Patents by Inventor William To

William To has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20110001198
    Abstract: A method for producing Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and related devices using Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer includes providing an SOI wafer, performing a mesa etch to at least partially define the MEMS device, bonding the SOI wafer to an interposer by direct boding, removing the handle layer of the SOI wafer, removing the oxide layer of the SOI wafer, and further etching the device layer of the SOI wafer to define the MEMS device. A structure manufactured according to the above described processes includes an interposer comprising an SOI wafer and a MEMS device mounted on the interposer. The MEMS device comprises posts extending from a silicon plate. The MEMS device is directly mounted to the interposer by bonding the posts of the MEMS device to the device layer of the interposer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2010
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventor: William D. Sawyer
  • Publication number: 20110000522
    Abstract: A solar collector system including solar elements connected to form an array for intercepting the sun's radiation, a compression element that is positioned substantially perpendicular to the array, and pairs of cables that run from opposite sides of the array to the compression element to mutually stabilize each portion of the array to which the pair of cables connects. A support structure is provided for securing the array to a fixed structure. A tracking system further provides the system with two degrees of freedom for tracking the array with the sun's movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventor: William H. Bender
  • Publication number: 20110004614
    Abstract: Machine-enabled methods of, and devices and systems for, workflow instance execution, particularly document storing and retrieving based on at least one of: a document type, a document source activity identifier, an activity type, and document metadata.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventors: Weihsiung William Chow, Bogusalw Ludwik Plwenia, David J. Lovat
  • Patent number: 7861801
    Abstract: Methods are described using resistivity ahead of a drill bit measurements obtained while drilling a subterranean well using a drilling mud. Resistivity data ahead of the bit is gathered during drilling and prior to penetrating a region of interest of a target subterranean formation using the drill bit and the drilling mud. The drill string progresses at target dip and azimuth angles toward the region on interest. The resistivity data is used to determine the top of the region of interest while the drill bit advances toward but does not penetrate the region. A core bit is then installed and a whole core of the region of interest obtained. Resistivity ahead of a drill bit measurements obtained while drilling a subterranean well may also be compared with conventional resistivity measurements obtained from one or more offset wells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: BP Corporation North America Inc.
    Inventor: Mark William Alberty
  • Patent number: 7863624
    Abstract: A high power, wide-bandgap device is disclosed that exhibits reduced junction temperature and higher power density during operation and improved reliability at a rated power density. The device includes a diamond substrate for providing a heat sink with a thermal conductivity greater than silicon carbide, a single crystal silicon carbide layer on the diamond substrate for providing a supporting crystal lattice match for wide-bandgap material structures that is better than the crystal lattice match of diamond, and a Group III nitride heterostructure on the single crystal silicon carbide layer for providing device characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventor: Adam William Saxler
  • Patent number: 7864757
    Abstract: A packet switch having plural input sectors and output sectors, each input sector being arranged to hold at least one queue per output sector, each output sector having plural output ports and being arranged to hold at least one queue per output port wherein the input sectors are connected to the output sectors via links configured to afford speed-up of data transfer, wherein the links comprise a set of links, and wherein the switch has means for cyclically connecting different subsets of the set of links between the input sectors and the output sectors, and means responsive to statistical variations in traffic applied to input ports of said input sectors to vary the set of links.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Cambridge University Technical Services Limited
    Inventors: Trevor James Hall, William Alden Crossland
  • Patent number: 7862793
    Abstract: Methods by which the growth of a nanostructure may be precisely controlled by an electrical current are described here. In one embodiment, an interior nanostructure is grown to a predetermined geometry inside another nanostructure, which serves as a reaction chamber. The growth is effected by a catalytic agent loaded with feedstock for the interior nanostructure. Another embodiment allows a preexisting marginal quality nanostructure to be zone refined into a higher-quality nanostructure by driving a catalytic agent down a controlled length of the nanostructure with an electric current. In both embodiments, the speed of nanostructure formation is adjustable, and the growth may be stopped and restarted at will. The catalytic agent may be doped or undoped to produce semiconductor effects, and the bead may be removed via acid etching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Jensen, William E. Mickelson, Alex K. Zettl
  • Patent number: 7865486
    Abstract: An apparatus for providing storage control in a network of storage controllers is disclosed. The apparatus includes an owner storage controller; an I/O performing component, an ownership assignment component, a lock manager and a messaging component. The ownership assignment component assigns ownership of metadata for data to an owner storage controller. The lock manager controls the locking of metadata during I/O. The messaging component passes messages among storage controllers to request metadata state, to grant locks, to request release of locks, and to signal lock release. The I/O is performed on data whose metadata is owned by an owner storage controller, subject to compliance with metadata lock protocols controlled by the owner storage controller, and any copy of the data held from time to time is maintained in a coherency relation with the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carlos Francisco Fuente, William James Scales
  • Patent number: 7863205
    Abstract: A sheet of ballistic-resistant fiber strands includes a bi-directional array of bonding fibers interwoven with the ballistic-resistant fibers to form a fiber panel. In one embodiment, a sheet of laminated ballistic-resistant fibers is joined to the first sheet of laminated ballistic-resistant fibers with the ballistic-resistant fibers running in a second direction as compared to the first fibers. In yet another embodiment, individual laminated sheets of ballistic-resistant fibers are stitched together to form packets of sheets that may be used singularly or bundled together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Ultimate Survival Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ricky William Stewart, Lee Walker Brillhart, III, Ronald G. Krueger
