Patents Represented by Attorney Bereskin & Parr
  • Patent number: 8316649
    Abstract: A thermal pillow apparatus comprising a pillow element, a heat exchanger, a thermal liquid, a fluid pump and a controller is disclosed. The thermal liquid circulates between the heat exchanger and the pillow element in a closed loop, transferring thermal energy between the heat exchanger and the pillow element. A fluid pump is disposed in the closed loop to aid in circulating the thermal liquid within the closed loop. A Peltier device is the typical heat pump element used in the heat exchanger. The controller coordinates the operation of the thermal pillow apparatus, for example monitoring the temperature of the thermal liquid, and activating the heat exchanger and the fluid pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Superior Quilting Ltd.
    Inventor: Bill Wolske
  • Patent number: 8318384
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an ion conductive material useful as an anode catalyst comprising LaCrO3, a vanadium oxide (VOx) and a solid electrolyte, and methods of making the same. The catalysts are useful in solid oxide fuels cells and, in particular, using impure hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: The Governors of the University of Alberta
    Inventors: Jing-Li Luo, Karl Tze-tang Chuang, Zhengrong Xu, Alan Sanger
  • Patent number: 8315601
    Abstract: A system and method for processing attachments to messages sent to a mobile device is described herein. Embodiments described herein apply to encrypted messages comprising multiple message parts, in which different encryption keys (e.g. session keys) have been used to encrypt the different message parts. In at least one example embodiment, the encrypted session keys for every message content part comprising an attachment is received at the mobile device. In one embodiment, all of the encrypted session keys are stored together in a main message header. The mobile device may then decrypt the encrypted session key associated with a user requested attachment, and transmits the decrypted session key to one or more remote servers in an attachment request for use in decrypting the requested attachment. Data associated with the requested attachment, in decrypted form, is returned to the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Michael Grant Kirkup, Michael Stephen Brown
  • Patent number: 8312165
    Abstract: A system and method for handling e-mail address mismatches between the address contained within a user's certificate or certificate chain, and the account address actually being used is disclosed. In order to resolve address mismatches a canonical or generic domain name or user name may, for example, be used as a lifelong address of a user that is contained in the user's certificate. Upon detection of an address mismatch, the system and method disclosed herein may automatically re-check the certificate or search for a certificate containing the canonical or generic domain name and/or user name to attempt to resolve the mismatch. This mismatch resolution is preferably transparent to the user and occurs automatically. The canonical or generic domain and/or user names that are available to the device may be typically controlled by IT policy that is in place on the system for the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael Kenneth Brown, Michael Stephen Brown, Timothy Lee Segato
  • Patent number: 8308408
    Abstract: A clip for securing a part, having a body portion having a first wall surface and a supporting surface adjacent the first wall surface, a retaining arm connected to the body, the retaining arm comprising a second wall surface opposite the first wall surface, an engaging portion at the distal end of the retaining arm, and an engaging surface on the engaging portion generally opposite the supporting surface. The first and second wall surfaces cooperate to define a groove that is sized and shaped to receive a portion of the part therein. The retaining arm is moveable between an open position wherein the portion of the part may be received in the groove, and a locked position wherein the engaging surface at least partially overhangs the groove and the engaging surface and the supporting surface cooperate so as to retain the portion of the part when received within the groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Inventor: Jeffrey D. Gaudette
  • Patent number: 8306642
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a portable computing device, involves the steps of (1) performing one manufacturing step in the manufacture of the portable computing device by interfacing a hardware component with another component of the computing device; and (2) performing a subsequent manufacturing step in the manufacture by (i) identifying the interfaced hardware component from a response received at the another component; and (ii) initializing the identified interfaced hardware component using a device driver associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Marc A Drader, James Robinson, Jerry Eugene Mailloux
  • Patent number: 8299238
    Abstract: An isolated steroidogenesis modified cell comprising one or more steroid biosynthesis knock down nucleic acid operatively linked to a promoter, wherein the steroid biosynthesis knock down nucleic acid reduces the expression of a gene selected from the group CYP21A2, CYP11A1, CYP17A1, CYP19A1, 3-?HSD1, 3-?HSD2, 17-?HSD1, StAR, HMGR, CYP11B2, CYP11B1, 5?-Reductase 2, SULT1E1, CYP3A4 and UTG1A1, wherein the cell comprises reduced expression of one or more of said genes. The cells are useful for identifying endocrine disruptors. Accordingly, the disclosure includes in a further aspect a screening assay for identifying an endocrine disruptor comprising: a) contacting a cell described herein with a test substance; b) determining a level of at least one steroid or steroidogenic gene mRNA or enzyme activity; wherein a modulation in the level of the at least one steroid or steroidogenic gene mRNA or enzyme activity compared to a control is indicative that the test substance is an endocrine disruptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: University of Saskatchewan
    Inventors: Xiaowei Zhang, Markus Hecker, John P. Giesy
  • Patent number: 8301696
    Abstract: Methods and systems for delivering scalable media content from a server to a client are provided. A server index is provided to a media server for indexing the layers of scalable content in the form of media data groups. The client transmits at least one media request comprising a scalable media presentation identifier, a requested quality identifier and a requested layer identifier. Based on the at least one request, the server identifies the requested media data groups and transmits the requested media data groups to the client. The client receives the requested media data groups, which may be a subset of all available media data groups, and reorders the media data into decoding order for subsequent decoding and playback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Seawell Networks Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Linwood Myers, Scott Ernest Aitchison, Gregory Scott Murray
  • Patent number: 8301133
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a system for conducting hearing aid compatibility testing of a mobile communication device. The system comprises: a simulated hand for supporting the mobile communication device during the testing; a probe; and a processor. The processor is configured to cause the probe to be positioned in a sequence of positions in proximity to the mobile communication device relative to an audio output component of the mobile communication device during the testing and to determine a field strength of a field radiated by the mobile communication device at the sequence of positions based on an output of the probe at each position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Yihong Qi, Ying Tong Man, Perry Jarmuszewski, Daoud S. Attayi, Paul Gerard Giles Cardinal
  • Patent number: 8297619
    Abstract: There is provided a game kit comprising (i) a plurality of game pieces, the pieces comprising at least two faces and the faces comprising at least one symbol thereon; and (ii) a holder comprising at least one holding section for holding the game pieces in such a manner that when at least one of the game pieces is inserted in the holding section, the holding section is effective for hiding at least one symbol of the at least one of the game pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Inventor: Bertin Bateng Tchounkwa
  • Patent number: 8296900
    Abstract: A surface cleaning apparatus comprises an air flow passage extending from a dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet. A suction motor positioned in the air flow passage. A cyclone is removably mounted to the surface cleaning apparatus and positioned in the air flow path. The cyclone has a cyclone air inlet and a cyclone air outlet. The cyclone is mountable to the surface cleaning apparatus in a mounting direction. An air inlet seal is positioned in a first plane and seals the cyclone air inlet to the airflow passage. An air outlet seal is positioned in a second, non-orthogonal plane and seals the cyclone air outlet to the airflow passage. The air inlet seal and the air outlet seal are concurrently sealed by movement of the cyclone in the mounting direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: G.B.D. Corp.
