve is adjustably positioned over the light to adjust an amount of light emanating from the razor.
US09168661B1	Method for creating stylish haircuts of various shapes and cutting hair in one push of a button A method for creating stylish haircuts of various shapes and cutting hair quickly in one push of a button includes the steps of providing a bendable and shape-retaining hair cutting apparatus having two blades (22, 24) mounted on two hinged resilient clip members (10, 12) respectively, bending the hair cutting apparatus into a desired shape when the two clip members (10, 12) are held together, flipping out one of the clip members (12) and positioning hair to be cut between the two clip members (10, 12), flipping the clip member (12) back towards the other clip member (10), and pushing a push mechanism (26, 36, 38) once so that one of the two blades (24) is moved laterally towards the other blade (22) and entered into slidable and shearing engagement therewith, thereby cutting hair clipped between the clip members (10, 12) and creating a haircut of the desired shape.
US09168655B2	Circuit arrangement and method for monitoring a hazardous device by evaluating the acceleration A circuit arrangement which comprises at least two acceleration sensors for measuring an acceleration of at least one part of the hazardous device, at least one logic circuit for evaluating measured values of the at least two acceleration sensors, at least one memory for storing a comparison value, and at least one safety device controlled by an output of the logic circuit. The safety device is adapted to bring the hazardous device into a safe state in response to a switching command received via the output of the logic circuit. The logic circuit transmits the switching command to the safety device when the measured acceleration of the part of the hazardous device or a value derived from the measured acceleration has a predetermined ratio to the stored comparison value. Furthermore, a method for monitoring a hazardous device is also disclosed.
US09168652B2	Hand-held power tool, in particular electric hand-held power tool A hand-held power tool has a housing including at least two separate and interconnected housing parts, wherein one housing part forms a handle housing for holding and guiding the hand-held power tool. The handle housing includes a handle and a fastening component. The fastening component is connected to the other housing part and to the handle, and a vibration reduction element is arranged between the fastening component and the handle.
US09168649B2	Hammer drill A hammer-drill including a body in which is mounted a motor and a hammer mechanism which is driven by the motor; a tool holder mounted on the front of the body and which is capable of holding a cutting tool, the hammer mechanism being capable of imparting impacts to the cutting tool, when held by the tool holder; a rear handle, moveably mounted onto the rear of the body via at least one movement control mechanism and which is capable of moving towards or away from the body; a biasing mechanism which biases the rear handle away from the body.
US09168646B2	Calibrated clamping device A straight threaded rod has three reference elements spaced apart from each other. A shoulder and a knob having a fourth reference element are screwed onto the rod. A spring is mounted on the rod between the knob and the shoulder. The rod is inserted through two axially aligned holes in two abutting pieces, with the shoulder bearing on a first surface of one of the two pieces. By adjusting the position of the shoulder and the knob along the rod it is possible to apply a calibrated clamping force to a pair of abutting pieces, regardless of the thickness of the pieces.
US09168640B2	Holder for sharpening and faceting A holder for sharpening and faceting includes a cylindrical body having a first end, a second end and an opening formed transversely through the body between the first end and the second end. The opening has a tool support surface. An adjustable clamping component has a rotatably adjustable fastening plate positioned within the opening, where the fastening plate has a top surface and a tool engaging surface to hold the tool against the tool support surface and a plurality of predefined plate end openings. A plurality of roller members are disposed within a longitudinal raceway formed in a lower portion of the body below the opening. The roller members are aligned to roll parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body and the axis of rotation of the roller members is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical body.
US09168639B2	Flexible sander A flexible sanding apparatus includes a thin, relatively flat spring member and one or more coil spring members coupled to a first side of the flat spring member along a length of the flat spring member. A sanding surface may be coupled to a second side of the flat spring member. The flat spring member and the coil spring members may be elongated members coupled together lengthwise. The coil spring member may be a closed coil spring member that allows concave flexing of the sanding surface and inhibits convex flexing of the sanding surface.
US09168638B2	Abrasive products and methods for finishing hard surfaces A coated abrasive product includes green, unfired abrasive aggregates having a generally spheroidal or toroidal shape, the aggregates formed from a composition comprising abrasive grit particles and a nanoparticle binder, wherein the abrasive aggregates are dispersed within a polymer resin coating, and wherein the coated abrasive product is capable of superfinishing a metal surface having an initial Ra in the range of about 1.5 micro inches to about 12.5 micro inches prior to application of the coated abrasive product and after application the surface has an Ra of less than 1.0 micro inch.
US09168636B2	Flexible abrasive article and methods of making Provided are abrasive articles having a plurality of elongated channels extending across its working surface and intersecting with each other. These channels provide hinge points that enhance flexibility of the article along two or more directions. Optionally, the abrasive article includes a flexible attachment layer, along with apertures that penetrate through the attachment layer located at the intersection points of the channels. The enhanced flexibility allows the abrasive article to easily access recessed areas of the workpiece and facilitates applying even pressure across convex and concave surfaces. The channels assist in segregating dust particles from the abrading operation, and the optional apertures can be advantageously connected to a vacuum source for evacuation of the dust particles from the channels.
US09168635B2	Humidity control for abrasive blasting systems An abrasive blasting system includes an air subsystem being adapted to provide pressurized air, a fluid subsystem being adapted to provide fluid, a mixer being adapted to mix the fluid with the pressurized air, and a media subsystem being adapted to provide abrasive media. The method includes pressurizing the air, mixing the fluid with the air, thereby changing the relative humidity of the air, and blasting a surface of a structure with abrasive media mixed with the fluid and the pressurized air.
US09168633B2	Milling and grinding device and machining method using the same A milling and grinding device, for machining a workpiece, includes a rack, a positioning tool, a spindle, a tool magazine, a milling cutter, a grinding wheel, and a controller. The rack defines a receiving chamber, and includes a workstation at a bottom of the receiving chamber. The positioning tool is mounted on the workstation to position the workpiece. The milling cutter and the grinding wheel are received in the tool magazine. The milling cutter is capable of milling the workpiece to form a hole. The grinding wheel is capable of grinding the hole of the workpiece. The controller is mounted on the rack, and capable of controlling the spindle to receive the milling cutter or the grinding wheel from the tool magazine, to mill or grind the workpiece. The tool setting gauge is mounted on the workstation, and capable of sharpening the grinding wheel in a different grinding precision.
US09168629B2	Detecting membrane breakage in a carrier head A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a carrier head having a flexible membrane and a chamber to apply pressure to the flexible membrane, a pressure control unit, a pressure supply line connecting the pressure control unit to the chamber, and a sensor located along the pressure supply line to detect a contaminant in the pressure supply line.
US09168625B2	Computer numerical control machine tool for grinding two sides of a plane by shifting self-rotation and ultrasonic vibration A computer numerical control machine tool for grinding two sides of a plane by shifting self-rotation ultrasonic vibration, wherein a pillar (3) is provided on the tool body (1) of the machine tool, a Y axis movement assembly (12) is provided on the platform of the tool body (1), with a lower revolving movement assembly (11), which revolves about a Z coordinate axis, being mounted on the upper surface of the Y axis movement assembly (12), and a lower grinding plate (10) being mounted coaxially above the lower revolving movement assembly (11); an ultrasonic vibration assembly (2) is mounted fixedly on the pillar (3), with a separation plate (8) for clamping a workpiece assembly (9) being provided on the ultrasonic vibration assembly (2); an X axis movement assembly (4) is mounted on the upper part of the pillar (3), a Z axis movement assembly (5) is mounted on the upright face of the X axis movement assembly (4), with an upper revolving movement assembly (6), which revolves about the Z coordinate axis, being provided on the Z axis movement assembly (5), and an upper grinding plate (7) being mounted coaxially on the revolving axis of the upper revolving movement assembly (6). The present invention enhances the time variation of grinding movement tracks, the uniformity of grinding speed distribution, machining efficiency and machining precision.
US09168623B2	Biaxial linear-motion micro drive apparatus A biaxial linear-motion micro drive apparatus includes: a mounting base A on an upper surface of a Z-direction sliding base; a Z-direction micro actuator fixed within the mounting base A and connected with a Z-direction micro-motion platform connected with an X-direction sliding base; Z-direction guide rail strips arranged on the Z-direction sliding; two Z-direction guide rail blocks provided on one Z-direction guide rail strip fixedly mounted on a lower surface of the X-direction sliding base; a mounting base B provided on an upper surface of the X-direction sliding base; an X-direction micro actuator in the mounting base B and connected with an X-direction micro-motion platform connected with an XZ biaxial motion platform; two X-direction guide rail strips arranged on the upper surface of the X-direction sliding base; two X-direction guide rail blocks provided on each X-direction guide rail strip mounted on a lower surface of the XZ biaxial motion platform.
US09168622B2	Floating chuck assembly for a rotary cutting machine A floating chuck assembly used in connection with a workpiece support carrying a workpiece, the floating chuck assembly comprising a chuck assembly; a linkage assembly adapted to support the chuck assembly, the linkage assembly including a mounting link attachable to the chuck assembly, a first link having a first end pivotally attached to a support about a first support axis and having a second end pivotally attached to the mounting link about a first mounting axis, a second link having a first end pivotally attached to the support about a second support axis and a second end pivotally attached to the mounting link about a second mounting axis; and, an extendable support having a first portion attached to the support and a second portion attached to one of the mounting link, first link, and second link, wherein the first portion moves relative to the second portion.
US09168620B2	Lens module assembling device A lens module assembling device includes a platform, a deformable support member, a deformable limiting unit and a gas blowing device. The platform includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the platform includes a receiving recess configured for receiving the deformable support member. The platform includes a bottom surface defines a plurality of through holes. The through holes through the bottom surface and the second surface. The deformable support member is placed on the bottom surface in a way such that the through holes are exposed. The deformable limiting unit is arranged on the first surface. The deformable limiting unit defines a limiting hole limiting the lens barrel in the recess. The gas blowing device is arranged below the second surface of the platform and configured for blowing gas to the lens module through the through holes.
US09168619B2	Quality control for a pressure relief device A system and associated methods of quality control for a pressure relief device are disclosed. More specifically, a system and method including one or more of non-destructive dimensional or visual verification, unique identification (e.g., serialization), and image capture of a pressure relief device or a constituent component of such a device are disclosed. A system and method are disclosed in which a checked physical attribute of a pressure relief device, or component thereof, is compared against a statistically expected attribute to determine whether the device or component is suitable for further manufacture or delivery to a customer.
US09168618B1	Manufacturing assembly and method of locating a face insert in a golf club head A manufacturing assembly and a method for locating a face insert in a golf club head during manufacture are disclosed herein. In particular, the manufacturing assembly comprises a face locating fixture sized to receive a golf club face insert and a pick fixture configured to removably attach to the face insert. The manufacturing assembly may further comprise a holding fixture sized to receive a golf club head and hold it in place while the face insert is aligned with the head during assembly.
US09168612B2	Laser material processing tool An apparatus for laser drilling including a laser beam emitter disposed within a housing having at least one laser beam outlet and at least one purge fluid outlet. At least one actuated nozzle is disposed within the housing for providing a purge fluid through the purge fluid outlet and having functional control for synchronized programmable activation patterns. Laser beam control is provided for directing a laser beam over a target surface.
US09168606B2	Electrospark deposition process and system for repair of gas turbine A system and method for repairing a metal substrate includes an electrospark device and an electrode removably supported in the electrode holder. The electrospark device applies a coating of a material when placed into contact with the metal substrate. A cooling device to lowers the temperature of shielding gas flow below an ambient temperature. A conduit is arranged to direct a flow of the shielding gas to the interface of the electrode and the substrate to cool the area of the substrate receiving the coating.
US09168604B2	Device and method for thermally treating workpieces in particular by convective heat transfer The present invention relates to a device for thermally treating workpieces that are equipped with electrical and electronic components, including at least one process chamber in which at least one heating or cooling zone is formed or disposed, wherein a temperature-controlled gaseous fluid can be introduced into said heating or cooling zone, wherein the workpieces pass through the heating or cooling zone and heat is transferred in a convective manner between the workpieces and the temperature-controlled fluid, and including at least one temperature measuring element disposed in the process chamber, wherein at least one sensor element that has a defined mass is disposed in the process chamber, such that heat is convectively transferred between the sensor element and the fluid, and an apparatus is provided for cooling and/or heating the sensor element, wherein the temperature of the sensor element can be measured by the temperature measuring element.
US09168603B2	Wire electric discharge machining apparatus A wire electric discharge machining apparatus that performs an electric discharge machining by applying a pulse voltage between a wire electrode (1) and a workpiece (2), the wire electric discharge machining apparatus including, a machining speed detection unit (14) that detects relative machining speed of the workpiece (2) and the wire electrode (1); a machining energy calculation unit (13) that calculates machining energy of a discharge pulse; a board thickness calculation unit (12) that calculates a board thickness of the workpiece (4) based on the machining speed detected by the machining speed detection unit (14) and the machining energy calculated by the machining energy calculation unit (13); a stationary state determination unit (16) that determines whether the machining is in a stationary state from a machining state during the machining, after the machining condition is switched in accordance with a board thickness of the workpiece (4) calculated by the board thickness calculation unit (12); and a machining condition switching unit (11) that switches the machining condition to a machining condition corresponding to a board thickness calculated by the board thickness calculation unit (12) when the stationary state determination unit (16) determines that the machining is in the stationary state and does not switch the machining condition to the machining condition corresponding to a calculated board thickness when the stationary state determination unit determines that the machining is not in the stationary state.
US09168601B2	Multi-flute reamer and cutting insert therefor A multi-flute reamer includes a cutting portion having a forward end and a rearward end, and a chip flute with a chip gash opening, and a cutting insert mounted on the cutting portion. A leading edge is formed at an intersection between a top surface and a radially-outward side surface, and a front edge is formed at an intersection between the top surface and a forward side surface. The cutting insert includes a rounded lead cutting edge formed at the intersection between the leading edge and the front edge, and the top surface includes a chip breaker having a bottom surface formed with a radius, R.
US09168600B2	Rasp for smoothing irregularly shaped surfaces A surface shaping rasp for use in removing material to shape or smooth a substrate such as an animal's hoof. The rasp has a plurality of blades spaced sufficiently apart to provide relatively rigid surface yet providing enough open space to allow passage of removed material and placed in a holding frame. The rasp is especially useful for smoothing rough and irregularly shaped surfaces such as after trimming an animal's hoof.
US09168596B2	Blade guard for a saw A blade guard for a circular saw blade. The blade guard includes at least two pieces coupled together. The blade guard also includes at least one bottom plate having a slot formed therein for accommodating the circular saw blade and at least one top cover. Additionally, the blade guard includes a plurality of fastening rods for coupling the bottom plate with the top cover, the plurality of fastening rods further configured to secure the at least two pieces to the at least one bottom plate and the at least one top cover.
US09168591B2	Core drilling machine Disclosed is a core drilling machine, comprising a stand part for fixing the core drilling machine to a component, and comprising, on the stand part, a guide along which a core drilling unit is carried in a movable manner, the stand part having a stand housing, on an outside face of which the guide is carried, and the core drilling unit having an elongate machine housing, which is carried so as to be movable along the guide by means of a slide, and comprising a cable, which, together with a protective sleeve, is routed from the stand part to the core drilling unit, the cable being routed from the stand housing to the core drilling unit via a flexible protective sleeve and being carried on the core drilling unit by means of a swivelling rotary joint.
US09168590B2	Tangential indexable cutting insert A tangential indexable cutting insert having eight lips which are distributed in pairs over four side faces of the indexable cutting insert, each lip being formed by a main lip which is formed by the intersection of one of the side faces with a base face, a secondary lip, which is formed by the intersection of the side face with an adjacent side face, and a corner edge (5) adjoining the main lip and the secondary lip, is distinguished by the fact that the main lip has a front portion (4a) which is located at the level of the corner edge, a rear portion which is located at a lower level closer to a center axis of the indexable cutting insert, and a transition portion between the front portion and the rear portion, the three portions being located in one plane.
US09168589B2	Indexable drill insert A quadrangular indexable drill insert includes: a top surface, a bottom surface, a side surface adjoining the top and bottom surfaces from four sides of the insert, four cutting edges configured at the intersection of the side surface and the top surface, and a screw hole disposed at the center of the insert. Each cutting edge includes: a first part edge; a second part edge extending from the first part edge; a third part edge extends away from a reference axis, a nose portion adjoins the first part edge with the third part edge of a succeeding cutting edge and a transitional edge joining the second and third part edges. The transitional part edge forms an angle of about 10° to about 90° with respect to the reference axis and forms a convex curve with the second part edge and a concave curve with the third part edge.
US09168587B2	Fine coated copper particles and method for producing same Provided are fine coated copper particles, which are fine with a narrow particle size distribution and superior storability, and which can be sintered at low temperatures. Specifically provided is a method for producing fine coated copper particles which is characterized by including: a step of mixing a copper-containing compound and a reducing compound to form a composite compound that is capable of thermal decomposition to generate copper in an alkylamine; and a step of heating the composite compound in the alkylamine to produce fine copper particles coated with the alkylamine.
US09168583B2	Non-rotating shaft for a continuous casting machine The invention comprises a non-rotating shaft for supporting a mechanical element of a roll segment in a continuous casting machine, having an essentially circular cross-section. The circular cross-section presents a portion having a smooth peripheral, wherein the distance between any point of the portion and a center of the circular cross-section is shorter than a radius of the circular cross-section. Furthermore, the circular cross-section presenting the portion extends axially, which defines a section of the shaft meant to a least partly receive the mechanical element, and the section of the shaft is meant to receive a load at least partly at the portion. In addition, according to a second aspect, the invention comprises a segment roll for a continuous casting machine, which comprises the non-rotating shaft according to the first aspect.
US09168581B2	Electro-hydraulic rivet and method of riveting and welding parts A method of riveting two metal parts through a hole with an electro-hydraulic riveting tool. The electro-hydraulic riveting tool includes a tube that is inserted in the hole and an electrode that is inserted within the tube. A liquid is contained within the tube and the electrode is immersed in the liquid. A stored charge is discharged through the electrode to create a shockwave within the fluid that forms the tube into a rivet structure and creates solid state weld between the rivet flanges and the parts that are joined.
US09168580B2	System and method for accumulative double sided incremental forming A forming system includes first and second tools, moving assemblies, and a control unit. The moving assemblies move the first tool and the second tool relative to the sheet. The control unit is configured to control movement of the first tool and the second tool by the one or more moving assemblies by moving at least one of the first tool or the second tool in a first deformation direction to deform the sheet, then moving the first and second tools laterally relative to the sheet to a subsequent location while engaging the sheet, then moving at least one of the first tool or the second tool in the first deformation direction or an opposite second deformation direction to deform the sheet, and then continue moving the first and second tools to deform the sheet in order to create a three-dimensional component from the sheet.
US09168578B2	Hot stamping mold A hot stamping mold apparatus may include a bottom part equipped on a bolster and a top part equipped on a slider, wherein the bottom part and the top part each include a cooling mold including a plurality of coolant chambers formed therein, a heating mold installed at a side of the cooling mold to form a formed surface together with the cooling mold and provided with a heating cartridge installed at a side of the heating mold, and a plurality of insert blocks interposed between the cooling mold and the heating mold.
US09168572B2	Tarp and ballast system An improved tarp and ballast system that includes a plurality of panels attached to one another along the lengths thereof, wherein the lengths of the panels correspond to the length of the tarp. The tarp also includes chain pockets located at the sides of the tarp which run the length of the tarp and have chains secured therein. The tarp further includes a plurality of cable pockets and associated ballast anchors oriented across the width of the tarp which are adapted to secure a plurality of ballast cables to the tarp.
US09168568B2	Particle manipulation system with cytometric confirmation A MEMS-based particle manipulation system which uses a particle manipulation stage and a plurality of laser interrogation regions. The laser interrogation regions may be used to assess the effectiveness or accuracy of the particle manipulation stage. In one exemplary embodiment, the particle manipulation stage is a microfabricated valve, which sorts a target particle from non-target particles in a fluid stream. The laser interrogation stages are disposed in the microfabricated fluid channels at the input and output of the valve. By reversing the flow from output to input, the same laser interrogation region may be used to perform the cytometry. The cytometry may be performed throughout the sorting process to optimize or control the sorting, or may be performed afterward to allow a multi-pass, sequential sort to be performed on the same sample.
US09168566B2	Process for producing a projection blackboard A projection blackboard having both of an excellent blackboard function and an excellent screen function, and a process for producing the same. The surface enamel layer that is an outermost layer of the enamel layers is formed by using a enameling upper glaze wherein at least titanium oxide coated particles, or a titanium oxide glaze together therewith is blended into a transparent mat glaze, so as to render the layer an enamel layer having a predetermined color tone, a surface characteristic that the Rz is from 5 to 25 μm and a reflective characteristic that the peak gain is 0.28 or more, or having these properties and a glossiness Gs (75°) of 1 to 30%. This makes it possible to produce a blackboard excellent in both of blackboard function and screen function. The titanium oxide coated particles are preferably particles wherein surfaces of mica particles are coated with titanium oxide.
US09168561B2	Apparatus including a fixed temporary stage for manufacturing molded product An apparatus for manufacturing a molded product, which has a highly homogeneous thin film, at low cost by operating an injection molding machine and a film forming device at a high rate of operation is provided. A molded product formed by an injection molding machine is conveyed to a temporary stage by a first conveying device. The molded products corresponding to several times of an injection molding step are pooled on the temporary stage by the repetition of an injection molding step. A second conveying device collectively conveys all the molded products, which are pooled on the temporary stage, to a film forming device. Films are formed on the molded products by the film forming device, and the molded products are conveyed to the outside by a third conveying device. The injection molding step is continuously performed while a film forming step is performed.
US09168560B2	Feeding mold A feeding mold including a runner and a gate structure is provided. The runner is adapted to be filled with a liquid-like material. The gate structure includes a storage cavity, a running passage and a filling cavity. The storage cavity communicates with the runner and is adapted to store the liquid-like material filled by the runner. The running passage communicates with the storage cavity. The running passage is adapted to carry the liquid-like material from the storage cavity so as to evenly distribute the liquid-like material. The running passage has a protruding buffering cavity which is located between the storage cavity and the filling cavity and is adapted to change the velocity of the liquid-like material in the running passage, and lower the temperature of the liquid-like material flowed onto a surface of a workpiece.
US09168554B2	System, nozzle, and method for coating elastic strands A contact nozzle for coating an elastic strand with an adhesive. Air is discharged at the adhesive in contact with the strand, causing the adhesive to spread around the periphery of the strand. The air assists with release of the adhesive from the nozzle and also cleans the nozzle to discourage adhesive build-up on the nozzle.
US09168551B2	Discharging apparatus for media Discharging apparatus for liquid, pasty or pulverulent media having a housing, a discharging opening, a reservoir for storing the medium prior to being discharged, and a handle which causes medium to be delivered from the reservoir to the discharging opening, wherein the discharging apparatus has an electric load and a converter for converting the mechanical energy introduced at the handle into electrical energy for supplying the electric load.Mechanical energy introduced at the handle is fed to the converter by a transmission unit. The linear movement of the handle or of a stressing member of a spring energy store, which can be subjected to stressing by means of the handle, is converted into a non-rotary oscillating movement of a pendulum member, wherein the converter is designed for converting the mechanical energy of the oscillating pendulum member into electrical energy.
US09168549B2	Device for ejecting droplets of an electrically non-conductive fluid at high temperature A device is configured to eject droplets of an electrically non-conductive medium at a temperature of 360° C. or above. The device includes a fluid chamber body, the fluid chamber body having a fluid chamber for containing an electrically non-conductive medium at a temperature of 360° C. or above and for containing a conductive medium. The fluid chamber includes an orifice. In the fluid chamber, at least a part of the electrically non-conductive medium is positioned closer to the orifice than the conductive medium. The device further includes a heater configured to heat the electrically non-conductive medium and an actuator, the actuator includes electrodes for generating a current in the conductive medium and magnets for generating a magnetic field in the conductive medium.
US09168544B2	Fluid jet system A fluid jet system providing a hydraulic induction manifold for at least two valves. The manifold is positioned “upstream” of an abrasives holding tank, so that no abrasive material flows through the valves and the manifold. The valves and the manifold provide pressurized fluid for at least two different flows: (1) a primary fluid flow and (2) an abrasive material flow through the abrasives holding tank. The two flows are merged again at a junction to provide a fluid flow having a predetermined abrasive-to-fluid mixture ratio. The manifold balances the pressure of the two different flows using a preset geometric relationship between the two different output flow paths associated with the valves.
US09168539B2	Method of applying thermoplastic liquid onto a substrate Apparatus and methods for applying liquid onto a substrate include a nozzle configured to be connected to a liquid source. The nozzle further includes a distribution passage with a length that can receive the liquid. A piston is positioned in the distribution passage and a slit-shaped nozzle opening is in fluid communication with the distribution passage. The piston is movable in the distribution passage so as to vary the length that can receive the liquid. The nozzle opening communicates with the distribution passage via a plurality of spaced apart outlet channels having respective outlet ends. The outlet channels are formed between first and second nozzle pieces each having a tip portion at the outlet ends. At least one of the first or second nozzle pieces is flexible at the tip such that the outlet ends open when under positive fluid pressure and close when the fluid pressure is reduced. An application valve is coupled to the nozzle for selectively interrupting or enabling a flow of liquid to the distribution passage.
US09168535B2	Adjustable anvil for comminuting apparatus The field of the disclosure relates to anvils for comminuting apparatus such as grinders or chippers. In some embodiments, the anvil is adjustable in length to maintain a clearance between a comminuting drum and a shear edge of the anvil.
US09168534B2	System and method for vessel alignment A vessel including an identification region may be placed in a holder. Through interaction of a positioning feature on the vessel and an orientation feature on the holder, the vessel can be placed into an alignment orientation, e.g., such that the identification region may be reliably read by a reader. The identification region may provides information related to the sample, such as vessel identity, sample volume, processes to be performed on the sample, and so on.
US09168533B2	Thermal cycler device The present invention relates to a thermal cycler device for carrying reaction slides for assays with thermal cycling reactions. The thermal cycler device includes a conveyer with a plurality of slide holders for conveying slide plates through more than one temperature zones for thermal cycling reactions.
US09168532B2	Microwell plate A microwell plate comprises a skirt and frame portion having a top surface and a bottom surface, and having a plurality of holes; and a well and deck portion comprising a plurality of wells integrated with a planar deck; wherein the well and deck portion is overmolded or adhered onto the skirt and frame portion such that the plurality of wells extends through the plurality of holes in the top surface of the skirt and frame portion; and wherein the well and deck portion is formed from a thermoplastic composition including a poly(aliphatic ester)-polycarbonate comprising soft block ester units, derived from monomers comprising an alpha, omega C6-20 aliphatic dicarboxylic acid or derivative thereof, a dihydroxyaromatic compound, and a carbonate source.
US09168530B2	Methods and systems for fast PCR heating A microplate for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) comprises a substrate having a metallic material for heating PCR samples, and a barrier layer disposed adjacent to the substrate. In some cases, the barrier layer is formed of a first polymeric material. The microplate includes one or more wells for containing PCR samples. The one or more wells are formed of a second polymeric material sealed to the barrier layer. In some cases, the substrate can provide a PCR ramp rate of at least about 5° C./second.
US09168529B2	Air cooling systems and methods for microfluidic devices Systems and methods for air cooling a microfluidic device using confinement channels to isolate cooling air from exposed liquids are disclosed. The systems and methods may also thermally condition the cooling airflow for improved robustness of the microfluidic device. In one embodiment, the air cooling system includes a split-level cooling manifold including an inlet duct that directs cooling air to a microfluidic device and an outlet duct that directs air heated by the microfluidic device away from the microfluidic device. The temperature of cooling air may be measured. The cooling air may be preheated to a temperature that is higher than an expected ambient temperature. The temperature of the cooling air after being heated by a microfluidic device may be measured.
US09168527B2	Electrokinetic fluidic system An electrokinetic fluidic system (100, 100′, 100″) for controlling liquid flow in e.g. a lab-on-a-chip system (200) comprising a first and a second electrode (10, 10′) said first and second electrode comprising a polymer based or oxide based conductive, electrochemically active electrode material, said electrode material being adapted to be subjected to an electrochemical reaction when in use in said electrokinetic fluid system (100).
US09168516B2	Solvothermal synthesis process of SAPO molecular sieves and catalysts prepared thereby A solvothermal synthesis process of the SAPO molecular sieves and catalysts prepared thereby are provided. The synthesis process comprises the following steps: a) an organic amine, an aluminum source, a phosphorus source, a silicon source, and water are mixed in a molar ratio of 6-30:1:0.5-5:0.01-1.0:0.1-15, to obtain an initial mixture for preparing the SAPO molecular sieves, wherein the molar ratio of water to the organic amine is less than 2.0; b) the initial mixture obtained in the step a) is maintained at 30-60° C. to and aged with stirring for not more than 24 hours, to obtain an initial gel; c) the initial gel obtain in the step b) is crystallized at 150-250° C. for 0.5-15 days. The SAPO molecular sieves prepared thereby are used, after being calcined at 400-700° C. in air, as catalysts for acid-catalyzed reactions or for conversion reactions of oxygen-containing compounds to olefins.
US09168510B2	Nickel catalysts for reforming hydrocarbons A catalyst for reforming hydrocarbons may include a catalytically active amount of nickel or nickel oxide dispersed on a metal oxide support. The metal oxide support may be of a single-metal oxide of a first metal or a complex-metal oxide of the first metal and a second metal. A co-catalyst of magnesium oxide (MgO) may anchor the nickel or nickel oxide onto the metal oxide support.
US09168509B2	Hydrogenation catalysts and the preparation processes thereof The present disclosure provides a hydrogenation catalyst, the preparation process thereof and the application thereof in the production of 1,4-butanediol by hydrogenating dialkyl maleate and/or dialkyl succinate. The catalyst comprises Cu—Al-A-B—O, wherein A comprises at least one of Zn, Mo and W, B comprises at least one of Ba, Mn, Mg, Ti, Ce and Zr. In the process for preparing said hydrogenation catalyst, a part of Cu and A are precipitated first and the rest of Cu, Al and B are precipitated successively.
US09168506B2	Additive for hydroconversion process and method for making and using same An additive for hydroconversion processes includes a solid organic material having a particle size of between about 0.1 and about 2,000 μm, a bulk density of between about 500 and about 2,000 kg/m3, a skeletal density of between about 1,000 and about 2,000 kg/m3 and a humidity of between 0 and about 5 wt %. Methods for preparation and use of the additive are also provided. By the use of the additive of the present invention, the hydroconversion process can be performed at high conversion level.
US09168502B2	Apparatus for producing trichlorosilane An apparatus for producing trichlorosilane in which reacted gas including trichlorosilane and hydrogen chloride is produced by heating raw gas including silicon tetrachloride and hydrogen, the apparatus having: a reaction vessel having a substantially cylindrical shape and being provided with a heated wall forming a gas flow-passage along an axis direction; and a heater heating the heated wall, wherein a folding flow-passage is provided at an uppermost stream of the gas flow-passage and has: an inlet flow-passage in which raw gas is introduced; and a turning part connected to a downstream of the inlet flow-passage in which a flow direction of the raw gas is turned at least once in an opposite direction, the turning part is formed between the inlet flow-passage and the heated wall in the folding flow-passage, and a turning length of the folding flow-passage along the axis direction is smaller than a maximum length of the gas flow-passage along the axis direction.
