A portable stand with an integral power supply and controller, a mast for supporting a functional device and a stabilizing leg assembly comprises a main housing for a power supply, and connected to the main housing are retractable and extendable support legs and an extendable and retractable mast. The mast includes a mount for holding at least one functional device to form a single, integral unit that provides for storage, stable support and power for a functional device that is mounted onto the mast, and portability.

Reference is made to copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/432,525, filed Apr. 29, 2009, entitled COLLAPSIBLE PORTABLE STAND WITH TELESCOPING SUPPORT AND INTEGRAL STORAGE CASE, which details relevant background regarding the ubiquitous need for temporary stands to support items, such as functional devices, at an elevated position with respect to their surroundings, and provides embodiments of solutions therefore. The disclosure of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/432,525 is incorporated herewith as if reproduced in full herein. While the new stands disclosed in the aforementioned patent application have many benefits over the prior art, there is a need for a stand that comprises an integrated power supply and controls, that is robust, easy to set up and collapse, is self-contained, and yet can be made more economically and/or with fewer parts. It is desired to have the power supply and controls contained inside of a housing of the stand that remains closed during transportation, set-up, use, and removal for subsequent transport. Further, it is desired that no parts have to be connected together at a site of use for a functional device attached to the stand to be operated.
The need for temporary stands to support items at an elevated position with respect to their surroundings is ubiquitous. For example, temporary lighting is a common functional device that is required for dark and remote job sites. However, if there are multiple parts that need to be connected in the dark in order to set up the platform, work will be delayed, injuries can occur and parts can be lost and/or not available at all. Even if there is a light, a stand that is not self contained and that requires connection of parts to erect for use causes a delay in starting work at the job site while parts are located, if not lost, and connected together. Microphones, podium platforms, loudspeakers, cameras, sensors, and surveying equipment are only a few of the functional devices that require support by a stand and that would benefit if the stand can be set up quickly and collapsed for storage and transport. Further, a portable stand for different functional devices may be required for use at various locations over time. The user generally needs the stand along with numerous other items to meet particular needs. For example, a road crew that works at night may need to use a light stand and many other pieces of equipment. So, a stand of small size, low weight, and that is simple to set up and collapse for storage is desired. The stand must also be robust for repetitive use, rough handling, and corrosive environments. For use in dangerous environments, the stand and its components should be intrinsically safe. When deployed, the stand should be stable under expected conditions of use. For example, a stand holding a work light should not tip over when set up in a location where there are strong winds and/or where it may be jostled by surrounding people and equipment. Job sites that have explosive, fire or other safety hazards also require equipment to be intrinsically safe.

Integrated portable stand, power supply, and control panel


A selectively openable and closable, outdoor storage bag that is at least water-resistant includes a body portion made of a flexible, waterproof, bag material, the bag material comprising a plurality of waterproof welded seams that define a predetermined shape of the body portion and an opening, the body portion defining an interior space within the body portion; a closure mechanism joined to the body portion by a welded seam proximate a periphery of the opening, the closure mechanism configured to selectively open and close the opening and provide a seal that is at least water-resistant when the opening is closed; a flap of the bag material that extends from the body portion and covers the closure mechanism; and a plurality of anchor points attached to an exterior surface of the body portion, wherein the body portion of the bag is waterproof and the seal is at least water-resistant.

A bed of a light- or heavy-duty pick-up truck is a storage area in a rear of the truck for payload (i.e., a load of articles, cargo, contents, or goods). The truck bed and payload are essentially out in the open and inherently exposed and open to outside elements of weather (including, but not limited to, cold, hail, heat, humidity, rain, sleet, snow, sun, and wind), dirt, and sand that can damage the payload. As such, to transport the payload in the truck bed, the payload must be able to withstand the elements, sand, and dirt and be protected therefrom and the resultant damage during transit and over long distances of the truck. Additionally, having the truck bed so exposed leaves the payload more susceptible to theft because the payload is unprotected and in plain sight. Furthermore, as the truck bed has no top or roof and, thus, is not confined by a fixed height limitation, vast flexibility is allowed in what may be stored or mobilized by the truck. Yet, proper confinement of the truck bed for smaller payloads is also prevented.
Known attempted solutions—such as Tonneau covers, camper tops, and the like—have been employed to address this issue. However, these solutions and installation thereof can hinder long-term flexibility of the truck bed and are complicated, cumbersome, expensive (i.e., add significant expense), and substantially permanent, thus limiting utility of the truck in large part. Other known attempted solutions—such as truck boxes—are also semi-permanent, heavy, and intrude significantly into space for the payload.
Another known attempted solution is a large, waterproof bag that is sized to fit into the truck bed. More specifically, the bag is rectangular or square and sealed by an elongated zipper at one end of the bag. An overlapping flap at an opening at one end of the bag is configured to cover and protect the zipper from the elements. The bag is used to store the payload (for example, luggage) in a waterproof environment in the truck bed. The bag features a series of anchoring assemblies (i.e., eight hook assemblies or anchor loops) located and attached (i.e., sewn to a backing flap, adhesively secured, and heat-sealed) at each of four corners of two opposed sides or surfaces of the bag. The anchoring assemblies can be used to anchor or secure the bag in place in either a horizontal or vertical orientation or position during travel of the truck. In particular, the backing flap is adhered and heat-sealed to a larger anchoring patch, thereby forming a unit adhered to and heat-sealed to a surface of the bag to form an anchoring assembly.
In operation of the bag, the bag is mounted in either the horizontal or vertical orientation and anchored by the four anchoring assemblies. The anchoring assemblies are located on an upper surface of the bag when the bag is positioned in the horizontal orientation. When the bag is positioned in the vertical orientation, two of the anchoring assemblies located on the two opposed sides of the bag at an upper portion of the bag are used to secure the bag in place. A series of four rope or bungee cords are used to secure the bag to opposed side rails of the truck bed in either the horizontal or vertical orientation.
Another known attempted solution is a payload-storage enclosure for a truck that includes a substantially rectangular first section of tear-resistant material. The first section has at least two folds to create a "U" shape, a top edge along a perimeter, a bottom edge, and two side edges of the first section. A substantially rectangular second section of tear-resistant material has at least two folds to create a "U" shape and forms top, bottom, and back panels. The second section is operatively affixed to the first section by attaching the bottom edge of the first section to the bottom panel of the second section along a perimeter of the bottom panel. The side edges of the first section are attached to the back panel of the second section along a perimeter of the back panel. A closure mechanism includes a first mating surface along the top edge of the first section and a second mating surface along a perimeter of the top panel of the second section. The first and second mating surfaces can be detachably connected from each other to form a substantially rectangular prism having a plurality of corners.
However, neither the known bag nor enclosure includes a source of electrical power. Neither the known bag nor enclosure includes also sufficient anchoring and holding strength. The known bag and/or enclosure includes metal that can rust, scratch, or damage the truck bed or paint thereof. The known bag and/or enclosure includes also gluing, sewing, or stitching. Neither the known bag nor enclosure also is low-temperature- and high-temperature-resistant (i.e., has high "freeze/crack" "melt" ratings). Neither the known bag nor enclosure is also highly ultraviolet (UV)-resistant (i.e., no fading of the bag or enclosure after prolonged exposure thereof to UV radiation). Neither the known bag nor enclosure includes also a closure mechanism, such as a zipper assembly, that is waterproof (i.e., has water-tight redundancy) and a position of zippers of which allows for full access to the bag or enclosure. Neither the known bag nor enclosure includes also protection (i.e., reduction of wear) of a bottom of the bag or enclosure.
Thus, there is a need in the related art for an outdoor payload-storage bag (or enclosure). More specifically, there is a need in the related art for such a bag that is immune to elements of weather and configured to be securely anchored to an object or a vehicle, such as in a truck bed, in open and closed positions of the bag. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that also is sufficiently durable or sturdy to protect payload from and withstand the elements, particularly water, and is easy to set-up in and removed from the object or vehicle, including a truck bed. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that also is light for easy long- and short-term storage, mobilization, and transport of the payload. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that also is cost-effective. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that also is simple, efficient, and cost-effective. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that also conceals or shields the payload from view. There is a need in the related art for anchor points, such as bag straps of which can be quickly connected and disconnected.
There is a need in the related art for such a bag that also includes a source of electrical power. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that includes also sufficient anchoring and holding strength. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that also does not include metal that can rust, scratch, or damage the truck bed or paint thereof. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that does not include gluing, sewing, or stitching. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that is also low-temperature- and high-temperature-resistant (i.e., has high "freeze/crack" "melt" ratings). There is a need in the related art for such a bag that is also highly ultraviolet (UV)-resistant (i.e., no fading of the bag after prolonged exposure thereof to UV radiation). There is a need in the related art for such a bag that includes also a closure mechanism that is at least water resistant or waterproof (i.e., has water-tight redundancy) and a position of which allows for full access to the bag. There is a need in the related art for such a bag that includes also protection (i.e., reduction of wear) of a bottom of the bag.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A ballasting system for an on-site sewage treatment and disposal system for areas having a ground water level above a minimum depth below grade. A perimeter barrier is arranged around a selected subterraneal volume within a ground area. The perimeter barrier has a circumference and a closed end closest to atmosphere. A pump having a gas intake and a discharge side which discharges gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is also provided. The discharge side of the pump is in fluid communication with the selected subterraneal volume to lower the ground water level within the perimeter barrier to a level at or below the minimum depth below grade. A flexible membrane is located adjacent the perimeter barrier end and within the ground area. The flexible membrane extends over substantially the entire circumference of the perimeter barrier. A plurality of ballasting beams is located above the flexible membrane and within the ground area. Each of the beams extends across the circumference of the perimeter barrier. Each end of the beams is anchored within the ground area by an anchor.

