The present invention relates generally to digital watermarking. In one embodiment, a method of detecting copying of a printed object is provided. In another embodiment, a method is provided to measure digital watermark strength. In yet another embodiment, and for printing applications, an embedded digital watermark may be used to carry printer information that is later decoded by a watermark decoder and used to examine a digital scan of a printed object and determine whether the printed object is authentic. Other embodiments are provided as well.

Digital watermarking is a process for modifying physical or electronic media to embed a machine-readable code into the media. The media may be modified such that the embedded code is imperceptible or nearly imperceptible to the user, yet may be detected through an automated detection process. Most commonly, digital watermarking is applied to media signals such as images, audio signals, and video signals. However, it may also be applied to other types of media objects, including documents (e.g., through line, word or character shifting), software, multi-dimensional graphics models, and surface textures of objects.
Digital watermarking systems typically have two primary components: an encoder that embeds the watermark in a host media signal, and a decoder that detects and reads the embedded watermark from a signal suspected of containing a watermark (a suspect signal). The encoder embeds a watermark by altering the host media signal. The reading component analyzes a suspect signal to detect whether a watermark is present. In applications where the watermark encodes information, the reader extracts this information from the detected watermark.
Several particular watermarking techniques have been developed. The reader is presumed to be familiar with the literature in this field. Particular techniques for embedding and detecting imperceptible watermarks in media signals are detailed in the assignee's co-pending application Ser. No. 09/503,881 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,914) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,260, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention provides halftone image watermark methods and systems.
One aspect of the invention is a method of embedding a digital watermark into a halftone image. The method redundantly encodes a multi-bit message, and transforms the encoded message to a multilevel per pixel watermark image. It then derives halftone thresholds from the multilevel per pixel watermark image. These thresholds are then used to convert target images into watermarked halftone images.
The multilevel pixels in the target image are used to select corresponding halftone thresholds from the halftone thresholds derived from the watermark image. The selected thresholds are applied to corresponding multilevel pixels in the watermark image to create the watermarked halftone image of the target image.
Another aspect of the invention is a method of measuring digital watermark strength. In this method, a watermarked signal is processed to extract estimates of error correction encoded bits embedded into the watermarked signal. Then, the error correction encoded bits are decoded to compute a message payload. The message payload is re-encoded to compute error correction encoded bits. A measure of watermark strength is computed from the error correction encoded bits and the estimates of error correction encoded bits. In particular, in one implementation the soft bit estimates decoded from the watermarked signal are multiplied by corresponding re-computed error correction encoded bits and summed to get a measure of the watermark signal strength. This measurement may be compared with a threshold to detect tampering with the watermarked signal, such as compression, scanning and re-printing, photo-copying, etc.
For printing applications, the embedded digital watermark may be used to carry printer information that is later decoded by a watermark detector and used to examine a digital scan of a printed object and determine whether the printed object is authentic.
Further features will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Halftone watermarking and related applications


The present invention relates to dental equipment for treating a root canal. According to the present invention, two input signals with different frequencies are superposed. The difference between impedances corresponding to the two different frequencies at a given position in the root canal where the impedances hardly vary, is obtained. This value and a clinically determined value are used to detect the desired position in the root canal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dental equipment for treating a root canal and in particular, to a system for automatically detecting any desired position in a root canal while enlarging the same. Such detection is possible even if the root canal is moisturized with liquid medicines.
2. Description of the Related Art
In endodontics, germs and the like are generally found in the root canal. Particularly, when the root canal is infected, germs and the like may enter deeply into the dentin. Both mechanical and chemical means are used to eliminate such germs in the root canal in an effort to prevent further infection. Also, the root canal should be fully closed all the way to its apical foramen so as to completely eliminate germs.
Accordingly, it is essential to accurately detect the position of the end of the root canal, known as the apical foremen, by mechanical means such as by a reamer or a file.
In order to measure the length of the root canal, three different methods have heretofore been used in combination: those methods comprise determining by hand when a file is in contact with the apical foramen, taking an X-ray with a reamer inserted in the root canal, or electrically detecting the apical foramen by means of impedance variations. A mechanical cutter such as a hand-operated reamer or file, or an engine reamer or ultrasonic cutter, is then used to enlarge the root canal. It is, however, difficult even for a skilled dentist to efficiently perform such a series of operations, which are time-consuming and may cause patients to suffer severe pain.
FIG. 5 shows a system designed to overcome the foregoing disadvantages. Specifically, this prior art system includes a mechanical cutter 2 having an electrode 3 in the form of a reamer to be inserted into a root canal 1. Another or counter electrode 5 is placed in contact with an oral membrane 4. The two electrodes 3, 5 are coupled to an electrical means 6 for detecting any given position in the root canal. The electrical means 6 is, in turn, coupled to a relay switch 7. The reamer 3 is used to enlarge the root canal 1 as it is advanced toward the apical foramen 8. The electrical means 6 functions to detect a change in impedance between the two electrodes 3, 5. This change may occur when the reamer 3 reaches the apical foramen 8. The relay switch 7 receives an output signal from the electrical means 6 whereby the mechanical cutter is stopped.
In this prior art system, the electrical measuring means 6 has an alternating power source with a frequency of 200 Hz. When the reamer 3 reaches the apical foramen 8, the value of a voltage is measured. This value is then used as a reference value indicating that the reamer has reached the apical foramen. It is reported, however, that such a value may vary depending on age of patients, type of teeth, or shape of the root canal involved. Thus, accurate measurement or detection can not be expected. Also, the interior of the root canal must be dried when the system is in use. During the enlargement of the root canal, the reamer may be bent or otherwise broken due to frictional contact with the dentin.
There has recently been developed a system for detecting any given position in the root canal by means of impedance differential. Voltages as used have different frequencies, for example, 1 KHz and 5 KHz. Waveforms of those frequencies are superposed to provide a composite or voltage waveform. Impedance of a tooth may vary depending on the two different frequencies. Then, the difference between impedances depending on each of two frequencies is measured at a position in the root canal where a change in impedance is low. When the difference becomes the smallest, it is understood that the reamer has reached the apical foramen. Accurate detection of any given position in the root can thus be effected regardless of the age of the patients, type of teeth or shape of the root canal involved.
Liquid medicines and the like which are used to clean the interior of the root canal are high in electrical conductivity or low in electrical resistivity. The difference suffers a dispersion in the vicinity of the apical foramen where the impedance of the tooth is low due to the presence of liquid medicines and the like. As a result, the prior art system cannot accurately detect the position of the apical foramen in the event that liquid medicines and the like are present in the root canal. Furthermore, the prior art system cannot be operative while the root canal is being enlarged.


A photographic element contains a light-sensitive silver halide layer having associated therewith a coupler which is a pyrazolone compound with a coupling-off substituent at the -4-position, said compound having the formula: ##STR1## wherein each R.sup.1 is independently a substituted or unsubstituted alkylsulfonyl or arylsulfonyl group; each R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is independently a substituent; R.sup.4, R.sup.5, and R.sup.6 are independently hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups; m and n are independently 0 or 1 but both are not 0; x1 and x2 are independently 0 to 5; and y is 0 to 3; provided that each of R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, and R.sup.6 is selected such that the calculated log P of the thiophenol corresponding to the substituent at the 4-position of the pyrazolone is at least 4. The photographic element provides an improved combination of low continued coupling together with a magenta hue exhibiting a long wavelength of maximum absorption.

