Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090166377 | Multi-Flavor Valve - A multi-flavor valve capable of dispensing at least three flavors of beverages is provided. The valve includes a single-piece injection-molded valve body having at least three syrup flow paths and a water flow path. The valve also includes at least three syrup flow path solenoids for respectively opening and closing the at least three syrup flow paths, and one water flow path solenoid for opening and closing the water flow path. The three syrup flow path solenoids are positioned in the corresponding syrup flow paths, and the water flow path solenoid is positioned in the water flow path, within the valve body. The valve also has at least three beverage flavor switches for selecting any one of the three beverage flavors for dispensation. The valve further includes an electronics module electrically connected to the solenoids and to the beverage flavor switches, the electronics module causing one of the syrup flow path solenoids to open the corresponding syrup flow path of the syrup corresponding to a selected flavor switch, and causing the water flow path solenoid to open the water flow path, thereby causing the multi-flavor valve to dispense the selected beverage flavor. | 07-02-2009 |
20110257565 | SEPARABLE SYSTEM FOR APPLYING COMPRESSION AND THERMAL TREATMENT - The invention relates to a separable device for the application of compression and thermal therapy to a patient. A first section includes a reservoir, liquid pump and a thermal exchange system for the application of thermal therapy as well as a dock. The second section of the device includes an air compressor and at least one controller for the application of compression therapy and can be operated independently from the first section. Additionally, the second section may be engaged with a dock of the first section. | 10-20-2011 |
20140124529 | Multi-Flavor Valve - A multi-flavor valve capable of dispensing at least three flavors of beverages is provided. The valve includes a single-piece injection-molded valve body having at least three syrup flow paths and a water flow path. The valve also includes at least three syrup flow path solenoids for respectively opening and closing the at least three syrup flow paths, and one water flow path solenoid for opening and closing the water flow path. The three syrup flow path solenoids are positioned in the corresponding syrup flow paths, and the water flow path solenoid is positioned in the water flow path, within the valve body. The valve also has at least three beverage flavor switches for selecting any one of the three beverage flavors for dispensation. The valve further includes an electronics module electrically connected to the solenoids and to the beverage flavor switches, the electronics module causing one of the syrup flow path solenoids to open the corresponding syrup flow path of the syrup corresponding to a selected flavor switch, and causing the water flow path solenoid to open the water flow path, thereby causing the multi-flavor valve to dispense the selected beverage flavor. | 05-08-2014 |
20140312747 | PRODUCT VENDING ENCLOSURE AND DOOR RETROFIT - The present invention generally pertains to an enclosure constructed from homopolymer and/or copolymer thermal plastic, preferably polypropylene members and a method of construction therefore. Particularly, such enclosures are utilized in the construction of vending machines, product dispensing machines and the like. The polymer members used for the enclosure material are at least partially formed from homopolymer material, or copolymer material, or a combination of homopolymer and copolymer materials. | 10-23-2014 |
20150061474 | Product Vending Enclosure - The present invention generally pertains to an enclosure constructed from homopolymer and/or copolymer thermal plastic, preferably polypropylene members and a method of construction therefore. Particularly, such enclosures are utilized in the construction of vending machines, product dispensing machines and the like. The polypropylene members used for the enclosure material are at least partially formed from homopolymer polypropylene, or copolymer polypropylene, or a combination of homopolymer and copolymer polypropylene. | 03-05-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090145160 | BEVERAGE DISPENSING UNIT AND ICE BIN COMBINATION - A drop-in beverage dispensing unit and ice bin combination having a beverage dispenser and an ice bin assembly. The beverage dispenser can have a tower assembly onto which dispensing valves are mounted. An ice bin lid provides access to the ice stored within the ice bin assembly and aids in protecting the ice from contamination while it is stored within the ice bin assembly. A drain pan is located below the dispensing valves to catch any spillage and direct it to the drain piping. The drain pan can have a primary drain pipe and a secondary drain pipe. The ice bin assembly can have an outer wall structure and an inner wall structure. The outer wall structure can be seamless. | 06-11-2009 |
20100273602 | TRACTION DRIVE SYSTEM - A traction drive system for an articulated robotic arm. The traction drive system can include an input drive disk, a spider, an array of traction balls, a traction plate, an output drive shaft, a clamping device to load the traction balls, and an absolute rotation position sensor system. The rotation of the output drive shaft can be coupled to the rotation of the input drive disk while the traction balls are frictionally engaged to the drive disk surface and traction plate surface. The rotational connection can be decoupled when the traction balls are not frictionally engaged to the drive disk surface and traction plate surface. A rotational position sensor located in proximity to the traction drive can provide absolute rotational position feedback of the output drive shaft. | 10-28-2010 |