This invention generally relates to ballasting systems and, more particularly, to ballasting systems for on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems.
Septic tanks with a leach or drain field are commonly used in areas without public sewer systems. A septic tank in a private waste disposal system receives household sewage, and separates the solid matter from effluent before the effluent is discharged. Bacteria in the septic tank decomposes or digests the sewage. The effluent is discharged to a drain or leach field, typically composed of underground perforated PVC piping or drainage tiles that distribute the liquid effluent into the earth, where additional bacterial action takes place.
Public health agencies and zoning codes for specific areas generally dictate the conditions for the installation of a septic system, as described above, and require a certain range of perc rates for the soil as well as a minimum depth below grade to groundwater (which provides a minimum thickness of unsaturated soil) in order to allow the leach field to operate in its intended manner.
Below grade leach field installations are generally not permitted in areas where the natural groundwater level is too high. While the specific requirements may vary from state to state, or by local jurisdictions and municipalities, generally, the seasonal high groundwater level must be at least three feet below grade in order to obtain a permit for installation of a below grade leach field.
One known solution to this problem is to install an elevated sand mound (a/k/a Wisconsin Mound") above grade and place the leach field in the sand mound. A pump is then used to transfer effluent from the septic tank to the leach field. However, sand mounds are much more costly to install than below grade drain fields, and have an undesirable appearance.
An alternative to the sand mound system is a system, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,435,666 and 5,827,010, in which the separation distance is achieved by lowering the water table beneath the drain field. Such systems use air pressure to keep the water table down in order to achieve the required separation distance. The use of air pressure, however, also acts to force the system upward within the ground. Therefore, some form of ballast is necessary to maintain the system within the ground and inhibit it from migrating upwardly within the ground. Ballast, such as fill, engineered steel assemblies, and/or concrete slabs having a length and width exceeding a length and width of the drain field surface, has been used and is generally effective. However, the use of fill is prohibited in some areas, such as flood plains, and the use of steel as ballast is not optimal because steel tends to degrade over time and generally requires cathodic protection for corrosion control. Concrete slabs tend to be a relatively expensive ballast alternative. Additionally, concrete slabs are required to be broken up with a jackhammer or other such machine to be removed and cannot be easily disassembled and reused.
It is therefore desirable to provide a ballasting system which does not require fill, does not use steel, and/or does not require large, non-reusable concrete slabs for such below grade drain fields.

Ballasting system for on-site sewage treatment and disposal system


A centrifugal separator having a device for the transformation of kinetic energy of a liquid rotating in a discharge chamber around a rotational axis to pressure energy includes a discharge element for the discharge of liquid out of the discharge chamber, which discharge element has a radially outer part shaped as a body of revolution about the rotational axis and is arranged to be located in a rotating liquid body in the discharge chamber, and at least one outlet channel formed in the discharge element and having an inlet opening located in a surface of the body of revolution and elongated in the liquid flow direction, the inlet opening connecting to the interior of an outlet tube via the outlet channel. The outlet channel has a defined axial height and a defined width which vary along their extension from the inlet opening to the connection to the outlet tube in such a way that a defined aspect ratio h/w decreases along at least a part of the extension of the outlet channel. A defined aspect ratio h/w is larger than 1 in an outer first part of the outlet channel and decreases to smaller than 1 in an inner second part of the outlet channel and the height decreases inwardly along the length of the outlet channel.

In a centrifugal separator which provided with an energy transformation device of the above form, parts of the rotor of the centrifugal separator form an outlet chamber, in which the liquid rotates. The outlet chamber is arranged to receive a separated liquid continuously from the separation chamber of the centrifugal rotor. This liquid forms a rotating liquid body in the outlet chamber. Centrally in the outlet chamber an outlet device is arranged, through which liquid is discharged out of the outlet chamber and further out of the centrifugal rotor. A centrifugal separator of this kind is shown in EP 0404923, for instance.
In many cases it is important that the energy transformation device can transform as much as possible of the energy stored in the rotating liquid to pressure energy. The maximum pressure which can be achieved is determined by the equation of Bernoulli for the pressure along a flow line of the liquid.P stat+P dyn=constant
The static pressure P stat at the inlet opening is composed of the pressure from the part of the rotating liquid body, which is located radially inside the inlet opening, and the pressure which acts on this part of the liquid body.
The dynamic pressure P dyn is in each point along a flow line determined by the equationP dyn=½ρW2
in which ρ is the density of the liquid and W being the flow rate of the liquid at the point looked upon.
Outside the inlet opening the liquid has a total pressure which is the sum of the static and dynamic pressure there. However, in the device in a centrifugal separator known by EP 0 404 923 much of the pressure is lost in the bend where the flow direction changes from mainly horizontal to mainly axial.

Centrifugal separator having an outlet channel of varying height


Apparatus for heating fluids through rotary magnetic induction, which has at least one rotating central disc of magnets and at least one bilateral heat exchanger, wherein the magnet disc comprises at least one pair of magnets disposed in such disc and whose configuration exposes the magnets to both sides of the disc with alternating polarity on each side to generate on both sides an agitated magnetic field, and wherein at least one heat exchanger, comprising at least one low resistivity metal surface, is disposed adjacent to each side or face of the magnet disc in order to expose its metal surface to the agitated magnetic field, getting heated and transmitting such heat to a fluid circulating within at least one configured conduit located inside the heat exchanger.

Heat may be generated in an electrically conductive material submitting it to a magnetic field subject to movement. The movement of the magnetic field generates eddy currents, corresponding to Foucault's circular currents, where by placing a conductive material near to this field, a flow of electrons is generated on the induced conductive material, opposed to the effect of the magnetic field, thus generating heat. This heat may be harnessed by putting a fluid in contact with the heated metallic material, thus transferring the heat from the metallic piece to the fluid, this way increasing its temperature to the desired range. The variables that influence the amount of heat generated in such conductive material are: the strength of the magnetic field, the number of magnets, the relative space between them, the conductive material and the rotation velocity of the magnets. Others factors that affect the amount of heat generated are the resistivity, permeability, size and shape of the heated body, and the size and shape of the magnets.
An apparatus and method for heating a fluid by induction heating is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,065 (Kamal Alavi) document, where such apparatus comprises a non-magnetic heating element with opposing sides, a rotating piece supported by a shaft and disposed adjacent to the first side of the heating element, where the rotating piece has at least one pair of permanent magnets that generates eddy currents in the heating element when a relative movement is produced between the rotating piece and the heating element by the rotation of the shaft. A second rotating piece supported by the shaft and disposed adjacent to the second opposing side of the heating element, also having at least one pair of permanent magnets and also generating eddy currents in the heating element when a relative movement is produced between the second rotating piece and the heating element by rotation of the shaft. This setting for heating fluids, using two parallel discs facing each other, makes the operation somewhat risky, since the forces exerted on both discs are confronted which can lead to the detachment of magnets, thus requiring extra efforts to hold them secure in the disc. In addition, doubling the discs and magnets for the heating apparatus means higher costs of manufacture and higher energy consumption when functioning, without necessarily increasing the heating capacity of the fluid in comparison with alternative simpler settings.
A magnetic furnace for generation of heat used in central heating system to heat spaces is described in the WO 2014/137232 (Bil Robert) document, which comprises a water tank, discs arranged at the wall of the tank, at least one motor for rotating the discs and a frame on which everything is mounted. A source of magnetic field is arranged in the circumference of the disc, so that the rotating discs generate a magnetic field closed enough to the wall of the tank which is made from non-magnetic material, such as aluminum and its alloys, and copper and its alloys. This way, it is possible to heat the wall of the tank due to eddy currents generated by the rotating discs with the magnets.
However, just as the last invention described, the designs are complex, inevitably affecting their production and operation costs.
The problems that the prior art documents attempt to solve are related to efficiency, production costs and expected results of the efficient fluid heating, so that they can present a real alternative in comparison with traditional heating systems.
This way it is necessary to provide an apparatus for heating fluids that presents a much simpler configuration with a less expensive operation and more efficient. A magnetic induction fluid heating apparatus that is nonpolluting and suitable for domestic and industrial fluids heating processes.

