Patents Assigned to "A" Company
  • Frangible portion of one-time-use camera must be broken to open camera, which leaves hold to discourage unauthorized recycling
    Patent number: 5905915
    Abstract: A one-time-use camera comprising a main body part, and a cover part connected to the main body part which at least partially covers the main body part, is characterized in that a continuous line of weakness circumscribes a predetermined portion of the main body part or cover part to permit the predetermined portion to be broken away from the main body part or cover part along the continuous line of weakness and leave a hole in the main body part or cover part in the place of the predetermined portion, and the cover part is connected to the main body part at the predetermined portion to cause the predetermined portion to be broken away from the main body part or cover part when the main body part and the cover part are forcibly pulled apart.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Bernd Wagner
  • Water-in-oil emulsion spread
    Patent number: 5904949
    Abstract: A fat continuous spread is described having up to about 65 wt % fat and a dispersed aqueous phase which contains an amylose containing gelling starch characterized by a G'.sub.eq of 400 dyne/cm.sup.2 or greater and a critical strain value (.gamma.cr) of 12 or greater at 10.degree. C. provided the starch is prepared at a concentration having an anhydrous starch solid content of 10 wt %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Van den Bergh Foods Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.
    Inventors: Podutoori Ravinder Reddy, Peter Trzasko, James Kasica, Judith Jackson
  • Automatic laparoscopic ligation clip applicator
    Patent number: 5904693
    Abstract: A laparoscopic ligation clip applicator for automatically applying a plurality of ligation clips includes a handle assembly having an actuator, an elongated shaft connected to the handle assembly, and an actuating mechanism disposed within the shaft. The actuating mechanism includes a clamp for engaging a first piece of the ligation clip and a slidable driver for driving a second piece of the ligation clip relative to the first piece. The actuating mechanism also includes a hold for preventing rearward movement of the ligation clips, and an advancer for sequentially feeding the ligation clips. A slidable cam, operably connected to the handle assembly, actuates the clamp, the driver and the advancer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: American Cyanamid Company
    Inventors: Paul C. Dicesare, Jeffrey A. Stein, William J. Allen, Joseph N. Logan, John A. Conners
  • Vanadyl pyrophosphate oxidation catalyst precursors
    Patent number: 5905052
    Abstract: Vanadyl pyrophosphate oxidation catalyst precursors comprise vanadium phosphate esters of the formula(VO)(((R.sub.1-x /H.sub.x)OPO.sub.3).multidot.((ROH).sub.y /(H.sub.2 O).sub.z)wherein, R is an alkyl group capable of bonding, through oxygen, to phosphorus to form a phosphate ester; x is 0 to about 0.5; y is 0-1.0; z is 0-1.25; and y+z is 0-1.25 are particularly useful for the selective oxidation of butane to maleic anhydride and readily thermally decompose to form the vanadyl pyrophosphate oxidation catalysts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Harold Saul Horowitz, Eugene Michael McCarron, III
  • Dark gray colored glass
    Patent number: 5905047
    Abstract: A dark gray colored glass comprising 100 parts by weight of a soda lime silicate glass as a matrix component and coloring components consisting essentially of from 0.8 to 1.5 parts by weight of total iron calculated as Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, from 0.1 to 0.3 part by weight of FeO, from 0 to 1.0 part by weight of TiO.sub.2, from 0.0005 to 0.015 part by weight of Se, from 0.02 to 0.05 part by weight of CoO and from 0.002 to 0.05 part by weight of Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Mizuki Sasage, Takashi Kijima
  • Optical fiber coupling system
    Patent number: 5905828
    Abstract: An optical fiber coupling system has high insertion loss repeatability. A lens expands the mode size of a source fiber connected to a test instrument or other source, reducing insertion loss sensitivity to positional and angular alignment of the bare input fiber with the source fiber. Index matching fluid reduces the effect of the cleave angle of the input fiber on insertion loss. The optical fiber coupling system is calibrated by substituting a through fiber of similar type and length in place of the input fiber. According to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, a capillary tube contains the index matching fluid. According to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the index matching fluid is contained in a reservoir enabling optical signals to be coupled to optical components having multiple input fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Roger Lee Jungerman
  • Flexible lightweight attached phased-array (FLAP) receive coils