    Inventor: Wayne Ernest Conrad
  • Patent number: 8301903
    Abstract: Before an application is allowed to execute a secure function, code signing keys associated with the application are analyzed for correspondence with the class that contains the secure function as well as correspondence with the secure function. Optionally, code signing keys associated with the application are analyzed for correspondence with the input parameters to the function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: David MacFarlane, Michael K. Brown
  • Patent number: 8301878
    Abstract: A system and method for searching and retrieving certificates, which may be used in the processing of encoded messages. In one embodiment, a certificate synchronization application is programmed to perform certificate searches by querying one or more certificate servers for all of the certificates on those certificate servers. If all of the certificates on a certificate server cannot be successfully retrieved using a single search query, due to a search quota on the certificate server being exceeded for example, the search is re-performed through multiple queries, each corresponding to a narrower subsearch. Embodiments described herein enable large amounts of certificates to be automatically searched for and retrieved from certificate servers, thereby minimizing the need for users to manually search for individual certificates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Michael S. Brown, Neil P. Adams, David F. Tapuska, Herbert A. Little
  • Patent number: 8295792
    Abstract: Various embodiments described herein relate to a power management block and an amplification block used in the transmitter of a communication subsystem. The power management block provides improved control for the gain control signal provided to a pre-amplifier and the supply voltage provided to a power amplifier which are both in the amplification block. The power expended by the power amplifier is optimized by employing a continuous control method in which one or more feedback loops are employed to take into account various characteristics of the transmitter components and control values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Wen-Yen Chan, Nasserullah Khan
  • Patent number: 8295486
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for outputting an alert on a mobile device to indicate the use of a weak hash function are disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, the method comprises receiving data (e.g. from a server) that identifies at least one first hash function, identifying a hash digest generated using a second hash function, determining if the second hash function is weak using the received data, and outputting an alert indicating that the second hash function is weak if it is determined that the second hash function is weak.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Christopher L. Bender, Michael K. Brown, Michael S. Brown
  • Patent number: 8292979
    Abstract: A surface cleaning apparatus can include a dirt inlet, a handle, and a cyclone bin having a longitudinal axis and a sidewall extending between an openable top and an openable bottom. The surface cleaning apparatus can also include a cyclone chamber located in the cyclone bin. The cyclone chamber can have an upper wall, a fluid inlet downstream from the dirt air inlet and a fluid outlet, and the fluid outlet can be removably mounted in the upper wall. The surface cleaning apparatus can also include a dirt collection located in the cyclone bin and a fluid flow motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: G.B.D. Corp
    Inventor: Wayne Ernest Conrad
  • Patent number: 8295397
    Abstract: Various embodiments described herein relate to a power management block and an amplification block used in the transmitter of a communication subsystem. The power management block provides improved control for the gain control signal provided to a pre-amplifier and the supply voltage provided to a power amplifier which are both in the amplification block. The power expended by the power amplifier is optimized by employing a continuous control method in which one or more feedback loops are employed to take into account various characteristics of the transmitter components and control values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Wen-Yen Chan, Nasserullah Khan
  • Patent number: 8296829
    Abstract: A system and method for searching and retrieving certificates, which may be used in the processing of encoded messages. In one broad aspect, certificate identification data that uniquely identifies a certificate associated with a message is generated. The certificate identification data can then be used to determine whether the certificate is stored on a computing device. Only the certificate identification data is needed to facilitate the determination alleviating the need for a user to download the entire message to the computing device in order to make the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Neil P. Adams, Michael S. Brown, Herbert A. Little
  • Patent number: 8291098
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a web service description such that the web service description is adapted for use with mobile devices. A web services accelerator is adapted to receive a web service description that defines an interface to a web service, create at least one accelerator output file from the web service description, and transmit the at least one accelerator output file to a mobile device. Accelerator output files are used by the mobile device to invoke web services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Russell Norman Owen, David Paul Yach
  • Patent number: D671361
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Onward Multi-Corp Inc.
    Inventors: Theodore Andrew Witzel, Joseph Daniel Runstedler