US09168500B2	Gasifier fluidization A method of producing synthesis gas by introducing a feed material to be gasified into a gasification apparatus comprising at least one fluidized component operable as a fluidized bed, wherein the gasification apparatus is configured to convert at least a portion of the feed material into a gasifier product gas comprising synthesis gas; and maintaining fluidization of the at least one fluidized component by introducing a fluidization gas thereto, wherein the fluidization gas comprises at least one component other than steam. A system for producing synthesis gas is also provided.
US09168494B2	Unit for establishing contact between a gas and a liquid for a floating platform A unit for establishing contact between a liquid and a gas includes: a chamber having a vertical axis; a first series of contact sections disposed along the length of the vertical axis of the chamber; a second series of contact sections disposed along the length of the vertical axis of the chamber, alternated with the contact sections of the first series; and a liquid circulation system designed to circulate a liquid in the contact sections of the first series and in the contact sections of the second series in a separate manner.
US09168493B1	Waste water treatment system Methods and systems for treating waste water in residential, industrial and agricultural environments are disclosed. The methods and systems for treating waste water can be localized and self-contained with no need to channel sewage to a remote location. The waste water treatment methods and systems result in recycled clean water, concentrated effluent, and disposable solids. The recycled water can be used for landscaping and domestic use. The concentrated effluent can be channeled to an anaerobic digester to generate biogas, such as hydrogen, methane, and/or carbon dioxide, which can be used to generate power or as fuel for heating and/or cooking. The disposable solids may be used as fertilizer for farming or gardening.
US09168492B2	Elements for separating substances by distributing between a stationary and a mobile phase, and method for the production of a separating device The invention relates to elements for separating substances by distributing between a stationary and a mobile phase. Said separating elements comprise any stationary phase and a support element. The separating elements are part of a set that is provided with at least two separating elements Ti (i=2) encompassing different stationary phases Si (i=2). The set comprises at least three pieces of each type of separating element Ti with a specific stationary phase Si. The separating elements can be coupled to each other or interconnected in another manner so as to form a separating device. The invention further relates to a method for producing an optimized device for separating substance mixtures.
US09168491B2	Emission control system A method and apparatus for treating an exhaust or waste gas stream to remove pollutants from the gas stream using gas stabilization to allow the cleaned gas stream to be discharged directly to atmosphere. The apparatus includes at least three treatment stations for treating the gas stream in sequence, in which one of the treatment stations is a wet reactor containing a nucleating or precipitating liquids for removing the unwanted material as a solid and for oxygenating the gas stream to remove any residual unwanted material, and another of the treatment stations is a gas compressing stage for compressing the gas stream. The advantage of the method and apparatus is that the treated gas steam can be discharged directly to atmosphere with reduced amounts of pollutants.
US09168487B2	Alkanolamine-based carbon dioxide absorption solutions with reduced corrosivity An aqueous carbon dioxide-absorbent solution comprising at least one alkanolamine and at least one quaternary ammonium salt is disclosed. A method of recovering carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide-containing gaseous mixture and a method of reducing metal corrosion in an alkanolamine-based exhaust gas treating process are also disclosed.
US09168485B2	Methods of removing contaminants from a hydrocarbon stream by swing adsorption and related apparatus and systems A swing adsorption process for removing contaminants from a gaseous feed stream through a combination of a selective adsorbent material containing an effective amount of a non-adsorbent filler, adsorbent contactor design, and adsorption cycle design.
US09168481B2	Filter element A filter element includes a fold pack (5) with at least one side strip (4) that connects fold ends on at least one side of the fold pack (5). The side strip (4) is connected only about a portion of the height of the fold pack therewith in such a way that the fold valleys and/or fold ridges of the fold pack are not connected with the side strip.
US09168479B2	Plugged honeycomb structure A plugged honeycomb structure includes a honeycomb structure section having porous partition walls, the plurality of cells including large cells and small cells having different open areas in a cross section perpendicular to an extending direction of the cells; inflow side plugged portions arranged in inflow side end portions of the predetermined cells including the large cells and the small cells among the plurality of cells; and outflow side plugged portions arranged in outflow side end portions of the remaining cells including the large cells and the small cells among the plurality of cells. The predetermined cells are outflow cells having the plugged inflow side end portions and the open outflow side end portions in the honeycomb structure section, and the remaining cells are inflow cells having the plugged outflow side end portions and the open inflow side end portions in the honeycomb structure section.
US09168478B2	Fine particle collecting filter A fine particle collecting filter includes a honeycomb structure in which a plurality of honeycomb segments are integrally joined by a joining material, and has a constitution where an exhaust gas allowed to flow from an inlet end surface into cells passes partition walls, and then flows out from an outlet end surface to the outsides of the cells. In the partition walls, SiC which is an aggregate is bound by Si which is a binding agent, at least one of an average open diameter of the pores of an inlet side of the exhaust gas passing the partition wall and an average open diameter of the pores of an outlet side is from 0.1 to 5 μm, an average pore diameter of the whole partition wall is from 10 to 30 μm, and a thermal conductivity of the partition walls at room temperature is from 50 to 80 W/mK.
US09168477B2	Support tube for a filter element A filter element has a support grid structure with a first axial end and a second axial end. A filter medium surrounds annularly the support grid. The support grid has structural web members that are connected and form a hollow-cylindrical grid structure that surrounds a cylindrical interior. At least three of the structural web members or structural web sections connect to each other to define a through opening. A fluid flow is enabled in radial direction relative to a center axis of the hollow-cylindrical grid structure through the through openings. A first average opening cross-section of the through openings in a first region adjacent to a first axial end is greater than a second average opening cross-section of the through openings in a second region adjacent to the second axial end.
US09168471B2	Air filter medium combining two mechanisms of action An air filter medium consisting of a non-woven is provided, which is produced using a melting and spinning method and has a depth filter constituent and a surface filter constituent, wherein the air filter medium is configured such that it has long-lasting functionality owing to the depth filter constituent and can be substantially regenerated with a reverse pulse owing to the surface filter constituent.
US09168469B2	Method and system for production of a chemical commodity using a fiber conduit reactor A fiber reaction process whereby reactive components contained in immiscible streams are brought into contact to effect chemical reactions and separations. The conduit reactor utilized contains wettable fibers onto which one stream is substantially constrained and a second stream is flowed over to continuously create a new interface there between to efficiently bring about contact of the reactive species and thus promote reactions thereof or extractions thereby. Co-solvents and phase transfer catalysts may be employed to facilitate the process.
US09168468B2	System and method for recycling high-boiling-point waste photoresist stripper In a system for recycling a high-boiling-point waste photoresist stripper generated in processes of manufacturing LCDs or semiconductor devices, wherein an expensive high-boiling-point stripper solvent can be easily recycled at high yield and high-purity electronic grade. This system includes a first distillation device for removing low-boiling-point impurities, a second distillation device for recycling a stripper solvent composition while removing high-boiling-point impurities, a third distillation device for removing trace water, thus recovering the stripper solvent composition, a fourth distillation device for additionally recycling a stripper solvent, thus additionally recovering a high-boiling-point stripper solvent, and a fifth distillation device for sequentially and separately recovering the stripper solvent composition recovered by the second distillation device and the high-boiling-point stripper solvent additionally recovered by the fourth distillation device.
US09168467B1	Assembly for separating gas mixtures in fractionating columns The invention relates to cryogenic technology, namely, to devices for obtaining components of gas mixtures by rectification method, particularly, neon isotopes. The device comprises housed in jackets rectification columns, forming connected in series head and N−1 consecutively installed sections, containing contact spaces, whose upper areas are connected with condensers, whose inner surfaces contact with the mixture to be separated in the rectification columns, and outer surfaces—with the cooling medium, which, through gas recuperative heat exchangers, are connected by the line of the working body return flow to the compressor and the working body separator with the connecting pipe of the gas phase, condensers are grouped into blocks of condensers in sections which have common cavities of the cooling medium and, at least, one of N installed sections consists of groups of nj (j=1 . . . N) rectification columns connected in parallel.
US09168465B2	Systems and methods for all-shape modified building block applications All-shape building blocks may be shaped as platonic solids. All-Shape building blocks include a flange on each tetrahedron edge, where each flange and each tetrahedron vertex may include magnetic materials (e.g., magnets, ferromagnetic metals). All-Shape building block flanges may be used to capture kinetic energy from a fluid. Multiple All-Shape building blocks may be combined to form larger structures, and the included magnetic materials may be used to retain the formed geometric structure shape.
US09168463B2	Toy track set A toy track set includes a vehicle path defined by a track and a gap disposed between a first gap end and a second gap end. The toy track also includes a carriage assembly configured to carry a toy vehicle across the gap such that the toy vehicle travels from the first gap end to the second gap end on the carriage assembly, the carriage assembly being moved from the first gap end to the second gap end by an assembly having an arm rotatable about an axis of rotation and that rotates through an angle equal to or greater than 360 degrees as it carries the toy vehicle from the first gap end to the second gap end.
US09168460B2	System and method of automatic entry creation for blogs, web pages or file-sharing sites based on game events Systems and methods are provided for at least partially automating content generation of blog entries chronicling an entity's interaction with a multiuser environment. The same may combine automatic data generation with user-generated and/or user-edited or created narrative. The systems and methods may be employed for automatically generating and publishing descriptions, such as posting blog articles. In one implementation, a system automatically posts blog articles with automatic screenshots and automatically-generated descriptive copy of events that occur within a video game, such as in a massive multiplayer online role-playing game.
US09168459B1	System and method for dynamically altering an in-game experience based on a user's connection to the game One aspect of the disclosure relates to dynamically altering an in-game experience based on a user's connection to the online game. The online game may monitor connection strength of a device of the user to a network via which the user may access the online game. The online game may dynamically alter the user's experience based on the connection strength of the device. The online game may make available or remove the availability of one or more modes of game play to the user based on the connection strength of the users device.
US09168458B2	Adaptive task assignment for online games Software at an online game website assigns to a player of an MMO game a first game task in a conditional series of game tasks. Each game task includes a specified duration. At least one of the game tasks in the conditional series of game tasks is a social game task. The software determines whether the player completed the first game task within the specified duration. If the player did not complete the first game task within the specified duration, the software assigns the player a second game task in the conditional series of game tasks that is less difficult to complete than the first game task. Then the software provides a reward to the player upon termination of the conditional series of game tasks. The reward depends on the game tasks in the conditional series of game tasks that are completed by the player.
US09168455B2	Game system with marked play-pieces A game system uses play-pieces, such as figurines, cards, and maps, each having multiple, machine-readable indicia. A hand-held reader for the indicia communicates with a computer, such as a tablet or smart phone. Players select which indicia to read with the reader, thereby identifying specific figurines, locations, commands, and the like by direct reference to the play-pieces themselves. Certain parameters associated with specific play-pieces are stored in a database of the computer, and may change over time, whether from progress in the game, or from updates made available online.
US09168452B2	Methods and systems for determining and selling outcomes for drawing games to be viewed remotely In accordance with some embodiments, a plurality of outcomes are generated and used to create a video presentation of representative outcomes for one or more players (e.g., for a keno game, for a bingo game). The video presentation is recorded onto a tangible medium (e.g., DVD or CD-ROM) or otherwise provided to one or more players (e.g., a player may access the video presentation online). This allows one or more players to purchase a video presentation of (e.g., predetermined) outcomes in a jurisdiction in which gambling is legal yet view the presentation at the player's convenience (e.g., from any jurisdiction and at any time). At least one player who is associated with such a video presentation may subsequently redeem it for a redemption value associated therewith.
US09168448B2	Pole/wrist strap assembly A pole/wearable article assembly that includes a pole, a handle for the pole, and a wearable article designed to at least partially cover a user's hand. The wearable article includes an element for fastening to the handle. The handle includes the following: a body having a housing to receive the fastening element; a retaining element cooperating with the fastening element when the latter is within the rear housing; and a latch. The retaining element is movable in relation to the body between a position for retaining the fastening element and a position for releasing this fastening element. The latch is movable between a locking position in which the latch cooperates with the retaining element so as to maintain the retaining element in its retaining position, and an unlocking position in which the latch no longer cooperates with the retaining element to maintain it in its retaining position. The handle of the assembly includes a return mechanism biasing the latch towards its locking position.
US09168446B2	Protective padding A protective padding assembly for covering a section of chain link fence of the character found in sports venues, such as baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields and the like, wherein the section of chain link fence includes a hingeably connected swinging gate. The protective padding assembly uniquely includes a fence covering section, a gate covering section and an intermediate, wedge shaped portion for covering the gate hinges in a manner that will not interfere with opening and closing the gate.
US09168445B2	Adjustable golf training and teaching device for head and chin adjustment with stereo view of golf ball A golf training and teaching device is provided for a golfer wearing a hat having a brim. The device includes a right-side L-shaped member and a left-side L-shaped member. The right-side L-shaped member includes an upper leg and a lower leg depending from the upper leg, with the lower leg having a sighting opening therein configured to be positioned adjacent the right eye of the golfer. The left-side L-shaped member includes an upper leg and a lower leg depending from the upper leg, with the lower leg having a sighting opening therein configured to be positioned adjacent the left eye of the golfer. The right-side and left-side L-shaped members are slidably coupled in partially overlapping relation so that the respective upper legs thereof overlay and define a clamp to be secured onto the brim of the hat. The sighting openings are configured to provide a visual containment area for a golf ball positioned adjacent the golfer's feet.
US09168439B2	Golf club head A recess 14 is formed in a sole 9 of a head 4. The recess 14 is an example of an opening part. A socket 10 is mounted to the recess 14. A weight body 12 capable of being attached/detached is attached to the socket 10. The weight body 12 has an engaging part 32 and an exposed part E1. The socket 10 has an interposition part 11. The interposition part 11 is interposed in at least a part between the exposed part E1 and a head body h1 in an attached state where the engaging part 32 is placed at an engaging position EP. The exposed part E1 is exposed to the outside in the attached state. The interposition part 11 does not fix the weight body 12.
US09168436B2	Golf club having a reinforced ball striking plate A ball striking device includes a ball striking plate having a front surface configured to strike a ball and a rear surface opposite the front surface. The ball striking plate has a desired-contact region and a perimeter. One or more spoke-like reinforcement ribs may be located on the rear surface and may radiate away from the desired-contact region toward the perimeter. At least one of the spoke-like reinforcement ribs may be located in an upper-toe quadrant or in an upper-heel quadrant of the rear surface. One or more encircling reinforcement ribs may be located on the rear surface. The one or more encircling reinforcement ribs may be at least partially encircling the desired-contact region. A thickened portion of the ball striking plate may be positioned behind the desired-contact region of the ball striking plate. The ball striking device may be a golf club head.
US09168435B1	Golf club head or other ball striking device having impact-influencing body features A ball striking device, such as a golf club head, has a face with a striking surface configured for striking a ball; a channel extending across a portion of the sole, wherein the channel is recessed from adjacent surfaces of the sole; a void defined on the sole of the body and a cover defining a top of the void; and a first external rib and a second external rib wherein each external rib is connected to the cover and extends downward from the cover, such that the external ribs are positioned within the void. The channel has a width and a depth, wherein the channel comprises a center portion, a heel portion, and a toe portion, and wherein at least one or both of the width and the depth of the channel is greater at the heel portion and the toe portion than at the center portion.
US09168433B2	Aerodynamic golf club head having a post apex attachment promoting region An aerodynamic golf club head having a post apex attachment promoting region producing reduced aerodynamic drag forces. The post apex attachment promoting region is on the surface of the crown section at an elevation above a maximum face height and begins at the crown apex and extends toward the back of the club head. The post apex attachment promoting region is a relatively flat portion of the crown section that aides in keeping airflow attached to the club head once it flows past the crown apex.
US09168431B2	Fairway wood golf club head A fairway wood golf club characterized by a long blade length, a small club moment arm, and a large transfer distance thereby producing a relatively small CG angle and a relatively high face closing moment of inertia, and all the benefits afforded therefrom.
US09168430B2	Golf club head A hollow golf club head comprises a head main body made of a metallic material and having a bottom portion including a first portion and a second portion being connected with the first portion having difference in level, and at least one weight member having a specific gravity larger than that of the head main body and attached to the second portion of the head main body.
US09168427B1	Adjustable golf club shaft and hosel assembly An adjustable shaft and hosel assembly allows for dependent and independent adjustment of a golf club's face angle, loft angle, and lie angle. The adjustable shaft and hosel assembly comprises a shaft sleeve, a hosel portion, and a ball joint, wherein the ball joint is located either on the shaft sleeve or the hosel portion and fits within, and is rotatable along various axes within, a socket.
US09168426B2	Golf clubs with hosel inserts and methods of manufacturing golf clubs with hosel inserts Embodiments of golf club heads with hosel inserts are presented herein. Other embodiments can be described and claimed.
US09168420B1	Force measurement system A force measurement system includes an instrumented treadmill with one or more treadmill belts configured to rotate at a plurality of different speeds, one or more speed adjustment mechanisms coupled to the one or more treadmill belts, and at least one force transducer. The force measurement system further includes a data processing device configured to receive one or more signals that are representative of one or more loads being applied to one or more respective surfaces of the one or more treadmill belts by a subject, and to convert the one or more signals into one or more output load components, the data processing device further configured to determine a position of a body portion of the subject and to control the speed of the one or more treadmill belts using the position determined for the body portion of the subject.
US09168418B2	Portable physical therapy/rehabilitation/exercise device, system and method A portable physical therapy/rehabilitation/exercise device is provided for evaluating the condition of a patient and for evaluating and tracking the progress made by a patient over time. The device is hand held and has an evaluation mode to determine the current condition of the patient. The device also has a manual exercise mode and a preset exercise mode. During exercises in each mode all of the data pertaining to the forces (compression, tension, torque, and the like) are all stored in the device along with other kinds of quantitative and qualitative data. The stored data may be uploaded to the internet or external computer system in order to be further analyzed. The device is suitable for use by doctors, health care providers, insurance companies and other entities having an interest in the medical condition of the user.
US09168417B2	Abdominal exercising apparatus An exercising apparatus for exercising muscles in the abdominal region of a user's body may include a stationary primary body support configured to support upper portions of the user's body including the abdominal region. The primary body support may include a primary body support surface oriented to support a user's back in a rearwardly inclined position and a secondary body support surface for supporting the user's buttocks. A movable carriage may be configured to be engaged by the user's lower leg portions and may be movable along a substantially linear path extending generally toward and generally away from the secondary body support surface. A resistance application assembly may be configured to apply an adjustable degree of biasing force to the carriage in a direction generally away from the secondary body support surface to resist movement of the carriage toward the secondary body support surface.
US09168414B2	Foldable treadmill A foldable treadmill includes a base for running or walking, a frame set pivotally connected with the base, and a folding mechanism for folding the frame set. The folding mechanism has a control assembly comprising a knob and a first bolt controlled by the knob. When a part of the first bolt is arranged inside the frame set, the frame set cannot be folded, and when the first bolt is moved out of the frame set, the frame set can be folded to a storage configuration.
US09168411B2	Exercise roller with resistance bands An exercise apparatus includes a body roller and at least one resistance band. The body roller includes an interior channel. The resistance band passes through the interior channel of the body roller. Ends of the resistance band extend outward on each side of the body roller. The body roller facilitates applied pressure to a user's body. The resistance bands facilitate resistance training exercises by the user. The body roller provides a structural support for the resistance bands during the resistance training exercises.
US09168407B2	Calibration module and remote test sequence unit A calibration and verification system and method for dynamically controlling sequential delivery of mixtures containing a fire suppression agent to detection locations to simulate an agent discharge during a flight operation of an aircraft and for allowing direct monitoring of the concentration amounts at the detection locations to adjust a testing operation accordingly. Each of the mixtures is prepared with a precise concentration amount of the agent. The system and method include a remote test sequence unit for determining an optimal testing time period during a flight operation to remotely control the discharge and monitoring of the agent. Prior to the optimal testing time period, an airflow at an altitude of the flight operation is drawn through each of a plurality of detectors to tare out the characteristics of a surrounding environment using a processor, thereby establishing a measurement baseline for each of the plurality of detectors.
US09168406B2	Automatic actuation of a general purpose hand extinguisher An automatic fire extinguisher valve assembly includes a valve body, a push rod disposed in the valve body, a poppet stem arranged perpendicular to the push rod and disposed in the valve body, a poppet-to-valve body seal coupled to the poppet stem and disposed in the valve body and a poppet return spring coupled to the poppet stem and disposed in the valve body, wherein the push rod is configured to engage the poppet stem to open the poppet-to-valve body seal.
US09168404B2	Vapor barrier structure A barrier system including a plurality of buoyant members, at least some of the plurality of buoyant members having a heat-resistant core, a median layer thrilled on an outer surface of the heat-resistant core, and an antistatic layer formed on an outer surface of the median layer, wherein at least some of the plurality buoyant members are configured for adhering to other buoyant members.
US09168400B2	Emergency rope bail-out bag An emergency rope bail-out bag (10) is provided for use and wear by a firefighter or other first responder or emergency rescuer, the bag (10) including a main body (12) for stowing a rope (28), an escape hook (26), and a rappelling device (37); and a tear-away flap (14) that can be grasped with a single hand of a user and pulled away from the main body (12) so as to expose the escape hook (26), the rappelling device (37), and the rope (28) for rapid deployment in an emergency.
US09168393B2	Pigmented skin-care compositions A pigmented skin care composition including a dermatologically acceptable carrier and at least a first and second interference pigment. The composition according to the invention is useful in improving the appearance of the skin and in particular in reducing the appearance of skin discontinuities.
US09168392B1	Charged particle cancer therapy system X-ray apparatus and method of use thereof An imaging system apparatus and method of use thereof is described in combination with a co-movable charged particle beamline apparatus element, such as one or more elements held and dynamically positioned by a gantry, where the method and apparatus are optionally elements of a positively charged particle cancer therapy system. In one embodiment, an X-ray imaging element is rigidly and semi-permanently attached to and co-moved with a proton directing element. For example, as the gantry relocates one or more elements of a proton beamline arc, the X-ray beam is mechanically forced to co-relocate with the proton directing element and/or the final proton beam path.
US09168391B2	Mobile X-ray unit One embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a mobile X-ray unit. The mobile X-ray unit may include a base having a control unit and a power supply. The mobile X-ray unit may further include an articulated arm associated with the base. The articulated arm may be coupled to an X-ray applicator having an X-ray tube. The X-ray tube may include a target for generating an X-ray beam, a collimator for shaping the X-ray beam, and an exit surface through which the X-ray beam is configured to exit the X-ray tube. The mobile X-ray unit may have at least one light source configured to illuminate at least a portion of the X-ray beam emitted from the exit surface.
US09168390B2	Multi-leaf collimator, particle beam therapy system, and treatment planning apparatus There are provided a leaf row in which a plurality of leaf plates are arranged in the thickness direction of the row in such a way that the respective one end faces of the leaf plates are trued up and a leaf plate drive mechanism that drives each of the plurality of leaf plates in such a way that the one end face approaches or departs from a beam axis. In each of the leaf plates, a facing side facing a leaf plate that is adjacent to that leaf plate in the thickness direction is formed of a plane including a first axis on the beam axis; the leaf plate drive mechanism drives the leaf plate along a circumferential orbit around the second axis, on the beam axis, that is perpendicular to the beam axis and the first axis.
US09168385B2	External defibrillator with shock activated by cessation of precordial compressions A defibrillator having a pair of electrodes for delivering an artifact-compensated defibrillation shock and a method thereof is provided. The defibrillator can be deployed rapidly while administering a cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the patient. Upon detection of an end of the CPR operation, a correlation signal indicative of signal corruption is detected and analyzed rapidly to determine an appropriate energy level discharged across the pair of electrodes. Thereafter, a notification signal is sent to the user of the defibrillator prior to delivering the defibrillation shock to the patient. The artifact-compensated defibrillation shock is delivered if for a predetermined period of time no movements is detected.
US09168384B2	Electrode structure for implantable medical device An IMD may include a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) outer housing defining an outer surface of the IMD, an electrical feedthrough extending through the LCP outer housing to the outer surface, and an electrode structure disposed on the outer surface. The electrode structure may include a LCP substrate defining a first major surface and a second major surface substantially opposite the first major surface, a contact pad disposed on the first major surface, and an electrode disposed on the second major surface. The LCP substrate may be attached to the LCP outer housing and the contact pad may be electrically coupled to the electrical feedthrough.
US09168380B1	System and method for triggered pacing A medical device system including an intracardiac pacemaker is configured to receive by an implantable medical device sensing module a first cardiac signal using a first pair of electrodes implanted outside the cardiovascular system and identify a P-wave from the first cardiac signal. The system transmits a wireless trigger signal to the intracardiac pacemaker in response to identifying the P-wave. The intracardiac pacemaker delivers a pacing therapy in response to the trigger signal.
US09168374B2	Intra-burst pulse variation for stimulation therapy In general, the disclosure is directed to devices, systems, and techniques for delivering electrical stimulation to a patient with varying pulse frequencies within each burst of pulses. The pulse frequency variation within each burst of pulses may be between approximately 20 Hz and 40 Hz. In some examples, the pulse frequency may be increased, decreased, or polynomially varied within each burst. In other examples, the frequency of intrinsic nerve impulses may be detected and used to deliver pulses with the detected frequency or an inverse of the detected frequency. Electrical stimulation therapy with intra-burst pulse frequency variation may alleviate bladder dysfunction, bowel dysfunction, pain or other disorders.
US09168367B2	Hand held adjustable device Hand held adjustable device comprising: a grip provided with an end portion; a plurality of needles which extend axially from the end portion and are made of electrically conductive material, and a device for adjusting the insertion depth of the needles in a tissue in which a cup-shaped body borne by said end portion of the grip is provided with an end wall having holes for the passage of said needles. A system for adjustment of the relative position between the cup-shaped body and the end portion provides an axial sliding of the cup-shaped body with respect to the end portion adjust the length of the portion of the needles protruding from said end wall and therefore the insertion depth in the tissue.
US09168364B2	Transfer device for transferring a substance between the device and a subject A micro-needle delivery device (1) comprises an active substance accommodating layer (17) having active substance accommodating chambers (20) therein, a drive substance accommodating layer (32) having drive substance accommodating chambers (35) therein aligned with the active substance accommodating chambers (20), an activating layer (45) having heating elements (48) aligned with the drive substance accommodating chambers (35) for heating a drive substance therein, and a micro-needle element (8) having a needle support layer (9) and a plurality of micro-needles (12) extending therefrom. A burstable first membrane (22) is located between and sealably secured to the micro-needle element (8) and to the active substance accommodating layer (17) for sealably closing the active substance accommodating chambers (20) at one end. A second stretchable membrane (30) is located between and sealably secured to the drive substance accommodating layer (32) and to the active substance accommodating layer (17) sealably closes the active substance accommodating chambers (20) at the other end, and the drive substance accommodating chambers (35). A third membrane (40) sealably closes the drive substance accommodating chambers (35).
US09168362B2	Drug eluting balloon for the treatment of stenosis and method of manufacturing the balloon A drug eluting angioplasty balloon (1, 101) suitable to adopt a deployed configuration and a collapsed configuration, the balloon having an outer wall (10) disposed around a core (11) defining an axis (X). The balloon (1, 101) comprising in the collapsed configuration a plurality of folds (12, 12′, 112) that are laid in a tangential direction about the core (11) and form a plurality of cavities (13a, 13b, 113) loaded with a drug (14), the cavities (13a, 13b, 113) are comprised between the folds (12, 12′, 112), wherein the folds (12, 12′, 112) originates from distinct longitudinal lines (25, 25′, 125, 125′) along the outer wall (10), are arranged in pairs and are circumferentially wrapped about the core (11) in such a way that a fold of one pair overlaps an adjacent fold of another pair and are wrapped in opposite directions.
US09168360B2	Method and a balloon catheter assembly for treating bifurcation lesions A balloon catheter assembly for delivering nano-carriers to bifurcation lesions in one or more of a main branch and a side branch of a blood vessel bifurcation within 30 to 90 seconds is provided. The balloon catheter assembly includes two or more balloons designed for use in the blood vessel bifurcation. The balloon catheter assembly may also include one or more stents. A surface of one or more of the two or more balloons is coated with the nano-carriers. Stents, when included, may also be coated with the nano-carriers. The nano-carriers include one or more drugs encapsulated with one or more biological agents.
US09168357B2	Linear object manipulation assisting device A linear object manipulation assisting device is provided which allows easy manipulation of a linear object. A wire manipulation assisting device as a linear object manipulation assisting device assists manipulation of a delivery wire penetrating through a Y connector. The Y connector includes a main branch through which the delivery wire penetrates, and a side port that branches off from the main branch. A microcatheter having the delivery wire inserted therein is connected to one end of the main branch. The wire manipulation assisting device includes a fixing portion for fixing the Y connector and a placement portion attached to the fixing portion. A portion of the delivery wire that protrudes from the other end of the main branch can be manipulated with at least the first and second fingers of the right hand with the carpal portion of the right hand being placed on the placement portion.
US09168350B2	Breathing assistance apparatus A breathing assistance apparatus and method of controlling a breathing assistance apparatus is disclosed. Particularly, the breathing assistance apparatus is controlled such that it has a drying cycle to enable drying of the tubing that supplies gases to a user and prevent the harboring of pathogens within the tube. The drying cycle is preferably operated automatically by internal controllers in the apparatus. However, it may be manually activated by pressing a button on the apparatus. The drying cycle is preferably activated at the end of a user's treatment session.
US09168343B2	Dispensing device A medicament dispensing device for dispensing metered dosages of a medicament includes an actuator housing having a longitudinally extending cavity and a container disposed in the cavity and having a cylinder with a first outer diameter. The cylinder is adapted to hold the medicament. The container is reciprocally moveable relative to the actuator housing along a longitudinal axis. An indicating device includes an indicator housing having a tubular portion connected to said container, with the indicating device being reciprocally moveable with the container relative to the actuator housing. The tubular portion has a second outer diameter that is of substantially the same diameter as the first outer diameter. A longitudinally extending side wall has a viewing window formed therein. An indicator is rotatably mounted in the indicator housing, with a surface thereof having indicia visible through the viewing window.
US09168340B2	System and method for pain reduction during skin puncture and breakable tip therefor An instrument, article and method are provided for minimizing pain during administration by injection of a liquid, such as, an anesthetic. The instrument has a forward end. A rod or lightpipe mounted freely for vibration projects out of the forward end. The article, a single use tip, is composed of a tip sleeve removably mounted on the forward end of the instrument and a tip member removably mounted on the projecting rod or lightpipe to vibrate a preselected injection site on a human or animal. The tip sleeve and tip member are covered by an elastic overmold that enables the tip member to vibrate freely with respect to the tip sleeve and light from the lightpipe to illuminate the injection site. The overmold of the single use tip is torn during removal of the single use tip from the instrument.
US09168334B2	Pumping system and method for assisting a patient's heart A cannula for a patient includes an elongate body having a length of at least 70 cm and a channel extending through the body defining a wall. The cannula includes a wire embodied within at least a portion of the wall. The body has a proximal end, a distal end having a tip opening through which the channel extends and a plurality of side holes through the wall in proximity to the tip for unimpeded flow of blood at the distal end. The cannula includes a barbed fitting at the proximal end. The cannula includes a suture wing for securing the elongated body to the patient. A system for assisting a patient's heart. A method for assisting a patient's heart.
US09168333B2	Dialysis system including disposable cassette A dialysis system includes a dialysis machine having a pump actuator, a valve actuator and a sorbent device, and a disposable cassette including (i) a housing having a dialyzer inlet port, a dialyzer outlet port, a pump portion configured to operate with the pump actuator, a valve portion configured to operate with the valve actuator, a venous port, and an arterial port, (ii) at least one dialyzer in fluid communication with the housing, the at least one dialyzer including a dialysate inlet, and a dialysate outlet; (iii) an arterial line for connecting to a patient, the arterial line connected to and extending externally from the arterial port of the housing; (iv) a venous line for connecting to a patient, the venous line connected to and extending externally from the venous port of the housing; and (v) first and second dialysate fluid connections in fluid communication with the sorbent device.