Apparatus for heating fluids by rotary magnetic induction


A fluid treatment system includes plural housings (10, 78). Each housing includes quartz tubes (16, 80) fixedly supported at an upper plate (12, 106) while being movably supported at a lower plate (14, 104). Each tube has a UV light emitter that can eradicate microorganisms in a liquid. The tube support arrangement includes a plurality of tube retainer assemblies. Each retainer assembly includes a tube holding cup (30, 90) surrounded by a coil spring (24, 94). Each cup includes an upper lip (34), a lower lip (36), and a foot (42). The lips retain the cup in a lower plate aperture (20,116) while the foot engages the tube's domed end. A cup can hold a tube in the lower plate while constraining lateral movement of the tube, providing spring-biased axial support to the tube, and allowing axially-extending thermal expansion of the tube.

Treatment of fluid materials is required in many processes to treat or remove impurities or other contaminants. Fluid treatment is often accomplished by causing a liquid to flow through a filter material which causes contaminants to be separated and to collect on or in the filter material. Fluid treatment of liquid may involve use of irradiation. Liquid that has been cleansed of contaminants and impurities can then be directed to appropriate uses and processes that can only be carried out after the cleansing treatment has been provided.
The pressure and temperature environments involved in liquid treatment can cause difficulties, especially regarding structural support in a turbulent flow of liquid. Considerable labor, effort, and expense may be required as a result of structural damage or failure.
Liquid treatment systems may benefit from improvements, including a support arrangement that provides enhanced support and also allows for easier installation and removal of support structure.


A method, and a system applying the method, for an exact and computationally efficient solution for defuzzification uses linear and non-linear weighted wedge approaches. Fuzzy numbers are used to represent parameters in a number of applications, including design dependent parameters (DDPs) for a project in particular. A defuzzification technique is used within the domain of fuzzy logic, fuzzy set theory, and multi-valued logic to overcome the problem of the lack of absolute ordering of a fuzzy number representation. The requirement profile for the DDP (the fuzzy representation of customer requirements) is compared to the anticipation profile for the DDP (the fuzzy representation of expected performance) in three dimensions. In two dimensions, the area of overlap between the DDP requirement profile and the DDP anticipation profile represents how well the customer requirements have been met. In three dimensions, the area of overlap is projected onto a wedge to obtain a volume of overlap, in order to give higher preference to higher DDP values than lower DDP values in the area of overlap, for a more accurate analysis. The wedge can also be made non-linear in shape, to provide added sensitivity analysis to desired results.

1. Field of the Invention
The following invention relates to determining and analyzing fuzzy conceptual design alternatives, and specifically to applying a volumetric defuzzification approach in conceptual design.
2. Related Art
Modern companies pursue ever increasingly innovative and thoughtful approaches to generating design alternatives that fit customer needs. This applies across many types of companies, producing many types of products, from intellectual products like software, to manufacturing of cars. Decision making must be responsive to customer needs, and strategic, from conceptual system design, to preliminary system design, and finally to a detailed system design leading to production and construction.
For conceptual design, the evaluation methodology includes a number of strategic decisions and applies to the many processes of any given company, including but not limited to manufacturing distribution, deployment, installation, operations, sustaining maintenance, support and disposal.
A noted modern approach to conceptual design uses Pugh""s approaches. (See S. Pugh, xe2x80x9cThe application of CAD in relation to dynamic/static production concepts,xe2x80x9d Proc Int Conf Eng Des, Copenhagen, August 1983, pp. 564-571; S. Pugh, xe2x80x9cTotal design: Integrated methods for successful product engineering,xe2x80x9d Addison-Wesley, New York, 1991.) Evaluation criteria are delineated based on need analysis, aided by design methods. The initial design is subjected to a xe2x80x9ccontrolled convergencexe2x80x9d process, facilitated by a concept selection matrix.
Pugh""s method analyzes the customer""s need and generates a requirements definition. A crisp, exact feasible design envelope is created, within which potential system design concepts are generated. From the potential design concepts, a conceptual design selection matrix is then generated. The potential design concepts consist of a number of identified, crisp variables, called Design Dependent Parameters (DDPs). The DDPs are application specific, since the design pertains to the particular technological or industrial process, and the items being investigated pertain to one or more items within that process. Exemplary DDPs are reliability, maintainability, environment compliance, visual quality, and safety.
A number of modem techniques have applied fuzzy techniques to Pugh""s crisp solutions. Instead of using crisp definitions for DDPs, fuzzy, linguistic, more human definitions are applied. For example, a crisp definition for the reliability of a machine can be whether the mean time before failure (MTBF) is xe2x80x9c40,000 hours.xe2x80x9d On the other hand, a fuzzy definition for the reliability MTBF can be xe2x80x9capproximately 40,000, xe2x80x9d where the meaning of the set xe2x80x9capproximately 40,000xe2x80x9d depends upon how fuzzy (or alternatively crisp) the linguistic definition is meant by the user. For example, for a very fuzzy set, even the value 80,000 may have a non-zero profile value associated with it, such that it is covered under the umbrella of xe2x80x9capproximately 40,000.xe2x80x9d On the other hand, for a less fuzzy (more crisp) set, xe2x80x9capproximately 40,000xe2x80x9d may have non-zero profile values only between 39,900 and 40,100.
After the DDPs are identified, defuzzification techniques must be applied to compare fuzzified variables. Suppose the DDP in question is the reliability parameter. The fuzzy value for the anticipated reliability profile (the reliability anticipated by the product designer) is compared to the reliability requirement profile (the reliability required by the customer""s needs). Existing defuzzification approaches are not applicable to this problem since the objective in this case is not to create an ordering between the fuzzy profile, but rather to compare them from the perspective of compliance. Accordingly, none of the previous techniques have properly accounted for sensitivity, meaning that when the input is mapped to the output, the difference between the results from the various inputs is non-trivial in nature. What is required is an exact, more satisfactory way to defuzzify the parameters, in addition to providing sensitivity analysis.
The present invention is directed to a method, and a system for employing the method, for determining compliance for a feasible design dependent parameter (DDP) between an anticipated DDP fuzzy profile and a required DDP fuzzy profile. The method includes (a) creating a weighted wedge by projecting an image of a surface common to the anticipated DDP fuzzy profile and the required DDP fuzz profile at an angle from the surface; and (b) finding an overlap volume of the weighted wedge between a projection of the anticipated DDP fuzzy profile onto the image and a projection of the required DDP fuzzy profile onto the image.
The angle can be calculated in a manner to make the overlap volume greater if any one of the anticipated DDP fuzzy profile and the required DDP fuzzy profile have projections with higher respective preference levels. The method can also include generating a feasibility index for the DDP by dividing the overlap volume by a volume obtained from the projection of the anticipated DDP fuzzy profile.
The common surface can be a linear projection plane. The common surface can also be a non-linear projection plane designed to provide relatively greater differences between one or more of the overlap volumes at higher respective preference levels for any one of the anticipated DDP fuzzy profiles and the required DDP fuzzy profiles.
The method can be part of larger system, which includes the following processes: (a) determining a feasible design space for a design concept by finding one or more DDPs for the concept; (b) determining one or more feasible DDPs for the design space, including applying the above creating step and finding step one or more times; and (c) rating and ranking feasible design concepts by consolidating relative priorities of the one or more feasible DDPs.
The invention will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art from the descriptions provided below, though various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Weighted wedge defuzzification for conceptual system design evaluation


The present application provides a touch panel, a method for manufacturing the same and a display device. The touch panel includes a substrate and a metal nanowire conductive layer and an adhesion enhancement layer stacked on the substrate, the adhesion enhancement layer increases the adhesiveness between the substrate and the metal nanowire conductive layer; the adhesion enhancement layer has a stereo three-dimensional network structure capable of preventing agglomeration of the adhesion enhancement layer and formation of dead volume that leads to reduction in the conductivity of the metal nanowire conductive layer.

In a conventional touch panel, the material of the touch electrode is usually indium tin oxide (ITO), which has a high light transmittance and good electrical conductivity. However, the electrical conductivity and sensitivity of the touch panel cannot be guaranteed when ITO is applied to a large-sized touch panel due to large surface resistance of ITO. In addition, the overall production cost of ITO is expensive and ITO can be easily damaged. Therefore, metal nanowires have gradually become a material to replace ITO.

