Patents Examined by John Barlow
  • Patent number: 7155361
    Abstract: A system and method for semiconductor test management. A second computer receives a scrap rule from a first computer, acquires an initial scrap threshold corresponding to the scrap rule, stores the scrap rule as a SBC/SBL (Statistic BIN Control/Statistic BIN Limit) rule when a scrap condition therein is less or equally restrictive than the initial scrap threshold, acquires a CP (Circuit Probing) test result for a wafer or wafer lot and generates an advisory report for the wafer or wafer lot by carrying the CP test result into the stored SBC/SBL rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Joshua Huang
  • Patent number: 7155364
    Abstract: A measuring instrument (1) has an arm (4) having a detector at a distal end thereof, and an arm guide (53) supporting the arm (4) in a manner movable in the axial direction thereof, the measuring instrument measuring a dimension of a workpiece based on the position of the detector. The arm (4) includes a main arm (41) and a sub-arm (42) that are sequentially arranged in the arm guide (53) and are supported in a manner movable relative to a former component thereof. The measuring instrument (1) has a synchronous driver (54) for moving the main arm (41) on the base side and the sub-arm (42) located next to the main arm (41) in the axial direction of the main arm (41).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshikazu Muraoka
  • Patent number: 7152007
    Abstract: A system for investigating a sample, the system including a detector having non-linear current voltage characteristics and being configured to mix two radiation signals having frequencies in the range from 25 GHz to 100 THz, one of the signals being a local oscillator signal and the other signal being a sample signal carrying information about the sample being investigated, the system further having a quantum cascade laser for providing at least the local oscillator signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Tera View Limited
    Inventors: Donald Dominic Arnone, Craig Michael Ciesla, Bryan Edward Cole, Stefano Barbieri
  • Patent number: 7152004
    Abstract: A system and method for calculating the flow rate of a dispensing point or flow capacity of a pump and fuel delivery system and determining if the dispensing point or fuel delivery system has a blockage and/or a performance problem if the calculated dispensing point flow rate is other than expected. The calculated dispensing flow rate is calculated by collecting fuel tank level data points for a dispensing point that fall within start and stop events of the dispensing event. The slope of a fitted line to the fuel tank level data points is used as the indication of the flow rate of the dispensing point. Different mathematical techniques may be used to improve the flow rate calculation to compensate for the minimum resolution of collecting fuel tank level data and the dead time included in the data of a dispensing transaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Veeder-Root Company
    Inventors: Donald S. Reichler, Adriano Baglioni, Thomas C. Zalenski, Robert P. Hart, Richard K. Lucas
  • Patent number: 7152014
    Abstract: An input device includes a sensor configured to generate a signal related to a change in inertia around at least one axis of the input device in response to a contacting of the input device. A processor is configured to receive the signal from the sensor to determine whether the change in inertia around the at least one axis of the input device corresponds to a tapping of the input device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2006
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Won-chul Bang, Dong-yoon Kim, Jong-koo Oh, Joon-kee Cho, Kyoung-ho Kang, Sung-jung Cho, Eun-seok Choi, Wook Chang
  • Patent number: 7149647
    Abstract: A position pointing device includes a resonant circuit, a resonance-characteristic control circuit for controlling characteristics of the resonant circuit in accordance with pointing-device information at timing synchronized with at least part of an electromagnetic wave that is intermittently transmitted from a tablet and for returning the pointing-device information to the tablet, a clock oscillator circuit for generating a clock signal for driving the resonance-characteristic control circuit, and clock starting means for stopping an operation of the clock oscillator circuit when a start condition is set and for starting the operation of the clock oscillator circuit when the resonant circuit generates a signal specified by the start condition. The position pointing device further includes start-condition setting means for setting the start condition in the clock starting means at timing in accordance with an operation of the resonance-characteristic control circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Wacom Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuji Katsurahira
  • Patent number: 7149645
    Abstract: A device and method for continually monitoring multiple thermal sensors located at hotspots across a processor. The sensors are connected to a sensor cycling and selection block located at a periphery of the die. The output from the sensor selection block is converted into a digital temperature code. Based on the digital temperature code, thermal events trigger various thermal controls. The thermal event triggers may be software-programmable, providing flexible temperature management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Kedar Mangrulkar, Sanjeev Jahagirdar, Varghese George, Venkatesh Prasanna, Inder Sodhi
  • Patent number: 7149646
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a pilot indicator for a rotorcraft provided with a main rotor and at least one gas turbine engine. The indicator has first and second sensors delivering information relating respectively to a first speed of rotation Nr corresponding to said main rotor, and a second speed of rotation NTL corresponding to the free turbine of said engine. The indicator is also provided with display means provided with a display screen for displaying the first and second present values respectively for the first and second speeds of rotation Nr and NTL. In addition, said processor means determines an estimated value for the first speed of rotation Nr.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Eurocopter
    Inventor: Bernard Certain
  • Patent number: 7149634
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of determining an elastic modulus of a material having a Poisson's ratio v by a Berkovich indenter having an elastic modulus E; a Poisson's ratio v, and a cross sectional area A(h) as a function of depth are provided. The method and apparatus model the Berkovich indenter with a conical shape and a spherical cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
    Inventors: Dejun Ma, Chung-Wo Ong
  • Patent number: 7146284
    Abstract: System and method are implemented to allow phase lock loop (PLL) status testing during a Serializer/Deserializer (SERDES) internal loopback built-in self-test (BIST). An existing pseudo random binary sequence (PRBS) data generator is modified to include a mode that produces a data pattern having a frequency content low enough to be verified on the tester used at the probe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jesse Jonghyuk Ko, Shaun Lytollis
