Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120328967 | FUEL CELL WITH SELECTIVELY CONDUCTING ANODE COMPONENT - By incorporating a selectively conducting component in electrical series with the anode components in a solid polymer fuel cell, degradation during startup and shutdown can be reduced. As a result, the startup and shutdown procedures can be simplified and consequently certain system apparatus may be omitted. The anode does not need to be rapidly purged with hydrogen on startup or with air on shutdown. Additionally, the auxiliary load usually employed during such purging is not required. | 12-27-2012 |
20130017471 | FUEL CELL WITH SELECTIVELY CONDUCTING ANODE COMPONENT - To reduce degradation of a solid polymer fuel cell during startup and shutdown, a selectively conducting component is incorporated in electrical series with the anode components in the fuel cell. The component is characterized by a low electrical resistance in the presence of hydrogen or fuel and a high resistance in the presence of air. High cathode potentials can be prevented by integrating such a component into the fuel cell. A suitable selectively conducting component can comprise a layer of selectively conducting material, such as a metal oxide. | 01-17-2013 |
20130022890 | SOLID POLYMER ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELL WITH IMPROVED VOLTAGE REVERSAL TOLERANCE - In solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells, an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst may be incorporated at the anode along with the primary hydrogen oxidation catalyst for purposes of tolerance to voltage reversal. Incorporating this OER catalyst in a layer at the interface between the anode's primary hydrogen oxidation anode catalyst and its gas diffusion layer can provide greatly improved tolerance to voltage reversal for a given amount of OER catalyst. Further, this improvement can be gained without sacrificing cell performance. | 01-24-2013 |
20130236807 | DURABLE FUEL CELL WITH PLATINUM COBALT ALLOY CATHODE CATALYST AND SELECTIVELY CONDUCTING ANODE - The degradation associated with repeated startup and shutdown of solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells comprising PtCo alloy cathode catalysts can be particularly poor. However, a marked and unexpected improvement in durability is observed as a result of incorporating a selectively conducting component in electrical series with the anode components in the fuel cell. | 09-12-2013 |
20130236812 | DURABLE FUEL CELL WITH PLATINUM COBALT ALLOY CATHODE CATALYST AND SELECTIVELY CONDUCTING ANODE - The degradation associated with repeated startup and shutdown of solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells comprising PtCo alloy cathode catalysts can be particularly poor. However, a marked and unexpected improvement in durability is observed as a result of incorporating a selectively conducting component in electrical series with the anode components in the fuel cell. | 09-12-2013 |
20140030625 | VOLTAGE REVERSAL TOLERANT FUEL CELL WITH SELECTIVELY CONDUCTING ANODE - Use of a selectively conducting anode component in solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells can reduce the degradation associated with repeated startup and shutdown, but unfortunately can also adversely affect a cell's tolerance to voltage reversal. Use of a carbon sublayer in such cells can improve the tolerance to voltage reversal, but can adversely affect cell performance. However, employing an appropriate selection of selectively conducting material and carbon sublayer, in which the carbon sublayer is in contact with the side of the anode opposite the solid polymer electrolyte, can provide for cells that exhibit acceptable behaviour in every regard. A suitable selectively conducting material comprises platinum deposited on tin oxide. | 01-30-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120075801 | HANDLE FOR A TOUCH SCREEN COMPUTING DEVICE - A handle for a computing device having a touch screen, wherein the handle is affixed to the computing device, and the handle is made of material that is suitable for gripping by an infant and the handle is of a specific size range such that the handle is capable of being gripped by an infant. | 03-29-2012 |
20120100518 | TOUCH-SCREEN BASED INTERACTIVE GAMES FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS - Methods and software applications targeted to and for use by infant users. Various activities are presented to infant users through a touch-screen based monitor and, depending on the input entered by infant users, emotionally positive or emotionally negative indications are presented to the infant user. The emotionally positive indications are designed to reinforce desirable results caused by the infant user's input while the emotionally negative indications are designed to discourage undesirable result from the infant user's input. Various environments and activities based on these environments and areas are provided to the infant user by way of the monitor. | 04-26-2012 |
20120115121 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TOUCH SCREEN BASED SOFTWARE GAME APPLICATIONS FOR INFANT USERS - Methods and systems for providing age appropriate activities to infant users. The age of the infant user is first determined and, based on the age, activities are presented to the infant user. Younger infant users will be presented with simpler and easier to understand activities requiring less manual dexterity and comprehension skills while older infant users will be presented with more complex tasks which may require more involved comprehension skills. These activities are presented by way of a touch screen user interface for ease of use by the infant user. Also disclosed are methods and systems for exposing the infant user to a variety of languages at an early age. These methods and systems may be incorporated as activities for older infant users. | 05-10-2012 |
