Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.
  • Patent number: 8149311
    Abstract: A CMOS image sensor includes a unit pixel including controlled by a high voltage; a reference high voltage generator for generating a reference high voltage; and a high voltage output unit for generating the high voltage by using the reference high voltage as an operating voltage to thereby output the high voltage to the unit pixel, wherein a level of the high voltage is stably maintained regardless of a variations of the reference high voltage level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    Inventor: Seong-Han Yu
  • Patent number: 8147315
    Abstract: A method is described of providing a game for use with a gaming machine that is arranged to select symbols, present the selected symbols on a display and award an award if a winning outcome occurs. The method comprises receiving identification data for a player and displaying representations of game play of the game, wherein at least one character is depicted as one or more graphic objects. At least one attribute of the character may be amended if a triggering event occurs during game play. The amended attribute may be stored for retrieval in a subsequent game session by the player, wherein the stored amended attribute is associated with the identification data for the player.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Ltd
    Inventor: Chi We Chim
  • Patent number: 8148308
    Abstract: A liquid cleansing composition comprising a glyceryl caprylate/caprate ester that provides excellent viscosity-building properties, as well as enhanced foaming properties. The glyceryl caprylate/caprate ester is preferably glyceryl caprylate/caprate, and is preferably obtained by esterifying glycerin with C8-C10 fatty acids derived from coconut or palm kernel oil. The cleansing composition also comprises one or more surfactants, and optional additives, and can be formulated into a body wash, shampoo, 2-in-1 shampoo, facial cleanser, or liquid hand soap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Stepan Company
    Inventors: Irma L. Ryklin, James A. Faunce
  • Patent number: 8147326
    Abstract: The invention comprises an electronically secured inter-processor and virtual device communications system, with an input/output controller board, a multi-drop bus interface to multiple devices, and a parallel interface to an industry standard single board computer. The invention assigns a bus address and virtual identification number to each device and controls communications between the main central processing unit and the devices through a Plug-n-Play protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited
    Inventor: Ronald Edward Mach
  • Patent number: 8149312
    Abstract: A CMOS image sensor has a pixel array provided with a plurality of unit pixels arranged in a matrix shape of rows and columns. Each of the unit pixel includes a photocharge generation means for generating photocharges by absorbing an external light; and a sensing node for receiving the photocharges transferred from the photocharge generation means, wherein the sensing node of the unit pixel in a previous scan line is shared with a sensing node of a unit pixel in a current scan line in response to a line select signal of the current line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    Inventor: Oh-Bong Kwon
  • Patent number: 8150909
    Abstract: A digital plaque that can display one of several stored certificates that can also retrieve updates to a displayed certificate when needed. The digital plaque is used to display a certificate and associated information. Typically the certificate displayed is one of an award, a recognition, a score card, a picture, a transcript, a document, a sales deed, a ticket, a poster, a document cover, a book cover, a patent application, a granted patent and a graduation record. A collection of such certificates is stored in memory and displayed when selected by a user. Status information and supporting documents associated with the selected certificate can be retrieved from a remote server and portions of the retrieved information can be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Inventor: Madhavi Jayanthi
  • Patent number: 8142991
    Abstract: This invention is a novel method for perfusion of a porous implant which achieves efficient interpenetration of desired factors into and removal of undesirable factors from the pores of the implant, cleaning of the implant, efficient passivation of the implant (inactivation of pathogens, microorganisms, cells, viruses and the like and reduction in antigenicity thereof), and the novel implant produced by such treatment. The process presents a system wherein the rate of pressure cycling, the fact of pressure cycling, and the amplitude of pressure cycling, results in highly cleaned tissues and other implants for implantation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: RTI Biologics, Inc.