Touch panel, method for manufacturing the same and display device


This invention provides a plated metal wire excellent in corrosion resistance and resistance to the cracking and peeling of a plated layer and/or a plated alloy layer during working, subjected to hot dip zinc alloy plating and used for outdoor and exposed structures such as wire mesh for construction, net cages for revetments, fishing nets, outdoor fences, etc., a method for producing the plated metal wire, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

This invention relates to a plated metal wire having enhanced corrosion resistance required of metal materials for outdoor and exposed uses such as construction, revetments, fishing nets, fences, etc., and a method and an apparatus to produce the plated metal wire. The plated metal wires include: plated steel wires such as steel wires for wire mesh, bridge cables, PWS wires, PC wires, ropes and the like; plated steel wires for machine components such as screws, bolts, springs and the like; and other steel products.
Among plated metal wires, and among plated steel wires in particular, galvanized steel wires and zinc-aluminum alloy plated steel wires, which are superior to the galvanized steel wires in corrosion resistance, are commonly used. The zinc-aluminum alloy plated steel wires are produced, generally, by subjecting a steel wire to the following sequential processes: washing, degreasing, or other means of cleaning; flux treatment; plating either by a two-step plating process composed of a first step of hot dip plating in a plating bath mainly containing zinc and a second step of hot dip plating in a Znxe2x80x94Al alloy bath containing 10% of Al or by a one-step plating process in a Znxe2x80x94Al alloy bath containing 10% of Al; then, after vertically extracting the wires from the plating bath, cooling; and winding into coils.
Although the zinc-aluminum alloy plated steel wire has a good corrosion resistance, the wire surface is made smooth by the action of the surface tension during the wire extraction. Therefore, when the wire is formed into a structure such as wire mesh, a fastening wire, etc., the structure does not have a sufficiently roughened surface or a irregular surface. For this reason, there is a problem that the structure slips easily when laid on the ground.
Another problem is that, when the plated steel wire is further coated with resin, for example, the adhesion of resin is poor owing to the smooth surface.
To cope with these problems, methods were studied to make the wire surface rougher. An example of such an attempt is a technique applied to galvanized steel sheets used for scaffolds for building construction work, molding forms for concrete casting work and the like proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H9-78216, wherein a plated surface is roughened after hot dip galvanizing by blowing water droplets 20 to 300 xcexcm in size at a water density of 50 to 750 cc/m2. An evenly distributed surface roughness is formed by this method, but the method is meant for steel sheets, and there is a problem that it is inapplicable to a steel wire because, when applied to a steel wire without modification, an even distribution of the roughness in the circumference direction is not secured. Another problem with the method is that the roughened surface are small owing to the small amount of water and a sufficient friction is not obtained.
In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a plated metal wire with high friction for outdoor and exposed uses, such as gauze for constructions, net cages for revetments, fishing nets, outdoor fences, etc., and a method and an apparatus to produce the plated metal wire.
The gist of the present invention, which solves the above problems, is as follows:
(1) A plated metal wire characterized in that; the region where at least 3 projections, each 3 xcexcm or more in height, per 1 mm along its circumference exist occupies 10% or more of the circumference, and the circumference having the projections thus distributed occupies 10% or more of any given portion along the length of the metal wire.
(2) A plated metal wire characterized in that the region where the surface roughness (Ra) of the plated metal wire is 2.5 xcexcm or more occupies 10% or more of its circumference and 10% or more of any given portion along the length of the metal wire.
(3) A plated metal wire according to the item (1) or (2), characterized in that the plating is hot dip plating of aluminum, aluminum alloy, tin, tin alloy, zinc or zinc alloy.
(4) A plated metal wire according to the item (1) or (2), characterized in that the plating is electroplating of nickel, copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, zinc or zinc alloy.
(5) A plated metal wire according to any one of the items (1) to (4), characterized in that the core metal wire consists of a steel containing, in mass, 0.02 to 1.15% of C, 1% or less of Si and 1% or less of Mn
(6) A plated metal wire according to the item (5), characterized in that the core metal wire consists of a steel containing, in mass, 0.02 to 0.25% of C, 1% or less of Si and 0.6% or less of Mn.
(7) A method to produce a plated metal wire characterized in that, on the plated surface, the region where at least 3 projections, each 3 xcexcm or more in height, per 1 mm along its circumference exist occupies 10% or more of a circumference, and the circumference having the projections thus distributed occupies 10% or more of any given portion along the length of the metal wire, as a result of applying hot dip plating of aluminum, aluminum alloy, tin, tin alloy, zinc or zinc alloy to the core metal wire consisting of a steel wire containing, in mass, 0.02 to 1.15% of C, 1% or less of Si and 1% or less of Mn and then cooling the plated metal wire by blowing an atomized cooling medium.
(8) A method to produce a plated metal wire according to the item (7), characterized in that, on the plated surface, the region where the surface roughness (Ra) of the plated metal wire is 2.5 xcexcm or more occupies 10% or more of its circumference and 10% or more of any given portion along the length of the metal wire.
(9) An apparatus to produce a plated metal wire by immersing a metal wire or a pre-plated metal wire in a hot dip plating pot, characterized by having:
a purging device to prevent a plating bath surface and the plated metal wire surface from oxidizing, installed at the position where the metal wire is extracted from the hot dip plating pot;
a temperature controller to control the surface temperature of the plated metal wire to a prescribed temperature; and
a cooler to blow a cooling medium onto the surface of the plated metal wire controlled to the prescribed temperature for the purpose of forming roughness on its surface.
(10) An apparatus to produce a plated metal wire according to the item (9), characterized in that two or more nozzles to blow the cooling medium are arranged in the cooler at equal intervals in the circumferencial direction of the metal wire.
(11) An apparatus to produce a plated metal wire according to the item (9), characterized in that the distance between each of the nozzles to blow the cooling medium in the cooler and the plated metal wire is 10 to 500 mm.

Plated metal wire and method and apparatus for producing the same

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plated metal wire characterized in that; the region where at least 3 projections, each 3 xcexcm or more in height, per 1 mm along its circumference exist occupies 10% or more of the circumference, and the circumference having the projections thus distributed occupies 10% or more of any given portion along the length of the metal wire; and a method and an apparatus for producing the plated metal wire.


The disclosure discloses a friction roller comprising: a friction roller body comprising an inner cylinder and a pattern-variable module wrapped outside the inner cylinder; and a controller connected with the pattern-variable module. The controller controls the pattern-variable module to deform according to step information of a surface for friction. Also disclosed is a method for using the friction roller. Embodiments of the disclosure enable alignment grooves with the same depth to be formed on the surface for friction by way of the friction roller, thereby reducing stripes on the surface for friction and enhancing the display effect.

A liquid crystal panel in a liquid crystal display comprises a substrate, and a surface of the substrate is filled with a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. By controlling the arrangement direction of the plurality of liquid crystal molecules, the effect of displaying a different image may be achieved. In the liquid crystal panel, in order to achieve control of liquid crystal molecules, it is necessary to align a plurality of liquid crystal molecules such that the plurality of liquid crystal molecules located on the substrate surface are arranged uniformly in the same direction.
In the prior art, the substrate surface is made to have an alignment capability by causing a friction roller to roll relative to the substrate surface. In particular, the friction roller is a cylinder with an outer surface being wrapped with friction cloth, and the surface of the friction cloth is provided with a plurality of fibers. When the friction roller is rolling on the substrate surface along a set direction, the fibers on the friction cloth can exert to the substrate surface a pressure perpendicular to the substrate surface and a friction force along the direction in which the friction roller is rolling, such that alignment grooves with a consistent direction are formed on the substrate surface. Then, a plurality of liquid crystal molecules are dripped into the alignment grooves of the substrate surface, such that the liquid crystal molecules are uniformly arranged on the substrate surface according to a certain direction along the alignment grooves, realizing alignment of the plurality of liquid crystal molecules.
If there is a step on the surface of the substrate (i.e., a difference in height between the substrate surface and a preset plane), then when the friction roller is rolling on the substrate surface along a set direction, the pressure exerted by the fibers of the friction cloth on the friction roller to a portion of the substrate surface with a step is different from that to a portion without a step, such that the deformation of the fibers of the friction cloth is different when the friction roller is rolling. When the friction roller continues rolling on the substrate surface along the set direction, since the deformation of the fibers of the friction cloth on the friction roller is different, the depths of the alignment grooves formed on the substrate surface by the fibers of the friction cloth will be inconsistent, such that the plurality of liquid crystal molecules can not be located in one and the same plane, and thereby the reflection of light rays will be different. This will produce stripes on the liquid crystal panel and thus affect the display effect.

