A saw blade of the welded-edge or chemically homogeneous type having a tooth geometry featuring a positive rake angle and a radial relief back for cutting both structural and solid materials.

This invention relates to saw blades of the welded edge and chemically homogeneous type, i.e. blades made of a single material. In particular, it relates to new and improved tooth geometry for saw blades which employ a positive rake angle and a radial relief back.
It has long been recognized that structural and solid metal cutting saw blades for band saws and hack saws need certain qualities if they are to function in an efficient manner. For example such blades must be strong, smooth running, have good heat dissipation and have a long life, i.e. remain sharp.
The above and other desirable features of saw blades are achieved in two basic ways: first, through tooth geometry i.e. gullet size, relief angles, rake angle, wedge angle, as well as tooth size and pitch and second, blade construction i.e. solid blades and welded-edge blades.
It is known, for example, that welded edge blades exhibit a tooth tip portion of a high hardness, high strength material and a base portion of a strong flexible material. A typical construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,871 to Neumeyer et al, which is incorporated herein by reference. It is also known that some blades which provide for reduced vibration, noise, chatter, etc. can be prepared by the arrangement and form of the teeth. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,179,967 to Clark and 4,232,578 to Stellinger et al.
Despite the ready availability of known and useful, commercially accepted standard tooth geometries, some of which maybe found in wood cutting blades, it has been found that unlike wood cutting applications various metal cutting applications require special blade tooth geometries and special blade constructions. In such situations it is particularly useful if the advantages of various blade tooth geometries enhance the known advantages of special blade construction.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new tooth geometry for saw blades which will provide strength, good heat dissipation, smooth cutting and long life.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new tooth geometry for use with metal cutting welded-edge blades as well as chemically homogeneous blades.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved tooth geometry for a metal cutting saw blade which has a positive rake angle and increased tooth mass while maintaining a large gullet for efficient chip removal.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide improved tooth geometry for welded-edge saw blades wherein a long weld line between the tooth and the backing blade is employed thus providing a stronger bond between the two.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when considered in connection with the following description and accompanying drawings.

Armstrong-Blum Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


Methods and structures of a three-dimensional memory device are disclosed. In an example, the memory device includes a plurality vertical memory strings disposed through an alternating conductor/dielectric stack. Each of the memory strings includes a composite dielectric layers and a TFET semiconductor layer. The TFET semiconductor layer includes an n-type semiconductor layer and a p-type semiconductor layer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to three-dimensional (3D) memory devices and fabrication methods.
Flash memory devices have undergone rapid development. Flash memory devices can store data for a considerably long time without powering, and provide benefits such as high integration level, fast access, easy erasing, and rewriting. To further improve bit density and reduce cost of flash memory devices, 3D NAND memory devices have been developed to address the density limitation in planar memory cells.
A 3D NAND memory device can include a memory array and peripheral devices for controlling signals to and from the memory array. A 3D NAND memory device includes a stack of horizontal word lines arranged over a substrate, with a plurality of vertical memory strings formed through and intersecting the word lines into the substrate. Each memory string can include a vertical semiconductor channel, a tunnel oxide layer and a charge-trapping layer where the charge-trapping layer can trap or de-trap charges from the semiconductor channel or the word line. The intersection of a word line and a memory string forms a memory cell. For example, 32 word lines intersect a memory string and forms 32 memory cells, in series, along the memory string.
Each of the memory cells is operated by applying a voltage bias at the intersecting word line. During operations of a 3D NAND memory device, frequently applying bias voltage at the word line can disturb charge trapping in the charge-trapping layer. Consequently, threshold voltages of memory cells can be subject to undesirable disturbance which degrades reliability of 3D NAND memory devices.

Tunneling field effect transistor 3D NAND data cell structure and method for forming the same


The present disclosure relates to a composition of albumin microbubbles to which are bound one or more moieties that exhibit a binding preference for the albumin microbubbles relative to free, native HSA. Production of the albumin microbubble composition and use of the albumin microbubble composition in ultrasound mediated delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic agents is also discussed.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the use of microbubble compositions in diagnostic or therapeutic applications.
A variety of therapeutic agents or drugs are not commercially or medically viable due to one or more of adverse side effects, poor solubility in blood, or high cost. To address certain of these failings, delivery systems such as ultrasound microbubble (USMB) mediated delivery systems have been developed. In such a system, a gas-filled microbubble is associated with a treatment agent of interest. Under treatment conditions, the gas-filled microbubbles undergo cavitation in response to the application of ultrasonic energy at a targeted site (i.e., anatomic region) of interest. This cavitation event results in microbubble destruction (inertial cavitation) and is, presumably, accompanied by a shock wave that leads to the formation of transient pores in the membranes of surrounding tissues and cells. The transient pores allow the treatment agent to gain access to the tissues to be treated. In other scenarios, ultrasound results in stable cavitation rather than inertial cavitation, which can also lead to enhanced delivery of drugs to tissues or cells. Such approaches have been investigated with possible future applications involving the targeted delivery of small molecule drugs, oligonucleotides, and plasmid DNA (pDNA), such as to a patient.
Delivery of therapeutic agents can be significantly enhanced in the presence of microbubbles upon application of ultrasound. Generally, agent pharmacokinetic properties and clearance mechanisms are key drivers behind delivery to tissue and cells. Binding between the microbubble and the agent of interest can affect the efficiency of agent delivery to a site of interest by, for example, enhancing in vivo stability, manipulating agent biodistribution characteristics, or other mechanisms. The nature and extent of such binding relationships, and their effect on delivery, however, have generally not been thoroughly researched and are poorly understood. It may be desirable, therefore, to develop a more suitable USMB mediated drug delivery system and associated delivery agents.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Microbubble tether for diagnostic and therapeutic applications


A bathing support device for use in bathing disabled persons that includes a water permeable platform upon which the disabled person can lay. The platform is supported a predetermined height over the bathtub by front and rear leg assemblies. The front leg assemblies extend from the platform and engage the floor proximate the front of the bathtub. As such, the front leg assemblies can cause no damage to the bathtub or its finish. The rear leg assembly extend from the platform and engage the bottom surface of the bathtub, which can support the forces applied by the rear leg assembly without damage. The orientation of the legs is designed to provide a stable support for the disabled person, thereby removing the concerns and dangers of having the support tip while the disabled person is supported by the platform.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general toward bathing platforms for use in bathing disabled or infirm persons who are physically incapable of bathing themselves. More particularly, the present invention is directed toward bathing platforms that can be used in conjunction with a standard size bathtub so as to elevate a disabled person to a more safe and accessible position for bathing.
II. Prior Art
There are many people who, due to their age, an accident, birth defect or disease, are physically incapable of bathing themselves unassisted. With infants, the child is simply lifted into a small tub and given a bath with a sponge or wash cloth. However, with full grown adults, the task becomes infinitely more complex. Traditionally, disabled adults are carried to a bathtub where they are placed in a small seat or harness to support their weight. The person is then bathed and lifted out of the bathtub when done. As can be ascertained, this procedure is physically strenuous, time consuming and, most of all, highly uncomfortable for the person being bathed. In many situations where the person to be bathed challenges the physical strength of the person administering the bath, the traditional ways of administering a bath become dangerous. In such situations, the person to be bathed may be accidentally dropped, especially since both the person being bathed and the surroundings are wet and slick with soap. Similarly, the person administering the bath may be injured by straining his/her back or pulling a muscle while lifting the disabled person from the tub. Additionally, even if the disabled person is not a physical challenge to lift, it is difficult to bathe a disabled person in a standard bathtub. Such a procedure requires the bather to kneel next to the tub for a substantial period of time, manipulate the body of the disabled person with one hand and wash the disabled person with the other. This procedure produces great discomfort in the person administering the bath. Yet another concern is the bathtub itself. Almost without exception, bathtubs are hard, slick structures with rapidly upwardly curving sides. Sitting or laying in a bathtub is often uncomfortable and difficult for even the healthiest of people. Disabled people who need help when bathing are often restricted to bed. This often causes bed sores and a general loss of muscle tone. When such a person is placed in a standard bathtub, the hardness of the surfaces and the harshness of its structure may be extremely uncomfortable to the disabled person. As a result, disabled persons often dread the thought of being bathed.
As can be seen, there exists a need for an apparatus that would decrease the discomforts and difficulties associated with administering a bath to a disabled person. Although the prior art record is replete with devices intended to assist the disabled, the prior art lacks a large selection of devices that assist in the bathing of a disabled person. The prior art that does address the problem is typically directed toward bathing infants. Patents exemplifying this prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 1,513,440, to Wirt entitled TABLE ATTACHMENT FOR BATHTUBS; U.S. Pat. No. 1,846,492 to Johnson entitled FOLDING FURNITURE; and U.S. Pat. No. 1,883,660 to Feldman entitled INFANT'S COLLAPSIBLE BATHTUB. All these prior art references address a means for supporting an infant above a bathtub. Since the devices are all designed to support the relatively light weight of an infant, little concern is given to damaging the below lying tub. Consequently, these prior art supports gain their stability by engaging the front rim of the bathtub and the wall behind the bathtub. Such a structure is safe for an infant's weight, but is both dangerous and destructive if used to support the weight of an adult. If used to support the weight of an adult, a structure that engages the front rim of a bathtub and the wall behind a bathtub would act to push the bathtub away from the wall. This may cause cracks in the grout seal surrounding the bathtub which, in turn, would cause water to leak around the bathtub. Additionally, the weight of a grown adult being transferred to the rim of the tub and the wall behind the tub, would cause damage to both. Often the wall behind a tub is nothing more than painted or tiled sheet rock. The weight of a person being applied against such a wall could crack the tiles and cause holes in the sheet rock. Similarly, many modern bathtubs are made of fiberglass or plastic. The weight of a person being applied against the rim of such a bathtub could crack the tub, rendering it useless or otherwise damage the finish of the tub, making it less attractive.
It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus for supporting a disabled adult over a bathtub in a position that is both comfortable to the disabled person and easily accessible to the person administering the bath.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a bathing support that is lightweight, easy to use, easy to adjust, easy to install and remove and will not damage the bathtub or its surroundings.