20120268390 | MULTIPLE USE EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT DEVICE FOR YOUNG USERS - A device which has both educational and entertainment purposes. The device has a housing which allows multiple instances of the device to be stacked together. The device has a CPU, memory, storage, and a wireless module which allows communications with a base computer. The device also has a flat touch screen which serves as the user interface. The touch screen also serves as the video display for the device. Each device is approximately the size of a conventional building block. Variants include having some sides equipped with protuberance and some sides are equipped with voids. The protuberances of one device is constructed and arranged to interlockingly mate with the voids of another device. The device may be used in conjunction with multiple types of applications which have both educational and entertainment uses. The device may be used to receive images, data, commands, etc. from the base computer and the device may be used in conjunction with other similar devices. | 10-25-2012 |
20120329025 | METHODS FOR RECORDING AND DETERMINING A CHILD'S DEVELOPMENTAL SITUATION THROUGH USE OF A SOFTWARE APPLICATION FOR MOBILE DEVICES - Systems and methods for measuring and improving a young child's mental abilities on a tablet computer. A user of the tablet computer is prompted for the child's age and, based on the age, the expected performance or abilities of the child are provided. The child can be assessed using a number of activities whereby the child identifies and/or matches various objects. The assessment can be done by timing the activity to completion, determining how many errors/tries were needed to complete the activity, or any other number of assessment techniques. The child's performance is then compared against expected metrics for children of a similar age. The activities can range from games that involve identifying everyday objects to the introduction of mathematical concepts and numbers to identifying and/or matching animals. | 12-27-2012 |
20140147822 | COMPUTERIZED TEACHING AND LEARNING DIAGNOSIS TOOL - Systems, methods, and devices for providing digital content for educational and entertainment purposes. Learner computing devices for use by learners are networked with an educator computing device and a database server. Parameter input from the educator computing device is received at each of the learner computing devices and an activity is presented by the learner computing device to the learner. The activity's parameters are determined by the parameters received from the educator computing device. Data regarding the learner's performance in the activity is gathered and sent as a database entry to a database. A server then retrieves and processes the data and the processed data is sent to the educator computing device. The processed data displays whether the learner requires further instructions or more attention from the educator. Each learner computing device may be used with multiple learners. | 05-29-2014 |
20140178849 | COMPUTER-ASSISTED LEARNING STRUCTURE FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN - Systems, methods, and devices relating to an educational system for children as young as a few months old. The system has different modules which are geared towards different educational aims. Each module teaches a different educational area with the areas ranging from science, math, history, social interaction. The system provides a structured approach such that the child user is tasked with a single module to be completed per month. At the end of a predetermined period, a test module may be completed with assistance from an adult to test the child's retention of the lessons. The various lessons are structured as playful, fun activities with colorful icons, fun sounds, and varying degrees of complexity. | 06-26-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120063691 | METHODS AND DEVICES FOR DATA COMPRESSION WITH ADAPTIVE FILTERING IN THE TRANSFORM DOMAIN - Methods and devices for encoding and decoding data using adaptive transform domain filtering are described. The encoder determines a set of transform domain filter coefficients to be applied to a transform domain prediction. The filtering may, in some cases, also apply to quantized transform domain coefficients. Rate-distortion optimization may be used to determine the optimal filter coefficients on a frame-based, coding-unit-basis, or other basis. | 03-15-2012 |
20120081242 | METHODS AND DEVICES FOR PARALLEL ENCODING AND DECODING USING A BITSTREAM STRUCTURED FOR REDUCED DELAY - Methods and devices for encoding and decoding that involve sorting bins according to their respective estimated probabilities to form subsequences, each subsequence having an associated estimated probability. Subsequences are encoded to form codewords. Ordered sets of phrases of known length are then formed from the codewords. Each first of the phrases in a set contains at least part of one codeword. The first phrase has an associated estimated probability and the probability estimates associated with each of the other phrases in the set are determined based upon the probability estimate associated with the first phrase, which permits the phrases to be decoded in parallel. | 04-05-2012 |
20120308129 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR ENTROPY CONSTRAINED COLOR SPLITTING FOR PALETTE IMAGES WITH PIXEL-WISE SPLITTING - A method, system and computer program product are provided for progressively encoding a digitized color image using a data processing system, the digitized color image being provided by assigning each of the M distinct colors to at least one pixel in the set of pixels. This involves initializing and growing the tree structure by selecting a leaf node n to become a non-leaf node n linked to two new leaf nodes based on an associated achievable cost, wherein the associated achievable cost is based on 1) a determined associated change in distortion resulting from turning the leaf node into the non-leaf node linked to the two new leaf nodes; and 2) a determined associated increase in entropy rate resulting from turning the leaf node into the non-leaf node linked to the two new leaf nodes. | 12-06-2012 |
20120321183 | Method, System and Computer Program Product for Providing Entropy Constrained Color Splitting for Palette Images with Color-Wise Splitting - A method, system and computer program product for progressively encoding a digitized color image is provided. This involves: initializing a tree structure with at least one starting leaf node; determining at least one representative color for each starting leaf node; and growing the tree structure and updating an encoded image by repeatedly (i) selecting a leaf node n to become a non-leaf node n linked to two new leaf nodes based on an associated achievable cost; (ii) creating the two new leaf nodes by re-allocating each color in n; (iii) determining a representative color for each of the two new leaf nodes; and (iv) encoding the index information associated with the selected leaf node n, the representative colors of the two new leaf nodes, and information regarding a plurality of pixels of the digitized color image corresponding to the two representative colors of the two new leaf nodes. | 12-20-2012 |