The use of magenta couplers comprising 1-phenyl-3-anilino-pyrazoto-5-one couplers containing phenylthio coupling-off groups at the 4-position are well known in the art. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,319 of Krishnamurthy et al. and other patents cited therein. While elements employing such couplers have provided certain advantages, there remain several shortcomings in photographic elements relying on these types of magenta couplers.
These shortcomings relate to the dye-forming efficiency of the coupler, the speed with which the dye is formed, the dye hue, and the undesirable occurrence of staining during processing.
The hue of the dye obtained upon completion of the coupling reaction is important because it affects the accuracy of color rendition and also impacts the printer's ability to produce an accurate print from the negative produced from the original exposure. The hue of the dye is a function of the compositional make-up of both the parent and the coupling-off group. Both the individual substituents and the combined effect of the different substituents selected can affect the hue. The parent substituents affect hue primarily through their affect on the chromophore of the dye while the coupling-off group substituents have a more indirect effect by influencing the local environment of the dye, particularly when the coupled-off group is not free to diffuse away from the dye and into the hydrophillic phase.
Additionally, staining or nonimagewise coloration of the element is to be avoided. One way that staining can occur is through the phenomenon called continued coupling. Certain couplers are more prone than others to react with oxidized developer that is carried over with the film into the bleach bath. These couplers will then undesirably form dye on a nonimagewise basis causing a magenta stain.
The speed and efficiency with which the dye is formed can present added problems. When a coupler undergoes coupling with a color developer to form a dye, the coupler goes through an intermediate stage wherein the oxidized developer and the coupling-off group are both annexed to the coupler parent. This intermediate is a leuco dye which is uncolored until the coupling reaction is complete. In the ideal photographic element, the intermediate stage is essentially instantaneous so that the process of dye formation is completed during development. The presence of the semi-stable leuco dye can effectively reduce dye density and adversely affect color rendition in the printing step. Moreover, the presence of the semi-stable leuco dye can lead to post processing density increases the extent of which cannot be predicted and this leads to the undesirable situation of having an image which changes with time. Thus, the formation of semi-stable leuco dyes needs to be avoided.
The dye forming efficiency of the coupler is affected by many factors such as the extent to which the parent portion of the coupler is ballasted so as to retain its proper position in the photographic element in order to optimize the image recorded. If the coupler parent is not sufficiently ballasted, it is free to wander both horizontally and vertically during processing thereby adversely affecting both sharpness and color rendition. Moreover, the coupler is susceptible to being washed out of the element entirely and thus contributing no dye density to the image. Therefore, this problem is to be avoided.
While various efforts have been made to provide improved couplers, none have succeeded in solving the foregoing problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,085 suggests a way to reduce the amount of unwanted staining that occurs during processing. Elements containing 1-phenyl-3-anilino-pyrazolo-5-one or 1-phenyl-3-acylamino-pyrazolo-5-one couplers containing phenylthio or other types of coupling-off groups at the 4-position are employed in combination with certain piperidine compounds in order to prevent such staining. The materials exemplified therein do not provide the desired properties such as diffusion resistance of both the parent and coupling-off group. Compound I-28 has the formula: ##STR2## This coupler contains a ballasted parent with a sulfonyl substituent but does not contain a carbonamido substituent in the coupling-off group in a position ortho to the sulfur on the phenyl ring. It does not provide the desired photographic properties in that the presence of the ortho alkoxy substituent on the coupling-off group causes the undesired formation of semi-stable leuco dye which leads to post processing density increases. Research Disclosure 16736, March 1978 discloses parent groups having a hexadecylsulfone in the 4-position of the anilino ring but does not disclose the combination with the coupling-off group of the invention nor the advantages to be obtained thereby.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,359 relates to pyrazolone couplers having improved color density and reduced dye staining. These benefits are said to be obtained through the inclusion of a dialkyl amine compound with a pyrazolone coupler having an arylthio coupling-off group which includes a carbonamido substituent in the position ortho to the sulfur. Examples of two of the couplers exemplified (M-4 and M-5) are as follows: ##STR3## These couplers contain sulfonamide and sulfamoyl substituents, respectively, on the parent anilino groups. For these couplers, the log P of the coupling-off group is inadequate to prevent the undesired wandering of the coupling-off group and corresponding silver development effects. Moreover, the sulfonamide substituent provides inferior properties with respect to hue when compared to the alkyl- or arylsulfonyl substituents of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,319 suggests a coupling-off group having the formula: ##STR4## however, it is not suggested to increase the log P and to then employ the coupling-off group with a sulfone containing anilino pyrazolone parent in order to solve the problems of the art.
It is therefore a problem to be solved to provide photographic elements containing a magenta coupler which do not present problems associated with photographic properties such as the dye-forming efficiency of the coupler (including silver development inhibition), the speed with which the dye is formed, the dye hue, and the undesirable occurrence of staining during processing.

Photographic elements containing magenta couplers and process for using same


A semiconductor device includes at least a die carried by a substrate, a plurality of bond pads disposed on the die, a plurality of conductive components, and a plurality of bond wires respectively connected between the plurality of bond pads and the plurality of conductive components. The plurality of bond pads respectively correspond to a plurality of signals, and include a first bond pad configured for transmitting/receiving a first signal and a second bond pad configured for transmitting/receiving a second signal. The plurality of conductive components include a first conductive component and a second conductive component. The first conductive component is bond-wired to the first bond pad, and the second conductive component is bond-wired to the second bond pad. The first conductive component and the second conductive component are separated by at least a third conductive component of the plurality of conductive components, and the first signal is asserted when the second signal is asserted.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device in which first and second conductive components for respectively transmitting/receiving first and second signals are separated by at least a conductive component, wherein the first signal is asserted when the second signal is asserted.
For a large scale integrated circuit such as a large scale system on a chip (SOC), in order to reduce costs of exterior circuit component(s), there is a trend of integrating the exterior circuit component(s) into the large scale SOC. For example, a multi-channel audio codec component can be integrated into a large scale SOC so as to minimize the costs. However, the large scale SOC needs a higher number of signal ports, for transmitting/receiving more signals. Due to the higher number of signal ports, the large scale SOC is usually encapsulated in the Low profile Quad Flat Package (LQFP), the Ball Grid Array (BGA) package, or other types of packages suitable for large scale circuits. An example of the LQFP is illustrated in FIG. 1A.
In order to accommodate more pins or more solder balls, it is necessary to reduce space between two neighboring leads or traces; as shown in FIG. 1A, one of two neighboring leads/traces is quite near to each other. FIG. 1B is a partial enlarged view showing the traces, bond wires, and the bond pads of FIG. 1A. However, reducing the space between the neighboring leads/traces incurs increased stray capacitances. As a result of the increased stray capacitances, the undesired capacitive, inductive, or conductive coupling from a signal line will interfere with a corresponding neighboring signal line; this is the so-called crosstalk effect. Especially for audio processing, the crosstalk effect is an important problem for which a solution is urgently required.


A fastening device includes a first annular flange connected to an air intake, a second annular flange connected to a powerplant pressed against the second annular flange and fastening elements that allow the annular flanges to be linked. For at least a first fastening element, a blade is fitted between the first fastening element and the first annular flange, the blade including at least a central part linked to the first fastening element, radially mobile relative to the first annular flange, and at least one offset part for which at least radial centripetal displacement is limited relative to the first annular flange, the central part and the offset part being offset relative to one another along the direction of the circumference.

An aircraft propulsion system includes a nacelle in which a powerplant is arranged in an essentially concentric layout connected to the rest of the aircraft by a strut.
As shown in FIG. 1, the nacelle has an air intake (10) at the front that allows the air flow to be channeled in the direction of powerplant (12).
The air intake (10) is comprised of a lip (14) whose surface in contact with the aerodynamic flow is prolonged in the interior of the nacelle by an internal conduit (16) and on the exterior of the nacelle by an external wall (18).
The air intake (10) is connected to powerplant (12) by a fastening device illustrated in detail in FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B. This fastening device is comprised at the powerplant level of a first annular flange (20) attached to a second annular flange (22) of a panel delimiting conduit (16) or of in-between piece (24), called a strap, connected to the panel delimiting conduit (16), as shown in FIG. 2. The two flanges (20) and (22) are placed one against the other and kept there by fastening elements, for example bolts or rivets (26), that go through flanges (20) and (22) and extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the nacelle.
In accordance with the mode of production illustrated in FIG. 3A, the bolts or rivets (26) are made up of a shank (28) whose diameter can be adjusted to that of the passage holes made in the annular flanges (20) and (22).
In accordance with a second mode of production, shown in FIG. 3B, the passage 5 holes made in annular flanges (20) and (22) can be slightly larger in diameter than that of the shank (28) of the bolts or rivets (26). This play, of around 1 mm, between the passage holes and the bolts or rivets, allows relative movement between the two attached pieces.
In both cases, the passage holes are cylindrical.
The fastening device and especially the bolts or rivets (26) are sized to offset any possible risk of incidents, such as, for example, the fracture of a fan blade.
In that case, the conduit of the powerplant can be deformed along all or part of its circumference. At the time of the deformation, the passage holes of the annular flange of the powerplant are no longer in line with those of the air intake. In this configuration, the bolts or rivets (26) are particularly subject to some relatively strong shear stresses, significantly greater than the stresses present under normal operations. Even if use of the second mode of production has allowed relative movement between the two joined pieces as the result of the play present around the bolts or rivets (26), this play is clearly less than the relative movement between the two joined pieces occurring in the case of an incident like the fracture of a blade. In the case of the use of the second mode of production with play, it can be noted that the shear stresses are at least equal to or greater than those present when the first mode of production is used.
In order to be able to resist such stresses, the fastening device consists of a given number of bolts or rivets (26) with a given diameter.
Taking into consideration the resistance of a bolt or rivet (26) in an installation that conforms to the modes of production illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, this leads to planning for a great number of bolts or rivets (26) in the fastening device and/or bolts and rivets (26) with a large diameter which results in a greater embarked mass and consequently greater aircraft fuel consumption.
According to another scenario, the powerplant conduit deformations tend to spread in the direction of air intake conduit (16). As a result, during the design of air intake conduit (16), which is generally made up of composite material and includes a noise suppression system, one must take into consideration these possible deformations.
To limit the spread of the deformation of the powerplant annular flange (20) towards the air intake annular flange (22), it is possible to provide a filter at the level of bolts or rivets (26). For each fastening device, this filter is comprised of at least a deformable sheath (30) slipped on to the shank (28) of bolt or rivet (26). As seen in the example shown in FIG. 3A, the deformable sheath is inserted between the annular flange (20) connected to the powerplant and a nut (32) of the bolt or rivet (26). This deformable sheath (30) has an internal diameter adjusted to that of the shank (28) and is comprised of a central portion of relatively little thickness, in order to allow it to deform, especially by buckling. This lay-out allows an increase in the energy absorbed by the deformation of the fastening device. It also allows limiting the spread of the deformations along the direction of the axis.
However, in case of the fracture of a blade, the greatest deformations are oriented in a radial direction. However, the effects of the deformable sheath (30) in that direction are limited.

