Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Oliff & Berridge
  • Patent number: 8348204
    Abstract: A waterproof cable guide device for a railway vehicle comprises an elastic member having a plurality of through-holes penetrating in a forward and backward direction and screw insertion holes penetrating in the forward and backward direction, the plurality of electric cables being inserted into the plurality of holes, respectively, the elastic member being divided in positions of the through-holes or having slits extending from an outer peripheral surface of the elastic member to the through-holes, respectively; a press casing surrounding a front surface and an outer peripheral surface of the elastic member so as not to cover the through-holes and provided with screw insertion holes communicating with the screw insertion holes of the elastic member; and screws inserted into the screw insertion holes, in a direction from forward, and tightened with respect to the cable guide; the screws being inserted into the screw insertion holes in the direction from forward and tightened with respect to the cable guide in
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shin Kataoka, Kunihiko Takagi, Yutaka Kitagawa, Kazuya Morita
  • Patent number: 8352087
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling a flow control valve, comprising measuring a flow at a suitable point of a flow process and calculating a pressure drop across the valve from a Cv curve of the valve, a measured valve opening ?m, and the measured flow (Qm). From this calculated pressure drop, a flow set point (Qsp), and an inverse Cv curve of the valve, a new valve opening (?c) providing the desired flow is calculated. The control is thus adapted to each operating point and its prevailing flow gain and linearizes the dependence between flow control and flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Metso Automation Oy
    Inventor: Esko Yli-Koski
  • Patent number: 8349159
    Abstract: A device for selective preconcentration/detection of charged analytes contained in an electrolyte having at least two reservoirs separated by at least one rectilinear microchannel with no lengthwise axis X intersection and having at least one controllable voltage source configured to generate a potential difference between the ends of the rectilinear microchannel. The device has means for generating a controllable pressure that is associated with at least one of the reservoirs and is able to generate a pressure gradient between the two ends of the microchannel. The microchannel has, in its median part, means that are configured to generate at least one change in the surface area to volume ratio charge, the device configured to selectively concentrate the charged analytes in the median part of the microchannel upstream and/or downstream of the means configured to generate at least one change in the surface area to volume ration charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Etat Francais Represente par le Delegue General pour l'Armement
    Inventor: Adrien Plecis
  • Patent number: 8352109
    Abstract: A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle drive apparatus, the vehicle control device configured with a release control mechanism that provides feedback controlling supplied oil pressure to a release side element, and an engagement control mechanism that increases supplied oil pressure to an engagement side element as an engagement element on a side to be engaged in a state that the differential rotation speed is substantially constant. The control device is further configured with a phase determining mechanism that determines if the torque phase has started when a condition that a phenomenon accompanying a change of the differential rotation speed due to increase of the supplied oil pressure to the engagement side element is detected is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Tsuda, Yomei Hakumura, Masahiro Asai, Yoichi Tajima, Tomokazu Ito
  • Patent number: 8348003
    Abstract: There is provided an occupant detection correction system including: a load detection section that detects load imparted to a vehicle seat and outputs a load signal representing the load; an occupant detection section that detects an occupant based on the load signal and is capable of resetting the load signal to a reference point based on a predetermined reset instruction; a tilt angle detection section that detects a predetermined tilt angle of a seatback; and a permitting section that permits execution of resetting the load signal to the reference point by the occupant detection section when the predetermined tilt angle is detected by the tilt angle detection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentaro Morishita, Yosuke Kubota, Isao Hagiwara, Koki Terashima, Muneto Inayoshi
  • Patent number: 8348259
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and system for a feeding a sheet in a document reproduction machine. A feedbox is contained within a document reproduction machine. Within the feedbox, an elevator moves at least one sheet to the upper portion of the feedbox, to a stack height finger, for feeding the sheet into a feed device. At least one sensor, located at the upper portion of the feedbox, detects the location of the sheet. The location information is sent from the sensor to a data processing device. The data processing device sends information to an actuating device. The actuating device may cause one or more plungers to move through apertures in the elevator. The plungers will result in a substantially flat sheet. The sheet is then fed into the feed device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Marasco, Brian C. Cyr
