A combustor provided with: a nozzle having formed therein an air jet section that causes air to be jetted from a nozzle section; a cylindrical part covering the nozzle from the outer peripheral side thereof and forming an air flow path between the cylindrical part and the nozzle; and a pressure loss section provided to the air flow path. The pressure loss section causes a loss of pressure in the air that flows through the air flow path. The nozzle is provided with: at least one air inlet section that takes in air from an outer peripheral surface that is an upstream side from the pressure loss section; and a flow path-forming section forming a discharge air flow path that guides air that is taken in from the at least one air inlet section to the air jet section.

In a combustor of a gas turbine, a premix type combustion method has been widely used. The premix type combustion method premixes fuel with compressed air (combustion air) fed from a compressor to generate fuel-air mixture and causes the fuel-air mixture to be combusted (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).
As this kind of combustor, there is known a combustor that has a pilot nozzle provided on the central axis line of the combustor and has a plurality of main nozzles arranged in parallel to the pilot nozzle.
In a gas turbine combustor employing such a premix type combustion method, a flashback may occur. Flashback is a phenomenon in which flame flows back in a direction opposite to the flow direction of the fuel-air mixture in an area where the flow velocity of the fuel-air mixture is low.
Patent document 4 discloses a configuration provided with, in the vicinity of the downstream end portion of a swirler, a fluid jet hole from which a fluid such as air is jetted. The swirler is provided on the outer peripheral side of the main nozzle and causes the compressed air fed from the compressor to be swirled. This configuration reduces the area where the flow velocity of the fuel-air mixture is low by jetting the fluid from the fluid jet hole at high speed and prevents the occurrence of the flashback by reducing the fuel concentration of the downstream end portion.

Nozzle, burner, combustor, gas turbine, and gas turbine system


A recording apparatus includes: a feeder, provided in an upstream in a transfer path for transferring a medium, for feeding the medium to a downstream in the transfer path one by one, the medium being stacked at an angle; a recording head, provided in the downstream of the feeder, for performing recording for the medium; a carriage, on which the recording head is mounted, for reciprocating in a main scanning direction along a carriage guide axis; a transfer roller for transferring the medium by rotating, the transfer roller including a transfer-driving roller and a transfer-driven roller; a stacker having a medium-placed surface, the stacker being positioned at a first position allowing the medium to be substantially horizontally fed from the medium-placed surface to a position under the recording head and be substantially horizontally discharged from the position under the recording head onto the medium-placed surface, or a second position for receiving and stacking the medium fed by the feeder, the second position being on a lower level than the first position, the medium-placed surface being arranged substantially horizontally when the stacker is positioned at the first position and is arranged at an angle when the stacker is positioned at the second position; and a first link mechanism for displacing the stacker to cause the carriage guide axis to displace. The carriage guide axis can be displaced upward and is prevented from moving downward when the stacker is positioned at the first position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for performing recording for recording medium or paper by emitting ink on the recording medium, such as an ink-jet type recording apparatus, and a liquid emitting apparatus for emitting liquid onto a medium to make the liquid adhere to the medium.
The term "liquid emitting apparatus" is used for referring not only to a recording apparatus, having an ink-jet type recording head for emitting ink from the recording head so as to perform recording for a recording medium, such as a printer, a copier and a facsimile machine, but also to an apparatus that causes liquid to adhere to a medium, corresponding to the recording medium in the above recording apparatus, by emitting the liquid selected depending on the use of the apparatus in place of the ink toward the medium from a liquid emitting head corresponding to the recording head in the above recording apparatus.
As the liquid emitting head, the following heads can be considered other than the above recording head: a color-material emitting head used for fabrication of a color filter for a liquid crystal display or the like, an electrode-material (conductive paste) emitting head used for forming an electrode in an organic
EL display or a field-emission display (FED), a bioorganic compound emitting head used for fabrication of a bio-chip and a sample spraying head as a precision pipette.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an exemplary recording apparatus or liquid emitting apparatus is known an ink-jet type printer (hereinafter, referred to as a "printer"). A typical printer is shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. The printer 200 includes a medium feeder 2 provided in the upstream of a transfer path for medium, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B. The medium feeder 2 holds one or more units of a medium, such as cut sheet or paper, that are stacked thereon to be at a certain angle with respect to the body of the printer and feeds one or more units of the medium one by one to the downstream of the feeding path. The printer 200 also includes: a carriage (not shown), arranged in the downstream of the feeder 2, for carrying a recording head mounted thereon that performs recording for the medium; and a transfer roller (not shown) for transferring the medium by rotating, which includes a transfer-driving roller and a transfer-driven roller.
The printer 200 is arranged to have the first and second transfer paths. On the first transfer path, one of more units of the medium, for example, one or more sheets of paper, that are stacked on the feeder 2 to be at a certain angle with respect to the body of the printer, are transferred toward the front side of the printer 200 one by one while being bent, so as to be discharged from the front side of the printer 200 in a substantially horizontal direction. On the second transfer path, a rigid medium that cannot be transferred on the above-mentioned first transfer path is substantially horizontally fed from the front side of the body 3 of the printer 200 so as to be discharged from the front side of the printer 200.
The second transfer path is used, for example, for performing recording for a rigid medium such as a CD-R (recordable compact disc). In this case, it is necessary to attach an exclusive discharge tray 202 that serves as a feeder tray used for manually feeding the rigid medium from the front side of the printer 200 toward the recording head and also serves as a discharge tray for receiving the rigid medium discharged after the recording, on the upper side of a discharge tray 201 that receives paper discharged after the recording.
Moreover, in order to perform recording for the rigid medium, it is necessary to adjust a distance between the rigid medium and the recording head by displacing the carriage for mounting the recording head thereon upward, thereby ensuring that the recording head is not in contact with the rigid medium. For achieving this object, the printer 200 includes a PG operation lever 203 for displacing a carriage guide axis to adjust a gap between the recording head and the recording medium. The PG operation lever 203 has to be operated by a user depending on the type of the medium, thus causing a trouble. In addition, even during a recording operation for the rigid medium, the PG operation lever 203 is operative. Thus, the PG operation lever 203 may be operated by an unexpected force so as to bring the carriage down, thereby bringing the recording head into contact with the rigid medium. In this case, the recording head may be damaged, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open 2002-192782, for example.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A suture anchor has a tubular body having an axial bore therethrough with one or more purchase enhancements on an exterior surface of the body adapted to enhance purchase of the body within a bone hole. These are preferably screw threads. A distal nose of the suture body has a smooth exterior surface. A length of suture passes down along the exterior surface over the purchase enhancements, over the distal nose, and up into the bore. The smooth exterior surface of the distal nose allows tension of the suture to be held by the engagement of the nose within the bone hole thus making it easier to obtain proper tension as the remaining portion is engaged into the bone hole to provide final fixation.

This application relates to suture anchors and more particularly to knotless suture anchors.
Suture anchors are commonly employed to attach soft tissue such as tendons or ligaments to bone. For instance, in a rotator cuff repair suture is passed through a detached or damaged portion of a rotator cuff tendon. A suture anchor is implanted into the adjacent bone. By attaching the suture to the anchor the tendon is pulled into contact with the bone to promote adhesion of the tendon to the bone.
Such procedures are often performed arthroscopically through a narrow cannula. This reduces trauma to the patient but makes management of suture more difficult. The present invention helps more easily adjust tension on the suture during implantation of a suture anchor.

Knotless suture anchor with unthreaded nose


In a method of making an axle element for a motor vehicle, a rod-shaped semi-finished product of aluminum is use used as starting material and heated to a desired shaping temperature. A first end of the semi-finished product is upset in a cavity of a shaping die by means of a first punch. Subsequently, the other end of the semi-finished product is compressed in the cavity by a second punch, whereby compressed material is forced into a branch of the cavity to form a pre-forge part with a leg portion. The pre-forge part is then forged into a finished axle element, e.g. a swivel bearing.