20120328183 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SELECTING TRANSFORM MATRICES FOR DOWN-SAMPLING DCT IMAGE USING LEARNING WITH FORGETTING ALGORITHM - Down-sampling of an image may be performed in the DCT domain. A multiple layered network is used to select transform matrices for down-sampling a DCT image of size M×N to a DCT image of size I×J. A spatial domain down-sampling method is selected and applied to the DCT image to produce a down-sampled DCT reference image. A learning with forgetting algorithm is used to apply a decay to the elements of the transform matrix and select a transform matrices which solve an optimization problem. The optimization problem is a function of the visual quality of images obtained using the transform matrices and the computational complexity associated with using the transform matrices. The visual quality is a measure of the difference between the down-sampled DCT image obtained using the transform matrices and the visual quality of the DCT reference image obtained using a spatial domain down-sampling method. | 12-27-2012 |
20130028533 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR OPTIMIZATION OF DATA COMPRESSION - A sequence of n coefficients is compressed by determining a cost-determined sequence of n coefficient indices represented by a cost-determined sequence of (run, index derivative) pairs under a given quantization table and run-index derivative coding distribution, wherein each sequence of (run, index derivative) pairs defines a corresponding sequence of coefficient indices such that (i) each index in the corresponding sequence of coefficient indices is a digital number, (ii) the corresponding sequence of coefficient indices includes a plurality of values including a special value, and (iii) each (run, index derivative) pair defines a run value representing a number of consecutive indices of the special value, and an index-based value derived from a value of the index following the number of consecutive indices of the special value. | 01-31-2013 |
20130243344 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DECODING ENCODED IMAGES AND REDUCING THE SIZE OF SAID IMAGES - A method and system for reducing the number of mathematical operations required in the JPEG decoding process without substantially impacting the quality of the image displayed is disclosed. Embodiments provide an efficient JPEG decoding process for the purposes of displaying an image on a display smaller than the source image, for example, the screen of a handheld device. According to one aspect of the invention, this is accomplished by reducing the amount of processing required for dequantization and inverse DCT (IDCT) by effectively reducing the size of the image in the quantized, DCT domain prior to dequantization and IDCT. This can be done, for example, by discarding unnecessary DCT index rows and columns prior to dequantization and IDCT. In one embodiment, columns from the right, and rows from the bottom are discarded such that only the top left portion of the block of quantized, and DCT coefficients are processed. | 09-19-2013 |
20130315316 | METHODS AND DEVICES FOR PARALLEL ENCODING AND DECODING USING A BITSTREAM STRUCTURED FOR REDUCED DELAY - Methods and devices for encoding and decoding that involve sorting bins according to their respective estimated probabilities to form subsequences, each subsequence having an associated estimated probability. Subsequences are encoded to form codewords. Ordered sets of phrases of known length are then formed from the codewords. Each first of the phrases in a set contains at least part of one codeword. The first phrase has an associated estimated probability and the probability estimates associated with each of the other phrases in the set are determined based upon the probability estimate associated with the first phrase, which permits the phrases to be decoded in parallel. | 11-28-2013 |
20130336595 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR OPTIMIZATION OF DATA COMPRESSION WITH ITERATIVE COST FUNCTION - A method, system and computer software product for improving rate-distortion performance while remaining faithful to JPEG/MPEG syntax, involving joint optimization of Huffman tables, quantization step sizes and quantized coefficients of a JPEG/MPEG encoder. This involves finding the optimal coefficient indices in the form of (run, size) pairs. By employing an interative process including this search for optimal coefficient indices, joint improvement of run-length coding, Huffman coding and quantization table selection may be achieved. Additionally, the compression of quantized DC coefficients may also be improved using a trellis-structure. | 12-19-2013 |
20130339362 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATICALLY AND EFFICIENTLY CATEGORIZING, TRANSMITTING, AND MANAGING MULTIMEDIA CONTENTS - Methods and systems for automatically and efficiently categorizing, securely transmitting, and managing multimedia contents generated from a network connection enabled digital data generating device by way of multimedia transcoding, compression, and/or classification. Content similarity between multimedia data units with one unit corresponding to one image, one video frame, or one audio frame is first detected and identified, and then used to help encode conditionally one unit given another. Based on the identified content similarity and/or the resulting compression efficiency, these multimedia units are automatically categorized in terms of their contents along with their locations, occasions, events, and/or features. Whenever network connections selected by a user are available, these encoded and categorized multimedia data units along with their metadata containing side information including their locations, occasions, events, features, and other information specified by the user are then automatically and securely transmitted to networks, cloud servers, and/or other network connected devices. | 12-19-2013 |
