147results about How to "eliminate need" patented technology

Interconnection elements for electronic components, exhibiting desirable mechanical characteristics (such as resiliency, for making pressure contacts) are formed by shaping an elongate element (core) of a soft material (such as gold) to have a springable shape (including cantilever beam, S-shape, U-shape), and overcoating the shaped elongate element with a hard material (such as nickel and its alloys), to impart a desired spring (resilient) characteristic to the resulting composite interconnection element. A final overcoat of a material having superior electrical qualities (e.g., electrical conductivity and/or solderability) may be applied to the composite interconnection element. The elongate element may be formed from a wire, or from a sheet (e.g., metal foil). The resulting interconnection elements may be mounted to a variety of electronic components, including directly to semiconductor dies and wafers (in which case the overcoat material anchors the composite interconnection element to a terminal (or the like) on the electronic component), may be mounted to support substrates for use as interposers and may be mounted to substrates for use as probe cards or probe card inserts. In one embodiment, a hybrid composite interconnection element is formed by mounting a core to an end of an flat elongate element formed from a sheet, and overcoating at least the core, the flat elongate element providing a "floating" support for the overcoated core, capable of absorbing non-planarities (tolerances) of an electronic component. Methods of fabricating interconnection elements on sacrificial substrates are described. Methods of fabricating tip structures and contact tips at the end of interconnection elements are described.

Disclosed herein are devices for altering gaseous flow within a lung to improve the expiration cycle of an individual, particularly individuals having Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). More particularly, devices are disclosed to produce collateral openings or channels through the airway wall so that expired air is able to pass directly out of the lung tissue to facilitate both the exchange of oxygen ultimately into the blood and/or to decompress hyper-inflated lungs.

Method and apparatus including a mobility server enables secure connectivity using standards-based Virtual Private Network (VPN) IPSEC algorithms in a mobile and intermittently connected computing environment. Transitions between and among networks occur seamlessly—with a mobility server being effective to shield networked applications from interruptions in connectivity. The applications and/or users need not be aware of these transitions, although intervention is possible.

A device for calculating 3D seismic classification features constrained to be tangent to a path in a 3D volume is provided as a “geo-operator”. The method has the capability to associate horizontal (2D), vertical (2D) or arbitrary (3D) classification “feature vectors” with the geo-operator output, to allow determining where the geo-operator has sufficient data for the calculation to form a valid output and where the output of the geo-operator indicates a measure to which alternative feature vector prototypes may be present along the path. The geo-operator has the flexibility of using variable crossline, inline and vertical extent and having a direction able to be designated as it traverses the path, from the start point to the endpoint, aligned to be tangent to the path.

An apparatus and method for enabling cost-effective duplex communication by diplexing one of down stream signals for frequency up-conversion in a hybrid fiber-radio system includes diplexing an unmodulated mode signal among beating signals between a master laser and an injection-locked slave laser and using the diplexed signal for down-conversion in upstream transmission, thereby eliminating the need for expensive high-frequency local oscillators for frequency conversion. Higher radio frequency signals can be generated using beating between basic modes and satellite modes such as FWM conjugates of the master laser and slave laser. Cost-effective systems, stabilization of a light source and improved transmission performance may be achieved by using a diplexer instead of an expensive high-frequency local oscillator.

The invention discloses an apparatus for filtration of water from hydrocarbons comprised of a fresh-feed inlet, a first dead end filter, that is hydrophobic, a second sweeping-flow filter, that is hydrophobic, a common housing containing both the first and second filters, a system for the recirculation of the retentate, a chamber for water settling, and an outlet for clean fuel permeate. This invention takes advantage of the properties of the functional groups of a surfactant, by using the surfactant to allow a hydrophobic medium to attract water, attach the water molecules to the hydrophobic medium, and then allow for agglomeration of the water molecules, which finally become large enough to detach and be swept away by the sweeping-flow. This invention can thus be used to remove high concentrations of water, up to 5%, in hydrocarbons, while allowing a high flow rate by preventing blockage of the final filter by water.

An electrical device and method of making same is provided wherein a chip or other electrical component is embedded in a substrate. The substrate may be a thermoplastic material capable of deforming around the chip and at least partially encasing the chip when heat and/or pressure is applied to the substrate. Electromagnetic radiation such a near infrared radiation can be used to heat the substrate. The substrate may include a compressible layer that can be compressed and/or crushed to form a recess into which the chip can be inserted. Once embedded, the chip or electrical component is secured by the substrate and may be coupled to another electrical component. A method of making an RFID transponder is also provided wherein an RFID chip is embedded in a substrate using heat and/or pressure, an antenna structure is applied to the substrate, and the RFID chip and antenna structure are coupled together.

