Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Pearne & Gordon
  • Patent number: 8180096
    Abstract: A loudspeaker includes a first bar magnet having a longitudinal direction, a second bar magnet having a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first bar magnet, a third bar magnet forming a second magnetic gap between the first bar magnet and the third bar magnet, a diaphragm arranged to vibrate in a vibrating direction, a case accommodating the first bar magnet, the second bar magnet, the third bar magnet, and the diaphragm , and the voice coil fixed to the diaphragm and located in the first and second magnetic gaps. The second bar magnet has a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first bar magnet, and has both ends in the longitudinal direction. The third bar magnet has a longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first bar magnet, and has both ends in the longitudinal direction. The diaphragm is located between the first and second bar magnets and between the first and third bar magnents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Sano, Kazuki Honda, Satoshi Itoh, Masashi Kawabe
  • Patent number: 8176924
    Abstract: Electronic color changing artificial nails comprise a polymer layer in a general shape of a human natural nail, bistable electro-optic material and a ledge on which display electrodes are disposed located at a tip of the artificial nail. Once the artificial nail is attached to the natural nail, the artificial nail can be updated by simply plugging the tip into a separate electronic color changing device which is used to set the color of the nail to whatever the user desires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Kent Displays Incorporated
    Inventors: Tod Schneider, Debra Chaney
  • Patent number: 8178187
    Abstract: A decorative layer is formed by applying an ultraviolet ray hardening resin composite on a print pattern of a transfer film and transferring the print pattern on a surface of an article under water pressure in the state where the print pattern is activated by the ultraviolet ray hardening resin composite to recover the adhesion thereof, but the ultraviolet ray hardening resin composite is wholly united with the print pattern and hardened by an ultraviolet ray and the decorative layer has a glossy variation and/or touch feeling in accordance with a combination of the ultraviolet ray hardening resin composite united and hardened with the print pattern and a composition of the print pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Taica Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Ikeda, Nobuyuki Otaki, Tomomi Kiyotaki
  • Patent number: 8179395
    Abstract: An image special effect apparatus capable of realizing the illumination effects corresponding to various image special effects if an illumination effect pattern is not previously determined and the shape of the effect face changes rapidly is provided. An image special effect apparatus 100 for adding an illumination effect using light from a light source when viewed from an arbitrary eye point in a face having a curved face to image information concerning an input image and outputting a video signal provided by mapping the image information to the face generates a normal vector at a position of the face based on rectangular coordinate data and the shape of the face, a normal vector generation section 110, generates reflectivity of the light in an eye point direction by calculation of A (2(L·N)N?2L)·V of an expression using the normal vector, a light source direction unit vector, an eye point vector V, and an arbitrary value A, and creates the image information based on the image and the reflectivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Tsubota, Hiroyuki Izumi
  • Patent number: 8171927
    Abstract: A gas burner cap for a cooking appliance includes a top side and a bottom side. The bottom side of the cap is configured to face a corresponding burner body. One or more flame-stabilization chambers are located on the bottom side of the cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
    Inventors: William M. Pryor, Uwe Harneit, Hector J. Donastorg, Michael Padgett, John Pottenger
  • Patent number: 8171717
    Abstract: A coordinated air-fuel controller and associated method provide a fuel controller, a combustion air controller and a steady-state air versus fuel model. The fuel controller generates a fuel control output signal and the combustion air controller generates a combustion air control output signal. The fuel controller determines a preliminary fuel control signal based on at least one of first and second loop control signals, and determines the fuel control output signal based on the preliminary fuel control signal. The steady-state air versus fuel model processes the preliminary fuel control signal to determine an expected steady-state combustion air control signal. The combustion air controller determines a preliminary combustion air control signal based on at least one of a third loop control signal and a fourth loop control signal, and determines the combustion air control output signal based on the preliminary combustion air control signal and the expected steady-state combustion air control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Matthew John Mosley, Christopher Eugene Long, David Spencer Ewens
  • Patent number: 8171764