20110264259 | CONTROL SYSTEM FOR AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING PRODUCT DELIVERY SYSTEMS - A control system for and methods of controlling a product delivery system are provided. | 10-27-2011 |
20120061418 | DELIVERY SYSTEM - A product delivery system for delivering a product from a storage area to a dispensing area, such as for use in a vending machine. The product delivery system may include a vacuum holding device, a robotic positioning system, a reel and cable system, and a controller. A feature is the provision of a picker head with a built-in vacuum generating source that may be carried by a robotically movable arm system. | 03-15-2012 |
20120138632 | HOT AND COLD BEVERAGE DISPENSER - An apparatus and method may be configured for detecting selection between a hot version and a cold version of a beverage, causing opening of a first of a plurality of valves and closing of a second of the plurality of valves for providing water to a first of a plurality of mixing chambers based on the selection, causing delivery of beverage concentrate to the first mixing chamber, controlling a flow rate of the water and a flow rate of the beverage concentrate into the mixing chamber for mixing of the water with the beverage concentrate in a controlled ratio to create the beverage, and dispensing the beverage from the mixing chamber. | 06-07-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110092992 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SURGICAL FASTENING - A surgical fastener system includes a plurality of fasteners having a throughbore with an internally threaded portion. The fasteners may engage with a threaded mandrel that passes through the throughbore of the fasteners. A rotator may rotate the fasteners relative to the mandrel to move at least one of the fasteners along the mandrel, e.g., along the mandrel's longitudinal axis. A distal end of the mandrel may be inserted into a material, such as a tissue, prosthetic or other, and a fastener may be deployed from the distal end of the mandrel while the distal end is positioned in the material. The throughbore of the fasteners may include a threaded portion and an unthreaded portion, may include an angled face or other feature to aid in fastener deployment and/or have curved depressions in the head portion. | 04-21-2011 |
20110172686 | Device For Engaging Tissue Having a Preexisting Opening - A system for performing an end-to-side vascular anastomosis. including an anastomosis device, an application instrument and methods for performing a vascular anastomosis. The system is applicable for performing an anastomosis between a vascular graft and the ascending aorta in coronary artery bypass surgery, particularly in port-access CABG surgery. A first aspect of the invention includes a vascular anastomosis staple. A first configuration has two parts: an anchor member, forming the attachment with the target vessel wall and a coupling member, forming the attachment with the bypass graft vessel. The anastomosis is completed by inserting the coupling member, with the graft vessel attached, into the anchor member. A second configuration combines the functions of the anchor member and the coupling member into a one-piece anastomosis staple. A second aspect of the invention includes an anastomotic fitting, having an inner flange over which the graft vessel is everted and an outer flange which contacts the exterior surface of the target vessel. A tailored amount of compression applied by the inner and outer flanges grips the target vessel wall and creates a leak-proof seal between the graft vessel and the target vessel. A third aspect of the invention has a flange to which the graft vessel attaches, by everting the graft vessel over the flange, and a plurality of staple-like members which attach the flange and the everted end of the graft vessel to the wall of the target vessel to form the anastomosis | 07-14-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090141533 | METAL GATE COMPATIBLE ELECTRICAL ANTIFUSE - A metal layer and a semiconductor layer are sequentially deposited on a substrate. The semiconductor layer and the metal layer are lithographically patterned to form a stack of a semiconductor portion and a metal gate portion, which is preferably performed concurrently with formation of at least one metal gate stack. In one embodiment, the size of the semiconductor portion is reduced and a metal semiconductor alloy portion is formed on the semiconductor portion by metallization. In a first electrical antifuse formed thereby, the metal semiconductor alloy portion may be electromigrated to form a short between the metal semiconductor alloy portion and the metal gate portion. In another embodiment, two disjoined metal semiconductor alloy portions are formed on the semiconductor portion. In a second electrical antifuse formed thereby, the metal semiconductor alloy portion may be electromigrated to form a short between the two previously disjoined metal semiconductor alloy portions. | 06-04-2009 |
20090146263 | STRUCTURE AND METHOD TO INCREASE EFFECTIVE MOSFET WIDTH - An epitaxial layer of silicon (Si) or silicon-germanium (SiGe) extends over the edge of silicon trench isolation (STI), thereby increasing the effective width of an active silicon region (RX) bordered by the STI. The RX region may have a <100> crystal orientation. An effective width of an FET device formed in the RX region may be increased, therefore performance may be improved with same density. Isolation may not be degraded since RX-to-RX distance is same at bottom. Junction capacitance may be reduced since part of the RX is on STI. | 06-11-2009 |