20140010288 | SOFT DECISION AND ITERATIVE VIDEO CODING FOR MPEG AND H.264 - A method of encoding video data using soft decision quantization makes use of iterative encoding to provide the ability to optimize encoding across different functional elements in a hybrid video encoder. Iterative encoding is used to allow quantization step size, motion prediction and quantization levels to be optimized despite their interrelated nature. | 01-09-2014 |
20140294315 | METHOD, SYSTEM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR OPTIMIZATION OF DATA COMPRESSION WITH ITERATIVE COST FUNCTION - A method, system and computer software product for improving rate-distortion performance while remaining faithful to JPEG/MPEG syntax, involving joint optimization of Huffman tables, quantization step sizes and quantized coefficients of a JPEG/MPEG encoder. This involves finding the optimal coefficient indices in the form of (run, size) pairs. By employing an interative process including this search for optimal coefficient indices, joint improvement of run-length coding, Huffman coding and quantization table selection may be achieved. Additionally, the compression of quantized DC coefficients may also be improved using a trellis-structure. | 10-02-2014 |
20140348438 | SYSTEM AND METHOD HAVING TRANSPARENT COMPOSITE MODEL FOR TRANSFORM COEFFICIENTS - To better handle the flat tail phenomenon commonly seen in transform coefficients such as DCT coefficients, a system and method having a model dubbed a transparent composite model (TCM) are described. Given a sequence of transform coefficients, a TCM first separates the tail of the sequence from the main body of the sequence. A first distribution such as a uniform, truncated Laplacian, or truncated geometric distribution can be used to model transform coefficients in the flat tail while at least one parametric distribution (e.g. truncated Laplacian, generalized Gaussian (GG), and geometric distributions) can be used to model data in the main body. A plurality of boundary values can be used to bound a plurality of distribution models. The plurality of boundary values and other parameters of the TCM can be estimated via maximum likelihood (ML) estimation or greedy estimation. | 11-27-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100180212 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHARING CALENDAR INFORMATION - A system for sharing calendar information. The system may comprise a graphical user interface implemented on a computer for sharing calendar information with a third party residing at a remote site, the graphical user interface comprises a selection tool operable by a user on the computer for selecting a time range from a calendar program executed by the computer, the calendar program maintaining a schedule of events for the user over a certain time period. The time range is a subset of the certain time period, the time range being characterized by one or more free time slots within the time range, whereby the user is available for taking part in an activity. The time range is further characterized by one or more busy time slots within the time range, whereby the user is unavailable to take part in an activity. The selection tool causes the time range to be exposed to the third party residing at a remote site such that the third party can determine the free and busy timeslots. | 07-15-2010 |
20110071878 | MOBILE APPLICATION FOR CALENDAR SHARING AND SCHEDULING - The embodiments discussed herein describe an application device and method for calendar sharing and scheduling over a communication network. When a meeting is to be scheduled between two or more participants, the organizing participant enters an identification of the participants and requests a time suggestion. In response to the request, information relating to the availability and/or preferences of each participant is gathered from one or more databases and processed centrally in a remote server to determine a block of time during which all the participants are commonly free. The block of time is pushed to a user interface for display. If the organizing user selects the block of time, a meeting request may be sent to the participants to confirm the meeting. | 03-24-2011 |
20130232150 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND VIEWING OF CALENDAR DATA - The present document describes systems, methods and apparatuses relating to managing and viewing calendar data. A server or a client device, may receive and/or classify calendar data associated with a user, and store the data in a database. Statistics data is generated as a function of classified calendar data. The client device may present personalized views of at least a portion of the statistics data, including statistical and/or analytical information. One or more search categories and a type of data presentation may be received as user input. The server or the client device may generate the statistics data as a function of the received analysis criteria. Calendar data for multiple users may be collected and centrally processed, for example, at the server. | 09-05-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080272673 | COMPACT SIZE ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSLATION APPARATUS - A linear electromechanical translation apparatus is provided of the type comprising first and second clamps fixed to a support, first and second elongate movable members each extending through one of the clamps, and an extension actuator connected between the movable members and adapted to move each one of the elongate movable members longitudinally relative to the other member as the extension actuator is extended or retracted. The apparatus is characterized in that the first elongate movable member has a rear end connected to a front end of the extension actuator, and the second movable member has a rear end connected to a rear end of the actuator and has a forwardly extending elongate portion which lies beside and parallel to the first elongate movable member. Both the clamp assemblies may be located forwardly of the front end of the actuator. | 11-06-2008 |