    Patent number: 5905378
    Abstract: One or more flexible magnetic Resonance (MR) receive coils are constructed of a flexible material and connected to a flexible base to produce a module. Each module has the coils overlapping by a predetermined amount to minimize coupling between the coils. The modules may be connected by attachment means placed at predefined locations to cause overlap of adjacent coils such that the coupling is minimized. Balanced-unbalanced ("baluns") may be used to couple each receive coil to its lead cable connecting it to the MR imaging electronics. The baluns effectively isolate the coils from the cables and each other to optimize signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Randy Otto Giaquinto, Charles Lucian Dumoulin
  • Automatic speech recognition
    Patent number: 5905971
    Abstract: Speech recognition is carried out by matching parameterized speech with a dynamically extended network of paths comprising model linguistic elements (12b, 12c). The units are context related, e.g. triphones. Some elements cannot be converted to models at the time when it is necessary to incorporate the element into the paths because the context is not defined at the relevant time. In order to allow transfer the element is transferred as a place marker (21, 22, 23 24) which is converted when a later extension completes the definition of the triphone. The place markers (12a) can be used to identify the locations for subsequent extensions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: British Telecommunications public limited company
    Inventor: Simon Alexander Hovell
  • Chloride bromide and iodide nucleation of high chloride (100) tabular grain emulsion
    Patent number: 5905022
    Abstract: A process of preparing a photographically useful high chloride {100} tabular grain emulsion is disclosed. The grain characteristics of the emulsion are improved by interrupting precipitation of the grain nuclei used to prepare the emulsion by performing a halide conversion step in which a molar ratio of iodide ion to bromide ion in the range of from 1.times.10.sup.-4 :1 to 5.times.10.sup.-2 :1 is employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Joe E. Maskasky, Victor P. Scaccia
  • Method of controlling electric motor torque in an electric vehicle
    Patent number: 5905349
    Abstract: A method of controlling electric motor torque in an electric vehicle for improved vehicle performance and energy conservation includes receiving a throttle torque request and a brake torque request, and sensing the speed of the vehicle. The brake torque request is split into a creep cancellation component and a brake regenerative component. The throttle torque request is adjusted based upon the creep cancellation component and the brake regenerative component to produce a torque sum. The electric motor torque is then controlled based upon the torque sum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Kenneth James Farkas, Mukunda V. Prema, Jack H. Xu
  • Reactor core shroud repair using splice plate to bridge weld seam
    Patent number: 5905771
    Abstract: An apparatus for repairing a shroud in which one or more seam welds are cracked. The repair involves the attachment of a splice bracket to the shroud so that the bracket bridges the cracked weld seam and is applicable to both vertical and horizontal weld seams. The bracket is intended to structurally replace the shroud seam weld which is cracked. Multiple splice brackets can be placed along the length of a crack. Each splice bracket is attached to the shroud by a plurality of tapered fastener assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Geddes Erbes, Grant Clark Jensen, James Edward Charnley
  • Method for continuously adjusting the architecture of a neural network used in elevator dispatching
    Patent number: 5904227
    Abstract: A method for adapting to observed special use patterns a neural network used to estimate quantities needed by an elevator dispatching system responsible for assigning the elevator or another elevator to a hall call. Rather than simply refining values of existing connection weights to train the neural network to provide acceptable outputs for predetermined inputs, the method analyzes use information to determine whether additional inputs to the neural network might be advantageous and what those inputs might be. If so, the method alters the neural network architecture by providing new input nodes and corresponding connection weights, the connection weights having initially relatively small values. All connection weights can then be adjusted during actual operation of the elevator to accommodate the new input nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Bradley L. Whitehall, Theresa M. Christy
  • Method and system for digital watermarking
    Patent number: 5905800