Friction roller and method for using the same


Methods and systems are provided for fabricating and measuring physical features of a semiconductor device structure. An exemplary method of fabricating a semiconductor device structure involves obtaining a first measurement of a first attribute of the semiconductor device structure from a first metrology tool, obtaining process information pertaining to fabrication of one or more features of the semiconductor device structure by a first processing tool, and determining an adjusted measurement for the first attribute based at least in part on the first measurement in a manner that is influenced by the process information.

Semiconductor devices, such as transistors, are the core building block of the vast majority of electronic devices. In practice, it is desirable to accurately and precisely fabricate transistors and other semiconductor devices with physical features having specific physical dimensions to thereby achieve semiconductor devices having their intended performance characteristics and to improve yield. However, the hardware tools used to fabricate the devices may exhibit performance variations. As a result, devices may be fabricated with features that deviate from their specified physical dimensions, which, in turn, could lead to failures at wafer test and, accordingly, reduce yield. Thus, it is desirable to measure physical features, critical dimensions and/or other properties of devices during fabrication to correct any deviations from the intended physical dimensions and thereby reduce the likelihood of failures at wafer test and improve yield. However, obtaining highly accurate measurements typically takes an undesirably long amount of time or involves destructive metrologies that reduce yield. At the same time, non-destructive measurement tools may be limited in their ability to accurately measure all of the physical features, critical dimensions, and profile information of a device, which, in turn, limits the ability of a foundry (or fab) to maximize yield.

Systems and methods for fabricating semiconductor device structures using different metrology tools


A method and a system are provided for detection of seizures by applying advanced numerical analysis techniques to digitized waveforms of an electroencephalogram (EEG) recording. In an embodiment, the advanced numerical analysis techniques implemented in the method and system for detecting seizures include a combination of matching pursuit, neural network rules, and connected-object clustering algorithms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to detection of seizures, and more particularly, to detection of seizures with advanced algorithms.
2. Background Art
Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures which are the outward manifestation of excessive or hypersynchronous abnormal electrical activity of neurons in the cerebral cortex of the brain. A seizure patient may suffer from several different types of seizures, or any combination thereof. For example, a common type of epilepsy is called the grand mal seizure, which is manifested by symptoms of convulsions with tonic-clonic contractions of muscles. Another type of epilepsy is called the absence seizure, which is characterized by brief and sudden loss of consciousness. Other types of seizures include complex partial seizure, which is characterized by a complete loss of consciousness, and psychomotor seizure, which is characterized by clouding of consciousness for one to two minutes. Some types of seizures may involve the entire brain, while other types of seizures may affect only a local portion of the brain.
Electroencephalograms (EEGs) have been employed to record electrical signals generated by different parts of the brain. In a typical EEG, a plurality of electrodes are placed across the scalp of a seizure patient with predetermined spacings. FIG. 1 shows a diagram illustrating a typical arrangement of electrodes positioned on the scalp of an epilepsy patient along standard lines of measurements. Voltages measured across predetermined pairs of electrodes, for example, C3-F3, F3-F7, F7-T3, T3-T5, etc., are measured simultaneously and recorded as waveforms over a long period of time. Such simultaneous recording of voltage waveforms across different pairs of electrodes is commonly referred to as a montage, a typical example of which is illustrated in FIG. 2. The voltage waveform across a given pair of electrodes in the montage of an EEG recording is commonly referred to as a channel. A seizure is typically manifested by a highly rhythmic pattern of voltage waveforms on an EEG recording. However, depending upon the individual patient, different types of seizures, and various other factors, an onset of seizure is sometimes not readily discernable by a human reader from a montage of an EEG recording. For example, sometimes a seizure may manifest itself as a random waveform pattern across a montage of an EEG recording. Sometimes recording errors may occur in one or more channels of a montage of an EEG recording. Sometimes an onset of seizure is not shown on an EEG recording as a rhythmic pattern of waveforms, but rather as an abnormal change from the background waveform pattern.
A human reader of an EEG recording may need to go through hours or even days of recorded waveforms to determine the onset, duration, and type of seizures that may have occurred during that time. The human reader may miss an occurrence of a seizure, which is referred to as a false negative, or may mark a segment of the waveforms as a seizure event, which is referred to as a false positive.
Conventional algorithms have been developed to assist a human reader in detecting seizures using traditional fast Fourier transform (FFT) or other spectral analysis techniques. While these traditional techniques are usually effective in detecting highly rhythmic patterns of waveforms in order to identify a seizure event, some types of seizures which are not manifested by such highly rhythmic patterns may still be missed. Signal processing using conventional spectral analysis techniques may also sometimes return false positives, depending upon the perimeters set by the algorithm.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved system and method for detecting seizures from EEG recordings with a high degree of reliability.
The present invention provides a method of detecting a seizure, generally comprising the steps of:
(a) dividing a digitized waveform of an electroencephalogram (EEG) recording into a plurality of epochs each having a first predetermined duration;
(b) computing matching pursuit for a given one of the epochs to obtain a plurality of seizure atoms;
(c) describing the seizure atoms and the given epoch with at least one neural network (NN) rule;
(d) applying connected-object clustering to the epochs in a sliding window of a second predetermined duration to obtain a clustering result; and
(e) establishing a seizure point from the clustering result.
Advantageously, the method in an embodiment according to the present invention which utilizes advanced numerical analysis techniques including matching pursuit, neural network rules and connected-object clustering is capable of improving seizure detection with a high degree of accuracy and reliability.

Method and system for detecting seizures using electroencephalograms


A walking stabilizer equipped to combat the effects of akinesia paradoxica by employing a novel method and device to regulate and actuate a projection instrument which generates a pattern perpendicular to the user's direction of travel. The regulating and actuating device comprises a two pole series switch circuit configuration in tandem with the walking stabilizer's novel dual action braking mechanism. The projection device is only operable when the user concurrently selects its use and when the walker stabilizer is free for movement or in contact with the patient.

A common manifestation of Parkinson's disease or of other related nervous system disorders in a patient is the occurrence of an akinetic episode. A patient who experiences an akinetic episode freezes in place or exhibits a form of start hesitation. The akinetic episodes momentarily may affect the arms, feet or legs; however it is more common for the patient to loose movement in the feet and legs. During an akinetic episode the patient's ability to walk is impaired and is unable to make forward progress. The freezing, formally termed akinesia paradoxica usually lasts for seconds to minutes, but in the extreme can last for hours. The neurologist Joseph Jankovic M.D. fully describes the phenomena of akinesia paradoxica in Clinical Neuropharmacology, Vol. 5, Suppl. 1, pg. S21, 1982.
There are a number of known clinical methods to combat the affects of akinesia paradoxical, most notably the use of external stimuli which "tricks" the brain to end the akinetic episode. Among the external stimuli are sound cues, such as the playing of marching music, introducing loud noise, or having the patient count. Additional forms of external stimuli are visual cues such as drawing or projecting a line or placing objects in front of the patient and having them step over the visual cue.
The method and system of projecting a line as an external stimuli for a patient in tandem with the use of a walker was introduced by Perry et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,294), who mount a projection device on the body of the walker, which generates a line on the ground or floor in front of the patient, and acts as the stimuli for the person to step over and end the akinetic episode. The projection device is activated by a push button, and may also include a timer that automatically extinguishes the projection light after several seconds. However, the invention disclosed by Perry et al. fails to disclose a method and device which regulates and actuates the projection device of the present invention.
The basic structure of the walking stabilizer was disclosed by Miller (U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,268), however new enhancements to the braking system for the implementation of the present invention are disclosed in this application.

Projection and actuation device for a walking stabilizer


For an angle-resolving antenna system, only two radar sensors are provided including separate transmitting and receiving antennas. The receiving antennas of the two radar sensors are switchable with reference to their main beam direction as well as to their beam width.

Pulse radar systems may be used for the determination of the speed and distance of objects in street traffic, as in, for example, International Published Patent Application No. 99/42856.
German Published Patent Application No. 44 12 770 discusses that overlapping antenna lobes may be produced for a motor vehicle distance-warning radar in which the beam lobes may also be swiveled. Either an exciter system is used there as the transmitting and receiving antenna, or a separate transmitting and receiving antenna is provided.
International Published Patent Application No. 02/15334 discusses a multi-beam antenna array including a beam-shaping network and a beam-combining network. Measures are taken there to have the transmitting and receiving lobes point in exactly the same direction.


A method and apparatus for the recordal of call results in a computer database in a predictive dialing application. Operators communicate call results back to the dialing controller using DTMF signals. The system uses a single computer to coordinate, administer and store the results of the campaign, and the need for computer terminals at the operator stations is eliminated, since any DTMF capable device could be used.