Method for managing activation or deactivation of a secondary serving cell, SCell, for a base station (310) of a radiocommunication network and a User Equipment (320), UE, initially using a primary serving cell, PCell, and supporting Carrier Aggregation so as to aggregate SCell to PCell, the method comprising: —the UE obtaining information suggesting that an activation/deactivation command to activate/deactivate an SCell is likely to be received by the UE from the base station, said information obtaining taking place before said activation/deactivation command is actually received; —activating/deactivating an SCell as early as possible after said activation/deactivation command is received by the UE from the base station.

Many different types of radiocommunication systems (i.e. networks) exist. GSM, UMTS, LTE and LTE-advanced are non-limiting examples of such radiocommunication systems.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a radiocommunication system. This may be a network structure of a 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE)/LTE-advanced (LTE-A). An E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) includes at least one base station (BS) 20 providing a user plane and a control plane towards a user equipment (UE) 10. The UE can be fixed or mobile and can be referred to as another terminology, such as a MS (Mobile Station), a UT (User Terminal), a SS (Subscriber Station), MT (mobile terminal), a wireless device, or the like. The BS 20 may be a fixed station that communicates with the UE 10 and can be referred to as another terminology, such as an e-NB (evolved-NodeB), a BTS (Base Transceiver System), an access point, or the like. There are one or more cells within the coverage of the BS 20. Interfaces for transmitting user data or control data can be used between BSs 20 (in the present document, the term "data" is used as a synonymous for "traffic" and does not imply any limitation as to the nature of such data, which can refer e.g. to user traffic or control traffic i.e. signaling). The BSs 20 are interconnected with each other by means of an X2 interface. The BSs 20 are also connected by means of the S1 interface to the EPC (Evolved Packet Core). They may interface to the aGW (E-UTRAN Access Gateway) via the S1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the BSs 20 are more specifically connected to the MME (Mobility Management Entity) by means of the S1-MME and to the Serving Gateway (S-GW) by means of the S1-U. The S1 interface supports a many-to-many relation between MME/S-GW 30 and the BS 20.
Hereinafter, downlink means communication from the BS 20 to the UE 10, and uplink means communication from the UE 10 to the BS 20. In downlink, a transmitter may be a part of the BS 20 and a receiver may be a part of the UE 10. In uplink, a transmitter may be a part of the UE 20 and a receiver may be a part of the BS 20.
FIG. 2 gives an overview of the E-UTRAN architecture where:                eNB, aGW Control Plane and aGW User Plane boxes depict the logical nodes;        The boxes within the eNB box from RRC to Inter Cell RRM as well as the boxes SAE Bearer Control and MM Entity within the aGW Control Plane box depict the functional entities of the control plane; and        The boxes within the eNB box from PHY to RLC depict the functional entities of the user plane.
Functions agreed to be hosted by the eNB are: Selection of aGW at attachment; Routing towards aGW at RRC activation; Scheduling and transmission of paging messages; Scheduling and transmission of BCCH information; Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink; The configuration and provision of eNB measurements; Radio Bearer Control; Radio Admission Control; Connection Mobility Control in LTE_ACTIVE state.
Functions agreed to be hosted by the aGW are: Paging origination; LTE_IDLE state management; Ciphering of the user plane; PDCP; SAE Bearer Control; Ciphering and integrity protection of NAS signaling.
FIG. 3 shows the user-plane protocol stack for E-UTRAN.
RLC (Radio Link Control) and MAC (Medium Access Control) sublayers (terminated in eNB on the network side) perform the functions such as Scheduling, ARQ (automatic repeat request) and HARQ (hybrid automatic repeat request).
PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) sublayer (terminated in aGW on the network side) performs for the user plane functions such as Header Compression, Integrity Protection, Ciphering.
FIG. 4 shows the control-plane protocol stack for E-UTRAN. The following working assumptions apply.
RLC and MAC sublayers (terminated in eNB on the network side) perform the same functions as for the user plane;
RRC (Radio Resource Control) (terminated in eNB on the network side) performs the functions such as: Broadcast; Paging; RRC connection management; RB control; Mobility functions; UE measurement reporting and control.
PDCP sublayer (terminated in aGW on the network side) performs for the control plane the functions such as: Integrity Protection; Ciphering.
NAS (terminated in aGW on the network side) performs among other things: SAE bearer management; Authentication; Idle mode mobility handling; Paging origination in LTE_IDLE; Security control for the signaling between aGW and UE, and for the user plane.
RRC uses the following states:
1. RRC_IDLE:
UE specific DRX configured by NAS; Broadcast of system information; Paging; Cell re-selection mobility; The UE shall have been allocated an id which uniquely identifies the UE in a tracking area; No RRC context stored in the eNB.
2. RRC_CONNECTED:
UE has an E-UTRAN-RRC connection; UE has context in E-UTRAN; E-UTRAN knows the cell which the UE belongs to; Network can transmit and/or receive data to/from UE; Network controlled mobility (handover); Neighbour cell measurements; At RLC/MAC level: UE can transmit and/or receive data to/from network; UE also reports channel quality information and feedback information to eNB.
The network signals UE specific paging DRX (Discontinuous Reception) cycle. In RRC Idle mode, UE monitors a paging at a specific paging occasion of every UE specific paging DRX cycle. The paging occasion is a time interval where a paging is transmitted. UE has its own paging occasion. A paging message is transmitted over all cells belonging to the same tracking area. If UE moves from a tracking area to another tracking area, UE will send a tracking area update message to the network to update its location.
A physical channel transfers signaling and data between UE L1 and eNB L1. As shown in FIG. 5, the physical channel transfers them with a radio resource which consists of one or more sub-carriers in frequency and one more symbols in time. 6 or 7 symbols constitute one sub-frame which is 0.5 ms in length. The particular symbol(s) of the sub-frame, e.g. the first symbol of the sub-frame, can be used for the PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel). PDCCH channel carries L1 signaling.
A transport channel transfers signaling and data between L1 and MAC layers. A physical channel is mapped to a transport channel.
Downlink transport channel types are:
1. Broadcast Channel (BCH) used for transmitting system information
2. Downlink Shared Channel (DL-SCH) characterised by: support for HARQ;
support for dynamic link adaptation by varying the modulation, coding and transmit power; possibility to be broadcast in the entire cell; possibility to use beamforming; support for both dynamic and semi-static resource allocation
3. Paging Channel (PCH) used for paging a UE
4. Multicast Channel (MCH) used for multicast or broadcast service transmission.
Uplink transport channel types are:
1. Uplink Shared Channel (UL-SCH) characterised by: possibility to use beamforming; (likely no impact on specifications); support for dynamic link adaptation by varying the transmit power and potentially modulation and coding; support for HARQ
2. Random Access Channel(s) (RACH) used normally for initial access to a cell.
The MAC sublayer provides data transfer services on logical channels. A set of logical channel types is defined for different kinds of data transfer services as offered by MAC. Each logical channel type is defined by what type of information is transferred.
A general classification of logical channels is into two groups:                Control Channels (for the transfer of control plane data);        Traffic Channels (for the transfer of user plane data).
Control channels are used for transfer of control plane data only. The control channels offered by MAC are:                Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH)
A downlink channel for broadcasting system control information                Paging Control Channel (PCCH)
A downlink channel that transfers paging information. This channel is used when the network does not know the location cell of the UE.                Common Control Channel (CCCH)
this channel is used by the UEs having no RRC connection with the network.                Multicast Control Channel (MCCH)
A point-to-multipoint downlink channel used for transmitting MBMS control data from the network to the UE.                Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH)
A point-to-point bi-directional channel that transmits dedicated control data between a UE and the network. Used by UEs having an RRC connection.
Traffic channels are used for the transfer of user plane data only. The traffic channels offered by MAC are:                Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH)
A Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH) is a point-to-point channel, dedicated to one UE, for the transfer of user data. A DTCH can exist in both uplink and downlink.                Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH)
A point-to-multipoint downlink channel for transmitting traffic data from the network to the UE.
In Uplink, the following connections between logical channels and transport channels exist:                DCCH can be mapped to UL-SCH;        DTCH can be mapped to UL-SCH.
In Downlink, the following connections between logical channels and transport channels exist:                BCCH can be mapped to BCH;        PCCH can be mapped to PCH;        DCCH can be mapped to DL-SCH;        DTCH can be mapped to DL-SCH;        MCCH can be mapped to MCH;        MTCH can be mapped to MCH;
Conventionally, only one carrier (e.g. a frequency band) is used at a time with respect to a given UE for transporting data, such as useful data and/or control data.
But for supporting wider transmission bandwidths, it would be better to use carrier aggregation, that is simultaneous support of multiple carriers. Carrier aggregation would thus involve transporting data, such as useful data and/or control data, over a plurality of carriers with respect to a given UE. It would thus enhance the conventional carrier usage and be adapted to the multiple access type of the considered radio communication system.
As far as LTE is concerned, carrier aggregation has been introduced in a recent version thereof, so-called LTE-Advanced, which extends LTE Release 8 (LTE Rel-8). Some aspects of carrier aggregation are disclosed for example in 3GPP TR 36.814 V0.4.1, 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Further Advancements for E-UTRA Physical Layer Aspects (Release 9) released in February 2009 (see section 5 in particular), as well as in subsequent versions thereof. Other standard documents, which are well known by one skilled in the art, relate to other aspects of carrier aggregation.
Thus LTE-Advanced allows having two or more carriers, so-called component carriers (CCs), aggregated in order to support wider transmission bandwidths e.g. up to 100 MHz and for spectrum aggregation.
In contrast with an LTE Rel-8 terminal, an LTE-Advanced terminal with reception and/or transmission capabilities for carrier aggregation can simultaneously receive and/or transmit on multiple component carriers.
According to a non-limiting example, a carrier may be defined by a bandwidth and a center frequency. If five carriers are assigned as granularity of carrier unit having a 5 MHz bandwidth, carrier aggregation may lead to a bandwidth of a maximum of 25 MHz.
Contiguous spectrum aggregation and/or non-contiguous spectrum aggregation may take place. The contiguous spectrum aggregation uses contiguous carriers and the non-contiguous spectrum aggregation uses discontiguous carriers. The number of aggregated carriers may be different in uplink and downlink. When the number of downlink carriers and that of uplink carriers are equal, it is called a symmetric aggregation, and when the numbers are different, it is called an asymmetric aggregation.
The size (i.e., the bandwidth) of multiple carriers may vary. For example, when five carriers are used to configure a 70 MHz band, they may be configured as 5 MHz carrier (carrier #0)+20 MHz carrier (carrier #1)+20 MHz carrier (carrier #2)+20 MHz carrier (carrier #3)+5 MHz carrier (carrier #4).
FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a protocol structure for supporting multiple carriers. A common medium access control (MAC) entity 210 manages a physical (PHY) layer 220 which uses a plurality of carriers. A MAC management message transmitted by a particular carrier may be applied to other carriers. The PHY layer 220 may operate e.g. in a TDD (Time Division Duplex) and/or FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) scheme.
There are several physical control channels used in the physical layer 220. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may inform the UE about the resource allocation of paging channel (PCH) and downlink shared channel (DL-SCH), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to DL-SCH. The PDCCH may carry the uplink scheduling grant which informs the UE about resource allocation of uplink transmission. A physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH) informs the UE about the number of OFDM symbols used for the PDCCHs and is transmitted in every subframe. A physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH) carries HARQ ACK/NAK signals in response to uplink transmissions. A physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) carries uplink control data such as HARQ ACK/NAK in response to downlink transmission, scheduling request and channel quality indicator (CQI). A physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carries uplink shared channel (UL-SCH).
Each component carrier may have its own control channel, i.e. PDCCH. Alternatively, only some component carriers may have an associated PDCCH, while the other component carriers do not have their own PDCCH.
Component carriers may be divided into a primary component carrier (PCC) and one or several secondary component carriers (SCCs) depending on whether they are activated. A PCC refers to a component carrier that is constantly activated, and an SCC refers to a component carrier that is activated or deactivated according to particular conditions. Activation means that transmission or reception of traffic data is performed or traffic data is ready for its transmission or reception. Deactivation means that transmission or reception of traffic data is not permitted. In the deactivation, measurement is made or minimum information can be transmitted or received. The UE generally uses only a single PCC and possibly one or more SCCs along with the PCC.
A PCC is a component carrier used by a BS (i.e. an eNB in the context of LTE/LTE-A) to exchange traffic and PHY/MAC control signaling (e.g. MAC control messages) with a UE. SCCs carriers are additional component carriers which the UE may use for traffic, only per BS's specific commands and rules received e.g. on the PCC. The PCC may be a fully configured carrier, by which major control data is exchanged between the BS and the UE. In particular, the PCC is configured with PDCCH. The SCC may be a fully configured component carrier or a partially configured component carrier, which is allocated according to a request of the UE or according to an instruction of the BS. The PCC may be used for entering of the UE into a network or for an allocation of the SCC. The primary carrier may be selected from among fully configured component carriers, rather than being fixed to a particular component carrier. A component carrier set as an SCC carrier may be changed to a PCC.
A PCC may further have at least some of the following characteristics:                to be in accordance with the definitions of the PCC introduced in Rel-10 CA;        uplink PCC and downlink PCC may be configured per UE;        uplink PCC may be used for transmission of L1 uplink control data;        downlink PCC cannot be de-activated;        re-establishment may be triggered when the downlink PCC experiences RLF (radio link failure), not when other downlink CC's experience RLF;        SI (system information) reception for the downlink PCC, Rel-8 procedures may apply;        this may not imply anything for the reception of the SI of other configured CC's;        NAS information may be taken from the downlink PCC cell.
With respect to a given UE and a given eNB or base station, the uplink and downlink PCCs are designated by the common term PCell (i.e. primary serving cell), while the uplink and downlink SCCs are designated by the common term SCell (i.e. secondary serving cell), as well known in the art.
When considering Carrier Aggregation (CA), an SCell activation/deactivation mechanism may be carried out in order to increase the data rate (uplink or/and downlink). In this case, a PCell may carry an explicit activation/deactivation of a configured SCell signalled e.g. by a MAC control element (MAC CE). For more details about MAC CEs, the reader can refer for example to the technical specification 3GPP TS 36.321 V8.8.0 (2009-12), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification (Release 8).
When an eNB sends an activation/deactivation MAC CE command to a UE for activating/deactivating an SCell, it must then wait for a certain amount of time before it can start or stop scheduling the UE on the newly activated/deactivated SCell. Likewise, the UE cannot immediately start or stop sending and reporting data or information (e.g. SRS, CSI, etc.) with respect to the newly activated/deactivated SCell.
This is partly because the UE needs some time to decode the activation/deactivation command and to take consequential changes in its receiving chain.
Even if it is assumed that the UE always receives activation/deactivation command on the first attempt (without a need for a retransmission), still the activating/de-activating carrier aggregation may have impacts on the UE reception e.g. due to the need for radio frequency (RF) retuning when the UE effective Rx and/or Tx bandwidth is modified. For example, in an intra-band contiguous case, it would be necessary to configure the receiver to have wider reception bandwidth (e.g. change reception bandwidth from 20 MHz to 40 MHz) or in reverse to have narrower bandwidth (e.g. changing reception bandwidth from 40 MHz to 20 MHz). This would require UE to adjust the local oscillator (LO) position and reconfigure the baseband filters.
When the UE is performing RF retuning, it cannot receive scheduling transmissions on any of the activated DL SCCs in the same frequency band, as well as on the corresponding UL CCs. Moreover, the UE is not able to receive the DL HARQ ACK/NACK for a corresponding UL transmission happening just before RF retuning start.
As a result, if the activation/deactivation command is sent by the eNB in order to be received in subframe n by the UE, the eNB and the UE may have to wait until the subframe n+X for the SCell to be ready for operation. This situation is illustrated in FIG. 7 for an exemplary SCell activation case.