This application claims the priority of German Patent Application Serial No. 101 19 839.6, filed Apr. 23, 2001, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates, in general, to a method of making an axle element for a motor vehicle, and to a shaping die for carrying out the method.
Axle elements for motor vehicles, in particular swivel bearings for the front axle, constitute fairly complex single-piece components which are cast or forged and are made of a cast steel material or aluminum. As swivel bearings are exposed to severe forces, they have generally been manufactured of solid material. Weight concerns made it increasingly likely to manufacture swivel bearings of light metals such as aluminum.
Swivel bearings of aluminum are typically made through a forging process by using a blank in the form of an extruded round stock. A problem associated with this approach is the fact that finished swivel bearings have a very irregular weight distribution which, however, is not reflected in the cylindrical shape of the blank. In order to still provide those regions that require more mass than other regions with enough material for the forging process, it has been proposed to use sufficiently sized blanks. This approach suffers also shortcomings in view of the substantial energy consumption required to heat the blank to the desired forge temperature for the hot forming process. Moreover, the volume of encountered waste is relatively high in those regions of lesser mass accumulations. This adversely affects costs considerations, especially when taking into account that aluminum is a comparably expensive material. These problems are not only true for swivel bearings but apply for axle elements in general.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved method of making an axle element for motor vehicles, to obviate prior art shortcomings and to reduce the energy amount required for the forming process and the material consumption required for the manufacture.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of making an axle element for a motor vehicle, includes the steps of heating a rod-shaped semi-finished product of aluminum to a desired shaping temperature; upsetting one end of the semi-finished product in a cavity of a shaping die by means of a first punch; compressing another end of the semi-finished product in the cavity by a second punch and thereby forcing compressed material into a branch of the cavity to form a pre-forge part with a leg portion; and forging the pre-forge part into a finished axle element.
The present invention resolves prior art problems by altering the even mass distribution of the rod-shaped semi-finished product, in particular round stock, in such a manner with respect to the axle element to be manufactured, that in a pre-stage of the actual forging process more material is made available in regions of greater material accumulations than in other regions. As a consequence, a mass distribution is realized which resembles the mass distribution of the axle element to be manufactured.
Upsetting is realized by providing the shaping die with a cavity which has an internal shape to permit a material thickening in discrete regions. Depending on the internal shape of the cavity, one end of the semi-finished product may be compressed directly by the punch. The cavity may also have an impression at a distance to the one end of the semi-finished product for receiving displaced material as a result of compressive deformation during the upsetting process. The geometric configuration of the cavity is determined under consideration of certain diametrical ratios and/or length ratios of compressed regions. To prevent surface creases, the length of compressive deformation should not be greater than five times the diameter of the semi-finished product. Upsetting is implemented by advancing the semi-finished product to the first punch and moving the punch at a speed of up to 150 mm/s along the predetermined length of compressive deformation.
Once the one end of the semi-finished product has been upset, the second punch acts on the other end of the semi-finished product to press it into the cavity. Compressed material flows backwards into the branch of the cavity, whereby the branch extends at an angle to the longitudinal center axis of the rod-shaped semi-finished product. Hereby, the compressed material is shaped into a leg portion of the semi-finished product. The branch may be situated halfway of the length of compressive deformation. Suitably, the cavity is so configured that a neutral axis is defined in the area of the longitudinal center axis of the formed leg portion. This ensures that the neutral axis flows into the flash in the following final forging step in the forging die to thereby provide an unobjectionable and aligned texture of the structural element. The recrystallization behavior of the neutral axis is influenced by the parameters, punch speed, temperature of the shaping die and the semi-finished product, geometry of the cavity, and friction on the cavity surface. Recrystallization can be reduced to a minimum through optimized selection of these parameters.
In accordance with the present invention, a single shaping die can be used to combine two different processes. On the one hand, the end of the semi-finished product can be upset, and, on the other hand, a leg portion can be formed through compressive deformation, without requiring a transfer of the rod-shaped semi-finished product between these two manufacturing steps. Once the semi-finished product is transformed into a pre-forge part, the final forging process is carried out to produce the finished product, e.g. axle element.
The method according to the present invention has many advantages. Semi-finished products, such as extruded round stock with slight initial cross section, can be used and shaped to have a beneficial mass distribution for the forging process. At the same time, the energy consumption for heating the semi-finished product is reduced as a consequence of the small mass of the semi-finished products. Moreover, flash losses during the forging process are smaller because the pre-forge part has already a configuration which close resembles the final configuration, so that less initial material is required.
The upsetting forces and compressive forces for backflow of material are suitably applied in horizontal direction to simplify the overall construction of the shaping die. In order to keep the shaping die closed during the deformation process, the clamping force acting on the shaping die should be about ten times the force applied by the first and second punches.
According to another feature of the present invention, the other end of the semi-finished product is pressed in the cavity by the second punch against a restraining force applied by the first punch. Thus, the first punch assumes a dual function, namely upsetting one end of the semi-finished product and providing an abutment for operation of the second punch, without loss of time or need for repositioning the workpiece for initiating the compressive operation by the second punch. In a same way, the second punch provides an abutment during upsetting operation of the first punch.
While blanks are heated during hot forging to a temperature above the recrystallization temperature to avoid a remaining hardening of the workpiece material, it is sufficient to heat a pre-forge part of aluminum during manufacture to a shaping temperature of less than 520xc2x0 C., even as low as between 420xc2x0 C. and 480xc2x0 C. Shaping at a too low temperature may cause a dislocation density not yet degraded, that may lead during following heating to forge temperature to an uncontrolled and undesired coarse grain formation through recrystallization processes.
According to another feature of the present invention, the upsetting step is repeated in a cavity of a further shaping die before the forging step. This may be advantageous in those situations in which the upsetting forces applied by the first punch should not exceed a predetermined level so that material is prevented from an uncontrolled flow into the branch of the cavity but enters the branch in a controlled manner only during the compression step by means of the second punch. The provision of a second shaping die enables an even closer configuration of the pre-forge part to the final configuration.
According to another feature of the present invention, the pre-forge part is heated to a forge temperature before the forging step. In this way, a permanent hardening of the workpiece material is prevented. Suitably, the forge temperature is above the recrystallization temperature, e.g. about 520xc2x0 C.
The method according to the present invention is applicable for the manufacture of differently configured axle elements, in particular the production of swivel bearings.

Method of making an axle element for a motor vehicle, and shaping die for carrying out the method


Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems configured to generate polarization-entangled photons. In one embodiment of the present invention, a polarization-entangled photon source comprises a down conversion crystal having a first waveguide and a second waveguide, a dielectric spacer positioned adjacent to the down conversion crystal and configured to receive electromagnetic radiation emitted from the first waveguide, and a half-wave plate positioned adjacent to the down conversion crystal and configured to receive electromagnetic radiation emitted from the second waveguide. The polarization-entangled photon source also includes a beam displacer positioned adjacent to the dielectric spacer and the half-wave plate and configured to combine the electromagnetic radiation output from the dielectric spacer and the half-wave plate into a single beam of electromagnetic radiation.