20100154244 | System, Method, and Adjustable Lamp Head Assembly, for Ultra-Fast UV Curing - A UV curing system and method for providing an adjustable beam profile are disclosed for UV curing for ultra high speed industrial applications, such inkjet printing, with improved print quality and efficiency. Also provided is a lamp head assembly for a UV source for such a system, which provides an adjustable beam profile for optimizing UV curing. The lamp head assembly comprises one or more light sources and reflectors or other optical elements, which may be relatively movable and adjustable, to adjust the beam profile to processing conditions and requirements for consistent curing efficiency and print quality at different print speeds. Specific features of such a lamp head assembly may permit adjustment of the spectral, spatial and temporal distribution of light for improved or optimized curing efficiency in ultra-fast UV curing applications. | 06-24-2010 |
20130070035 | DISTRIBUTED LIGHT SOURCES AND SYSTEMS FOR PHOTO-REACTIVE CURING - A light source for a photo-reactive curing apparatus is provided, which includes a plurality of light source elements or modules, such as, UV or visible LEDs or LED arrays, arranged to provide a beam profile comprising irradiation zones separated by a dark zone. Photo-polymerization occurs during periods of irradiation and dark polymerization occurs during dark intervals between irradiation. The relative positioning or spacing of light source elements or modules is set to provide an exposure profile with a dark interval which matches the required dark reaction interval for optimal curing efficiency. In modular or adjustable light sources, the spacing is adjustable dependent on process parameters. For processes such as inkjet printing, the beam profile may be better matched to the ink chemistry, so as to control the polymerization reaction to meet a required process speed for single pass or multiple pass applications. | 03-21-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090215445 | CONFIGURABLE AND PUSHABLE CARRIER COMMUNICATIONS WITH RICH CONTENT - Apparatus, methods, data structures, and computer programming for the display on mobile wireless communications devices of information without the authorization or control of administrative servers. Displayed information can include, for example, carrier logos, news, and advertisements presented at the initiative of local service providers or other third-party systems. The local service providers or other parties are enabled to control the location and manner of the displays, as well as the content of data displayed. Providing control over the display to the local service provider enables, among other advantages, the transmission and display of much richer content, in more flexible manner than has heretofore been possible, including static and dynamic graphic images. The Application can be particularly useful in GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS systems. | 08-27-2009 |
20110060953 | TESTING MOBILE WIRELESS DEVICES DURING DEVICE PRODUCTION - A system and method of testing a wireless communication device during device production comprises designating as a data log buffer when the device is being produced, at least part of random access memory (RAM) of the device that is allocated for virtual machine and/or application usage when the device is operational; and testing the device and storing test log data in the buffer. After testing, the data can be obtained from the buffer and processed using a debugging and log analysis tool. | 03-10-2011 |
20120184336 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE DISPLAY FOR PRESENTING INFORMATION ON SAID DISPLAY - A method and apparatus for presenting information is provided. In an embodiment, an electronic device with wireless telephony features is provided. The display of the device is divided into at least two regions. The first region is reserved for presenting status information about the device, including such information as battery life, signal strength, time and date, carrier information, etc. The second region is reserved for use by applications, such as a main menu application and an incoming telephone call application. When an incoming call arrives, the main menu application presented on the second region is replaced with the incoming call information, but the status information remains unchanged. As the status of the incoming call changes from unanswered to answered, only a portion of the second region is updated, as a remaining portion of the second region remains the same and indicates that an incoming call is being processed. | 07-19-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110256185 | REINFORCED TISSUE SHIELDS - Self-reinforced tissue shields are useful as ophthalmic shields, wound dressings, wound barriers, nerve repair, therapeutic drug delivery devices and the like. The self-reinforced tissue protective shields comprise gelatin, chitosan and reinforce and are made by a method comprising forming inter-molecular locking within a solution through electrostatic forces, eliminating the use of extra cross-linking methods, the solution mainly comprising natural existing polymers that are biodegradable and biocompatible. | 10-20-2011 |
20110313048 | ANTIMICROBIAL SILICONE-BASED WOUND DRESSINGS - Antimicrobial silicone-based dressings, such as wound dressings, are disclosed. An example dressing comprises a transparent and self-adhesive gel sheet cured from a liquid containing silicone, the sheet having dispersed therein (i) particulates of a chlorhexidine compound that is not soluble in the liquid; and (ii) at least one other antimicrobial. Methods of making the silicone-based dressings and methods of use are also disclosed. | 12-22-2011 |
20120330210 | ANTIMICROBIAL SILICONE-BASED WOUND DRESSINGS - Antimicrobial silicone-based dressings, such as wound dressings, are disclosed. An example dressing comprises a transparent and self-adhesive gel sheet cured from a liquid containing silicone, the sheet having dispersed therein (i) particulates of a chlorhexidine compound that is not soluble in the liquid; and (ii) at least one other antimicrobial. Methods of making the silicone-based dressings and methods of use are also disclosed. | 12-27-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080299093 | Premixed biological hydraulic cement paste composition and using the same - A premixed cement paste for use in medical or dental applications. The premixed cement paste remains fluid when stored in a hermetically sealed condition, but hydrates and hardens to set when placed in a physiological environment. The cement paste includes at least one calcium silicate compound and at least one substantially water-free liquid carrier mixed with the at