  • Patent number: 7861413
    Abstract: A moving tracks dozer equalizer link elastomeric bearing assembly including a concentric outer member operable for securely engaging a equalizer link bore structure associated with a first end portion of an equalizer link structural member, wherein the concentric outer member is disposed substantially within the equalizer link bore structure. The dozer equalizer link elastomeric bearing assembly also including a concentric inner member operable for securely engaging a pin structure associated with a second moving track roller frame assembly structural member, wherein the concentric inner member is disposed substantially within the concentric outer member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: LORD Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Michael, William James Galloway
  • Patent number: 7865829
    Abstract: Help information for a software application is provided based on a user help knowledge base. The user help knowledge base includes a user help profile indicating help information previously selected by the user. Examples of data tracked for the previously selected help information include the application context in which it selected, a presentation mode in which it was presented, at least one associated help topic, and a help content format. The user help knowledge base can further comprise a user profile maintained by the software application. Based on the information in the user help knowledge base, as well as the current context of the application and/or user data entered, the help module selects help information pertinent to the user and the current context of the application. A presentation mode, for example a video mode, an audio mode or a display mode, is selected for the help information as well based on the user help knowledge base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Garrett R. Goldfield, William K. Scarvie, III, David Murray, Todd Haseyama
  • Patent number: 7861906
    Abstract: A surgical stapling apparatus for use with a disposable loading unit. Various embodiments include an elongated body assembly that comprises a distal body segment and a proximal body segment that are operably coupled together by an intermediate articulation joint such that the proximal body segment and the distal body segment define a longitudinal axis. The intermediate articulation joint may be configured to facilitate articulation of the distal body segment about an intermediate articulation axis that is substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis. The elongated body assembly may be configured to transfer actuation motions from an actuation shaft housed in a handle assembly to the disposable loading unit. In various embodiments, the intermediate articulation joint may be adjacent to the handle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin R. Doll, Bret W. Smith, William D. Kelly, Ronald J. Kolata, Joshua R. Uth, Charles J. Scheib, Frederick E. Shelton, IV
  • Patent number: 7865513
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a knowledge base is automatically built for enriching feeds coming from different sources and that have tags of different conventions, by deducting which tags go into various categories of knowledge. In one embodiment, method for a relationship between objects is determined based on the relationships between their tags.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Rearden Commerce, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Welch, William Charles Mortimore, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7864686
    Abstract: A cable network includes a Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) set-top gateway (DSG) server connected to an Internet Protocol (IP) network and a DSG client operating in a set-top device connected to a cable network. A DSG agent operates in a cable modem termination system (CMTS) coupled between the IP network and the cable network. The DSG agent receives data from the DSG server and sends the data to the DSG client over dynamically assigned DSG tunnels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Chapman, William Guckel
  • Patent number: 7861667
    Abstract: An improved upper electrode system has a multi-part electrode in which a central portion of the electrode having high wear is replaceable independent of an outer peripheral portion of the electrode. The upper electrode can be used in plasma processing systems for processing semiconductor substrates, such as by etching or CVD. The multi-part upper electrode system is particularly useful for large size wafer processing chambers, such as 300 mm wafer processing chambers for which monolithic electrodes are unavailable or costly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Andreas Fischer, William S. Kennedy, Peter Loewenhardt, David Trussell
  • Patent number: 7862342
    Abstract: An electrical interface includes a nano-particle layer. The electrical interface also includes a first conductor and a second conductor. The nano-particle layer and the first and second conductors are electrically coupled together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Xin Zhou, Alaa Abdel-Azim Elmoursi, Javed Abdurrazzaq Mapkar, James Jeffery Benke, William E. Beatty, Robert W. Mueller
  • Patent number: 7862815
    Abstract: The present disclosure concerns the use of peptides and compositions, such as pharmaceutical compositions, to influence angiogenesis. Particular methods are useful for promoting angiogenesis, while others are particularly useful for inhibiting angiogenesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
    Inventors: Frank Cuttitta, Alfredo Martinez, William G. Stetler-Stevenson
  • Patent number: 7862499
    Abstract: A wrap (20) for securing about a blood vessel (36) by encasing a section of the vessel. The wrap (20) being of thin flexible construction having two ends (22, 24) and two sides (26, 28). The wrap (20) is more elastic or stretchable at, near, or along at least some of its sides (22, 24) compared to at, near, or along its center, to provide strain relief from wrapped to unwrapped aorta. The wrap (20) is not inelastic, so that loss of aortic compliance is minimized or enhanced. The wrap (20) is adapted to apply, in use, less compressive force at, near, or along at least some of its sides (22, 24) compared to at, near, or along its center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Sunshine Heart Company Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Scott Hugh Miller, William Suttle Peters, Gemma Leigh De Plater
  • Patent number: D630087
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Hallmark Cards, Incorporated
    Inventors: John V. Stram, Brian R. Palmer, Craig William Cayce
  • Patent number: D630254
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Inventor: Robert Williams