  • Patent number: 8351021
    Abstract: An optical system is able to achieve a substantially azimuthal polarization state in a lens aperture while suppressing loss of light quantity, based on a simple configuration. The optical system of the present invention is provided with a birefringent element for achieving a substantially circumferential distribution or a substantially radial distribution as a fast axis distribution in a lens aperture, and an optical rotator located behind the birefringent element and adapted to rotate a polarization state in the lens aperture. The birefringent element has an optically transparent member which is made of a uniaxial crystal material and a crystallographic axis of which is arranged substantially in parallel with an optical axis of the optical system. A light beam of substantially spherical waves in a substantially circular polarization state is incident to the optically transparent member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Omura
  • Patent number: 8352157
    Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, a variable compression ratio mechanism able to change a mechanical compression ratio and a variable valve timing mechanism able to control the closing timing of an intake valve are provided. The mechanical compression ratio is held at a maximum mechanical compression ratio at the engine low load operation side and gradually made to decrease as the engine load increases at the engine high load operation side. The actual compression ratio is held nearly constant at the engine high load operation side and is made to decrease as the engine load decreases at the engine low load operation side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Akihisa, Yukihiro Nakasaka, Eiichi Kamiyama, Daisaku Sawada
  • Patent number: 8347608
    Abstract: A degree of dispersion of a reducing agent added to an exhaust gas flowing into an exhaust gas purification apparatus is controlled. Before addition fuel is added, a valve opening Vd of a flow area changing valve is changed to generate pulsation of the exhaust gas, so that addition valve vicinity exhaust gas pressure Pg varies periodically. Addition timing TMad is controlled to synchronize with extremum arrival timing TMe. High or low dispersion type addition control adds fuel at timing (CP) when the addition valve vicinity exhaust gas pressure Pg becomes a maximum value Pgmax, at timing (TP) when at a minimum value Pgmin, or at both timings (CP, TP).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichi Tsujimoto
  • Patent number: 8348199
    Abstract: A boundary layer energizer (20) for energizing a boundary layer flow (33) over a surface (22), the boundary layer energizer (20) comprising one or more passages (24) terminating in one or more respective holes (26) provided on the surface (22), wherein the one or more passages (24) comprises at least one fin (25) configured so as to generate a vortex flow in the one or more passages (24) such that, when in use, a fluid emanating from the one or more passages (24) flows in a vortex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce, PLC
    Inventors: Christopher T. J. Sheaf, Zahid M. Hussain
  • Patent number: 8350398
    Abstract: An open-rotor gas turbine engine comprising a starter/generator, a first spool and a second spool, the second spool is of a lower pressure than the first spool; wherein the starter/generator is connected to the first and second spools via first and second clutches respectively. The method of operating the open-rotor engine comprises the step of supplying power to the starter/generator to drive the first spool via the first clutch to start the engine and, once the engine is self-propelling, a step of driving the starter/generator from the second spool via the second clutch to generate electricity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce, PLC
    Inventor: David C. Butt
  • Patent number: 8349509
    Abstract: A fuel cell system is provided with a judgment unit which makes a gas leak judgment based on a pressure drop of fuel gas in a gas leak detection portion by consuming the fuel gas in the gas leak detection portion of the fuel gas supply system by electric power generation of a fuel cell and causing auxiliary devices to consume the electric power generated by the fuel cell, and comprises a control unit which increases consumption of the fuel gas in the gas leak detection portion by increasing the electric power consumption of the auxiliary devices. With this arrangement, where the electric power generation of the fuel cell and the electric power consumption of the auxiliary devices result in an insufficient consumption of the fuel gas, the consumption of the fuel gas can be accelerated by increasing the electric power consumption of the auxiliary devices. Thereby, a rapid gas leak judgment can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naohiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8350656
