Preloaded differentials

US Patent 7,946,946
May 24, 2011
A preloaded differential includes may take the form of a hold-out ring type locking differential having a preloaded thrust assembly that may be insertable in the differential as a one-piece unit. The preloaded thrust assembly includes a pair of thrust members each having complimentarily shaped protruding and recessed portions that interlock after assembly to prevent rotation of the thrust members relative to one another. Further, one or more conical, disc-shaped springs may be located between the thrust members to bias the thrust members directly against side gears positioned within the differential to reduce or prevent radial movement of the side gears. In one embodiment, the thrust members include a friction and thrust contact surface that directly contacts the side gears and the springs are located within a region formed by the interlocking features of the thrust members.

Larry Graham named among IAM 250 World’s Leading Patent Litigators

May 10, 2011 | Firm News
Intellectual Asset Management has released its listing of the world’s leading patent litigators for 2011. Lowe Graham Jones (formerly Black Lowe & Graham) is pleased to announce that it is one of only three Washington law firms included in the listing, and that Larry Graham is one of only six individuals from Washington named on the list. The IAM Patent Litigation 250 listing is the most detailed publication on leading patent litigators ever produced. As IAM explains, “Covering all of the world’s major patent litigation jurisdictions, and based on hundreds of interviews conducted with private practice and in-house lawyers, the guide reveals which lawyers are considered by their peers to be among the elite in the countries in which they operate: the litigators whom clients turn to when the stakes are high and securing the right decision is crucial.” For more on Intellectual Asset Management, see http://www.iam-magazine.com/patentlitigation250/.

Safe trochar with guide for placement of surgical drains

US Patent 7,938,810
May 10, 2011
A method and apparatus for the safe surgical placement of trochars, is provided. The trochar has a sheath protecting the sharp point. The guide includes a receiver, into which the trochar with sheath is inserted, protecting personnel against sticks. The guide has a holder that grips the trochar in the X, Y, Z and Theta directions, providing position and direction of the point. The guide provides a handle for holding the trochar, reducing effort. The trochar point is exposed only after opening the guide. The receiver with sheath is a target, which provides an accurate reference for the position of the sharp point. The target also provides support as the trochar is being advanced through soft tissue. The trochar is locked into the safety guide until the guide is closed, and the point is safely in the sheath. Since the guide may not be reopened, the trochar point and body fluids are safely covered. Operating Room personnel are protected against hazardous sharps injuries.

Protective shelter

US Patent 7,938,134
May 10, 2011
A protective shelter that may be used to protect observers, players, and others from inclement weather during a sporting event, for example, includes an arcuate-shaped, flexible cover with side portions configured to receive side frame members, which in turn are connected to elongated cover support members coupled to the cover. The various frame members and cover support members may be connected with a number of different types of couplers. In addition, a majority of the side frame members and support members may remain coupled to the flexible cover after the protective shelter has been disassembled and placed in a transportable configuration.

System and method for providing services on a distributed network

US Patent 7,937,713
May 3, 2011
A method implementable in an electronic system for enabling a runtime environment to provide a service to a mobile agent object includes providing a service interface characterizing a method for providing the service to the mobile agent object. A service-description interface operable to provide a description of the service is provided to the mobile agent object. In response to receiving a selection of the description from the mobile agent object, a service object operable to provide the service is instantiated.

Method and device for analyzing the effects of the vibrations of a vehicle acting on a person

US Patent ,937,241
May 3, 2011
Methods and systems for analyzing vibrations of a vehicle acting on a person. The person uses a sprung vehicle seat. A detection unit detects acceleration values fitted to the vehicle seat in the x-, y- and z-axes at preset intervals of time. An increase over time of the acceleration values cumulated with one another is determined and a time calculated from this when a pre-determinable permitted maximum of the cumulated acceleration values will foreseeably be reached.

Location-aware distributed sporting events

US Patent 7,934,983
May 3, 2011
Various embodiments facilitate location-aware distributed competitions. In one embodiment, a system facilitates a distributed sporting event that includes multiple players traveling over courses that are remote from one another. The system includes a manager that receives state information, such as location information, from client devices used by each of the players. The manager then transmits location information for each of the players to the client devices, which are each configured to present a graphical representation, such as a map annotated with the locations of each of the players. The manager asserts a course to each of the players, by providing specific instructions to travel along a particular path. The client devices provide the players with the appearance of competing over the same course, even though they are all actually competing over courses remote from one another.

Air spring for a vehicle seat, and vehicle seat comprising such an air spring

US Patent 7,934,708
May 3, 2011
An air spring for a vehicle seat. The air spring includes a plurality of air spring components which delimit at least one air spring chamber. The air spring forms an intake air connection and a discharged air connection for controlling the height and/or level of the vehicle seat, wherein the air spring furthermore has, for controlling the height and/or level of the vehicle seat, a valve device which is integrated in the air spring or in at least one air spring component.

Aircraft collision avoidance system

US Patent 7,932,838
April 26, 2011
A system for monitoring a volume of space surrounding an aircraft having a plurality of extremity portions includes a plurality of sensors. Each sensor is disposed at a respective corresponding one of the aircraft extremity portions. Each sensor is configured to generate an image of a monitored area covering a predetermined distance from the extremity portion at which the sensor is disposed. A processing device is configured to determine, from an image generated by a first sensor of the plurality, a characteristic of an object within the monitored area covering the predetermined distance from the extremity portion at which the first sensor is disposed. The processing device is further configured to generate a signal in response to determining the object characteristic.

Silicon tab edge mount for a wafer level package

US Patent 7,932,570
April 26, 2011
A Micro-ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) device having electrical connections (a metallization pattern) available at an edge of the MEMS die. The metallization pattern on the edge of the die allows the die to be mounted on edge with no further packaging, if desired.