This Study is a request for prior art which provides evidence that the features identified below would have been known publicly as of the Latest Date for Prior Art. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art that is not already known. The Shared Reward payment of $100 each will be distributed to a maximum of 10 Most Valuable Researchers (totaling up to $1,000 per Study) for high quality research submissions.

Prior art of interest will disclose a hydraulic gear pump having sound absorption cavities ("SACs") formed in the pump body and communicating with a chamber in a cover, the chamber leading to an outlet, and an overpressure valve positioned in the pump body. 

The configuration of the above features may be as follows: 

          1. the pump is preferably an external gear pump but may be another type such as piston pump 

          2. the SACs can be any configuration such as Helmholtz, blind holes, expansion/reflection chambers, thru-holes, etc. 

          3. the cover/chamber can be either on top of the pump body or below the pump body 

          4. the chamber is preferably a relatively large volume but can be a narrow passageway;

          5. the chamber can indirectly lead to an outlet

          6. the overpressure cartridge is preferably entirely housed within the pump body but may extend partially in the pump body   

Representative examples of the desired prior art are shown in the attached sketches (via the PDF link below).

Although not required, preferred references will also disclose any of the following ‘bonus’ features:  

• an inlet duct surrounds the pump body and leads to low pressure fluid in a tank, and can be an elongated (e.g. serpentine) duct axially above or below the pump;

• the SACs communicate with low pressure circuit by means of a back flow preventing check valve arranged in a channel that forms a derivating circuit in case of a failure of the pump where the check valve is preferably positioned in the pump body but can be in the cover; and 

• the SACs are of different types (e.g. Helmholtz, blind holes, expansion/reflection chambers, thru-holes, etc.).

This Study is a request for prior art, preferably non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent that is not already known.   The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.  

Prior art of interest will be directed to systems, methods and devices that are used to communicate selected data between 2 or more devices. Some of the devices may include a GUI that enables the user to identify the selected data. 

The '772 Patent and '926 Patent are both continuations of the '947 Patent, therefore the patents share the same specification.

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art. 

While references dated before September 13, 1996 will be accepted as prior art, the preferred date for prior art is September 13, 1995.

Prior art of interest will include descriptions of:  

A Method of Depositing A Resist Material.

A method of depositing a resist material on a semiconductor wafer comprising a first step of spinning the semiconductor wafer at a first speed for a first predetermined time; then placing a resist material at a central portion of the semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer is spinning at the first speed; spinning the semiconductor wafer at a second speed which is less than the first speed for a second predetermined time; and spinning the semiconductor wafer at a third speed after the second predetermined time, the third speed being between the first and second speeds for a third predetermined time, whereby the resist material is evenly spread across the wafer during the first and second predetermined times.

The method of depositing a resist material further comprising a step of spinning the semiconductor wafer at a fourth speed for a fourth predetermined time before the resist placing step for removing dust on the semiconductor wafer.

The method of depositing a resist material wherein said spinning at the third speed commences within about 2.4 seconds after the start of spinning at the first speed.

The method of depositing a resist material wherein the first speed is greater than or equal to 3000 rpm.

The method of depositing a resist material wherein the second speed is less than or equal to 1500 rpm.

Study sponsor is interested in at least prior art to Claims 1, 2, 23, 24, and 25 from the attached *.pdf.  The patent of interest has been re-examined, so be sure to look at pages 14-16 of the *.pdf for the correct claim language.

This Study is a request for references, specifically including non-patent literature, that provide full descriptions of each of the elements below that existed prior to July, 1992, and which references are not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art.

Power management circuitry suitable for or use in a laptop or portable computer that performs and/or possesses the following features and/or means: 

1. a means of controlling power to computer memory at two or more levels; and

2.  in which the voltage supplied to the computer memory is variable at two or more of those levels; and

3.  employs a slew rate controller or other means to control (minimize) the rate of change of the voltage supplied to two or more of the power levels in the computer memory so that the memory operates properly to store information; and

4.  is intended to achieve power savings in the operation of the computer.    

An example of power management circuitry is provided in US 5,781,784, a copy of which is provided via the pdf link.