least one calcium silicate compound; the substantially water-free liquid carrier avoids hydration of the mixture during storage, but undergoes exchange with aqueous physiological solutions so that the cement past hydrates and hardens to set when placed in a physiological environment. The paste may be placed in the physiological environment by injection, for example. The at least one calcium silicate compound may be, for example, calcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium silicate, or mixtures thereof. The substantially water-free liquid may be, for example, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, liquid glycerol, glycerin, ethyl alcohol, vegetable oil, animal oil, silicon oil, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, or mixtures thereof. The substantially water-free liquid carrier preferably includes water in an amount less than about 20% by weight percent of the paste. The paste may include a secondary phase for enhanced properties, such as, for example, a fibrous or particulate material for enhanced mechanical properties, biodegradable or soluble materials that provide room for bone in-growth, bioactive materials such as antibiotics that elute into the physiological environment from the set cement, and radio-opaque materials that enhance X-ray imaging of the cement. | 12-04-2008 |
20090099651 | LIPID COATINGS FOR IMPLANTABLE MEDICAL DEVICES - Disclosed herein are medical devices, such as stents, comprising a porous substrate, and a composition coating and/or impregnating the porous substrate where the composition comprises a bioresorbable carrier (e.g., at least one lipid) and at least one pharmaceutically active agent. | 04-16-2009 |
20110003083 | Method for making functional ceramic films on ceramic materials - A method for forming functional ceramic films on ceramic materials, to enhance mechanical properties, chemical stability, and/or biological properties of the materials. The functional ceramic film comprises at least about 10 weight percent pure zirconia, with phase transformation at tetragonal/cubic phases at high temperature to monoclinic phase at room temperature, leading to volume expansion and compressive stress. The compressive stress enhances mechanical strength, wear resistance, hardness and other properties, and also tends to eliminate cracks and flaws in the ceramic material. The functional film may also include bioactive materials, and may include a structure for eluting drugs so as to serve as a drug delivery vehicle. The functional ceramic films may be centered on the base ceramic, or the materials may be co-centered. Devices having the ceramic materials with functional films may be used, for various medical or dental purposes. Alternatively, the ceramics and films may be tailored for use in engineering or industrial applications, or as armor. | 01-06-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080243002 | Electrostatically driven image probe - The present invention provides an imaging probe for imaging mammalian tissues and structures using high resolution imaging, including ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. The imaging probe uses electrostatic discharge for actuating a metalized cantilever which holds the end portion of imaging assembly which emits energy in the imaging probe device by holding the cantilever at a potential such that it is neither grounded or charged such that the only electrical path to ground is through a dissipative polymer forming part of the device which is enveloped by a wire or coil held at ground potential. A high voltage electrode attracts the metalized cantilever and the dissipative polymer is used to connect to the cantilever to ground causing the cantilever to move about thereby scanning the region in front of the probe. | 10-02-2008 |
20090264768 | Scanning mechanisms for imaging probe - The present invention provides scanning mechanisms for imaging probes using for imaging mammalian tissues and structures using high resolution imaging, including high frequency ultrasound and/or optical coherence tomography. The imaging probes include adjustable rotational drive mechanism for imparting rotational motion to an imaging assembly containing either optical or ultrasound transducers which emit energy into the surrounding area. The imaging assembly includes a scanning mechanism having including a movable member configured to deliver the energy beam along a path out of said elongate hollow shaft at a variable angle with respect to said longitudinal axis to give forward and side viewing capability of the imaging assembly. The movable member is mounted in such a way that the variable angle is a function of the angular velocity of the imaging assembly. | 10-22-2009 |
20130060146 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR INTRAOPERATIVE GUIDANCE FEEDBACK - Systems and methods for surgical guidance and image registration are provided, in which three-dimensional image data associated with an object or patient is registered to topological image data obtained using a surface topology imaging device. The surface topology imaging device may be rigidly attached to an optical position measurement system that also tracks fiducial markers on a movable instrument. The instrument may be registered to the topological image data, such that the topological image data and the movable instrument are registered to the three-dimensional image data. The three-dimensional image data may be CT or MRI data associated with a patient. The system may also co-register images pertaining to a surgical plan with the three-dimensional image data. In another aspect, the surface topology imaging device may be configured to directly track fiducial markers on a movable instrument. The fiducial markers may be tracked according to surface texture. | 03-07-2013 |
20130345556 | SCANNING MECHANISMS FOR IMAGING PROBE - The present invention provides scanning mechanisms for imaging probes using for imaging mammalian tissues and structures using high resolution imaging, including high frequency ultrasound and/or optical coherence tomography. The imaging probes include adjustable rotational drive mechanism for imparting rotational motion to an imaging assembly containing either optical or ultrasound transducers which emit energy into the surrounding area. The imaging assembly includes a scanning mechanism having including a movable member configured to deliver the energy beam along a path out of said elongate hollow shaft at a variable angle with respect to said longitudinal axis to give forward and side viewing capability of the imaging assembly. The movable member is mounted in such a way that the variable angle is a function of the angular velocity of the imaging assembly. | 12-26-2013 |