US09168329B2	Beta-peptides with antifungal activity The present invention is directed to the design, synthesis and use of various β-peptides exhibiting antifungal activity. The β-peptides are relatively short in length, adopt globally amphiphilic conformations, and cause little lysis of human red blood cells at concentrations that kill Candida albicans, a common human fungal pathogen.
US09168327B2	Bone/collagen composites and uses thereof A composition includes bone and collagen, wherein the collagen has been acid treated, and cross-linked via dehydrothermal treatment or by a cross-linking agent (e.g., a citric acid derivative) under a compressive force of at least approximately 40 MPa.
US09168321B2	Toroidal-shaped treatment device for disinfecting a fluid such as air or water There is provided a treatment device for disinfecting a fluid being configured as a conduit for conveying a flow of fluid to be treated, said device being toroidal-shaped with an inner concave parabolic surface, wherein the device is provided with apertures extending from the outer to the inner surface of the toroidal-shaped device; one or more UV LED(s) provided in the apertures thereby enabling emitted light to be transmitted through the apertures into the interior part of the device for disinfecting said fluid; a power source for powering the UV LEDs, wherein the inner surface is made from a light reflecting material, and the apertures are sealed in the ends extending into the interior part of the device by a UV-transparent material.
US09168319B2	Device and procedure for continuous treatment of waste An apparatus and procedure for efficiently sterilizing waste material or products. The apparatus includes a reactor in the form of a cylindrical container housing two cylindrical tubes, a larger first tube and a smaller second tube. A first helical blade extends inwardly from the inner surface of the second tube, and a second helical blade bridges the outer surface of the second tube to the inner surface of the first tube. As the set of tubes is rotated in unison, material flows in one direction within the second tube and in the opposite direction in the space between the tubes. This axially compact design allows non stop introduction and extraction of waste, efficient use of heat energy, provided by steam injected into the reactor through a steam port, and allows for material to be input into and extracted from the device both at one end of the reactor.
US09168318B2	Oxidative reductive potential water solution and methods of using the same Provided is an oxidative reduction potential (ORP) water solution that is stable for at least twenty-four hours and methods of using the solution. The present invention provides a method of preventing or treating a condition in a patient, which method comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of the ORP water solution. Additionally provided is a method of treating impaired or damaged tissue, which method comprises contacting the tissue with a therapeutically effective amount of the ORP water solution. Further provided is a method of disinfecting a surface, which method comprises contacting the surface with an anti-infective amount of the ORP water solution.
US09168314B2	Human antibody drug conjugates against tissue factor Antibody drug conjugates against tissue factor. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antibodies and antibody drug conjugates, and therapeutic and diagnostic methods for using the antibodies and antibody drug conjugates.
US09168308B2	Compositions and methods for nutritional supplementation Disclosed is a nutritional supplement composition including effective amounts of Coenzyme Q10, fish oil, vitamin D and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. Described is a method of promoting nutritional health comprising administering a nutritional supplement composition including Coenzyme Q10, fish oil, vitamin D and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient to a subject. The nutritional supplement composition may further include flax seed oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, resveratrol, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, piperine and combinations. In some embodiments, administering Administering the nutritional supplement may ameliorate nutrient depletion, or promote cardiovascular health, liver health, or both. The nutritional supplement may be used to promote nutritional health taking a cholesterol lowering drug. The nutritional supplement may be used to ameliorate nutrient depletion taking a cholesterol lowering drug. The cholesterol lowering drug may be a statin.
US09168307B2	Mitochondrial-targeted cationic nanoparticles comprising CaMKII inhibitors and uses thereof for treating and preventing diseases and disorders associated with CaMKII activity Disclosed are compositions and methods for treating or preventing diseases or disorders associated with mitochondrial CaMKII activity.
US09168306B2	Drug delivery agents comprising cyclodextrin covalently linked to a gemini surfactant, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same This disclosure relates to cyclodextrin-based drug delivery agents that comprise a cyclodextrin moiety covalently linked to a moiety of a gemini surfactant. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the drug delivery agent and a therapeutic agent are also disclosed.
US09168305B2	Diclofenac topical formulation The present invention provides a gel formulation comprising diclofenac sodium which has superior transdermal flux properties, which may be used for the topical treatment of pain, such as in osteoarthritis.
US09168301B2	Use of boric acid in boron neutron capture therapy for liver cancer The present invention provides a boron drug for boron neutron capture therapy for liver cancer, which is an aqueous solution of boric acid.
US09168298B2	Methods of treating vascular disease using an IL-1beta Antibody This invention relates to a novel use of IL-1□-ligand/IL-1 receptor disrupting compounds (herein referred to as “IL-1beta Compounds”); such as small molecular compounds disrupting IL-1□ ligand—IL-1 receptor interaction, IL-1□ antibodies or IL-1 receptor antibodies, e.g. IL-1□ binding molecules described herein, e.g. antibodies disclosed herein, e.g. IL-1□ binding compounds or IL-1 receptor binding compounds, and/or RNA compounds decreasing either IL-1□ ligands or IL-1 receptor protein levels, in the treatment and/or prevention of auto-inflammatory syndromes, e.g. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or adult rheumatoid arthritis syndrome and to methods of treating and/or preventing auto-inflammatory syndromes, e.g. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or adult rheumatoid arthritis syndrome, in mammals, particularly humans.
US09168296B2	Detection and treatment of autoimmune disorders Disclosed herein are methods of treatment of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as well as clinical assays for detection of autoimmune disease activity in patients utilizing a PD1 ligand.
US09168293B2	Immunogenic compositions for the prevention and treatment of meningococcal disease The present invention relates to Neisseria ORF2086 proteins, crossreactive immunogenic proteins which can be isolated from nesserial strains or prepared recombinantly, including immunogenic portions thereof, biological equivalents thereof, antibodies that immunospecifically bind to the foregoing and nucleic acid sequences encoding each of the foregoing, as well as the use of same in immunogenic compositions that are effective against infection by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B.
US09168292B2	Heterologous prime boost vaccination regimen against malaria Described are methods for inducing an immune response in a subject against an antigen from a malaria-causing parasite, preferably P. falciparum, the method comprising: (i) administering to a subject a priming composition comprising adjuvanted proteinaceous antigen-comprising circumsporozoite (CS) protein or an immunogenic part thereof from a malaria-causing parasite; (ii) administering to the subject a first boosting composition comprising a recombinant adenovirus vector that comprises nucleic acid encoding CS protein or immunogenic part thereof from a malaria-causing parasite; and (iii) administering to the subject a second boosting composition comprising a recombinant adenovirus vector that comprises nucleic acid encoding CS protein or an immunogenic part thereof from a malaria-causing parasite, wherein either the first boosting composition comprises a recombinant adenovirus vector of serotype 35 (Ad35) and the second boosting composition comprises a recombinant adenovirus of Ad26, or wherein the first boosting composition comprises a recombinant adenovirus vector of Ad26 and the second boosting composition comprises a recombinant adenovirus of Ad35.
US09168288B2	Methods for treating disorders of the gastrointestinal tract using a GLP-1 agonist The invention provides a method of treating a subject having, or at risk of developing, a condition in which functioning of the small or large intestine is impaired, enhancing functioning or preventing damage to the small or large intestine in a subject, or ameliorating inflammation of the small or large intestine in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a GLP-1 receptor agonist. A GLP-1 receptor agonist may also be provided in a pharmaceutically acceptable form in an amount effective to treat or prevent conditions of the small or large intestine. Further, pharmaceutical compositions are provided for the treatment or prevention of conditions of the small or large intestine comprising a GLP-1 receptor agonist, together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, excipient or vehicle.
US09168286B2	Methods and compositions for use in treatment of patients with autoantibody positive disease The present invention relates to methods and compositions for use in treatment of patients with autoantibody positive disease. In a specific embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of treating a patient that has an ANA titer of 1:80 or greater and/or greater than or equal to 30 IU/ml of anti-dsDNA antibodies in his/her blood plasma or serum comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an immunomodulatory agent, such as an antagonist of Neutrokine-alpha. Additionally provided is a method of reducing the frequency and/or quantity of corticosteroid administration to patients. In preferred embodiments, the patient has systemic lupus erythematosus. Methods for determining if a lupus patient is responding to medical treatment are also provided.
US09168285B2	Recombinant human CC10 protein for treatment of influenza and ebola Methods of using recombinant human CC10 (rhCC10), also known as recombinant human uteroglobin, to reduce virus titers in the tissues of patients, particularly influenza and filovirus titers in lung tissues are provided. RhCC10 may be used as a therapeutic in the treatment, cure, or prevention of viral infection, particularly influenza and ebola infection. More particularly, methods, including broadly the critical dosage ranges of rhCC10, intravenous and intranasal route of administration, which may be administered to treat, cure or prevent influenza and ebola infection are provided. Further provided are compositions useful in the foregoing methods and in administering rhCC10 to humans.
US09168284B2	Biological activity of placental protein 13 The present invention relates to the biological and pharmacological effects of placental protein 13 (PP-13), an effect that may be used as a treatment and/or prevention of preeclampsia and placental insufficiencies, in pregnant female mammals, especially pregnant women. The invention relates to a method to treat female mammals with the purpose to precondition the uterine arteries and prevent and/or reverse the pathological conditions associated with placental insufficiency such as preeclampsia, HELLP and/or eclampsia.
US09168278B2	Use for cannabinoid The invention relates to the use of one or more cannabinoids in the manufacture of medicaments for use in the treatment of diseases and conditions benefiting from neutral antagonism of the CB, cannabinoid receptor. Preferably the cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). Preferably the diseases and conditions to be treated are taken from the group: obesity, schizophrenia, epilepsy, cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's, bone disorders, bulimia, obesity associated with type II diabetes (non-insulin dependant diabetes) and in the treatment of drug, alcohol and nicotine abuse or dependency.
US09168268B1	Saponins and chromans derivatives mixture compositions against leishmaniasis, Trypanosomiasis americana, malaria, Trypanosomiasis africana and Fasciola hepatica SAPONINS AND CHROMANS DERIVATIVES MIXTURE COMPOSITIONS AGAINST LEISHMANIASIS, TRYPANOSOMIASIS AMERICANA, MALARIA, TRYPANOSOMIASIS AFRICANA AND FASCIOLA HEPATICA, is a composition of saponins and chromans derivatives. The saponins are triterpene types and chromans are hydrazones derivatives. This composition is a therapeutic agent against tropical diseases.
US09168263B2	Topically active steroids for use in interstitial pulmonary fibrosis The present invention features methods of delivering corticosteroids or metabolites thereof for treating inflammatory conditions otherwise difficult to cure with topical administration.
US09168258B2	Methods and compositions for sleep disorders and other disorders Use of particular substituted heterocycle fused gamma-carboline compounds as pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical compositions comprising them for the treatment of one or more disorders involving the 5-HT2A, SERT and/or dopamine D2 pathways are disclosed. In addition, the compounds may be combined with other therapeutic agents for the treatment of one or more sleep disorders, depression, psychosis, dyskinesias, and/or Parkinson's disease or any combinations.
US09168255B2	Quinazoline compounds as sodium channel blockers The invention relates to aryl substituted quinazolines of Formula I, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, prodrugs, or solvates thereof, wherein G, A, and R1-R4 are defined as set forth in the specification. The invention is also directed to the use of compounds of Formula I to treat a disorder responsive to the blockade of sodium channels. Compounds of the present invention are especially useful for treating pain.
US09168254B2	Polymorphs of ARRY-380, a selective HER 2 inhibitor and pharmaceutical compositions containing them Polymorphs of N4-(4-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-7-yloxy)-3-methylphenyl)-N6-(4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-yl)quinazoline-4,6-diamine are provided herein. Processes for preparing the polymorphs and pharmaceutical composition comprising the polymorphs are also disclosed.
US09168253B2	Quinazoline compounds Provided are certain quinazoline compounds, compositions thereof and methods of use thereof. These quinazoline compounds can effectively inhibit the overexpression and/or overactivity of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
US09168251B2	High dose buprenorphine compositions and use as analgesic The present disclosure relates to a method of providing prolonged analgesia to a mammal in need thereof. Specifically, the current disclosure is directed to a method of treating pain in a mammal for a prolonged period of time using a single high dose of a buprenorphine formulation.
US09168248B2	Spiro compounds useful as inhibitors of stearoyl-coenzyme A delta-9 desaturase Heteroaromatic compounds of structural formula (I) are selective inhibitors of stearoyl-coenzyme A delta-9 desaturase (SCD1) relative to other known stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturases. The compounds of the present invention are useful for the prevention and treatment of conditions related to abnormal lipid synthesis and metabolism, including cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis; obesity; diabetes; neurological disease; metabolic syndrome; insulin resistance; and liver steatosis.
US09168244B2	Compounds for use in the treatment of filariasis A method for a therapeutic treatment of filariasis includes administering to a subject in need thereof an effective amount of a compound of the general formula (1) or at least one of racemates, enantiomers, diastereomers, solvates, hydrates, pharmaceutically acceptable salts, and esters of general formula (1), wherein, R is selected from the group comprising n-propyl, n-butyl, and at least one of structural elements (2a), (2b), (3a), (3b), (4), (5), (6a), (6b), (7a), and (7b):
US09168243B2	Pharmaceutical compositions comprising 8-substituted dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans Therapeutic compositions comprising at least one 8-substituted-dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan, preferably a lignan is selected from the group of nortrachelogenin, diasteromeric forms of nortrachelogenin, isomeric forms of nortrachelogenin and combinations thereof as well as 8-methylmatairesinol and 8-methyldimethylmatairesinol, for use in a method of treating cancer or a similar condition wherein the growth factor signaling pathway of a mammal is deregulated. The invention also provides therapeutic pharmaceutical combinations comprising a hydroxy-dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan and at least one TRAIL receptor agonist. The hydroxy-dibenzylbutyrolactone lignans and a TRAIL receptor agonist can be used as a combined preparation for administration to a patient simultaneously, separately or spaced out over a period of time in treating cancer.
US09168242B2	Isolation of a dual COX-2 and 5-lipdxygenase inhibitor from Acacia The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for alleviating inflammatory-associated diseases and conditions. These methods include administering individual and/or a mixture of multiple flavans isolated from a single or multiple Acacia genus of plants. The present disclosure also includes methods for isolating and purifying from an Acacia genus of plants a composition of flavans having dual specificity for cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) enzymes.
US09168240B2	Pet food compositions and methods for weight loss and maintenance The present invention provides food compositions and methods for companion animals that are effective in preventing or treating obesity.
US09168239B2	Levothyroxine formulations A levothyroxine composition includes levothyroxine sodium and mannitol. The composition is a lyophilized solid. The composition may include from 100 to 500 micrograms levothyroxine sodium and from 2 to 4 milligrams mannitol.
US09168236B2	Methods and pharmaceutical compositions for inhibiting influenza viruses replication The present invention relates to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for inhibiting influenza virus replication. More particularly, the present invention relates to a compound selected from the group consisting of Gemcitabine, Obatoclax Mesylate, Docetaxel, HA-14, Alsterpaullone, GSK3B inhibitor VIII, GSK3B inhibitor XV, Indirubin 3′-monoxime, L glutathione reduced, Fluocinolone acetonide, Tirofiban, Topotecan hydrochloride, Clofarabine, Vinblastine, Menadione Crystalline and derivatives or analogues thereof for use in the treatment of an influenza infection in a subject in need thereof.
US09168235B2	Aqueous patches containing diclofenac sodium An aqueous patch containing diclofenac sodium, wherein the patch contains a homogeneous mixed solution of diclofenac sodium, wherein the solution is obtained by mixing crotamiton, diclofenac sodium and water in the mixture ratio of crotamiton/diclofenac sodium of 8.0 or less and the mixture ratio of (water+crotamiton)/diclofenac sodium of 3.0-20.0.
US09168229B2	Soft gelatin capsules The present invention relates to soft gelatin capsules characterized in that the shell includes a cyclodextrin and in that the filling material contains a liposoluble drug capable of forming a complex with said cyclodextrin for improving the solubility of the active ingredient upon disintegration of the soft gelatin capsule.
US09168226B1	Injectable particle The present invention provides an injectable particle comprising dasatinib acetate and a hyaluronic acid. The hyaluronic acid may be acetylated or sulfated. The particle is for the use of cancer therapy. The injectable particle may further comprises an acid, wherein the acid is dispersed evenly in the matrix of the injectable particle.
US09168222B2	Nasolacrimal drainage system implants for drug therapy An implant for insertion through a punctum and into a canalicular lumen of a patient. The implant includes a matrix of material, a therapeutic agent dispersed in the matrix of material, a sheath disposed over a portion of the matrix of material and configured to inhibit the therapeutic agent from being released from the matrix of material into the canalicular lumen and to allow the therapeutic agent to be released from a surface of the matrix of material to a tear film, and a retention structure configured to retain the implant within the canalicular lumen.
US09168219B2	Compositions comprising Paulownia tomentosa wood extracts and uses thereof Provided are compositions comprising an extract of Paulownia tomentosa wood and methods of use thereof.
US09168217B2	Gentle oxidative hair treatment with oxidizing agent and special starch derivative The present specification provides for an oxidative hair treatment agent. The agent includes, in a cosmetic carrier, a combination of at least one oxidizing agent and at least one modified starch. The modified starch is modified by propylene oxide, has an average molecular weight between 50 and 2500 kiloDaltons (kDa), and has a propylene oxide content between 0.1 and 20.0 weight percent (wt %) based on the weight of the modified starch.
US09168201B2	Ampoules An ampoule made of plastics material, for liquid or suspension pharmaceuticals, has a reservoir linked to a removable head by a channel in a neck portion. The channel has a trap, thus located between its reservoir and the head, in the form of an elongated restriction and/or a bend to trap liquid or suspension which may settle during storage, and prevent either reaching the head.
US09168200B2	Microneedle patch container The present invention provides a microneedle patch container for effectively and hygienically securing a microneedle patch from manufacture to use. The container has a bottom surface recessed from the peripheral portion towards the center, a side surface connected to the bottom surface and the peripheral portion, and a bottom-surface protruding portion protruding from the bottom surface. The flexible release-type sheet portion of the microneedle patch is secured to the protruding portion on the bottom surface. A lid can also be used which has a recessed portion pressing against the microneedle patch secured to the bottom-surface protruding portion of the container in the position corresponding to the bottom-surface protruding portion. This is preferably housed inside a pouch molded from sterilized paper or sterilized film in order to keep the microneedle patch in an aseptic state.
US09168194B2	Incubator and method thereof An incubator to maintain environmental conditions suitable for an infant is provided. The incubator comprises a vertical support structure with a plurality of horizontal columns connected to a bottom end of the vertical support structure to form a base portion. A crib is mounted on to the vertical support structure above the base portion for supporting the infant. The crib comprises a base plate and a plurality of plates arranged in a predetermined manner to form side walls of the crib. At least one dispenser nozzle is provided in the side walls for supplying water vapors to the crib. A humidification system, attachable at least to the base portion of the incubator, is fluidly connected to the inlets of the dispenser nozzles for supplying the water vapors. A radiant warmer is mounted on a top end of the vertical support structure for supplying radiant heat energy to the crib.
US09168190B2	Ramp comprising a lateral barrier The invention relates to a boarding aid (20) for a motor vehicle, in particular a sliding step of a door entry of a passenger transportation vehicle, said boarding aid being capable of being moved from an idle position into a usage position and back in a direction, which runs parallel to the side edges (28), and encompassing a planar element (22), a front side, two side edges (28), and a rear side. The planar element (22), on its side edges (28), encompasses barriers (30), which can be moved from a first upright position, in which they extend upwards in relation to a stepping surface of the planar element (22), into a second lowered position and vice versa, wherein the movement of the barriers (30 is effected by moving the planar element (22).
US09168186B2	Absorbent core having varied basis weight of absorbent material and adhesive An absorbent core comprising a substrate layer and an absorbent layer, the absorbent layer comprising an absorbent material and a thermoplastic adhesive material; the absorbent core has longitudinal and transverse dimensions and consists of nine transverse segments in its longitudinal dimension and six longitudinal segments in its transverse dimension; in each of the transverse segments and longitudinal segments, the absorbent layer has average basis weights of absorbent material of thermoplastic adhesive material; the basis weights of the absorbent layer in at least one of the transverse segments are lower than the basis weights of the absorbent layer in at least one other of the transverse segments; and the basis weights of the absorbent layer in at least one of the longitudinal segments are lower than the basis weights of the absorbent layer in at least one other of the longitudinal segments.
US09168173B2	Apparatus and methods for performing enhanced visually directed procedures under low ambient light conditions The apparatus and methods of the present invention in a broad aspect provide novel visualization platforms for performing enhanced visually directed procedures on target objects or tissues under low ambient light conditions. The visualization platforms can be included with or retro-fit to existing optical systems such as stereomicroscopes and include at least one high resolution photosensor capable of acquiring a plurality of optical views of the target object or tissue in at least one wavelength outside of the wavelengths of normal visible light. A resultant real-time high resolution video signal is transmitted from the photosensor to at least one high resolution video display that can be viewed by the apparatus or process operator.
US09168172B1	Process for treating glaucoma A process for treating glaucoma whereby the treatment can be accomplished by the use of medication or by surgery, or both, in order to control or prevent the occurrence of glaucoma. The optic nerve is aligned within and between two distinct pressurized spaces and within the dural sheath, the intraocular space and the intracranial space having an intraocular pressure (IOP) and an intracranial pressure (ICP), respectively. Medicine can be administered to raise the intracranial pressure in order to reach a desirable lower translaminar pressure difference across these two pressurized spaces which are separated by the lamina cribrosa in order to treat glaucoma. An alternate closely related mode of the treatment process is the implanting of a shunt substantially between the intraocular space and the intracranial space in order to beneficially equalize pressure differentials across the intraocular space and the intracranial space.
US09168170B2	Systems, devices and methods for bilateral caloric vestibular stimulation An in-ear stimulation device for administering caloric stimulation to the ear canal of a subject includes (a) first and second earpieces configured to be insertable into the ear canals of the subject; (b) at least first and second thermoelectric devices thermally coupled to respective ones of the first and second earpieces; (c) a first heat sink thermally coupled to the first thermoelectric device opposite the first earpiece and a second heat sink thermally coupled to the second thermoelectric device opposite the second earpiece; and (d) a controller comprising a waveform generator in communication with the first and second thermoelectric devices, the waveform generator configured to generate a first control signal to control a first caloric output to the first thermoelectric device and a second control signal to control a second caloric output to the second caloric device.
US09168165B2	Squat and lunge training device A device which restricts movement of the knee during lunge and squatting exercises prevents weight imbalance which may result in undue strain and knee injury. The device has a foot engagement member stepped upon by the user and held in place by the user's weight, or the foot engagement member conforms to the side of the user's foot and is held in place by a strap. Attached to the foot engagement is a vertical member extending upwardly from the foot engagement member. A shin engagement member attached to the vertical member is generally positioned in a position along the lower leg of the user, below the knee and laterally adjacent to the user's tibia. As the user performs exercise, the shin engagement member prevents the user's knees from forward movement which extends forward of the user's feet. The device also has structure which prevents inward collapse of the knees.
US09168164B2	Device to release a self-expanding implant A device to release from an implant bed in the device a self-expanding implant by pulling back proximally, the length of the implant, a rolling membrane with an inner sleeve that extends distally to the distal end of the implant and an outer sleeve that extends proximally, from the distal end of the inner sleeve, the outer sleeve, during said release, pulling the distal end of the inner sleeve back proximally over the abluminal surface of the remainder of the inner sleeve, proximal of its distal end, the device having a slitter, that is caused to move proximally contemporaneously with the outer sleeve, to slit the inner sleeve progressively, starting at a distal point in the inner sleeve, and progressing proximally along the length of the inner sleeve.
US09168158B2	Smooth rollover insole for prosthetic foot A prosthetic foot includes a foot member, a heel member operatively coupled to the foot member. At least one of the heel member and foot member define an arch portion that faces a support surface that the prosthetic foot contacts during use. An insole member contacts said arch portion, the insole member configured to facilitate a rollover of the prosthetic foot in at least one of a lateral-medial and a medial-lateral direction during ambulation.
US09168157B2	Sealing sheath for prosthetic liner and related methods The sealing sheath is for use with a prosthetic socket and associated liner. The sealing sheath includes a textile tube for surrounding at least a portion of a liner that is configured to wear on a residual limb. An annular seal, e.g. an elastomeric or silicone seal, is positioned adjacent a proximal end of the textile tube and continuously extends from an inside of the textile tube configured to be adjacent the liner, through the textile tube to an outside thereof configured to be adjacent an inside of the prosthetic socket. The annular seal may include a first wing on an inside of the textile tube configured to be adjacent the liner, a second wing on an outside of the textile tube configured to be adjacent an inside of the prosthetic socket, and a base connecting lower ends of the first and second wings to define a v-shaped cross-section of the annular seal.
US09168154B2	Prosthesis installation systems and methods A system and method for allowing any surgeon, including those surgeons who perform a fewer number of a replacement procedure as compared to a more experienced surgeon who performs a greater number of procedures, to provide an improved likelihood of a favorable outcome approaching, if not exceeding, a likelihood of a favorable outcome as performed by a very experienced surgeon with the replacement procedure.
US09168153B2	Surgical alignment using references Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer-readable storage media, for surgical alignment using references. In one general aspect, a method includes coupling a guide to a joint, the guide defining an axis and having an outer contour formed to substantially conform to a portion of the joint. The first reference is attached at a fixed position relative to the joint. A positioning system is used to determine a position of the axis relative to the first reference, where the position of the axis is determined based upon the position of the guide while the guide is coupled to the joint. The guide is removed from the joint, and after the guide is removed from the joint, an instrument is positioned relative to the axis based on a position of a second reference relative to the first reference.
US09168149B2	Total disc replacement system and related methods Total disc replacement systems and related methods involving a lateral, trans-psoas surgical approach to the spine while performing at least one of continuous and intermittent intra-operative neural monitoring of the psoas muscle to avoid injury during introduction.
US09168146B2	Artificial disc replacements with natural kinematics This invention improves upon prior art total disc replacements (TDRs) by more closely replicating the kinematics of a natural disc. The preferred embodiments feature two or more fixed centers of rotation (CORs) and an optional variable COR (VCOR) as the artificial disk replacement (ADR) translates from a fixed posterior COR that lies posterior to the COR of the TDR to facilitate normal disc motion. The use of two or more CORs allows more flexion and more extension than permitted by the facet joints and the artificial facet (AF). AF joint-like components may also be incorporated into the design to restrict excessive translation, rotation, and/or lateral bending.
US09168145B2	Posterior stabilized orthopaedic knee prosthesis having controlled condylar curvature An orthopaedic knee prosthesis includes a tibial bearing and a femoral component configured to articulate with the tibial bearing. The femoral component includes a posterior cam configured to contact a spine of the tibial bearing and a condyle surface curved in the sagittal plane. The radius of curvature of the condyle surface decreases gradually between early-flexion and mid-flexion. Additionally, in some embodiments, the posterior cam of the femoral component may include a concave cam surface and a convex cam surface.
US09168142B2	Porous surface layers with increased surface roughness and implants incorporating the same Systems and methods for providing tissue-interfacing surface layers with increased roughness can be attained by providing a metallic powder to a machined or previously machined tissue-interfacing surface of a porous foam structure. The metallic powder can have sizes and characteristics such that the porous structure can have an increased roughness at the tissue-interfacing machined surface while inhibiting the occlusion of the open pores in the porous metallic foam structure.
US09168140B2	Perforated osteochondral allograft compositions Osteochondral graft composition comprising a cartilage component and a bone component, and further comprising one or more perforations in the bone component and/or the cartilage component, are provided. Methods of manufacturing and using osteochondral graft compositions comprising one or more perforations in the bone component and/or the cartilage component are also provided.
US09168139B2	Vertical bone augmentation using endothelial progenitor cells A method of facilitating augmentation of osseous tissue on a surface of a bone is disclosed. The method includes combining a scaffolding, an enclosure substantially enclosing the scaffolding relatively to the surface of the bone and a cell culture seeded onto the scaffolding.
US09168137B2	Transvalvular intraannular band for aortic valve repair Aortic regurgitation can be treating by implanting in the aortic annulus a transvalvular intraannular band. The band has a first end, a first anchoring portion located proximate the first end, a second end, a second anchoring portion located proximate the second end, and a central portion. The central portion is positioned so that it extends transversely across a coaptive edge formed by the closure of the aortic valve leaflets. The band may be implanted via translumenal access or via thoracotomy.
US09168136B2	Methods for deploying self-expanding heart valves A method for delivering and implanting a prosthetic heart valve in a native aortic valve is provided. The method comprises advancing the prosthetic heart valve through a patient's vasculature while the prosthetic heart valve is coupled to a mechanical deployment mechanism along a distal end portion of a catheter shaft. The prosthetic heart valve is permitted to self-expand from a contracted configuration to an initial expanded configuration. The mechanical deployment mechanism is then actuated via an operating handle to further expand the prosthetic heart valve to a fully expanded configuration while equilibrating the rate of the expansion of the proximal and distal ends of the prosthetic heart valve. The prosthetic heart valve is locked in the fully expanded configuration via a mechanical locking device disposed on the prosthetic heart valve.
US09168134B2	Method for delivering a prosthetic heart valve with an expansion member Prosthetic valves and their component parts are described, as are prosthetic valve delivery devices and methods for their use. The prosthetic valves are particularly adapted for use in percutaneous aortic valve replacement procedures. The delivery devices are particularly adapted for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures.
US09168124B2	Methods of making reinforced soft grafts with suture loop/needle construct Surgical constructs and methods for tissue to bone repair employing a tissue construct reinforced with a reinforcement (reinforcing) material such as suture, tape, weave or mesh, among many others. The reinforced construct preferably includes a stitched reinforced region formed by employing a suture loop construct with a free floating needle that is attached to the suture loop, and also with a piece of material (a reinforcement or reinforcing material) attached to the suture loop. The reinforced construct may be attached to any fixation device and/or any bone tunnel.
US09168123B2	Endovascular graft having a cannulation pocket A stent graft for placement in a lumen of a patient is disclosed. The stent graft comprises: a main tubular body of a biocompatible graft material having a main lumen, the main tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end; a side arm extending from the main tubular body, the side arm having a side arm lumen, the side arm lumen being in fluid communication with the main lumen through a side arm opening in the main tubular body; and a cannulation pocket. The pocket comprises: an exit aperture positioned opposite the side arm opening; an entry aperture longitudinally spaced from the entry aperture in a direction toward the distal end of the main tubular body; and a wall, the wall laterally spaced from the main lumen so as to provide a guide surface for a cannula fed through the entry aperture.
US09168118B2	Implantable attachment device, implant for treating prolapse of the pelvic floor comprising such a device and kit comprising said device The present invention relates to an implantable attachment device comprising an elongate element which is tubular flexible and hollow delimiting an internal volume comprising a tightening loop, having a first circumference in the inactive position, formed by the portion of said tubular element in said internal volume between intake and outlet openings distant by a length. The device comprises blocking means of said portion in the internal volume of said elongate element, which can be deactivated under the effect of manual traction exerted on the first or second end of said elongate element, said traction enabling the sliding of said elongate element between said orifices and correlatively the formation of the tightening loop having a second circumference in the active position, the second circumference being less than the first circumference.
