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.
Court of Appeals to Address Standard of Review for Claim Interpretation
March 18, 2013
| Intellectual Property News
For nearly twenty years, the federal courts have addressed the interpretation of the claims in a patent as a question of law, rather than a question of fact. This standard has meant that the court of appeals owed no deference to the findings of the trial courts on matters of claim interpretation, and the lack of deference is widely believed to contribute to an inordinately high reversal rate on appeal. Now the Federal Circuit has decided to take a closer look at whether it should give deference to the lower court rulings.
In Lightning Ballast v. Philips Electronics, the Federal Circuit has asked the parties to submit briefing specifically directed to the question of whether the court should abandon the prior practice of affording no deference to claim construction rulings. It further invites input regarding the particular aspects, if any, of a lower court ruling that should be given deference. The court has also decided to consider the matter en banc, rather than in a panel. Additional briefing from nonparties are likely to be submitted, and the court expressly invited an amicus brief from the USPTO.
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.
Hygienic twist lid for insulated beverage container
US Patent 8,393,487
March 12, 2013
A three position, selectively openable twist lid for a drinking vessel has separate drinking and venting apertures. The lid has two parts—a base member and a cap member. The base and cap members can be relatively rotated from a first, closed position to a second, open position and to a third, disengaged position in which the cap and base members may be separated for cleaning.