Carrier aggregation management and related device and system


Disclosed herein are systems and methods related to use of hollow core photonic crystal fibers. A system includes a tube and a collimating lens configured in a first end of the tube, wherein a single mode fiber is coupled to a first end of the collimating lens. A second lens is supported by a structure at a second end of the tube, the second lens receiving a first signal from a second end of the collimating lens and outputting a second signal that is coupled into a first end of a hollow core photonic crystal fiber. A first gas tube is configured to introduce gas through the structure into a chamber and a sealant seals at least one of the collimating lens and the structure within the tube. An output signal is received at a detector that catches the entire beam to suppress multiple-mode beating noise.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to hollow core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCFs) and more specifically to a system and method of improving fiber coupling and projection of HC-PCF modes onto a detector to suppress unwanted multiple-mode beating noise.
2. Introduction
The concepts disclosed herein relate to the development of a wavelength-stabilized laser transmitter for the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over NASA's Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission. To ensure a 1 parts per million by volume (ppmv) CO2 measurement, the laser wavelength must be stabilized to sub-MHz accuracy because of the high slopes on the sides of the CO2 absorption line near 1572.33 nm to be measured. The locking accuracy exceeds the current state of the art being developed for the telecom industry (±1 GHz) by over 2000 times.
The 1572.33 nm CO2 line selected for measurement turns out to be the locking reference of choice because there are no better references available near this line. The inventors have, for the first time, demonstrated <0.21 MHz drift of a "reference" distributed feedback laser diode (DFB-LD) locked to this absorption line of CO2 in a gas cell using a frequency modulation (FM) technique based on external phase modulation and phase-sensitive detection. Due to the low CO2 absorption strength and low cell pressure (˜40 mbar) needed to narrow the linewidth, a long cell path length (18 m for the cell) had to be used to gain high slope of the error signal. It is important to minimize the predominant noise for the locking system. The noise is the time-varying residual amplitude modulation (RAM) stemmed from multi-path interference (MPI) along the optical path, particularly in the gas cell. When the gas cell output beam contains multiple spatial modes, the time-varying multi-mode beating often leads to unwanted RAM in the detector signal. It is highly desirable to use gas filled hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCFs) to make the cells compact, light weighted, reliable, and conveniently fiber coupled and sealed.
Various techniques have been used to build all-fiber HC-PCF gas cells. Both ends of a gas filled HC-PCF can be spliced to conventional single mode fibers (SMFs) with a filament splicer, an arc splicer or even a CO2 laser. However, the SMF to HC-PFC splice suffers ˜1 dB excessive insertion losses that are linked to the formation of a recess in the end face of the HC-PCF when heated in the splicer. The losses resulted from the action of surface tension along the many glass-air interfaces within the holey structure. Furthermore, such a splicing suffers a 4% Fresnel reflection at the normal-cleaved air-silica splice interface, causing undesirable MPI in the cell.