Fastening device particularly suitable for the fastening between an air intake and an engine of an aircraft nacelle


A suture coating comprising a copolymer having about 60 to 80 weight percent of .beta.-hydroxybutyrate linkages is disclosed. The remaining linkages can be at least .beta.-hydroxyvalerate. In one embodiment, the coating is the copolymer combined with a stearoyl lactylate having the formula: ##STR1## wherein X is at least two, and R is an alkaine-earth metal.

This invention relates to a coating and lubricating finish for surgical devices, preferably for multifilament biosorbable sutures.
It is known that suture materials are often coated with various substances to improve their handling characteristics, e.g. the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,532,929; 4,201,216; 4,185,637; and 4,027,646 teach the use of a composition comprising a fatty acid salt or ester as a suture coating. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,533 describes the use of a water soluble poly(alkylene oxide) as a coatings for a multi-filament bioabsorbable suture. A survey included in U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,533 outlines several other approaches which are useful in improving suture knot trying performance. All of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. In summary, there is a constant research effort in the coating field to improve suture handling characteristics.
It has been discovered that a commercially available bio-polymer is useful as a suture coating. The bio-polymer can be obtained from ICI, Ltd., U.K. or from Poly-sciences Inc., Warrington, PA. For a description of the polymer, see published European patent applications Nos. 104,731; 91,224; and 69,497; and U.K. Pat. No. 2,120,671, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The polymer can consist of a homopolymer of hydroxy butyrate linkages, or a copolymer having approximately 70 or 80% hydroxy butyrate linkages and the remainder hydroxy valerate linkages. The homo- and copolymer can be manufactured by a bio-mass fermentation process.
The coating formulation uses methylene chloride as a solvent.
An object of this invention is to provide bioabsorbable, water insoluble coatings for multifilament sutures or bioimplantable devices. The preferred coating systems may be applied to any suture material where it is desired to improve fiber lubricity, suture knot run-down characteristics and the like. The coating is particularly useful with synthetic absorbable multifilament sutures composed of polyactide, polyglycolide, copolymers of lactide and glycolide, copolymers of glycolide and trimethylene carbonate, poly(p-dioxanone), poly(alkylene oxalate), and copolymers of glycolide and alkylene oxides, etc. Poly(.beta.-hydroxybutyrate)s are bioabsorbable materials.
The coating composition could be poly(.beta.-hydroxy-butyrate) or polymers and copolymers represented by the following general structural units: ##STR2## wherein each R.sub.1 is a lower alkyl group, preferably methyl. U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,311 (Potts) teaches the use of poly(.beta.-hydroxybutyrate) as a coating material for water soluble disposable articles. However, the potential of using poly(.beta.-hydroxybutyrate) and its copolymers as coatings for bioabsorbable surgical devices was not disclosed. In this invention, the poly(.beta.-hydroxybutyrate) and its copolymers are specifically used to coat water insoluble surgical sutures and devices to improve their handling characteristics and biocompatability.
A bioabsorbable coating for a surgical device has been invented. The coating comprises a copolymer having about 60 to 80 weight percent of .beta.-hydroxybutyrate linkages. In one embodiment the inherent viscosity of the copolymer measured at 30.degree. C. on a 0.5 percent weight per volume solution of the copolymer in hexafluoroacetone sesquihydrate is about 1.5 to 5.0. In a specific embodiment, the inherent viscosity is up to about 4.0.
A coating for a bioabsorbable suture has been invented. The coating comprises a bioabsorbable copolymer having about 60 to 80 weight percent of .beta.-hydroxybutyrate linkages and the remaining linkages comprising at least .beta.-hydroxyvalerate. In one embodiment, the inherent viscosity of the copolymer measured at 300.degree. C. on an 0.5 percent weight per volume solution of the copolymer in hexafluoroacetone sesquihydrate is about 1.5 to 4.0. In another embodiment, the in vivo absorption time is about one year.
Finally, a coating for a synthetic bioabsorbable suture has been inserted. The coating comprises a bioabsorbable copolymer having up to about 60 to 80 weight percent of .beta.-hydroxybutyrate linkages and the remaining linkages comprising .beta.-hydroxyvalerate. The copolymer has an inherent viscosity of about 1.5 to 5.0 measured at 30.degree. C. on a 0.5 percent weight per volume solution of the copolymer in hexafluoroacetone sesquihydrate. The coating further comprises the copolymer in combination with a stearoyl lactylate having the formula: ##STR3## wherein X is at least two, and R is an alkaline-earth metal. In a specific embodiment, X is two and R is calcium

Bioabsorbable coating for a surgical device


This disclosure relates to an electrified vehicle with a vibration isolator within a frame of the vehicle and a corresponding method. An electrified vehicle according to this disclosure includes a frame with a rail, a vibration isolator within the rail, and a battery pack connected to the rail by way of the vibration isolator. Among other benefits, mounting the vibration isolator within the rail increases the amount of available packaging space.

The need to reduce automotive fuel consumption and emissions is well known. Therefore, vehicles are being developed that reduce reliance on internal combustion engines. Electrified vehicles are one type of vehicle being developed for this purpose. In general, electrified vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles in that electrified vehicles are selectively driven using one or more electric machines powered by a traction battery. The electric machines can drive the electrified vehicles instead of, or in addition to, an internal combustion engine. Example electrified vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Electrified vehicle with vibration isolator within frame and corresponding method


The bow string release includes a trigger mechanism which may be selectively operated in a push to fire or pull to fire manner. The release includes a strap mechanism having a continuous loop wrist strap facilitating quick attachment and detachment of the strap to the wrist. The distance between the release and the strap is adjustable to permit adaptation of the release and strap to varying size hands. The sear mechanism in the release is adapted to pivot relative to the release body without the use of spherical bearing elements. The pull force of the trigger is adjustable in a direction orthoganal to the trigger travel. The head of the release is both rotatable and tiltable relative to the strap.

1. Field of Invention
The invention is generally related to bow string releases and is specifically directed to a release having a reversible trigger and a continuous loop wrist strap.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bow string releases are well known in the industry. Typically, a bow string release is designed to engage and lock a bow string in a mechanical sear for allowing the archer to pull the bow to its maximum draw. A trigger mechanism is then used to unlock the sear mechanism and release the string to fire the arrow.
There are numerous sear mechanisms available ranging from ball type releases as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,584 entitled: Bow String Release, issued to Todd on Sep. 13, 1983, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,845 entitled: Archery Bowstring Releasing Device, issued to Rickard on Oct. 16, 1984 to various jaw-type releases which have been available for many years. Each of the bow string release mechanisms utilizes a trigger release in order to disengage the sear or permitting the string to be released for firing the arrow.
Typically, trigger mechanisms operate in one of two configurations. The first configuration is generally defined as a thumb or forward release type trigger, wherein the bow string is held in the forefingers, with the release in the palm of the hand and the trigger mechanism facing upwardly. When the thumb is pressed forward against the trigger, the sear is opened and the jaws are released for releasing the string. In the second configuration, the trigger mechanism operates in much the same manner as a firearm trigger, with the release being held in the palm of the hand and the trigger being disposed behind the index finger, wherein the release is unlocked when the trigger is squeezed by the index finger in a rearward direction, in the same manner as firing a pistol, rifle or other firearm. The particular trigger configuration selected is primarily a matter of choice. Some archers prefer the thumb-type or forward motion trigger whereas many others prefer the firearm-type or reverse motion trigger.
To date, there are no string release mechanisms which permit the archer to select a forward or reverse motion from a single mechanism. It would be desirable to provide such a mechanism since this would permit the archer to experiment with both types of trigger mechanisms without the expense of buying a plurality of bow string releases. Also, it would greatly enhance manufacturability of the string releases, permitting a single trigger mechanism be utilized for either a forward motion or a reverse motion string release.
As is also typical, most bow string releases are secured to the wrist of the archer, permitting the release to be held in an at ready position while, freeing the fingers of the hand for other tasks. Also, by attaching the release to the archer at the wrist area, the amount of strain on the hand is greatly decreased when high draw weight bows are utilized, which is typical in archery hunting and archery tournaments. Many various straps and harnesses are available for bow string releases. An example of a widely accepted V-type strap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,997 entitled: Wrist Strap, issued to Greene, on May 23, 1989. Another example of a V-type strap is available from Martin Archery, Inc. in Walla Walla, Washington, known as the No. R-63 Quick-Silver Release, as illustrated in Archery Business, August/September 1988 issue. As there shown, the Quick-Silver Release includes an enlarged palm area to which the release is pivotally attached on an elongated, cylinical shaft. The strap includes two ends which extend outwardly from the palm area and are adapted to be positioned around the wrist, after which one end is placed through a buckle about the wrist in the same manner as a belt would be attached about the waist.
The Greene release works in a similar fashion, with the two ends of the strap being placed around the wrist and then attached to secure the release strap and release to the wrist of the archer.
Another typical feature included in the No. R-63 Quick-Silver Release and as shown in a number of U.S. patents issued to Paul Peck and assigned to the present assignee, is the jaw action sear for closing and opening the string retaining notches. In most cases, a bearing element is positioned between the two jaws approximately in alignment with the pivot points thereof. The bearing element assures smooth, low friction action of the jaws as they are moved from the closed to the open position, assuring a good true line for the fired arrow. Many of these releases are self-closing with the string being placed in the space between the jaws and into the notch, after which it engages a closure abutment for locking the jaw in the closed position. The jaw is then not opened for releasing the string until the trigger mechanism is activated.
While there have been many advances in the string release art over the last several years, the strap mechanisms of the prior art require development of a certain amount of skill in order to properly place both ends of the strap over the wrist and secure the strap to a fastening means such as a belt buckle or the like. Also there are known no releases with dual action reverse and forward motion triggers. Finally, the jaws have not been substantially altered over the years, with most having a narrow opening for receiving the string and relying on a bearing element between the jaws adjacent to the pivot points in order to assure smooth firing. While these jaws have been acceptable from a functional standpoint, the addition of the bearing element greatly increases the cost of manufacture.
Therefore, there remains a need to provide a smooth action jaw-type string release with a reduced cost of manufacture without sacrificing any of the functional performance requirements now demanded by archers. In addition, there remains a need for a dual action trigger, permitting the archer to fire either by pressing or releasing forward or squeezing rearward, as desired or as dictated by circumstances. It remains desirable to provide a jaw mechanism which, when opened, permits more readily loading of the string into the release notches, without sacrificing any of the locking features of the jaw or without greatly increasing the distance of travel between the opened and closed positions. In addition, it is desirable to provide a means for predictable, calibrated adjustment of the trigger force, to individual touch.