This invention is in the field of predictive dialing systems, and more particularly deals with the provision of a low-cost automated method of recording telephone call results in the contact database employed in a predictive dialing campaign.
Predictive dialing systems have greatly increased the efficiency of telemarketing operators, allowing them to spend their time talking to prospects rather than doing the mechanical tasks necessary to establish contact with the prospect. These systems automatically dial telephone numbers from a list stored in a prospect database. Busy signals and unanswered calls are recycled for dialing later, and answered calls are put in a queue to await a non-busy operator. Thus the operators are supplied with a steady stream of prospects on answered telephone lines.
Specified information from the database about the prospect can also be displayed to the non-busy operator receiving the call. Various computer programs are used to attempt to match the flow of answered calls to non-busy operators, minimizing both the waiting time for prospects and the idle time for operators.
A further desired feature of such systems is the ability to record the outcome of the calls made back in the prospect database. The system manager is thereby provided with the information he requires about the call results. As well, typically, once all numbers in the database have been dialed, the system starts through the list of telephone numbers again. The results recorded for the previous call to this number will indicate whether the number should be dialed again or skipped.
Present systems employ a computer terminal for each operator, allowing considerable detailed information to be relayed firstly to the operator about the contact, and secondly to the computer database about the outcome of the call. In many applications however, such detailed information is not necessary, and it may not be necessary that the operator have any information about the prospect he is talking to. In some systems, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,412 to Ramot et al., control of the telephone functions is also done through the computer keyboard or mouse. The cost of such a system is high, however, limiting the market for this type of equipment, since in a typical sixteen operator installation there would be at least seventeen computers and a network linking them required, in addition to the dialing controller and sixteen operator telephones, and sixteen to twenty outside telephone lines. Present systems also require a computer network linking all computers to the predictive dialer and the computer database.
A predictive dialing system which eliminated the need for computer terminals at each operator station while continuing to provide for call data feedback from the operators for storage in the campaign database would be desirable. The device would be much simpler to install and manufacture, and obviously the cost would be lower as in the cost of operator computer terminals and their supporting computer network can be eliminated.
This could be accomplished using operator devices, with dial tone multifrequency (DTMF) capability. DTMF signals could be fed back to the dialing controller whose they could be converted into data for transmission to the storage in the database. Call results could be dialed back into the central database from the keypad of a basic operator telephone set or any other DTMF-capable device.
Using DTMF signals to send information to the central database in a predictive dialing application would allow any DTMF-capable device to be used by the operators. Basic DTMF devices, such as telephones, are inexpensive and can make such a predictive dialing apparatus very affordable, in addition to very useful in applications not requiring the full complexity and multitude of functions provided by a system employing computer terminals at every operator station.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a predictive dialing method and apparatus which will eliminate the need for computer terminals at the operator stations.
It is also the object of the present invention to provide, in a predictive dialing application, a system for entering call results into a computer database that is more economical to set up and maintain than those systems presently available.
It is the further object of the present invention to provide, in a predictive dialing application, a system for entering call results which allows the system manager to preconfigure which call results which will be allowed, including a call result which might indicate to the database and the dialing controller that the telephone contact should be repeated or not.
The predictive dialing apparatus of the present invention accomplishes these objects comprising a central computer containing a database of prospect records, each said project record including telephone dialing information for making a telephone contact and a field for storing a call data response in relation to said telephone contact; a plurality of DTMF-capable operator devices; and a dialing controller which is operatively connected to a plurality of outside telephone lines and to said central computer as well as to each said operator device, whereby said dialing controller can dial telephone calls on said outside telephone lines based on telephone dialing information received from said central computer and connect each such call to an operator device, said dialing controller including a DTMF signal interpreter to receive DTMF signals representing call data from said operator devices and translates said DTMF signals into call data responses, said dialing controller then transmitting said call data responses to said central computer for storage in relation to their respective prospect records in the database.
The number of outside telephone lines might be greater than the number of operator devices, to allow for the maximization of operator contact time on the telephone.
Acceptable call data responses could be preset in the central computer and enforced by the dialing controller during the handling of telephone calls. This would allow for the enforcement of a standard data collection policy across all of the operator telephones. One of the call data responses which might be returned to the central computer for storage in the database with respect to a prospect record might indicate whether or not that respective telephone contact should be repeated.
The operator devices which could be used could be any type of a DTMF-capable device, including a telephone.
Also disclosed is a method of entering call results in a computer database in a predictive dialing application, said database residing in a central computer and comprising a plurality of prospect records each including telephone dialing information for making a telephone contact and a field for storing a call data response in respect of said telephone contact, said method comprising dialing telephone calls to telephone contacts listed within said database using a predictive dialing apparatus, said predictive dialing apparatus comprising a plurality of DTMF-capable operator devices and a dialing controller operatively connected to said central computer and to a plurality of outside telephone lines as well as to each said operator device, said dialing controller including a DTMF signal interpreter to interpret DTMF signals received from said operator devices, whereby said dialing controller can dial telephone calls on said outside telephone lines based on telephone dialing information received from said central computer, and connect each such call to an operator device. Call data regarding such telephone calls is sent from the operator devices to the dialing controller by way of DTMF signals, which can be translated by the DTMF signal interpreter into a call data response. The call data responses are then in turn transmitted from the dialing controller to the central computer for storage in the database in relation to their respective prospect records.
This method might be practised where the operator devices were telephones.
Data standardization within the method could be established by programming an acceptable range of call data responses into the central computer and allowing the dialing controller to enforce the use of such preset call data responses during the handling of telephone calls. A call data response returned to the central computer might include a response which indicated whether or not that respective telephone contact should be repeated again.
The method and apparatus of the present invention allows for limited feedback to a central database in a predictive dialing application without the need for a computer terminal at each operator system. The use of DTMF tones, which can be generated by almost any telephone or many other devices, allows for a wide range of inexpensive equipment to be used as the operator devices.
The present invention provides a much simplified system which is much more economical for the purchaser to buy and set up, as there is, at minimum, only a standard analog telephone set at each operator station, rather than a computer terminal. Only one computer is needed, which houses the central database and is operatively connected to the dialing controller. The predictive dialer itself could be any dialer with an appropriate interface allowing for the receipt, translation and transfer of DTMF signals from the operator devices to the computer database to be recorded therein in relation to their respective prospect records.

Recordal of call results in a predictive dialing application

deceasedby legal representative Debra Ann Marie Gill


The putter head has a front face with a heel and toe edge extending from the front face. Both the heel and toe surfaces have cavities extending from the outer surface toward a central wall that is perpendicular to the face of the putter to provide visual indication that the face is square to the intended putting line. Two semicircular cavities extend from the top surface of the putter and are separated by the central wall. Medallions on the upper surface of the putter sole are aligned with the semicircular cavities. In this matter, the semicircular holes and medallions give visual indication to the golfer that the placement of the putter relative to the green, the golfer's hand position relative to the club and the golfer's head position are correct.

On the golf course, par for any given hole is calculated by the number of strokes it should take to reach the green from the tee plus two strokes for putting. While it is difficult for the average golfer to reach a green in less strokes than calculated, the ability to use one putting stroke, instead of the calculated two, results in the ability to lower the overall score. The quest for a putter that will enable a golfer to improve her putting game has led to the development of a large number of putter designs. A putter must have a flat striking surface for hitting the ball. A popular feature of putters is a weighted head having an oblong shape extending from the striking surface.
Prior putters have used devices for aligning the putter to the putting line and visual indications of the golfer=s alignment to the ball. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,986 (Kaise). Kaise discloses a putter having a triangular extension with a central line to ensure the putter=s alignment with the putting line. Another putter, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,190 (Ashcraft), discloses a putter having sections in different planes. Semicircles are formed on two different planes and appear as a circle to the golfer when the golfer is correctly aligned to the putter. U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,610 (Ahn et al.) discloses a putter with concentric, arcuate markings to align the putter with the putting line.
It is an object of the invention to provide a putter head balanced and weighted to assist the golfer in a true putting stroke.
It is another object of the invention to provide a putter head having both horizontal and vertically extending cavities.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a putter having a line providing with a means to square the face of the putter to the putting line.
It is still another object of the invention to provide visual queues to the golfer for correct alignment over the putter and the putter's alignment with the ground.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the disclosure of the invention.


A method and system for piece-picking or piece put-away within a logistics facility. The system includes a central server and at least one mobile manipulation robot. The central server is configured to communicate with the robots to send and receive piece-picking data which includes a unique identification for each piece to be picked, a location within the logistics facility of the pieces to be picked, and a route for the robot to take within the logistics facility. The robots can then autonomously navigate and position themselves within the logistics facility by recognition of landmarks by at least one of a plurality of sensors. The sensors also provide signals related to detection, identification, and location of a piece to be picked or put-away, and processors on the robots analyze the sensor information to generate movements of a unique articulated arm and end effector on the robot to pick or put-away the piece.