US09168114B2	Method of making a dental prosthesis A method of making a dental crown or bridge restoration includes forming a precursor crown outside of a patient's mouth with a first restorative material, with a buccal contour on the buccal wall substantially the same as a buccal contour on a final crown restoration, and an open space on or around at least one of the mesial side wall or the distal side wall; and filling and securing a second material, different from the first restorative material, inside the open space or pocket of the precursor crown while outside the patient's mouth, and with the precursor crown having a strength substantially equivalent to the final crown restoration, and with the buccal contour being substantially the same as the buccal contour on the final crown, prior to filling and securing the second material.
US09168109B2	Mold for dental copings and copings produced by using the mold A mold for producing a coping used in a dental implant includes a male component having a protrusion and a female screw forming part. The mold further includes a female component having a recess and a male screw forming part having a different rotation direction from that of the female screw forming part. A cavity for producing the coping is formed by combining the male and female components. Since the mold includes a male component having a female screw forming part, and a female component having a male screw forming part with a different rotation direction than the female screw forming part, a produced coping may be easily separated from the male and female components.
US09168105B2	Device for surgical interventions A device for locating an operational unit within a patient's body within the framework of a minimally-invasive surgery intervention includes a shaft having a distal end carrying an operational unit. The device includes an illuminator located at the distal end of the shaft. The illuminator is selectively adjustable to provide a selectively variable lighting field in correspondence with the operational unit. The device may be, for example, a delivery system for a heart valve or a balloon device for post-dilation of such a heart valve once implanted.
US09168100B2	Methods and instruments for subchondral treatment of osteoarthritis in a small joint Devices, instruments and associated methods for the subchondral treatment of osteoarthritis in small joints are provided. In addition, a method for treating joint pain in small joints is provided. These small joints may be ankle, elbow or wrist joints. The methods may target one of many different access points having trajectories with a common focal point at or near the small joint. The instruments may limit access to areas within or near the small joint by providing predefined entry paths that avoid damage to surrounding tissues.
US09168095B2	High-frequency treatment device A high-frequency treatment device includes a tubular body having a front end portion and a rear end portion; an operating handle having a high-frequency port and a main push rod extending through the body, the operating handle slidably fitted to the body; a front tube having a rear end portion connected to the front end portion of the body; an auxiliary push rod rotatably connected to the main push rod, the auxiliary push rod extending into the front tube; a wire fixed to the auxiliary push rod, the wire extending through the front tube; a rotary knob rotatably attached to the body, the rotary knob configured to rotate together with the auxiliary push rod and the wire; and an arc-shaped knife fixed to the wire and connected to the high-frequency port of the operating handle via the wire, the auxiliary push rod and the main push rod.
US09168067B2	Connection assembly An orthopedic connection assembly is described that comprises a housing member for receiving an implant that is operably connected to a receiving member for receiving an anchor member. The connection assembly is configured to have a locking mechanism that secures and fixes the relative orientation between the implant and the anchor member. The connection assembly can comprise a plate member receivable within the housing member. When a securing member such as a set screw is introduced downwardly into the housing member to secure the implant, the securing member applies a lateral force to the plate member, which presses against an interference member within the receiving member. The interference member presses against the anchor member, such that the anchor member is fixed in a position relative to the implant.
US09168061B1	Uterine clamp for treating postpartum hemorrhage and facilitating uterine repairs A medical clamp for holding a uterus includes a first and second curved plates that capture between them the major exterior walls of the uterus, and an operating handle having pivotally connected first and second actuating arms, each of which has a distal portion and a proximal portion with a grip for a user, whereby the distal portions are moved toward each other when the user moves the grips toward each other to capture the uterus between the plates. Ball-and-socket joints connect the distal handle portions of the actuating arms to respective plates. The ball-and socket joints enable rapid positioning of the clamp on the uterus to arrest emergency postpartum hemorrhaging, assist in exerting pressure on the uterus over the entire extent of the plates, facilitate manipulation of the uterus using the clamp, and permit other surgical interventions to be performed with the clamp in place.
US09168058B2	Laparoscopic scalpel and method for use A laparoscopic scalpel includes a shaft and a recess disposed in a surface of the shaft proximal to a distal end of the shaft. A blade is attached to the shaft. The blade includes a cutting edge having a portion exposed by the recess and oriented outwardly from the recess. A proximal end of the portion of the cutting edge exposed by the recess is disposed further from the surface than is a distal end of the portion of the cutting edge exposed by the recess.
US09168055B2	Ultrasonic surgical shears and method for sealing a blood vessel using same An ultrasonic surgical shears includes an ultrasonic surgical blade, a clamping arm operable to open and close toward the blade, and a tissue pad attached to the clamping arm. A method for sealing a blood vessel of a patient includes obtaining an ultrasonic surgical shears and positioning the blood vessel between the blade and the tissue pad. The clamping arm is operated to exert an average coaptation pressure on the blood vessel between and including 60 psi and 210 psi. The blade is ultrasonically vibrated to transect and seal the blood vessel.
US09168054B2	Surgical generator for ultrasonic and electrosurgical devices A control circuit of a surgical device is disclosed. The control circuit includes a first circuit portion coupled to at least one switch operable between an open state and a closed state. The first circuit portion communicates with a surgical generator over a conductor pair to receive a control signal to determine a state of the at least one switch.
US09168047B2	Minimally invasive discectomy Systems and methods for minimally invasive discectomy procedures are described herein. The systems include a bendable flexible cannula may have a straight configuration suitable for insertion and withdrawal into spinal tissue, and a curved configuration suitable for accessing certain areas of a vertebral disc that may be difficult to reach in the straight configuration. A cannula is straightened by inserting a straight stylet therethrough. The straight stylet may have a deflectable region that facilitates its insertion into the cannula. Removal of a straight stylet from a cannula may allow the cannula to assume its curved configuration. The systems may be used with tissue removal devices, and certain variations of tissue removal devices may include a collector for aspiration, as well as a travel limiter to restrict inadvertent motions of the tissue removal devices within a vertebral structure.
US09168046B2	Surgical sliding shaft instrument and sliding shaft In order to improve a sliding shaft for a surgical sliding shaft instrument, wherein the sliding shaft defines a longitudinal direction and comprises a first shaft part and a second shaft part which are arranged such that they are displaceable relative to each other, wherein said first shaft part carries a first tool element and said second shaft part carries a second tool element, wherein the second shaft part has a cut material collector with an inlet opening which is bounded by the second tool part and extends therefrom in the proximal direction, such that the cut material collector can be emptied in a simple and rapid manner, it is proposed that the cut material collector should have at least one emptying opening which is formed on the proximal side of the inlet opening and that the at least one emptying opening should be open in a lateral emptying direction which is oriented perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal direction and parallel or substantially parallel to a contact plane defined by a lower surface of the second shaft part.
US09168041B2	Pediatric esophageal atresia magnetic anastomosis system A system and a method for joining an upper and lower esophageal sacs in an infant are provided. The system includes a first elongate member having a first magnet, the first magnet including an end portion configured to abut an interior surface of the upper esophageal sac. The system also includes a second elongate member having a second magnet, the second magnet including an end portion configured to abut an interior surface of the lower esophageal sac. The system further includes a third elongate member having a third magnet and a spacer positioned distal to the third magnet. The third elongate member is positionable in the upper esophageal sac after the first elongate member has been removed. A magnetic force between the first magnet and the second magnet is configured to pull the first magnet and the second magnet towards each other to lengthen the upper and lower esophageal sacs.
US09168034B2	Suture anchor There is described a suture anchor with anchor members moveable as between a suture-unlocked configuration and suture-locked configuration. In one embodiment, the anchor members include an outer anchor member with features, e.g., flexible barbs, configured to secure the suture anchor in the suture-locked configuration to material proximate a pre-formed hole in bone material. The outer anchor member is also configured with a bore to receive suture material, and which is sized and shaped to receive an inner anchor member therein. The inner anchor member includes securing features such as projections that compress the suture material against the surface of the bore when the suture anchor is actuated from the suture-unlocked configuration to the suture-locked configuration.
US09168022B2	Abdominal sonar system and apparatus An abdominal sonar includes an ultrasound transducer array with a plurality of ultrasound transducers. The abdominal sonar further includes at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor receives reflected ultrasound signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer and converts the received reflected ultrasound signals into an audio signal. A system for monitoring a pregnancy includes an ultrasound transducer array and at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the ultrasound transducer array and the at least one ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor converts received raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms into an audio signal. A wireless transmitter broadcasts the received audio signal. A wireless receiver receives the broadcast audio signal. A patient monitor extracts the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms from the audio signal and processes the waveforms to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate and an indication of uterine activity.
US09168020B2	Frequency domain analysis transform of renal blood flow doppler signal to determine stress levels A method of determining stress based on renal blood flow. The method includes receiving data indicating renal blood flow of a subject. The method also includes calculating a power spectrum of a signal derived from the data. The power spectrum indicates a stress level of the subject.
US09168019B2	Ultrasonic diagnostic device An ultrasonic diagnostic device is characterized by being provided with a cooling mechanism for cooling an ultrasonic vibrator by circulating a refrigerant in a cable of an ultrasonic probe in which the ultrasonic vibrator is provided, a cooling abnormality detecting means for detecting the abnormal state of the cooling mechanism, and an operating means for, when the abnormal state of the cooling mechanism is detected by the cooling abnormality detecting means, performing a degraded operation in which the transmission/reception condition of the ultrasonic vibrator is changed according to the detected abnormal state.
US09168018B2	System and method for classifying a heart sound A method and system for electronically classifying a pre-processed heart sound signal of a patient as functional (normal) or pathological is provided. The pre-processed patient heart sound signal is segmentised and features are extracted therefrom (104) to build up a feature vector which is representative of the heart sound signal. The feature vector is then fed to a diagnostic decision support network (105) comprising a plurality of artificial neural networks, each relating to a known heart pathology, which is in turn used to conduct the classification.
US09168017B2	Ambient noise canceling physiological acoustic monitoring system and method The present invention is an ambient noise canceling physiological acoustic monitoring system and method. The system and method utilizes a plurality of microphones to collect input data including ambient noise signals, bed frame noise signals and patient respiratory and cardiac data signals. The system and method cancels the ambient noise and bed frame noise signals, and calculates a filtered audio output signal with an algorithm that utilizes ECG rhythm patterns and impedance pneumography. The set of input data and the filtered audio output signal are then displayed in real time.
US09168015B2	Method and apparatus for gate specific MR-based attenuation correction of time-gated PET studies A method for attenuation correction of a plurality of time-gated PET images of a moving structure includes establishing an ACF matrix, based on a baseline MR image of the structure; developing a plurality of image transforms, each of the image transforms registering the baseline MR image to a respective cine MR image of the moving structure; applying each of the image transforms to the ACF matrix to generate a corresponding cine ACF matrix; time-correlating each of the cine MR images, and its corresponding cine ACF matrix, to one of the plurality of time-gated PET data sets; and producing from each of the time-gated PET data sets an attenuation-corrected time-gated PET image.
US09168013B2	Breast density assessment The present invention relates to mammography. To provide breast density assessment with improved accuracy in the results, a method (100) is proposed for providing mammography information about an object of interest, the region of interest comprising a tissue structure, with the following steps: a) acquiring (110) first image data (112) with first image acquisition parameters (114), wherein the first image parameters are adapted to a first radiation spectrum of a dual energy mode; and wherein the first image acquisition is performed with a low X-ray dosage of a pre-scan; b) acquiring (116) second image data (118) with second image acquisition parameters (120), wherein the second image parameters are adapted to a second radiation spectrum of the dual energy mode, and wherein the second image acquisition is performed with a higher X-ray dosage than the first image acquisition, and wherein the second image acquisition is a Mammography scan; c) performing (122) a dual energy basis material decomposition (124) based on the first and second image data to generate decomposed basis material image data (126); and d) deriving (128) a density information (130) of the tissue structure of the region of interest from the decomposed basis material image data; and providing (132) the density information to a user.
US09168011B2	Radiography system, console and electronic cassette For identification of individual electronic cassettes, a different label is attached to each of the electronic cassettes. Selection buttons for selecting one of the electronic cassettes are provided on a console in correspondence with the respective electronic cassettes. A cassette ID is assigned to each of the electronic cassettes, and the console communicates with the selected electronic cassette using the cassette ID assigned to the selected electronic cassette. Data of correspondence between the cassette ID and the label is memorized for each electronic cassette. The same label is displayed on the selection button as the label on the corresponding electronic cassette, allowing confirming whether the electronic cassette actually positioned for imaging coincides with the electronic cassette selected on the console.
US09168010B2	X-ray imaging apparatus and medical image processing apparatus An X-ray imaging apparatus including: an imaging unit which includes an X-ray tube that emits an X-ray to a subject and an X-ray detector that is so disposed as to face the X-ray tube; an input unit which inputs a plurality of imaging conditions including a tube current and a tube voltage of the X-ray tube, and sets an imaging protocol of the imaging unit; and an image creation unit which calculates an exposed dose when at least the tube voltage or the tube current is varied, and creates an index image that is made by overlapping an image showing the exposed dose on a two-dimensional map that is represented by the tube voltage and the tube current.
US09168009B2	Fluoroscopy type four-point frame for spine surgery The present invention relates to a fluoroscopy type four-point frame for spine surgery comprising an upper support plate, two pairs of slide seats, a pair of slide rails and two pairs of support cushions. The left and right side defined at the front and rear of the upper support plate are respectively provided with a pair of the slide seats connected through the slide rail, thereby allowing each of the slide seats to slide towards left and right at the corresponding edge of the upper support plate. The front and rear of the pair of the slide rails are respectively provided with a pair of the support cushions, thereby allowing each of the support cushions to forwardly and backwardly slide on the corresponding slide rail; because the frame for spine surgery is made of a non-metal material, no interference of metal component is generated when spine fluoroscopy is processed.
US09168008B2	Coarse segmented detector architecture and method of making same A CT system includes a rotatable gantry having an opening to receive an object to be scanned, the rotatable gantry having a detector mounting surface, an x-ray source attached to the gantry and configured to project an x-ray beam toward the object, a plurality of detector modules each mounted within one field-of-view (FOV) and mounted directly to the detector mounting surface of the rotatable gantry, a data acquisition system (DAS) configured to receive outputs from at least one of the plurality of detector modules, and a computer programmed to acquire projections of imaging data of the object from the DAS, and generate an image of the object using the imaging data.
US09168007B2	Computer-aided diagnostic apparatus A computer aided diagnostic system according to the invention is characterized in that first sick portion detecting means for detecting a sick portion candidate based upon an image acquired by a first modality, second sick portion detecting means for detecting a sick portion candidate based upon an image related to the same region of interest of the same subject and acquired by a second modality different from the modality, detection result synthesizing means for comparing the results of detection by the first and second sick portion detecting means and correspondence displaying means for relating the position of the sick portion candidate detected by the first sick portion detecting means on an image analyzed by the second sick portion detecting means and displaying it and for relating the position of the sick portion candidate detected by the second sick portion detecting means on an image analyzed by the first sick portion detecting means and displaying it are provided. According to the above-mentioned configuration, the computer aided diagnostic system that enables a double check comparing images acquired by plural apparatuses can be provided.
US09168006B2	Systems and methods for wirelessly controlling medical devices Systems and methods for wirelessly controlling medical devices are provided. One system includes a portable user interface having a housing and a communication module within the housing configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one medical device. The portable user interface also includes a display displaying a graphical user interface to control the at least one medical device remotely, wherein the displayed graphical user interface corresponds to a control interface of the at least one medical device.
US09168005B2	Minimally-invasive procedure for monitoring a physiological parameter within an internal organ A minimally-invasive surgical procedure for monitoring a physiological parameter within an internal organ of a living body. The procedure entails making a first incision in the body to enable access to the organ. An endoscopic instrument is then inserted through the first incision and a second incision is made therewith through an external wall of the organ and into the internal cavity thereof. A sensing unit is placed in the second incision such that the second incision is occluded by the unit and a proximal end of the unit is outside the organ. The unit includes a sensing device having a sensing element adapted to sense the physiological parameter within the organ, and an anchor to which the sensing device is secured. The first incision is closed, after which a readout device outside the body telemetrically communicates with the sensing device to obtain a reading of the physiological parameter.
US09168002B2	Device and method for measuring radiation exposure Garments and methods for monitoring radiation exposure and cumulative radiation exposure in individuals undergoing repeated exposure to ionizing radiation are disclosed.
US09168001B2	Adhesively mounted apparatus for determining physiological and contextual status The invention comprises an apparatus for determining the contextual or physiological status of the individual wearing the apparatus. The apparatus is designed to be consumable or disposable. In most embodiments the invention comprises an adhesive housing. In some embodiments, two different sensors are secured to the housing. The apparatus is in electronic communication with a processing unit that can derive analytical status data by using the data received from the two sensors. In some embodiments, the processing unit is programmed to control other devices, or is programmed to trigger an event. In still other embodiments, the apparatus is in electronic communication with a separate computing device, which may contain the processing unit.
US09167997B2	Self-flowing measuring system The invention relates to a method and arrangement for continuously measuring substances in a pressurised body fluid. A probe (202) for enabling continuous measurement of the concentration of one or more substances in a pressurized body fluid is provided. The probe is adapted to be inserted into the pressurized body fluid, and comprises an interface and an outlet lumen. Furthermore, the probe is configured so that a continuous and spontaneous fluid flow is established from the body fluid through the interface to the outlet lumen. The fluid flow from the outlet may be analyzed by a sensor.
US09167990B2	Optical capsule and spectroscopic method for treating and diagnosing the intestinal tract A device and method for mapping, diagnosing and treating disorders or other diseases, disorders or conditions (e.g., bleeding, ischemic or necrotic tissue, and presence of certain chemicals or substances) of the intestinal tract is provided using a capsule passing through the intestinal tract and sensing optical characteristics as the capsule passes through. Further, a capsule tracking system is provided for tracking a capsule's location along the length of an intestinal tract as various treatment and/or sensing modalities are employed. In one variation, an acoustic signal is used to determine the location of the capsule. A map of optical characteristics may be derived from the pass of a capsule to diagnose the disorder or disease. The capsule or subsequently passed capsules may treat, further diagnose or mark the intestinal tract at a determined location along its length.
US09167989B2	Systems and methods for measuring parameters in joint replacement surgery A computer-implemented method for determining changes in parameters of a hip joint due to modification of the hip joint comprises establishing a first position of a pre-operative center of rotation of the joint in a first coordinate space. The method further comprises estimating a second position of the pre-operative center of rotation of the joint in the first coordinate space, when the estimated pre-operative center of rotation is maintained in a constant position in a second coordinate space. A change in a parameter associated with the joint is determined based on the first and second positions of the pre-operative center of rotation of the joint.
US09167987B2	Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and magnetic resonance imaging method A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus collects raw data about a subject in a synchronized manner with an electrocardiographic signal of the subject. An Electrocardiogram (ECG) gating unit detects an irregular synchronization interval with respect to the electrocardiographic signal. When the ECG gating unit detects an irregular synchronization interval, a real-time sequencer controls a gradient magnetic-field power source, a transmitting unit, and the like so as to reacquire raw data that is acquired during the irregular synchronization interval.
US09167980B2	Detection and monitoring using high frequency electrogram analysis A method for analyzing a high frequency (HF) electrogram signal including (a) providing at least one electrogram signal from an electrode located within a subject's body, (b) measuring the electrogram signal at a high frequency during a specific segment of a cardiac cycle, generating a HF electrogram signal, and (c) having a computer measure at least one time-varying parameter of the HF electrogram signal. Related apparatus and methods are also described.
US09167978B2	Systems, methods and devices for a skull/brain interface Systems, methods and devices are disclosed for directing and focusing signals to the brain for neuromodulation and for directing and focusing signals or other energy from the brain for measurement, heat transfer and imaging. An aperture in the skull and/or a channel device implantable in the skull can be used to facilitate direction and focusing. Treatment and diagnosis of multiple neurological conditions may be facilitated with the disclosed systems, methods and devices.
US09167975B1	Motion resistant device to monitor heart rate in ambulatory patients A method and system for continuous, mobile, ambulatory diagnostic monitoring for heart rate disease and abnormal conditions is disclosed herein. This device overcomes the prior art problems and allows for a continuous heart rate to be collected and recorded for extended time frames equivalent to a Holter monitor or special pulse oximeter.
US09167974B2	Method and system for patient-specific modeling of blood flow Embodiments include a system for determining cardiovascular information for a patient. The system may include at least one computer system configured to receive patient-specific data regarding a geometry of the patient's heart, and create a three-dimensional model representing at least a portion of the patient's heart based on the patient-specific data. The at least one computer system may be further configured to create a physics-based model relating to a blood flow characteristic of the patient's heart and determine a fractional flow reserve within the patient's heart based on the three-dimensional model and the physics-based model.
US09167972B2	Systems and methods for non-contact biometric sensing A non-contact biometric sensing device is described. The device includes a processing device, a user interface communicatively coupled to the processing device, a display communicatively coupled to the processing device, a laser doppler vibrometer sensor communicatively coupled to the processing device, and an infrared camera communicatively coupled to the processing device. The processing device is programmed to utilize mechanical motion data received from the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and thermal distributions data from the infrared camera to calculate biometric data, when signals originating from the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and the infrared camera are reflected back towards the device from a target.
US09167968B2	Apparatus to measure the instantaneous patients' acuity value In a patient monitoring system (10), shorter interval physiological parameters and longer interval clinical data are collected from a monitored patient (12). A composite acuity score generator (70) generates or updates a composite acuity score indicative of wellbeing of the patient (12) based at least on the sensed physiological parameters and the longer interval data. A monitor (22, 56) displays current values of at least one of selected sensed physiological parameters, longer interval data, and the composite acuity score.
US09167965B2	Instrument for rapid measurement of the optical properties of the eye in the entire field of vision An instrument measuring optical properties of an eye in an entire field of vision, including refraction and aberrations, including: a frame mounted on an ophthalmologic table that can be oriented in three perpendicular directions X, Y, Z; a support surface for a head of the subject; a hot mirror; a long mirror; an illumination sub-assembly including a fiber optic head; a lens; a diaphragm; a beam splitter; and a measurement sub-assembly with two lens and two mirrors; a camera including a matrix of micro-lenses on the inlet of camera, the camera being placed on the focal plane of the micro-lenses; the frame including a motor, a shaft of which rotates in the Y direction, to which an arm is attached that can rotate on the shaft; components of the illumination sub-assembly, components of a measurement sub-assembly, and the camera with the matrix of micro-lenses being mounted on the arm.
US09167960B2	Endoscope system, processor device thereof, and image producing method First and second white light is generated by excitations of phosphors with first and second laser beams having center wavelengths of 473 nm and 445 nm, respectively. The first and second white light is applied, in respective frames, sequentially to a region of interest in a subject. A color image sensor images the region of interest in the each frame. Based on a shift amount, calculated from green signals of first and second frames, between images, an image of a blue signal of the first frame is moved to be aligned with an image of a green signal and an image of a red signal of the second frame. After the alignment, an oxygen saturation image representing an oxygen saturation level of hemoglobin in blood is produced from the blue signal of the first frame and green and red signals of the second frame.
US09167957B2	Probe A probe which is inserted into a lumen of inside of a body, irradiates an observation object part of a physiological tissue with excitation light, and detects fluorescence resulting from the excitation light, wherein the probe including: a plus lens arranged facing toward a tip side of the probe; and a plurality of optical fibers receiving the fluorescence at tip surfaces through the plus lens, wherein the tip surface are directed toward the plus lens and arranged in positions offset from an optical axis of the plus lens, wherein positions of the tip surface of at least optical fibers of which an amount of offset from the optical axis of the plus lens differ mutually among plurality of optical fibers are shifted mutually along the optical axis of the plus lens.
US09167955B2	Protective cap for arthroscopic instruments A protective cap for use on arthroscopic instruments and sheaths disposed over arthroscopic instruments. The cap protects the distal end of the instrument from accidental damage caused by other instruments used during a surgical procedure. The portion of the cap that covers a view port on an arthroscope is transparent in order to allow a user to see through the instrument and through the cap.
US09167951B2	Dishwasher appliance having energy recovery features Dishwasher appliances are provided. A dishwasher appliance includes a tub defining a chamber for the receipt of articles for cleaning, a sump for collecting liquid from the chamber, a fluid circulation conduit for circulating liquid in the tub, and a first pump downstream of and in fluid communication with the sump. The dishwasher appliance further includes an adsorption assembly, the adsorption assembly including a desiccant module and an adsorption conduit extending through the desiccant module. The dishwasher appliance further includes a second pump downstream of and in fluid communication with the adsorption conduit, the second pump further upstream of the sump. The dishwasher appliance further includes a first heater spaced from the adsorption assembly, the first heater operable to heat liquid flowed therethrough from the first pump.
US09167944B2	Construction technique for a domestic appliance such as a surface cleaning apparatus An appliance or domestic apparatus such as a surface cleaning apparatus comprises a first part and a second part. The second part comprises an insertion portion slidably insertable into the first part to define an inserted position. The insertion portion comprises a longitudinal axis and a first detent member. A movable lock is slidably mounted on at least one of the first part and the second part, and is slidable at an angle to a longitudinal axis of the insertion portion. The movable lock has a second detent member. When the insertion portion is in the inserted position, the first detent member is positioned inwardly of the second detent member, and the second detent member is selectively positionable to interact with the first detent member to lock the first part to the second part.
US09167942B1	Vacuum cleaner with hose fence and tool storage A new vacuum cleaner has a removable rack that combines both tool storage elements and hose fence elements in a compact arrangement. The rack is snapped in place. Laterally-spaced fence elements help hold the hose against the main body of the vacuum cleaner, and hooked upper ends help to retain the hose in place. The outer surfaces of the fence element have adjacent concave outer surfaces that form parts of two separate tool storage elements. One of the retainers has opposed ends that form a clip that can hold a vacuum hose accessory in place. The other retainer has a lower lateral end that extends radially outwardly to an upwardly projecting stem section. The stem section is sized to fit within an interior portion of a vacuum hose accessory.
US09167938B2	Food processor mixer attachment A food processor attachment assembly for a stand mixer includes a coupling hub adapted to be received in an attachment hub of the stand mixer. A gear housing includes a gearing mechanism disposed therein to translate an output drive from the attachment hub to the coupling hub to drive an output shaft along a vertical rotational axis. The output drive is accessible at a coupling portion for attaching to various food processing discs as housed within a top housing assembly. The output drive is further accessible for coupling to the food processing attachment at a lower coupling portion for powering food processing attachments within a bowl assembly.
US09167937B2	Tool for frying a tortilla with a semi-pliable center A tool and method allow cooking a tortilla in a generally flat state, in a shallow amount of oil. A central strip is held out of the oil and isn't fried. Side strips to the central strip are less fried. This produces a taco shell that is flexible at the bottom, allowing a living hinge, while crispy in its main portions. A raising bar and left and right hold-downs comprise described tools.
US09167935B2	Mixed beverage preparation and dispensing A water dispensing device comprises water dispensing means for dispensing water into a serving container. The device furthermore comprises a control unit which is connected with the water dispensing means to control a water dispensing cycle in which a predetermined amount of water is dispensed in the serving container. The control unit is programmed such that the water dispensing cycle includes at least two stages which are separated by an intermediate time period in which no water is dispensed in the serving container.
US09167932B2	Dual-purpose brewer and brew basket and method of brewing A dual-purpose brewer including a hot water dispenser system (25) for dispensing, hot water to a dispense outlet above a removable brew basket (18) with an electromagnetically controlled outlet drain valve (44) for selectively blocking beverage from leaving the brew basket (18) during a seeping period when making tea and leaves a drain hole (41) open throughout a brew cycle when making coffee. A drain plug (42) made of magnetic or ferromagnetic material is moved by an electromagnetic field to an open position (FIG. 6) to block a drain passageway (45) to drain the brew basket (18) of beverage and falls to a closed position (FIG. 5) during, a seeping period. Contact of electromagnetic coils (80, 82, 90) carried by the brew basket (18) with a source of energization is achieved through electrical contacts at the end of a. pivotally mounted actuation arm (34).
US09167931B1	Utensil holder An apparatus includes a pot with a sleeve attached to an outside portion of the pot, and a utensil holder coupled to the pot. The utensil holder includes an arm disposed through the sleeve and a handle pivotally attached to the arm, such that the handle can be rotated relative to the arm to position a portion of the handle inside the pot. The utensil holder can be configured at least in a first configuration and a second configuration. In the first configuration, the handle is positioned outside the pot to enable the handle to be used as a grip for the pot, and in the second configuration, the portion of the handle is positioned inside the pot to enable the handle to support an object over the pot. In some embodiments, the handle may be attached to the arm with a hinge.
US09167925B2	Plate cover assembly A plate cover assembly includes at least one portion that is removably securable onto a plate. For example, one cover includes a first covering portion and a second covering portion which are positionable to enclose an outer portion of a plate. Upon removably securing the respective first and second covering portions together, the plate cover assembly encloses the border of the plate while leaving a central region of the plate exposed.
US09167924B2	Ergonomical pillow for head rest An ergonomical pillow for head rest, comprising: a pillow surface, a pillow, a shock absorbing and pressure relief cushion, the pillow surface and the pillow are made from soft buffer material, the pillow has at least one hollow pore, the shock absorbing and pressure relief cushion covers top of the hollow pore, the pillow surface covers top of the shock absorbing and pressure relief cushion. The pillow surface and shock absorbing and pressure relief cushion can settle into a groove, where the level of which is subject to user's weight, to provide appropriate support for a body type. The present invention provides excellent extent for coverage and user's head positioning such that the head and neck are settled in a proper position, and guides user to rest his/her shoulder near bottom edge of the pillow to avoid neck muscle spasm, and can offer equalized pressure relief.
US09167922B1	Pillow having mesh inserts A pillow and a pillow cover are provided. The pillow includes a cover layer defining an interior volume, the cover layer having a body portion and one or more mesh portions. The pillow further includes a filler material disposed in the interior volume. The interior volume is in fluid communication with the external atmosphere via the one or more mesh portions. The pillow cover includes a cover layer defining an interior volume. The interior volume is configured to receive the filler. The cover layer includes having a body portion and one or more mesh portions. The interior volume is in fluid communication with the external atmosphere via the one or more mesh portions.
US09167919B2	Cover for a mattress A cover for a mattress includes a lateral panel for extending across the lateral surface of the mattress and a top panel for covering the top surface of the mattress. The top panel includes a breathable inner liner made of a non-woven material, a breathable outer shell covering the inner liner, and a silk floss fill retained between the inner liner and the outer shell. A mattress also includes the inner liner, outer shell and silk floss fill. A cover having an adjustment feature which includes a channel, an elongate elastic strip extending therein, a first connector and plurality of complementary second connectors disposed along the strip.
US09167917B2	Adjustable display apparatus An adjustable display brochure holder component comprising opposed spaced apart front and rear surfaces, opposed spaced apart first and second side surfaces and a supporting base surface. The rear surface is formed or oriented in a single plane and the rear surface includes a plurality of attachment points therein. Each one of the attachment points is located at or near side edge portions of the rear surface. Each of the attachment points is adapted to engage with a clip, thereby enabling the display brochure holder component to be clipped to, and secured with, an adjacent like display brochure holder component.
US09167916B2	Merchandise display hook with alarm Display hooks for displaying items of merchandise are provided. For example, the display hook includes at least one rod for supporting a plurality of items of merchandise and an end assembly coupled to the at least one rod. The end assembly includes an alarm mechanism configured to generate at least one alarming signal. The end assembly is configured to detect removal of each item of merchandise, wherein the alarm mechanism does not generate an alarming signal when at least a first item of merchandise is removed from the rod, and wherein the alarm mechanism is further configured to generate an alarming signal when a second item of merchandise has been removed from the rod within a predetermined period of time from the first item of merchandise being removed.