A wellbore drilling system has an umbilical that carries a drill bit in a wellbore. Drilling fluid pumped into the umbilical discharges at the drill bit bottom and returns through an annulus between the umbilical and the wellbore carrying entrained drill cuttings. An active differential pressure device (APD device), such as a jet pump, turbine or centrifugal pump, in fluid communication with the returning fluid creates a differential pressure across the device, which alters the pressure below or downhole of the device. The APD device can be driven by a positive displacement motor, a turbine, an electric motor, or a hydraulic motor. A controller controls the operation of the APD device in response to programmed instructions and/or one or more parameters of interest detected by one or more sensors. A preferred system is a closed loop system that maintains the wellbore at under-balance condition, at-balance condition or over-balance condition.

A vector modulator including an offset QPSK modulator operative for receiving input data and generating a first output signal representing the modulation to be imposed on a carrier signal to effect offset QPSK modulation of the input signal and a second output signal representing an amplitude of the input data; and a frequency modulator including a sigma-delta modulator, operative for receiving the first output signal generated by the offset QPSK modulator, and generating a control signal representing the desired frequency of the carrier signal such that the carrier signal represents the input signal offset QPSK modulated. The vector modulator also includes a phase-lock loop circuit having a voltage controlled oscillator for generating the carrier signal and a programmable frequency divider for receiving the control signal as an input signal and for changing the frequency of the carrier signal in accordance with the control signal, and an amplifier having a variable gain which is operative for receiving and amplifying the carrier signal output by the phase-lock loop circuit in accordance with the amplitude of the second output signal.

Multi-electrode instruments and methods for applying electrical energy to the multiple electrodes are described. An assembly having at least two electrodes may be configured such that the electrodes are positioned at an angle relative to one another and/or are each configured to treat different tissue types. Moreover, power may be applied to one, some, or all of the electrodes utilizing various switching systems and/or electrical monitoring systems.

An accommodating intraocular lens to be implanted within the natural capsular bag of a human eye from which the natural lens matrix has been removed through an anterior capsule opening in the bag circumferentially surrounded by an anterior capsular remnant. During a postoperative healing period following surgery, the anterior capsular remnant fuses to the posterior capsule of the bag by fibrosis about haptics on the implanted lens while the ciliary muscle is maintained in its relaxed state by a cycloplegic to prevent dislocation of the lens, and the lens is deflected rearwardly by the fibrosing anterior capsular remnant to a distant vision position against the elastic posterior capsule of the bag in which the posterior capsule is stretched rearwardly. After fibrosis is complete, natural brain-induced contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle relaxes and stretches the fibrosed anterior remnant and increases and reduces vitreous pressure in the eye to effect vision accommodation by the remnant, the posterior capsule, and vitreous pressure.

An annotation source representation is supported by a compiler and/or linker to annotate program code, so that analysis tools, such as debuggers and profilers, have more information with which to analyze an executable program. The annotation source representation in the source code is compiled into annotation information so that the annotation remains in the executable code, but is not executed. The annotation information in the executable program is associated with the code that the annotation function is associated with. The present invention eliminates the need of parallel/companion input command files, eliminates the need of compiling a special version of the executable program for purposes of analysis, and eliminates the need of implementing debug statements in the source code.

Methods for separating, in a continuous, multizone fluid medium, cells, particles, or other molecules of interest (MOI) from associated or contaminating unwanted materials not of interest (MNOI). The invention involves forced movement of MOI into certain zones having properties which deter the entry of unwanted materials. Differential movement of MOI and MNOI occurs by active counterforces that move MNOI but not MOI. MOI are tagged with magnetic particles and moved with a magnetic field through a fluid, or zones, of higher specific gravity that prevents, by flotation counterforce, unwanted less dense materials from entering. Surfaces specifically coated with reactants are reactive with the MOI in the tagged magnetic particle complex and of buoyant or other forces are used to remove any unbound material from the surface before reading. Readable labels, in addition to the magnetic particle tagged complex itself, such as enzymes, fluorophors, chemiluminescent materials, radioactive isotopes, chromogenic and fluorogenic substrates and other labels may be used. In most embodiments, materials of interest are delivered to a special final zone for reading or harvesting. The invention applies to many assays, diagnostic tests, separative procedures and chemical syntheses.