20140323860 | IMAGING PROBE WITH COMBINED ULTRASOUND AND OPTICAL MEANS OF IMAGING - The present invention provides an imaging probe for imaging mammalian tissues and structures using high resolution imaging, including high frequency ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. The imaging probes structures using high resolution imaging use combined high frequency ultrasound (IVUS) and optical imaging methods such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to accurate co-registering of images obtained from ultrasound image signals and optical image signals during scanning a region of interest. | 10-30-2014 |
20140323877 | MEDICAL IMAGING PROBE WITH ROTARY ENCODER - The present invention provides minimally invasive imaging probe having an optical encoder integrated therewith for accurately measuring or estimating the rotational velocity near the distal end of the medical device, such as an imaging probe which undergoes rotational movement during scanning of surrounding tissue in bodily lumens and cavities. | 10-30-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100224289 | METHODS OF ENHANCING MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ALUMINUM ALLOY HIGH PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS - Methods of enhancing mechanical properties of aluminum alloy high pressure die castings are disclosed herein. An aluminum alloy composition forming a casting comprises, by weight of the composition, at least one of a magnesium concentration greater than about 0.2%, a copper concentration greater than about 1.5%, a silicon concentration greater than about 0.5%, and a zinc concentration greater than about 0.3%. After solidification, a casting is cooled to a quenching temperature between about 300° C. and about 500° C. Upon attainment of the quenching temperature, the casting is removed from the die and immediately quenched in a quench media. Following quenching, the casting is pre-aged at a reduced temperature between about room temperature and about 100° C. Thereafter, the casting is aged via at least one substantially isothermal aging at one or more elevated temperatures between about 150° C. and about 240° C. | 09-09-2010 |
20120000578 | CAST ALUMINUM ALLOYS - Aluminum alloys having improved properties are provided. The alloy includes about 0 to 2 wt % rare earth elements, about 0.5 to about 14 wt % silicon, about 0.25 to about 2.0 wt % copper, about 0.1 to about 3.0 wt % nickel, approximately 0.1 to 1.0% iron, about 0.1 to about 2.0 wt % zinc, about 0.1 to about 1.0 wt % magnesium, 0 to about 1.0 wt % silver, about 0.01 to about 0.2 wt % strontium, 0 to about 1.0 wt % scandium, 0 to about 1.0 wt % manganese, 0 to about 0.5 wt % calcium, 0 to about 0.5 wt % germanium, 0 to about 0.5 wt % tin, 0 to about 0.5 wt % cobalt, 0 to about 0.2 wt % titanium, 0 to about 0.1 wt % boron, 0 to about 0.2 wt % zirconium, 0 to 0.5% yttrium, 0 to about 0.3 wt % cadmium, 0 to about 0.3 wt % chromium, 0 to about 0.5 wt % indium, and the balance aluminum. Methods of making cast aluminum parts are also described. | 01-05-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120092253 | Computer Input and Output Peripheral Device - The peripheral input and output device embeds a touch-screen display onto a mouse. Users interact with the display of the mouse using direct touch, whilst also performing regular cursor-based mouse interactions. The resulting device has many unique capabilities, in particular for interacting with auxiliary windows, such as toolbars, palettes, pop-ups and dialog-boxes. By migrating these windows onto a peripheral computer mouse challenges such as screen real-estate use and window management can be alleviated. | 04-19-2012 |
20130097550 | ENHANCED TARGET SELECTION FOR A TOUCH-BASED INPUT ENABLED USER INTERFACE - Systems and methods for providing graphical user interface elements optimized for touch-based input in connection with an application that is designed for conventional input received from a keyboard and a mouse. The touch-based graphical user interface elements are displayed when the computer system detects that a user is about to switch from conventional input devices to touch-sensitive input devices. The touch-based graphical user interface elements are hidden when the user provides input with the conventional input devices such that the touch-based graphical user interface elements do not distract from the applications normal operation. The display device includes a sensing capability that enables the computer system to detect when an object, such as a user's finger or a stylus, is proximate to, but not in contact with, the display device. | 04-18-2013 |
20140098067 | ALWAYS-AVAILABLE INPUT THROUGH FINGER INSTRUMENTATION - A finger device initiates actions on a computer system when placed in contact with a surface. The finger device includes instrumentation that captures images and gestures. When in contact with a surface, the finger device captures images of the surface and gestures made on the surface. The finger device also transmits the images and gesture data to the computer system. An application on the computer system matches the images received from the finger device to a representation of the surface, identifies an action associated with the surface representation and gesture, and executes the action. Instrumenting the finger instead of the surface, allows a user to configure virtually any surface to accept touch input. | 04-10-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090154549 | DIRECT MODE MODULE WITH MOTION FLAG PRECODING AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH - A motion compensation module can be used in a video encoder that encodes, into a processed video signal, a video input signal including a sequence of pictures. The motion compensation module includes a motion flag generation module that generates a motion flag for at least one of the plurality of macroblocks of a first picture of the sequence of pictures based on a corresponding macroblock of a plurality of macroblocks of a second picture of the sequence of pictures. A direct mode motion vector module evaluates a direct mode motion vector for the corresponding macroblock of the second picture, based on the motion flag for the at least one of the plurality of macroblocks of the first picture. | 06-18-2009 |