Bow string release with continuous loop wrist strap and reversible trigger mechanism


An exercise machine with a seat and two adjustable cranking mechanisms is disclosed. The first cranking mechanism has rotatable hand grips for grasping by the user's hands while the second cranking mechanism has rotatable pedals for engagement by the user's feet. This second cranking mechanism is located at a position vertically below the location of the seat, allowing the exerciser to use his or her body weight when pushing downwardly on the pedals. Additionally, each cranking mechanism is selectively adjustable to a plurality of exercise positions. This makes the machine adaptable to all exercisers regardless of their size and shape and permits the user to selectively vary the exertion required during the exercise.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercise machine having rotatable hand and foot cranking mechanisms. More specifically, the invention discloses an exercise machine having rotatable hand and foot cranking mechanisms which includes a plurality of adjustable components to make the machine suitable for all users, regardless of their size and strength.
2. Description of the Prior Art
______________________________________ PRIOR ART OF INTEREST Number Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 3,213,852 Lawson J. Zent Oct. 26, 1965 3,964,742 Guido Carnielli June 22, 1976 4,402,502 Gilbert E. Peters Sep. 6, 1983 4,423,863 Romulo A. Figueroa Jan. 3, 1984 4,842,269 Gwo-Ming Huang June 27, 1989 5,104,120 Scott E. Watterson et al. Apr. 14, 1992 D 191,792 James Maratta Nov. 21, 1961 D 305,347 Steve Wittenbrock et al. Jan. 2, 1990 French 2 558 064 Andre Lechtzier June 19, 1985 ______________________________________
Exercise machines wherein both the arms and legs of a user produce a cycling movement about a crank shaft have been well known in the prior art. These machines allow the user to simultaneously exercise his or her upper and lower body. Important to the design of these machines is the ability to accommodate people of all sizes and strengths. Therefore, most, if not all, of these exercise machines include mechanisms allowing each user to manually adjust components of the machine to meet his or her particular needs. These adjustments usually concern either the height of the rotatable crank shafts in relation to the user or the distance of the rotatable crank shaft away from the user.
The prior art discloses many exercise machines with adjustable components. One such component is commonly an adjustable seat. Examples of machines allowing this type of adjustment are seen in the Zent patent and the Wittenbrock et al. patent. The Zent patent incorporates a stem attached to a seat or saddle. This stem has a telescoping arrangement with a tubular member, wherein the stem is slidably positioned within the tubular member thus allowing the seat to be raised or lowered. A bolt is used to lock the stem in the desired position. The Wittenbrock et al. patent includes a seat movable in the horizontal direction as it is selectively positioned along the length of a substantially horizontal runner.
Another exercise machine with a plurality of adjustable components is shown in the Carnielli patent. This patent includes seat and handle systems independently adjustable in both the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the crank pedal system. The vertical movement of both the seat and the handle system of this invention incorporates a mechanism similar to that of the Zent patent. Both are movable by the use of telescoping posts. The horizontal movement of the seat employs an arrangement similar to that shown in the Wittenbrock et al. patent, as it is adjustably positioned along the length of a horizontal runner. The horizontal movement of the handle system is accomplished by a tubular member hingedly secured to a stationary member. A screw clamp is provided to secure the tubular member to the stationary member at the desired position.
Other inventions employing the use of a plurality of adjustable components can be seen in the Huang patent and the Lechtzier patent document. As with the Carnielli and Zent patents, both of these inventions utilize telescoping members to permit the movement of their seats and handle mechanisms.
An exercise machine which is sufficiently adjustable along the axis of the crank shafts, so as to span a greater width, is not shown in the prior art. Nor is there an exercise machine which permits the user to quickly and easily modify the radius of rotation of both the hand grips and foot pedals about their respective crank shafts. Such adjustments are topics of this invention and their advantage is in creating universality in the exercise machine to accomodate any user, regardless of the user's size and strength.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


A method and apparatus of stably obtaining fluorescent images of two or more fluorescent samples includes disposing the samples onto compartments defined on a substrate. The compartments are sequentially irradiated with an exciting light where the intensity varies. A value of fluorescence as generated from each of the samples is determined, and a fluorescent image is obtained based on the value of fluorescence.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of obtaining a fluorescent image, and an apparatus for carrying out the method; and a method of detecting a fluorescence-labeled DNA so as to inspect the DNA, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of detecting or inspecting a matter which emits fluoresce by itself, or a fluorescence-labeled matter, in particular, a fluorescence-labeled DNA, and an apparatus for carrying out the method. Particularly, the present invention relates to a high-speed method of detecting or inspecting a fluorescent material as arranged in the form of a bead-array or a dot-array with high sensitivity and in a wide dynamic range, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.
(2) Description of the Related Art
An apparatus for shifting a position to be dotted on a glass substrate by means of a spotter according to the type of a probe DNA; and/or an apparatus for reading the intensity of fluorescence of samples which are provided by hybridizing a fluorescence-labeled probe DNA with what is called a DNA micro-array as obtained according to a photolithography technology have been employed in this field. With such an apparatus, a procedure comprising the steps of: irradiating a fluorescence-labeled probe DNA with an exciting laser spot beam having a certain fixed intensity, detecting a fluorescent light as generated from the probe DNA by means of a photo-multiplier, and determining the intensity of fluorescence from the detected signal is sequentially carried out for all the samples.
When such an apparatus is used for the expression and/or analysis of a DNA in tissue, whose object is to inspect the DNA, the ratio of concentration between target mRNAs or between target cDNAs which are the copies of the mRNAs may be larger than 1:10,000. Even in such a case, in order to precisely detect the targets, it is very important to detect the same in a wide dynamic range.
However, the prior method of detection mentioned above has, for example, the problem that it is not easy to detect the same in a wide dynamic range, and furthermore remarkably much time is required.
In addition, conventionally, as a method of detecting samples wherein fluorescent materials or fluorescence-labeled DNAs are arranged in the form of a bead array or a dot array, a method comprising the steps of: forming an exciting laser light into one spot, relatively scanning samples with the exciting laser spot light, and detecting the resultant fluorescent lights has been used. Besides, a method comprising the steps of: area-irradiating the wide area of a sample with an exciting light, and detecting the resultant fluorescent lights by means of a two-dimensional CCD or the like.
When the one spot light mentioned above is irradiated so as to relatively scan the samples with the exciting laser spot light for detection, since samples in the form of bead or dot array are scanned all over the surface thereof, the rate of time as substantially and effectively used for detecting fluorescent lights is very small as explained below. That is to say, when the diameter of a bead or dot is represented by "D", and the pitch between the beads or dots is represented by "P", if the array is in the form of an in-line arrangement, the rate of time as effectively used for detecting fluorescent lights during the scanning is πD2/4P2. Then, for example, if the ratio of D to P is 1:2, the rate of time is 19.6%, and even if the ratio is 1:1.5, the rate of time is 34.9%, which means that more than a half of the time is not effectively used for detection.
Furthermore, since one spot light is irradiated for detection, when samples consist of a lot of beads or dots, much time is required for detecting fluorescent lights. Therefore it is difficult to detect fluorescent lights at a high speed. In addition, when it is intended to detect fluorescent lights with high sensitivity and in a wide dynamic range, since time for exciting one bead or dot is to some extent required, the sensitivity and the dynamic range have to be sacrificed for achieving high-speed detection.
Similarly, when the area-irradiation and the two-dimensional detection are employed as mentioned above, the above-mentioned useless time is required, and thus the dynamic range have to be sacrificed for achieving high-speed detection.