Recent and promising advancements in fields ranging from materials science to quantum physics are now being used to generate new quantum-system-based technologies. These quantum systems can be used to encode and transmit quantum information. In particular, quantum systems comprising just two discrete states, represented by "|0" and "|," can potentially be employed in a variety of quantum-system-based applications including quantum information encoding and processing, optical quantum lithography, and metrology, just to name a few. A quantum system comprising two discrete states is called a "qubit system," and the states |0 and |1, called "qubit basis states," can also be represented in set notation as {|1, |1}. A qubit system can exist in the state |0, the state |1, or in any of an infinite number of states that simultaneously comprise both |0 and |1, which can be mathematically represented by a linear superposition of states as follows:|ψ=α|0+β|1The state |ψ is called a "qubit," and the parameters α and β are complex-valued coefficients satisfying the condition:|α|2+|β|2=1
Performing a measurement on a quantum system is mathematically equivalent to projecting the state of the quantum system onto one of the basis states, and, in general, the probability of projecting the state of the quantum system onto a basis state is equal to the square of the coefficient associated with the basis state. For example, when the state |ψ of the qubit system is measured in the basis {|0, |1}, one has a probability |α|2 of finding the quantum system in the state |0 and a probability |β|2 of finding the quantum system in the state |1.
The infinite number of pure states associated with a qubit system can be geometrically represented by a unit-radius, three-dimensional sphere called a "Bloch sphere":
          ψ    〉    =                    cos                          (                      θ            2                    )                                          0        〉              +                  ⅇ                  ⅈ                                                              ϕ                                  sin                          (                      θ            2                    )                                          1        〉            where
0≦θ<π, and
0≦φ<2π.
FIG. 1A illustrates a Bloch sphere representation of a qubit system. In FIG. 1A, lines 101-103 are orthogonal x, y, and z Cartesian coordinate axes, respectively, and a Bloch sphere 106 is centered at the origin. There are an infinite number of points on the Bloch sphere 106, each point representing a unique state of a qubit system. For example, a point 108 on the Bloch sphere 106 represents a unique state of a qubit system that simultaneously comprises, in part, the state |0> and, in part, the state |1. However, once the state of the qubit system is measured in the basis {|0, |1}, the state of the qubit system is projected onto the state |0 110 or onto the state |1 112.
Photon states of electromagnetic radiation can be used as qubit basis states in quantum information processing and quantum computing applications. The term "photon" refers to a single quantum of excitation energy of an electromagnetic field mode of electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation can be in the form of propagating electromagnetic waves, each electromagnetic wave comprising both a transverse electric field component, {right arrow over (E)}, and an orthogonal transverse magnetic field component, {right arrow over (B)}. FIG. 1B illustrates the transverse electric and magnetic field components of an electromagnetic wave propagating in the direction, {right arrow over (k)}. As shown in FIG. 1B, the electromagnetic wave is directed along the z-axis 120. The transverse electric field ("TE") component {right arrow over (E)} 122 and the transverse magnetic field ("TM") component {right arrow over (B)} 124 are directed along the orthogonal x- and y-axes 126 and 128, respectively. Although the TE and TM are shown in FIG. 1B to have identical amplitudes, in real life the amplitude of the TM component is smaller than the amplitude of the TE component by a factor of 1/c, where c represents the speed of light in free space (c=3.0×108 m/sec). Because of the large discrepancy in the magnitude of the electric field component and the magnitude of the magnetic field component, the electric field component alone typically accounts for most of the electromagnetic wave interactions with matter.
Polarized photon states of electromagnetic waves can also be used as qubit basis states in quantum information processing and quantum computing. Two commonly used basis states are vertically and horizontally polarized photons of electromagnetic waves. The terms "vertical" and "horizontal" are relative with respect to a coordinate system and are used to refer to electromagnetic waves that are oriented orthogonal to one another. FIGS. 2A-2B illustrates vertically and horizontally polarized photons, respectively. In FIGS. 2A-2B, vertically and horizontally polarized photons are represented by oscillating, continuous sinusoidal waves that represent the electric field components propagating along z-coordinate axes 202 and 204, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2A, a vertically polarized photon |V corresponds to an electric field component that oscillates in the yz-plane. Directional arrow 206 represents one complete oscillatory cycle of the electric field component of |V in the xy-plane 208 as |V advances along the z-coordinate axis 202 through one complete wavelength. In FIG. 2B, a horizontally polarized photon |H corresponds to an electric field component that oscillates in the xz-plane. Directional arrow 210 represents one complete oscillatory cycle of the electric field component of |H in the xy-plane 212 as |H advances along the z-coordinate axis 204 through one complete wavelength.
The state of a system comprising two or more qubit systems can be represented by a tensor product of qubits, each qubit associated with one of the qubit systems. For example, the tensor product of a system comprising a first qubit system and a second qubit system is given by:|ψ12=|ψ|ω2 where the state of the first qubit system is:
                  ψ      〉        1    =            1              2                        (                                                0            〉                    1                +                                          1            〉                    1                    )      and the state of the second qubit system is:
                  ψ      〉        2    =            1              2                        (                                                0            〉                    2                +                                          1            〉                    2                    )      The state |ψ12 can also be rewritten as a linear superposition of products of basis states:
                  ψ      〉        12    =                                        ψ          〉                1                                              ψ          〉                2              =                  1        2                          (                                                                            0                〉                            1                                                                                  0                〉                            2                                +                                                                    0                〉                            1                                                                                  1                〉                            2                                +                                                                    1                〉                            1                                                                                  0                〉                            2                                +                                                                    1                〉                            1                                                                                  1                〉                            2                                      )            where the terms |01|02, |01|12, |11|02, and |1|12 are a basis of the tensor product space. Each product state in the state |ψ12 has an associated coefficient of ½, which indicates that when the state of the first qubit system is measured in the bases {|01,|11}, and the state of the second qubit system is measured in the basis {|02,|12} there is a ¼ (|½|2) probability of the combined qubit systems being found in any one of the product states.
Certain states of the combined qubit systems, however, cannot be represented by a product of associated qubits. These qubit systems are said to be "entangled." Quantum entanglement is a unique property of quantum mechanics in which the states of two or more quantum systems are correlated, even though the quantum systems can be spatially separated. An example entangled-state representation of an entangled two-qubit system is given by:
                          ψ        +            〉        12    =            1              2                        (                                                                0              〉                        1                                                                      1              〉                        2                          +                                                          1              〉                        1                                                                      0              〉                        2                              )      The entangled state |ψ+12 cannot be factored into a product of the qubits α1|01+β1|11 and α2|02+β2|12, for any choice of the parameters α1, β1, α2, and β2.
The state of an un-entangled, two-qubit system can be distinguished from the state of an entangled, two-qubit system as follows. Consider an un-entangled, two-qubit system in the state |ψ12. Suppose a measurement performed on the first qubit system in the basis {|01, |11} projects the state of the first qubit system onto the state |01. According to the state |ψ12, the state of the un-entangled, two-qubit system immediately after the measurement is the linear superposition of states (|01|02+|01|12)/√{square root over (2)}. When a second measurement is performed on the second qubit system in the basis {|2, |12} immediately following the first measurement in an identical reference frame, there is a ½ probability of projecting the state of the second qubit system onto the state |02 and a ½ probability of projecting the state of the second qubit system onto the state |12. In other words, the state of the second qubit system is not correlated with the state of the first qubit system.
In contrast, consider an entangled, two-qubit system in the entangled state |ψ+12. Suppose that a first measurement performed on the first qubit system in the basis {|01,|11} also projects the state of the first qubit system onto the state |01. According to the entangled state |ψ+2, the state of the entangled, two-qubit system after the first measurement is the product state |01|12. When a second measurement is performed on the second qubit system in the basis {|02,|12}, the state of the second qubit system is |12 with certainty. In other words, the state of the first qubit system is correlated with the state of the second qubit system.
Entangled quantum systems have a number of different and practical applications in fields ranging from quantum computing to quantum information processing. In particular, the polarization entangled-photons described above can be used in quantum information processing, quantum cryptography, teleportation, and linear optics quantum computing. Examples of polarization entangled-photons that can be used in a number of different entangled-state applications are the Bell states given by:
                                                                    ψ              -                        〉                    =                                    1                              2                                                                (                                                                                                      H                      〉                                        1                                                                                                      V                      〉                                        2                                                  -                                                                                                  V                      〉                                        1                                                                                                      H                      〉                                        2                                                              )                                      ,                                                                                ψ              +                        〉                    =                                    1                              2                                                                (                                                                                                      H                      〉                                        1                                                                                                      V                      〉                                        2                                                  -                                                                                                  V                      〉                                        1                                                                                                      H                      〉                                        2                                                              )                                      ,                                                                                ϕ              -                        〉                    =                                    1                              2                                                                (                                                                                                      V                      〉                                        1                                                                                                      V                      〉                                        2                                                  -                                                                                                  H                      〉                                        1                                                                                                      H                      〉                                        2                                                              )                                      ,                                          and                                                                ϕ            +                    〉                =                              1                          2                                                      (                                                                                                    V                    〉                                    1                                                                                                    V                    〉                                    2                                            +                                                                                        H                    〉                                    1                                                                                                    H                    〉                                    2                                                      )                              where the subscripts "1" and "2" can represent different transmission channels or different wavelengths.
Although polarization-entangled photons have a number of potentially useful applications, polarization-entangled photon sources typically cannot be practically implemented in a wide variety of entangled state applications. For example, in "New High-Intensity Source of Polarization-Entangled Photon Pairs," by Kwiat et al., Physical Review Letters, vol. 75, 4337, (1995), Kwiat describes a high-intensity source of polarization entangled-photon Bell states that works for continuous electromagnetic waves but not for electromagnetic wave pulses. In addition, only photons emitted in a particular direction are entangled. As a result, only a limited number of photons can be generated. In "Ultrabright source of polarization-entangled photons," by Kwiat et al., Physical Review A, vol. 60, R773, (1999), Kwiat also describes a source of polarization-entangle photon pairs. However, thin crystals and continuous wave pumps have to be used in order to obtain good entanglement. In "Phase-stable source of polarization-entangled photons using a polarization Sagnac interferometer," by Taehyun Kim et al., Physical Review A, vol. 73, 012316 (2006) and in "Generation of ultrabright tunable polarization entanglement without spatial, spectral, or temporal constraints," by Fiorentino et al., Physical Review A, vol. 69, 041801(R) (2004), both Kim and Fiorentino describe an ultrabright parametric down-conversion source of Bell state polarization-entangled photons. However, these polarization-entangled photon sources cannot be used in microscale applications, are expensive to produce, and need periodic adjustments. Physicists have recognized a need for polarization entangled photon sources that are compatible with both continuous wave and pulse pump sources and can be coupled to fiber optic couplers for implementation in microscale devices.

