Patents Examined by A. Thomas
  • Patent number: 8408090
    Abstract: An actuator mounting, in particular, a clutch or brake mounting for a vehicle, includes a mounting housing (3) with an attachment shell (2) for attaching the mounting to a handlebar or a similar steering element, a hand lever (8) supported to rotate on the mounting housing (3), and a mechanical or hydraulic force transmission device arranged on the mounting housing (3). The actuator mounting includes a carrier plate (9) supported on the rotational bearing (7) in common with the hand lever (8) as an intermediate transmission element with multiple functions. The carrier plate (9) has contact points (16, 32, 34) for applying force to or tensioning the hand lever (8), the force transmission device, and the mounting housing stop (35).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Gustav Magenwirth GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Franz Weiher
  • Patent number: 8408612
    Abstract: A locking device for a handle assembly of a motor vehicle door including a base and a handle portion includes a lock cup fixedly secured to the base and having a plurality of teeth. A spool is rotatably coupled to the lock cup and operably connected to the handle portion. The spool has a pawl rotatably mounted thereto and includes a pawl pin extending out therefrom. An inertia element is disposed within the lock cup and is rotatable out of a rest position upon rotation of the spool. The inertia element includes an elongated slot extending between first and second ends for receiving the pawl pin therewithin. A spring extends between the spool and the inertia element. The spring biases the inertia element towards the rest position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Intier Automotive Closures Inc
    Inventors: Krystof P. Jankowski, Ehab Khalid Kamal
  • Patent number: 8412453
    Abstract: A navigation device includes a base unit 10 which is mounted to a body of a vehicle, a front panel unit 14 which is detachably mounted to and connected to the base unit 10, the front panel unit having a navigation function of displaying map data on a front panel and displaying a location of the vehicle on the map data, and an authentication unit 30 which performs authentication to confirm that the base unit 10 and the front panel unit 14 have been connected to each other and, when confirmed, permits operation of an electrical control unit of the vehicle. The navigation device can be used as an antitheft device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Access Corp.
    Inventors: Yukihiko Suzaki, Yoshitaka Terasoma
  • Patent number: 8410053
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to improved methods for treatment or prophylaxis in animal subjects (including humans) of autoimmune disorders including Type I diabetes, septic shock, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Crohn's disease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignees: Trustees of Tufts College, Brigham & Women's Hospital
    Inventors: William W. Bachovchin, Vijay K. Kuchroo
  • Patent number: 8411253
    Abstract: A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions which cause a computer to execute processing steps that calculate a light intensity distribution formed on an image plane of a projection optical system. When executed, the medium causes a computer to execute the steps of dividing an effective light source into the plurality of areas, generating, for each of the plurality of areas, a plurality of shifted pupil functions by shifting a pupil function in accordance with a position of each of divided point sources, defining, for each of the plurality of areas, a matrix including the plurality of pupil functions, calculating, for each of the plurality of areas, eigenvalues and eigenfunctions by performing singular value decomposition of the matrix, and calculating, for each of the plurality of areas, the light intensity distribution based on a diffracted light distribution from the mask and the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Sekine, Kenji Yamazoe
  • Patent number: 8412391
    Abstract: Provided is a method and system for maneuvering a first spacecraft relative to a nearby second spacecraft that occupies a finite volume of space including obstacles in the vicinity of the second from a measured present relative position to a desired ending relative position. A trajectory is computed for the first spacecraft from the present relative position to the ending relative position using the A* algorithm. One or more thrusters of the first spacecraft are then fired. The first spacecraft's relative position and velocity are then measured and compared to the computed trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Princeton Satelitte Systems
    Inventors: Michael A. Paluszek, Pradeep Bhatta
  • Patent number: 8409278
    Abstract: The system is able to correct the spherical and cylindrical power as well as other aberrations of the optical pathway of both eyes of a person eliminating the need for multiple heavy glass lenses and mirrors. For correcting the refractive errors, the above described system is equipped with a diachroic mirror interposed in front of the system, to divert part of the light reflecting from the pupil to a Shack-Hartman wave front sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Inventors: Gholam A. Peyman, Nasser N. Peyghambariam, Randall L. Marks
  • Patent number: 8412873
    Abstract: A bridge circuit 10 is provided between first data port A1, A2 and second data port B1, B2. The bridge circuit comprises a first transceiver stage 40 comprising at least one input buffer 11, 14 and at least one tri-state output buffer 12, 13 linked to the first data port, a second transceiver stage 50 comprising at least one input buffer 21, 24 and at least one tri-state output buffer 12, 13 linked to the second data port, a first detection circuit 31 for detecting the arrival of a packet by the first data port, a second detection circuit 37 for detecting the arrival of a packet by the second data port. A selection circuitry 34, 35 enables the output of tri-state output buffer of the first or of the second transceiver stage depending of the detection made by the first and second detection circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignees: Gemalto SA, Invia SAS