20100013021 | METHOD TO REDUCE THRESHOLD VOLTAGE (Vt) IN SILICON GERMANIUM (SIGE), HIGH-K DIELECTRIC-METAL GATE, P-TYPE METAL OXIDE SEMICONDUCTOR FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS - Disclosed are embodiments of a p-type, silicon germanium (SiGe), high-k dielectric-metal gate, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (PFET) having an optimal threshold voltage (Vt), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device that includes the PFET and methods of forming both the PFET alone and the CMOS device. The embodiments incorporate negatively charged ions (e.g., fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), etc.) into the high-k gate dielectric material of the PFET only so as to selectively adjust the negative Vt of the PFET (i.e., so as to reduce the negative Vt of the PFET). | 01-21-2010 |
20100047990 | METHOD OF FABRICATING A HIGH Q FACTOR INTEGRATED CIRCUIT INDUCTOR - A method of forming an inductor. The method including: (a) forming a dielectric layer on a top surface of a substrate; after (a), (b) forming a lower trench in the dielectric layer; after (b), (c) forming a resist layer on a top surface of the dielectric layer; after (c), (d) forming an upper trench in the resist layer, the upper trench aligned to the lower trench, a bottom of the upper trench open to the lower trench; and after (d), (e) completely filling the lower trench and at least partially filling the upper trench with a conductor in order to form the inductor. | 02-25-2010 |
20130134545 | SELF-LIMITING OXYGEN SEAL FOR HIGH-K DIELECTRIC, RELATED METHOD AND DESIGN STRUCTURE - A semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate including: a high-K dielectric region; a blocking region disposed against at least one surface of the high-K dielectric region and adapted to form an oxidized layer in response to exposure to oxygen; and an oxygen rich region disposed against the blocking region such that the blocking region is interposed between the oxygen rich region and the high-K dielectric region. | 05-30-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080274583 | THROUGH-WAFER VIAS - A through-wafer via structure and method for forming the same. The through-wafer via structure includes a wafer having an opening and a top wafer surface. The top wafer surface defines a first reference direction perpendicular to the top wafer surface. The through-wafer via structure further includes a through-wafer via in the opening. The through-wafer via has a shape of a rectangular plate. A height of the through-wafer via in the first reference direction essentially equals a thickness of the wafer in the first reference direction. A length of the through-wafer via in a second reference direction is at least ten times greater than a width of the through-wafer via in a third reference direction. The first, second, and third reference directions are perpendicular to each other. | 11-06-2008 |
20090206488 | THROUGH SUBSTRATE ANNULAR VIA INCLUDING PLUG FILLER - A through substrate via includes an annular conductor layer at a periphery of a through substrate aperture, and a plug layer surrounded by the annular conductor layer. A method for fabricating the through substrate via includes forming a blind aperture within a substrate and successively forming and subsequently planarizing within the blind aperture a conformal conductor layer that does not fill the aperture and plug layer that does fill the aperture. The backside of the substrate may then be planarized to expose at least the planarized conformal conductor layer. | 08-20-2009 |
20090283840 | METAL GATE INTEGRATION STRUCTURE AND METHOD INCLUDING METAL FUSE, ANTI-FUSE AND/OR RESISTOR - A semiconductor structure and a method for fabricating the semiconductor structure provide a field effect device located and formed upon an active region of a semiconductor substrate and at least one of a fuse structure, an anti-fuse structure and a resistor structure located and formed at least in part simultaneously upon an isolation region laterally separated from the active region within the semiconductor substrate. The field effect device includes a gate dielectric comprising a high dielectric constant dielectric material and a gate electrode comprising a metal material. The at least one of the fuse structure, anti-fuse structure and resistor structure includes a pad dielectric comprising the same material as the gate dielectric, and optionally, also a fuse, anti-fuse or resistor that may comprise the same metal material as the gate electrode. | 11-19-2009 |
20110129996 | THROUGH SUBSTRATE ANNULAR VIA INCLUDING PLUG FILLER - A through substrate via includes an annular conductor layer at a periphery of a through substrate aperture, and a plug layer surrounded by the annular conductor layer. A method for fabricating the through substrate via includes forming a blind aperture within a substrate and successively forming and subsequently planarizing within the blind aperture a conformal conductor layer that does not fill the aperture and plug layer that does fill the aperture. The backside of the substrate may then be planarized to expose at least the planarized conformal conductor layer. | 06-02-2011 |
20140148003 | REPLACEMENT METAL GATE TRANSISTORS USING BI-LAYER HARDMASK - Methods of fabricating replacement metal gate transistors using bi-layer a hardmask are disclosed. By utilizing a bi-layer hardmask comprised of a first layer of nitride, followed by a second layer of oxide, the topography issues caused by transition regions of gates are mitigated, which simplifies downstream processing steps and improves yield. | 05-29-2014 |