Patents Examined by A. Roberts
  • Media delivery platform
    Patent number: 7548875
    Abstract: A improved method for delivery and play back of sound and image files is provided, including the use of the files as alerts for various electronic devices or for playing on a handheld device. Algorithms are provided for the delivery, storage, and playback of sound files, including a delivery method algorithm, a parametric optimization and compression algorithm, and an error correction algorithm. The files may be selected from and downloaded to the electronic device with or without the use of a worldwide network connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Inventors: John Mikkelsen, Robert Freidson
  • Use of probiotic lactic acid bacteria for balancing the skin's immune system
    Patent number: 7547527
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to the use of probiotics for the preparation of a carrier for balancing the skin's immune function. In particular, the present invention pertains to the use of probiotic micro-organisms for balancing the skin's immune function under stress conditions, such as a exposure to ultraviolet radiation, specifically for enhancing the skin's immune activity and reducing the tendency to develop allergic reactions under such conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Inventors: Markus Baur, Lionel Breton, Francois Couzy, Audrey Gueniche
  • Drive device driving a plurality of semiconductor elements having respective reference potential electrodes coupled via a main electrode unit and alternating current power supply device provided with the drive device
    Patent number: 7547992
    Abstract: A first bypass circuit has first and second nodes. The first load circuit is connected between the first node and a signal input terminal of the second drive circuit. The second load circuit has substantially the same impedance as the first load circuit, and is connected between the second node and the reference potential terminal of the second drive circuit. The first drive circuit has the same reference potential as the input buffer. The second bypass circuit passes a signal of a predetermined frequency or higher between a current path formed between the first load circuit and the signal input terminal of the second drive circuit and a current path formed between the second load circuit and the reference potential terminal of the second drive circuit. The first bypass circuit passes a signal of a predetermined frequency or higher between the first and second nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuaki Hiyama
  • Air induction system with hydrocarbon trap assembly
    Patent number: 7547350
    Abstract: A hydrocarbon trap that includes a sheet paper element and a plurality of fingers. The paper element is at least partially formed of a material capable of adsorbing and desorbing gaseous hydrocarbons. The paper element is arranged into a plurality of adjacent sheet members. The fingers are disposed between and support adjacent pairs of the sheet members so that each adjacent pair of the sheet members forms a flow channel. A method for filtering gaseous hydrocarbons from an air flow is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Miniature Precision Components, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas J Callahan, Mark T Van de Bogert
  • Autonomic recovery from hardware errors in an input/output fabric
    Patent number: 7549090
    Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method propagate errors detected in an IO fabric element from an IO fabric that is used to couple a plurality of endpoint IO resources to processing elements in a computer. In particular, such errors are propagated to the endpoint IO resources affected by the IO fabric element in connection with recovering from the errors in the IO fabric element. By doing so, a device driver or other program code used to access each affected IO resources may be permitted to asynchronously recover from the propagated error in its associated IO resource, and often without requiring the recovery from the error in the IO fabric element to wait for recovery to be completed for each of the affected IO resources. In addition, an IO fabric may be dynamically configured to support both recoverable and non-recoverable endpoint IO resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Alan Bailey, Trung Ngoc Nguyen, Gregory Michael Nordstrom, Kanisha Patel, Steven Mark Thurber
  • Method and apparatus for jet-fluid abrasive cutting
    Patent number: 7546876
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for down hole abrasive jet-fluid cutting, the apparatus includes a jet-fluid nozzle and a high pressure pump capable of delivering a high-pressure abrasive fluid mixture to the jet-fluid nozzle, an abrasive fluid mixing unit capable of maintaining and providing a coherent abrasive fluid mixture, a tube to deliver the high pressure coherent abrasive mixture down hole to the jet-fluid nozzle, a jetting shoe adapted to receive the jet-fluid nozzle and directing abrasive jet-fluid mixture towards a work piece, a jetting shoe controlling unit that manipulates the jetting shoe along a vertical and horizontal axis and a central processing unit having a memory unit capable of storing profile generation data for cutting a predefined shape or window profile in the work piece and coordinating the operation of various subsystems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Alberta Energy Partners