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic lock which achieves improved productivity while maintaining the performance of waterproofness for an internal electronic circuit of an insertion portion for a mechanical lock. Specifically provided is an electronic lock provided with a portable machine (1) which contains an electric circuit that locks and/or unlocks a door by communicating with the outside wirelessly, and a mechanical lock which is attachable to and detachable from the portable machine (1) and mechanically locks and/or unlocks the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Koichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8171746
    Abstract: A humidity control device (1) comprises: a processor (10) for dehumidifying air; a regenerator (30) for regenerating a hygroscopic liquid L used by the processor (10); a first hygroscopic-liquid pipe path (50) and a second hygroscopic-liquid pipe path (51) for circulating the hygroscopic liquid L between the processor (10) and the regenerator (30); and a heat pump (20) having an evaporator for cooling the hygroscopic liquid L to be used by the processor (10) and a condenser (22) for heating the hygroscopic liquid L flowing through the first hygroscopic-liquid pipe path (50). The regenerator (30) has: a first regeneration processing unit (31) and a second regeneration processing unit (34); a first tank (37) and a second tank (38) for containing the hygroscopic liquid L; and a heat source (44) for heating the hygroscopic liquid L to be supplied to the second regeneration processing unit (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Dyna-Air Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Hikoo Miyauchi, Yoshihiro Mikami
  • Patent number: 8175516
    Abstract: A communication terminal according to the invention aims at improving convenience by proper reflection of a user's intention changing in accordance with a status of the terminal. A portable phone terminal provided with a broadcast program reception function, including: a program reservation unit 31 for reserving a process for a broadcast program; a terminal status detection unit 42 for detecting a status of the terminal; and a terminal operation control unit 43 for performing control to correct the reserved process in accordance with the terminal status up to a predetermined point of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakao, Kouji Hatano, Toshio Yagi
  • Patent number: 8173064
    Abstract: Method for operating a shaft furnace, whereby an upper section of the shaft furnace is charged with raw materials which due to gravity descend inside the furnace while the atmosphere prevailing within the shaft furnace causes part of the raw materials to melt and/or to be reduced, and in a lower section of the shaft furnace a process gas is injected so as to at least partly modify the atmosphere prevailing in the shaft furnace. The pressure and/or volume flow of the injected process gas is dynamically modulated within a time span of 40 s. Also, a shaft furnace operable by said method, thus achieving improved through-gassing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Thyssenkrupp At.Pro Tec GmbH
    Inventors: Gerd König, Wolfram König, Hans-Heinrich Heldt, Dieter-Georg Senk, Heinrich-Wilhelm Gudenau, Alexander Babich
  • Patent number: 8174384
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling the read range of a portable RFID reader is provided. The system includes a trigger system including a mechanical actuator manually positionable by a user and a sensor for sensing the position of the actuator. The read range of the RFID reader is changed based on the sensing result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Psion Teklogix Inc.
    Inventor: Adrian Joseph Stagg
  • Patent number: 8173545
    Abstract: A microelectronic method for the fabrication of a transistor gate using a precursor material that is suitable for being broken down into at least one metallic material after having been exposed to an electron beam. The invention applies in particular to the fabrication of multi-channel transistors, of the FinFET, suspended-channel, ITS or GAA type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Thomas Ernst, Stéfan Landis
  • Patent number: 8172907
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the production of a biologically active prosthetic device for the reconstruction of bone tissue comprising the steps of: a CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) scan of the patient and obtaining a three-dimensional electronic model (1) of the part of the bone and of a bone defect (2) to be reconstructed; production by prototyping of a prototype resin model (3) of the area of the patient's bone involved, forming of a model (4), of the patient's bone defect to be reconstructed; construction of a netative mould (5), production of a ready sintered ceramic semi-finished product with controlled and interconnected porosity, said semi-finished product being made with dimensions and shape slightly larger than the bone defect; mechanical processing and manual finishing of the sintered semi-finished product, to obtain the precise dimensions and shape of the bone defect, the invention also relating to the prosthetic device obtained using the method described above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Fin-Ceramica Faenza S.p.A.