A method for performing a handover of a mobile terminal between a 3G cell and a WLAN cell when the mobile terminal moves within a 3G cell into the coverage area of the WLAN cell. The present invention proposes that the handover be performed when there are no active calls. If there are ongoing calls, method proposes to wait until the calls are terminated before the handover is performed. After the ongoing calls are terminated, the handover is performed by disassociating from the radio access network of the 3G cell and associating with the access point of the WLAN, using the relatively straightforward disassociation and association procedures. The handover method according to the present invention obviates the need for complex and expensive protocols to ensure a seamless and error free handover of calls when moving from the coverage of the 3G cell to the coverage of the WLAN cell. This method can be used with either the loose coupling arrangement or the tight coupling arrangement.

Optical backplanes providing integrated optical couplers to external optical fibers are disclosed, along with methods for making the same. An exemplary optical backplane has a first cladding layer disposed over the top surface of a substrate, and at least a first core body disposed over the first cladding layer, with the first core body having a first end and a second end. A material layer is disposed above the first cladding layer and the first end of the first core body, with the material layer having a top surface and a bottom surface. A focusing element is formed at the top surface of the material layer, with the focusing element being located above the first end of the first core body.

An optical waveguide for a touch panel which includes a planar base; light emitting cores and light incident cores provided on a surface of the base; and an over-cladding layer covering the cores. The light emitting core has a first lens portion provided at the end thereof for suppressing lateral divergence of the emitted light beam, the over-cladding layer has a second lens portion provided in an edge portion thereof covering the end of the light emitting core for suppressing vertical divergence of the emitted light beam, the over-cladding layer has a third lens portion provided in an edge portion thereof covering the end of the light incident core for vertically converging the incident light beam, and the light incident core has a fourth lens portion provided at the end thereof for further laterally converging the incident light beam.

An insert comprising: a first carrier portion, the first carrier portion including: at least one attachment portion; a non attachment portion; and a portion of a channel, the channel being surrounded by the attachment portion and the non-attachment portion, and extending along all or a portion of the longitudinal axis of the first carrier portion; a second carrier portion, the second carrier portion including: at least one attachment portion; a non-attachment portion; and a portion of a channel, the channel being surrounding by the attachment portion and the non-attachment portion, and extending along all or a portion of the longitudinal axis of the second carrier portion; wherein the first carrier and the second carrier are attached via the respective at least one attachment portions forming a channel between the first carrier portion and the second carrier portion so that components, devices, fluids, or a combination thereof may pass through all or a portion of the insert.

A system and method is described for internationalization of web pages by extracting translatable content from extensible mark-up language (XML), or similar data-centric meta-language representations of web pages or data used to build web pages. The extracted translatable content is stored in a translation task repository (TTR) accessible by the web developer and the translator. The XML representation is then modified to include selection control logic to select the appropriate translations for insertion into the final web page. The translator accesses the TTR to translate the appropriate content and saves the translations back to the TTR associated with the original translatable data. The translations are obtained from the TTR as selection cases for the selection control logic of the XML representation. As the XML is converted into the web source code, the selection logic and translations are embedded therein facilitating building the web site in multiple different languages.

In a minimally invasive surgical system, an image capture unit includes a prism assembly and sensor assembly. The prism assembly includes a beam splitter, while the sensor assembly includes coplanar image capture sensors. Each of the coplanar image capture sensors has a common front end optical structure, e.g., the optical structure distal to the image capture unit is the same for each of the sensors. A controller enhances images acquired by the coplanar image capture sensors. The enhanced images may include (a) visible images with enhanced feature definition, in which a particular feature in the scene is emphasized to the operator of minimally invasive surgical system; (b) images having increased image apparent resolution; (c) images having increased dynamic range; (d) images displayed in a way based on a pixel color component vector having three or more color components; and (e) images having extended depth of field.

Fixation of tissue such as bone or ligament is performed using a flexible material (for example, a suture net or brace or sling) with a portion having an expanded footprint to provide a sling or net or meshing for treatment of bone fractures, or for holding bone graft material and/or biologic material allowing precise placement of such bone grafts and/or biologic material at a repair site (for example, soft tissue or bone fracture repair site). The flexible material may have any shape and geometry that provides holding/supporting between the material and the tissue/bone to be fixated. The mesh or netting may be formed of a woven/braided/knitted/interlinked material (for example, a suture tape or any flexible material that can be knitted, woven, linked, braided, etc.).

A vibration correction device in an imaging device includes a micromirror array lens, configured to focus an object image onto an image sensor, and a vibration determination device, communicatively coupled to the micromirror array lens, configured to determine vibration of the imaging device and to generate a vibration correction signal. The micromirror array lens is adjusted to change its optical axis based at least in part on the vibration correction signal to correct for the vibration of the micromirror array lens. In one aspect, the micromirror array lens includes a plurality of micromirrors and the optical axis is changed by translation and/or rotation of the plurality of micromirrors. The advantages of the present invention include elimination of need for mechanical macromotions to adjust the optical axis, high sampling rate, simple structure, and flexibility to use any type of vibration determination device.