US09167915B1	Commodity shelving system A commodity shelving system includes pillars, shelves and a fixing mechanism for fixing the shelves to the pillars, wherein the fixing mechanism has a plurality of pillar clamps and locking pieces having an amount corresponding to that of the pillar clamps; and the locking pieces are arranged at corners of the shelves. Each of the pillar clamps includes a left fastener and a right fastener mutually coupleable by a snap fit structure and respectively provided with a semicircular groove matched with the pillar and a protruded portion arranged at an outside of an end edge of the semicircular groove; and each of the locking pieces is provided with a clamping portion for coupling with the protruded portion of the pillar clamp.
US09167914B2	Illuminated merchandise dispenser A merchandise dispenser is provided and has a product display tray with a bottom portion for supporting and guiding a rank of product items. The merchandise dispenser also has a spring assembly for advancing the product items forward on the bottom portion. The spring assembly includes a pre-stressed spiral tape having a top surface extending from a mounting end portion thereof and a plurality of light emitting diodes carried in spaced relation on a predetermined length of the top surface of the tape for upwardly illuminating product items when disposed in the product display tray.
US09167913B2	Product securement and management system A merchandising system that improves the merchandising of product by limiting the number and the frequency with which product can be removed from, for example, a merchandising shelf. The merchandising system may include a base configured to support product and a housing configured to engage the base. The housing may comprise a top wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a front retaining wall mounted to the base at an angle. The system may further include a spring-urged pusher movably mounted on the base. The system may further include an opening defined by the first side wall and the front retaining wall through which product may be removed.
US09167911B2	First electronic tablet high chair A utility multi-function tray attachment for children's high chairs that provides an integrated insert retainment and display area for electronic entertainment computer based devices of tablet configurations. The tray has a perimeter lip formed thereon with a tray top surface having a transparent waterproof viewing and activation surface window for display and activation of a computer tablet selectively inserted into and retained in the tray. Chair adapted receiving brackets on said tray bottom provide for universal engagement and a pair of folding deployable legs provide for dependent and independent tray use with a variety of high chair designs.
US09167909B2	Mattress A mattress core has front and rear ends that are spaced apart in a longitudinal direction and further has opposite sides that are spaced apart in a lateral direction. The core includes a firmer lower core section having a top surface that follows an undulating pattern. The undulating pattern is non-uniform and non-symmetric in the longitudinal direction, is uniform in the lateral direction, and includes at least one hill, at least one valley and at least one plateau. The core further includes a softer upper core section that overlies the lower core section. The upper core section has a bottom surface that follows the undulating pattern and contacts the lower core section's top surface to provide a common mating interface that follows the undulating pattern. The interface includes at least one hill, at least one valley and at least one plateau.
US09167907B2	Tiered inline loveseat and method of use thereof A tiered inline loveseat includes a first chair and a second chair where the second chair is positioned inline and below the first chair. The first chair includes a first seat, and a first seat back. The first seat has a front end, a back end, a first side and a second side. The first seat back is coupled to the back end of the first seat. The second chair has a second seat and a second seat back with a bottom edge and a top edge. Wherein, the top edge of the second seat back is coupled to the front end of the first seat.
US09167904B2	Portable arm rest A portable arm rest with a container holder and, more particularly, a portable arm rest having an flexible counterweight such an internal bladder that contains a material, such as a fluid, that both stabilizes the arm rest and readily conforms the arm rest to different uniform or undulating supporting surfaces.
US09167900B2	Seat furniture having a rapidly adjustable frame Seat furniture includes a frame which is adjustable such that the height and inclination of the seat supported by the frame can be easily and rapidly varied. The seat furniture includes a seat platform, which is supported by an adjustable frame, in which two pairs of legs are integrated, the height-adjustment devices of which have locking devices which are operated by operating elements located near the seat platform. When the front operating device is operated, the movable locking devices of the front pair of legs are released. The height of the front pair of legs can then be varied. The set of the corresponding rear elements functions in the same manner. Articulated hinges integrated in the frame permit each adjustment while the support area on the floor does not change. The adjustable frame is configured in such a way, in particular in regard to the rear legs and the frame braces, that a cavity remains for a stacking fit which is compatible with the shape and the dimensions of the seat platform and the other structural elements and the operating elements, and consequently several units can be stacked one on top of the other.
US09167884B2	Attachment system for hand-held tools An attachment system for tools includes a housing, a rotating member having a sloping surface and a catch surface disposed in an open central region of the housing, and a clip member having a clip protrusion with a head and neck portions where the neck portion is sized to be slidably receive in one of a first and second slot of the housing where each slot extends through a wall of the housing to the open central region. The clip protrusion engages the sloping surface causing the rotating member to rotate about a central longitudinal axis to a point as the neck portion moves distally along one of the slots where a catch surface aligns with the clip protrusion and where a channel aligns with a clip protrusion of a second clip member retained in the second slot, thereby retaining the first clip member and releasing the second clip member.
US09167883B2	Backpack A backcarrying including a carrying portion having a top, a bottom, a front, a rear and two sides. A strap arrangement can also be included for carrying the carrying portion as a backcarrying. The strap arrangement can have a pair of carrying straps. Each carrying strap can be secured to the carrying portion at about the bottom and extend upwardly along respective sides of the carrying portion, and redirected at about the top of said respective sides to extend around to the rear of the carrying portion, and being redirected at about the top of the rear to extend downwardly for securement at about the bottom of the carrying portion at the rear. The strap arrangement can redirect forces to support a load in the carrying portion from the sides of the carrying portion.
US09167881B2	Container for storing and displaying a cosmetic product A container system includes a bottle body having an inner cavity and a threaded rim, an inner housing compatible with the inner cavity, a layer of a sample of contents placed between the inner cavity of the bottle body and the inner housing, a receptacle removeably placed within the inner housing and storing contents, and a lid to form a seal with the bottle body, when attached to the threaded rim. There can also be a brush attached to the lid to dispense the contents. The contents are protected from degradation due to environmental exposure, while the layer still displays features of the contents. The receptacle has a first portion and a second portion. The portions have different shapes, but are made integral into a single cavity. The single cavity resists settling of the contents and facilitates stirring of the contents for actual use.
US09167877B2	Apparatus for the steam treatment of hair An apparatus for the steam treatment of hair, comprising a housing including a liquid tank, a means for supplying a steam generator with liquid, one or more openings for dispensing the steam thus generated towards a lock of hair, and a hair shaping device that comprises at least one treatment surface provided with heating means and brought into contact with a lock of hair. The steam generator includes a heating member that is thermally independent from said treatment surface.
US09167876B2	Waterproofing case and method of manufacturing waterproofing case A waterproofing case with a first case and a second case includes a non-annular groove that has a start point side and an end point side and is arranged in parallel by a barrier rib of a certain length, in one of annular bonding portions. The waterproofing case also includes a cutout portion provided at a middle portion of the barrier rib so as to allow a groove portion at the start point side and the end point side to communicate with each other and a plastic elastomer that is disposed within the non-annular groove by curing after being coated. Furthermore, the waterproofing case includes a protrusion that bisects an exposed portion of the plastic elastomer disposed within the non-annular groove toward opposite walls of the non-annular groove at bonding two cases, in other annular bonding portion of the first case and the second case.
US09167869B2	Shoe with multi-component embedded strap Provided are, among other things, shoes and shoe components, together with systems, methods and techniques for manufacturing the same. One representative embodiment involves a shoe that includes: a sole having a main structure; a strap anchor that has attachment points and is at least partially embedded within the main structure; and a strap that is attached to and/or looped through one or more of such attachment points and that is configured for strapping the shoe to a wearer's foot. Also, in this embodiment, the strap anchor includes a number of strap anchor components attached in a unit, each such strap anchor component including a number of the attachment points and being at least partially embedded within the main structure.
US09167867B2	Article of footwear with multi-part sole assembly An article of footwear includes an upper, a midsole beneath the upper, and an outsole beneath the midsole. The midsole includes a substantially U-shaped outer member defining a pair of forwardly extending arms spaced from one another and formed of a first material. An inner member is positioned between the arms of the outer member and is formed of a second material that is more resilient than the first material.
US09167864B1	Footwear with dynamic arch system The present invention is footwear having a convex shaped outsole with opposing wedge shaped configurations in the bottom of the front sole section and the back sole section which provide rotation of the front sole section and the back sole section in opposite directions when weight is applied. The present invention is also footwear convex shaped in the longitudinal direction with a split sole having opposing wedge shaped configurations in the bottom of the front sole section and the back sole section that provide rotation of the front sole section and the back sole section in opposite directions when weight is applied. The invention further includes footwear having at least one pair of wedges on the outsole which provide footwear having improved arch support. The invention is also footwear with a flexible, elastic, member between the front sole section and the back sole section of the sole.
US09167860B2	Protective modular helmet with integrated lighting system The disclosure relates to a protective modular helmet with an integrated lighting system, for example for use by a rider/driver of a vehicle such as a snowmobile, a motorcycle, or an all-terrain vehicle. A light source is mounted at chin level in the helmet. A moveable chin bar covers or conceals the light source when lowered. When the chin bar is raised, the light source is exposed and can be used for illumination.
US09167852B2	Combined multifunctional electronic simulated cigarette The invention claims a combined multifunctional electronic simulated cigarette, comprising an indicator, wherein the indicator is provided with a air inlet hole; one end of the indicator is connected with one end of an aroma generator; a first switch and a first battery are arranged between the indicator and the aroma generator; a solid aromatic substance is arranged in the aroma generator and is provided with electric heating wires; the other end of the aroma generator is connected with one end of a smoke capsule; solid adsorption cotton adsorbed with nicotine is arranged in the smoke capsule; the other end of the smoke capsule is connected with a suction nozzle which is provided with a suction hole. The invention can provide users with aromatic gases, nicotine component and simulated smoke simultaneously; and the users can respectively choose to inhale the aromatic gases, the nicotine component and the simulated smoke according to the needs, and the invention can meet the needs of the users or the smoking quitters in different stages, help the users to gradually reduce the suction amount of nicotine, and finally achieve the purpose of not taking in nicotine.
US09167850B2	Electronic cigarette case This present invention relates to an electronic cigarette case comprising a cigarette case body (1). The cigarette case body (1) includes an accommodation structure (2). A first accommodation region configured for holding an electronic cigarette (100) is formed in the accommodation structure (2). A second accommodation region is formed between the outer surface of the accommodation structure (2) and the inner surface of the cigarette case body (1) and the second accommodation region is configured for receiving paper documents, especially an electronic cigarette operating instruction. The instruction can be taken out and inserted into the electronic cigarette case easily, and it is convenient for users to use. Furthermore, in assembly, the instruction can be directly inserted into the electronic cigarette case, which brings great convenience for the production and improves the production efficiency.
US09167848B2	Method and compositions for producing hydrogel capsules coated for low permeability and physical integrity Methods and compositions for producing hydrogel capsules enveloped with at least one coating layer is disclosed. The coating formulations deposited on the surface of the capsules can improve the physical integrity and the water-retention properties of the alginate beads. The coating formulations can be sequentially applied in various combinations to obtain desirable properties, such as improved physical integrity, mechanical strength, and low permeability, that can extend the shelf-life of the capsules when incorporated into various consumer products.
US09167847B2	Production of coated tobacco particles suitable for usage in a smokeless tobacoo product A process for preparing coated particles of a plant material includes: (a) combining plant material particles and a protein in a liquid medium, wherein the protein adsorbs onto at least a portion of a surface of the particles to form a first layer; and (b) mixing a polysaccharide including a pectin with the liquid medium, so that the polysaccharide adsorbs onto at least a portion of a surface of the first layer to form a second layer. In addition, a palatable product comprising at least one coated particle prepared by this process is described.
US09167846B2	Extruder An extruder 10 comprises a barrel 12 and a screw 24 mounted in the barrel for rotation. The screw comprises screw threads 26a, 26b, 26c. The barrel has an inlet funnel 22 toward one end for material to be extruded and a die plate 18 with openings 20 at the other end and an air inlet port 28 toward one end of the barrel and an air outlet port 30 toward the other end. The screw threads are such that material 34 in the barrel is moved more quickly along the portion of the barrel between the air inlet port and the air outlet port than upstream of that portion. The air outlet is connected to a pump 32 so that there is a pressure difference between the air inlet and the air outlet.
US09167844B1	Instant hot water drinks A product having an internal substance protected by a rugged exterior shell is disclosed. The internal substance is reactive with the exterior shell but is separated therefrom by a coating on an interior surface of the external shell so that the product can be stored for a long period of time without the internal substance reacting with the exterior shell. The coating is meltable so that, when desired, the product may be heated (e.g. immersed in hot water or exposed to heat) in order to melt the coating so that the internal substance can react with the external shell so that the internal substance can excrete out of the exterior shell.
US09167839B1	Multivitamin-mineral regimens for longevity and wellness Dietary vitamin-mineral supplements featuring various vitamins and minerals for benefiting individuals suffering from conditions such as nutritional deficiencies, vitamin deficiencies, aging, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, coronary artery disease, fatigue, and stroke. Vitamins and minerals may include Vitamin C, Vitamin A, pregnenolone, coenzyme Q10, Vitamin K2, acetyl L-carnitine arginate, L-glutathione, among others.
US09167833B2	Method for removing protein from a food A method for removing protein from a food includes adding a first group of enzymes into a food while cooking the food. The first group of enzymes decomposes protein in the food in a first enzyme reaction. Let a mixture of the first group of enzymes and the food rest after cooling the mixture to a temperature below 45° C. Then, the mixture is boiled to terminate the first enzyme reaction. A second enzyme is added into the mixture after the boiled mixture is cooled to a temperature below 45° C., and let mixture of the first group of enzymes, the food, and the second enzyme rest. The second enzyme carries out a second-stage decomposition of protein in the food in a second enzyme reaction. Then, the mixture of the first group of enzymes, the food, and the second enzyme is boiled to terminate the second enzyme reaction.
US09167831B2	Solid, edible, chewable laxative composition An edible, solid composition comprising a laxative and one or more bulking agents in aqueous media wherein the laxative is polyethylene glycol and the composition is prepared by dissolving the polyethylene glycol in aqueous media together with one or more bulking agents and subjecting the mixture to heat up to at least about 100° C.
US09167830B2	Substituted cellulose acetates and uses thereof The present invention relates to substituted cellulose acetates and methods of use thereof. One embodiment of the present invention provides a drilling fluid having a base fluid and a viscosifier having a substituted cellulose acetate having a polar substituent that comprises an oxygen atom covalently bonded to a nonmetal selected from the group of sulfur, phosphorus, boron, and chlorine; where the nonmetal is present in at least about 0.01% by weight of the substituted cellulose acetate.
US09167829B2	Oil/fat composition Provided is a fat or oil composition, comprising 50 mass % or more of diacylglycerols satisfying the following (1) to (3): (1) from 5 to 50 mass % of a disaturated diacylglycerol (SS) in the diacylglycerols; (2) 35 mass % or less of a monosaturated-monounsaturated diacylglycerol (SU) in the diacylglycerols; and (3) 1.5 or less as a ratio (mass ratio) [(SS)/(UU)] of a content of the disaturated diacylglycerol (SS) in the diacylglycerols relative to a content of a diunsaturated diacylglycerol (UU) in the diacylglycerols.
US09167828B2	Oil/fat composition Provided is a fat or oil composition, comprising 50 mass % or more of diacylglycerols satisfying the following (1) to (4): (1) 20 to 92 mass % of a disaturated diacylglycerol (SS) in the diacylglycerols; (2) 60 mass % or less of a monosaturated-monounsaturated diacylglycerol (SU) in the diacylglycerols; (3) 8 to 80 mass % of a diunsaturated diacylglycerol (UU) in the diacylglycerols; and (4) 20 mass % or more of a total content of saturated fatty acids having 10, 12, and 14 carbon atoms in saturated fatty acids constituting the diacylglycerols.
US09167827B2	Process for the production of cheese milk A process for the production of cheese milk is suggested, wherein (a) raw milk is subjected to heat treatment, (b) solids are removed from the heat-treated product, (c) the resulting intermediate is skimmed, (d) the skimmed milk such obtained is subjected to microfiltration, and (e) the resulting permeate is adjusted to the desired fat contents by adding an amount of the cream separated in step (c), and the standardized milk such obtained is (f) pasteurized in a final step.
US09167825B2	Method for manufacturing liquid fermented milk A method is directed to producing liquid fermented milk, suppressing an increase in acidity and a decrease in pH over time during refrigerated storage, keeping a refreshing flavor (sour taste) originating from yogurt lactic acid bacteria for a long time, and suppressing production of an acid during storage to maintain good quality, without requiring heating after a fermentation step, use of a particular additive, and the like. The method for producing liquid fermented milk which uses a rod-shaped lactic acid bacteria and a coccus-shaped lactic acid bacteria as lactic acid bacteria to be added to a raw material for fermented milk, and which includes a homogenization step of obtaining the liquid fermented milk at a homogenization pressure of from 50 MPa to 100 MPa.
US09167820B2	Anti-biofilm compounds The present invention provides non-peptide compounds of formula (I) wherein: X is —(C1-C8)allcyl-, aryl or -aryl(C1-C8)alkyl-; Y is —(C1-C8)alkyl- or absent; W is heteroaryl, (C3-C7)carbocycle or aryl, wherein any heteroaryl, (C3-C7)carbocycle or, aryl of W is optionally substituted with one or more (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) Z1 groups; R1 is (C1-C8)alkyl, (C2-C8)alkenyl, (C2-C8)alkynyl or aryl, wherein aryl is optionally substituted with one or more (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) groups selected from (C1-C8)alkyl, (C2-C8)alkenyl, (C2-C8)alkynyl, (C3-C7)carbocycle, halo(C1-C3)alkyl, —CN, NO2, halogen, —ORa, —SRa, —S(O)2NRbRc, —NRbRc, —NRaCORd, —C(O)Ra, —C(O)ORa, and —C(O)NRbRc; R2 is (C1-C8)alkyl, (C2-C8)alkenyl, (C2-C8)Jalkynyl or aryl, wherein aryl is optionally substituted with one or more (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) groups selected from (C1-C8)alkyl, (C2-C8)alkenyl, (C2-C8)alkynyl, (C3-C7)carbocycle, halo(C1-C3)alkyl, —CN, NO2, halogen, —ORe, —SRe, —S(O)2NRfRg, —NRfRg—NReCORh, —C(O)Re, —C(O)ORe and —C(O)NRfRg; I that mimic the streptococcal; SspB Adherence Region (BAR) and function as inhibitors of P. gingivalis adherence to streptococci. The invention also provides methods of making and using the inhibitors.
US09167815B2	Agricultural or horticultural fungicide composition and method for controlling plant pathogen A composition having a stable and high fungicidal effect against a cultivated crop infected by a plant pathogen is provided. An agricultural or horticultural fungicide composition containing, as active ingredients, (a) fluazinam or its salt and (b) a strobilurin compound or its salt is provided; in addition, a method for controlling a plant pathogen by applying the subject agricultural or horticultural fungicide composition to a plant or a soil is provided; and furthermore, a method for controlling a plant pathogen by applying (a) fluazinam or its salt and (b) a strobilurin compound or its salt to a plant or a soil is provided.
US09167808B2	Fish egg sweeper A device for handling fish eggs and other benthic macro invertebrates is provided for removal from a surface of a waterway. An enlarged, generally planar housing has a lower surface formed of a material having sufficient flexibility so that a vacuum that communicates through a collector cavity can remove fish eggs, for example, from a waterway. Fish eggs can be destroyed, either with high pressure fluid that may be a part of the vacuum assembly, or mechanically destroyed, or alternatively the fish eggs may be filtered or separated from the remainder of the collected material. Fluid such as water, saline, chemical or toxins, warm water, etc., are preferably introduced into the waterway surface about the periphery of the housing to treat and/or dislodge the fish eggs.
US09167802B2	Method of using biologically-relevant chemical attractants for marine predators Described herein is a method of using biologically-relevant attractants for marine predators through deployment of the attractants into air and/or water in concentrations manners which will encourage the specific marine predators to move toward the deployment source. The method could be used in a number of situations, including, but not limited to, situations in which animals are in a hazardous situation, such as the immediate danger of an oil spill or clean-up activities in which the marine predators must be enticed to safety.
US09167800B2	Systems for determining animal metrics and related devices and methods In some aspects, an animal positioning system can include a positioning member positioned relative to a datum structure, the positioning member being configured to limit an available spacing along a floor surface between the positioning member and the datum structure, the positioning member being arranged at an angular bias away from the datum structure relative to a floor surface and being configured to permit unobstructed viewing of a body of an animal positioned in the available spacing.
US09167798B2	Apparatus and method for maintaining pet waste The invention provides an apparatus and method for maintaining pet waste in a fully-encapsulated environment whereby waste may be removed and litter may be added/replaced in a substantially sealed, dust-free, and clean manner. In one aspect, the pet waste management system comprises a sealed means by which litter may added and/or removed and/or exchange with fresh litter without the substantial release of contaminated dust and materials from the litter system. The invention also provides a vessel or container for receiving spent litter and/or for housing fresh litter where said vessel or container comprises a connection means for sealably connecting the vessel or container to an enclosed pet management system so that litter may be added and/or exchanged therewith. Further, the invention provides a continuous bagging dispenser fitted to a pet management system which allows for continuous removal of pet waste from the pet management system.
US09167794B1	Soybean variety 01045663 The invention relates to the soybean variety designated 01045663. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the soybean variety 01045663. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the soybean variety 01045663 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing soybean plants by crossing the soybean variety 01045663 with itself or another soybean variety and plants produced by such methods.
US09167789B1	Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH561670 According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH561670. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH561670, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH561670 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 CH561670.
US09167786B2	Plants and seeds of corn variety CV688253 According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV688253. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV688253, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV688253 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV688253 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV688253.
US09167778B2	Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH736492 According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH736492. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH736492, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH736492 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 CH736492.
US09167774B2	Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH613081 According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH613081. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH613081, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH613081 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 CH613081.
US09167773B2	Plants and seeds of hybrid corn variety CH437976 According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH437976. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH437976, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH437976 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 CH437976.
US09167769B2	Plants and seeds of corn variety CV068285 According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV068285. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV068285, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV068285 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV068285 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV068285.
US09167764B2	Bean variety WAXC6V1003 The invention provides seed and plants of the bean line designated WAXC6V1003. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of bean line WAXC6V1003, and to methods for producing a bean plant produced by crossing a plant of bean line WAXC6V1003 with itself or with another bean 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 bean line WAXC6V1003, including the pods and gametes of such plants.
US09167760B2	Cucumber hybrid SV8975CB and parents thereof The invention provides seed and plants of cucumber hybrid SV8975CB and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of cucumber hybrid SV8975CB and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a cucumber plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another cucumber plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.
US09167759B2	Tomato line PSQ 23-2278 The invention provides seed and plants of tomato line PSQ 23-2278. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato line PSQ 23-2278, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.
US09167756B2	Methods of managing timberland A method of managing timberland to optimize the plot growth rate for a plot including a softwood tree crop and an energy crop generally includes planting a softwood tree crop in adjacent first and second rows, wherein the softwood tree crop has a tree spacing between adjacent trees and a row spacing between the first and second rows, planting an energy crop in the row spacing, wherein the energy crop is a regenerating lignocellulosic energy crop, and periodically measuring the plot growth of the softwood tree crop and the energy crop. A method of managing timberland to optimize the total plot volume of a softwood tree crop and an energy crop generally includes periodically measuring the total plot volume of the softwood tree crop and the energy crop.
US09167755B1	Trellis support device A trellis support device includes first and second subassemblies, and each subassembly having one or more elongate support members joining together a plurality of ring portions. The ring portions are configured to align and connect together adjacent first and second subassemblies. The first and second subassemblies are configured to engage an underlying support material and to provide a structurally supported growth area for plants.
US09167749B2	Cleaning apparatus effectiveness measuring system for a combine harvester The airflow through a harvesting machine is adjusted by calculating a G-factor at a first point on an upper chaffer to determine if it is greater than 1+n, where n represents a desired factor. A blower is adjusted to reduce an airstream if the G-factor is greater than 1+n. A MOG factor is calculated if the G-factor is less than 1+n. The blower is adjusted to increase the airstream if the MOG-factor is less than 1+x, where x represents a desired factor. A MOG-factor is calculated at a second point if the MOG-factor at the point is greater than 1+x and the blower is adjusted to reduce the airstream if the MOG-factor at the second point is greater than 1+y, where y represents a desired factor or adjusted to increase the airstream if the MOG-factor at the second point is less than 1+y.
US09167746B2	Carted wheel rake windrow adjustment apparatus A rake includes a frame and at least one arm assembly attached to the frame via an arm member. The arm assembly includes a main beam coupled to the arm member. The main beam includes a first member pivotally attached to a second member, and the angle between the first and second members is adjustable. The arm assembly further includes a first rake wheel unit connected to the first member and a second rake wheel unit connected to the second member. The arm assembly attaches to the frame such that in a work position, the first and second rake wheel units are disposed substantially horizontally extended with respect to frame, and in a transport position, the first and second rake wheel units are disposed substantially vertically above the frame.
US09167743B2	Greening roll A greening roll includes water-temperature-light controlling part, root growing part, water/root regulating part and seed-stacking part which is located in the water-temperature-light controlling part. The water-temperature-light controlling part is located on the top surface of the greening roll, the water/root regulating part is located on the lower surface of the greening roll, the root growing part is located in the cavity composed by the water-temperature-light controlling part and the water/root regulating part, and the seed-stacking part is located in the cavity of the water-temperature-light controlling part. The water-temperature-light controlling part further includes top-located irradiation reflecting part, temperature-water regulating part, light-preventing part and seed-stacking cavity. The present invention is suitable for the engineering protection and greening of engineering slopes, spoil and slag yards, embankments and the like, the water and soil conservation and greening of sandy lands, abandoned lands, borrow pits, slurry pond, mining fields, industrial and mining abandoned lands and the like, and the engineering thermal insulation and greening of building roofs and the like.
US09167742B2	Method and apparatus for planting seed crops A process and apparatus for controlling the moisture content of soil deposited in a furrow during seed planting comprises tilling the soil to an adjustable depth to expose soil corresponding to a reference soil moisture setting, selecting covering soil from the exposed soil having a moisture content that matches the moisture content of the reference soil moisture setting, and depositing the covering soil over the seed.
US09167741B2	Lawn care vehicle with rear wheel axle assembly A riding lawn care vehicle may include a frame, a steering assembly, and an axle mount. The axle mount may include a first sleeve and a second sleeve disposed at opposite ends of the axle mount. The first and second sleeves may receive top portions of a first axle rod and a second axle rod. The first axle rod and the second axle rod each include a top portion and a bottom portion bent with respect to the top portion. The bottom portion may be received by the rear wheels. The first and second sleeves may be disposed in a fixed position relative to the axle mount and an orientation of the first and second sleeves may be provided such that the bottom portion of each of the first and second axle rods is substantially parallel to a driving surface in response to the steering wheel being oriented in a neutral position.
US09167740B2	Row unit for agricultural implement In one embodiment, an agricultural row unit for use with a towing frame hitched to a tractor includes an attachment frame adapted to be rigidly connected to the towing frame. A support member is pivotably coupled to the attachment frame to permit vertical pivoting movement of the support member relative to the attachment frame, and at least one furrow-closing device is mounted on the support member. A hydraulic cylinder is coupled to the support member for urging the row unit frame downwardly toward the soil. The hydraulic cylinder includes a movable ram extending into the cylinder, and a hydraulic-fluid cavity within the cylinder for receiving pressurized hydraulic fluid for urging the ram in a first direction that pivots the support member in a first vertical direction. An accumulator has a fluid chamber containing a pressurized gas for urging the ram in a second direction that pivots the support member in a second vertical direction.
US09167737B2	Garden implement A garden implement that utilizes a hub motor assembly coupled to a frame. One or more working tools may be selectively coupled to a hub body encompassing a hub motor of the hub motor assembly. The working tools are operative to work soil in a garden or other agricultural setting. The hub motor may include a brushless DC motor driven by an electrical power source. The electrical power source may include a battery or an AC power source. Alternatively, the hub motor may be used to drive a wheel which propels the garden implement.
US09173335B2	Complex circuit board fabrication method A complex circuit board including a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) for providing driving signals for light sources is disclosed. The PCBA includes a supporting portion and a connecting portion. The light sources are disposed above the supporting portion. The connection portion contacts electrically with a contacting portion of the FPC. The contacting portion of the FPC has a fixing hole. The connecting portion of the PCBA has a fixing portion. Moreover, the FPC has two or more than two first bend portions on the contacting portion. The fixing portion of the PCBA is inserted into the fixing hole of the FPC to complete the complex circuit board without extra attachment units. Therefore, the assembly procedure is simplified to increase throughput and the cost is reduced.
US09173333B2	Shielding structures including frequency selective surfaces According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of shielding structures including one or more frequency selective surfaces, which may be used for attenuating, reflecting, and/or redirecting electromagnetic signals through open structures. Also disclosed are methods of using one or more frequency selective surfaces for attenuating, reflecting, and/or redirecting electromagnetic signals through open structures.
US09173331B2	Variable thickness EMI shield with variable cooling channel size An EMI shield for an electronic system enclosure is disclosed. The EMI shield may include an electrically conductive panel with a plurality of air ventilation channels, which has an upstream airflow side and a downstream airflow side. The EMI shield may also include a first air ventilation channel with a first cross-sectional shape having a first cross-sectional area and a first depth. The EMI shield may further include a second air ventilation channel with a second cross-sectional shape, having a cross-sectional area greater than the first cross-sectional area, and a second depth larger than the first depth.
US09173328B2	Heat dissipation system and rack-mount server using the same A heat dissipation system includes a chassis, a number of heat absorbing boxes, a number of pipes, a first water tank and a second water tank received in the chassis, a number of fins sandwiched between the first water tank and the second water tank, a number of fans aligning with the fins, and a water pump connected between the first water tank and the second water tank. Each heat absorbing box includes a water inlet and a water outlet, and heat from electrical components is gathered by the boxes, transferred to the water tanks, and the fans blow air through the fins to dissipate the gathered heat.
US09173318B2	Circuit housing having a printed circuit board which is positioned in said circuit housing by means of positioning elements A circuit housing having a printed circuit board and a circuit and holes in which peg-like positioning elements projecting away from the housing engage for positioning the PCB relative to the housing, at least one positioning element projecting without play into one circular hole, another positioning element, accommodated in another hole, having spreading fingers separated from one another by at least one recess, projecting into/through the further hole, elastically transverse to the direction of an imaginary connecting line of the holes and a cross-section such that a) in the direction of the imaginary connecting line, there is play between the spreading fingers and a radially inner circumferential surface of the another hole on both sides, but b) the spreading fingers make contact by their diametrically opposite side faces with the inner face of the another hole perpendicular to the connecting line without play only along a contact line/point.
US09173314B2	Protective enclosure for an electronic device Disclosed is a three-layer protective enclosure that provides resistance to water, dust, dirt, and bump protection for sensitive computers. In one embodiment, an inner membrane layer is provided, which is a thin, flexible layer that protects portions of a computer and allows the user to interact with keyboards, push buttons and other interactive features of the computer. A protective hard shell fits tightly over the membrane and provides additional sealing and rigidity to the protective enclosure. A stretchable cushion layer is placed over the hard shell which conforms to the hard shell and seals moisture, dust and dirt from entering the hard shell. The stretchable cushion layer provides cushioning and also allows access to certain controls on the computer. In another embodiment, a touch screen cover may be used with, or without, a membrane over other portions of the computer.