System and method for using hollow core photonic crystal fibers

The United States of America, as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administraion


An electronic system has a power supply, multiple backplanes, and a bus bar assembly electrically interconnected between the power supply and the multiple backplanes. The bus bar assembly includes a power supply member that couples to a power supply and a backplane member that couples simultaneously to multiple backplanes. The backplane member defines multiple rows of holes. Each row of holes includes at least two holes. The bus bar assembly further includes a set of fasteners that fasten the power supply member to the backplane member in order to provide a conductive path between the power supply and the multiple backplanes. The multiple rows of holes defined by the backplane member enable the backplane member to fasten to power supply members having different designs for flexibility.

A typical electronic system (e.g., a computer system, a data storage system. etc.) includes one or more backplanes and electronic components which connect with the backplanes (e.g., circuit boards, disk drive assemblies, etc.). Typically, such a system further includes a power supply, and bus bar assemblies that connect the power supply to the backplanes.
One conventional data storage system includes an electronic equipment cabinet a power supply disposed at the bottom of the cabinet, two backplanes (i.e., a first backplane and a second backplane) disposed above the power supply, and multiple bus bar assemblies. The backs of the first and second backplanes face each other, and include power supply pads.
The bus bar assemblies extend in a parallel configuration between the first and second backplanes. That is each bus bar assembly includes a vertical conductive beam that (i) fastens to the power supply (ii) extends through the middle of the cabinet in a parallel-manner to the vertical conductive beams of neighboring bus bar assemblies and (iii) attaches to the top of the cabinet for support. The vertical conductive beams of the bus bar assemblies extend in parallel within a plane between the backplanes thus preventing them from interfering with each other. Each bus bar assembly further includes a conductive that connects to the vertical conductive beam of that bus bar assembly and extends laterally to the power supply pads on the backs of the first and second backplanes.
Each conductive bracket of a bus bar assembly includes a single vertical row of holes which align with a corresponding vertical row of holes in the vertical conductive beam of that bus bar assembly. A set of screws thread through the conductive bracket holes into the vertical conductive beam holes in order to fasten the conductive bracket to the vertical conductive beam. Accordingly, each bus bar assembly provides an electrical pathway (through a vertical conductive beam and a conductive bracket) between the power supply and the two backplanes. In particular a first bus bar assembly carries a +5 Volt signal from the power supply to the backplanes, and a second bus bar assembly provides a return path (i.e., Ground) for the +5 Volt signal. Similarly, a third bus bar assembly carries a +12 Volt signal from the power supply to the backplanes, and a fourth bus bar assembly provides a return path (i.e., Ground for the +12 Volt signal.
In the above-described data storage system, the power supply pads on the back of each backplane have a symmetrical arrangement. That is, each backplane has a first power supply signal pad for a first power supply signal along its midline (e.g., a +5 Volt signal pad). Each backplane further includes two second power supply signal pads which are symmetrically located on each side of the first power supply signal pad for a second power supply signal (e.g., a pad for return of the +5 Volt signal), two third power supply signal pads symmetrically located outside the second power supply signal pads for a third power supply signal (e.g., a +12 Volt signal pad), and so on.
Because of the symmetrical pad arrangement of the above-described backplanes the manufacturer of the above-described data storage system can manufacture the data storage system using a single backplane design for both the first backplane and the second backplane. For a bus bar assembly that connects to the pads on the midlines of the backs of the first and second backplanes, the conductive bracket of that bus bar assembly connects to those pads. For all other bus bar assemblies the conductive bracket of each bus bar assembly extends from the vertical conductive beam of that bus bar assembly to a pad on the left-hand side of the first backplane and to a symmetrically located pad on the right-hand side of the second backplane. The pads on the right-hand side of the first backplane and the pads on the left-hand side of the second backplane go unused. For example the bus bar assembly for the second power supply signal connects to the second power supply signal pad on the left-hand side of the first backplane and to the second power supple signal pad on the right-hand side of the second backplane the second power supply signal pad on the right-hand side of the first backplane and the second power supply signal pad on the left-hand side of the second backplane go unused.
Unfortunately, there are deficiencies to the above-described conventional data storage system. For example, since the conductive bracket of each bus bar assembly of the conventional data storage system includes a single row of holes which align with a corresponding row of holes in the vertical conductive beam of that bus bar assembly there is little flexibility in the bus bar assembly design. In particular the conductive bracket is limited to properly connecting with the vertical conductive beam at a single location of the conductive bracket. Such a limitation restricts the placement of the vertical conductive beams when multiple bus bar assemblies are used together, i.e., the vertical conductive beams of the bus bar assemblies must extend in a plane in a parallel manner so that then do not interfere with each other.
Additional, due to the symmetrical pad arrangement of that data storage system which enables the manufacturer to use a single backplane design, some power supply pads of the first and second backplanes go unused resulting in an inefficient use of backplane space. Unnecessary costs are invested in making sure such pads are manufactured properly even though such features are never utilized.
Furthermore, the above-described parallel configuration of the bus bar assemblies through to middle of the electronic equipment cabinet is suitable only if the space in the middle of the cabinet between the power supply and the two backplanes is available. That is, the bus bar assembly configuration having vertical conductive beams which fasten to a power supply at the bottom of the cabinet, extend in parallel through the middle of the cabinet, and fasten to the top of the cabinet may not be suitable for situations that do not provide space in the middle of the cabinet between the power supply and the two backplanes.
Also, the bus bar assemblies in the above-described data storage system require attachment to the top of the cabinet for support. Such a requirement can be difficult or even impossible to meet due to the placement of various other components within the cabinet. Moreover, even if such a requirement were achievable, such a requirement can be expensive and burdensome both as a design requirement and a manufacturing requirement.
In contrast to the above-described conventional data storage system, the present invention is directed to techniques for connecting a power supply to multiple backplanes using a bus bar assembly having a power supply member that couples to the power supply, and a backplane member that couples simultaneously to the multiple backplanes. The backplane member defines multiple rows of holes (each row having at least two holes) enabling the power supply member to connect with the backplane member in one of multiple locations of the backplane member. With this configuration there is improved flexibility (e.g., the backplane member can be reused in one of a variety of different bus bar assembly designs). Such flexibility facilitates alleviating some of the deficiencies of the above-described conventional bus bar assembly design (e.g., vertical conductive beams passing through the middle of the cabinet fastening the vertical conductive beams to the lop of the cabinet etc.).
One arrangement of the invention is directed to an electronic system having a power supply, multiple backplanes, and a bus bar assembly electrically interconnected between the power supply and the multiple backplanes. The bus bar assembly includes a power supply member that couples to a power supply, and a backplane member that couples simultaneously to multiple backplanes. The backplane member defines multiple rows of holes. Each row of holes includes at least two holes. The bus bar assembly further includes a set of fasteners that fasten the power supply member to the backplane member in order to provide a conductive path between the power supply and the multiple backplanes. The multiple rows of holes defined by the backplane member enable the backplane member to fasten to power supply members having different designs for greater flexibility.
In one arrangement, the backplane member of the bus bar assembly defines as the multiple rows of holes an Nxc3x97M array of holes. Here, each of N and M are positive integers greater than or equal to two (e.g., a 4-by-4 hole array). In one arrangement the set of fasteners of the bus bar assembly insert through a row of holes defined by the power supply member and one of N rows of M holes in the Nxc3x97M array of holes defined by the backplane member (e.g., one or four different locations on the backplane member). In one arrangement, the backplane member of the bus bar assembly defines each of the multiple rows of holes in a substantially horizontal direction.
In one arrangement, the power supply member of the bus bar assembly includes a first end portion that couples to the power supply, and a second end portion that fastens to the backplane member. Accordingly, the power supply member is not required to fasten to the top of a cabinet as in the conventional data storage system which requires the vertical conductive beams of its bus bar assemblies to fasten to the top of cabinet.
In one arrangement, the power supply member of the bus bar assembly further includes an intermediate portion that connects the first and second end portions. The intermediate portion extends in a substantially vertical direction. Additionally the second end portion that fastens to the backplane member extends in a substantially horizontal direction. This arrangement is suitable for use when there is not a direct path between the power supply and the backplanes (e.g., when there is no space available in the middle of the cabinet between the power supply and the backplanes). For example, in contrast to the above-described conventional data storage system the conductive pathway provided by the bus bar assembly can extend around a periphery of the cabinet space. In one arrangement, the intermediate portion is configured to couple to a side of an electronic equipment cabinet. Preferably, an insulation member to separates the intermediate portion of the power supply member of the bus bar assembly and the side of the electronic equipment cabinet.
The features of the invention as described above may he employed in electronic systems (e.g., computer systems, data storage systems etc.) devices and methods as well as by other computer-related components such as those manufactured by EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass.