This Study is a request for references, including non-patent literature, that provide full descriptions of each of the elements below that existed prior to the Latest Date for Prior Art, and which references are not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art.

While references dated before October 28, 1996 will be accepted as prior art, the preferred date for prior art is October 28, 1995.

The ideal reference would describe a method of forming a MOSFET transistor by first forming a (1) disposable gate structure over a defined channel region of a substrate, then (2) forming raised source/drain regions by selective epitaxy adjacent to the disposable gate structure.  Then, depositing a (3) dielectric layer over the raised source/drain regions and the disposable gate structure.  During the subsequent process steps, a portion of the dielectric layer overlying the disposable gate structure is removed to (4) expose the disposable gate structure.  Then, the (5) disposable gate structure is removed; a (6) gate dielectric layer is formed over said defined channel region, in the area just cleared of the disposable gate; followed by the (7) formation of a gate electrode over the gate dielectric layer.  The gate electrode comprises a (8) metal layer and a titanium nitride layer.

This Study is a request for references, including non-patent literature, that provide full descriptions of each of the elements below that existed prior to the Latest Date for Prior Art, and which references are not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art.

While references dated before July 31, 1988 will be accepted as prior art, the preferred date for prior art is June 2, 1986.

Prior art of interest will include descriptions of:

A processor containing one or more breakpoint registers, where a value stored in said register or the configuration of said register can be controlled via a serial scan interface.

When enabled, the breakpoint register should cause a processor interrupt/exception upon a matching condition.

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art. 

ABSTRACT:

A computer network includes a first processor for maintaining a Web page having an embedded first code module and accessible through a Web address. A second processor supports a Web browser for downloading the Web page and executing the first code module. When executed, the first code module issues a first command to retrieve a second code module from a server system. The server system includes a database having a service response associated with the Web address. A processor assembles the second code module having the service response. When the second code module is retrieved, the first code module issues a second command to initiate execution of the second code module to provide added function to the Web page.

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art. 

Prior art of interest will include disclosures of constructions of two-sided printable arrays of printable media (e.g., business cards) releasably secured (e.g., with adhesive strips) to surrounding carrier material so as to be capable of being fed through a printer.

This Study is a request for prior art, preferably non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patents that is not already known. The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.

This Study is a request for a “state of the art" collection.  The Reward is guaranteed to be paid.  The Reward will be paid for the 1-2 references that best describe the highest level of development of the technology described in the Requirements to Match field as of the Latest Dates for Prior Art. There are 2 Prior Art Dates for this Study. Features 1-4 have a LDPA of December 31, 2003, while features 5-15 have a LDPA of December 31, 1999.  The references will include descriptions of the features that teach how the feature functioned or was performed.

A smartphone is a mobile phone that offers advanced computing ability and connectivity. A smartphone runs operating system software that allows the user to install and run advanced applications based on a specific platform. Prior art of interest will provide descriptions of mobile communication devices with the following features:

[LDPA - 12/31/2003]

1. Touchscreen;

2. Screen and list orientation;

3. Search capability;

4. Ability to download, install and run user selected applications;

[LDPA - 12/31/1999}

5.  Inter-process communication mechanism;

6.  Application programming interface;

7.  Object-oriented programming;

8.  Wireless telephone;

9.  Internet access;

10.  Digital camera;

11. Power management,

12. Power consumption management software;

13. User selected graphics;

14. Security; and

15. Operating system.

This Study is a request for a “state of the art" collection.  The Reward is guaranteed to be paid.  The Reward will be paid for the 1-2 references that best describe the highest level of development of the technology described in the Requirements to Match field as of the Latest Date for Prior Art provided above. The references will include enabling descriptions of the features of the system, i.e., teachings that demonstrate that the feature is functional at the time of disclosure.

Cloud Computing refers to large, hosted datacenters, usually geographically distributed, which offer various computational services on a “utility” basis. The configuration and provisioning of these datacenters is usually highly automated. Additionally, the datacenters typically use hypervisor based virtualization as a technique for delivery of these services.

