Patents Represented by Attorney Drinker, Biddle & Reath
  • Patent number: 8176728
    Abstract: An air-fuel ratio control device is provided for controlling the air-fuel ratio of an engine. The device includes an exhaust passage having a main catalytic converter and a bypass passage having a bypass catalytic converter, the bypass passage diverging from the exhaust passage at an upstream junction and rejoining the exhaust passage at a downstream junction. A valve mechanism disposed in the exhaust passage between the upstream junction and the downstream junction moves between a closed state and an open state. During a predetermined period of time after the valve mechanism opens to permit flow in the exhaust passage, the air-fuel ratio of the engine is controlled based on a signal from a first air-fuel ratio sensor in the bypass passage using a low response correction value that is less than a normal response correction value that would be used when the valve mechanism is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Ootake, Yasuji Ishizuka, Masaki Koga
  • Patent number: 8179340
    Abstract: A two-dimensional code pattern includes: a boundary pattern in which each of pixels in a group are set into a turn-on state or a turn-off state; a rotation detection pattern in which each pixel belonging to a group in each block is set into the turn-on state or the turn-off state by a light emitting pattern which can detect a rotational angle upon reading of the block; and an information pattern in which both of each pixel belonging to a first quadrant region in the block and each pixel belonging to a third quadrant region are set into the turn-on state or the turn-off state according to first information data and both of each pixel belonging to a second quadrant region and each pixel belonging to a fourth quadrant region are set into the turn-on state or the turn-off state according to second information data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Ryoji Noguchi, Manabu Nohara, Takayuki Akimoto, Tomoaki Iwai, Yusuke Soga
  • Patent number: 8181006
    Abstract: Method of configuring a terminal (10a) by means of a device external to said terminal (50a) able to communicate with said terminal and comprising data storage means, the initialization of said terminal triggering at least: a step for executing a boot program of an operating system of said terminal, said boot program being stored in a first memory area of said storage means, a step for verifying, by the boot program, a first digital signature of a first file stored in a second memory area of said storage means, said first file comprising a kernel of an operating system of said terminal, a step for starting up said kernel, said startup step being intended to be triggered only if said digital signature is valid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: France Telecom
    Inventors: Olivier Charles, Eric Leclercq, Matthieu Maupetit
  • Patent number: 8177281
    Abstract: A stowable vehicle seat having improved operability and safety at the time of seat stowage are provided. A seat having a seat cushion back includes a foot lock mechanism for inhibiting the rotating of the cushion, a reclining lock mechanism for inhibiting the rotating of the seat back, a strap pullable toward any pull direction, and a lock releasing mechanism for keeping/releasing the rotate inhibiting states of the foot lock mechanism and the reclining lock mechanism by the pulling operation of the strap. When the pull direction of the strap is a horizontal direction, the lock releasing mechanism releases the rotate inhibiting states of both the foot lock mechanism and the reclining lock mechanism, and when the pull direction of the strap is an upward direction, the lock releasing mechanism keeps the rotate inhibiting states of both the foot lock mechanism and the reclining lock mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tatsuo Sayama
  • Patent number: 8177051
    Abstract: A system for monitoring the condition of a conveyor belt having magnetically permeable cords, has a magnetic field generator, a magnetic field sensing unit, and a processor for performing a discrete wavelet transform. The wavelet may be a Morlet waveform. The sensing unit can include an array of spaced magnetic field sensors, and the transform can be performed on signals supplied by the sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Advanced Imaging Technologies (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventors: Michael John Alport, Jacques Frederick Basson, Thavashen Padayachee
  • Patent number: 8177773
    Abstract: A flexible filament controlled locking medical catheter having a flexible tube with at least one drainage or feeding hole, a restraining portion at its distal end and a housing at its proximal end, and a filament having a proximal control portion for controlling the restraining portion of the tube. The flexible filament passes through an open port in the sidewall of the housing and an elastomeric cover as well as through the interface between the cover and a seal sleeve over the cover. A locking mechanism to lock the filament in position is provided and may comprise corresponding teeth with means for moving the teeth into tight engagement to clamp the flexible filament therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Uresil, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen Ovcharchyn, Richard Hannah
  • Patent number: 8173563
    Abstract: An object is to provide a sintered body causing less chipping and having a sufficiently higher polishing rate than a conventional AlTiC sintered body, and providing a sufficiently smooth air bearing surface. The sintered body according to the present invention consists of Al2O3, a compound represented by the chemical formula (1) below, and a composite oxide containing Al and Ti, TiCxOy??(1) wherein x+y?1, x>0 and y>0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Kei Sugiura, Takeshi Urano, Hiroyuki Ono
  • Patent number: 8174965
    Abstract: In a network (10) providing a service to a client of a terminal (T1) and comprising at lease first and second session border controllers (A, B), at least one identical address (@Ain) is allocated to the first and second session border controllers. A router (Ra) connects the terminal (T1) to the first session border controller (A) and is capable of dynamically managing a routing table indicating at least first and second routes for the address. A message transmitted from the terminal to the network is received at the first session border controller when the router selects the first route and at the second session border controller when the router selects the second route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: France Telecom
    Inventors: Mohamed Boucadair, Yoann Noisette
  • Patent number: 8172107
    Abstract: A cooking device including a permeable cooking layer having an outer cooking side and an inner side on the opposite surface from the outer side. A plurality of apertures are formed through the cooking layer from the inner side to the outer side. A heating layer is located adjacent to the inner side of the cooking layer. A plurality of passages are formed between the heating layer and the cooking layer so as to channel a non-stick fluid beneath the cooking layer. A non-stick fluid reservoir is in fluid communication with the passages. The reservoir adapted to store a non-stick fluid. In one embodiment, the non-stick fluid is a liquid hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Inventors: Steve Hoffman, Robert E. Cannuscio