Method in inspecting DNA and apparatus therefor


A multifunctional eyeglass retainer which can be secured to a pair of eyeglasses such that the eyeglasses can be held in either an open or a closed position. In addition, the eyeglass retainer can also be fabricated such that it has sufficient buoyancy to remain floating to even if the eyeglass retainer becomes partially disengaged from the eyeglasses and the eyeglasses fall into water while the wearer is swimming. The eyeglass retainer has connectors at both ends which connect to the temples of a pair of eyeglasses. When connected in this manner, the eyeglasses can be carried in an open configuration. Likewise, the eyeglass retainer can be secured to a pair of eyeglasses by securing the opposing ends of the eyeglass retainer together and using a loop formed by the eyeglass retainer to retain the eyeglasses in a closed configuration. The device further includes an optional buoyancy element which will prevent the glasses from sinking should one end of the eyeglass retainer become detached from the eyeglasses when the wearer is in water.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to eyeglass securing devices. In particular, it relates to a necklace device for securely retaining a pair of eyeglasses around the neck of a wearer in either an open or a closed configuration.
2. Background
A large portion of the population carries eyeglasses with them for use when needed. Unfortunately, eyeglasses are easily lost or misplaced. As a result, retaining devices have been fabricated to allow individuals to secure the eyeglasses to themselves such that they do not have to worry about losing them. Typically these devices secured to the ends of eyeglasses such that their suspended from the neck of the wearer an open configuration. It would be desirable to have a method of retaining glasses such that they could not only be secured to a wearer in the open configuration, but also secured such that they are held in a closed configuration to avoid inadvertent damage to the glasses.
Another problem associated with prior art retaining devices is that they do little to prevent loss of eyeglasses when individuals wear their glasses into water, such as one swimming. Many glasses are heavy enough to sink if dropped which makes them difficult if not impossible to retrieve. This can commonly happened when a prior art eyeglass retainer becomes disconnected from user who was wearing eyeglasses in water. When the eyeglasses fall from the user, the typically sink to the bottom. The would be desirable to have a method that would ensure that glasses will not sink when dropped into water.
While prior art has provided devices for holding eyeglasses and open configuration, it has not provided a single device which is capable of holding eyeglasses in an open configuration, holding eyeglasses and closed configuration, and further preventing loss of the eyeglasses in the event that the eyeglass holder disconnects and the eyeglasses inadvertently fall into water.
The present invention provides a multifunction device which can secure both ends of a neckless to the temples of a pair of eyeglasses such that the eyeglasses can be carried in an open configuration, or secure the ends of the necklace together and use a loop retainer to retain the eyeglasses in a closed configuration.
The device includes a number of optional securing mechanisms to attach to the ends of the arms of the glasses the glasses are kept in an open configuration. Likewise, the device includes a unique loop structure to secure to the arms of the glasses when they are kept in a closed configuration.
The device further includes an optional buoyancy element which will prevent the glasses from sinking should retaining device become dislodged when the wearer is in water.

Eyeglass retainer with retainer strap and interlocking retainer devices


The present invention features systems for adjusting audio signals by applying a gain to the signal in a spectrally varying manner to compensate for ambient noise in the environment of the listener. The system allows a listener to hear what ought to be heard, over the ambient noise, by applying a gain to the source that varies according to the spectral composition of the noise, rather than cancelling or filtering the noise. The spectral composition of the source is thus preserved in the listener's awareness without the removal of the noise signal. After application of these corrective gains to the source, the listener's perception of the source sound is as if the noise was not present. Systems may be incorporated into apparatuses including but not limited to mobile phones and music players.

The present invention relates to the field of audio processing and more specifically to compensation for ambient noise in the listener's environment.
There are many systems for the application of filtering to noise suppression in an audio signal. In general, these inventions relate to the removal of noise present in a source signal from an origin or introduced into the signal through processing and transmission. Various forms of filtering may be applied which suppresses the noise signal in whole or in part, removing it from the source signal. Generally, these systems have adverse impacts upon the quality of the original signal. Further, these systems do not address noise in the environment of the listener, which cannot be filtered.
Conversely, some systems for the suppression of noise in the listener's environment also exist. These systems generally use noise cancellation to remove the disrupting external signal by adding sound projected through headphones which has the effect of countering the sound waves produced by the noise. In this case, the noise is completely canceled and the listener is generally unaware of the existence of the external noise—a result which can reduce the awareness of the listener to potential dangers in the environment.
In some prior art systems, dynamic volume compensation may be used to raise the volume of a source signal of interest over ambient background noise. However, these systems increase the gain in a spectrally uniform manner, raising the volume of all frequency components uniformly. This effect can distort the perception of music and speech due to the non-linear behavior of the human ear with respect to frequency and volume, and raise the volume to excessive levels.
Microphones and mechanical systems (e.g., computer software) can measure dBSPL, i.e., Decibels in sound power. A sound (e.g., 40 dBSPL) at a particular frequency (e.g., 1 kHz) sounds just as loud as the sound (e.g., 40 dBSPL) at a different frequency (e.g., 4 kHz) to a microphone or mechanical system. However, our hearing can be affected by the mechanical construction of our outer ear and/or slow variation in sensitivity across the basilar membrane due to fluid damping of the incident waves in the cochlear fluid. The variable sensitivity of human hearing is reflected in the Fletcher-Munson equal loudness contours and the equal-loudness contours from ISO 226:3003 revision. These contours show that perceived loudness varies according to the frequency and volume of the sound.
Since the human ear dynamically adjusts to sound intensity levels, the presence of background noise alters the threshold at which sounds begin to be perceived. As a result, ambient noise at a given frequency may make sounds at those frequencies that would otherwise be perceptible imperceptible in the presence of ambient noise. In order for the sound to be heard, it must be amplified over the background noise. The volume of the ambient noise therefore represents a degree of hearing impairment or baseline threshold elevation over which the sound must be amplified in order to be perceived.
This effect varies according to the spectral composition of the noise, that is, spectral components that are sufficiently far from the spectral composition of the noise will remain perceptible. Consequently, using the total intensity of the background noise to raise the intensity of the source uniformly will overly amplify bands which are not affected, possibly raising the volume to damaging levels. In order to amplify only those components which need compensation, the gains to the source signal must vary by spectral band, according to the spectral composition of the noise.
Moreover, due to the nonlinear response of the human ear, using the spectral intensity of the background noise at a particular band as the gain for the source at that band will produce excessive amplification. In order to compute the correct gain, a psychoacoustic model must be used to compute an appropriate gain for each frequency or band frequency. The psychoacoustic model is a mathematical representation of the dynamic behavior of the human ear, in terms of perceived loudness as a function of sound intensity. The intensity of the background noise as well as the source signal at a given frequency are inputs to this model, and the output is a desired gain for the source signal at that frequency or frequency band.
In the music industry, techniques such as parallel compression (commonly called New York Compression) have long been used to dynamically adjust the volume of quieter content in music in order to improve aesthetic qualities by bringing sub-threshold content above the hearing threshold. Parallel compression involves applying a linear gain to a signal which amplifies softer sounds and subsequently adding this amplified sound back in to the original signal. The result is generally a non-linear compression that amplifies softer tones without affecting the louder ones.
Parallel compression depends on a number of parameters including a threshold, which determines when the gain begins to fall off, as well as a compression ratio, and a makeup gain which adds an additional flat gain to match the final volume of the adjusted signal with the original signal. Usually these are fixed settings applied to a track, not dynamically adjusted over the course of the time. Parallel compression is also usually applied to a single signal band rather than used to perform multi-band compression.
The present invention features systems for dynamically adjusting audio signals by applying a gain to the signal in a spectrally varying manner to compensate for a noise source in the environment of the listener. The system obtains a threshold elevation for each frequency component by analyzing the spectral composition of the ambient noise. This threshold elevation is then used by a psychoacoustic model to determine an appropriate gain adjustment for the corresponding frequency component of the source signal. After applying the gains to the source signal, the system outputs the resulting signal to the speaker. The system allows a listener to hear the source signal over ambient noise, by applying a gain to the source that varies according to the spectral composition of the noise, rather than cancelling the noise, or applying a uniform volume adjustment to the source. The source is thus amplified without the removal of the noise signal, and without excessive volume increases. Systems may be incorporated into apparatuses including but not limited to mobile phones and music players.
The present invention utilizes parallel compression (New York compression) in its implementation, by dynamically altering the compression ratio, makeup gain, and threshold so as to approximate the compression curve determined according to the psychoacoustic model. In prior art uses of New York compression, these parameters are generally fixed throughout a track and dynamic adjustment of these parameters has not previously been conceived of to correct for ambient noise. Furthermore, use of parallel compression to approximate a function demanded by a psychoacoustic model is an entirely novel use of these techniques. The present invention thus applies existing techniques in a unique and novel way to create a unique and novel system for correcting for ambient noise.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description.

System for dynamic spectral correction of audio signals to compensate for ambient noise


A tapper for tapping a water main is disclosed. The tapper includes a tapping portion having an open first end for coupling to a saddle fitted on a water main. The tapping portion defines a first interior space to be fluidly connected to the water main. A coupling portion extends from the tapping portion and has a receiving end for receiving a service line. The coupling portion has a second interior space fluidly connecting the first interior space and the receiving end. A cutter is arranged in the first interior space. The cutter is advanceable from a starting position to a tapping position at the first end and retractable to the starting position. Related methods are also disclosed.

Connecting a service line to a water main involves first tapping the main. Doing so while the main is under pressure is known as "hot" tapping. Referring to FIG. 1, typically, hot tapping of a municipal water main involves fitting a saddle 10 to the water main, installing a valve 12 on the saddle and then using a tapping device (not shown) connected to the outlet 14 of the valve 12 to tap the water main. The tapping device cuts an aperture into the water main, sometimes removing a circular portion of the water main, known as the coupon. Before the tapping device is removed from the valve outlet 14, the valve 12 is shut. A service line is then connected to the outlet 14 of the valve 12. The valve 12 is opened as desired to pressurize the service line.
It may be desirable to simplify the process of hot tapping a water main and connecting the service line.