Apparatus and method for connecting a power supply to multiple backplanes within an electronic equipment cabinet


Disclosed are methods and corresponding systems for audio processing of audio signals after applying a noise reduction procedure such as noise cancellation and/or noise suppression, according to various embodiments. A method may include calculating spectral envelopes for corresponding samples of an initial audio signal and the audio signal transformed by application of the noise cancellation and/or suppression procedure. Multiple spectral envelope interpolations may be calculated between these two spectral envelopes. The interpolations may be compared to predetermined reference spectral envelopes associated with predefined clean reference speech. One of the generated interpolations, which is the closest to one of the predetermined reference spectral envelopes, may be selected. The selected interpolation may be used for restoration of the transformed audio signal such that at least a part of the frequency spectrum of the transformed audio signal is modified to the levels of the selected interpolation.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to audio processing, and more particularly to methods and systems for restoration of noise-reduced speech.
2. Description of Related Art
Various electronic devices that capture and store video and audio signals may use acoustic noise reduction techniques to improve the quality of the stored audio signals. Noise reduction may improve audio quality in electronic devices (e.g., communication devices, mobile telephones, and video cameras) which convert analog data streams to digital audio data streams for transmission over communication networks.
An electronic device receiving an audio signal through a microphone may attempt to distinguish between desired and undesired audio signals. To this end, the electronic device may employ various noise reduction techniques. However, conventional noise reduction systems may over-attenuate or even completely eliminate valuable portions of speech buried in excessive noise, such that no or poor speech signal is generated.


Apparatus and method for extracting filtered potable drinking water from air through the use of a refrigeration system (10-10R) including a compressor (12), evaporator (39), fan (56) condenser (30), and a reservoir system (14-14D) may be provided as an indoor unit (10-10F), window or wall mounted unit (10G-10J), or a portable or mobile indoor/outdoor unit (10M-10L), and may be integrated with an existing air conditioning system (10K, 10L) and/or a conventional refrigerator (10J-10L), or mounted in a vehicle (10R). The apparatus may also function as a dehumidifier, an air purifier, or a heat pump for cooling or heating air. In some embodiments the compressor, condenser, and water dispenser are remote from the housing. Collected water may be cooled by a secondary evaporator (44) and heated by a secondary condenser (35) or strip heater (13B). The secondary condenser and secondary evaporator may be connected with a secondary compressor (12A) to isolate the system for cooling water from that of condensing the air.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for the creation of potable water, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for effectively extracting potable drinking water from moisture-laden air at ambient temperature through the use of a refrigeration system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Potable water is scarce or non-existent in many areas of the earth and there have been many attempts to provide potable water for drinking and such like purposes, however, past techniques proved to be very expensive or inefficient.
There are several patents that disclose various apparatus and methods for extracting potable water from the atmosphere.
Gerard et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,077 discloses an apparatus and method for extracting moisture from the atmosphere which is suitable for use in seashore or island area. Cold seawater is pumped to condensers on shore which intercept the high humidity maritime air masses. The apparatus is powered by water driven turbines or windmills.
Swanson U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,442 discloses an atmospheric water collector which employs cooling coil immersed in a fresh water bath which cools the bath (not the drinking water). The cooled water is pumped through a conduit and condensing frame. Moisture is condensed from winds at ambient temperature passing over the condensing frame and drains into a collector. If the condensed water is below a predetermined temperature it is mixed with the fresh water bath. Thus, the water being used as the refrigerant is periodically mixed with the condensed water subjecting it to contamination and making the consumption of the water questionable.
Nasser et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,132 discloses a device requiring two fans and two air chambers for operation, and suggests mounting the device on a post and above the tallest building. The two fans operate in tandem to reverse the air flow to be drawn through the evaporator and they cannot exhaust the cooled air through the evaporator due to their intake opening. This causes air of ambient temperature to be drawn into and through the condenser resulting in the loss of efficiency and condensation. Because the air is pushed through the evaporator it will cause partial drying of the newly formed condensation and result in loss of condensation and reduced output and efficiency. The present invention, on the other hand, pulls the air stream through the evaporator, and exhausts the residing air which has had the temperature reduced, through the condenser, thereby increasing efficiency and increasing condensation.
Courneya, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,651 discloses an apparatus and method for extracting potable water from air at atmospheric temperature through the use of a heat exchanger which is which buried under ground or placed beneath the sea to produce a temperature at or near subsurface temperature and directing moisture-laden air from the surface through the cold heat exchanger.
Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,552 discloses a wind powered apparatus and method for recovering atmospheric moisture utilizing a wind driven electrical generator mounted within an air duct housing for powering a refrigeration system having an evaporator positioned in the duct for condensing moisture, a condenser, a coolant canister positioned in the duct and including an endothermic material therein for removing heat from the airstream causing condensation on the coolant canister.
LeBleu et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,221, LeBleu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,504, Forsberg et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,718, and Forsberg, U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,453 disclose portable, potable water recovery and dispensing apparatus.
The present invention utilizes some of the features that are described in our previous W.S. Pat. No. 5,259,203, which is hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if fully set forth herein. The present invention incorporates significant improvements in structure and operation over the previous patent.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by an apparatus and method for extracting potable drinking water from moisture-laden atmospheric air through the use of a refrigeration system. The apparatus may be provided as an indoor freestanding unit, window or wall mounted unit, or a portable or mobile indoor/outdoor unit, and may be integrated with an existing air conditioning system and/or a conventional refrigerator, or mounted in a vehicle. The apparatus may also function as a dehumidifier, an air purifier, or a heat pump for cooling or heating air. A compressor, evaporator unit, fan, condenser unit, and a reservoir system that may have separate ambient, cool or warm water compartments are contained within a housing. The primary evaporator and condenser may be coiled and nested together with the condenser disposed in the inner space of the evaporator, allowing greater surface area of both the evaporator and the condenser and increasing the efficiency, moving greater amounts of air and increasing the output of condensation. In some embodiments the compressor, condenser, and water dispenser are remote from the housing. Air is conducted through a filter system and across the evaporator and exhausted across the condenser to clean and cool the air. Condensation from the evaporator is directed to the reservoir system through a filtration system and water seal. A secondary evaporator may be submersed in or around a cool water reservoir for cooling the water and a secondary condenser may be submersed in a warm water reservoir for heating the water or a strip heater may be used. The secondary condenser and secondary evaporator may be connected with a secondary compressor to isolate the refrigeration system for cooling the water from that of condensing the atmospheric moisture.
A control module controls the system operation and may include a microprocessor for assuring maximum condensation and a removable I.C. program module to alter the operation for specific conditions. A humidistat may also be provided to maximize efficiency of atmospheric condensation throughout various time periods and in various climates. The refrigeration system may incorporate singular or multiple components in simultaneous or independent operation.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for obtaining potable water.
It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method for extraction of potable water from atmospheric air.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for heating or cooling potable water collected from the atmosphere.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for extracting potable water from atmospheric air which may be operated by computer control and may use removable and interchangeable program modules.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for extracting potable water from atmospheric air wherein the extraction means also serves as the means of heating and cooling the potable water.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for extracting potable water from atmospheric air wherein more that one compressor may be operatively connected with a plurality of evaporators and or condensers to balance the load and system.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for extracting potable water from atmospheric air which also functions as a wall mounted air conditioning system for a building, and the hot air exhaust, which is a byproduct of the condensation process. may be redirected and used as a source of heat.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for extracting-potable water from atmospheric air which may be provided as an indoor freestanding unit, window or wall mounted unit, or a portable or mobile indoor/outdoor unit, and may be combined with an existing air conditioning system and/or a conventional refrigerator, or mounted in a vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for extracting potable water from atmospheric air which, in addition to producing potable water, may also function as a dehumidifier, an air purifier, or a heat pump for cooling or heating air.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for extracting potable water from atmospheric air having reservoirs that may be easily installed and removed.
A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for extracting potable water from atmospheric air having a high quality filtration system, which may include electrostatic. ozonator, UV treatment, carbon block, and /or granular activated carbon for providing filtered drinking water of very high quality.
A still further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for extracting potable water from atmospheric air which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and rugged and reliable in operation.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification and claims as hereinafter related.
The above noted objects and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the present apparatus and method for extracting potable drinking water from moisture-laden atmospheric air through the use of one or more refrigeration systems. The apparatus may be provided as an indoor freestanding unit, window or wall mounted unit, or a portable or mobile indoor/outdoor unit, and may be integrated with an existing air conditioning system and/or a conventional refrigerator, or mounted in a vehicle. The apparatus may also function as a dehumidifier, an air purifier, or a heat pump for cooling or heating air. A compressor, evaporator unit, fan, condenser unit, and a reservoir system that may have separate ambient, cool or warm water compartments are contained within a housing. The primary evaporator and condenser may be coiled and nested together with the condenser disposed in the inner space of the evaporator, allowing greater surface area of both the evaporator and the condenser and increasing the efficiency, moving greater amounts of air and increasing the output of condensation. In some embodiments the compressor, condenser, and water dispenser are remote from the housing. Air is conducted through a filter system and across the evaporator and exhausted across the condenser to clean and cool the air. Condensation from the evaporator is directed to the reservoir system through a filtration system and water seal. A secondary evaporator may be submersed in or around a cool water reservoir for cooling the water and a secondary condenser may be submersed in a warm water reservoir for heating the water or a strip heater may be used. The secondary condenser and secondary evaporator may be connected with a secondary compressor to isolate the refrigeration system for cooling the water from that of condensing the atmospheric moisture.
A control module controls the system operation and may include a microprocessor for assuring maximum condensation and a removable I.C. program module to alter the operation for specific conditions. A humidistat may also be provided to maximize efficiency of atmospheric condensation throughout various time periods and in various climates. The refrigeration system may incorporate singular or multiple components in simultaneous or independent operation.