Hybrid integrated source of polarization-entangled photons

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A computer-implemented method comprises storing data that aggregates statuses, uploaded by healthcare providers, of a plurality of patients for a plurality of medical conditions; receiving via a remote upload from a healthcare provider data that characterizes the status of the particular patient with respect to at least some of the plurality of medical conditions; providing for review by the healthcare provider data that graphs a plotted location that is indicative of the particular patient's values in a common graph with locations that are indicative of the other patients' values, and that highlights the particular patient's values relative to the other patients' values; and adding data for conditions of the particular patient to a database that aggregates the statuses of the plurality of patients.

In modern medicine, the diagnosis of a patient's condition is increasingly dependent on the integration of multiple laboratory results. Typically, these laboratory tests are developed and validated according to standard procedures that include the selection of cut-off values that reflect enough deviation from the reference population to indicate that the result should be considered abnormal. A common challenge for an ordering physician is how to react to a random "abnormal" result that does not fit the overall pattern. Some physicians may have the experience to overrule such a result, but most physicians take a prudent approach and order additional tests, often the beginning of an unnecessary and expensive cycle.
This type of situation is particularly common with respect to the evaluation of a patient suspected to have a defect in his/her genetic make-up. For example, a diverse array of specimens (for example urine, blood, CSF, tissues biopsies) can be taken from a patient and can be tested to identify the presence of characteristic, yet highly complex phenotypes. The level at which such testing indicates the presence of a marker can be binary (i.e., the patient has a mutation or does not) or analog (i.e., the level of either a gene product or of a downstream metabolite can vary based on a variety of factors, and that variability can be reflected in the test results). And again, professionals in laboratory medicine may select certain cut-off levels that represent a statistical threshold of likelihood of disease.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research


Internal combustion engine with a regulating device and at least one ignition device for igniting a fuel-air mixture in a piston/cylinder unit, whereby on the outlet side of the piston-cylinder unit, a turbocharger and a wastegate are provided, whereby via the wastegate an exhaust-gas turbine of the turbocharger can be flowed through, and whereby the exhaust-gas turbine drives a compressor arranged on the intake side of the piston-cylinder unit, whereby the regulating device, on detecting a predefined triggering condition, performs an adjustment of the ignition time and the opening degree of the wastegate, such that that the overall efficiency of the internal combustion engine is optimized, whereby the ignition time of the ignition device is brought by the regulating device to the optimal overall efficiency, and the opening degree of the wastegate is changed to provide the required output power of the internal combustion engine.

In generic internal combustion engines, the turbocharger is used to obtain energy from the exhaust gas of the piston-cylinder unit(s) and convert it into compression work for the propellant-air mixture supplied to the piston-cylinder unit(s). An adjustment of the ignition timing is used to influence the position of center of gravity of the combustion in the individual piston-cylinder units of the internal combustion engine.
The combustion center of gravity means the state in which half of the fresh charge is combusted and is expressed by the corresponding crankshaft angle. This is also known as MFB 50, i.e. 50% of the mass fraction burned (MFB). For the terms, reference is made to textbooks on internal combustion engines. See, in particular, Heywood, John B., Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1988.
The combustion center of gravity influences the combustion efficiency of the internal combustion engine and the amount of emissions generated.
It is also known that the power of the internal combustion engine can be regulated via targeted flushing of exhaust gases around the exhaust turbine of the turbocharger by means of the variable opening degree of a wastegate. This is also evident from U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,286 A. By increasing the opening of the wastegate, an increased free flow cross-section is offered to the exhaust gases of the piston-cylinder units, whereby the exhaust-gas pressure against which the pistons of the piston-cylinder units must work is lowered.
A disadvantage of this is that the mentioned regulating operations (change of the ignition timing and change in the opening degree of the wastegate) influence the different degrees of efficiency of the internal combustion engine individually, namely the combustion efficiency (also referred to as "high-pressure efficiency" in the literature) and the load change efficiency (referred to as "low-pressure efficiency" in the literature).


An plug storage structure of a cleaning robot is presented. A charging structure includes a charging base and a main body of an electronic device. The charging base includes a charging terminal and a projecting portion. The main body has an external housing, charging plugs and an plug storage device. When the main body reaches the charging base, the projecting portion triggers the plug storage device, so that the charging plugs protrude from the external housing, so as to be connected to the charging terminal. When the main body leaves the charging base, the plug storage device automatically receives the charging plugs inside the external housing, so as to keep the plugs of the cleaning robot received inside the external housing during cleaning, thereby preventing the plugs of the cleaning robot from colliding with and damaging adjacent furniture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charging structure, and more particularly to a charging structure capable of automatically storage charging plugs.
2. Related Art
In order to provide a user with a more comfortable environment, many manufacturers actively provide different kinds of cleaning robots. When the user goes out to work, the cleaning robot is capable of automatically cleaning the home environment according to a schedule set by the user.
Since the cleaning robot comes back and forth the same place for several times during the cleaning process, most cleaning robots are designed without power cables. In other words, in order to enable the cleaning robot to move around the house more conveniently and to operate for a longer cleaning time, rechargeable batteries that can be charged repeatedly are disposed inside most cleaning robots. Generally speaking, the cleaning robot has a corresponding charging base in addition to the main body. When the cleaning robot finishes working or is low in battery power, the cleaning robot will automatically move towards the charging base. When the cleaning robot enters the charging base, charging plugs of the cleaning robot contact plugs of the charging base, and then the rechargeable battery is charged.
However, the charging plugs of the cleaning robot in the prior art cannot be received inside the cleaning robot. In other words, the charging plugs are exposed at the external housing of the cleaning robot all the time. Since the cleaning robot may contact various furniture or environments during the cleaning process, the charging plugs may contact wet objects. For example, when the charging plugs contact a wet obstacle (which may be a bucket or a beverage), the cleaning robot may be short-circuited. Or, when the cleaning robot collides with the furniture, the charging plugs may produce scratches on surfaces of the furniture. The charging plugs may deform due to the collision, so that the cleaning robot cannot be normally charged.

Plug storage structure of cleaning robot


An antenna device includes line-shaped feeding conductors arranged so as to face each patch antenna array and performing electromagnetic coupling feeding on each of the patch antennas, from a wiring-side feeding portions formed at a position intersecting a slot when viewed from the normal direction of a first surface. The patch antennas include an electrode which is arranged so as to face the wiring-side feeding portion, between two radiation elements arranged apart in the first direction, and is electromagnetically coupled from the wiring-side feeding portion. The electrode and each of the two radiation elements are electrically coupled in the first direction.

In the field of high-speed wireless communication, antenna devices including rectangular planar antennas of an electromagnetic coupling feeding system so as to be capable of beam forming are known.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a transmission power control device for wireless communication including a multi-element phased antenna array that forms a directional beam, directivity of which is controllable.


Provided is a fixture including a base; and a light guide, which is positioned on the base and is configured to receive light emitted from a light source in a first direction and guide the received light to be emitted in a second direction crossing the first direction.

In the related art, a light collecting module includes a light guide for guiding light, a light collector for condensing light, and a reflector for reflecting light as separate components. When the light guide, the light collector, and the reflector are provided as separate components, separate spaces for the respective components are needed in a device. Therefore, there is a limit in utilizing the space inside a device where the light collecting module is installed.
Also, in a related art light collecting module, the light guide, the light collector, and the reflector are manufactured as separate components, and thus, it is necessary to combine the components to one another, wherein cracks or gaps in or between the components may be easily formed in the process of combining the components to one another. Cracks or gaps in or between the components may affect a path of light when the light collecting module guides light, thereby causing difficulty in executing precise guidance of light.

Fixture including light guide and aerosol generating device including the fixture


The disclosure provides a pediculicidal composition comprising a metal chelating agent; a carrier vehicle comprising water and an activating solvent system comprising an alcohol and a hydrocarbon. The carrier vehicle may be in the form of a solution, a cream, an ointment, a foam, a spray, an emulsion or a gel. The disclosure also provides method for use of a pediculicidal composition to treat human head lice and their eggs and methods for controlling head lice infestation.