Device and method for tapping water mains


A device for maintaining a controlled atmosphere within a sealed container. The device is utilized to control the oxygen and the carbon dioxide levels within the container and utilizes permeable membrane technology to control such levels. An oilless compressor is used in conjunction with the device so as to not subject the permeable membranes to the derogatory effects associated with the presence of oil within an airstream that circulates through the permeable membranes. Additionally, the compressor is preferably mounted within the sealed container so as to not subject the compressor to the effects of temperature variation and corrosive marine environments. The present device further includes an air sampling system which is used to periodically measure the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels within the container. Control logic is included with the system which is operable to adjust the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in accordance with the particular readings obtained by the sampling system.

The broad concept of utilizing controlled environments to promote storage life of perishable commodities such as fruits and grains is well known. Though the use of refrigeration units has been a common technique of preserving perishable goods, certain types of controlled atmosphere systems are currently known which operate through the controlled manipulation of carbon dioxide and oxygen levels within transport/shipping containers in addition to the use of refrigeration. In this respect, hollow fiber permeable membranes are often used for air separation in maintaining controlled carbon dioxide and oxygen levels within grain elevators and controlled atmosphere warehouses. As with most controlled atmosphere systems, those utilizing permeable membranes require a reliable source of compressed air.
Recent advances in membrane technology have increased the efficiency and decreased the size of gas-permeable membrane systems thereby making the application of membrane technology more feasible for controlled atmosphere transport applications. However, though the technology associated with permeable membranes has advanced, transport refrigeration units typically do not include controlled atmosphere devices because of the reduced cargo space, increased weight, power and cost. Additionally, the corrosive marine environments and extreme temperature parameters typically encountered by mobile containers makes controlled atmosphere applications in conjunction with such containers very difficult since the compressor used to supply compressed air to such controlled atmosphere system oftentimes disfunctions when subjected to such conditions.
A device for producing a controlled atmosphere which utilizes permeable membranes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,391 to ROE. The ROE reference discloses a method and apparatus for producing a controlled atmosphere within a stationary storage container, such as a grain elevator or produce warehouse, wherein air from the interior of the controlled atmosphere warehouse is recirculated via a membrane system to reduce its oxygen and carbon dioxide content. The ROE system however, due to a recirculation of air within the interior of the container, creates a vacuum within the container and thus appears to promote leakage of ambient air into the interior of the container. Additionally, the ROE patent utilizes a compressor located exterior of the controlled environment container as well as a conventional air cleaner to eliminate oil and/or other contaminants from the controlled air stream.
Most controlled atmosphere systems, including that as disclosed in the ROE reference, utilize oil-flooded rotary screw or rotary vane air compressors which are typically mounted to the exterior of the transport container. However, controlled atmosphere systems incorporating exteriorally mounted, oil-flooded compressors possess certain inherent deficiencies which detract from their overall utility. One such deficiency which pertains to permeable membrane-controlled atmosphere systems relates to oil carryover. Since trace amounts of oil eventually reduce membrane performance, it is critical that oil be prevented from entering the permeable membranes. However, all oil-type compressors pass small amounts of oil into the compressed air and therefore into the membranes. Though many of these systems are provided with oil filters, removing all trace amounts of oil by replaceable filters is very difficult and hence reduction in system performance results. Thus, in the actual operating environment, the filters are typically not changed on the regular intervals necessary to assure adequate performance and oil removal.
A second deficiency relates to temperature variation. As can be appreciated, ocean shipping containers travel all over the world and therefore encounter typical operating temperature parameters between minus 50-degrees Fahrenheit to 130-degrees Fahrenheit. Most standard air compressors used in conjunction with controlled atmosphere systems have temperature operating parameters of 32-degrees Fahrenheit to 110-degrees Fahrenheit without special changes to the compressor itself or to the oil with which it is utilized. Since the compressor may see extreme temperatures on opposite ends of the temperature scale during a single voyage, the compressor must be adapted to operate continuously throughout the temperature range without oil changes or other servicing.
A further deficiency relates to corrosion. In this regard, any compressor mounted on the exterior of the ocean container will be exposed to salt water corrosion, rain, sleet, and snow. Thus, in configurations such as that previously discussed with respect to the KOE reference wherein the compressor is mounted to the exterior of the container, the compressor would necessarily be subject to the aforementioned conditions. The present invention specifically overcomes these and other deficiencies associated with prior art controlled atmosphere systems.


Exemplary methods and systems may image an object of interest using one or more waveguide assemblies including gated elements. The gated elements may be configurable in a transmission state, a reception state, or a passive state. The exemplary methods and systems may deliver electromagnetic energy (e.g., microwave energy) to an object of interest using a gated element of a waveguide assembly configured in a transmission state and sample scattered field using a gated element of another waveguide assembly configured in the reception state while the remainder of gated elements are configured in the passive state.