    Inventor: Wesley Mark McAfee
  • Fixing unit including heat roller with tubular heater and fitting surface
    Patent number: 7548719
    Abstract: A fixing unit includes: a casing; a heat roller that is rotatably supported and that supplies heat for fixing; and a tubular heater disposed in parallel in the heat roller along an axis thereof. The tubular heater includes a lead wire having a protruding end portion protruding outwardly from an axial end portion thereof. In addition, the tubular heater includes a flat terminal having one face thereof connected and fixed to the protruding end portion. Moreover, a fitting surface for fixing the flat terminal is formed in the casing. The fitting surface is arranged to be flat in an area excluding an area in which the protruding end portion is disposed and is provided with a clearance for storing the protruding end portion. Further, the flat terminal is fixed to the fitting surface with the one face of the flat terminal facing the fitting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ito, Kunihiko Ishii
  • Fuel-circulating fuel cell system
    Patent number: 7547481
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack 1 in a fuel-circulating fuel cell system is supplied with fuel and an oxidizing agent to generate electricity. The fuel discharged from the fuel cell stack 1 is supplied to the fuel cell stack 1 again through a fuel-circulating passage 6. In the fuel-circulating passage 6 is provided a fuel pump 3 powered from an outside source to circulate the fuel through the fuel-circulating passage 6 at a predetermined circulation rate. An ECU 4 transmits an output instruction value to the fuel cell stack 1 and regulates a circulation rate of the fuel in the fuel-circulating passage 6 according to the output instruction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuya Sugawara, Hiroshi Shimanuki
  • Epoxy resin hardener of anhydride copolymer and anhydride-elastomer copolymer
    Patent number: 7547745
    Abstract: A hardener composition useful for curing epoxy resins including a blend of (a) a carboxylic anhydride which is a copolymer of an ethylenically unsaturated anhydride and a vinyl compound; (b) a copolymer of an ethylenically unsaturated anhydride and an elastomer; and optionally (c) a stabilizing agent such as a block copolymer to prevent phase separation of components (a) and (b). The hardener composition is particularly useful in electrical laminates applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Dow Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Ludovic Valette
  • Ceramic filter
    Patent number: 7547342
    Abstract: A ceramic filter having a honeycomb structure 10 having a large number of cells which are extending in the longitudinal direction and which are alternatively plugged on an exhaust gas G inlet side end face 10a and an exhaust gas G outlet side end face 10b to form plugged portions. The depth of the inlet side plugged portions (filler 16) is formed deeper than that of the outlet side plugged portions (filler 16). Since the exhaust gas G tends to have a decreased turbulent flow and an increased laminar flow on the inlet side, a partial accumulation of Oil-Ash on portions near an outlet side end face can be inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takashi Mizutani
  • Equipment air filter assembly
    Patent number: 7547341
    Abstract: A filter assembly for a structure having an air intake, the filter assembly including a filter media that is sized and shaped to cover the air intake. The ends of the filter media are connected by an elastic fastener, such that the filter media and the fastener encircle the structure and are under tension to hold the filter assembly on the structure. The filter media is a web of synthetic fibers, such as a web of fibers woven in a 3-dimensional pattern or a nonwoven mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Inventor: Leslye Sandberg
  • System and method of configuring a database system with replicated data and automatic failover and recovery
    Patent number: 7549079
    Abstract: A graphical user interface based method of configuring automatic failover from a primary database system to a standby database system that is coupled to the primary database system by a network. Also coupled to the network is an observer process that is independent of the database systems and that initiates the failover process. The observer periodically pings the database systems to determine whether a failover is necessary. The graphical user interface permits a user to specify the primary and secondary database systems, configure the observer, and specify conditions under which a failover may occur and to enable automatic failover. A failover context is created from the inputs to the GUI and stored in persistent storage belonging to the database systems. If the Observer's context is stale, the Observer fetches the database system's context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Sean Connolly, Gary Allison, Jiangbin Luo, Nitin Yashwant Karkhanis, Stephen John Vivian, Michael Seward Harvey