Head lice persist in developed and underdeveloped countries despite the availability of modern chemical insecticide treatments, public health education, and community based programs of lice eradication. The persistence of head lice is due to a combination of factors. Some lice control programs suffer logistical problems. Additionally, while shampoo formulations continue to retain widespread popularity, some chemical treatments are not entirely effective.
Various compositions and methods have been used to treat a head lice infestation. For example, lice and their eggs are mechanically removed with combs and killed with insecticides (known as pediculicides). Pediculicides, or pediculicidal compositions, are used to treat lice infestations and hence typically display both lousicidal and ovicidal activity. For example, lindane and various pyrethroids, have been used in conjunction with shampoos for treating head lice infestations. However, the use of these compositions and methods is not entirely effective in controlling head lice because some lice or their eggs (nits) often survive the treatment. Lice have also begun to develop resistance to current pediculicides and thus a new compound for killing lice and their eggs is desirable.
Accordingly, there remains a need for pediculicidal compositions that are easy to use and are highly effective against lice and their eggs. The present invention addresses these unmet needs.


A method and apparatus for an adaptable vehicle light fixture is provided to activate directional illumination aspects of the light fixture based upon sensed characteristics of the vehicle. The vehicle may automatically sense its position, speed, acceleration, heading and angular velocity and may command the light fixture to emit symmetric and/or asymmetric beam patterns based upon the sensed vehicle characteristics. Directional light incident upon the light fixture may also be detected to allow intensity control thereby reducing glare to oncoming traffic. A vehicle light fixture may be pre-configured with lenses and wirelessly programmed for manual and/or automatic operation that is responsive to the pre-configuration. A plurality of vehicles with light fixtures mounted thereon comprise a network of light fixtures that are manually or adaptively controlled as a group.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been utilized since about the 1960s. However, for the first few decades of use, the relatively low light output and narrow range of colored illumination limited the LED utilization role to specialized applications (e.g., indicator lamps). As light output improved, LED utilization within other lighting systems, such as within LED "EXIT" signs and LED traffic signals, began to increase. Over the last several years, the white light output capacity of LEDs has more than tripled, thereby allowing the LED to become the lighting solution of choice for a wide range of lighting solutions.
LEDs exhibit significantly optimized characteristics, such as source efficacy, optical control and extremely long operating life, which make them excellent choices for general lighting applications. LED efficiencies, for example, may provide light output magnitudes up to 200 lumens per watt of power dissipation. Energy savings may, therefore, be realized when utilizing LED-based lighting systems as compared to the energy usage of, for example, incandescent, halogen, compact fluorescent and high-intensity discharge (HID) lighting systems. As per an example, an LED-based lighting fixture may utilize a small percentage (e.g., 15-20%) of the power utilized by a halogen-based lighting system but may still produce an equivalent magnitude of light. As per another example, high power LEDs in excess of 30 watts is now possible in a single 5×5 mm LED package.
Conventional vehicular LED lighting applications typically provide either fixed beam patterns or manually adjustable beam patterns. In some applications, for example, a control console mounted within the interior cabin of a vehicle may allow the operator of that vehicle to control a beam width emitted by an LED-based lighting fixture based on manual inputs provided to the control console by the operator of the vehicle. Other applications provide adaptability of the light generated by the LED-based lighting fixture in response to dynamic characteristics of the vehicle, but do not allow for reconfiguration of the lighting system by the user once the lighting system is provisioned within the vehicle.
Efforts continue, therefore, to develop an LED-based vehicular lighting fixture that may adapt certain characteristics of the light produced based upon one or more static and/or dynamic attributes of the vehicle.

Method and apparatus for an adaptable vehicle light fixture


System and method for actuating first and second marine acoustic sources in a firing sequence, the firing sequence including at least a first actuation of the first source followed by a first actuation of the second source followed by a second actuation of the first source and a second actuation of the second source. The method includes towing the first source at a depth in water substantially equal to a depth of the second source; establishing a series of reference time instants; actuating the first source with a variable first time delay relative to the series of reference time instants; and actuating the second source with a variable second time delay relative to the series of reference time instants such that time intervals between consecutive activations of the first and second sources are also variable.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to methods and systems for generating, acquiring and processing marine seismic data and, more particularly, to mechanisms and techniques for separating seismic signals recorded by streamers and generated by plural marine seismic sources.
2. Discussion of the Background
Marine seismic data acquisition and processing may be used to generate a profile (image) of the geophysical structure under the seafloor (subsurface). While this profile does not provide an accurate location for oil and gas reservoirs, it suggests, to those trained in the field, the presence or absence of such reservoirs. Thus, providing a high-resolution image of the subsurface is important, for example, to those who need to determine whether the oil and gas reservoirs are located.
The traditional marine seismic acquisition uses a seismic source, such as an air gun or air gun array, to generate acoustic energy. The seismic source is towed by a vessel under water, and the generated acoustic energy propagates toward the subsurface where the energy is reflected from various formations of the subsurface. The same vessel or another vessel tows one or more streamers. A streamer includes one or more seismic sensors (receivers) that are configured to record the seismic wave reflected by the various formations in the subsurface. The recorded waves are then used to generate the profile of the subsurface.
For marine applications, seismic sources are essentially impulsive (e.g., compressed air is suddenly allowed to expand under water). One of the most used sources is air guns. The air guns produce a high amount of acoustic energy over a short time. Such a source is towed by a vessel either at the water surface or at a certain depth. The acoustic waves from the air guns propagate in all directions. A typical frequency range of the acoustic waves emitted by the impulsive sources is between 6 and 300 Hz. However, the seismic waves generated by two air guns cannot be distinguished (during processing) because they have the same signature. This characteristic of the impulsive sources reduces their effectiveness, as discussed next.
FIG. 1 shows a system 10 in which a source array 20 is towed under water with plural streamers 30 (four in this case). The figure illustrates a cross-sectional view of this system, i.e., a plane perpendicular to the streamers. Seismic waves 22a-d emitted by the source array 20 are reflected from an interface 40 in the subsurface, and the reflected waves are recorded by receivers of the streamers 30. A distance "a" between two successive reflections is called a bin size. Because this bin size is measured along a cross-line, "a" represents the cross-line bin size. The cross-line is defined as a line substantially perpendicular to the streamers, different from an axis Z that is also perpendicular on the streamers, but describes the depth of the streamers under water. An inline is a line that extends substantially along the streamers and is perpendicular on the cross-line. For example, the Cartesian system shown in FIG. 1 has the X axis parallel to the inline, the Y axis parallel to the cross-line, and the Z axis describes the depth of the streamers.
With this arrangement, the cross-line bin size is half the cross-line distance 42 between two consecutive streamers. It is noted that the streamers are typically placed 100 m from each other and, thus, a typical cross-line bin size is 50 m. The inline bin size may be much smaller, as it depends mainly on the separation between the receivers in the streamer itself, which may be around 12 to 15 m. With a cross-line bin size on the order of 50 m, aliasing effects may be produced, especially for the highest frequencies, because the maximum bin size is inversely proportional to the frequency. In other words, the illumination of the subsurface on the cross-line is poor. Thus, it is desired to decrease the cross-line bin size during a seismic survey.
A common technique for reducing the cross-line bin size is the use of multiple source arrays that employ a flip-flop acquisition scheme. In this mode, the vessel tows two sources 20 and 20′ as shown in FIG. 2. Two sources are shown for simplicity, but more than two sources may be used to increase the coverage. This system 50 is configured to shoot the sources in a flip-flop manner, i.e., shot first one source 20 while the second source 20′ is inactive and then, after a period time for listening and recording, the second source 20′ is shot while the first source 20 is inactive. The listening period extends for a predetermined time so that the reflections corresponding to the emitted waves from the first source 20 are recorded and the seismic waves generated by the first source 20 die down). Another period of listening and recording follows for the second source. Then, the process is repeated and this flip-flop process constitutes a firing sequence. This scheme doubles the coverage lines of the subsurface as new reflections points are introduced by the second source 20′, thus reducing the cross-line bin size to a distance "b", which is smaller than "a".
However, the flip-flop sequence has the following limitation: because there is a time delay (in the order of seconds) between firing the first source and the second source, there are gaps in the data recorded by the streamers. To illustrate these gaps, FIG. 3 shows a top view the two sources 20 and 20′ and the streamers 30. Line 40 illustrates the subsurface portion that reflects the seismic waves generated by source 20 to streamer 30a, and line 42 illustrates the subsurface portion that reflects the seismic waves generated by the source 20′ to the same streamer 30a. It is noted that the dash portions of each line 40 and 42 correspond to waiting times, i.e., no recordings, and the solid portions of these lines correspond to recording times.
In other words, when source 20 is active and source 20′ is inactive, portion 40a of line 40 is actively sampled with acoustic waves and those waves are recorded, while portion 42a of line 42 is not sampled by source 20′. As the number of sources is increased, for example, up to four, the waiting times need to be increased. This results in the increase of portion 42a (i.e., gap in the recordings). When this portion reaches around 150 m, which is the case for four sources, the gaps in the recorded data are considered unacceptable. Thus, simply increasing the number of sources, although may reduce the cross-line bin size, is not feasible.
Instead of increasing the number of sources for achieving a smaller cross-line bin size, it is possible to increase the number of streamers or to reduce the cross-line distance between the streamers. However, these solutions are not favored by the industry as (1) the price of a streamer and the price for towing the streamer is much higher than towing a source, (2) the drag created by increasing the number of streamers dramatically increases, and (3) a coverage area by each pass of the vessel during the survey is reduced.
Thus, there is a need in the industry to provide a solution that decreases the cross-line bin size, reduces the cost of the survey and also improves the quality of the final image.