The present disclosure pertains to imaging systems and imaging methods, e.g., microwave and millimeter wave energy based imaging, using waveguide assemblies including one or more gated elements.
In the art of microwave imaging (MWI), an object of interest (OI) is illuminated by microwave energy and the scattered fields are collected outside the OI. The collected scattered fields may then be used to reconstruct qualitative, and possibly quantitative images, or interior maps, of the OI that include its location, geometry, shape, magnetic properties, and dielectric properties. The ability to provide quantitative imaging and to utilize non-ionizing radiations associated with MWI make MWI a good candidate for use in many novel applications such as non-destructive testing in industrial applications, non-invasive imaging of biological tissues, remote sensing, geophysical survey of underground objects, and other security and military applications.
Due to the inherent non-linear and ill-posed behavior of the inverse scattering problem used in MWI, a substantial amount of electromagnetic scattering data may need to be collected in order to ensure a robust inversion and quantitatively-accurate image. The need for more data can be satisfied by several approaches such as, e.g., increasing the number of data acquisition points, using different frequencies, collecting multiple field polarizations, etc.
Microwave imaging has been deployed in many biomedical, security, and industrial applications such as breast cancer diagnostics (see, e.g., N. Nikolova, "Microwave imaging for breast cancer," Microwave Magazine, IEEE, vol. 12, no. 7, pp. 78-94, December 2011), biological tissue imaging (see, e.g., M. Ostadrahimi, P. Mojabi, A. Zakaria, J. LoVetri, and L. Shafai, "Enhancement of Gauss-Newton inversion method for biological tissue imaging," Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 61, no. 9, pp. 3424-3434, 2013), non-destructive testing and evaluation (see, e.g., R. Zoughi, M. A. AbouKhousa, M. T. A. Ghasr, S. Kharkivskiy, and D. Pommerenke, "Microwave and millimeter wave imaging system,", U.S. Pat. No. 7,746,266; and M. Ghasr, M. Abou-Khousa, S. Kharkovsky, R. Zoughi, and D. Pommerenke, "Portable real-time microwave camera at 24 GHz," Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 1114-1125, February 2012), and geophysical surveying (see, e.g., A. Abubakar and P. Van Den Berg, "Non-linear three-dimensional inversion of cross-well electrical measurements," Geophysical prospecting, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 109-134, 2000).
The basic operation of a MWI system is based on illuminating an object-of-interest (OI) by a transmitting antenna and collecting the scattered fields at various receiving locations. The collected field data may be calibrated and then processed using non-linear inverse scattering algorithms (see, e.g., Q. Fang, P. Meaney, and K. Paulsen, "Viable three-dimensional medical microwave tomography: theory and numerical experiments," Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 449-458, 2010; J. De Zaeytijd, A. Franchois, C. Eyraud, and J. Geffrin, "Full-wave three-dimensional microwave imaging with a regularized Gauss-Newton method theory and experiment," Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 3279-3292, 2007; A. Zakaria, C. Gilmore, and J. LoVetri, "Finite-element contrast source inversion method for microwave imaging," Inverse Problems, vol. 26, p. 115010, 2010; and P. Mojabi and J. LoVetri, "Microwave biomedical imaging using the multiplicative regularized Gauss-Newton inversion," Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, IEEE, vol. 8, pp. 645-648, 2009) or radar techniques (see, e.g., M. Klemm, I. Craddock, J. Leendertz, A. Preece, and R. Benjamin, "Radar-based breast cancer detection using a hemispherical antenna array experimental results," Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 1692-1704, 2009).
Depending on the application, the imaging results, or outcome, may be either a quantitative reconstruction of the complex dielectric and magnetic profile of the OI that provides information on its shape and location and/or a qualitative image that produces the shadow of the OI. The microwave imaging providing qualitative imaging method may not incur a heavy computational burden (e.g., such as quantitative MWI) and may be accomplished in real-time. Although qualitative imaging may provide some information about the internal structure and composition of an OI, qualitative imagine may not provide the ability to identify materials, such as, e.g., tissues, etc., in a reconstructed image as well as quantitative MWI may be able to provide (e.g. which may be helpful in biomedical and geo-surveying applications). Further, quantitative images can be processed and interpreted by intelligent computer algorithms due to the known values of the dielectric properties of materials and biological tissues, which may accelerate image interpretation by skilled technicians, radiologists, and trained human resources.
In order to obtain a quantitative interior image of an OI, microwave energy should penetrate sufficiently into the object. To reduce reflections from the boundary of the OI, and thus maximize field penetration, the OI may be immersed into a matching fluid (see, e.g., C. Gilmore, A. Zakaria, J. LoVetri, and S. Pistorius, "A study of matching fluid loss in a biomedical microwave tomography system," Medical physics, vol. 40, p. 023101, 2013). Furthermore, because wave penetration depth is inversely proportional to the frequency of operation, upper limits on the frequency that can be used may exist, especially when imaging biological targets. Further, microwave imaging systems used for biomedical applications may operate up to X-band such as, e.g., 915 MHz (see, e.g., J. Stang, M. Haynes, P. Carson, and M. Moghaddam, "A preclinical system prototype for focused microwave thermal therapy of the breast," Biomedical Engineering, IEEE Transactions on, 2012, early access), 1.0-2.3 GHz (see, e.g., S. Semenov, J. Kellam, Y. Sizov, A. Nazarov, T. Williams, B. Nair, A. Pavlovsky, V. Posukh, and M. Quinn, "Microwave tomography of extremities: 1. dedicated 2D system and physiological signatures," Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 56, p. 2005, 2011), 2.45 GHz (see, e.g., A. Franchois, A. Joisel, C. Pichot, and J. Bolomey, "Quantitative microwave imaging with a 2.45-GHz planar microwave camera," Medical Imaging, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 550-561, 1998), 0.9-1.5 GHz (see, e.g., P. Meaney, M. Fanning, T. Raynolds, C. Fox, Q. Fang, C. Kogel, S. Poplack, and K. Paulsen, "Initial clinical experience with microwave breast imaging in women with normal mammography," Academic Radiology, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 207-218, 2007), 2-8 GHz (see, e.g., E. C. Fear, M. A. Stuchly, "Microwave Detection of Breast Cancer," Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 48, pp. 1854-1863, November 2000), and/or 4-9 GHz (see, e.g., M. Klemm, I. J. Craddock, J. A. Leendertz, A. Preece, R. Benjamin, "Radar-Based Breast Cancer Detection Using a Hemispherical Antenna Array—Experimental Results," Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 1692-1704, June 2009).
Due to the low operational frequency and the compact size of MWI systems, a target may be located in the near-field region of the antennas. In this region, complicated field distributions may exist due to the presence of some or all polarizations, arbitrary wave impedances, and both propagating as well as evanescent modes. Further, polarization may be utilized in microwave imaging and may not be generally available in other imaging modalities. The use of different polarizations in MWI may require the use of inversion algorithms capable of inverting vector field problems; specialized measurement techniques sensitive to individual polarizations; and proper calibration techniques. The ability to use arbitrary polarizations of electromagnetic energy may further require full-wave computational models of the imaging chamber (see, e.g., M. Ostadrahimi, P. Mojabi, C. Gilmore, A. Zakaria, S. Noghanian, S. Pistorius, and J. LoVetri, "Analysis of incident field modeling and incident/scattered field calibration techniques in microwave tomography," Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, IEEE, vol. 10, pp. 900-903, 2011). Such full-wave modeling of the imaging system may be computationally expensive. Further, the measurement of different polarizations may require sophisticated experimental systems that can differentiate between measured signal polarizations. Still further, associated calibration techniques for full-wave modeling may need to be tailored for each polarization and for the specific measurement system being used.
Due to these challenges, existing imaging systems may collect data only in a two-dimensional (2-D) plane, while measuring only a single field polarization in the near-field region (see, e.g., Q. Fang, P. Meaney, and K. Paulsen, "Viable three-dimensional medical microwave tomography: theory and numerical experiments," Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 449-458, 2010; S. Semenov, J. Kellam, Y. Sizov, A. Nazarov, T. Williams, B. Nair, A. Pavlovsky, V. Posukh, and M. Quinn, "Microwave tomography of extremities: 1. dedicated 2D system and physiological signatures," Physics in Medicine and Biology, vol. 56, p. 2005, 2011; and T. Henriksson, N. Joachimowicz, C. Conessa, and J. Bolomey, "Quantitative microwave imaging for breast cancer detection using a planar 2.45 GHz system," Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 59, no. 10, pp. 2691-2699, 2010). A few 3-D MWI systems exists that only collect a single field polarization (see, e.g., T. Rubæk, O. Kim, and P. Meincke, "Computational validation of a 3-D microwave imaging system for breast-cancer screening," Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 57, no. 7, pp. 2105-2115, 2009) or place the antennas in the far-field region and rotate the antennas to collect two field polarizations (see, e.g., J. Geffrin and P. Sabouroux, "Continuing with the Fresnel database: experimental setup and improvements in 3D scattering measurements," Inverse Problems, vol. 25, p. 024001, 2009). Further, 2-D MWI systems using antennas to directly measure fields have been designed and implemented (see, e.g., C. Gilmore, A. Zakaria, P. Mojabi, M. Ostadrahimi, S. Pistorius, and J. LoVetri, "The University of Manitoba microwave imaging repository: a two-dimensional microwave scattering database for testing inversion and calibration algorithms," Antennas and Propagation Magazine, IEEE, vol. 53, no. 5, pp. 126-133, October 2011), as well as other systems using remote probes based on the Modulated Scattering Technique (MST) (see, e.g., M. Ostadrahimi, P. Mojabi, S. Noghanian, L. Shafai, S. Pistorius, and J. LoVetri, "A novel microwave tomography system based on the scattering probe technique," Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 379-390, February 2012).
In at least one MWI approach, some field measurement probes distributed at various locations have been used to infer the electromagnetic field impinging on their location. By changing/modulating the impedance of each probe, its interaction with the electromagnetic field is changed/modulated. The change/modulation of the interaction may then be detected by an antenna, referred to as the collector antenna, at some distances from the probe. The detected modulated signal at the collector antenna was shown to be proportional to the field at the probe's location, which may be referred to as the Modulated Scattering Technique (MST).
MST-based MWI systems may provide several advantages such as, e.g., accurate near-field measurement, robust calibration, inexpensive experimental implementation, collecting various field polarizations (see, e.g., M. Ostadrahimi, A. Zakaria, J. LoVetri, and L. Shafai, "A near-field dual polarized TE-TM microwave imaging system," Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 1376-1384, 2013), and an increased amount of non-redundant data (see, e.g., M. Ostadrahimi, P Mojabi, S. Noghanian, J. LoVetri, and L. Shafai, "A multiprobe-per-collector modulated scatterer technique for microwave tomography," Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, IEEE, vol. 10, pp. 1445-1448, 2011). One MST-based system may utilize probes that are printed dipoles and consist of 5 p-i-n diodes in series. The impedance of the probes may have two cases: the diodes may be forward biased; and the diodes may be reversed biased. In each case, the probe's perturbation of the electromagnetic field is detected by a collector antenna using a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) (see, e.g., M. Ostadrahimi, P. Mojabi, S. Noghanian, L. Shafai, S. Pistorius, and J. LoVetri, "A novel microwave tomography system based on the scattering probe technique," Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 379-390, February 2012; and M. Ostadrahimi, A. Zakaria, J. LoVetri, and L. Shafai, "A near-field dual polarized TE-TM microwave imaging system," Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 1376-1384, 2013) or a custom-designed coherent receiver (see, e.g., M. Ostadrahimi, M. Asefi, J. LoVetri, G. Bridges, and L. Shafai, "An mst-based microwave tomography system using homodyne receiver," in IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and USNC/URSI National Radio Science Meeting. IEEE, 2013, pp. 1-4).


A method and a test fixture for evaluating a battery cell are described, wherein the battery cell is composed of a cell body having a plurality of electrode foils that are joined to both a positive terminal and a negative terminal at weld junctions. The method includes retaining the cell body of the battery cell in a first clamping device and gripping one of the positive and negative terminals in a terminal gripper. A dynamic stress end effector coupled to the terminal gripper is employed to apply a vibrational excitation load to the one of the positive and negative terminals. Impedance between the positive terminal and the negative terminal is monitored via a controller, and integrity of the weld junction of the one of the positive and negative terminals is evaluated based upon the impedance.

A battery pack typically includes multiple rechargeable battery cells that are connected in series or parallel to store and supply electric power to a distribution system. Each battery cell includes a plurality of electrode foils having alternately-placed positive and negative charge portions. The electrode foils are separated by separator material and enclosed within a sealed outer pouch that is filled with an electrolyte solution. The separator material, e.g., polyethylene and/or polypropylene film, helps prevent an electrical short condition while permitting the free transfer of electrical charge between electrode foils.
Positive and negative terminals each extend a short distance outside of the sealed pouch for each battery cell. The positive charge portions of the electrode foils are ultrasonically welded together and welded to the positive terminal, and the negative charge portions of the electrode foils are ultrasonically welded together and welded to the negative terminal. The ultrasonic welds are internal to and contained within the sealed outer pouch. Process capability of the ultrasonic welding process that forms the internal weld may be subject to variation due to ultrasonic welder variations and other factors.

Method and apparatus for evaluating an ultrasonic weld junction


Methods to control dewatering of confined, saturated formations in excavation mines may include treating a portion of an untreated smectite shale barrier with a dewatering fluid thereby yielding a treated smectite shale barrier, wherein the untreated smectite shale barrier is associated with a confined, saturated formation that comprises water, and wherein the dewatering fluid comprises an aqueous base fluid and a dewatering additive; and draining at least a portion of the water from the confined, saturated formation through the treated smectite shale barrier. In some instances, the dewatering additive may include potassium citrate and potassium nitrate each independently in a concentration of about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of the aqueous base fluid.