US09173312B1	Cable storage under a drawer An apparatus comprising a wall of a drawer adapted to secure a set of cables at a first end, the set of cables can be housed in a cable housing, the wall coupled to a roller and a flattening appendage. In some implementations, the apparatus can include a deck including a plate adapted to secure the set of cables at a second end, the plate located at a midpoint of the deck. Alternatively, a drawer is adapted to slide along the deck, a shelf attached to the drawer. The flattening appendage presses down on the first end of the set of cables and the roller presses down on the second end of the set of cables as the drawer is opened and closed such that the set of cables is stored neatly under the drawer.
US09173311B2	Power supply apparatus for sliding structure A power supply apparatus for sliding structure includes a wiring harness having an exterior member wired from a fixed structure-side power supply device to the sliding structure side, the fixed structure-side power supply device including an outer member fixed to the fixed structure, an inner member supported to the outer member so as to rotate in a horizontal direction and configured to support one end portion of the exterior member, and a harness trajectory regulation wall configured to rotate integrally with the inner member. When the sliding structure is fully-opened, the harness trajectory regulation wall projects outward from the outer member in a thickness direction of the sliding structure, such that the exterior member arranged along the harness trajectory regulation wall is moved away from the fixed structure toward the sliding structure side, preventing interference between the exterior member and the fixed structure.
US09173309B2	Electronic device enclosure An electronic device enclosure includes a chassis defining an space, and a cover module. The chassis includes two opposite sidewalls locating at two sides of the space. The cover module includes a cover and a latching apparatus mounted to the cover. A first end of the cover is rotatably connected to first ends of the sidewalls, and the latching apparatus is mounted to a second end of the cover. A second end of one of the sidewalls defines a latching hole. The latching apparatus includes a latching member slidably mounted to the cover, a resilient member sandwiched between the latching member and the cover, and an operation member mounted to the latching member. The latching member includes a latching block. The resilient member biases the latching member to slide, to allow the latching block to latch in the latching hole.
US09173308B2	Mounting structure of flexible printed circuit board and sliding-type electronic device A mounting structure of a flexible printed circuit board and a sliding-type electronic device is provided by which a too large increase in thickness of devices can be avoided and a pair of housings can be slid relatively in a bending and slanting direction. In the mounting structure, an upper housing 12 and a lower housing 22 coupled in a freely slidable manner are electrically connected to each other by a flexible printed circuit board folded back to be routed between slide facing surfaces 12b and 22a of both the housings and the height of a side wall surface 12c and 22c of the upper housing and lower housing changes in a bending manner along the direction of freely sliding and, in the slide facing surfaces of the upper housing and lower housing, concave space portions 15 and 25 to accommodate the change in curvature and in position of a folding-back portion 31a caused by sliding motion between the upper housing and lower housing are disposed.
US09173305B2	Metallization having high power compatibility and high electrical conductivity A metallization can be used for components working with acoustic waves. The metallization includes a base having a bottom layer comprising titanium, and an upper layer comprising copper. A top layer of the metallization disposed on the base comprises aluminum.
US09173303B2	Anisotropic conductive film and apparatus including the same An apparatus includes a first member including a plurality of first electrodes on a first substrate, a second member including a plurality of second electrodes on a second substrate, the second electrodes facing the first electrodes of the first member, and an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) between the first member and the second member, the ACF having a double-layered structure and electrically connecting the first member and the second member, the ACF including an epoxy resin with a polycyclic aromatic ring and exhibiting a minimum melt viscosity of about 3,000 Pa·s to about 10,000 Pa·s at about 30° C. to about 200° C.
US09173302B2	Conductive adhesive film and solar cell module The conductive adhesive film of the invention is a conductive adhesive film for electrical connection between photovoltaic cell surface electrodes and wiring members, which comprises an insulating adhesive 2 and conductive particles 1 and has a (t/r) value in the range of 0.75-17.5, where r (μm) is the mean particle size of the conductive particles 1 and t (μm) is the thickness of the conductive adhesive film, wherein the content of the conductive particles 1 is 1.7-15.6 vol % based on the total volume of the conductive adhesive film.
US09173300B2	Method of manufacturing printed circuit board A method of manufacturing a printed circuit board (PCB) and the PCB are provided. The method includes: filling a resin in a via-hole formed at a substrate from one surface side of the substrate; emitting light for a predetermined period of time to the resin filled in the via-hole from the other surface side of the substrate; and applying another resin on the other surface of the substrate.
US09173299B2	Collective printed circuit board There is provided a collective printed circuit board including a plurality of printed circuit boards each having a mounting unit on which a semiconductor element is mounted at an upper-surface central portion, and a frame having a plurality of through holes having sizes to surround the mounting portion. Upper-surface peripheral edge portions of the printed circuit boards and a through-hole peripheral portion of the frame are bonded to each other such that the mounting units are exposed from the through holes.
US09173292B1	Edge launch transition for a printed circuit board An edge launch and fabrication method wherein spaced elongated slots are formed through a circuit board. The slots are plated at least along one side thereof connecting ground planes of the circuit board thus forming spaced edge plated regions. Circuit modules are produced by singulating the circuit board along a cut line offset outwardly from the plated slot sides to form an edge launch outwardly extending from and between the spaced edge plated regions.
US09173290B2	Wiring board having an engineered metallization layer The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a printed wiring board (PWB) of the type depicted in FIG. 1, and to the resulting PWB. Such a PWB comprises a first substrate and alternating layers of a second substrate and a metal layer. The layer 2 metallization of the PWB is a thick layer of a composite engineered metal material having a configurable coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) to provide CTE matching with respect to radio frequency (RF) components mounted on the PWB, and having substantial heat dissipation properties to dissipate heat generated by the RF components. This composite metal layer also provides a ground plane for the RF components.
US09173288B1	Foldable display apparatus Disclosed is a foldable display apparatus which can maintain a bending part of an unfolded flexible display in a plane state. The foldable display apparatus includes a display panel arranged in a folded or unfolded position with respect to a bending part which is defined in a display area displaying an image, a first panel supporting part configured to support a first side of the display panel, a second panel supporting part configured to support a second side of the display panel, and a connection housing configured to overlap the bending part, and movably support a second side of each of the first and second panel supporting parts.
US09173284B2	Flexible circuit board with planarized cover layer structure A planarized cover layer structure of a flexible circuit board includes an insulation layer bonded through a first adhesive layer to a surface of each one of conductive signal lines laid on a substrate of a flexible circuit board. Separation areas respectively formed between adjacent ones of the conductive signal lines are each formed with a filling layer, so that the filling layer provides the first adhesive layer with a planarization height in the separation areas and the planarization height is substantially equal to the height of the conductive signal lines. The filling layer can alternatively be of a height that is higher than the surface of the conductor layer by a covering height so that the first adhesive layer has a planarization height in the separation areas and the planarization height is substantially equal to the sum of the height of the conductive signal lines and the covering height.
US09173281B2	Methods of fabricating electrode sensor Provide are an electrode sensor and a method of fabricating the same. the method may include providing a substrate with a first electrode, forming a resist layer on the substrate to cover the first electrode, patterning the resist layer to expose a portion of the first electrode, forming an insulating layer on the substrate, removing the insulating layer on the resist layer and the resist layer to form a well in the insulating layer, and forming a second electrode in the well to be electrically connected to the first electrode. According to the method, it is possible to prevent the first electrode from being damaged. In addition, the second electrode may be configured have an increased surface area, and thus, the electrode can have low impedance.
US09173274B2	Lighting control device and method Embodiments relate to controlling a lighting control according to at least one of received signal strength indication (RSSI) and a preset lighting mode. Brightness or/and color temperature of the lighting device may be automatically controlled to two or more levels according to the RSSI and a user's taste. A switch application of the lighting device using the RSSI is operated to facilitate a control by a user, and On/Off or/and brightness of the lighting device are controlled according to the RSSI.
US09173272B2	Organic electroluminescent display device and method for driving the same An organic electroluminescent display device includes an organic electroluminescent display panel including top emission pixels to emit light toward a top side of a substrate and bottom emission pixels to emit light toward a bottom side of the substrate, the top emission pixels and the bottom emission pixels being formed such that corresponding ones thereof share a common transparent area, a scan driver for supplying a scan signal to scan lines each connected to selected ones of the top and bottom emission pixels, and a data driver for supplying a data voltage to data lines each connected to selected ones of the top and bottom emission pixels. The top emission pixels and the bottom emission pixels are formed on the substrate to alternate with each other on a pixel basis, on a scan line basis, or a data line basis.
US09173270B2	Low-temperature LED lighting and power supply device A low-temperature LED lighting and power supply device has a low power-consuming power supply control module and an LED lighting module electrically connected therewith. The LED lighting module is composed of at least one light source driver and an LED light source. The low power-consuming power supply control module at least has a surge suppression unit, a voltage-dividing-limiting unit, a current-limiting unit, and a steady voltage filtering unit. Accordingly, the present invention allows LED lighting equipment to be applied in a wider power supply range and operated under a low-temperature and low power-consuming state so as to meet economic and practical demands and environmental protection.
US09173264B2	LED control device for phase-cut dimming system and control method thereof An LED control device for configuring a phase-cut dimming system includes an LED and a switch. The LED control device configures the conduction status of the switch so as to supply power to the LED according to an input signal. The LED control device further detects whether the input signal is phase-cut. When the input signal is phase-cut, the LED control device stores the signal values of the internal circuits. Afterward, when the input signal is not phase-cut, the LED control device restores the stored signal values so that the internal circuits may resume to the previous operation status rapidly.
US09173258B2	Lighting apparatus including a current bleeder module for sinking current during dimming of the lighting apparatus and methods of operating the same A lighting apparatus includes an input power terminal, a light source element coupled to the input power terminal, and a current bleeder module that is connected to the input power terminal and is configured to draw a current from the input power terminal responsive to a phase cut input power signal received at the input power terminal during a first portion of a period of the phase cut input power signal and is configured as an open circuit so as not to draw current from the input power terminal during a second portion of the period of the phase cut input power signal.
US09173256B1	Dimmable LED driver based on parallel resonant current fed self-oscillating topology A driver circuit (e.g., an LED driver circuit) provides power to a load (e.g. an LED light source) from a DC power rail. A self-oscillating current fed parallel resonant inverter is configured to connect to the DC power rail, receive DC power from the DC power rail, and provide an AC output signal. A current limiting circuit is connected to the self-oscillating current fed parallel resonant inverter. The current limiting circuit receives the AC output signal from the self-oscillating current fed parallel resonant inverter and provides an AC current signal as a function of the DC current provided to the load by the driver circuit. The rectifier receives the AC current signal from the current limiting circuit and provides a DC current to the load.
US09173255B2	Adaptive heating system with exchangeable heat sources An adaptive heating apparatus for heating a recreational vehicle, including a first heat unit configured to be powered by a first energy type, a second heat unit configured to be powered by a second energy type that is different than the first energy type, and a forced-air circulation unit. The adaptive heating apparatus is operable to employ the first heat unit during a first heating operation, or alternatively to employ the second heat unit during a second heating operation. The forced-air circulation unit is configured to circulate air through the both heat units during the first heating operation and to circulate air through both heating units during the second heating operation.
US09173254B2	Infrared ray detection device, heating cooker, and method of measuring temperature of cooling chamber of heating cooker A heating cooker including an infrared ray detection device is disclosed. The heating cooker includes a body, an inner case disposed within the body, and provided therein with a cooking chamber to cook food, a detection hole formed at one side wall of the inner case, to allow an infrared ray generated in the cooking chamber to exit outwardly from the cooking chamber, a path change unit disposed in the vicinity of the detection hole, to change a path of the infrared ray passing through the detection hole, and an infrared sensor disposed to be spaced apart from the path change unit, to receive the infrared ray, the path of which has been changed. The path change unit is rotatable to enable the infrared sensor to receive infrared rays having different paths while being generated in different regions in the cooking chamber.
US09173253B2	Ionic adder dryer technology A method for RF dielectric heating an object having a variable weight including a medium is provided The method comprises: (A) placing the object having the variable weight including the medium into an enclosure; (B) adding an ionic substance to the medium; (C) initiating a heating process by subjecting the medium including the object to a variable AC electrical field; and (D) controlling the heating process. The method further comprises using an air flow having an ambient temperature, or being heated before getting into the enclosure, to carry away the evaporated medium from the enclosure.
US09173250B2	Method for making heater A method for making a heater is provided. A support and a flexible substrate are provided. The flexible substrate is stretched along a first direction and is fixed on a surface of the support. A carbon nanotube film is drawn from a carbon nanotube array. One end of the carbon nanotube film is attached on the flexible substrate. The carbon nanotube film is wrapped around the support by whirling the support to form a carbon nanotube layer. The flexible substrate is separated from the support and shrinks along the first direction. The carbon nanotube layer includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned in the first direction. A plurality of electrodes are electrically connected with the carbon nanotube layer.
US09173248B2	Thawing oven An apparatus and method for thawing a product. The apparatus includes a heating chamber, and an electrical control unit. The heating chamber includes a product chamber that holds a product, at least one heating element, each heating element emitting infrared energy in a direction of the product, and at least one temperature sensor, each temperature sensor measuring a surface temperature of the product. The electrical control unit includes a processor that controls and monitors said at least one heating element, and said at least one temperature sensor to raise a temperature of the product from an initial temperature to a set-point temperature, a connection to each heating element, and a connection to each temperature sensor.
US09173245B2	Ad hoc wireless social networking A first device may communicate by joining a wireless mesh network that includes at least one wireless device configured to operate a wireless routing protocol, discovering a group of other wireless devices configured to participate in the wireless mesh network, and accessing an interest metric for a second wireless device in the group of other wireless devices. The interest metric is based in part on a network topology from the wireless mesh network. The interest metric is related to an interest threshold and it is determined whether relating the interest metric to the interest threshold supports enabling messaging communications. If so, messaging communications may be enabled.
US09173237B2	Communication method of relay, terminal, and communication method of the terminal A relay, a terminal, and a communication method of the same are provided. The terminal acting as a relay receives a message including scan duration information from a superordinate HR-BS, and the terminal transmits a message including the scan duration information to a subordinate HR-MS. The terminal receives an A-preamble from the superordinate HR-BS according to the scan duration information.
US09173231B2	Method for transmitting/receiving data in wireless access system, and base station and user equipment for same The present invention discloses a method for transmitting/receiving data in a wireless access system supporting carrier aggregation/multiple cells, and a base station and a user equipment for same. More particularly, the method comprises the following steps: transmitting downlink control information through a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling downlink data from a first subframe; and transmitting the downlink data, which is scheduled by the downlink control information from a second subframe, through a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), wherein the downlink control information includes a field indicating the second subframe from which the downlink data is transmitted.
US09173226B2	Network element, wireless communication units and methods for scheduling communications A method for scheduling multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) transmissions in radio frames comprising subframes comprises receiving a plurality of different multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS) user data for broadcasting to a plurality of wireless communication units. The method further comprises scheduling the different MBMS user data for broadcasting in respective subframes within a first radio frame; and scheduling a different subframe order of the different MBMS user data for broadcasting in respective subframes within a second radio frame wherein the varied subframe order is based on the MBMS service to be broadcast.
US09173219B2	Method, apparatus and system for improving data transmission performance A method, an apparatus and a system can be used for improving data transmission performance. Specific steps may include determining whether a transmission rate for transmitting data is lower than a reference transmission rate that the data is actually required. If it is lower than the reference transmission rate, a reference working frequency is obtained by querying part of or an entire working frequency band. The reference working frequency corresponds to a transmission rate that is higher than or equal to the reference transmission rate from the working frequency band. Frequency modification indication information is sent to a network access device and a working frequency for communication is modified to the reference working frequency.
US09173212B2	Method for communicating in a mobile network The present invention relates to a method for communicating between a primary station and at least one secondary station, comprising configuring each secondary station to search at least one of a plurality of search spaces having a first structure, said first structure consisting of at least a first number of resource sets having a first size, where at least one resource set might be used to transmit a message to the considered secondary station, changing the search space structure to a second structure different from the first structure in response to a signalling message.
US09173208B2	Mobile station apparatus, base station apparatus, method and integrated circuit To provide a mobile station apparatus, a base station apparatus, a method and an integrated circuit which are capable of dissolving complexity of setting by the base station apparatus and performing efficient scheduling by improving the orthogonality of resources of a reference signal for every antenna. A mobile station apparatus which transmits a sounding reference signal to a base station apparatus using a plurality of antenna ports, wherein based on one value set specifically to a mobile station apparatus by a parameter notified of by a higher layer from the base station apparatus, a cyclic shift applied to a sounding reference signal corresponding to the plurality of antenna ports is determined.
US09173202B2	Method and arrangement in a wireless communication system Method and arrangement in a user equipment for transmitting scheduling requests to a base station. The base station is adapted to serve the user equipment. The user equipment is configured to transmit scheduling requests to the base station only at certain predetermined scheduling request opportunities. The method comprises triggering a scheduling request transmission, transmitting a scheduling request to the base station at the next occurring scheduling request opportunity, starting a scheduling request prohibiting timer and prohibiting any further scheduling request retransmission at future scheduling request opportunities while the scheduling request prohibiting timer is running. Also, a corresponding method and arrangement in a base station are described.
US09173201B2	Method and base station system for providing access to a mobile communication network The invention pertains to a method for providing access to a mobile communication network comprising at least one base transceiver station, wherein the communication network is being visited by a piece of user equipment having a home operator in a home network. The method comprises at the base transceiver station: receiving a channel request from said user equipment, creating a virtual machine associated with said home operator of said user equipment, establishing a channel using said virtual machine, and allocating channel resources of said at least one base station to accommodate said channel. The invention also pertains to a base station system to carry out the method of the invention.
US09173200B2	Communication terminal, network component, base station and method for communicating In various aspects of this disclosure, a communication terminal may be provided. The communication device may include a cellular wide area radio communication technology circuit. The cellular wide area radio communication technology circuit may be configured to provide a communication in accordance with a cellular wide area radio communication technology. The communication device may further include a controller. The controller may be configured to manage radio resources for a cellular wide area radio communication connection based on radio resources that are provided or will be provided for a direct communication terminal device to communication terminal device communication bypassing a radio access network.
US09173196B2	Adaptive multi-channel access for vehicular networks A system and method is provided for dynamically self-allocating channel access for communication between communicating entities in an inter-vehicle ad hoc network. A respective entity observes communication activity over each inter-vehicle ad hoc network communication channel. Available time slots are identified within each communication channel for the respective entity to broadcast a data packet in response to the observed communication activity on a respective channel. An available communication channel and timeslot are selected to broadcast the data packet. A message is broadcast within the inter-vehicle ad hoc network that provides a schedule identifying the communication channel and time slot selected for broadcasting the data packet by the respective entity. The data packet is broadcast over the selected communication channel at the respective timeslot.
US09173195B2	Method and apparatus for transmitting/receiving control information in broadcast communication system Methods and apparatuses for transmitting/receiving control information in a system in which multiple frequencies are used to carry multiple services by means of transmission frames, which are constituted of time resources and/or time-frequency resources. Control information regarding frame configuration information is not transmitted over a separate control channel but over a data channel. The service traffic for each non-primary service traffic may include control information for a primary service. Thus, even when a receiver changes the current service to a target service, control information necessary to detect the location of the target service in a frame and demodulate the target service can be acquired, and thus a service change can be made without reading a separate control channel.
US09173192B2	Target cell selection for multimedia broadcast multicast service continuity Transfer of Multimedia Broadcast/Multicast Services (MBMS) over a Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) service and idle mode unicast service for a mobile entity from a source base station to a target base station may be managed by a base station or mobile entity of a cellular wireless communications system (WCS). Operations related to the transfer may include obtaining an MBMS status of the mobile entity, and/or obtaining MBMS support information for the base station. A network entity may facilitate MBMS discovery by a mobile entity, by transmitting a data element to the mobile entity including service identifiers mapped to corresponding cell identifiers to indicate respective MBMS services to be broadcast in an WCS area on adjacent cells identified by respective ones of the cell identifiers. The MBMS services may be broadcast within the WCS area using the adjacent cells previously indicated in the data element.
US09173189B2	Determining WLAN edges Determining whether a station is at the edge of wireless local area network (WLAN) coverage. In an IEEE 802.11 wireless network comprising one or more access points (APs) which may optionally be connected to one or more controllers, with wireless clients connected to those APs. Station S connected to AP A collects reports such as beacon reports which contains information on all APs station S can hear, including signal strengths. AP A collects a neighbor report which contains information on all APs in its neighborhood including signal strengths. These reports from A and S are observed and compared over time to determine when S is at or is moving to the edge of WLAN coverage. For example, if the only entry in the beacon list for client S is AP A to which it is connected, and the signal strength is decreasing over time, S is at the edge of WLAN coverage and is moving away from the WLAN. The process may be implemented at a controller, at a client, or both.
US09173188B2	Communication apparatus, position information management system, and position information management method A communication apparatus which transmits information on a position at which the communication apparatus is positioned is disclosed. The communication apparatus includes a detecting unit which detects one of a first signal which is detected when the communication apparatus is fixed to an installed location and a second signal which is detected when the communication apparatus is brought to a state in which it is not fixed to the installed location; a storage unit which stores therein the position information; and a control unit which erases the position information stored in the storage unit when the second signal is detected after the first signal is detected by the detecting unit.
US09173187B2	Determining the position of a mobile device using the characteristics of received signals and a reference database Some embodiments use scanning devices to characterize radio signals received at a number of locations within a geographical area of interest. The signal characteristics along with the location information associated with the characteristics are stored in a centralized reference database. A mobile device characterizes signals it receives at a certain location and compares the characteristics with the signal characteristics stored in the reference database to obtain accurate location information of the certain location.
US09173186B2	Wireless communication system and method for establishing a connection between user equipment and a mobility management entity thereof The present invention relates to a wireless communication system and method for establishing connection between a User Equipment (UE) and a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in the wireless communication system in which the data-centric terminal requests the mobility management entity for attachment and checks, when the mobility management entity responds, data-centric features supported by the mobility management entity. According to the present invention, it is possible to connect the data-centric terminal to the mobility management entity supporting the data-centric features of the corresponding data-centric terminal efficiently in the wireless communication system.
US09173185B1	Methods and systems for managing registration signaling based on off-time duration Systems and methods are disclosed herein for managing the extent of registration signaling that a communication device sends when activating a network process, based on how long the process was turned off. For instance, if the device turns off without deregistering from a communication network and then turns on while the network registration is still current, an example system or method may help the device to recognize this situation and reduce unnecessary signaling associated with restarting a network process.
US09173183B1	Method and system for determining time synchronization errors in time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements A mobile device may obtain time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements from wireless signals transmitted by a plurality of nodes. The plurality of nodes may include synchronized nodes that are synchronized to a time reference and an unsynchronized node that has a time synchronization error relative to the time reference. An estimated location of the mobile device can be determined based on the TDOA measurements. Another estimated location of the mobile device can be determined based on other data, such as the mobile device scanning an object having a known location. The time synchronization error can then be determined based on a distance between these estimated locations. Once the time synchronization error has been determined, it can be used to correct subsequent TDOA measurements involving the unsynchronized node.
US09173180B2	Syncronizing wireless devices A method of synchronising the reference clock of a first wireless device with a master reference clock of a second wireless device via a wireless network. The method involves transmitting, from the second wireless device to the first wireless device, a dedicated synchronisation frame via a dedicated synchronisation channel; receiving the dedicated synchronisation frame at the first wireless device; and synchronising the reference clock of the first wireless device with the master reference clock of the second wireless device based on the received dedicated synchronisation frame.
US09173179B2	Synchronization method and apparatus for broadcast multicast service There is provided a method for synchronization between one or more base stations to provide broadcast multicast service, including: receiving a session start request message, and extracting a service start setting time set to start broadcast service from the session start request message; comparing the service start setting time to a modification check time being a check time which is later than and closest to the service start setting time, among check times at which it is determined whether or not broadcast service has changed, the check times having a predetermined time interval; deciding, when the modification check time is later than the service start setting time by a predetermined internal slack time period or more, the modification check time as a service start time at which broadcast service starts; and transmitting information indicating the service start time to the base stations.
US09173177B2	Satellite transmission system A satellite transmission system comprises at least: one satellite and two stations comprising transmission means transmitting simultaneously and in the same frequency band a first, high-bit-rate signal and a second, low-bit-rate signal, the second signal allowing changing of frequency of the carrier signal. The station(s) include reception means for receiving simultaneously and in the same frequency band the first and second signal. The system includes means for detecting interference on the frequency band. The transmission means and reception means respectively switch the transmission and reception of the second signal from a low bit rate to a medium bit rate and deactivate the transmission of the first signal in presence of interference, and the transmission means and reception means respectively switch the transmission and reception of the second signal from a medium bit rate to a low bit rate and activate transmission of the first signal in absence of interference.
US09173172B2	Communication control apparatus and communication control method A communication control apparatus includes an acquirer that acquires operation information of a moving object having a shielded space therein, and a controller that controls at least one of a channel between a first base station installed in a car in the moving object and a second base station installed on each floor where the car is stoppable, transmission power of the first base station and transmission power of the second base station, and location information for locating a position of a mobile terminal for each floor where the car is stoppable, on the basis of the operation information.
US09173167B2	System level information for discontinuous reception, cell reselection and rach A wireless transmit/receive unit is configured to receive system level information, including discontinuous reception (DRX) information, cell selection information, and RACH information. The system level information is received as defined parameters assigned to system information blocks or signaled through dedicated RRC signaling.
US09173165B2	Power saving for a communication device A communication device comprising: a first radio capable of communicating according to a first protocol and having a set of operational modes; and a second radio capable of communicating according to a second protocol, the communication device being configured to, in dependence on one or more communications by the second radio in accordance with the second protocol, selecting one mode of operation for the first radio from the set of operational modes, wherein said one or more communications comprises: sending a first message; and a response or non-response to the first message.
US09173164B1	Method and system for determining when to scan for neighbor sectors having a different frequency assignment A wireless network includes first-configuration sectors with a first frequency assignment and second-configuration sectors with a second frequency assignment. When served by a first-configuration sector that borders a second-configuration sector, the mobile station receives (i) a neighbor list that identifies neighbor sectors of the primary sector, including the second-configuration sector, (ii) a primary-sector reference distance between a transmitter for the primary sector and a reference point in the primary sector, and (iii) a neighbor-sector reference distance between a transmitter for the second-configuration sector and the reference point. Based on the reference distances, the mobile station calculates a border distance between the primary sector's transmitter and a border between the sectors. The mobile station compares its distance from the primary sector's transmitter to the primary-sector reference distance and/or border distance. Based on the comparison, the mobile station selects a scanning algorithm that determines when to scan for the second-configuration sector.
US09173159B2	X2 handover method and device The disclosure provides an X2 handover method and device, the method comprises: after sending a Handover Request Acknowledge message, a target eNB sets, for handed-over UE, a flag for indicating whether or not a Sequence Number Status Transfer message is received and sets the flag to be ‘not received’; and after receiving an RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message, the target eNB directly sends a Path Switch Request message to a core network without determining whether or not the Sequence Number Status Transfer message is received. With the technical scheme provided in the disclosure, the problem in the current X2 handover is solved that handover delay is increased as an RRC Connection Reconfiguration completion message is received by a target side prior to a Sequence Number Status Transfer message, thus simplifying the processing of a target eNB and increasing handover speed.
US09173156B2	Method and system for transferring information in vehicular wireless networks A method and system may receive, at an intermediate vehicle, a route request packet from a source vehicle. The system and method may enter a routing entry comprising a path from intermediate vehicle to the source vehicle and a quality metric value in a routing table. The method and system may receive, at a destination vehicle, the route request packet broadcast from one or more intermediate vehicles. The method and system may transmit, along a path from the destination vehicle to source vehicle, a route reply message. The method and system may transfer data from the source vehicle to the destination vehicle along the path. The method and system may monitor one or more quality metric values associated with the data transferred to the destination vehicle along the path.
US09173155B2	System and method for managing tracking area identity lists in a mobile network environment A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes communicating a plurality of queries associated with common tracking areas in a wireless network; identifying a set of serving gateways that serve the common tracking areas; generating a tracking area identity (TAI) list to be used in provisioning network resources for user equipment; and selecting a first serving gateway from the set of serving gateways for the user equipment, wherein the first serving gateway is selected based on the common tracking areas served by the set of serving gateways. In more specific embodiments, the queries are domain name system (DNS) queries that are supported by a network element and that have no cached DNS response.
US09173154B2	Method of enabling a wireless device to make a network connection without using a network operator's home location register A wireless device can initiate a network connection without using a network operator's home location register. The wireless device sends data to a server that defines a call request;and the server decides on the appropriate routing over all available networks for that call request. But, unlike a conventional HLR, the server can receive communications from the device using any one of several different protocols, and is not limited to the MAP (mobile application part) protocol. For example, the wireless device can use SMS or HTTP over the internet to communicate with the server. The server then determines the appropriate least cost routing.
US09173151B2	User mobility control for heterogeneous wireless networks In a wireless network including a first cell and a second cell, it is determined whether a measure of mobility of a user device meets a mobility criterion, and it is determined whether a size of the second cell meets a cell size criterion. When it is determined that (i) the measure of mobility of the user device meets the mobility criterion and (ii) the size of the second cell meets the cell size criterion, the user device is prevented from being switched from the first cell to the second cell, or at least one of (i) a handover parameter or (ii) a cell reselection parameter is adjusted in order to change a probability that the user device will switch from the first cell to the second cell.
US09173150B2	Method and apparatus for handling a cell change A user equipment for handling a cell change from a first cell to a second cell in a wireless communications network alters a duration of a measurement time over which at least one measurement is performed and alters a measurement bandwidth of the at least one measurement. The alterations may be performed based on associated bandwidths of the first and second cells. A network node sends, to the user equipment, a notification of a cell change and information associated with the cell change and also receives measurement data of at least one measurement performed over an altered measurement bandwidth and an altered duration of measurement time where the alterations are based on the information associated with the cell change.
US09173146B2	Method and device for accepting or rejecting a request associated with a mobile device wirelessly connecting to a network A method is performed in a network device for accepting or rejecting a request associated with a mobile device wirelessly connecting to a network. The method includes: receiving a request from a mobile device, wherein the request is associated with the mobile device wirelessly connecting to a network; and determining an expected connection duration for the mobile device, which is calculated using collected historical connection data that identifies a plurality of previous wireless connections to the network and identifies a corresponding duration of each previous wireless connection. The method further includes determining whether to accept or reject the request based on the expected connection duration for the mobile device.
US09173145B2	Handling call transfer in a communication network A method and apparatus for handling a call transfer from a circuit switched access network to a packet switched access network. A Mobile Switching Center Server receives a notification that a call for a terminal requires handover from a circuit switched access network to a packet switched access network. The MSC Server determines whether the terminal is currently registered in an IMS network and/or whether the MSC Server is registered such that it can perform handover from the circuit switched access network to the packet switched access network. If so, then return Single Radio Voice Call Continuity is invoked to perform a handover of the call from the circuit switched access network to the packet switched access network. If not then the MSC Server invokes error handling procedures.
US09173144B2	Self-adjusting mobile platform policy enforcement agent for controlling network access, mobility and efficient use of local and network resources Presented is a method for controlling network access for the mobile device. The method includes analyzing a first plurality of network parameters, collected by the mobile device, based on one or more local network policies. The method further includes receiving an update for the one or more local network policies from a policy server based on a second plurality of network parameters received by the policy server from a plurality of mobile devices. The method also includes rerouting data traffic for the mobile device from a first wireless network configuration to a second wireless network configuration based on the analyzing of the second plurality of network parameters and the update from the policy server. Rerouting data traffic for the mobile device may include maintaining a constant IP address utilizing a virtual network adapter within the mobile device to provide split tunneling over two or more network connections of the second wireless network configuration.