  • Common mode rejection ratio trim circuit and methodology
    Patent number: 7548115
    Abstract: An operational amplifier circuit includes an input differential circuit and a trim circuit for sensing the operational amplifier's input common mode voltage and generating an offset correction voltage in response thereto. The trim circuit reduces the amplifier's offset voltage dependence on input common mode voltage, and hence improves the common mode rejection ratio of the operational amplifier circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Linear Technology Corporation
    Inventor: Hengsheng Liu
  • Piste grooming apparatus for a motor vehicle, in particular a track-laying vehicle
    Patent number: 7546700
    Abstract: A piste grooming apparatus for a motor vehicle, in particular a track-laying vehicle, includes a cutter support which can be adjusted relative to the motor vehicle about a plurality of axes and which has a cutting shaft arrangement that is arranged rotatably in an impact housing. A smoothing mechanism is arranged—as seen in the forward direction of travel of the motor vehicle—behind the cutting shaft arrangement and is held in an adjustable manner. The impact housing and the cutting shaft arrangement are held on the cutter support in a manner such that they can be adjusted about a pivot axis which—as seen in the forward direction of travel of the motor vehicle—lies behind an axis of rotation of the cutting shaft arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Kaessbohrer Gelaendefahrzeug AG
    Inventors: Scott A. Westmont, Franz Beer, Gerd Friedmann, Hans-Martin Nusser
  • Modulation of an RF transmit signal
    Patent number: 7548133
    Abstract: To modulate the frequency of a signal to be transmitted, the biasing voltage applied to a terminal of a transistor is dynamically modulated. To achieve this, the pulse width or a pulse amplitude of a control signal is modulated. Alternatively, a multi-bit control signal may be used to perform the modulation. The frequency of the transmitted signal is optionally modulated by varying the temperature of a oscillator. To vary this temperature, the current flowing through one or more resistive elements positioned in proximity of the oscillator is varied in response to the pulse width or amplitude of a second control signal. The temperature may also be changed by varying a multi-bit control signal. As the level of this current flow varies, the amount of heat emitted by the resistors vary, thereby changing the temperature of the oscillator which has a non-zero temperature coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Preco Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas Todd Hayden
  • Tubular skylight dome with variable prism
    Patent number: 7546709
    Abstract: The inside surface of a cover for a skylight is molded to have a variable prism that directs low-angle light into the skylight tube and that reflects away some high-angle light, to achieve a more constant light output over the course of the day. The prism is established by a series of circular parallel grooves, with grooves nearer the apex of the cover having cross-sections that are different than the cross-sections of grooves nearer the periphery of the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Solatube International, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Jaster, John Futhey
  • Method for supplying passengers of an aircraft with an oxygen-rich gas mixture
    Patent number: 7547349
    Abstract: Methods of supplying an oxygen rich mixture to the occupants of an aircraft. The mixture is produced through a pressure swing adsorption system which has both an adsorption/production phase and a desorption/regeneration phase. The duration of one cycle of the adsorption system is less than ten seconds. The system makes use of a high-performance adsorbent which has a particle size of less than about 0.8 mm. The feed air which is introduced to the system has an inlet temperature between 50° C. and 90° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: L'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme a Directoire et Conseil de Surveillance pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude
    Inventor: Stéphane Lessi
  • Protective eyewear
    Patent number: D594500
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Inventors: Christine K. Hogan, Howard E. Hogan
  • Diverter valve
    Patent number: D594531
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Alsons Corporation
    Inventors: Dominic J. Daunter, Daniel S. Genord, Michael Miller, Julian Giggs
  • Faucet
    Patent number: D594533
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Hansgrohe AG
    Inventors: Tom Schoenherr, Anke Salomon