    Inventors: Robert Leydier, Alain Pomet, Benjamin Duval
  • Patent number: 8411413
    Abstract: An EDLC device in which the double layer capacitors themselves are produced lithographically. The resultant EDLC can be of any capacitance and voltage combination for a particular application. The entire lithographically formed entity can be housed in a single container and rated according to its capacitance and voltage standoff characteristics. Through material control processes, the electrochemical composites developed onto the current collector is unilaterally equalized, providing the desired distributed voltage standoffs, thus promoting the ability to design high voltage independent cells without the normal electronic balancing circuitry associated with multiple series-connected electrochemical cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Ioxus, Inc.
    Inventor: Thor E. Eilertsen
  • Patent number: 8410676
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a sheet-shaped heat and light source. The sheet-shaped heat and light source includes a carbon nanotube layer and at least two electrodes. The at least two electrodes are separately disposed on the carbon nanotube layer and electrically connected thereto. Moreover, a method for making the sheet-shaped heat and light source and a method for heating an object adopting the same are also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignees: Beijing Funate Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chen Feng, Peng Liu, Kai-Li Jiang, Yang Wei, Shou-Shan Fan
  • Patent number: 8411820
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents, in various aspects and embodiments, a 3D X-ray microscopy imaging technique. Some aspects are directed to various embodiments of an apparatus for use in such a technique, such as an X-ray microscopy imaging system. Other aspects are directed to various embodiments of a method for use in such a technique, like a method for generating an X-ray image that has a grayscale response proportional to range. Some, though not all, aspects of the technique are computer-implemented, and so include encoded program storage media, programmed computing apparatuses, and computer-implemented methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corp.
    Inventors: Mark K. Browder, J. Richard Wood, William B. Shores
  • Patent number: 8412412
    Abstract: A vehicle communication system including a master ECU and multiple slave ECUs is disclosed. Each slave ECU initializes its storage medium if an abnormality occurs in the storage medium, and transmits a stored vehicle common information element. Some of the multiple slave ECUs are volatile memory slave ECUs in which the storage medium is a volatile memory. If the master ECU receives the common information elements from all of the volatile memory slave ECUs, and if at least one but not all of the received common information elements has an initialized initial value, the master ECU determines that a memory abnormality has occurred in the storage medium of the volatile memory slave ECU in which the common information element has the initialized initial value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Fukuta
  • Patent number: 8407990
    Abstract: An evaporation unit for evaporating an aqueous solution including at least one reducing agent precursor, includes at least one evaporator cavity defined by a wall made of a material containing titanium. A heat-imparting layer disposed outside the evaporator cavity is made of a material having a thermal conductivity of at least 100 W/mK (Watts per meter and Kelvin) and is connected to the evaporator cavity in a heat-conducting manner. A heating layer disposed outside the heat-imparting layer is connected in a materially integral manner to the heat-imparting layer. The evaporator unit can be controlled in a highly dynamic manner, thereby enabling a sufficiently high amount of ammonia to be produced even during rapid load changes and consequently significant increases in the concentration of nitric oxide in the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine. A device and a motor vehicle having the evaporation unit are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: EMITEC Gesellschaft fuer Emissionstechnologie mbH
    Inventors: Rolf Brück, Jan Hodgson, Sven Schepers, Christian Vorsmann, Marc Brugger
  • Patent number: 8408214
    Abstract: A method for implanting a prosthetic valve apparatus in a novel location which replaces the function of a native diseased valve. The prosthetic valve apparatus includes a one way valve and an expandable valve seating. anchoring and securing apparatus in a newly created orifice near or at the center of the anterior valve leaflet. The prosthetic valve apparatus also causes the sealing of the native valve and thus results in a solution for paravalvular leakage and regurgitation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Inventor: Benjamin Spenser
  • Patent number: 8411404
    Abstract: An overvoltage protection plug is disclosed. The overvoltage protection plug includes a protection plug body formed from a chassis and a housing and defining an interior volume, the protection plug body including an insertion portion and a handle. The overvoltage protection plug further includes a gas tube located within the interior volume, the gas tube electrically connected to metallic leads protruding through the body at the insertion portion. The overvoltage protection plug also includes a grounding plate electrically connected to a ground pin of the gas tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: ADC Telecommunications, Inc.