US09173143B2	Method of controlling a communication control entity A method of controlling a communication control entity in a mobile communication network and a corresponding communication control entity are described. The communication control entity is a part of a pool of communication control entities. In accordance of the invention, when acting as a primary communication control entity and receiving a request for adding a new secondary communication control entity to the overall control procedure, the communication control entity of the invention is arranged to determine whether the requested new secondary communication control entity is a part of the pool or not. If it is a part of the pool, then the primary communication control entity established a direct connection to the access part. The requested communication control entity is not added to the control procedure as a relay.
US09173142B2	Cellular communication system, apparatus and method for handover A method for handover of a wireless subscriber communication unit from a first base station to a second base station in a wireless network is described. The method comprises at the wireless subscriber communication unit receiving a handover command message from the first base station. At the first base station, the method comprises sending a scheduling request message to the second base station, in response to an acknowledgement message sent from the wireless subscriber communication unit. The method further comprises, at the second base station, scheduling, in response to the scheduling request message, at least one uplink scheduling resource (UL-SCH) for the wireless subscriber communication unit to transmit a handover (HO) confirmation message to the second base station; and receiving a handover confirmation message from the wireless subscriber communication unit on the at least one uplink scheduling resource (UL-SCH).
US09173135B2	Providing service continuity between heterogeneous wireless networks The disclosure is related to providing service continuity between heterogeneous networks in user equipment. A first cell change procedure may be performed from a packet switched network to a circuit switched network in a first idle mode. Availability of a packet switched domain of the circuit switched network may be determined. A location area update (LAU) may be initiated when a packet switched domain of the circuit switched network is barred.
US09173133B2	Mobile device with guaranteed QoS A mobile device includes a transceiver that receives data from a network, and transmits data to the network, an input interface that receives input data from a user of the device, and a processor. The processor is configured to receive an input from the input interface indicating a desired quality of service (QoS) requested by the user for a communication session through the network. The processor is also configured to append a code corresponding to the desired QoS to a session initiation protocol (SIP) invite message relating to set-up of the communication session, and transmit the SIP invite message to the network by the transceiver to control the network to provide the desired QoS during communication between the mobile device and another device via the communication session through the network.
US09173129B2	IPV6 address management method and gateway performing the same A management method for an IPv6 address for use in a gateway is provided. The method includes receiving a packet including an IPv6 address, extracting a MAC address from the IPv6 address of the packet, generating a compressed address by inserting a previously defined bit sequence into the MAC address, and storing the compressed address and the IPv6 address in a mapping table. The packet is received from a WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network) node.
US09173127B2	Multi-carrier communication systems employing variable symbol rates and number of carriers A multi-carrier communication system such as an OFDM or DMT system has nodes which are allowed to dynamically change their receive and transmit symbol rates, and the number of carriers within their signals. Changing of the symbol rate is done by changing the clocking frequency of the nodes' iFFT and FFT processors, as well as their serializers and deserializers. The nodes have several ways of dynamically changing the number of carriers used. The selection of symbol rate and number of carriers can be optimized for a given channel based on explicit channel measurements, a priori knowledge of the channel, or past experience. Provision is made for accommodating legacy nodes that may have constraints in symbol rate or the number of carriers they can support. The receiver can determine the correct symbol rate and number of carriers through a priori knowledge, a first exchange of packets in a base mode that all nodes can understand, or an indication in the header of the data packet which is transmitted in a base mode of operation that all nodes can understand.
US09173126B2	Modulation and coding scheme (MCS) recovery based on CQI offset Manipulating modulation and coding scheme (MCS) allocation after a communication interruption. A UE device may resume communications with a BS after a communication interruption. Channel quality information may be generated and transmitted to the BS. The channel quality information may be based on channel quality measurements, and may also be based on an offset configured manipulate an MCS allocation by the BS based on determining that the interruption to communication between the UE and the BS has occurred.
US09173123B2	Base station apparatus, mobile terminal apparatus and communication control method The present invention provides a base station apparatus, a mobile terminal apparatus and a communication control method which can improve the accuracy of channel quality estimation. A communication control method includes the steps of: arranging a CSI-RS, which is a reference signal for downlink channel estimation, in resources of subframes for CSI-RS transmission; setting, in the subframes for CSI-RS transmission, resources to which the CSI-RS is allocated in neighboring areas, to be muting resources; and reporting transmission interval information, which indicates a transmission interval of subframes that are set at the same timing in a transmission cycle of a subframe for CSI-RS transmission in a subject area and in a transmission cycle of a subframe for CSI-RS transmission in the neighboring areas, to a mobile terminal apparatus.
US09173111B2	System and method for convergence and automatic disabling of access points in a wireless mesh network One embodiment of the present disclosure sets forth a technique for convergence and automatic disabling of access points in a wireless mesh network. Specifically, an access point within a wireless mesh network computes one or more network metrics to determine whether the metrics are unfavorable or favorable. If the network metrics are favorable, then the access point disables the access point's network connection. An access point turns the network connection back on based on whether a routing was lost for at least a preset amount of time, utilization of one or more neighboring access points is above a preset value, or one or more network metrics have degraded by a certain percentage value. One advantage of this approach is that cost savings may be achieved when the number of access points dynamically changes to accommodate varying communications conditions.
US09173108B2	Parallel inter-radio access technology (IRAT) measurement in a communication system A UE is configured to collect multiple absolute radio frequency channel numbers (ARFCNs) in parallel via a wideband receiver during a transmission gap. Inter-radio access technology (IRAT) measurements are performed based on the collected AFRCN samples.
US09173103B2	Signal security for wireless access point A wireless access point receives a set of invalid passwords from at least one wireless device attempting to connect to a network through the wireless access point. The wireless access point reduces RF signal power in response to receiving the set of invalid passwords.
US09173101B1	Acquiring client device data In one implementation, a processing system receives a request from a client device to access a user account of the user. In response to receiving the request, the processing system transmits credential data, which corresponds to a credential and which indicates client device data to transmit in response to receiving the credential data. The processing system receives the client device data from the client device, identifies an issuer of the credential, and transmits the client device data to the issuer of the credential.
US09173091B2	Lawful interception of unauthorized subscribers and equipments The present invention relates to methods and arrangements in a telecommunication system to override current access rights. The telecommunication system comprises an Access Point IAP; MSC, SGSN associated with a Configuration Unit ICU. The method comprises receiving to the Access Point IAP; MSC, SGSN from the Configuration Unit ICU, a request to monitor a system member MS, SIM. The method further comprises receiving to the Access Point from the Configuration Unit, a request to override deprived access rights for the system member MS, SIM. The method further comprises overriding in the Access Point IAP; MSC, SGSN, the deprived access rights for the member.
US09173090B2	Method for activating services associated with a product via a service center supporting a variety of products A service center receives a request for activating a subscribed service on a first device that has been registered with the service center, where the service center provides services to a plurality of products on behalf of a plurality of product providers. In response to the request, device information about the registered first device is retrieved from an internal database, where the device information was collected when the first device was registered with the service center. Subscription information including credentials of a user who has subscribed the subscribed service is obtained for authentication. The device information and the credentials are transmitted to a service provider that provides the subscribed service to allow the service provider to activate the subscribed service on the first device, without having the user to directly contact the service provider for activating the subscribed service.
US09173088B1	Vehicular mobile device alarm sensor The presence of an RF signal in an expected location emanating from a mobile device within the expected location is detected by first antenna positioned in the expected location. False alarm discrimination is achieved by the square ratio of the operator's cellphone signal close to the antenna(s) versus the blocked external signals from much greater distance. A comparator compares the RF signal emanating from the mobile device in the expected location with a threshold signal and determines whether the mobile device is operating, and, if so, an alarm responsive to the comparator is triggered.
US09173086B2	Method and apparatus for preventing screen off during automatic response system service in electronic device A method of avoiding screen off during an Automatic Response System (ARS) service is provided. The method includes enabling a proximity sensor in a call connection, detecting one of a first gesture and a second gesture during a call, and upon detecting the first gesture, disabling the proximity sensor.
US09173085B2	Methods and apparatus for use in transferring an assignment of a secure chip subscription managers Techniques for use in transferring an assignment of a secure chip of a wireless device from a current subscription manager (SM) of a current mobile network operator (MNO) to a new SM of a new MNO are described. In one illustrative example, the current SM receives a request for transferring the assignment and produces transfer permission data in response. The transfer permission data includes an identifier of the secure chip, an identifier of the current SM, and a digital signature of the current SM. The current SM then sends to the secure chip a transfer permission message which includes the transfer permission data. The transfer permission data indicates a permission for the secure chip to transfer the assignment from the current SM to the new SM. Additional techniques are performed by the secure chip, and the new SM, as described.
US09173084B1	Systems, methods and media for enhanced circuit-switched fallback interworking function signaling procedures for roaming user equipment Systems, methods and media for enhanced voice call procedures are provided. A method for enhanced voice call procedure includes receiving at a CSFB-IWF a request to provide routing information for a UE for which an incoming voice call is received. The request is received from an HLR and includes a UE identifier. The UE is operating in an LTE network. The method also includes sending a page along with a TMSI for the UE to an MME in the LTE network that can locate the UE along with the TMSI. The page signal causes the UE to switch to a legacy (3G) network. The method further includes detecting an MSC hosting the UE that is located in the legacy network. The method also includes receiving an MSRN for the UE from the hosting MSC and sending to the HLR a message including the MSRN in response to the request.
US09173079B2	Emergency call handling in accordance with authentication procedure in communication network Techniques are provided for handling of a first type call as it affects an authentication procedure in a communication network. For example, it is assumed that, in a communication network, a first computing device comprises user equipment and a second computing device comprises an authentication function for authenticating the user equipment. Thus, a method comprises receiving at the second computing device from the first computing device an authentication rejection message, receiving at the second computing device from the first computing device a first type call indicator message, and making a decision regarding proceeding with or dropping an authentication procedure for the first computing device at the second computing device based on the receipt of the authentication rejection message and the first type call indicator message.
US09173075B2	Communication device and message transmitting method A message transmitting method of a communication device, the communication devices stores an information matching table. The information matching table includes a telephone directory column recording a plurality of predetermined telephone numbers and a message column recording a plurality of predetermined messages in advance. When an incoming call is received, whether a phone number of the incoming call is recorded in the telephone directory column of the matching information table is determined. If the phone number of the incoming call is recorded in the telephone directory column, a prompt message stored in the information matching table is determined as a prompt message to prompt a user according to the phone number of the incoming call.
US09173074B2	Personal hub presence and response Methods, devices, and systems for transmitting convenient messages to a recipient for rendering based on the recipient's device availabilities. A recipient's mobile device may be connected to a personal hub and/or earpiece devices configured to render various incoming communications, such as audio messages and visual messages. The incoming messages may be delivered to the recipient's mobile device and other connected devices that may render the contents of the incoming messages. A delivery confirmation message that describes the receipt and use of incoming messages may be generated and returned to a sender's computing device. In an embodiment, the recipient's devices may generate status information for describing the status of devices to a sender's computing device. In an embodiment, the sender's computing device may generate and transmit outgoing messages formatted based on the received status information and including metadata that instructs the recipient's devices to render message content in particular manners.
US09173073B2	Method and apparatus for processing group event notifications and providing group policy in a communication system A group event processing entity receives and processes a group event notification wherein a set of policy rules is determined that controls the performance of an action as relates to at least one of a member user equipment of a group session or an access network resource for the group session. Additionally, a group policy decision entity receives a request to establish a group access network resource for a group of user equipment and determines a set of applicable policy rules for establishing the group access network resource, wherein the set includes a policy rule that controls performance of an action when a base station in a wireless access network is unable to provide resources to support the requested group access network resource. The group policy decision entity provides the set of applicable policy rules to a group policy enforcement entity.
US09173071B2	Rate adaptive transmission of wireless broadcast packets Mechanisms are provided for broadcasting data to a plurality of receiver devices. A data broadcast transmission rate and a level of error correction to be used when broadcasting data are determined based on prior feedback received from the plurality of receiver devices. The feedback comprises channel condition information specifying conditions of one or more connections of a channel over which data was previously broadcast to the receiver devices. Data to be broadcast to the plurality of receivers is encoded in accordance with the determined level of error correction. The encoded data is broadcast at the determined data broadcast transmission rate over the channel to the plurality of receiver devices.
US09173063B2	Wireless communication locating method The present invention relates to a wireless communication locating method, the method uses a first wireless receiver, a second wireless receiver and a third wireless receiver (i.e., a first rescuer, a second and a third rescuer) to receive mayday and RSSI signals outputted by a person to be rescued, therefore the position of the person to be rescued can be precisely located after a backend signal-processing platform processes and calculates the mayday and RSSI signals. Through the method, each of rescuers are able to output a prompting signal to the person to be rescued by way of frequency synchronization, so as to give the person to be rescued hopes and a message that rescuers are coming. The method also includes the advantages of high damage resistance ability, high expansibility and can be easily operated, such that the purpose of immediate rescue can be achieved by using the method.
US09173062B2	Positioning service method and system, and terminal The disclosure provides a positioning service method and system, and a terminal. In the above method, a positioned terminal receives a movement track model established by a positioning service platform; the positioned terminal judges whether or not positioning data that are collected satisfy the movement track model; and when the positioning data satisfy the movement track model, it is determined that there is no need to report the positioning data, and when the positioning data do not satisfy the movement track model, the positioning data are reported to the positioning service platform. The technical solution provided by the disclosure can reduce the frequency for the positioned terminal to report the positioning data and also save network data traffic for the user.
US09173061B2	Monitoring a mobile device en route to destination A system, method and apparatus are disclosed for monitoring a mobile device en route to a destination. A user of a monitored device specifies geo-fence regions along a route to the destination. Entry and exit of regions triggers the sending of event notifications to a monitoring device. Event notifications may be sent if an estimated time of arrival changes due to delay. Event notifications may be sent if the monitored device deviates from a planned route by a threshold distance. Event notifications may be sent through a direct communication link between the monitored device and monitoring device or through a location-based service.
US09173057B2	Apparatus and method of managing peripheral wireless LAN radio signal for positioning service The present disclosure relates to providing a positioning service by managing a plurality of peripheral wireless LAN signals. The positioning service system collects peripheral wireless LAN radio signals by scanning peripheral access points (APs), stores AP information of each of peripheral wireless LAN radio signals in each lattice cell of a database. When a positioning request signal is received from a terminal, a positioning server of the positioning service extracts AP identification information from included in the peripheral wireless LAN radio signal received from the terminal. By using the extracted AP identification information, the positioning server selects from the database the corresponding lattice cell matching to the stored AP identification information of each of the peripheral wireless LAN radio signals pre-stored. And the positioning server estimates location information of the selected corresponding lattice cell as location information for the terminal.
US09173055B2	Managing of application access to centrally stored place-related data on a mobile device A method of managing place data for a mobile device, the method comprising storing place data for a place in a centralized place database and receiving input to specify which one or more applications on the mobile device are to have access to the place data for the place. In response to a place data request from a data-requesting application executing on the mobile device, the device determines if the data-requesting application has access to the place data for the place and provides the place data to the data-requesting application only if the data-requesting application has access. This technology enables the device to control the sharing of place data among applications on the device.
US09173054B2	Data transfer between wireless devices A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) may detect another WTRU over bluetooth. The WTRU may send to the another WTRU a message to transfer selected media. The WTRU may transfer the selected media to the another WTRU over WiFi.
US09173053B2	Systems and methods for providing one or more functionalities to a wearable computing device Computationally implemented methods and systems include detecting presence of one or more electronic devices near a wearable computing device, the wearable computing device being a computing device designed to be worn by a user; determining which of the one or more electronic devices that are detected as being near the wearable computing device are at least designed to provide one or more specific functionalities that are being sought by the wearable computing device; and acquiring, by the wearable computing device based at least, in part, on said detecting and said determining, one or more specific functionalities that are available through at least one electronic device that was detected as being near the wearable computing device and that was determined to provide the one or more specific functionalities. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text.
US09173050B2	Application store system and development method using the application store system The disclosure discloses an application store system and a development method using the application store system. The application store includes a developer community function entity, an application network store function entity and a telecommunication capability resource function entity. The telecommunication capability resource function entity includes a service execution module, configured to call, through an interface, a telecommunication capability in an integrated service access gateway to execute a service with the telecommunication capability, wherein the service is configured to be embedded in an application; the service with the telecommunication capability executed by the service execution module of the telecommunication capability resource function entity is embedded in the application uploaded in the developer community function entity. With the disclosure, development of the application with the telecommunication capability is accomplished, thereby the profit of operator is guaranteed and the viability of operator in the future is enhanced.
US09173048B2	Method and system for generating a matrix-encoded two-channel audio signal In some embodiments, a method for generating a matrix-encoded two-channel audio signal in response to a horizontal B-format signal by performing a mixing operation. In other embodiments, a method for generating a matrix-encoded two-channel audio signal, including steps of generating microphone output signals (by capturing sound with a microphone array), and performing a mixing operation on the microphone output signals, where the mixing operation is equivalent to generating a horizontal B-format signal in response to the microphone output signals, and generating the matrix-encoded two-channel audio signal in response to the horizontal B-format signal. The microphone array is typically a small array of cardiod microphones (e.g., an array consisting of three cardiod microphones). Other aspects include systems (e.g., encoders) programmed or otherwise configured to perform any embodiment of the method for generating a matrix-encoded two-channel audio signal.
US09173045B2	Headphone response optimization Optimized sound waves presented to the listener by headphones, notwithstanding differences in ear geometry and headphone positioning. A test signal causes an acoustic sensor to receive sound waves actually formed in the listener's ear cavity. A response from the sensor is compared with an expected ear cavity transfer function, from which desired adjustments to the audio signal are determined. The audio signal might be received from an application program, calibrated by an interface software element, and adjusted thereby, before forwarding to the headphones. Calibration might be performed from when the headphones are positioned, or dynamically in response to changes in the transfer function.
US09173039B2	Optical microphone An optical microphone for detecting an acoustic wave propagating through an environmental fluid by using a light wave, includes: an acoustic wave receiving section having a propagation medium portion through which an acoustic wave propagate and a first support portion for supporting the propagation medium portion; a light source for outputting a light wave so that the light wave passes through the propagation medium portion across the acoustic wave propagating through the propagation medium portion; a light-blocking portion having an edge line for splitting the light wave having passed through the propagation medium portion into a blocked portion and a non-blocked portion; and a photoelectric conversion section for receiving a portion of the light wave having passed through the propagation medium portion which has not been blocked by the light-blocking portion to output an electric signal.
US09173037B2	Vibrating body for acoustic transducer and speaker device A vibrating body for an acoustic transducer is provided, in which the high resonance frequency associated with inverse resonance can be outside the audible range and which can improve the acoustic characteristic of a speaker device. The vibrating body 1 for an acoustic transducer includes: a diaphragm 2 including a first vibrating part 2a and a second vibrating part 2b formed in proximity of the outer circumferential edge of the first vibrating part 2a; and an edge portion 3 formed in proximity of the outer circumferential edge of the diaphragm 2. In the vibrating body 1 for an acoustic transducer, first reinforcing portions 6a and 6b are formed so as to extend from the second vibrating part 2b to the edge portion 3 in a radial direction.
US09173036B2	Manufacturing method for narrow-type diaphragm and thin-type diaphragm, speaker-use diaphragm manufactured using same manufacturing method, speaker, electronic apparatus, and movable device After beaten, pulp is mixed with a filler to obtain a mixture of the pulp and the filler. Additives are added to the mixture, which is made into pater and then hot-pressed. The filler content of the mixture is in the range of 20 wt % to 80 wt %. After the additives are added, a polymeric viscosity improver with high viscosity is added to produce a narrow diaphragm or a thin compact diaphragm with high aspect ratio. These diaphragms have high rigidity and a wide reproduction frequency range.
US09173032B2	Methods of using head related transfer function (HRTF) enhancement for improved vertical-polar localization in spatial audio systems A method of enhancing vertical polar localization of a head related transfer (HRTF). The method includes splitting an audio signal and generating left and right output signals by determining a log lateral component of the respective frequency-dependent audio gain that is equal to a median log frequency-dependent audio gain for all audio signals of that channel having a desired perceived source location. A vertical magnitude of the respective audio signal is enhanced by determining a log vertical component of the respective frequency-dependent audio gain that is equal to a product of a first enhancement factor and a different between the respective frequency-dependent audio gain at the desired perceived source location and the lateral magnitude of respective audio signal. The output signals are time delayed according to an interaural time.
US09173031B2	Apparatus and method for amplification of audio content There is provided an apparatus and method for amplification of audio content. The apparatus includes a first power line connectable to a first connector of the plurality of data output connectors; a second power line connectable to a second connector of the plurality of data output connectors; an amplifier connected along each of the first and the second power lines; and a coil driver coupled to each of the amplifiers, the coil drivers being arranged such that magnetic summation occurs when the coil drivers are energized. The method also enables magnetic summation to occur when the coil drivers are energized.
US09173027B2	Systems and methods for protecting a speaker In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods may include a controller configured to be coupled to an audio speaker, wherein the controller receives one or more signals indicative of one or more operating characteristics of the audio speaker and compares the one or more operating characteristics to one or more speaker protection thresholds, and based on the comparison, processes an audio input signal to generate an audio output signal communicated from the controller to the audio speaker, further wherein the one or more speaker protection thresholds are based on offline reliability testing of one or more audio speakers similar to the audio speaker and the controller generates one or more modeled parameters for the audio speaker and modifies the one or more speaker protection thresholds based on the one or more modeled parameters.
US09173021B2	Method and device for adjusting an audio beam orientation based on device location A method is performed in an electronic device for orienting an audio beam generated by the device. The method includes: detecting that the device is coupled to a docking station; and determining a geographic location of the device. The method further includes determining, based on the geographic location of the device, an orientation for an audio beam relative from the docking station; and generating the audio beam by the device.
US09173016B2	Headset There is provided a headset, in particular an aviation headset, having an input for receiving audio signals, an audio storage means for at least temporarily storing audio signals received by way of the input, an output unit for output of the received audio signals to at least one electroacoustic reproduction transducer and an operating unit for releasing audio signals stored in the audio storage means.
US09173014B2	Speaker apparatus providing with visual screen A speaker apparatus having a video screen function is disclosed, in which a cone paper of a conventional speaker is substituted with a flexible OLED for thereby displaying various images and video sources in sync with an audio source. A flexible OLED is provided for displaying a video source and an externally upgraded video source in a speaker apparatus which comprises a sound output apparatus having a sound coil, a magnet, and a damper, and an electric circuit apparatus of the sound output apparatus.
US09173008B1	Layered video transmission over communication channels Embodiments of a method are disclosed for transmitting one or more videos provided by one or more video cameras disposed at a mobile object traveling along a pre-defined route. The method includes receiving the videos, bandwidth map data for multiple communication channels, travel time data for the mobile object, and service level agreement (SLA) parameters. The received video is transformed into multiple video layers. For each video layer, a transmission cost over the multiple communication channels is computed based on the bandwidth map data, the travel time data and the SLA parameters. Out of the multiple communication channels, a particular communication channel is selected for each video layer, which has the minimum transmission cost over the selected communication channel. The video layers are scheduled for transmission over the respective selected communication channels. The scheduled video layers are transmitted with respect to at least one of the SLA parameters.
US09173006B2	Method for live broadcasting in a distributed network and apparatus for the same The present invention has provided a method for live broadcasting in distributed network and means for the same. Wherein the method mainly comprises steps of: tracker servers receive the status report information from the program source connected to the tracker server; generates the status information of the program source based on said status report information; sends status information of the program source to the information synchronization means.
US09173005B1	Displaying information on a TV remote and video on the TV A handheld screen is used as a supplement to a television screen. Specifically, messages are displayed on a handheld screen to supplement a video displayed on a television (TV) screen. Display of social media messages and/or promotional messages on a handheld screen is coordinated with the display of video on the television screen. The social media messages on the handheld screen are selected by a computer system to match a specific video being displayed on the TV screen. The display of social media messages occurs simultaneously or contemporaneously relative to the video display e.g. the two displays are made to overlap in time by the computer system transmitting the social media messages within a predetermined duration of transmission of the video to the television. Display of supplementary information on a handheld screen in a timely manner relative to video display on the TV screen provides a richer viewing experience.
US09173000B2	Automatic discovery and mirroring of server-client remote user interface (RUI) session on a companion device and synchronously controlling both sessions using RUI on companion device A server sends to a video device such as a TV a remote user interface (RUI) that is presented on the TV and manipulable to send control commands back to the server. A companion device such as a tablet computer discovers the RUI session and is provided by the server with its own RUI, which mirrors that on the TV, modified as appropriate for the screen of the companion device. The server maintains the two RUIs synchronized such that the RUI on the companion mirrors the RUI on the TV.
US09172997B2	Methods and apparatus to collect media exposure information Methods and apparatus to collect media exposure information are described. An example metering device to collect media exposure information includes a housing; an input carried by the housing; a display carried by the housing to present a list of media stations which may be tuned by a media device different than the metering device, the metering device incapable of tuning to the media stations; a processor carried by the housing to identify which of the media stations is displayed when the input is selected; and memory carried by the housing to store an indication of an exposure to the identified media station via the media device, the indication including the identified media station and a timestamp corresponding the selection of the input.
US09172995B2	Transcoding device, transcoding method and program thereof A device, a method and a program to simplify transcoding of TTS (timestamped transport streams). When transcoding video data in the input TTS, the video processor unit reattaches time stamps in sequence within the applicable frame period of each video frame to each video packet within the applicable video frame after recompression. When transcoding audio data in the input TTS, the audio processor unit reattaches time stamps in sequence within the applicable video frame period of each video frame to each audio packet in the applicable video frame after recompression.
US09172992B2	Remote device access According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for accessing a remote source device, comprising a network interface for receiving a media stream from a remote media encoding device, the remote media encoding device generating the media stream from media signals generated by the remote source device, a media decoder for decoding the received media stream, and a user input device for generating signals in response to actuation of the use input device and for transmitting the generated signals to the media encoding device for delivery to the remote source device.
US09172980B2	Method for adaptively performing video decoding, and associated adaptive complexity video decoder and adaptive audio/video playback system A method for adaptively performing video decoding includes: performing decoding complexity management based upon bit stream information of an input bit stream, in order to determine whether to reduce decoding complexity of at least one component of a plurality of components within an adaptive complexity video decoder; and selectively reducing decoding complexity of a portion of components within the adaptive complexity video decoder. An associated adaptive complexity video decoder and an associated adaptive audio/video playback system are also provided. In particular, the adaptive complexity video decoder includes a plurality of components and a decoding complexity manager. When needed, the decoding complexity manager delays audio playback of audio information.
US09172972B2	Low complexity interpolation filtering with adaptive tap size During a prediction stage of video coding, a video coder may use relatively longer interpolation filters to generate predictive sub-pixel values using values of reference integer pixels of a reference block of video data positioned in parallel relative to a scanning order associated with the block and may use relatively shorter interpolation filters to generate predictive sub-pixel values using values of reference integer pixels of the block positioned perpendicular relative to the scanning order, wherein a longer interpolation filter generally refers to a filter with relatively more filter coefficients, or “taps,” and a shorter filter generally refers to a filter with relatively fewer taps.
US09172962B2	Methods and systems for pipelining within binary arithmetic coding and decoding Methods of encoding and decoding for video data are described for encoding or decoding multi-level significance maps while enabling pipelining of the BAC engine. In one example, coefficient groups are redefined to remove the significant-coefficient flags of the first and last position of a block and replace them with significant-coefficient flags of the last position in the previous block and the first position in the next block. A modified scan order is applied to each coefficient group. In another example, the coefficient groups remain block-based, but the scan order is modified to interleave the encoding and decoding sequential coefficient groups.
US09172957B2	Coding video data with an alternate reference frame generated using a temporal filter Implementations of the teachings herein include coding video data with an alternate reference frame generated using a temporal filter. The alternate reference frame is generated by determining a first weighting factor, for each corresponding block of a respective frame of a filter set, that represents a temporal correlation of the block with the corresponding block, determining a second weighting factor, for each pixel for each corresponding block of the respective frame of the filter set, that represents a temporal correlation of the pixel to a spatially-correspondent pixel in the block, determining a filter weight for each pixel in the block and for each spatially-correspondent pixel is each corresponding block based on the first weighting factor and the second weighting factor, and generating a weighted average pixel value for each pixel position in the block to form a block of the alternate reference frame based on the filter weights.
US09172954B2	Hybrid memory compression scheme for decoder bandwidth reduction A method for reducing memory bandwidth in a video decoder begins by performing a data reduction operation on a decoded first coded image to produce a second set of image data. The second set of image data stored and is selectively used for subsequent image decoding, thereby reducing the memory bandwidth. The data reduction operation can include image downsampling, wherein the pixel density is reduced by a factor of two in each of the vertical and horizontal directions.
US09172953B2	Compressing image data Methods, systems, and computer programs for encoding and decoding image are described. In some aspects, an input data block and a prediction data block are accessed. A projection factor is generated based on a projection of the input data block onto the prediction data block. A scaled prediction data block is generated by multiplying the projection factor by the prediction data block. A residual data block is generated based on a difference between the input data block and the scaled prediction data block. In some aspects, a prediction data block, a residual data block, and a projection factor associated with the residual data block are accessed. A scaled prediction data block is generated by multiplying the projection factor by the prediction data block. An output data block is generated by summing the residual data block and the scaled prediction data block.
US09172951B2	Test circuit for testing signal receiving unit, image pickup apparatus, method of testing signal receiving unit, and method of testing image pickup apparatus It is disclosed that, as an embodiment, a test circuit includes a test signal supply unit configured to supply a test signal via a signal line to signal receiving units provided in a plurality of columns, wherein the test signal supply unit is a voltage buffer or a current buffer, and the test circuit has a plurality of test signal supply units and a plurality of signal lines, and wherein at least one test signal supply unit is electrically connected to one signal line different from a signal line to which another test signal supply unit is electrically connected.
US09172949B2	Display apparatus and method A display apparatus that may generate a high density light field image is provided. The display apparatus may identify an eye position of a user and set a virtual viewing window around the eye of the user. The display apparatus may generate a directional light corresponding to the viewing window and generate a high density light field image.
US09172948B2	Display apparatus and method of controlling the same for displaying a three-dimensional video When a user views a three-dimensional video on an external apparatus, the user cannot always simultaneously view the three-dimensional video on another video display apparatus, because of the difference between the display methods used by these apparatuses, for example. In such case, when a three-dimensional video signal is output to the external apparatus, a display unit of the video display apparatus displays a two-dimensional video. In this way, even when the external apparatus is displaying a three-dimensional video, a user can simultaneously view the display unit of the video display apparatus easily.
US09172943B2	Dynamic modification of video content at a set-top box device A particular method includes receiving video content at a set-top box device. Scene data defining a three-dimensional scene is accessed, where the scene data includes object data defining at least one three-dimensional graphical object, and where the scene data is accessed based at least in part on information associated with the video content. The method further includes processing the object data to render the at least one three-dimensional graphical object. The rendered at least one three-dimensional graphical object is overlaid on a portion of the video content, thereby generating dynamically modified video content. The method includes sending the dynamically modified video content to a display device.