20120224624 | VIDEO DECODER WITH GENERAL VIDEO DECODING DEVICE AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH - A video decoder includes an entropy decoding device that includes a first processor that generates entropy decoded (EDC) data from an encoded video signal. A general video decoding device includes a second processor that generates a decoded video signal from the EDC data, wherein the general video decoding device includes: a neighbor management module, a decode motion compensation module, an inverse intra-prediction module, an inverse transform/quantization module, and a deblocking filter module. | 09-06-2012 |
20120224625 | GENERAL VIDEO DECODING DEVICE FOR DECODING MULTILAYER VIDEO AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH - A video decoder includes an entropy decoding device that includes a first processor that generates entropy decoded (EDC) data from an encoded video signal that includes a plurality of video layers. A general video decoding device includes a second processor that generates a decoded video signal from the EDC data, wherein the general video decoding device includes a neighbor management module, a decode motion compensation module, an inverse intra-prediction module, an inverse transform/quantization module, a deblocking filter module, and a resampling module. | 09-06-2012 |
20120224633 | VIDEO DECODER WITH SHARED MEMORY AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH - A video decoder includes an entropy decoding device that includes a first processor that generates first entropy decoded (EDC) data from a first portion of an encoded video signal and further that generates second EDC data from a second portion of the encoded video signal. A general video decoding device includes a second processor that generates a first portion of a decoded video signal from the first EDC data and that further generates a second portion of the decoded video signal from the second EDC data. A shared memory includes at least one buffer that is accessed by the general video decoding device via absolute memory addressing. | 09-06-2012 |
20120224644 | VIDEO DECODER WITH SLICE DEPENDENCY DECODING AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH - A video decoder includes an entropy decoding device that includes a first processor that generates entropy decoded (EDC) data from an encoded video signal, wherein the encoded video signal includes a plurality of video layers, wherein the entropy decoding device includes a slice dependency module that generates slice dependency data and wherein the first processor entropy decodes a selected subset of the plurality of video layers, based on the slice dependency data. A general video decoding device includes a second processor that generates a decoded video signal from the EDC data. | 09-06-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110111321 | COMPOSITE PROTON CONDUCTING MEMBRANE WITH LOW DEGRADATION AND MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY FOR FUEL CELLS - A small molecule or polymer additive can be used in preparation of a membrane electrode assembly to improve its durability and performance under low relative humidity in a fuel cell. Specifically, a method of forming a membrane electrode assembly comprising a proton exchange membrane, comprises providing an additive comprising at least two nitrogen atoms to the membrane electrode assembly. | 05-12-2011 |
20120225361 | COMPOSITE PROTON CONDUCTING ELECTROLYTE WITH IMPROVED ADDITIVES FOR FUEL CELLS - Additives can be used to prepare polymer electrolyte for membrane electrode assemblies in polymer electrolyte fuel cells in order to improve both durability and performance. The additives are chemical complexes comprising certain metal and organic ligand components. | 09-06-2012 |
20120225372 | PROTON CONDUCTING ELECTROLYTES WITH CROSS-LINKED COPOLYMER ADDITIVES FOR USE IN FUEL CELLS - A proton conducting polymer electrolyte comprising a proton conducting ionomer cross-linked with an amount of a copolymer additive comprising cross-linking functional groups and other functional groups (e.g. proton carriers, chelating agents, radical scavengers) shows improved durability over the ionomer alone and provides for more stable inclusion of these other functional groups. The copolymer additive comprises at least two types of metal oxide monomers, one having cross-linking functional groups and the other having the other functional groups. | 09-06-2012 |
20120225958 | PROTON CONDUCTING ELECTROLYTES WITH CROSS-LINKED COPOLYMER ADDITIVES FOR USE IN FUEL CELLS - A proton conducting polymer electrolyte comprising a proton conducting ionomer cross-linked with an amount of a copolymer additive comprising cross-linking functional groups and other functional groups (e.g. proton carriers, chelating agents, radical scavengers) shows improved durability over the ionomer alone and provides for more stable inclusion of these other functional groups. The copolymer additive comprises at least two types of metal oxide monomers, one having cross-linking functional groups and the other having the other functional groups. | 09-06-2012 |
20120231367 | COMPOSITE PROTON CONDUCTING MEMBRANE WITH LOW DEGRADATION AND MEMBRANE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY FOR FUEL CELLS - A small molecule or polymer additive can be used in preparation of a membrane electrode assembly to improve its durability and performance under low relative humidity in a fuel cell. Specifically, a method of forming a membrane electrode assembly comprising a proton exchange membrane, comprises providing an additive comprising at least two nitrogen atoms to the membrane electrode assembly. | 09-13-2012 |
20120258382 | ADDITIVES TO MITIGATE CATALYST LAYER DEGRADATION IN FUEL CELLS - Ligand additives having two or more coordination sites in close proximity can be used in the polymer electrolyte of membrane electrode assemblies in solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells in order to reduce the dissolution of catalyst, particularly from the cathode, and hence reduce fuel cell degradation over time. | 10-11-2012 |
20130108944 | SULFONATED POLY(PHENYLENE) COPOLYMER ELECTROLYTE FOR FUEL CELLS | 05-02-2013 |