Method and device for separating seismic signals from seismic sources


A system and method for restraining a vehicular brake pedal in depressed position. A system includes an elongated multi-section unit the length of which can be adjusted within a dynamic range by changing mutual positioning of the sections and locking the unit with an internal lock once the desired length has been achieved. Fastening of the internal lock is achieved through twisting of the unit around its axis. The restraining of the brake pedal is carried out with respect to a steering wheel, a portion of which is received and accommodated by a cradle on one end of the unit while a turnable foot on the other end of the system depresses the pedal.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Department of Transportation requires periodic inspection of the vehicular brakes on all commercial vehicles (in particular, both pre- and post-transportation trip). Conventional practice of confirming that a vehicular brake system is operational is for one person to depress the brake pedal in the cabin of the vehicle while another person, standing behind the vehicle, verifies that the brake lights are operational and that air pressure is at appropriate level within the brake system. While this approach is widely used, it requires the presence of two people. In practice, however, there is often only a single driver going on a road-trip. A single person finds it rather difficult to check the performance of the brakes.
As an "on-the-spot" solution, many drivers use some sort of an irregular, circumstantial article (such as a brick or a stick, for example) that they could accommodate on the brake pedal to depress it while stepping out of the vehicle to see whether the brakes lights are lit. (Validation of the operability of the brake system on some vehicles also often includes a verification that the air-pressure system engaging the brakes maintains the appropriate pressure, and that no air-leaks are present. In practice, this is done "by ear", when a driver listens to the noisy air-leaks outside of the vehicle while the brake pedal is depressed.) In practice, such "on-the-spot" solution is neither optimal nor versatile because, on one hand, an irregular article cannot be reliably fastened to and depress the brake pedal for a time period necessary to conclude the inspection and, on the other hand, the same irregular article cannot be used in every vehicle due to difference in dimensions of vehicular cabins and/or different resistance of different brake pedals. In particular, solutions offering depressing a brake pedal by "wedging" an elongated element such as a stick, tube, or rod between either the driver's seat and the brake pedal or a dash board and the brake pedal do not take into account the design of the vehicular cabin. Indeed, it is well known the fact that there exists no uniformity in design of either the vehicular seats or dash boards, which makes it problematic to accommodate different distances between the seat/board and brake pedal. For example, dash boards are universally different from model to model of a vehicle. Moreover, some vehicles are lacking a dash-board surface that could provide for similar accommodation. As far as using a driver seat is concerned, not only is it soft but, in practice, many driver seats are worn out or torn apart and simply do not provide a solid reference surface for entrapping or fixing one of the ends of a wedging element.
In another approach to solve the problem, an external vehicular mirror may be affixed to a back portion of the vehicle and oriented to make a rear brake light visible to the driver sitting in the cabin. This solution, of course, requires a mirror that is appropriately attached and fully operational at the time of inspection. More often than desired, however, such protruding beyond the extend of the vehicle mirror is out of working order, for example broken off. There is a need, therefore, in a universal tool and method that secures or fixes a depressed position of the brake pedal thereby facilitating the inspection, by a single person (driver), of a brake system of any vehicle and that does not depend on availability of auxiliary components located externally to the vehicle.

Brake pedal depressing device and method of using the same


Disclosed is a purification method of reducing and removing fluoride ions contained in an optically active α-fluorocarboxylic acid ester represented by formula [1]

Optically active α-fluorocarboxylic acid esters, which are the targets in the present invention, are important intermediates of medicines, agricultural chemicals and optical materials. As typical publicly known techniques relating to the present invention, it is possible to cite Patent Publication 1 and Patent Publication 2. These publicly known techniques are methods in which a reaction-terminated liquid of a dehydroxyfluorination is poured into an inorganic base aqueous solution to fix fluoride ions in the aqueous layer to reduce and remove them.
Furthermore, prior to the present application, the present applicant has found that it is possible to easily produce an optically active α-fluorocarboxylic acid ester, in which fluoride ions have reduced, with high chemical purity and optical purity by reacting an optically active α-hydroxycarboxylic acid ester with sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2), trifluoromethanesulfonyl fluoride (CF3SO2F) or nonafluorobutanesulfonyl fluoride (C4F9SO2F) in the presence of an organic base and in the absence of a reaction solvent, then adding an acid to a reaction-terminated liquid containing the target product, an optically active α-fluorocarboxylic acid ester, and then conducting a distillation, and an application was already filed [see Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-212495, Example 2 (the first half part), Example 3 (the first half part), Reference Example 1 and Reference Example 2].    Patent Publication 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication 2006-83163    Patent Publication 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication 2006-290870

Method for purification of optically active α-fluorocarboxylic acid esters

Abstract: [in the formula, R1 represents a C1-6 alkyl group, R2 represents a C1-4 alkyl group, and * represents an asymmetric carbon], the purification method of the optically active α-fluorocarboxylic acid ester being characterized by that a distillation is conducted in the presence of an organic base. By this method, it is possible to greatly reduce the concentration of fluoride ion traces contained in the optically active α-fluorocarboxylic acid ester by a relatively easy operation. Of the organic base, a tertiary amine is preferable, and above all tri-n-butylamine is particularly preferable.


A body scanning equipment includes at least two sets of apparatus located at a front and a read respectively of a body (2) to be scanned, and each set of apparatus has a scanning device (4), mirrors (5), (6) spaced on opposing sides of the scanning device for directing radiant energy to opposing sides of the body and a pivotable mirror (7) for directing radiant energy alternatively between the scanning device and the first mirror (5) and the second mirror (6); by providing one pair of sets of apparatus a complete 360xc2x0 circumference of a body may be scanned. By providing a further pair of sets of apparatus at a different elevation to the first pair of sets, so a complete human body may be scanned The scanning apparatus is located in a booth (1) for installation in a store and output from the scanning apparatus is, preferably, provided to a garment material cutting apparatus (111).