US09172941B2	Moving image processing device and moving image processing method A moving image processing device is configured such that a frame data acquisition unit configured to acquire frame data in which a parallax image for the left eye and a parallax image for the right eye are arranged across an active space. An image processing unit configured to subject the frame data to image processing. An active space setting unit configured to identify the position of the active space processed by the image processing unit and to set the pixel values of the active space to be fixed values.
US09172939B2	System and method for adjusting perceived depth of stereoscopic images A system and method for adjusting the perceived depth of stereoscopic images are provided. The system includes a disparity estimator, a disparity processor and a warping engine. The disparity estimator is configured to receive a stereoscopic image, to estimate disparities in the stereoscopic image, and to generate an estimator signal comprising the estimated disparities. The disparity processor is configured to receive the estimator signal from the disparity estimator and a depth control signal that is generated based on a user input. The disparity processor is also configured to generate a processor signal based on the estimator signal and the depth control signal. The warping engine is configured to receive the processor signal and to generate an adjusted stereoscopic image by warping the processor signal based on a model.
US09172938B2	Content reproduction method, content reproduction system, and content imaging device Each of video content items captured by cameras is associated with metadata describing a time stamp indicating a capturing time and spatial information indicating features of space relating to a camera at the capturing time. In the disclosed content reproduction method, at least one target video content item to be reproduced is selected from the video content items based on the time stamps and pieces of the spatial information described in the respective pieces of metadata, then a reproduction start position of the selected video content item is determined based on a time stamp described in metadata associated with the selected video content item, and the selected video content item is reproduced from the determined reproduction start position.
US09172935B2	Terminal device capable of managing storage capacity and management method thereof A terminal device capable of managing a storage capacity is provided. The terminal device includes a storage which stores a plurality of contents, a controller which selects candidates to be deleted according to a characteristic value from among the plurality of contents and generates a deletion candidate list, a display which displays the deletion candidate list, and an input which receives a user command to select content to be deleted from the deletion candidate list. A method of managing a storage capacity includes checking a storage capacity of a terminal device; in response to the storage capacity meeting a preset capacity condition, selecting candidates to be deleted from among a plurality of contents and generating a deletion candidate list; displaying the deletion candidate list; and deleting at least one content selected from the deletion candidate list.
US09172931B2	Projection display device, information processing device, projection display system, and program A projection display device including: an image light projecting unit that projects image light on a screen; a distance measurement unit that measures distance to the screen; an obstacle detecting unit that detects an obstacle between the screen and the image light projecting unit on the basis of distance information obtained by the distance measurement unit and, according to a result of this detection, determines an adjustment area where the image light to be projected is to be adjusted; and a projection adjusting unit that adjusts the image light in the adjustment area are included.
US09172930B2	Electronic apparatus, electronic apparatus control device, method of driving electronic apparatus, and method of driving electro-optic device An electronic apparatus includes first and second panels. A scanning line driving circuit is formed in each of the first and second panels. The scanning line driving circuit can perform a scanning to select k scanning lines for every k lines from m scanning lines. A first start pulse signal supplied to the first panel and a second start pulse signal supplied to the second panel can be temporarily shifted only an integer multiple of half of a horizontal scanning period of the scanning. Thus, even when a high-definition image is displayed at a high speed using the scanning, the position of a display image can be minutely adjusted, and thus a high-quality image can be displayed.
US09172927B2	Imaging device, and image processing method According to the present invention, since a color image for a moving image including that for live view display includes image data on pixel lines including first and second phase difference pixels, phase difference AF can be accurately performed during the moving image taking. A color image for the moving image includes not only the image data on the pixel lines including the first and second phase difference pixels, but also image data on pixel lines that do not include the first and second phase difference pixels and only include normal pixels. Accordingly, the image quality of the color image for the moving image is improved, an image interpolation process can be accurately performed, and reduction in image quality of a taken image (still image and moving image) through the phase difference pixels can be prevented or alleviated.
US09172926B2	Imaging device, and image processing method One aspect of the present invention thinning-reads pixel signals from the multiple pixels according to a thinning pattern from an image pickup element, or extracts pixel signals from the multiple pixels according to the thinning pattern from a color image that is read from the image pickup element and corresponds to the color filter array, and acquires a thinned color image. Then, moving image data is generated on the basis of the thinned color image. Adoption of the thinned color image as a target image to be subjected to moving image processing can facilitate reduction in processing time per frame, and prevent the frame rate from decreasing. Furthermore, thinning-reading pixels from the image pickup element can facilitate reduction in time of reading an image from the image pickup element.
US09172923B1	Sweep dependency based graphics processing unit block scheduling An apparatus includes a central processing unit and a parallel processing unit. The parallel processing unit generally includes an array of software-configurable general purpose processors, a globally shared memory, and a shared memory. Each of the software-configurable general purpose processors in the array of software-configurable general purpose processors generally has access to the globally shared memory to execute one or more portions of a decoding program. The shared memory is accessible by the central processing unit to program the shared memory with a schedule describing which of the one or more portions of the decoding program are to be executed by each of the software-configurable general purpose processors.
US09172919B2	Selective viewing of a scene Among other disclosed subject matter, a computer-implemented method for performing selective viewing of a scene includes acquiring an image of a real scene using a camera. The method includes identifying, in the acquired image, a first object in the real scene located on a first side of a virtual plane defined for the real scene and a second object located on a second side of the virtual plane. The method includes modifying the acquired image by removing image content corresponding to the identified first object, wherein image content corresponding to the identified second object is not removed based on the second object being located on the second side. The method includes displaying the modified acquired image for a person to view the real scene.
US09172916B2	Web monitoring system A method for identifying defects in a web of material is provided. The method may include monitoring one or more characteristics of a web translating along a travel path. The one or more characteristics may include one of position, speed of travel, and direction of travel. The method may include identifying a candidate for a defect by detecting one or more deviations in the web at a first time frame. The method may include monitoring one or more characteristics of the candidate for a defect at one or more subsequent time frames. The method may include determining whether the candidate is a defect by comparing the one or more characteristics of the candidate at one or more subsequent time frames to the one or more characteristics of the web. A related system is also provided.
US09172912B2	Telepresence method, terminal and system The disclosure discloses a telepresence method, a telepresence terminal and a telepresence system. The system includes a telepresence terminal, multiple audio inputting devices and multiple audio outputting devices and/or multiple video inputting devices and multiple video outputting devices and a remote endpoint, wherein the telepresence terminal has multiple audio and video inputting and outputting interfaces for connecting the multiple audio inputting devices and the multiple audio outputting devices and/or the multiple video inputting devices and the multiple video outputting devices, and is configured to: establish a session, exchange input/output location information of multiple audio streams and/or video streams, perform media capability negotiation, and establish media logical channels with the remote endpoint; encode streams input by the multiple audio inputting devices and/or the multiple video inputting devices, and send the encoded streams to the remote endpoint according to input/output locations of the streams based on the established media logical channels; receive and decode multiple audio streams and/or video streams from the remote endpoint, and forward the decoded streams respectively to audio outputting devices and/or video outputting devices at local locations corresponding to input/output locations of the multiple audio streams and/or video streams received, so that the decoded streams are played by the audio outputting devices and/or the video outputting devices at the local locations. With the disclosure, problems of complicated deployment of an existing telepresence system, intercommunication and stream synchronization within the system are solved.
US09172910B2	Apparatus for multi-party video call, server for controlling multi-party video call, and method of displaying multi-party image Provided are an apparatus for a multi-party video call, a server for controlling a multi-party video call, and a method of displaying a multi-party image. The apparatus for a multi-party video call includes a receiver module configured to receive a composite image of multi-party video call participants from a server, an image separating module configured to separate images of the respective multi-party video call participants from the composite image received by the receiver module, and a display module configured to arrange the separated images according to a predetermined layout and display the separated images on a screen.
US09172909B2	Panoramic video conference In one embodiment, video is transmitted between a sending device and a receiving device. The sending device is configured to receive adjacent camera views and encode the adjacent camera views independently into video streams. The sending device performs an image analysis on the adjacent camera views in order to generate a projection matrix to relate the adjacent camera views. The projection matrix and the encoded video streams are sent to at least one receiver. The receiver is configured to receive the encoded video streams and the projection matrix relating the encoded video streams. The receiver calculates an aggregate video stream using the projection matrix. The aggregate video stream includes portions of at least two of the encoded video streams. Other receivers may receive the same encoded video streams and generate a different aggregate video stream having a varying size, resolution, or number of views.
US09172904B2	Information processing apparatus displaying indices of video contents, information processing method and information processing program In order to quicken switching of indices and reduce the time required for display after switching, a mobile phone includes a video content specifying portion to specify at least one video content, an index element generating portion to generate a thumbnail for a video content when accepting a generation instruction and to stop generation of the thumbnail when accepting a cancellation instruction, an index element generation requesting portion, in response to the event that a video content is specified by the video content specifying portion, to output a generation instruction including identification information identifying the specified video content to the index element generating portion, and a cancellation instructing portion to output a cancellation instruction to stop generation of the thumbnail for the already specified video content when a new video content is specified before completion of generation of the thumbnail for the already specified video content.
US09172903B1	Method and system with multiple camera units installed in protective enclosure A system and method for simultaneously and continuously capturing video from the interior and exterior of a vehicle. The system includes, for example, a first housing including a first connection mechanism, first and second cameras and a memory disposed in the first housing. The system also includes a second housing including a second connection mechanism adapted to be removably connected to the first connection mechanism of the first housing and encasing said first housing within the second housing. A mounting mechanism is adjustably connected to said second housing and configured to maintain at least one of the first camera and the second camera in a predetermined position by adjusting the second housing. Additional embodiments are also described including a method for capturing data.
US09172902B2	Media recorder that selects when to record media content that is available at multiple times A particular method includes receiving program data designating media content to be recorded at a media recorder. An electronic program guide accessible to the media recorder includes multiple scheduled delivery times for the media content. The method includes receiving delay data. The delay data enables delayed recording of the media content and specifies at least one delay recording condition. The method includes determining an onset time to begin recording the media content based on the multiple scheduled delivery times for the media content and based on the at least one delay recording condition. The method also includes scheduling the media content to be recorded at the media recorder beginning at the onset time.
US09172894B2	Electronic components matrix of enhanced reliability and method for locating a fault in the matrix Enhancement of the reliability of an imaging device comprising several pixels is provided, each of the pixels comprising several first blocks of electronic components organized as a matrix and joined by links to row buses and column buses of the matrix allowing the powering and control of each of the first blocks for its nominal operation. Each of the pixels moreover comprises, associated with the first block, programmable means for disconnection of the first block from the at least one of the buses. Locating of a fault in a device is also provided, the fault occurring in one of the first blocks and leading to a generalized fault in several first blocks.
US09172891B2	Display device, method of controlling display device, and computer program product A display device including a display section configured to display an image; a display control section configured to arrange a plurality of display areas in a display range of the display section and display an image in each of the display areas; an image selection section configured to select the image to be displayed in each of the display areas from a plurality of input images; and a multi-screen display control section configured to display an image designation panel designating an image of a display object out of the plurality of input images on the display section, determine the images to be displayed in all of the display areas in a lump if the images to be displayed in all of the display areas are designated during display of the image designation panel and a determination operation is performed, and make the image selection section select the images determined.
US09172890B2	Method, apparatus, and manufacture for enhanced resolution for images from high dynamic range (HDR) interlaced sensors A method, apparatus, and manufacture for generating an HDR image is provided. An original image is received from an HDR interlaced sensor that includes at least two fields captured with different exposures. The fields are separated from each other to provide separate images, and each of the separate images is upscaled. Next, blending is performed on each of the upscaled separate images to generate a high-dynamic range image, and ghost identification is performed on the high-dynamic range image. Subsequently, detail identification is performed on the high-dynamic range image. The detail identification includes identifying areas in the non-ghost areas of the high-dynamic range image that have details, and modifying the high-dynamic image by replacing each of the areas identified to have details with the corresponding area from the original image.
US09172888B2	Determining exposure times using split paxels A plurality of images of a scene may be captured. Each image of the plurality of images may be captured using a different total exposure time (TET). The images in the plurality of images may be downsampled. A pixel value histogram based on pixel values of the downsampled images may be constructed. The pixel value histogram may be compared to one or more reference pixel value histograms. A payload TET may be determined based on comparing the pixel value histogram to the one or more reference pixel value histograms.
US09172887B2	Imaging apparatus, control method of imaging apparatus, interchangeable lens and lens-interchangeable type imaging apparatus body An imaging apparatus includes: a lens-interchangeable type imaging apparatus body which includes a solid-state imaging device; and an interchangeable lens as defined herein; and the interchangeable lens is provided with a first storage portion which stores individual difference information about brightness of the interchangeable lens; and the lens-interchangeable type imaging apparatus body is provided with a second storage portion which stores information about a change of incident light sensitivity of the solid-state imaging device relative to each diaphragm value, and a control portion which uses the individual difference information about the brightness read from the first storage portion of the mounted interchangeable lens and the information about the change of the sensitivity in the second storage portion to thereby correct exposure at a time of imaging the photographic subject.
US09172884B2	Imaging apparatus The imaging apparatus includes a focus lens, a front zoom lens disposed on a subject side of the focus lens, a rear zoom lens disposed on an image side of the focus lens, a focus drive unit configured to drive the focus lens, a zoom drive unit configured to drive the front and rear zoom lenses, a focus origin point detector provided in a movable range of the rear zoom lens, configured to detect a focus origin point of the focus lens, and a controller configured to control the focus drive unit and the zoom drive unit. When the controller loses track of a position of the focus lens, the controller drives the focus lens in accordance with a relative movement amount of the front and rear zoom lenses by the zoom drive unit to move the focus lens to the focus origin point.
US09172882B2	Zoom lens system, interchangeable lens apparatus and camera system A zoom lens system comprising a positive first lens unit composed of three or four lens elements, a negative second lens unit, and subsequent lens units, wherein the subsequent lens units include an aperture diaphragm, an image blur compensating lens unit, and a focusing lens unit, which are provided on the image side relative to the aperture diaphragm, and the conditions: 1.8<\|(YW/fW)×FNOT×(fT/fW)\|<4.5 and 0.001<(D1W+D2T)/fW<0.200 (YW=fW×tan(ωW), fW, fT: focal length of the zoom lens system at wide-angle limit, telephoto limit, ωW: half view angle at wide-angle limit, FNOT: F-number at telephoto limit, D1W: inter-apex distance between the first and second lens units at wide-angle limit, D2T: inter-apex distance between the second lens unit and a most object side lens unit among the subsequent lens units at telephoto limit) are satisfied.
US09172880B2	Computing device and method of image matching A computing device is connected to a measurement device including a projector, a left camera and a right camera. The projector is controlled to project gratings with a number M of frequencies on an object. The left camera captures a number N of left grating images, and the right camera captures a number N of right grating images of the gratings with each of the frequencies. A luminous intensity of each pixel in each of the left grating images and the right grating images is computed. According to the luminous intensity of each pixel in each of the left grating images, a first phase grayscale image is obtained. According to the luminous intensity of each pixel in each of the right grating images, a second phase grayscale image is obtained. A matched image is obtained by matching the first phase grayscale image and the second phase grayscale image.
US09172879B2	Image display control apparatus, image display apparatus, non-transitory computer readable medium, and image display control method An image display control apparatus includes a memory, a determination unit, and a display controller. The memory stores plural sets of information each set including image information indicating an image to be displayed on a display and at least one attribute concerning the image information, which are associated with each other. When one of plural images displayed on the display is selected, the determination unit determines whether or not the image information stored in the memory includes image information stored in association with an attribute relevant to an attribute associated with the selected image. The display controller performs display control to display a mark for a relevant image when displaying the plural images on the display in accordance with the image information stored in the memory and displaying on the display a relevant image based on the image information included in the stored image information.
US09172877B2	Image pickup unit and electronic apparatus There is provided an image pickup unit capable of suppressing occurrence of false color and color mixture and acquiring a color image with high image quality. The image pickup unit includes: an image sensor including a plurality of pixels and acquiring an image pickup data; a variable filter provided on a light receiving face of the image sensor, and transmitting a selective wavelength; and a filter drive section (a wavelength selection circuit and a system control section) driving the variable filter and thereby setting its transmission wavelength. By acquiring the image pickup data while time-divisionally switching the transmission wavelength of the variable filter, pixel data corresponding to the transmission wavelength of the variable filter are acquired in a temporally-successive manner.
US09172876B2	Measurement method, measurement apparatus, storage medium having stored therein computer program A measurement method capable of measuring a motion blur amount of an image with a high accuracy is provided. The measurement method fixes a camera on a vibratory table of a vibratory apparatus; selects one of a plurality of pieces of vibration data in accordance with the mass of the camera; shakes the vibratory table of the vibratory apparatus in accordance with the selected vibration data; acquires an evaluation image by imaging a subject by the camera while the vibratory table is being shaken; and measures a motion blur amount of an image based on the acquired evaluation image. In this case, the vibration data may be obtained by performing statistic processing for measured data.
US09172875B2	Video processing method and electronic device A video processing method includes the steps of: inputting a video; matching multiple frames of the video according to corresponding positions, wherein one of the frames serves as a reference image; marking a motion region, to be preserved, in the video; and submerging a content of each of the frames, corresponding to the motion region, into the reference image to generate a replacement frame. An electronic device is also disclosed.
US09172873B2	CTIA in-pixel correlated double sampling with snapshot operation for IR readout integrated circuits An image sensor array that has a buffer amplifier, having a capacitor which receives photogenerated energy from a photodetector, and stores the photo generated energy in a capacitor of the buffer amplifier. A reset across the buffer amplifier is applied at a time which is sufficient to allow the amplifier to settle transiently prior to applying the clamp voltage. There is also a source follower that is enabled to operate at a time just before snapshot operation, and then turned off when the snapshot is over, to save on power.
US09172872B2	Digital photographing apparatus, methods of controlling the same, and computer-readable storage medium to increase success rates in panoramic photography Digital photographing apparatus, methods of controlling the same, and computer-readable storage medium to increase success rates in panoramic photography are disclosed. A method of controlling a digital photographing apparatus is provided that includes initiating panoramic photography, and providing a capture guide when an image is captured during the panoramic photography.
US09172864B2	Imaging device with autofocus operation An imaging device that images a subject includes a focus lens group that collects a light beam from the subject and forms an image of the subject, a focus motor that drives the focus lens group in the optical axis direction, and an imaging element that performs photoelectric conversion of the light beam and outputs a video signal. The imaging device further includes a contrast signal generator that generates and outputs a lower-frequency contrast signal from a luminance component of the video signal, an AF processor that employs the lower-frequency contrast signal as an auto focus evaluation value and moves the focus lens group to the in-focus position with wobbling the focus lens group, and a histogram signal generator that generates and outputs a high-luminance pixel count of the video signal. The AF processor varies the amplitude of the wobbling of the focus lens group based on the high-luminance pixel count.
US09172860B2	Computational camera and method for setting multiple focus planes in a captured image Camera devices in form of a computational camera and corresponding methods are described wherein at least two different focus planes are set in an image.
US09172854B2	Configurable lens actuator driver system Disclosed are methods and apparatus for utilizing any of a plurality of disparate types of lens actuators on a mobile device. The method may include launching a configurable actuator driver and identifying a particular type of lens actuator that resides on the mobile device. Based upon the particular type of lens actuator that resides on the mobile device, lens-actuator-specific parameter values are obtained that facilitate control interfacing with the particular type of lens actuator. In addition, tuning parameter values are obtained that characterize a displacement-response of the particular type of actuator to control signal values, and the tuning parameter values for the particular type of lens actuator are provided to a configurable lens-actuator driver. The particular type of lens actuator that resides on the mobile computing device is then operated using the tuning parameter values.
US09172851B2	CMOS linear image sensor with motion-blur compensation Time delay and integration sensor comprising a matrix of photosensitive pixels organized in rows and columns. Each pixel of a column comprises a photosensitive element, a storage node, and a first transfer transistor connecting the photosensitive element to the storage node. Each pixel of a column, except for the last one, further comprises a second transfer transistor which connects the storage node of the pixel to the photosensitive element of the next pixel of the column. The two transfer transistors are connected to be active at the same time. With such a configuration, it is possible to define a sliding group of several consecutive pixels in a column, to expose the group of pixels, to aggregate the information of the pixels of the group, and to start again after shifting the group of pixels by one pixel.
US09172850B2	Lensless imaging camera performing image formation in software employing micro-optic elements creating overlap of light from distant sources over multiple photosensor elements A lensless camera with image formation performed by image processing software rather than by lens. Image formation operations are coordinated with a micro-optical element array that can comprise apertures, micro-optic layers, etc. configured so light received from a distant source overlaps onto multiple photosensors. Algorithms for image formation are determined by pixel overlap functions resulting from micro-optic elements directing light to a photosensor array, and can include deconvolution, edge-effect handling, decimation, and interpolation. Image formation operations can comprise frequency-domain operations or other approaches. The micro-optical element array can be configured to produce a spatial light pattern on the photosensor array with optimized detection characteristics. Light-detecting photosensors can comprise elements capable of light emission, for example organic materials with electroluminescent properties. The camera can be implemented or integrated upon any one of a wide variety of surfaces or substrates. Fabrication can employ techniques from semiconductor processing and flat panel display manufacturing.
US09172848B2	Image reader for correcting an image Provided is an image reader, including a reading unit that reads an image of a read body, an optical unit that forms the image of the read body on the reading unit, a filter unit that is disposed in the optical unit and eliminates infrared light by an interference film, a calculating unit that calculates a coefficient matrix during a color correction based on a reading position of the reading unit and spectral field angle characteristics of the filter unit in the reading position, and a correction unit that performs the color correction with respect to the image read by the reading unit using the coefficient matrix.
US09172846B2	Scanning device and operations thereof A scanning device includes: a reading unit; a communication unit; a storage unit configured to store identification information for identifying a external apparatus; an operation unit, and a controller configured to perform operations comprising: generating an image file from read signal received from the reading unit, transmitting the image file generated to the external apparatus through the communication unit, and determining whether a size of the document on which the image read by the reading unit is recorded is equal to or smaller than a preset setting size. When the controller receives a signal corresponding to a scan command from the operation unit, the controller, in the generating, generates an image file having a password added, in a case where it is determined that a size of the document is equal to or smaller than the setting size.
US09172845B2	Management apparatus, image forming apparatus management system for managing usage of the image forming apparatus A management apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus for managing usage of the image forming apparatus is disclosed. The management apparatus includes a user data storage part for storing user identification data and use restriction data corresponding to the user identification data, and a use restriction data acquiring part for acquiring the use restriction data corresponding to the user identification data.
US09172843B2	Image processing device and computer-readable medium An image processing device comprises a processor and a memory. The processor executes computer-readable instructions stored in the memory. The instructions cause the image processing device to acquire target image data including each pixel value of a plurality of pixels. The instructions cause the image processing device to extract a plurality of edge pixels from the plurality of the pixels in the target image. The instructions cause the image processing device to determine a first reference value by using the plurality of the edge pixels. The instructions cause the image processing device to generate correspondence data by using the first reference value. The instructions cause the image processing device to convert, using the correspondence data, a plurality of original pixel values of the plurality of pixels into respective converted pixel values.
US09172842B2	Image binarization for optical character recognition Systems and methods convert to binary an input image having pixels defining text and background. Thresholds are determined by which pixels in the input image and a corresponding blurred image will be defined as either binary black or binary white. Thresholds derive from grouped together neighboring pixels having pixels separated out that correspond to the background. For pixels of the input image defined as binary black and having corresponding pixels in the blurred image defined as binary black relative to their thresholds, those are set to black in the binary image, else they are set white. Techniques for devising thresholds, blurring images, grouping together pixels, statistical analysis, etc., typify the embodiments.
US09172841B2	Image processing device, and image processing system and computer-readable medium therefor An image processing device including an image information acquirer and a control device configured to detect encircling lines written on a document sheet, based on acquired image information, determine an arrangement order of a partial image formed within each encircling line, detect first symbols each written on the document sheet and added to a corresponding partial image, the first symbols relating to how to lay out the partial images, determine a layout of the partial images based on the arrangement orders and the first symbols, extract, from the image information, a plurality of pieces of image information each of which is image information of a partial image within a corresponding encircling line, and generate layout image information in which the pieces of image information are arranged according to the layout.
US09172840B2	Image processing apparatus and method for controlling image processing apparatus An image processing apparatus includes an image processing unit configured to perform image processing, a storage unit configured to be capable of storing an application program installed in the image processing apparatus, a first determination unit configured to determine whether the application program had ever been installed in the image processing apparatus, and a control unit configured to selectively control the image processing unit to be operable and control the image processing unit not to operate according to the determination by the first determination unit if an error has occurred in the storage unit.
US09172839B2	Image forming apparatus, control method and storage medium An image forming apparatus includes a first device to which a first memory is connected; a second device to which a second memory is connected; and a third device to which a third memory is connected. The third device includes a data transfer control unit configured to perform data transfers each for transferring data from one of the first to third memories to a destination memory of the first to third memories, according to direct memory access control in cooperation with the first device and according to an instruction received from the second device. Priorities and orders are assigned to the data transfers. The data transfer control unit arbitrates the data transfers by changing the orders of the data transfers based on the priorities assigned to the data transfers and by changing the destination memory of at least one of the data transfers.
US09172837B2	Light source for exposure and image forming apparatus Provided is a light source for exposure including: a circuit section which includes plural pixel circuits arranged in one direction, a scanning circuit which outputs a scanning signal, a scanning line which supplies the pixel circuits with the scanning signal; light-emitting elements connected to the pixel circuits; and data lines which supply a lead wire with a data signal via the pixel circuits, wherein a data line group including the plural data lines, a light-emitting element group including the plural light-emitting elements, and the circuit section are arranged in this order in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the plural pixel circuits are arranged.
US09172832B2	Image forming apparatus and method of controlling image forming apparatus An image forming apparatus and a method of controlling the image forming apparatus are provided. The method includes detecting a conflicting option that is impossible to be set simultaneously with a plurality of options selected for a job of the image forming apparatus, reflecting the detected conflicting option to display an option setting screen for the job of the image forming apparatus, and if a conflicting option is selected on the displayed option setting screen, displaying an option list user interface (UI) window in an area of the displayed option setting screen, wherein the option list UI window includes a replaceable option that replaces an option that is impossible to be set simultaneously with the conflicting option.
US09172828B2	Image display apparatus, image display method and image display program An image display apparatus connected to a printer, for displaying an image to be printed by the printer, includes display section for displaying taken image data as a thumbnail, control section for generating edited image data by editing the taken image data selected by a user and generating an additional thumbnail of the edited image data, and select section for selecting a taken image displayed on the display means to be edited, an editing operation for the taken image, and a print image. As the taken image is edited, the control means displays the additional thumbnail of the edited image data in addition to a thumbnail of the taken image data on the display means to allow each of the thumbnail and the additional thumbnail to be selected as the print image.
US09172826B2	Processing apparatus, terminal apparatus, and control methods therefor This invention provides a technique in which even if a job by a processing apparatus is interrupted during execution, another apparatus continues the processing using completely the same function without further billing the user. Upon receiving a print job, a printing apparatus executes billing processing for the job, in which the printing apparatus communicates with a billing server. The printing apparatus writes, in the memory of an NFC unit, setting values about the received print job, the identification information of the printing apparatus itself, and the identification information of another alternative processing apparatus. While executing the print job, the printing apparatus writes progress information about an unprocessed portion of the job in the memory of the NFC unit every time a preset processing unit is executed during execution of the job.
US09172823B2	Alarm operation method and mobile terminal supporting the same An alarm operation system for use by a mobile terminal receives input data used for setting an alarm. The system sets alarm content comprising a category of multiple items of content including at least one of, (a) audio data and (b) video data, to be played in response to detection of an alarm trigger condition. The system selects an alarm content item for playback from the category in response to the detection of the alarm trigger condition.
US09172822B2	Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing a user record deletion notification Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing a user record deletion notification are disclosed. In one example, the method comprises determining, at a subscriber data management (SDM) node, that a service subscription to an access network is to be terminated, wherein the service subscription is associated with a subscriber user, generating, at the SDM node, a notification message that includes a deletion notification attribute, and sending the Diameter notification message to an application server associated with the access network. The method further includes terminating, at the application server, a communication service connection established between the subscriber user and the access network in response to detecting the deletion notification attribute in the notification message and deleting, in the SDM node, a user record associated with the service subscription after receiving notification of the connection termination.
US09172820B2	Identifying an account and destination for a communication based on dialed number and origination number The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for identifying an account and destination for a communication based on a dialed number and origination number associated with the communication. One computer-implemented method includes identifying a first communication associated with an origination address and an access method; determining whether the first communication is associated with a destination address record in response to identifying the first communication; initiating the second communication to the destination address included in the destination address record in response to determining that the first communication is associated with the destination address record; determining whether a call recipient at the destination address accepts the second communication; and charging the account included in the destination address record for charges associated with the first communication and the second communication in response to determining that the call recipient at the destination address accepts the second communication.
US09172817B2	Communication system An echo component of a first signal received at an audio input device is removed. A second signal is output from an audio output device. The echo component in the first signal is the result of the second signal traversing an echo path. The characteristics of the first and second signals are compared, and if the first signal only comprises the echo, an estimate of the echo path is determined by comparing the first and second signals. The echo path estimate is applied to the first signal to determine an equalized first signal, which is is compared with the second signal to determine an estimate of the echo component. The echo component from the first signal is removed in dependence on the estimate of the echo component.
US09172816B2	Echo suppression An echo path of the echo in a received audio signal is modelled using an adaptive model to determine an adaptive model estimate of the echo. The adaptive model estimate is used to determine an estimate of the echo power of the echo in the received audio signal. The power of the received audio signal is determined. The estimate of the echo power and the determined power of the received audio signal are used to determine echo suppression gains. Temporal smoothing is applied to one or more of the echo suppression gains and the one or more smoothed echo suppression gains are used to apply echo suppression to the received audio signal, thereby suppressing the echo in the received audio signal, wherein the amount of smoothing applied to the echo suppression gains is varied according to a non-decreasing function of the frequency of the received audio signal.
US09172810B2	System and method for calculating context-aware estimated wait time for customers An Estimated Wait Time (EWT) computing system for computing estimated wait time for customers in a contact center is provided. The EWT computing system includes an analysis module for analyzing each incoming contact to determine attributes corresponding to the incoming contact. The EWT computing system further includes a categorization module for categorizing the incoming contact based on the determined attributes and a past history of the incoming contact or similar contacts. The EWT computing system further includes a computing module for computing an estimated wait time for the incoming contact based on a category of the incoming contact and availability of suitable agents for handling the incoming contact. The EWT computing system further includes a reporting module for reporting the estimated wait time to the incoming contact.
US09172807B2	Techniques for customer relationship management Techniques for improving customer relationship management are disclosed. The techniques may be realized via a call processing system that may efficiently rout an incoming call to an agent of a call center. Also, the call processing system may provision a telephone number to a web-based help desk call center. Further, the call processing system may include a communication framework enabling a communication between a plurality of browser windows and a local storage medium.
US09172802B1	Systems and methods for reestablishing terminated telephone calls with an interactive voice response (IVR) system A system, method, and computer-usable medium are disclosed for improved processing of calls within an interactive voice response (IVR) system. An inbound call comprising a call origination identifier is received by a call processing module, which uses the call origination identifier to retrieve call record and call processing information associated with a prior call session. The call record and call processing information is processed to determine the state of the prior call session and its point of termination when it was terminated. If the point of termination was associated with a human operator, then the call processing module determines whether the same human operator is available. If not, the user is provided a choice of call session options including being placed in a hold queue until the same or another human operator is available, requesting a return call from a human operator, or selecting another call session process.

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