    Inventor: Cyle D. Petersen
  • Patent number: 8412456
    Abstract: Techniques for loosely coupling a Global Navigation Satellite System (“GNSS”) and an Inertial Navigation System (“INS”) integration are disclosed herein. A system includes a GNSS receiver, an INS, and an integration filter coupled to the GNSS receiver and the INS. The GNSS receiver is configured to provide GNSS navigation information comprising GNSS receiver position and/or velocity estimates. The INS is configured to provide INS navigation information based on an inertial sensor output. The integration filter is configured to provide blended position information comprising a blended position estimate and/or a blended velocity estimate by combining the GNSS navigation information and the INS navigation information, and to estimate and compensate at least one of a speed scale-factor and a heading bias of the INS navigation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventor: June Chul Roh
  • Patent number: 8409833
    Abstract: It is intended to provide a novel NAD+-independent myo-inositol 2-dehydrogenase which converts myo-inositol into scyllo-inosose in the absence of NAD+; a novel enzyme scyllo-inositol dehydrogenase which stereospecifically reduces scyllo-inosose into scyllo-inositol in the presence of NADH or NADPH; and a novel microorganism which belongs to the genus Acetobacter or Burkholderia and can convert myo-inositol into scyllo-inositol. By using these enzymes or the microorganism, scyllo-inositol is produced. Furthermore, scyllo-inositol is purified by adding boric acid and a metal salt to a liquid mixture containing scyllo-inositol and a neutral saccharide other than scyllo-inositol to form a scyllo-inositol/boric acid complex, separating the complex from the liquid mixture, dissolving the thus separated complex in an acid to give an acidic solution or an acidic suspension and then purifying scyllo-inositol from the acidic solution or the acidic suspension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Hokko Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Yamaguchi, Yuichi Kita, Tetsuya Mori, Kenji Kanbe, Akihiro Tomoda, Atsushi Takahashi, Wakako Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 8408807
    Abstract: A thermal compensation element that generates an optimal bearing pre-load. The thermal compensation element has a bearing housing with a recess, a bearing outer ring arranged at least partially within the recess, a bearing shaft with a bearing inner ring arranged axially inward of the bearing outer ring, a piston with an outer sealing ring fixed in the recess axially between the bearing housing and the bearing outer ring, and a fluid supply port. The port increases or decreases pressure at the piston via a pressurized medium, allowing adjustable axial forces applied to the end of the hearing shaft by the piston to generate optimal bearing pre-load conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventor: Jordan Miles
  • Patent number: 8410559
    Abstract: A shallow trench isolation structure is formed in a semiconductor substrate adjacent to an active semiconductor region. A selective self-assembling oxygen barrier layer is formed on the surface of the shallow trench isolation structure that includes a dielectric oxide material. The formation of the selective self-assembling oxygen barrier layer is selective in that it is not formed on the surface the active semiconductor region having a semiconductor surface. The selective self-assembling oxygen barrier layer is a self-assembled monomer layer of a chemical which is a derivative of alkylsilanes including at least one alkylene moiety. The silicon containing portion of the chemical forms polysiloxane, which is bonded to surface silanol groups via Si—O—Si bonds. The monolayer of the chemical is the selective self-assembling oxygen barrier layer that prevents diffusion of oxygen to a high dielectric constant material layer that is subsequently deposited as a gate dielectric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Zhengwen Li, Antonio L. P. Rotondaro, Mark R. Visokay
  • Patent number: D679178
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: British American Tobacco (Holdings) Limited
    Inventors: David Robert Villiers, Paul Hodges