A hands-free personal communication device is worn about a user's neck. The communication device includes an elongated elastic neckband for supporting the communication device about the user's neck. The elastic neckband has memory characteristic and is bendable along its length such that the neckband is formable into and out of various selectable positions. An acoustic output device is attached to the neckband and positioned near an ear of the user when the communication device is worn about the user's neck. A microphone is attached to an end of the neckband. A detachable earbud may be attached to an end of the neckband.

A method for decoding a video signal encoded through inter-layer prediction is provided. When encoded bitstreams of first and second layers are received and decoded into a video signal, pictures of the first layer are predicted from pictures of the second layer. It is determined whether or not inter-layer prediction is constrained under the condition that a target block in the first layer has been coded in an intra mode through prediction from a picture of the second layer. An operation for checking a flag “intra_base_flag” indicating whether or not image data of the target block has been coded into difference data with reference to residual data, coded in an intra mode, of a corresponding block of a different layer is skipped if it is determined that inter-layer prediction is constrained. This eliminates the need for an encoder to transmit the flag under the same condition.

An apparatus for stretching at least the hamstring muscle of a user's leg is provided having a first support member for supporting the back of the leg of the user at or near the knee at least at the commencement of stretching and a second support member for engaging the back of the lower leg portion of the user during stretching. This first support member is disposed in front of the user during stretching of the hamstring muscle of the user's leg and the second support member is displaceable generally in a direction to stretch the hamstring muscle of the user's leg. An actuator operable by the user during use of the apparatus can be used for displacing at least the second support member generally in a direction to cause stretching of at least the hamstring muscle of the user's leg.

A printed metalized in mold label (IML) or insert for use in manufacturing injection molded or blow molded drinkware or containers. The labels generally include a metalized film assembly that comprises a base substrate and a metalized layer applied thereon. One or more image or graphic layers are then either printed directly onto the metalized film assembly or laminated thereto. Protective substrates, films, or coatings are applied to the assembly to protect by sandwiching the one or more ink or printed layers between the protective layer and the metalized layer.

A patient alignment device includes a table and a rotatable member positioned to rotate relative to the table. The rotatable member may be a head-support plate or a board which supports substantially all of a patient's body. A motor moves the board or plate so as to align the patient's body, or a part of the body, in a desired direction. The board may be formed in two segments, the segments being selectively connectable to each other, the segments also being selectively connectable to the table by pins, at various possible pivot points. Positioning of the pins determines the mode of rotation of the board. The invention allows an operator to align the patient's body with precision, by remote control, and without interrupting the medical procedure.

An electronically activated gas cooktop control system, responsive to a touch-sensitive user interface, and capable of providing a predetermined range of cooking and simmer levels of BTU output, has two complementary heating modes of operation A first heating mode of operation is provided to produce a wide selection of simmer levels of BTU output, by electronically sequencing a solenoid-operated modulating gas valve “on” and “off”, at a predetermined level of flame. A second cooking mode of operation is provided by electronically modulating the level of flame, through use of a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) output signal to produce a wide selection of cooking levels of BTU output. An igniter system capable of insuring proper ignition of gas without generating harmful electromagnetic interference is also provided.

A radio base station for establishing a signaling control channel and a shared data channel for a mobile station and communicating with the mobile station includes a broadcast information generating unit configured to generate broadcast information including one or more information blocks; a scheduling information generating unit configured to generate scheduling information for the one or more information blocks; and a broadcast information transmitting unit configured to transmit the scheduling information as part of the broadcast information.

A mobile water conversion system including an electro-coagulation stage, a microfiltration stage, a cooling stage, a nanofiltration stage, and a reverse osmosis stage. The electro-coagulation stage receives heated input water, such as geothermal brackish water, and reduces total suspended solids. The microfiltration stage removes suspended solids and dissolved solids. The cooling stage provides cooled brine water. The nanofiltration stage removes hardness from the cooled brine water to provide sodium brine water. A portion of sodium brine water is provided to circulating water in the cooling stage. The reverse osmosis stage reduces sodium content and provides fresh water suitable for a specified purpose, such as fracking.

A cap device for providing warmth to the head of a person including an outer cap having a water impervious outer surface and sized to fit over the hair of a person, a liner located inside the outer cap, the liner being sized to contact the hair of a person, and a heat source including a crystalline compound capable of exothermic reaction with water. The preferred heat source is calcined calcium oxide and a powdered zeolite in a ratio of from about 14 to 20 for calcium oxide and from about 7 to 10 for powdered zeolite.