Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) received Patent No. 121,992 for "An Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments." He later received two more patents: one for a self-pasting scrapbook and one for a game to help players remember important historical dates.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8185293 | Fuel composition recognition and adaptation system A method of operating an internal combustion engine. The method including monitoring a pressure in a combustion chamber of the engine during a compression stroke, determining whether a fuel composition has changed from a first composition to a second composition bas... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8180551 | Vehicular control apparatus and method A vehicular control apparatus that controls an engine mounted on a vehicle includes: a generating section that generates respective required values of the engine based on quantities of state in different units of measure; an adjusting section that converts the requi... | 05/15/2012 |
| 8165777 | Method to compensate for transmission spin loss for a hybrid powertrain system A powertrain system includes an engine coupled to an input member of a hybrid transmission. The hybrid transmission is operative to transmit torque between the input member and a torque generating machine and an output member. A method for controlling the powertrain... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8155857 | Method and engine control unit for controlling an internal combustion engine A method for controlling an internal combustion engine includes: providing a setpoint value of at least one combustion attribute on the basis of a setpoint value characteristics map; determining from a control variable characteristics map a value of a characteristic... | 04/10/2012 |
| 8150595 | Method for torque management in a hybrid vehicle equipped with active fuel management A control method for a hybrid powerplant includes receiving a pre-transition signal, and selectively adjusting a combustion torque of an engine of the powerplant between a first torque value and a second torque value prior to a deactivation transition period based o... | 04/03/2012 |
| 8145405 | Internal-combustion engine with variable actuation of the intake valves and self-adaptive control of the air-fuel ratio with supervision of the control functions An internal-combustion engine for motor vehicles, for example a petrol-fuelled engine or a gas-fuelled engine, is provided with an electronically controlled hydraulic system for variable actuation of the intake valves. The system of variable actuation of the intake ... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8145404 | Method for synchronizing an oil control valve as a virtual check valve A standard cam phasing OCV may be employed as a virtual check valve to choke the backflow of oil during negative cam torque conditions, including execution of a duty cycle command in an event-based manner. Normally, OCV duty cycle commands are made on a time basis, ... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8135535 | Modeling catalyst exotherm due to blowthrough Modeling catalyst exotherm due to blowthrough is provided. The method of advantageously utilizes catalyst temperature based on an amount of blowthrough air and a combustion air-fuel ratio generating a catalyst exotherm. ... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8135533 | Electronic engine control apparatus having improved configuration for ensuring excellent engine startability An electronic engine control apparatus includes a first storage unit, a second storage unit, a third storage unit, and a processor. The processor performs, when the control apparatus is activated, an initialization control process which includes processes of; extrac... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8135534 | Hydraulic engine An internal combustion engine and method of operating such an engine are disclosed. In some embodiments, the engine includes a piston provided within a cylinder, wherein a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder at least in part by a face of the piston, an... | 03/13/2012 |
| 8131445 | Internal combustion engine control for improved fuel efficiency A variety of methods and arrangements for improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines are described. Generally, an engine is controlled to operate in a skip fire variable displacement mode. Predictive Adaptive control is used to dynamically determin... | 03/06/2012 |
| 8116960 | Method for operating a combustion machine, device for obtaining thermal energy, and motor vehicle A method for operating a combustion machine, such as an internal combustion engine, has the following steps: provision of a combustion machine for producing thermal energy; operation of the combustion machine, and thereby burning fuel to obtain the thermal energy; d... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8108120 | Bi-fuel conversion device for an internal combustion engine Disclosed is a system including a fuel conversion device for use with a conventional internal combustion engine having an engine control unit and electronic fuel injectors allowing a conventional vehicle to operate using more than one type of fuel. The system interc... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8099224 | Internal combustion engine control for improved fuel efficiency A variety of methods and arrangements for improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines are described. Generally, an engine is controlled to operate in a skip fire variable displacement mode. In various embodiments, the appropriate firings are determi... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8099222 | Method for automatically controlling the charge air temperature of an internal combustion engine A method for automatically controlling the charge air temperature of an internal combustion engine, in which a coolant flow upstream of a recooler is distributed as a function of the position of a characteristic diagram-type thermostat valve between a recooler coola... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8099223 | Control system of internal combustion engine and control method of the control system When a catalyst warm-up request for promoting warm-up of a catalyst is issued and no negative-pressure increase request for increasing a negative pressure downstream of a throttle valve is issued, a control system of an internal combustion engine controls the igniti... | 01/17/2012 |
| 8095291 | Voice control system and method for a motor vehicle with a stop/start device The invention relates to a control device for a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a stop/start device, and to a method for controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine in such a motor vehicle, wherein the stop/start device is desig... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8095290 | Method to control vehicular powertrain by monitoring map preview information A method of operating a vehicular powertrain including an internal combustion engine includes monitoring map preview information, determining a projected vehicle path based upon the map preview information, determining likely engine operation demands along the proje... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8090518 | Method and device for operating a drive system In a first operating mode, as a function of the determined torque request value at least one first final control element is actuated influencing an air path of an engine. Representative of an actual basic torque value, a specific engine characteristic value is deter... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8086385 | Control apparatus for internal combustion engine To provide a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine which can effectively utilize a scavenging effect while suppressing a torque difference in the internal combustion engine provided with a variable valve mechanism which makes a valve overlap period var... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8082090 | Method and device for operation of the glow plugs of a Diesel engine A method and device for operation of glow plugs of a Diesel engine in which the type of glow plugs used is determined, by a parameter typical of the glow plugs, for example, the electrical glow plug resistance, being detected and evaluated. The detected values of th... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8082091 | Method for controlling a turbocharger using a physical model of the turbocharger speed A method for controlling a turbocharger using a physical model of the turbocharger speed is disclosed with an application for controlling an internal-combustion engine. A setpoint pressure corresponding to a fluid pressure in the engine intake manifold is converted ... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8078384 | Engine control using spark restrike/multi-strike Systems and methods for controlling an internal combustion engine include determining presence of charge dilution and selecting a spark restrike mode to provide multiple spark events during a single combustion cycle. Charge dilution may be determined based on comman... | 12/13/2011 |
| 8073610 | Method and apparatus to control warm-up of an exhaust aftertreatment system for a hybrid powertrain An internal combustion engine is controlled to achieve a preferred temperature of the exhaust aftertreatment system and to minimize a total engine energy loss. A transmission is controlled to achieve a torque output based upon the preferred engine operation. ... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8073611 | Method for controlling a compression-ignition internal combustion engine and control device for controlling a compression-ignition internal combustion engine A method is described for controlling a compression-ignition internal combustion engine, including predefining a setpoint combustion point for a compression-ignition internal combustion engine, predefining a calculation model for calculating a probable deviation of ... | 12/06/2011 |
| 8068970 | Method of operation for an internal combustion engine A method of operation for an internal combustion engine (1) whose output power can be controlled by means of a controlling parameter (T), in which an engine characteristic curve (11, 12) which, at a value of the controlling parameter (T) which correspo... | 11/29/2011 |
| 8065068 | Vehicle control method and vehicle control device This invention is intended to ensure that a vehicle control method or vehicle control device is capable of achieving the object of each of a plurality of control logics in a balanced manner and performing an appropriate control for the vehicle as a whole. Demands co... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8065069 | Vehicle and control method thereof In a hybrid vehicle 20, when an ECO switch 88 is turned off while an intermittent operation of an engine 22 is prohibited in response to a warm-up demand of the engine 22 according to a cooling water temperature Tw or a heating demand, th... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8060290 | Configurable automotive controller An engine control unit having a one-time integration of a model predictive control template via a potentially long software process. Changes to the control structure may subsequently be made via a calibration dataset connected to the engine control unit without incu... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8055430 | Valve performance controller for internal combustion engine A valve characteristic controller including an oil pump, a valve timing varying mechanism, and a valve timing control unit is disclosed. The valve timing varying mechanism varies the valve characteristic value of intake valves in an engine based on the hydraulic pre... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8046150 | Engine cooling system diagnostic for applications with two coolant sensors A temperature comparison module generates a temperature difference between an engine coolant temperature and a radiator coolant temperature. An energy determination module determines an energy value corresponding to heat energy generated by an engine. The heat energ... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8041496 | Method and device for checking the operability of a tank venting device for an internal combustion engine The tank venting device has a fuel vapor reservoir connected to a fuel tank to deliver escaping fuel vapors to the fuel vapor reservoir, and is connected to the internal combustion engine in such a manner that during a tank venting operation the fuel vapors containe... | 10/18/2011 |
| 8036808 | Ignition control system for internal combustion engine An object of the present invention is to enable the convergence of the discharge path length of an ignition plug to a target value irrespective of the condition in a cylinder in an ignition control system for an internal combustion engine equipped the ignition plug ... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8036806 | Variable valve actuation system of internal combustion engine and control apparatus of internal combustion engine In a control apparatus of a supercharged internal combustion engine, a variable valve actuation system interacts with an engine control system. A controller is configured or programmed to increase an intake-valve lift by a variable valve lift mechanism, which is pro... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8036807 | Control strategy for transitioning among combustion modes in an internal combustion engine A method for operating an internal combustion engine having a plurality of controllable engine actuators includes operating the engine in a first combustion mode using a first control scheme while simultaneously simulating operating the engine in a second combustion... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8019525 | Method and system for fuel vapor control A method and system for fuel vapor control in a hybrid vehicle (HEV). The HEV fuel vapor recovery system includes a fuel tank isolation valve, which is normally closed to isolate storage of refueling from storage of diurnal vapors. The method for fuel vapor control ... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8019524 | Control apparatus for driving source A first arbitration unit determines one demand engine torque of static demand engine torques set in a power train driver model and an ECT torque control system. The demand engine torque determined by the first arbitration unit is converted into dynamic demand engine... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8014930 | System and method for determining oxygen sensor heater resistance An engine control module includes an exhaust heating module, a temperature determination module, and a resistance measuring module. The exhaust heating module operates an engine at a predetermined speed to generate an exhaust gas having a predetermined temperature. ... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8010275 | Secured throttle position in a coordinated torque control system A throttle control module comprises a primary throttle position module, a redundant throttle position module, and a remedial action module. The primary throttle position module transforms a primary throttle area signal indicating desired throttle area into a primary... | 08/30/2011 |
| 8000875 | Method and device as well as computer program for controlling an internal combustion engine A method and a device as well as a computer program for controlling an internal combustion engine are provided, a torque model being used within the framework of calculating instantaneous variables and/or actuating variables. A correction of a basic value determined... | 08/16/2011 |