Apparatus and method for extracting potable water from atmosphere


A method for detecting a document boundary in a captured digital image depicting a hardcopy document on a background. Each color channel of the captured digital image is analyzed to determine a corresponding busyness metric representing a complexity level of the image data. The color channel having a lowest busyness level is selected and analyzed to detect a document boundary of the depicted hardcopy document. The detected document boundary can be used to perform a perspective correction process to determine a corrected digital image where the depicted document has a substantially rectangular boundary.

Digital cameras offer significant advantages over scanners for capturing document images and other images. For example, digital cameras are generally more portable than scanners. In addition, because scanners require that the document to be digitized must be placed on a scanner platen, digital cameras are capable of capturing images of a wider variety of document types (e.g., larger documents or documents mounted in a frame) than scanners. However, the use of digital cameras creates difficulties that do not exist when using a scanner. For example, lighting conditions vary when using a digital camera, whereas the lighting conditions are generally controlled for scanners. In addition, use of a digital camera can introduce geometric distortions, which can depend on various factors such as the angle and distance of the digital camera relative to the document, the lens used by the digital camera, and whether the document is situated on a flat or curved surface. Because scanners generally utilize a moving scanner head, at a fixed distance from a document which is held flat on the platen, these distortions do not generally occur in scanners. Another difficulty in capturing images of documents with a digital camera is the wide variety of different possible background shapes, patterns and colors.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,326,015 to Nepomniachtchi, entitled "Methods for mobile image capture and processing of documents," discloses a method for document image capture and processing using mobile devices. An image of a financial document is captured using a mobile communication device and processed for data extraction. The processing includes automatically detecting the document within the image, geometrically correcting the image, binarizing the image, correcting the orientation of the image, and correcting the size of the image. The process of locating the document within the captured image uses color reduction (convert to gray scale), and morphological operations to suppress noise. "Voting" points are identified that represent the edges of the document and approximate a straight line from those points. The document corners are determined by finding the intersection points of the straight lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,000,514 to Nepomniachtchi et al., entitled "Methods for mobile image capture and processing of checks," and related discloses a method for document image capture and processing using mobile devices. An image of a check is captured using a mobile communication device and processed for data extraction. This patent teaches document location in the same manner as the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 8,326,015. The captured check images are binarized and processed using perspective correction based on the determined document location.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,978,900 to Nepomniachtchi et al., entitled "Systems for mobile image capture and processing of checks," discloses a method for automated document processing using mobile devices. Captured images are optimized and enhanced for data extraction. The processing operations include automatically detecting the document within the image, geometrically correcting the image, binarizing the image, correcting the orientation of the image, and correcting the size of the image. An analogous process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,953,268 to Nepomniachtchi, entitled "Methods for mobile image capture and processing of documents."
U.S. Pat. No. 8,340,437 to Abràmoff et al., entitled "Methods and systems for determining optimal features for classifying patterns or objects in images," discloses a method for determining features for classifying patterns or objects. The described method includes separating color channels and using Independent Component Analysis for object detection for medical imaging.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0156201 to Zhang, entitled "Systems and methods for processing a digitally captured image," discloses a method for processing a digitally captured image of a document. The method includes transforming the digitally captured image into a grayscale image and applying an adaptive threshold to determine a binary image. The binary image is searched using iterative pixel progression to detect a plurality of edges. The detected plurality of edges are analyzed to determine at corners associated with the imaged document so that the identified corners can be used for perspective correction.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,835,589 to Heaney, Jr. et al., entitled "Photographic document imaging system," describes a method for processing a captured image including a document. The method includes distinguishing an imaged document from its background, adjusting the captured image to reduce distortions and properly orienting the document. Edges of an imaged document are identified using an edge detection algorithm, and intersection points of the lines are determined to be potential corners.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,320,683 to Konishi, entitled "Image processing method, image processing apparatus, image reading apparatus, and image forming apparatus," describes a method for comparing an obtained document image against a set of references images and determining which reference images is most like the obtained reference image.
There remains a need for improved methods for processing captured images of documents to identify a document boundary that can be used to perform perspective correction.

Method for detecting a document boundary


Novel anti-estrogenic compounds are provided which are useful to treat a variety of disorders, particularly estrogen-dependent disorders. Preferred compounds have a 1,3,5-estratriene nucleus, and are substituted at the C-17 or C-11 position with a molecular moiety which renders the compounds effective to competitively block the binding of estrogen to its receptor. Particularly preferred compounds are 17-desoxy-1,3,5-estratrienes. Therapeutic methods and pharmaceutical compositions are provided as well.