In logistics facilities, such as distribution centers or retail stores, goods are stored for retrieval by a pick worker or customer. Each type of item is known as a Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), and each SKU has a specific location in which it is kept. These items can be stored openly on shelving racks, or in compartmentalized containers, such as boxes or bins.
In a wholesale center, items are often stored in sealed cases, where individual units are packed together in a shipping case, as when they are received from a manufacturer. Cases may further be grouped together and stored on pallets, which is common for freight shipments of goods.
When goods need to be retrieved individually for order fulfillment or selection by a customer, they are typically stored individually and are not grouped into cases or pallets. The process of breaking the cases or pallets for individual product picking, that is, taking the individual pieces from the case or pallet and placing them in a specific storage location in a facility, is called put-away. The process of picking or selecting individual items from a specific storage location in a facility is known as piece picking or each-picking. Put-away and piece picking happens in both distribution warehouses and retail centers, whereas case-picking or pallet-picking typically only happens at a wholesale distribution center.
A fundamental problem with piece picking, and to a lesser extent put-away, is that it is inherently time consuming; it requires a significant portion of time to be spent traveling from one item storage location to another. For put-away a person manually brings product cases to the pick locations and breaks them open to facilitate piece picking. For piece picking of a product there is the added time it takes to find and identify the specific item of interest in its unique storage location. This is often accomplished by specific SKU numbers that positively identify the item to be picked. While different SKUs may appear to be the same, there may have some internal variations, such as weight, which cannot be identified outwardly. Finally, a person must manually pick or grasp the item and transfer it into a transport container, such as a cardboard box or plastic tote for shipping.
Due to the time consuming nature of piece picking it is a very costly manual process, and therefore has received much attention by organizations looking to save time and money. There are many solutions for both optimizing and automating various aspects of piece picking. Some techniques look to minimize the amount of travel time required to move from one point to another by reorganizing the SKU locations such that the most frequently accessed items are grouped together or require a minimum amount of reach by a worker grasping the item.
Automation solutions range from augmenting manual labor with various technologies to completely replacing labor with customized picking equipment and infrastructure. For example, some automation systems support manual workers with barcode or radio frequency identification (RFID) scanners that enable them to more rapidly locate and identify a product. Others, such as voice picking technology, provide the piece picker with an audio and speech interface headset that communicates to the worker which items to pick and their location thereby enabling a hands-free process that improves speed and productivity.
There are also many types of automated machines that enable more efficient picking operations. For example, large scale goods-to-person Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) allow a pick worker to remain in a fixed location. These systems have movable SKU storage bins that can be carried by a machine to and from a fixed storage location and delivered to a worker for picking individual pieces out of the bins. There are also Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) systems that can transfer storage racks to and from a pick area where a worker can locate and grab the requested item.
The automation equipment technologies presently available for picking operations require a substantial modification of infrastructure for the logistics center in which they are used. This requires a significant up-front investment from the facility, which is difficult to afford and is the main reason such solutions have not been widely adopted. As such, many distribution facilities still rely on manual labor to accomplish piece picking. Further, current automation systems are not viable for retail centers because the infrastructure must also be accessible to the customer. That is, current automation equipment cannot be used within a retail facility which relies on simple static shelving for product storage and display.
Currently, logistics facilities follow a standard process for put-away and picking of goods. Items arrive into the facility at a receiving area, typically in cases or pallets, and are commonly registered into an Inventory Management System (IMS) or Warehouse Management System (WMS). A WMS is a software database which stores information about SKUs which may include the product size, weight, inventory count, storage location, etc. After the items are received, they are put-away into their storage locations, typically open shelving or racks. This is usually a manual process which involves a stock worker physically moving the items to a location and transferring the items onto the shelf or rack.
Picking is done by a manual pick worker, also called selector or picker, in a warehouse, or by a customer in a retail facility. In a warehouse, picking happens after an order is received from an external customer. The orders are typically registered with the WMS, which then creates a work order, commonly known as a pick list, which instructs the picker which items must be retrieved, their quantities, and location within the facility. The picker then must find the items and physically transfer them to a shipping container that is associated with the order.
The two primary objections to automation for picking using currently known systems are: first, that the perceived upfront cost is too high, and second, that automation equipment is not flexible enough to accommodate changes to inventory or the operation process. As such, the majority of businesses have continued to rely on manual picking labor. The high cost and inflexibility of current automation is largely due to the infrastructure changes required for such solutions. Therefore, a solution that does not require changing significant infrastructure in a facility, such as using existing shelving and racks, and works side-by-side with manual labor is desired. Such a solution would reduce upfront cost and keep the flexibility of human workers available.

System and method for piece picking or put-away with a mobile manipulation robot


A technique for writing data in a file system includes aggregating data received in a set of I/O requests into a batch that includes multiple extents of data. After compressing a current extent of the batch and determining that the compressed extent does not fit in a space where a previous version of the extent is stored, the technique performs an FS-relocate operation by accessing an F S-hole list provided for the file system and selecting a hole, from the FS-relocate list, which is large enough to accommodate the compressed extent. The technique then places the compressed extent in the selected hole.

Data storage systems are arrangements of hardware and software that include storage processors coupled to arrays of non-volatile storage devices, such as magnetic disk drives, electronic flash drives, and/or optical drives. The storage processors service storage requests, arriving from host machines ("hosts"), which specify blocks, files or other data elements to be written, read, created, deleted, and so forth. Software running on the storage processors manages incoming storage requests and performs various data processing tasks to organize and secure the data elements stored on the non-volatile storage devices.
Some data storage systems employ data compression to improve storage efficiency. For example, a software program running on a storage processor may perform compression in the background, e.g., by reading data from disk, compressing the data, and writing the compressed data back to disk. To read data that has already been compressed, the program may work in the opposite direction, e.g., by fetching compressed data from disk, decompressing the data, and presenting the decompressed data to a requesting program.
As another example, software running on an I/O (Input/Output) stack of a storage processor may perform data compression inline with storage requests, such that incoming data are compressed prior to the first time they are written to disk. This arrangement helps to avoid over-commitment of storage resources by avoiding initial, uncompressed writes.

Relocating compressed extents using file-system hole list


The present invention provides a method for breakpoint stepping a multi-bus device. The multi-bus device includes a breakpoint unit capable of detecting bus events on multiple busses. The breakpoint unit is originally programmed to break on the detection of a specified bus event on a bus selected from multiple busses. After the specified bus event has been detected and the device has entered one of several possible frozen states, the breakpoint unit may be programmed to detect a new bus event on a bus selected from multiple busses. The method is repeated as needed to achieve breakpoint stepping, including single stepping.

The present invention relates to methods of debugging integrated circuits, and more specifically a method of breakpoint stepping.
Advances in integrated circuit technology have made it possible to embed an entire system, including a processor core, a memory unit, a high performance bus, and a programmable logic, in a single semiconductor device. This type of programmable semiconductor device is commonly referred to as a system-on-chip (SoC), or a configurable system-on-chip (CSoC). The SoC provides many advantages over traditional processor-based designs. It is an attractive alternative to multi-chip designs because the integration of components into a single device increases overall speed while decreasing size. The SoC is also an attractive alternative to fully customized chips, such as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), because ASIC designs tend to have a significantly longer development time and larger development costs.
While the integration of components into a single chip provides many advantages, it often makes debugging chip firmware more difficult. Many of the methods and tools commonly used for debugging processor-based, embedded systems are less effective or simply do not work when the processor is deeply embedded in a chip. For example, logic analyzers and ICEs (in circuit emulators) are often ineffective tools for tracing bus events the processor""s address and data busses are not available externally on the chip""s I/O (input/output) pins.
The lack of external access to address and data busses has led processor designers to develop on-chip debugging solutions. By adding debug logic to the processor core and making it accessible externally via a serial port, chip designers have made it possible to remotely control execution of a processor with minimal use of the target chip""s resources, such as ROM and I/O pins. However, this solution only allows tracing and triggering of a processor""s local bus.
New and complex SoCs are being developed with multiple processors and multiple busses. Some new SoC designs have a dedicated processor bus, connecting the processor core to on-chip memory, as well as a peripheral bus, connecting the application specific or programmable logic portion of the chip to the processor core. Prior art solutions do not address such multi-bus systems.
A method of breakpoint stepping a multi-bus device is disclosed. The method achieves breakpoint stepping, including single stepping, a multi-bus, processor-based device through the use of a multi-bus breakpoint unit.