This invention relates to body scanning equipment and, in particular, although not exclusively to, a body scanning equipment for use in the garment industry.
It is a wish in the garment industry for most, if not all, clothing to be custom made. At present, bespoke tailoring, i.e. custom made garments, are expensive to produce and most garments sold are made in different predetermined sizes and sold ready-to-wear. So as to satisfy the need for custom manufacturer garments, there is a need to define a customer""s shape so that the garment can be manufactured to fit accurately. Measurement of the human body using a conventional tailor""s tape measure has been shown to be prone to human error and is limited to taking a number of dimensions by time and convenience considerations. An automatic scanner which may quickly provide a large number of accurate measurements would enable custom tailoring to produce a better fit with fewer or no fitting sessions, or alternatively, to match the customer to a wider range of predefined sizes and size variants.
Body scanning apparatus is known to produce prosthesis, for example, but such equipment tends to be large in size and extremely costly.
So as to be affordable to chain and high street stores, the cost of manufacture of body scanning equipment must be kept to a minimum. Known three-dimensional scanning devices contain expensive components such as good quality cameras and electronics to control the cameras and produce a three-dimensional image. Each scanning device is limited by its position and field of view as to how much of the body surface the device can capture. Therefore, if a large part of a body surface is required to be captured, then it is necessary to use plural scanning devices spaced around the person being scanned, and the data from each scanning device is joined together to construct the whole, 360xc2x0, body surface. While such an arrangement of scanning devices overcomes the problem of capture, it demands a large number of scanning device positions and, hence, leads to a high manufacturing cost.
A further problem is one of the size of a scanning booth in which the scanning devices are lorated. Typical known scanning devices work best at ranges of about 2 metres from the surface to be scanned. Although, in theory, closer ranges are possible if the capture field of view of the scanning device is reduced, or if very wide optics are used on the scanning device. However, a smaller field of view leads to the requirement of additional scanning devices with consequential greater cost, and wide angle optics give greater distortion and, therefore, lower accuracy, as well as being costly.
The present invention seeks to provide a body scanning equipment which substantially mitigates the foregoing disadvantages.
According to a broadest aspect of this invention there is provided a body scanning equipment including one set of apparatus locate to scan a portion of a body, said set of apparatus comprising scanning means, reflector means associated with said scanning means, said reflector means including first and second reflectors spaced on opposing sides of said scanning means for directing radiant energy from opposing sides of said body, and switchable reflector means for directing radiant energy alternately between said scanning means and said first and second reflectors whereby substantially a 180xc2x0 scan of said body may be made.
Such a set of apparatus may be used, for example, in a medical environment where it is desired to can a face of a person.
Where a prosthesis is required to be made or body scanning equipment for use in the garment industry, for example, then it is preferable that two sets of apparatus be provided.
Accordingly in a feature of this invention there is provided a body scanning equipment including two sets of apparatus located to scan opposing front and rear portions of a body to be scanned and each set of apparatus comprising scanning means, reflector means associated with each scanning means, each said reflector means including first and second reflectors spaced on opposing sides of said scanning means for directing radiant energy from opposing sides of said body, and switchable reflector means for directing radiant energy alternately between said scanning means and said first and second reflectors, whereby a complete 360xc2x0 scan of said body may be made.
The scanning means may comprising a camera having a viewing axis and an illumination means having an illumination axis which is offset from said camera viewing axis.
Preferably, two pairs of sets of apparatus are provided, each pair being located in a different elevational position with respect to s aid body so that each pair is able to scan a whole portion of a body and the elevational location of the pairs being arranged such that a complete body may be scanned.
Conveniently, said first and second reflectors and said switchable reflector means are each formed by a respective mirror.
Advantageously, said sets of apparatus are mounted in a booth, typically approximately 2 metres square and about 2.4 metres high.
Preferably, each scanning means provides an output signal to processor means including means for computing surface data from images received from each opposing side of said body, means for producing aligned data from said surface data, means for producing a signal from said aligned data indicative of the surfaces of said body joined together through 360xc2x0, and means for calculating surface measurements derived from said means for producing.
Advantageously, said means for calculating is connected to a numerically controlled garment cutting machine which may in turn be connected to on automated garment assembly apparatus.


When a function inactivation process is instructed on an MFP A, all the functions are inactivated and a function inactivation certification key is issued, and then resources related to the functions are transmitted to an MFP-B. When reception of the resources is completed on the MFP-B, a function duplication completion certification key is issued. When these keys are input to a licensing server, a database is updated, and a function activation key is issued. When the function activation key is input to the MFP B, the functions related to the transmitted resources are carried out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a license management apparatus and method and a license management system.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are devices that can be connected to a network and on which an application program (hereinafter referred to as an "application") with a license can be installed. Moreover, a process that enables transfer of an application installed on a certain device and a legitimate license for the application to another device by using a license issuing server that manages the license has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-217320 (page 10, FIG. 6, and the like), for example).
For example, when a device on which applications are installed is to be replaced with a new device due to breakdown, deterioration, or the like, it is necessary to transfer all the licensed applications to the new device. In such a case, when the system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-217320 is used, it is necessary to perform a transfer operation for each individual application and its legitimate license. Moreover, the system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-217320 requires that a connection between the license issuing server and the devices is established on a network or the like, where messages, such as transfer requests and removal notifications, are exchanged between the server and the devices.

License management apparatus and method and license management system


The invention is a mating film. The mating film comprises a base sheet having a first major surface. A plurality of generally parallel ridges project from the first major surface. The ridges comprise a stem portion attached to the base sheet and generally upright from the base sheet. A head portion of each ridge is spaced from the first major surface and extends generally laterally from the stem portion so as to define a lateral distance. The center of each stem portion of each ridge is spaced from the center of each adjacent ridge stem portion by a distance greater than about 2 times lateral distance defined by the head portion.

This invention relates to mechanical fasteners and particularly to self mating mechanical fasteners.
Hook-and-loop fasteners (See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,717,437 and 3,009,235 both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein) are in common, everyday use; but they still have important deficiencies. For example, the hook-and-loop composite is a relatively thick laminate, and can be conspicuous, e.g., in clothing applications. Further, loop material, especially in robust constructions, can be relatively costly. And opening or unfastening hook-and-loop fasteners can cause detachment of loops from their substrates, with a consequent generation of particulate debris. Additionally, the potential for particulate debris in hook-and-loop fasteners precludes their use in clean room environments and other areas where debris is destructive. Finally, the hook-and-loop type fasteners can involve a relatively complicated manufacturing process.
A wide variety of different fasteners have been taught as alternatives or replacements for hook-and-loop fasteners, including molded and extruded articles that have protruding inter-engaging elements having heads. See, for example, the fasteners described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,266,113, 4,290,174, 4,894,060, 5,119,531, 5,235,731, 3,586,220, 5,119,531, 5,888,621, 3,557,413, 6,106,922, 6,367,128 and PCT published application number WO 01/58780 all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. Many of these fasteners are self-mating, i.e., fastening is accomplished by interengaging fastener units of identical shape. In particular, many of the fasteners utilize protruding elements or xe2x80x9chooksxe2x80x9d, which are mounted to a first fastener portion and are spaced apart so as to provide a xe2x80x9creceptaclexe2x80x9d into which a mating element on a second fastener portion is forcibly inserted, thereby locking the two portions of the fastener in place.
This representative approach utilizing a profile-extruded self-mating film is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this approach, two surfaces of ridge type hooks can be pressed together to make the hooks interlock. It is important to note that the ridges of hooks are equally and closely spaced, and that the hooks have a constant head width. The hooks are so closely spaced that two sheets of hooks cannot be pressed together without deforming the hooks as they slide past one another. This deformation of the hooks requires that the operator use force to xe2x80x9cclickxe2x80x9d the hooks into position. Without an engaging force capable of deforming the hooks, the hooks will not interlock and the fastener does not hold in place. Once interlocked, the hooks are pinned on either side by hooks from the opposing surface. Again, when two sheets of hooks are pressed together, they cannot be pulled apart without deforming the hooks, requiring a disengaging force.
This approach utilizes a constant head width of the hooks at nearly constant hook separation to control the engagement and disengagement properties of the hooks (and thus the interlocking portions of the fastener). The separation of the ridges can be described using a spacing-to-width ratio. This ratio is defined as the ratio of the center-to-center spacing of a stem portion of the ridges to the hook head width. If adjacent hooks having the same head width are disposed on a single sheet of film so that the heads abut, the center-to-center spacing of the ridges is equal to one head width, and the spacing-to-width ratio is 1. In another case, if two hook heads of equal head width have center-to-center stem spacing of a distance equal to their cumulative head width, the spacing to width ratio is 2.
A ratio of 2 defines the theoretical geometrical limit at which hooks from opposing planar sheets using the representative approach illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2 may be spaced (assuming regularly spaced intervals) to engage or disengage normally. For ratios less than about 2, the hooks must deform as they engage or disengage.
In the representative approach indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hooks deform during engagement and disengagement because the spacing to head width ratio is less than 2. As an example, one typical hook configuration has hooks spaced 50 mils apart with head widths 30 mils wide. The hook spacing to width ratio is 50 over 30, or 1.7. A large range in hook head width would be an increase or decrease of 3 mils. For the resulting 27 and 33 mil hook head widths, the spacing to width ratios are 1.9 and 1.5, respectively. Thus, for a large range of hook widths, the ratio varies by about 12% while still remaining less than 2.
The invention is a mating film. The mating film comprises a base sheet having a first major surface. A plurality of generally parallel ridges project from the first major surface. The ridges comprise a stem portion attached to the base sheet and generally upright from the base sheet. A head portion of each ridge is spaced from the first major surface and extends generally laterally from the stem portion so as to define a lateral distance. The center of each stem portion of each ridge is spaced from the center of each adjacent ridge stem portion by a distance greater than about 2 times lateral distance defined by the head portion.