    Abstract: A method for applying a digital watermark to a content signal is disclosed. In accordance with such a method, a watermarking key is identified. The watermarking key includes a binary sequence and information describing application of that binary sequence to the content signal. The digital watermark is then encoded within the content signal at one or more locations determined by the watermarking key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: The Dice Company
    Inventors: Scott A. Moskowitz, Marc Cooperman
  • Insulated metallic strip and method for producing same
    Patent number: 5904953
    Abstract: An insulated metallic strip suitable for use in the coils of power transformers and method of producing the same. Following the extrusion of a flat metallic strip of conductive material for winding into a magnet coil, the flat strip having a predetermined thickness and first and second sides bounded by a pair of fully rounded edges, the method of insulating the strip of conductive material by supporting the flat strip in a level state at a predetermined temperature in a vacuum chamber and while in the vacuum chamber applying a liquid coating of resin to the entire first side of the strip and the pair of rounded edges and extending onto the second side of the strip from each of the edges a distance at least as great as about 0.25" to prevent turn to turn discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: ABB Power T&D Company Inc
    Inventors: Thomas L. Linsenbardt, Norris L. Hill, Hoan Duy Le
  • Planarized metallurgy structure for a semiconductor and process of fabrication
    Patent number: 5905289
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a metallurgy system is described wherein a first level of metallurgy is formed, having a plurality of close uniformly spaced conductive line of a predetermined width, and wherein there are included larger gaps between the conductive lines. The areas in the larger gaps are filled with dummy lines, where the gap is equal to or greater than three times the feature size or alternatively the width of the conductive lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Jin-Yuan Lee
  • Minimal circuit for detecting loss of precision in floating point numbers
    Patent number: 5905663
    Abstract: A circuit and method for detecting when converting a number from a floating point format to a fixed point format will result in a loss of precision. All bits but the most significant bit of the exponent of the floating point number are inverted. This results in a transformed exponent that is input to a comparator. The mantissa of the floating point number is input to a signed trailing one detector (STOD). The STOD outputs a signed number that indicates the bit position of the least significant logical "1" in the mantissa, plus a bias number. The bias number is chosen to be the number of bits in the fractional part of the fixed point format minus the number of bits in the mantissa. The output of the STOD is input to the other input of the comparator. The output of the comparator indicates whether or not a loss of precision occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: Mary Louise Nash
  • Threshold microswitch and a manufacturing method thereof
    Patent number: 5905241
    Abstract: A threshold microswitch includes a movable electrode, realizing an initial deflection by a difference in residual stresses; an upper electrode, provided at a fixed distance from the movable electrode; and a support mechanism, including a movable electrode support portion which supports both ends of the movable electrode such that a snap-through buckling phenomenon can be used when the movable electrode receives a threshold load. An upper electrode support portion supports the upper electrode such that switching with the movable electrode is realized when the same undergoes snap-through buckling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Kwanhum Park, Youngho Gho, Jeungsang Go, Byungman Kwak
  • Apparatus and method for monitoring a plurality of parallel loads having a common supply
    Patent number: 5905439
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for monitoring parallel loads on a common supply. An intermittent AC current is supplied to a plurality of load devices disposed in parallel on the common supply. A current sensor senses the current supplied to the load devices and provides a corresponding signal to a comparator. The comparator compares the sensed current with two values: a threshold load level of current corresponding to the operation of the plurality of load devices, and a threshold current level. An error signal is generated by a controller if the sensed current level is less than the threshold current level and if the sensed current is less than the threshold load level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Dennis A. McIntyre
  • Container
    Patent number: D409834
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: The Rockport Company, Inc.
    Inventor: Jong Yang
  • Lid for a roll out trash cart
    Patent number: D410125
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Rehrig Pacific Company
    Inventors: J.B. Rehrig, William P. Apps, Roger S. Hsu