Method and apparatus for multi-bus breakpoint stepping


A system and method for providing the ability to selectively share data in a network routing device with an associated host. The system and method employs a hardware firewall in the routing device which restricts the host such that it can only access areas in shared memory which contains data destined for the host. The routing device CPU notifies the host of pending data and the location of that data in the shared memory. The hardware firewall is also notified of the location in shared memory which the host may access. When the host attempts to read the data, the firewall ensures that only the stated memory area or areas are accessed by the host. Once the data has been read by the host, the firewall is notified to cancel the host's ability to access the shared memory until such time as a new packet destined for the host arrives in the routing device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for selectively sharing data contained in a network routing device with an associated host device. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for enabling routing device hardware to provide selective access by a host device to shared memory within the routing device, thus restricting the host's ability to access data not intended for use by the host.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a type of mobile communications network known as an "ad-hoc" network has been developed. In this type of network, each user terminal is capable of operating as a base station or router for other mobile nodes, thus eliminating the need for a fixed infrastructure of base stations. Accordingly, data packets being sent from a source mobile node to a destination mobile node are typically routed through a number of intermediate mobile nodes before reaching the destination node.
More sophisticated ad-hoc networks are also being developed which, in addition to enabling mobile nodes to communicate with each other as in a conventional ad-hoc network, further enable the mobile nodes to access a fixed network and communicate with other types of user terminals, such as those on the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and on other networks, such as the Internet. Details of these types of ad-hoc networks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,072,650 entitled "Ad Hoc Peer-to-Peer Mobile Radio Access System Interfaced to the PSTN and Cellular Networks", issued on Jul. 4, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,165 entitled "Time Division Protocol for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer Radio Network Having Coordinating Channel Access to Shared Parallel Data Channels with Separate Reservation Channel", issued on Oct, 19, 2004, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,839 entitled "Prioritized-Routing for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer, Mobile Radio Access System", issued on Mar. 29, 2005, the entire content of each being incorporated herein by reference.
Generally, all nodes in a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network provide similar core services and functionality, although their specific functionality can depend on their intended purposes, such as use as an access point, fixed router or mobile terminal. Although each node can provide similar services, the workload is typically distributed across many nodes rather than centralized at a single location in the peer-to-peer network. Therefore peer-to-peer networks distinguish themselves from infrastructure networks where one or more nodes offer a superset of the functionality of the rest of the network. Infrastructure nodes in these networks typically can handle Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), as well as other services that depend on broadcast traffic. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is defined by IETF RFC 2131 and 2132, which are incorporated herein by reference, and is used by a client node to automatically obtain network settings from a central server. These network settings include the client's IP address, the address of Domain Name Servers (DNS), the IP address of default gateways, and many other network settings. Address Resolution Protocol is defined by STD 0037 and RFC 0826, which are incorporated herein by reference, and is used by a network node to map IP addresses to MAC addresses so IP traffic can be delivered to specific hardware. Such infrastructure nodes are normally discovered by broadcast traffic advertisements from their client nodes in a network.
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, traffic in such networks includes direct and indirect communications, in which nodes can be used as routers while both stationary or mobile. A mobile node typically includes a host, such as a personal computer (PC) or personal digital assistant (PDA), with an attached transceiver and a controller. A mobile node can further include a network interface device coupled to a host device, which allows the host device communication access with the network. The transceiver of the mobile node receives data packets, such as voice, data or multimedia data packets, from other nodes, and the controller determines which data packets are intended for it's associated host. If a data packet is intended for the associated host, the host is notified to retrieve the packet. If the packet is not intended for the associated host, the controller determines the next node to which the data packet should be sent based on routing table or similar information, and controls the transceiver of the mobile node to send the data packet to the next node.
In traditional networks where the user nodes do not re-route traffic, the network interface device will inspect an incoming packet header and store packet data only if it is destined for the host device associated with the network interface device. Therefore, the host never has the opportunity to examine data which is intended for other devices. However, once a device is required to reroute packets to a destination device other than the associated host as in an ad-hoc network, all packets must be captured and evaluated by the routing device. Once a packet is captured by a network interface device, it then may become susceptible to unauthorized access by the associated host device.
However, the ability to selectively share data between a routing device and an associated host, such as a personal computer, is necessary in a wireless ad-hoc network. This allows a subscriber to have an access point for extracting or sending data through the network. Because the vast majority of routing resources or nodes that exist in a multihopping, ad-hoc network each route data that is not intended for its associated host, precautions must be taken to insure that only data intended for the node's associated host can be extracted from the routing device in the node. However, many of the methods for achieving this are either inefficient in their ability to route data, require use of multiple memories, or are insecure.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for protecting data traveling through a network by ensuring that a host device may only access data that was intended for access by that host device.

System and method for a routing device to securely share network data with a host utilizing a hardware firewall


A QCL may include a substrate, and a sequence of semiconductor epitaxial layers adjacent the substrate and defining an active region, an injector region adjacent the active region, and a waveguide optically coupled to the active region. The active region may include stages, each stage having an upper laser level and a lower laser level defining respective first and second wave functions. The upper laser level may have an upper laser level average coordinate, and the lower laser level may have a lower laser level average coordinate. The upper laser level average coordinate and the lower laser level average coordinate may have spacing of less than 10 nm. Wave functions for all active region energy levels located below the lower laser level may have greater than 10% overlap with the injector region.

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) differ from traditional semiconductor diode lasers in that they do not use a p-n junction for light emission. Multiple active regions are "cascaded" so that each injected electron can emit multiple photons and therefore enhance laser gain. Each active region includes a multi-layered semiconductor material structure. This multi-layered semiconductor material structure is designed to have an electronic band structure that gives the desired emission wavelength, and is manufactured with nanometer-level thickness control.
Most commercially available QCLs are of the "edge-emitting" variety. In these approaches, linear ridges are created by etching vertically through the layered structure, which has been grown on a wafer substrate. These are cleaved so that the active region comprises a rectangular ridge several millimeters in length, which forms a waveguide. The laser radiation is amplified by passing back and forth along the axis of the ridge. Laser emission occurs on the end facets of these ridges.
In FIG. 1A, a typical QCL device 20 is shown. The QCL device 20 includes a substrate 21, and an active region 22 formed thereon. Here, the active region 22 comprises a narrow configuration, and has a ridge width of 10 μm, a height of 2 μm, and a length of 5 mm.

Quantum cascade laser with high efficiency operation and related systems and methods

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.


System and techniques for error correction code (ECC) memory security are described herein. A write request that includes data is received. An integrity check value (ICV) is computed for the data. Then, the write request is performed, including writing a representation of the data to a data area in memory and writing the ICV into an ECC area in memory. Here, the data area is addressable by a host and the ECC area corresponds to the data area via hardware of the memory.

Computer systems have become a part of everyday life. As computer systems are found in more devices in a greater number of critical roles, data integrity, including security, has become a greater issue for systems designers. Security threats generally seek to gain control of the system or information held thereon. While tools such as encrypting network traffic have been effective at counteracting security threats originating from outside of a given system, some threats attack the heart of the computer system by attempting to glean information directly from the computer system's processors or operating memory (e.g., memory used to hold a current system state, such as random-access memory (RAM) or the like).
The number of hardware attacks (both invasive and non-invasive) are growing, hoping to gain access to the large amount of sensitive data on computer systems that may be held outside of a processor's trusted zone (e.g. in dynamic RAM (DRAM)). To combat these threats, secure architectures and cryptographic methods are implemented to protect memory operations to prevent an intruder from maliciously tampering with, or gaining access to, the data stored in the memory. The secure architectures generally use three cryptographic primitives: confidentiality; integrity; and freshness.
Confidentiality ensures the privacy of data by encrypting data before it is written to the memory and decrypting the data from the memory. Integrity ensures that the saved data has not been modified (e.g., corrupted or adulterated). Freshness ensures that data is versioned such that old data cannot be reused (e.g., it prevent replay attacks in which valid, but old data is used by an attacker).
In addition to security, protection against data corruption, such as may be caused by energized particles, has also been employed in memories. Memory is often designed as a combination of a controller and data storage. A requesting entity (e.g., user, program, host, etc.) sends read or write requests to a controller, which then stores the data on the storage medium. Operationally, memory is exposed as an array of addressable blocks of a given size (e.g., 512 bits). Read and write operations generally involve one or more addresses being given to the controller, the controller then transforming each request to one or more requests to the data storage. As part of this transformation, the controller may modify the data by, for example, encrypting the data or computing error correction codes (ECCs).
The data storage is often viewed as an array of storage blocks, with basic operations that include reading and writing an entire block at a time. ECC memory typically includes additional space to hold ECCs, resulting in larger storage blocks for the basic operations. For example, a storage block may contain 512 bits for the data and 64 or 128 bits for the ECC data. Generally, the storage is designed such that the additional ECC area is retrieved along with the data (e.g., via a parallel integrated circuit (IC) tied to the storage block address, or via larger storage blocks, etc.). The ECC codes generally provide error detection, and possibly error recovery. In some cases, the controller performs the error detection or correction based on the ECC codes as part of satisfying a read request.