The present invention relates generally to steroid hormones, and more specifically relates to novel steroids that are useful as anti-estrogenic agents. The invention additionally relates to methods for treating various disorders using the novel compounds, particularly conditions or diseases that are estrogen-dependent, i.e., are estrogen-induced or estrogen-stimulated, and to pharmaceutical compositions containing one or more of the novel compounds.
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent types of cancer, and epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that approximately one-third of breast tumors are estrogen-dependent. This means that estrogens are required for the growth of such breast tumors in both premenopausal and postmenopausal patients. In postmenopausal women, in whom breast cancer most commonly occurs, breast tumor concentrations of estrone and estradiol are considerably higher than blood estrogen levels. Although retention of estrogens in breast tumors by high-affinity binding proteins contributes to the level of estrogens in tumors, estrogen concentrations in the breast are higher than plasma levels in breast cancer patients regardless of whether their tumors are estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) or receptor-negative (ERxe2x88x92). In situ formation of estrogen from estrogen biosynthetic precursors within tumors is now known to make a major contribution to the estrogen content of breast tumors.
Numerous other estrogen-dependent conditions, disorders and diseases have been identified as well, including, but not limited to, ovarian, uterine and pancreatic cancers, galactorrhea, McCune-Albright syndrome, benign breast disease, and endometriosis.
Estrogenic effects are mediated by specific receptors located in the nucleus of estrogen-responsive cells. The receptor contains a hormone binding domain for binding estrogen, transcription activating domains, and a DNA binding domain. The binding of the receptor-hormone complex to estrogen response elements (ERE""s) in the DNA of target genes is necessary for regulating gene transcription.
Drugs that competitively block estrogen binding to its receptor, termed anti-estrogens, are capable of inhibiting the stimulatory effects of the hormone on cell proliferation and are therefore useful in the clinical treatment of breast cancer. Clinically, estrogen receptor-positive tumors respond with a higher frequency to anti-estrogens than do tumors lacking a significant level of receptors.
Anti-estrogenic drugs fall into two chemical classes: nonsteroidal and steroidal. The nonsteroidal anti-estrogen tamoxifen (Nolvadex(copyright)) has been used as an adjunctive treatment for breast cancer following chemotherapy or radiation therapy. However, tamoxifen itself exhibits estrogenic activity in reproductive tissue, resulting in an increased risk of endometrial cancer and possible recurrence of breast cancer after long-term therapy. Furthermore, tamoxifen behaves only as a partial agonist in the uterus.
To date, little work has been done in the development of selective competitive antagonists of estrogen. Several steroidal anti-estrogens have been synthesized which lack estrogenic activity. Included among these are ICI 164,384, ICI 182,780 and RU 58668. See, e.g.: Wakeling et al. J. Steroid Biochem. 31:645-653 (1988), which pertains to ICI 164,384; Wakeling et al., Cancer Res. 51:3867-3873 (1991), and Wakeling et al., J. Steroid Biochem. Molec. Biol. 37:771-774 (1990), which pertain to ICI 182,780; and Van de Velde et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 761:164-175 (1995), Van de Velde et al., Pathol. Biol 42:30 (1994), and Nique et al., Drugs Future 20:362-366 (1995), which relate to RU 58668. Unfortunately, these drugs are not orally active and must be administered in high doses intramuscularly. Furthermore, the manufacture of these drugs is laborious, requiring a complicated, 14-16 step synthesis with very low overall yields. Potent steroidal anti-estrogens that are orally active have not yet been developed or commercialized, although the nonsteroidal mixed agonist/antagonist xe2x80x9craloxifenexe2x80x9d is currently available.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to novel steroidal agents that are extremely effective anti-estrogenic agents, i.e., are potent antagonists of estrogen in breast and/or uterine tissue. The invention thus represents a significant advance in the art, particularly in the treatment of breast cancer and other diseases and conditions that are potentiated by the presence of estrogens.
Significantly, a number of the compounds of the invention that are potent, orally active agents, display tissue-selective pharmacology. That is, the compounds are useful as tissue-selective estrogen agonists/antagonists, also termed xe2x80x9cSelective Estrogen Receptor Modulatorsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cSERMs.xe2x80x9d SERMs produce beneficial estrogen-like effects in some respects, notably on bone and lipid metabolism, while nevertheless acting as estrogen antagonists in the breast and/or uterus. The SERM profile may be distinguished from that of a pure estrogen such as 17xcex2-estradiol, which behaves as an estrogen agonist in all tissues, and from that of a pure anti-estrogen, which exhibits an estrogen antagonist profile in all tissue types.
The following references pertain to one or more aspects of the invention and as such may be of background interest to those skilled in the art: U.S. Pat. No. 2,840,581 to Hogg et al., which describes estradiol derivatives substituted at the 17-position with xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94CH2OH and having estradiol-like activity; U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,703 to Colton et al., which describes antimicrobial estradiol derivatives substituted at C-3 with methoxy, and at C-17 with various groups, including xe2x95x90Cxe2x80x94CH2xe2x88x92NR3+ (wherein R is hydrogen or lower alkyl or wherein two R groups form a cyclic structure); U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,530 to Krubiner et al., which describes steroids containing various substituents at the C-17 position, including an estradiol derivative substituted at C-17 with xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94CH2X, wherein X is halogen (stated to be useful as an intermediate in the synthesis of progestational compounds and antifungal agents); Blickenstaff et al., Steroids 46 (4,5): 889-902 (1985), which relates to estradiol derivatives having substituents at the 16-position bound to the steroid nucleus through a double bond, synthesized as part of a search for novel anti-cancer agents; French Patent No. 1,453,210, which shows estradiol analogs substituted at the 17xcex2-position with xe2x80x94CH(CH3)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2)2NRxe2x80x2Rxe2x80x3, wherein Rxe2x80x2 and Rxe2x80x3 may be alkyl or aralkyl; French Special Patent for Medications No. M3031, which relates to the synthesis of 3-hydroxy-20xcex1-dimethylaminoethoxy-19-norpregna-1,3,5(10)-triene; and Qian et al., J. Steroid Biochem. 29(6):657-664 (1988), which evaluates the correlation between substitution at the 17-position of estradiol and possible anti-estrogenic activity, and describes estradiol analogs substituted at the 17xcex2-position with xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2)2xe2x80x94NR1R2, wherein R1 and R2 are methyl, ethyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, or tetrahydropyranyl (none of the compounds were found to have anti-estrogenic activity).
In addition, the following references discuss tissue-selective anti-estrogens, or SERMs, and as such may be of interest with respect to the present invention as well: Grese et al. (1998), xe2x80x9cSynthesis and Pharmacology of Conformationally Restricted Raloxifene Analogues: Highly Potent Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators,xe2x80x9d J. Med. Chem. 41:1272-1283; Bryant et al. (1998), xe2x80x9cSelective Estrogen Receptor Modulators: An Alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy,xe2x80x9d J. Soc. for Exper. Biol. and Medicine, pp. 45-52; Ke et al. (1998), xe2x80x9cEffects of CP-336,156, a New, Nonsteroidal Estrogen Agonist/Antagonist, on Bone, Serum Cholesterol, Uterus and Body Composition in Rat Models,xe2x80x9d Endocrinology 139(4):2068-2076; and Kauffman et al. (1997), xe2x80x9cHypocholesterolemic Activity of Raloxifene (LY139481): Pharmacological Characterization as a Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator,xe2x80x9d J. Pharmacol. Experimental Therap. 280(1):146-153. Reference may also be had to U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,941 to Zuckerman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,370 to Hock, U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,416 to Keohane, 5,578,613 to Bryant et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,614 to Bryant et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,987 to Cullinan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,167 to Cullinan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,790 to Draper, U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,137 to Black et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,184 to Bryant et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,165 to Dodge, each of which pertains to different uses of tissue-selective anti-estrogens, particularly raloxifene.
No art of which applicants are aware, however, describes compounds as provided herein. To the best of applicants"" knowledge, the compounds and methods of the invention are previously unknown and completely unsuggested by the art.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to address the above-mentioned need in the art by providing novel steroid compounds useful as anti-estrogenic agents.
It is another object of the invention to provide novel compounds that are anti-estrogenic and have reduced estrogenic activity as may be determined by the degree of inhibition and degree of stimulation, respectively, of estradiol-induced alkaline phosphatase activity in human Ishikawa cells.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide such compounds which have substantially no estrogenic activity as may be determined by the aforementioned test.
It is still another object of the invention to provide such compounds in the form of steroidal active agents having a 1,3,5-estratriene nucleus that are preferably xe2x80x9c17-desoxy.xe2x80x9d
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method for treating an individual with a disorder that is estrogen-dependent, i.e., an estrogen-induced or estrogen-stimulated condition or disease, by administering to the individual a therapeutically effective amount of an anti-estrogenic compound as provided herein, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pharmaceutical composition for treating an individual with a disorder that is estrogen-dependent, the composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a novel compound as provided herein or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester thereof.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
In one embodiment, then, the invention relates to novel compounds having anti-estrogenic activity and reduced estrogenic activity as determined by the degree of inhibition and degree of stimulation, respectively, of estradiol-induced alkaline phosphatase activity in human Ishikawa cells. Preferred compounds of the invention have a 1,3,5-estratriene nucleus, and are substituted at either the C-17 position or the C-11 position with a molecular moiety which renders the compounds effective to competitively block the binding of estrogen to its receptor. Of these, the more preferred compounds are xe2x80x9c17-desoxy,xe2x80x9d i.e., there is no oxygen atom bound directly to the C-17 position. Such compounds are encompassed, for example, by the generic structures of Formula (I) and (III) herein.
The preferred anti-estrogenic compounds of the invention are exemplified by Formula (I), Formula (II) and Formula (III), as follows:
In Formula (I),
R is selected from the group consisting of C and N, and, when R is C, is in either the E or Z configuration;
r1 and r2 are optional double bonds;
X is hydrocarbyl, generally including at least one oxygen atom, sulfur atom, and/or nitrogen atom in the form of an xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94N(alkyl)-linkage, and optionally containing additional substituents and functional groups such as hydroxyl, oxo, alkoxy, amino, alkyl-substituted amino, halogeno, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkyl, or the like;
Xxe2x80x2 is hydrogen or hydrocarbyl, generally including at least one oxygen atom, sulfur atom, and/or nitrogen atom in the form of an xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94N(alkyl)-linkage, and, as for X, optionally including additional substituents and functional groups, or
X and Xxe2x80x2 may be linked to form a heterocyclic ring, typically a six- to eight-membered heterocycloalkyl ring containing one to four, typically two to three heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur;
when r2 is present, R1 is CR11R12 wherein R11 and R12 are hydrogen or lower alkyl, and when r2 is not present, R1 is hydrogen, alkyl, or halogen;
R2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl, xe2x80x94ONO2, xe2x80x94OR13 and xe2x80x94SR13 wherein R13 is alkyl, acyl or aryl;
R3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl, cyano, xe2x80x94OR13 and xe2x80x94SR13 wherein R13 is as defined previously;
R4 is hydrogen or lower alkyl;
R5 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkoxy, halogen, cyano, xe2x80x94CH2CHxe2x95x90CH2, xe2x80x94CHO, xe2x80x94NR14R15 and xe2x80x94(CH2)NR14R15 wherein R14 and R15 may be the same or different and are either hydrogen or alkyl, or together form a five- or six-membered cycloalkyl group optionally containing an additional nitrogen heteroatom;
R6 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, acyl, xe2x80x94C(O)-aryl, xe2x80x94C(O)-alkyl and xe2x80x94SO2NH2;
R7 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, xe2x80x94NO2, xe2x80x94CHO, xe2x80x94CH2CHxe2x95x90CH2,xe2x80x94NR16R17 and xe2x80x94CH2NR16R17 wherein R16 and R17 may the same or different and are hydrogen, alkyl or acetyl;
R8 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, xe2x80x94OR18 and xe2x80x94SR18 wherein R18 is alkyl, acyl or aryl;
R9 is hydrogen or alkyl, with the proviso that when R is N, R9 is not present; and
R10 is methyl or ethyl.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to novel compounds having the structure of Formula (II)
wherein:
r1, r2, R, R1, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, K9, R10, X and Xxe2x80x2 are as defined above; and
R19 and R20 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, and halogen, or R19 and R20 together form xe2x95x90O.
In a further embodiment, the invention relates to novel compounds having the structure of Formula (III)
wherein:
r2, R1 through R8 and R10 are as defined above;
m is an integer in the range of 0 to 6 inclusive;
n is 0 or 1;
R21 is hydrocarbyl including at least one oxygen atom, sulfur atom, and/or nitrogen atom in the form of an xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94N(alkyl)-linkage, and optionally including additional substituents and functional groups such as hydroxyl, oxo, alkoxy, amino, alkyl-substituted amino, halogeno, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocycloalkyl, or the like;
R22 is hydrogen or alkyl, or, when m is 0, R21 and R22 may be linked to form a five- or six-membered cyclic structure which may or may not be aromatic, containing 0 to 3 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of N, O and S, and substituted with 0 to 4 substituents selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, xe2x80x94C(O)-alkyl, xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94O-alkyl, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CO)-alkyl, xe2x80x94C(O)-aryl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, nitrile, nitrate and fluorinated alkyl;
R23 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; and
R24 and R25 are both hydrogen or are both methylene bound to each other through a single covalent bond.
Each of Formula (I), (II) and (III) is intended to encompass pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, amides, prodrugs, and other analogs and derivatives of the compounds shown.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing, in combination, a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and an anti-estrogenic compound of the invention, i.e., an agent that is anti-estrogenic but has reduced estrogenic activity as may be determined by the degree of inhibition and degree of stimulation, respectively, of estradiol-induced alkaline phosphatase activity in human Ishikawa cells. Preferred such compounds are steroids having a 1,3,5-estratriene nucleus that are 17-desoxy, and particularly preferred compounds have the side chain xe2x80x94(CH2)mxe2x80x94CHR21R22 at the 17-position, as shown in structural formula (III), with m, R21 and R22 as defined above. Typically, the pharmaceutical compositions containing as the active agent a compound defined by structural formula (I), (II) or (III).
In an additional embodiment, the invention relates to methods of using the novel compounds as anti-estrogenic agents. The novel anti-estrogenic compounds find utility in treating individuals with disorders that are estrogen-dependent, i.e., conditions or diseases that are estrogen-induced or estrogen-stimulated. Important examples of such a use include treatment of breast, uterine, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. The compounds may also be used in methods of treating certain conditions and disorders that are not estrogen-dependent, e.g., non-estrogen-dependent cancers, and particularly cancers which are multiple drug-resistant.
In a further embodiment, the invention relates to methods for using the compounds of the invention as tissue-selective anti-estrogenic agents, i.e., as xe2x80x9cSERMs,xe2x80x9d to treat or prevent breast disorders, to increase bone mass and/or inhibit bone loss, to lower serum cholesterol, and the like.