    Inventors: Roberta Martinetti, Angelo Nataloni, Andrea Belpassi
  • Patent number: 8166999
    Abstract: A use condition of gas equipment is monitored. An abnormality determination unit 26 determines whether or not a use flow volume obtained by detecting a flow velocity obtained by measuring a signal transfer time in a medium using a flow velocity detection unit 17 and converting the detected flow velocity into a flow volume using a flow volume calculation unit 25. When the shutoff unit 27 shuts off a fluid path 1 when it is determined that there is abnormality, a return signal is output from a return unit 28 to a shutoff unit 27 in order to use the gas again by opening the fluid path. Simultaneously, when a return time-counting unit 29 starts the time-counting operation, and then, a predetermined time period has been elapsed, the flow volume calculation unit 25 determines whether or not a predetermined flow volume of greater flows in order to identify whether or not all of the gas plugs of the gas equipment connected to the downstream of the gas shutoff apparatus 27 are closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kouichi Ueki, Shigetada Sazawa, Kazutaka Hamada, Mitsuo Namba, Fujio Hori, Sadamu Kawashima, Isao Masuda, Hisanori Yamashita, Kazutaka Asano
  • Patent number: 8166627
    Abstract: The prosthetic temporomandibular implant (10) comprises a concave surface (16) and a convex surface (17) designed to cooperate, respectively, with the natural outer surface (9) of the condyle (5) and the natural inner surface (7) of the fossa (8) of a damaged joint (2) of a human mandible (1). It is made of a rigid biocompatible material such as ceramic, stainless steel or an aluminum/zirconium alloy. The implant is designed based on an image of the joint (2) generated by a medical imaging system and incorporating an image of a healthy joint (3); these three-dimensional images are processed by a CAD (segmentation, vectorization) system to obtain a vector representation of the implant (10) and a data file capable of controlling a digital milling machine. The invention is applicable to the restoration of a damaged TMJ (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: OBL
    Inventor: Dominique Deffrennes
  • Patent number: 8167990
    Abstract: Nutritional or ingestible ink composition for ink jet printing comprising: a binder comprising at least 0.5% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the ink, of at least one zein; a solvent comprising at least 10% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the ink, of one or more nutritional or ingestible solvent(s); and at least 0.1% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the ink, of one or more nutritional or ingestible dye(s) and/or pigment(s). Dispersion of particles of at least one pigment in at least one polar solvent comprises at least one zein as dispersing agent to facilitate the dispersing of particles and stabilize the dispersion. A process for marking a substrate, in particular a foodstuff, by ink jet printing with the foregoing composition and substrate, for example eggshell, provided with such a marking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Markem-Imaje
    Inventor: Pierre De Saint-Romain
  • Patent number: 8170277
    Abstract: An automatic tracking apparatus is provided, which is capable of solving a failure occurred in an automatic tracking operation in connection with a zooming operation, and capable of tracking an object in a stable manner, while a zooming-up operation, or a zooming-down operation is carried out in a high speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Michimoto, Satoru Ooyabu
  • Patent number: 8169815
    Abstract: Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cell with a thermally assisted switching writing procedure and methods for manufacturing and using same. The MRAM cell includes a magnetic tunnel junction that has at least a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and an insulating layer disposed between the first and a second magnetic layers. The MRAM cell further includes a select transistor and a current line electrically connected to the junction. The current line advantageously can support a plurality of MRAM operational functions. The current line can fulfill a first function for passing a first portion of current for heating the junction and a second function for passing a second portion of current in order to switch the magnetization of the first magnetic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Crocus Technology S.A.
    Inventors: Virgile Javerliac, Neal Berger
  • Patent number: 8166577
    Abstract: Provided is a helmet including a half helmet-shaped helmet main body including a main body through hole at each side thereof; a shield that is rotated vertically at a front side of the helmet main body and inserted into the helmet main body and has a through hole at each end thereof so as to be detachably connected to the helmet main body; and a holder having a penetrating connection shaft at its lower surface, the penetrating connection shaft capable of being inserted through the main body through hole and the shield through hole from the outside of the helmet main body and connecting the shield to the helmet main body so as to be rotated vertically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: HJC Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang-Seob Lee
  • Patent number: 8166875
    Abstract: In supply of feedback data to improve a positional deviation quantity and a deviation state of a soldering paste printed on individual substrates held on the carrier, a plurality of average values of individual positional deviation for each of the individual substrates are obtained, and then, if the deviation value ?M indicating a difference between the maximum value Mmax and the minimum value Mmin of the plurality of average values M of individual positional deviation is less than or equal to the tolerance value ?(t), an intermediate value of the maximum value Mmax and the minimum value Mmin is obtained, and the positioning parameters of the mask plate and the carrier are corrected based on the intermediate value (Mmax+Mmin)/2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masafumi Inoue, Fumio Kikutsugi, Masahiro Kihara