Prior art of interest will provide descriptions of distributed computing systems with the following features:

1.    Multi-processor computing environment;

2.    Requesting systems;

3.    Shared and private caches for the storage of data;

4.    Java object database and server;

5.    Dynamic multi-level cache management;

6.    Automatic distribution of data to storage;

7.    Methods for viewing data;

8.    Applets operable to provide services to multiple users;

9.    Security; and

10.    Access rights management.

This Study is a request for prior art, preferably non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study Claims that is not already known.   The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.

The English translation of the French patent claims is provided via the link below. The claims presented in this translation are the Study Claims.

A copy of the French patent as issued is not available, so a copy of the EP equivalent is provided via the PDF link below. A copy of the English translation of the French patent is provided via the Word link.

This Study is a request for prior art, preferably non-patent literature, which provides a path to invalidity for the Study patents that is not already known.   The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art.      Prior art of interest will be directed to devices for wireless communication including the following features: the device comprising a housing with an external mounting element for connecting to a strand in proximity to a cable; the device containing a modem; the device containing a radio transceiver; the device containing a radio processor card; the device containing a power supply; where the modem is connected to the radio transceiver, the radio processor card, and the power supply; the device containing a splitter connected to the cable; where the splitter splits an RF signal from the power; the device containing at least one heating and cooling device.

This Study is a request for prior art that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the submitted reference provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.   Prior art of interest will discuss all of the elements of Claim 8, including but not limited to, references directed to frequency-hopping systems that use a punch-out mask, or similar representation, to identify channels that are “bad” (i.e., not suitable for communication), and develop, based upon a unique seed value associated with a communicating unit, a pseudo-random frequency hopping band plan that avoids those channels. Systems may include early secure home telephone systems where the receivers use a 49 MHz frequency band to connect back to the base unit. Other potential sources of art of interest are the developers (people and companies) of the frequency-hopping physical layer of the  IEEE 802.11-1997 Standard's FH PHY (e.g., §14 et seq.)

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art.US 6,769,258 (the '258 Patent) issued from a c-i-p application filed on July 26, 2002. Therefore new disclosures added in that application have a LDPA of July 25, 2001. US 7,343,746 issued from a continuation of the c-i-p application, therefore it has the same LDPA as the '258 Patent.Please see the individual details pages for the applicable LDPA.

This Study is a request for prior art, including non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent claims that is not already known. The Reward is guaranteed to be paid to the Advisor who submits the highest quality prior art.

The 852 Patent issued from a continuation-in-part application filed on November 20, 2001 and claims priority to a provisional application filed November 20, 2000. Therefore the disclosures that were added in the November 20, 2001 application can have a LDPA of November 20, 2000 or, if the new material is also in the provisional application, November 20, 1999.

This Study is a request for prior art, preferably non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent that is not already known.   The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.

Prior art filed in Reexamination Proceeding 90/009,305 is not eligible for the Reward or profit sharing points.

Prior art of interest includes descriptions of mechanical or electrical paper towel dispensers, more particularly references that are directed to the mechanism for dispensing the towel and that describe any specific orientation of the dispensing mechanisms that make it easier to replace the rolls of towels.

One known prior art reference is US 2,278,029, a copy of which is attached in the Known Prior Art link below.

This Study is a request for prior art, preferably non-patent literature, that provides a path to invalidity for the Study patent that is not already known.   The Reward is payable to an Advisor if the Study results in prior art that provides a path to invalidity that is not already known.  

Prior art of interest will be directed to software systems for Web-based businesses that sell products; and/or that enable Web-based businesses to process customer service requests, such as the return of merchandise.

The '275 Patent is a continuation of the '690 Patent, therefore the patents share the same specification.

Techradium claims that the patents cover a "mass notification" system. According to the complaint, Twitter’s system (aka “tweeting”) infringes on the systems and methods of the ‘389, ‘183 and ‘165 patents. Tech Radium also refers to its system as IRIS - the Immediate Response Information System - which "simultaneously delivers uniform, reliable and verifiable emergency messages to an unlimited number of contacts within seconds, across all means and devices of communication."

Please note that prior art dated as late as December 16, 2007 may be relevant to the study.