Anti-estrogenic steroids, and associated pharmaceutical compositions and methods of use


Systems and techniques for semantic graph database capture of industrial organization and market structure are described herein. Electronic market data may be obtained from an electronic data source. A set of entities and corresponding relationships may be extracted from the electronic market data. A property may be determined for each of the relationships. A market graph data structure may be generated using the set of entities. A search query may be received including an identifier of a member of the set of entities. A market graphic may be generated based on a node corresponding to the identifier and a set of edges corresponding to the node. The market graphic may be output in a computer-readable format.

Market data may include descriptive data about a company and an industry in which the company may operate. The market data may include a company name, a stock ticker symbol of the company, an industrial sector of the company, and an industrial subsector in which the company participates, Market data may be arranged in a data structure (e.g., tables, etc.). The market data structure may be used in analyzing market activity of the company.

Semantic graph database capture of industrial organization and market structure


A cutter head having a reciprocating knife has a base frame movable relative to a support carriage between a raised non-cutting position and a lowered cutting position with the base frame and the support carriage cooperating with one another to limit the movement of the base frame to define raised and lowered positions. A variable lowering stop mechanism is interposed between said base frame and said carriage to adjustably lower the cutting depth of the knife relative to said support carriage in response to a decrease in knife length at its tip resulting from sharpening. The variable lowering stop mechanism may be activated by a controller which counts the number of sharpenings occurring during a cutting operation.

This invention relates to an apparatus for cutting cloth and other similar sheet material spread over a knife penetrable bed defining a support surface, and deals more particularly with an improvement in such an apparatus wherein means are provided for adjusting the lower limit of travel of the reciprocating knife of a cutter head in response to shortening of the knife at its tip occurring as a result of its being sharpened, so that during cutting operations the knife is maintained at an optimum bed penetration depth throughout its service life.
In known machines for cutting sheet material spread on a supporting surface, the lower end of a knife plunges into a bed providing the supporting surface while it is reciprocated and moved forwardly during a cutting operation to cut sheet material on the surface. One such machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,822 issued on June 27, 1989. In the machine of this patent, a cutter head including a knife moves between raised and lowered positions relative to a support carriage and relative to the material supporting surface. When the cutter head is in its raised position, the knife is held entirely above the material in a non-cutting condition, and when the cutter head is moved from its raised to its lowered position the lower end of the knife is plunged through the material and into the bed where it remains during a cutting operation.
In such previously known machines, the lowered position of the cutter head has been fixed relative to the support carriage and to the material supporting surface. This has the disadvantage that as the knife becomes shortened due to repeated sharpenings the lower end of the knife may eventually not penetrate the material supporting bed to the extent desired for proper cutting.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide in a cloth cutting machine or the like an adjustable limit stop for the knife providing cutter head to vary the lowermost limit of travel of the cutter head so that the lower end of the knife may be maintained properly within the associated knife penetrable material supporting bed regardless of shortening of the knife by repeated sharpening.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a variable limit stop of the foregoing character operating with a controller to adjust the lowermost limit of travel of the cutter head relative to the bed in accordance with the number of sharpening operations executed on the knife.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings and from the appended claims.


An apparatus for dental confocal imaging comprises an illumination module for generating an array of light beams, an optics system for confocal focusing of the array of light beams and a probe head with a light-guiding part having an entrance face and an exit face. The illumination module, the optics system and the probe head are arranged such that the array of light beams from the illumination module passes through the optics system, enters the light-guiding part via the entrance face and exits the light-guiding part via the exit face. The optics system is configured such that, after having passed through the optics system, the outermost marginal rays of the outermost light beams with respect to the optical axis of the optics system are parallel or divergent to the optical axis.

In the fields of orthodontics and prosthodontics, different methods are known to determine a current teeth topology in a patient's mouth. One of the methods involves taking an impression of a patient's dentition. Using this impression, a plaster cast is made, representing a (positive) physical teeth model. This physical teeth model may then be used for a subsequent treatment plan.
If CAD (computer-aided design) and/or CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) techniques are to be employed, a digital dataset corresponding to the teeth may be obtained by scanning. For example, the (positive) physical teeth model in form of the plaster cast or a (negative) physical teeth model in form of the impression may be scanned or imaged using x-rays, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or laser scanning apparatuses. With the thus obtained image data, a computer model of the teeth or a part thereof may be established. However, such methods and apparatus can be somewhat time consuming and more expensive than would be ideal.
As an alternative, teeth in a patient's mouth may be imaged directly. For this purpose, different imaging apparatuses are known.
The prior apparatus for non-contact imaging with a probe having a sensing face have been less than ideal in at least some respects. The prior probe devices can be somewhat larger than would be ideal, and may have a large intraoral front tip which can make the prior devices somewhat cumbersome to use in at least some instances. Although an array of incident light beams passing through focusing optics can be used, the larger than ideal probe heads of such devices can provide less than ideal measurements of the oral cavity of a patient. Also, the prior devices that rely on beams to generate illuminated spots on the structure and the intensity of returning light rays propagating along an optical path can be somewhat cumbersome to use and maintain and can be somewhat more costly to manufacture than would be ideal.
Although three-dimensional (3D) data acquisition using triangulation has been proposed, such devices can be less compact than would be ideal and can be somewhat difficult to place in the mouth of the patient. Also, such devices can require alignment and can be less accurate and reliable than would be ideal in at least some instances.
In light of the above, improved methods and apparatus for measuring surfaces such as the intraoral cavity are needed. Ideally such methods and apparatus will overcome at least some of the deficiencies of the prior methods and apparatus and be more accurate, reliable, compact, easier to use with the patient's mouth and less costly than the prior devices.


One embodiment provides a method, including: capturing at least one image of an object that is of interest to a user; identifying and capturing an environmental context of the object, wherein the environmental context (i) identifies a plurality of features of the environment surrounding the object, and (ii) comprises context captured from different modalities; storing the at least one image and the environmental context of the object, wherein the storing comprises indexing the object within the remote storage location using the identified features of the environment; receiving a request for the at least one image of the object; accessing the remote storage location and retrieving the at least one image of the object, wherein the retrieving comprises (i) searching for the at least one of the plurality of features and (ii) retrieving the at least one image of an object; and displaying the at least one image.

People find or identify objects of interest while performing daily activities. For example, a person may identify a phone of interest when talking to a friend who has the phone. As another example, the person may identify a camera of interest when talking to a sales associate about different cameras. Unfortunately, even if the person tries, the person may be unable to recall enough details about the object of interest to find the object at a later time. For example, a person may attempt to remember the features of the camera that was of interest, but may not remember the make or model of the camera. However, the person may be able to recall details about the context related to when he/she identified the object. For example, the person may remember that the sales associate's name was Jack and that it was on a Monday when the person saw the camera of interest. In conventional systems, these context details may be useless in trying to identify more information about the actual object of interest.

Object storage and retrieval based upon context

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