Mating film and method for bundling and wrapping


A code sequence transmission method capable of improving system throughput and user throughput by improving power utilization efficiencies of a control channel and a data channel including a plurality of signals having different required qualities is provided. In a mobile station, a bit sequence of a TFCI is transmitted within one frame a plurality of times repeatedly, the bit sequence of each TFCI is multiplied by one bit of a bit sequence of an SI, a multiplication result is transmitted. It is thereby possible to transmit both the TFCI and the SI without providing a signal field of the SI in each frame.

According to a technique using the EUDCH that is a high-speed packet transmission channel on an uplink according to the W-CDMA, data is transmitted from a mobile station by configuring a control channel and a data channel and multiplexing codes (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). It is, therefore, possible to configure a power on the control channel and that on the data channel independently of each other.
However, a maximum transmission power of the mobile station is limited and data decoding cannot be performed unless a control signal is accurately received. For this reason, the mobile station allocates a necessary power first to the control channel so as to transmit the control channel with a required quality. The mobile station then calculates a remaining power, decides a transmission rate at which a power is equal to or lower than the remaining power as a transmission rate on the data channel, and transmits the control channel and the data channel. Accordingly, if the power used on the control channel is lower, the power that can be used on the data channel is increased, making it possible to select a higher transmission rate.
Meanwhile, the control channel according to the EUDCH includes a plurality of pieces of control information different in required quality. If a transport format (TF) indicating information on a transmission form (e.g., a block size) of data transmitted on the data channel and a scheduling information (SI) necessary for a base station to perform scheduling are transmitted on the control channel, and the base station erroneously receives the TF, the data cannot be decoded. Due to this, an error rate required for the TF is normally set more strictly than that required for the SI.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of one example of a control signal transmission method according to a conventional art. As stated, on a control channel shown in FIG. 10, a transmission power in a signal field of the TF (TFCI) is configured higher than that in a signal field of the SI, and the TF is transmitted so that a power per bit of the TF is higher. By doing so, even if different required qualities are set for the respective control signals, the control signals can be transmitted on the same channel while satisfying the respective required qualities.
Moreover, transmission of a control signal (TXI: Transmission Indicator) for efficiently using hardware resources of a mobile station is considered (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of another example of the control signal transmission method according to the conventional art. Referring to FIG. 11, the TXI is a control signal which is used only during soft handover and the transmission of the TXI is stopped in regions other than soft handover regions.    Non-Patent Document 1: TR25.808v1.0.0 (2004-12n) 3rd Generation Partnership Project: Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; FDD Enhanced Uplink; Physical Layer Aspects (Release 6)    Non-Patent Document 2: 3GPP RAN WGI #38bis Meeting R1-041066, Sep. 20-25, 2004, "Uplink Control Channel Design for Enhanced Uplink", Motorola    Patent Document 1: JP-A-2003-229835    Patent Document 2: JP-A-8-316967

Code sequence transmission method, wireless communication system, transmitter, and receiver


An arrangement for facilitating remote booting in diskless client systems as just described. To this end, there is broadly contemplated herein the employment of a hypervisor that can freely accommodate a variety of booting arrangements for a given OS. This then ensures that few if any modifications, especially costly ones, would need to be made to the OS to ensure greater versatility.

The paradigm of desktop computers connected to a common server has long suffered from problems relating to cost and manageability. Primarily, significant concerns regarding security constantly arise given that each desktop has a hard drive, thus facilitating the unauthorized copying or downloading of files and greatly increasing the risk of system corruption in view of the difficulties with managing what may be introduced to each desktop.
Accordingly, an ongoing trend among smaller and larger enterprises alike is to provide a diskless client that eliminates the multitude of desktop hard drives. All data thus is found on a central server, and all file management can be controlled at the one central location. System backup is greatly facilitated since a multitude of desktops do not need to be activated at the time that backup is carried out, and any needed "patch management" can be carried out at the server end.
However, a major impediment to implementing the changes just described is that most operating systems (OS's) are not conducive to the type of remote booting that would normally be required in a diskless system. By and large, each OS tends to be configured for a specific type of booting that often requires some type of local storage, and thus lacks versatility in terms of the booting that can be accommodated. For instance, during a boot, the OS would have to be cognizant of whether the boot originates from remote storage or local storage, wirelessly, or from a LAN (local area network). Costly fixes generally need to be implemented to permit any appreciable degree of versatility.
Accordingly, a compelling need has been recognized in connection with addressing these versatility issues, as well as related issues.


The u-shaped detachable handle, for use with paint cans and other receptacles having bails, has a base plate, a connecting plate and a grip extending horizontally above the base plate. The handle is anchored to the receptacle by a rim hook which engages with the receptacle rim and a cam latch mounted to the lower surface of the base plate which seats against the receptacle wall. The handle is also anchored by the receptacle bail which is received by a hook formed at the remote end of the handle. A handle cover surrounding the grip cushions the detachable handle.

The present invention relates to detachable handles for containers, and more particularly, to a detachable handle for use with paint cans and other receptacles having bails.
Many paints are contained in cans having a thin wire bail for a handle. Although a wire bail provides an adequate handle for a paint can, bails can inhibit access to the interior of the paint can and, after some time, reduce circulation in the painter's hand. To access the interior of a paint can, the painter must either dip the brush into the paint can on either side of the bail held vertically or support the paint can from the bottom and hold the bail away from the center of the paint can. Additionally, the thin wire nature of most paint can bails distributes the weight of the paint can over a small area when the bail is held in the painter's hand. Thus, the thin bail can cut off circulation in the painter's hand if a heavy can is held for a long period of time.
A full one gallon paint can weighs approximately twelve pounds. Therefore, a detachable handle for a paint can is needed which will support a heavy container vertically, hold the bail away from the center of the container, and allow the user to easily hold a heavy container for extended periods of time.
Jenkins U.S. Pat. No. 2,288,359, discloses a detachable handle which attaches to the upper and lower flanges of a typical container. This handle allows paint to be poured from the container easily. However, when the user holds the paint can by the Jenkins' handle, the support for the paint can shifts from above the center of mass of the container to a point on a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the paint can. The shifting of the paint can support increases the magnitude of the torque applied to the paint can. Therefore, use of the Jenkins' handle requires the user to bear the weight of the paint can with the forearm muscles to counteract the increase in torque and retain the paint can in a substantially upright or vertical position. When the Jenkins' handle is used, the user must keep his or her forearm substantially perpendicular to his or her body. If the forearm is relaxed, the paint will spill from the container.
Elliott U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,112, discloses a detachable handle which attaches to the rim of a receptacle. The device includes a pair of elongated, metal, superposed plates which reciprocate relative to each other for the purpose of engaging and disengaging the rim of a receptacle. The inner end of the upper plate ends in a rim hook which hooks over, around and under the receptacle rim. The inner end of the lower plate ends in a rounded flange extending perpendicularly to the lower plate for contacting the outer wall of the receptacle. A latching device is provided at the remote end of the upper plate to restrict the relative movement of the lower plate. When the latching device is engaged, the rim hook and the rounded flange clamp between them the wall and rim of the receptacle. A pair of up-turned lips extending from the opposite sides of the lower plate overlie the upper plate. The lips confine the reciprocating movement of the plates to a direction parallel to their mutual longitudinal axes. The Elliott handle relies solely on the rounded flange of the lower plate and the rim hook of the upper plate to secure the handle to the receptacle. Thus, the remote end of the handle is not anchored to the receptacle and the Elliott handle may bend upward under the weight of a heavy paint can. Further, the edges of the metal plates used in the Elliott handle may cut into the user's hand when the handle is used for an extended period of time.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a well anchored detachable handle which allows a paint can to be held vertically for extended periods of time. A detachable handle is needed which reduces the magnitude of the torque on the paint can while retaining the bail away from the center of the container. The present invention supports the paint can vertically with a handle above the center of mass of the paint can, thus allowing the user to substantially relax his or her forearm without spilling paint. The disclosed invention also provides a dual anchored handle which is easily held for extended periods of time and does not interfere with access to the paint within the container.