    Inventors: C. Randal Mills, John F. Wironen, Sean Hanstke
  • Patent number: 8144930
    Abstract: Image tracking as described herein can include: segmenting a first image into regions; determining an overlap of intensity distributions in the regions of the first image; and segmenting a second image into regions such that an overlap of intensity distributions in the regions of the second image is substantially similar to the overlap of intensity distributions in the regions of the first image. In certain embodiments, images can depict a heart at different points in time and the tracked regions can be the left ventricle cavity and the myocardium. In such embodiments, segmenting the second image can include generating first and second curves that track the endocardium and epicardium boundaries, and the curves can be generated by minimizing functions containing a coefficient based on the determined overlap of intensity distributions in the regions of the first image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Shuo Li, Ismail Ben Ayed, Ian Ross, Richard Rankin
  • Patent number: 8145237
    Abstract: A computer system determines and stores antenna probabilities for defined sub-areas (41, 43) of a geographical area (4), e.g. for squares arranged in a grid (40), based on field strengths expected in the small sub-areas (41, 43) from the antennas (A1, A2 A3, A4). The antenna probabilities indicate for the antennas (A1, A2 A3, A4) of a mobile radio network the probability that a mobile communication terminal uses a respective antenna (A1, A2 A3, A4) when located in a particular sub-area (41, 43). The computer system determines the current location of the mobile communication terminal based on the antenna probabilities associated with the antenna used by the mobile communication terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Swisscom AG
    Inventor: Ernst Versteeg
  • Patent number: 8142902
    Abstract: Certain embodiments provide an article comprising a substrate, wherein the substrate is extrusion coated with a composition comprising a multi-branched polypropylene having a g? of less than 1.00. In certain embodiments, the substrate is extrusion coated with a composition comprising a polypropylene material. Either the composition and/or the polypropylene material are represented by the equation: Vicat B [° C.]>?3.96·Cx [mol %]+86.85; wherein Vicat B is the heat resistance, according to ISO 306 (50 N), of the composition and/or the polypropylene material; and Cx is the comonomer content the composition and/or the polypropylene material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Borealis Technology Oy
    Inventors: Manfred Stadlbauer, Manfred Kirchberger, Eberhard Ernst
  • Patent number: 8145760
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of the present invention provide systems and method for automatic inference and adaptation of a virtualized computer environment. Certain embodiments of a system include a virtual topology and traffic inference framework tool adapted to monitor traffic for an application on a virtual network to produce a view of network demands for the application. The system also includes a monitoring tool adapted to monitor performance of an underlying physical network associated with the virtual network using traffic for the application. Further, the system includes an adaptation component adapted to automatically adapt the application to the virtual network based on the measured application traffic, the monitored network performance, and one or more adaptation control algorithms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: Peter Dinda, Ananth Sundararaj, John Lange, Ashish Gupta, Bin Lin
  • Patent number: 8143626
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a CMOS image sensor includes: preparing a semiconductor substrate incorporating therein a p-type epitaxial layer by epitaxially growing up an upper portion of the semiconductor substrate; forming a pixel array in one predetermined location of the semiconductor substrate, the pixel array having a plurality of transistors and a photodiode therein, wherein each transistor employs a gate insulator with a thickness ranging from 40 ? to 90 ?; and forming a logic circuit in the other predetermined location of the semiconductor substrate, the logic circuit having at least one transistor, wherein the transistor employs a gate insulator with a thickness ranging from 5 ? to 40 ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    Inventor: Ju-Il Lee
  • Patent number: 8139134
    Abstract: A CMOS image sensor includes a unit pixel including controlled by a high voltage; a reference high voltage generator for generating a reference high voltage; and a high voltage output unit for generating the high voltage by using the reference high voltage as an operating voltage to thereby output the high voltage to the unit pixel, wherein a level of the high voltage is stably maintained regardless of a variations of the reference high voltage level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    Inventor: Seong-Han Yu
  • Patent number: 8139089
    Abstract: In an implementation, an appearance of lens is displayed on a display device for a selected region of an image to magnify the selected region of the image in comparison with a portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens. A zoomed-in view of the image is displayed on the display device by increasing magnification of the portion of the image outside the appearance of the lens successively as an animation until the magnification of the portion of the image outside of the appearance of the lens corresponds with the magnification of the selected region of the image within the appearance of the lens, at which point the appearance of the lens is no longer displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Noregin Assets, N.V., L.L.C.
    Inventors: Michael Doyle, Zeenat Jetha, Garth B. D. Shoemaker
  • Patent number: 8138522
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a switch element. The invention is characterized in that the switch element comprises three electrodes that are located in an electrolyte, two of which (source electrode and drain electrode) are interconnected by a bridge consisting of one or more atoms that can be reversibly opened and closed. The opening and closing of said contact between the source and drain electrodes can be controlled by the potential that is applied to the third electrode (gate electrode). The switch element is produced by the repeated application of potential cycles between the gate electrode and the source or drain electrode. The potential is increased and reduced during the potential cycles until the conductance between the source and drain electrode can be switched back and forth between two conductances, as a result of said change in potential in the gate electrode, as a reproducible function of the voltage of the gate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Inventors: Thomas Schimmel, Fangqing Xie, Christian Obermair
  • Patent number: 8132871
    Abstract: The disclosed invention provides an improved means of storing and retrieving bottles of wine, other bottles of fluid, or other items. The invention provides for the labels of the bottles/items to be easily viewed. Additionally, the invention yields a format that allows the bottles/items to be stored in the limited depth afforded in cabinets normally used above kitchen counters. Another aspect of this invention is directed at, but not limited to, the use a refrigeration system to keep these items at the proper storage temperature. And so this invention relates to both an isolated storage system, and to that would be used in conjunction with a cooling/environmental chamber. So this invention presents a new method for the storage, display, and retrieval of bottles/items that is suitable for use at a plurality of heights, and additionally may either be a freestanding system or used within another structure such as a home cabinet, refrigerated or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Inventor: Steven Jerome Caruso
  • Patent number: 8135331
    Abstract: A system for mobile devices that facilitates the creation and dissemination of user interest surveys to a plurality of mobile devices and PCs/laptops that comprise a user interest survey client component. A computer or PC comprising an user interest survey generator is used to generate audio assisted user interest surveys and communicate it to a distribution server for dissemination. Recipient devices, such as PCs and Mobile devices comprise an user interest survey client component to receive and present user interest survey to a user, gather user interest information, and to send it back to the distribution server or an alternate destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Inventor: Bindu Rama Rao
  • Patent number: D656000
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Cooley Wire Products
    Inventor: Duane Halleck
  • Patent number: D656056
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Roxo, LLC
    Inventor: Craig R Outland
  • Patent number: D656567
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Inventor: Ivan R. Ivanov