    Abstract: A rotary transformer includes a primary core having a primary coil wound thereon, and a secondary core having a secondary coil wound thereon, the cores being mounted for relative rotation about an axis of rotation. The transformer is characterized in that one of the cores includes a plurality of core segments arranged in spaced-apart relation relative to one another in a substantially circular array about the axis, and the other core has a substantially annular configuration. In a particular embodiment, the primary core is fixed and hence remains static during operation, and includes a plurality of spaced apart core segments arranged in a circular array around the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce PLC
    Inventors: John J A Cullen, Ellis F H Chong, Felix L Langley
  • Patent number: 8349074
    Abstract: A method for detecting a diameter of a single crystal at the time of pulling the single crystal from a silicon melt contained in a crucible according to the Czochralski method, the method including at least: using two cameras placed equidistant from each other as a target diameter upon forming a straight-body portion of the single crystal and face both ends of the diameter of the single crystal in a growth point of the single crystal respectively, to separately capture both of the ends of the growth point of the single crystal from an outside of a furnace, the growth point being a contact point between the single crystal and a melt surface; and detecting the diameter of the single crystal on the basis of the captured images. As a result, diameter detection precision is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ohtsuna, Atsushi Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 8347799
    Abstract: A sewing machine operating device includes a plurality of operating members configured to be operated by a user with his/her foot, the operating members having respective detectors which each detect an action of the foot in a contact or non-contact manner and include at least two detectors mounted so as to be opposed to each other while the foot placed on the base is interposed between the detectors from sides of the foot, a signal output unit configured to generate an operation signal according to operation of each operating member and deliver the operation signal via a connecting mechanism to the sewing machine body, and a position adjusting mechanism configured to change a position of at least one of the operating members mounted on the base, the position adjusting mechanism including a distance adjusting mechanism adjusting a distance between the at least two detectors in an increasing or decreasing direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryutaro Maki, Takafumi Naka, Shoichi Taguchi, Masayuki Iwata
  • Patent number: 8352123
    Abstract: When the steered wheels are driven, there is a problem of the torque steering that the steering is disturbed by the difference in the driving forces between a pair of left and right steered wheels. Before such a problem, there is a problem that, since the vehicle is apt to run straight ahead more strongly as the driving force increases even when a uniform driving torque is given to a pair of steered wheels, a larger force is required to steer the vehicle leftward or rightward by overcoming such a tendency of running straight ahead. In view of the above, the steering assist force is increased according to an increase of the driving torque of the steered wheels in a manner of harmonizing the steering assist force to the magnitude of the steering resistance due to the driving torque of the steered wheels, so as to improve the steering feeling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 8348403
    Abstract: At a predetermined position during the lateral movement of a carriage 10, a gap switching mechanism 30 for switching a gap between a recording head 15 and a recording medium is provided. The recording head 15 is mounted facing downward on the carriage 10. A part close to one side on a lower end of the carriage is slidably and pivotably supported by a guide shaft 11 of a round shaft shape. A switching block member 13 provided with several abutment portions 52 and 53 with different heights, which are positioned so as to be opposed to a slide portion 12a at an upper end of a frame 12 extending in a vertical direction along a back of the carriage. The A switching block member 13 is pivotably supported by the carriage. A first pushing portion 56 is located at a left end of the frame so as to abut against the switching block member 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Ueda, Yukio Shiohara, Hiroaki Yazawa, Kenji Samoto, Shunji Murai, Masatoshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 8349533
    Abstract: A resist lower-layer composition configured to be used by a multi-layer resist method used in lithography to form a layer lower than a photoresist layer acting as a resist upper layer film. The resist lower-layer composition is insoluble or poorly-soluble in an alkaline developer after formation of the lower layer, and the resist lower-layer composition comprises, at least, a thermal acid generator for generating an acid by heating at a temperature of 100° C. or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Youichi Ohsawa, Jun Hatakeyama, Takeru Watanabe, Takeshi Kinsho
  • Patent number: D674011
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukihiko Sato
  • Patent number: D674126
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Brother Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yosuke Mase