The present invention relates to methods for controlled dewatering of confined, saturated formations in excavation mines.
In excavation mining, confined, saturated formations (e.g., sandstones and vugular formations) are lithologies saturated with water that are confined by a barrier lithology like smectite shale that is relatively water impermeable. The confined, saturated formations can hold significant volumes of water. Breach of the barrier of the confined, saturated formation, allow for the water of the confined, saturated formation to enter the mine and potentially flood the mine putting workers and equipment at risk. In some instances, when breached, the water within the confined, saturated formation can drain with significant force and quickly flood the mine, which is a significant risk to workers lives. Further, once a mine floods, pumping the water to the surface can take weeks, which is energy intensive and decreases mine productivity and profitability and makes difficult reaching workers that may be trapped in non-flooded areas.
To mitigate flooding, geologic data, like drilling and seismic data, may be used to provide general locations of the confined, saturated formation, which are then either avoided or underground rigs are used to drill through the barrier of the confined, saturated formation for draining. However, in some instances, draining via underground rigs cannot sufficiently keep up with the rate at which the water flows from the confined, saturated formation, which leads to flooding of the mine. Further, as the flooding is because of a high rate of water, the flooding is often fast and unexpected, which is a high risk to workers.
Therefore, a need exists for improved methods that can control the rate at which the water is released from the confined, saturated formations.

Controlled dewatering of confined, saturated formations in excavation mines


The magnetic head slider material of the present invention is a magnetic head slider material made of a sintered body containing alumina, titanium carbide, and carbon; wherein a titanium carbide crystal grain has an average crystal grain size greater than that of an alumina crystal grain in the sintered body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head slider material, a magnetic head slider, and a method of manufacturing a magnetic head slider material.
2. Related Background Art
A magnetic head slider including a thin-film magnetic head came into use in a hard disk drive for the first time in 1979. The magnetic head slider at that time has been referred to as mini slider (100% slider) in general. Thereafter, magnetic head sliders have been reducing their size so as to become the nano slider (50% slider) whose size is about 50% that of the mini slider by way of the micro slider (70% slider) whose size is about 70% that of the mini slider.
In general, the magnetic head slider comprises a laminate, disposed on a substrate, including a thin-film magnetic head. Such a magnetic head slider is obtained by the steps of stacking a laminate including a thin-film magnetic head on a substrate so as to yield a laminate structure; then cutting the laminate structure in parallel with the laminating direction, so as to form an exposed surface of the thin-film magnetic head; and lapping (grinding) the exposed surface, so as to yield an air bearing surface.
When manufacturing a conventional magnetic head slider, a sintered body having a high strength mainly composed of alumina and titanium carbide, i.e., so-called AlTiC sintered body, has been employed as a substrate of the magnetic head slider as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. SHO 57-82172, for example. Recently, on the other hand, materials aimed at improving the workability have vigorously been developed. For example, a magnetic head substrate in which the average crystal grain size of alumina crystal grains is greater than the average crystal grain size of titanium carbide crystal grains by 5 to 50% in its sintered body has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 3121980, for example). This magnetic head substrate is aimed at improving the processing speed in the processing with ion irradiation and the surface quality after the processing.

Magnetic head slider material, magnetic head slider, and method of manufacturing magnetic head slider material


A particle beam testing method wherein with the assistance of at least one adjustment voltage, an actual specimen voltage boost is produced at a measuring point of a specimen and wherein a reference specimen voltage boost for the measuring point is supplied to a retarding field, and as a result, the actual specimen voltage boost corresponds to the reference specimen voltage boost of the measuring point and, thus, a detector current remains constant so long as the specimen is fault-free.

The present invention is generally directed to particle beam testing methods. More specifically, the invention is directed to a particle beam testing method wherein a detector is used to detect secondary electrons emitted from a specimen and to generate a detector current that in turn is used to generate a retarding voltage or countervoltage that is then fed back to a field placed in the path of the secondary electrons as a result of which an electrical characteristic of the specimen can be obtained.
A particle beam testing method of this type is described in an article by Furakawa et al., published in the proceedings of SPIE--The International Society of Optical Engineering, Vol. 632, Electron-Beam, X-Ray & Ion-Beam Techniques for Sub-Micrometer Lithographies V, Mar. 11-12, 1986, pp. 232-236 and entitled "Quantitative voltage measurement by a software closed loop technique in electron beam testing." In this article, there is described an electron beam testing method for quantitative measurement of a specimen utilizing a software closed loop technique. For example, a control loop is used to feed-back a retarding voltage or countervoltage to a retarding electrode such that a detector current becomes identical to a prescribed reference current and such that there is a linear relationship between a specimen voltage to be measured and the set retarding voltage or countervoltage. The teachings of that article are incorporated herein by reference.
In pertinent part, the article describes that the software closed loop technique is used for quantitative voltage measurement and electron beam testing for LSI's. In that regard, the retarding voltage of an energy analyzer is controlled iteratively by a computer to reduce difference between a slice level and a secondary electron signal to 0. The voltage is determined by the retarding voltage at the cross-point of the slice level and the energy distribution curve.
As acknowledged in that article, it takes a long time, typically several minutes, to obtain a voltage wave form with an energy analyzer, if an energy distribution curve is required for every sampling phase. Typically, in hardware closed loop techniques, complex feedback circuits are required and these lack flexibility for correcting the influence of beam intensity drift and specimen contamination.
In another article by Fujioka et al., entitled "An open-loop spectroscopy for quantitative waveform measurements with the scanning electron microscope" published in Vol, 18 in the Journal of Physics and Education Science Instrumentation, pp. 284-285 (1984), there is described another method for quantitative measurements employing another particle beam testing method. The teachings of that article are incorporated herein by reference.
As described in that article, a retarding field energy analyzer system is provided for quantitative wave form measurement which uses no feedback loop. The system is controlled with a minicomputer to allow sampling and storing of retarding curves (S-curves) at each stroboscopic sampling phase.
By reading the retarding voltages at an arbitrarily specified traverse position or slice level of the spectrometer or S-curves, according to the authors, one can get a quantitative relation between the specimen voltage and the sampling phase.

Particle beam testing method with countervoltage or retarding voltage follow-up or feedback


Disclosed herein are systems and method for malicious behavior detection in processing chains comprising identifying a chain of related processes executing on a computing device; for each respective process in the chain of related processes: monitoring events generated by the respective process; storing snapshots of data modified by any of the events; determining a level of suspicion for the respective process by applying an artificial intelligence (AI) model to the snapshots of data; determining whether the chain of related processes is trusted based on the determined levels of suspicion; and in response to determining that the chain of related processes is not trusted, restoring objects affected by the chain from the snapshots.

In general, many existing software solutions for data protection and security lack behavioral (or, in other words, dynamic) analysis to protect data. They typically use different heuristic methods to detect any malicious programs and disable them (remove or isolate from user data). Such heuristic methods are usually based on some typical characteristics and symptoms, defined by computer security experts and analytics. The given methods can work well in some user environments, but the efficiency of these methods can sufficiently degrade in other environments.
Thus, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that increase the effectiveness of protection against malicious behavior in varying computer environments by replacing conventional heuristics with dynamic models for detecting malicious programs.

Systems and methods for analyzing process chains to detect malicious behavior


A method and means of safely securing valuables in the form of a break-away handbag. Removable reattachable adjacent bag segments are mounted to each other by means of snaps, VELCRO or the like. One or more bag segments act as a decoy and are positioned facing out and away from the body of the handbag holder while other adjacently placed bag segments designed to hold valuables are positioned more proximate to or up against the handbag holder's body. A shoulder strap is attached to a decoy bag segment and is hung over the user's shoulder. Cavities created between each of the adjacent bag segments are capable of enveloping the handbag holder's hand. When an extraordinary pulling force is exerted upon a decoy bag segment or segments, they will separate from the adjacent valuables bag segment or segments and said valuables bag segment or segments will be retained against or between the handbag holder's hand and body.

This invention relates to carrying cases designed to prevent the loss of valuables due to theft. Pedestrians or bicycle riders carrying valuables in a handbag or shoulderbag in a modern crowded urban environment should be concerned with the possibility that a thief could snatch the bag and steal any valuables contained therein.
Unfortunately, the victim of a so-called "purse snatching incident" is commonly pulled or dragged along as the thief yanks the carrying case or the strap associated with the case. Such an occurrence can severely jeopardize the life or limb of the victim, especially near a crowded motorway.
Various attempts have been made to solve these problems but until the instant invention, these attempts have been unsatisfactory because of clumsiness, expense, unsightliness and the lack of an adequately safe and frictionless release system.
The present invention solves these problems by providing a unique system of easily detachable and reattachable adjacent bag segments, some of which remain secure with the victim during a purse snatching incident while others detach and act to decoy the thief.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide the handbag holder with a means of safely securing valuables during a purse snatching incident.
Another object of this invention is to insure that the victim of a purse snatching incident is not dragged along with the stolen handbag.
Yet another object of this invention is to insure a quick and relatively frictionless separation of handbag segments during a purse snatching incident thus allowing the victim to disengage from the perpetrator as quickly as possible.
A further object of this invention is to dupe a thief into believing that he or she has made off with their booty, thus minimizing the risk that the thief will continue to harass the victim.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a cosmetically and artistically appealing design that is light in weight with a minimum of encumbrances, all contained in a convenient and highly functional device.
All the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification .