Equipment case with slideout racks
US Patent 8,411,446
April 2, 2013
A container includes an outer case with an interior volume sized to receive an equipment rack assembly, which in turn includes an inner (i.e., movable or slidable) platform assembly slidably coupled to an outer (i.e., non-movable or fixed) isolation assembly fixed to the case. In one example, the inner platform assembly slidably engages the outer isolation assembly using a joint, such as a dove-tail style joint. In addition, the outer isolation assembly may be supported by one or more shock absorbent devices positioned between the outer isolation assembly and the case. The shock absorbent devices may be positioned, oriented and tuned to achieve a desired amount of shock attenuation and damping.
Systems and methods for securing portions of a cord
US Patent 8,407,864
April 2, 2013
Systems and methods are operable to secure a coiled portion of an electrical cord, a cable, or a rope. An exemplary embodiment has a coil securing portion with an interior surface, a collapsing portion joined with the coil securing portion, and a means for securing the coil retainer in a collapsed position. The coil securing portion and the collapsing portion cooperatively define a substantially tubular interior region and an opening, wherein the interior region is configured to receive a coil portion inserted through the opening when the coil retainer is in an open position. The coiled portion is frictionally secured by the interior surface of the coil securing portion when the coil retainer is secured in the collapsed position.
LED spotlight including elliptical and parabolic reflectors
US Patent 8,403,530
March 26, 2013
One or more layers of LEDs shine light into an array of elliptical reflectors. Each elliptical reflector has an LED at one focal point and shares the second focal point with a larger parabolic reflector that collimates the light. A hole in the center of the parabolic reflector receives additional LEDs, with or without collimation optics.
Systems and methods for fabricating an out-of-plane MEMS structure
US Patent 8,404,568
March 26, 2013
System and methods offset mechanism elements during fabrication of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices. An exemplary embodiment applies a voltage across an offset mechanism element and a bonding layer of a MEMS device to generate an electrostatic charge between the offset mechanism element and the bonding layer, wherein the electrostatic charge draws the offset mechanism element to the bonding layer. The offset mechanism element and the bonding layer are then bonded.
Adjustable riser assembly
US Patent 8,402,861
March 26, 2013
A vehicle, such as a snowmobile, includes a handlebar assembly for steering the vehicle. The handlebar assembly includes a riser pivotally secured to a steering shaft and handlebars pivotally secured to the riser. A clamp selectively engages both handlebars and steering shaft to fix the position of the riser relative to the handlebars and steering shaft. The clamp includes upper and lower clamps selectively drawn toward one another by a locking member embodied as a cam-lock including a rod having a cam eccentrically and pivotally connected to one end and an enlargement secured to the opposite end. A lever pivots the cam to shorten or lengthen the distance between a lower surface of the cam and the enlargement.
V-blade grater
US Patent 8,403,243
March 26, 2013
A food grater having an improved cutting surface with teeth that are configured to prevent or reduce the sideways pull against a food item as it travels along the cutting surface. In a preferred version, the blades are formed with a V-shape that improves the ability of the user to push a food item straight down the cutting surface.
Systems and methods for performing vibration analysis using a variable-reluctance sensor
US Patent 8,400,145
March 19, 2013
A balanced bridge variable-reluctance sensor with no internal circuit components, springs, or dielectric for performing vibration analysis in high-vibration, high-temperature, and other extreme environments. The present invention includes a variable-reluctance sensor in a vibration-sensing capacity. The present invention has inherently high reliability due to its simplicity. The sensor is solidly mounted to a structure that is being monitored and allows a vibration wave to pass through a floating sensor bridge. The sensor vibrates at the same frequency as the application being measured.
Framework for generating sentiment data for electronic content
US Patent 8,396,820
March 12, 2013
Methods, systems, and techniques for generating sentiment data are provided. Example embodiments provide a Sentiment Thesaurus Framework (STF), which provides a sentiment vocabulary meeting a set of criteria and a sentiment thesaurus according to certain connectedness rules. In one embodiment, the STF provides the sentiment thesaurus by relating connected adjective word-senses to valid sentiment adjective word-senses. The degree of connectedness is limited to one shift in meaning from one adjective to another, which implies at most two non-satellite or axle adjectives between a valid sentiment and a related adjective word-sense.
Method and apparatus for determining viscoelastic parameters in tissue
US Patent 8,394,026
March 12, 2013
Described herein are a method and apparatus for determining viscoelastic parameters of a tissue. A vibration signal is applied to the tissue and displacements at a plurality of locations within the tissue are measured at a plurality of times. The viscoelastic parameters of the tissue, including elasticity and viscosity, can then be determined by fitting a finite element model of the tissue to the vibration signal and the measured displacements and by solving for the viscoelastic parameters of the model. A value for density of each element of the model is selected and the absolute values for the viscoelastic parameters of each of the elements in the model is determined. Alternatively, the difference in relaxation-times between two locations within the tissue can be determined from the difference in phases of the strains at the two locations.
Enhanced alerting of characteristic weather hazards
US Patent 8,395,541
March 12, 2013
A method of providing weather radar images to a flight crew of an aircraft includes obtaining raw volumetric radar data corresponding to at least one signal reflected off of a weather system. Based on the radar data, the weather system is computationally classified as being of a first type of a plurality of weather-system types. After classifying the weather system, the radar data is image processed, the image processing yielding an image representing the weather system and corresponding to the first weather-system type. The image is displayed on a display device.