  • Patent number: 7142997
    Abstract: A computer controlled solid-state switching power factor corrector, which senses the phase angle of each phase of the current as well as the voltage and automatically aligns the current phase angle to the voltage phase angle. This power factor correction is designed to update at the frequency of the power line and to provide a large number of discrete steps of correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Tripac Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Edward D. Widner
  • Patent number: 7142985
    Abstract: Wireline depths are estimated using cable depth measurements and accelerometer depth measurements made over a time interval encompassing the time for which the wireline depth is being estimated. A least squares smoothing filter or a weighted least squares smoothing filter may be used. Problems caused by washouts in the borehole are also addressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated
    Inventor: Carl M. Edwards
  • Patent number: 7143001
    Abstract: A method for use with an accelerometer that monitors movement of a machine component and generates acceleration values that include at least some noise associated therewith, the method for tracking machine component velocity via the acceleration values, the method comprising the steps of obtaining acceleration values from the accelerometer during machine operation, analyzing the acceleration values to distinguish noise signals from non-noise signals wherein a noise signal is an acceleration value likely solely attributable to noise, using the non-noise signals to identify a component velocity value and performing a secondary function to identify component velocity when noise signals are identified. The invention also contemplates a processor to perform the inventive methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Milan Karasek
  • Patent number: 7143003
    Abstract: A pilot indicator is provided for an aircraft provided with at least one gas turbine engine. The indicator includes a set of sensors delivering information relating to different monitoring parameters of the engine, namely: the speed of rotation Ng of the gas generator, the temperature T4 of the gas at the inlet of the free turbine, and the torque Cm. The indicator is also provided with a processor for processing information from the sensors, and a display provided with a display screen. In addition, the processor determines an estimated value of a limiting parameter, where the limiting parameter is that one of the monitoring parameters that is closest to its limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Eurocopter
    Inventor: Bernard Certain
  • Patent number: 7143004
    Abstract: The device is a miniature, self-contained solid state orientation sensor. The unit utilizes three magnetometers and three accelerometers to calculate pitch, roll, and yaw (compass heading) angles relative to the earth's magnetic and gravitational fields. The three orientation angles are output in digital RS232 or optional multi-drop RS485. The device can also be programmed to provide raw accelerometer and magnetometer data in true physical units. The device is capable of measuring angles from 0 to 360 degrees on the yaw axis, 0 to 360 degrees on the pitch axis, and ?70 to +70 degrees on the roll axis. The yaw output is compensated for errors due to pitch and roll using embedded algorithms. Applications include fast solid state compassing, robotics, virtual reality, down-hole well drilling, and body position tracking for biomedical and multimedia applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Microstrain, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher P. Townsend, Steven W. Arms
  • Patent number: 7143002
    Abstract: A method for detecting an external acceleration applied to a hard disk drive is described. The method includes obtaining a running current value for a spindle motor operating a hard disk drive. The running current is provided from a controller coupled with the hard disk drive. The method further includes compensating the running current value for positional orientation of a data transducer and for torque disturbance. The method also includes filtering the running current value for removal of motor noise and direct current offset which, subsequent thereto, provides an estimated external acceleration amplitude. The method also includes invoking a defensive action for preventing damage to the data transducer and the data storage disk and loss of data disposed on the data storage disk. The defensive action is triggered when the estimated external acceleration amplitude exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies B.V.
    Inventor: Toshiki Hirano
  • Patent number: 7142996
    Abstract: Voltage-binning of individual integrated circuits is achieved by operating those integrated circuits at a plurality of required clock frequencies and for each of those frequencies determining the minimum supply voltage level which produces a pass result for a series of applied test vectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: ARM Limited
    Inventors: Dipesh Ishwerbhai Patel, Krisztian Flautner
  • Patent number: 7143000
    Abstract: In a method for calculating the temperature T of a solid body or the time t that is needed for a change of the temperature T of the solid body, a solution function to a dimensionless equation corresponding to the differential equation dT/dt=b?aT4?cT, is determined and used to create a matrix A=(aij) with which T or t can be easily calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Johannes Ebersberger, Heinrich Wallschläger
  • Patent number: 7142992
    Abstract: Hybrid methods for classifying defects in semiconductor manufacturing are provided. The methods include applying a flexible sequence of rules for defects to inspection data. The sequence of rules includes deterministic rules, statistical rules, hybrid rules, or some combination thereof. The rules included in the sequence may be selected by a user using a graphical interface. The method also includes classifying the defects based on results of applying the sequence of rules to the inspection data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2006
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Patrick Huet, Maruti Shanbhag, Sandeep Bhagwat, Michal Kowalski, Vivekanand Kini, David Randall, Sharon McCauley, Tong Huang, Jianxin Zhang, Kenong Wu, Lisheng Gao, Ariel Tribble, Ashok Kulkarni, Cecelia Anne Campochiaro
  • Patent number: 7139666
    Abstract: The invention relates to methods of identifying and characterizing properties of polymers to provide information about the polymer such as the charge of the polymer, the number and types or characteristics of units of the polymer and the sequence of the polymers. The invention also relates to methods of sequencing polymers such as nucleic acids, polypeptides and polysaccharides and methods for identifying a polysaccharide-protein interaction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Ganesh Venkataraman, Zachary Shriver, Rahul Raman, Ram Sasisekharan, Nishla Keiser