  • Patent number: 8172330
    Abstract: A headrest and associated vehicle seat are provided that has excellent versatility and thin shape, and can be tilted lightly and reliably from a head support state to a storage state by reducing an operation load. The headrest includes a support member mounted on the upper part of a backrest seat, a frame rotatably engaged with the support member, a frame urging elements for urging the frame, and a lock mechanism provided between the frame and the support member. The lock mechanism includes locking members and disposed on the support member and formed with engagement groove parts and, a movable operation lever having concave parts formed, and fixing members pivotally supported on the frame and disposed permitting crossing engagement with and disengaged from the engagement groove parts and along with the movement of the operation lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: TS Tech Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tatsuo Sayama
  • Patent number: 8174606
    Abstract: A digital photographing apparatus is provided including a lens unit, an imaging device, and a main mirror disposed between the lens unit and the imaging device, wherein the position of the main mirror can be changed so that the main mirror either reflects at least part of light which passed through the lens unit toward a first orientation or the main mirror is not positioned on a path of the light which passed through the lens unit such that the light can be incident to the imaging device. A prism unit, a viewfinder, and an image sensor for live view are also included in the apparatus. A method of controlling the digital photographing apparatus, and a storage medium having recorded thereon a computer program for executing the method are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chi-hun Hwang, Myung-gyu Kim
  • Patent number: 8174567
    Abstract: A digital photographing apparatus is provided that reduces the number of instances in which an image including a subject having closed eyes is obtained. A method of controlling the apparatus and a computer readable medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method are also provided. The apparatus includes an image capture device that generates data from light incident thereon, and a blink determination unit that determines whether eyes are closed in an image from the generated data. The blink determination unit performs the determination as to whether eyes are closed only on an image from first still image data obtained in response to a signal received from a user. If the blink determination unit determines that eyes are closed in an image from still image data generated by the image capture device, still image data is obtained again from light incident on the image capture device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung-yun Lee, Tae-won Moon
  • Patent number: 8171749
    Abstract: An aircraft-galley chiller, enclosed in a housing, including an evaporator condensate drying device. The galley chiller may operate on DC power and may be transported from one cart to another to provide chilled air to a particular cart.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: B/E Aerospace, Inc.
    Inventors: Qiao Lu, Timothy Andrew Birkmann, Shon Mattly, Steven Whisler, Richard Rizzo, Michael E. Wright, Edward Bates
  • Patent number: 8176561
    Abstract: A method and appertaining system for implementing the method are provided that utilize predefined Best Practice Templates that are rules/criteria for assessing the security of a particular network and devices on the network. A value is determined for each object and connection within a network as to whether it passes or fails one of the Best Practice criteria, and a pass ratio is determined for a particular Best Practice. Numerous Best Practice tests may be run, and an overall total value based on the collective sum of the Best Practice measurements is determined. This value can be utilized to provide a user with information that relates to the overall security of a network and can be used in compliance determinations and network architecture design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Athena Security, Inc.
    Inventors: David Hurst, Sowmitri Swamy, Chandrasekhara Reddy, Anjali Gurnani
  • Patent number: 8173320
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack includes a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane and electrode catalyst layers sandwiching the electrolyte membrane; metal separators that define gas channels, the metal separators being respectively disposed at both surfaces of the membrane electrode assembly; a current collector from which electromotive force is derived, the current collector being in contact with at least one of the metal separators; and joining parts that join the metal separator to the current collector at portions where the metal separator contacts the current collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koshi Takata, Takahito Osada, Atsushi Miyazawa, Motoharu Obika, Motoki Yaginuma
  • Patent number: 8175145
    Abstract: The invention relates to the processing of a signal that is compression encoded (COD) according to a predetermined encoding type applying a quantification operation (Q) and then decoded (DEC) so that the quantification noise is present in the decoded signal (S*). The signal processing of the invention comprises applying a quantification noise reduction (TBQ) to the decoded signal (S), preferably in the following manner: first obtaining information (INF) on the type of compression encoding, selecting a model for the reduction of the quantification noise adapted to said information by estimating the quantification noise (BQ) that the encoding may have generated; and applying to the decoded signal (S*) a processing for reducing the quantification noise (FIL) according to the selected model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: France Telecom
    Inventors: Jean-Luc Garcia, Claude Marro, Balazs Kovesi
  • Patent number: 8175905
    Abstract: The invention relates to a resource allocation method. According to the invention, databases of computer objects are produced solely with properties intrinsic to the physical objects. Data filters are defined in order to sort the different intrinsic properties and to divide same into object classes. Allocation matrices are then used to match the resources with the object classes. During the handling of a process, the allocation method is implemented in order to determine a resource. A database is queried in order to obtain intrinsic information. Subsequently, the intrinsic information passes through a data filter in order to determine a membership class. One or more resources are then determined from the membership class with an allocation matrix. The inventive method is performed with the aid of a computer program. The invention also relates to a processing system which is designed to implement said method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: France Telecom
    Inventors: Samir Dorhmi, Jacques Potier, Michel Valette, Michel Monteil
  • Patent number: D659500
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Max Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Hotta, Takeo Hattori, Takamichi Hoshino, Makoto Kosuge
  • Patent number: D659681
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohisa Suzuki
  • Patent number: D659901
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Republic Tobacco L.P.
    Inventor: Mei Lin