A radio base station suitable for performing a handover operation for a LTE-variant of a radio access network comprises a transceiver and a status report requester. The transceiver is configured to facilitate wireless transmission between the radio base station and a wireless terminal over an air interface, including transmission of a radio link bearer for the connection over a downlink from the radio base station to the wireless terminal. The status report requester is configured to determine, according to one or more pre-defined criteria, whether to request from the wireless terminal a status report for a radio bearer prior to the radio base station transferring user data for the connection to another radio base station in conjunction with a handover.

In a typical cellular radio system, wireless terminals (also known as mobile stations and/or user equipment units (UEs)) communicate via a radio access network (RAN) to one or more core networks. The wireless terminals can be mobile stations or user equipment units (UE) such as mobile telephones ("cellular" telephones) and laptops with mobile termination, and thus can be, for example, portable, pocket, hand-held, computer-included, or car-mounted mobile devices which communicate voice and/or data with radio access network.
The radio access network (RAN) covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, with each cell area being served by a base station, e.g., a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks is also called "NodeB" or "B node". A cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio base station equipment at a base station site. Each cell is identified by a unique identity within the local radio area, which is broadcast in the cell. The base stations communicate over the air interface (e.g., radio frequencies) with the user equipment units (UE) within range of the base stations.
In some versions (particularly earlier versions) of the radio access network, several base stations are typically connected (e.g., by landlines or microwave) to a radio network controller (RNC). The radio network controller, also sometimes termed a base station controller (BSC), supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural base stations connected thereto. The radio network controllers are typically connected to one or more core networks.
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation mobile communication system, which evolved from the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and is intended to provide improved mobile communication services based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) access technology. UTRAN is essentially a radio access network providing wideband code division multiple access for user equipment units (UEs). The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has undertaken to evolve further the UTRAN and GSM based radio access network technologies.
In some WCDMA networks, as many as a few hundred radio base station nodes may be connected to an RNC. In WCDMA, a radio network controller (RNC) and its subservient radio base stations are collectively known as a Radio Network System (RNS). Similarly, in GSM the radio base stations (typically called "base transceiver stations" or "BTS" in GSM) are connect to a base station controller (BSC) node, with a BSC and its subservient base transceiver stations being collectively referred to as a Base Station Subsystem (BSS).
Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), also referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE), is a variant of a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio base station nodes are connected directly to a core network rather than to radio network controller (RNC) nodes. FIG. 1 shows high level architecture for Long Term Evolution (LTE).
As shown in FIG. 1, E-UTRAN employs a mobility management entity (MME) as a control node. The MME is responsible for idle mode UE tracking and paging procedure including retransmissions. The MME is involved in the bearer activation/deactivation process and is also responsible for choosing the serving gateway (SGW) for a user equipment unit (UE) at the initial attach and at time of intra-LTE handover involving Core Network (CN) node relocation. The MME is responsible for authenticating the user.
In general, in E-UTRAN the functions of a radio network controller (RNC) node are performed by the radio base stations nodes. As such, the radio access network (RAN) has an essentially "flat" architecture comprising radio base station nodes without reporting to radio network controller (RNC) nodes. The evolved UTRAN thus comprises evolved base station nodes, e.g., evolved NodeBs or eNBs, providing evolved UTRA user-plane and control-plane protocol terminations toward the user equipment unit (UE).
FIG. 2 shows the control plane stack for 3GPP LTE architecture; FIG. 3 shows the user plane stack for 3GPP LTE architecture. Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling terminates at the MME and it is also responsible for generation and allocation of temporary identities to UEs. In the control-plane, the NAS protocol, which runs between the MME and the UE, is used for control-purposes such as network attach, authentication, setting up of bearers, and mobility management. All NAS messages are ciphered and integrity protected by the MME and UE. The RRC layer in the eNB makes handover decisions based on neighbor cell measurements sent by the UE, pages for the UEs over the air, broadcasts system information, controls UE measurement reporting such as the periodicity of Channel Quality Information (CQI) reports and allocates cell-level temporary identifiers to active UEs. It also executes transfer of UE context from the source eNB to the target eNB during handover, and does integrity protection of RRC messages. The RRC layer is responsible for the setting up and maintenance of radio bearers. The radio link control (RLC) layer is the layer used to format and transport traffic between the eNodeB and the user equipment unit (UE).
The eNB hosts the following functions (among other functions not listed): (1) functions for radio resource management (e.g., radio bearer control, radio admission control), connection mobility control, dynamic resource allocation (scheduling); (2) mobility management entity (MME) including, e.g., distribution of paging message to the eNBs; and (3) User Plane Entity (UPE), including IP Header Compression and encryption of user data streams; termination of U-plane packets for paging reasons, and switching of U-plane for support of UE mobility. The eNB hosts the physical (PHY), Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) layers that include the functionality of user-plane header-compression and encryption. The eNodeB also offers Radio Resource Control (RRC) functionality corresponding to the control plane. The eNodeB performs many functions including radio resource management, admission control, scheduling, enforcement of negotiated UL QoS, cell information broadcast, ciphering/deciphering of user and control plane data, and compression/decompression of DL/UL user plane packet headers.
The eNBs are connected with each other by means of an X2 interface. The eNBs are also connected by means of an S1 interface to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The S1 interface supports a many-to-many relation between an access gateway (aGW) in the packet core and the eNBs. The S1 interface provides access to the Evolved RAN radio resources for the transport of user plane and control plane traffic. The S1 reference point enables MME and UPE separation and also deployments of a combined MME and UPE solution.
There are two levels of re-transmissions for providing reliability for LTE, namely, the Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) at the MAC layer and outer ARQ at the RLC layer. The outer ARQ is required to handle residual errors that are not corrected by HARQ that is kept simple by the use of a single bit error-feedback mechanism.
As in pre-LTE WCDMA networks, at some point it may be determined that a user equipment unit (UE) has relocated or moved so that it would now be better served by a new base station ("target" base station) rather than the base station which previously served the user equipment unit (the "source" base station). Such determination can be made, for example, upon comparison of signal strength measurements or the like received from the source base station and the target base station. Upon making such a determination, the user equipment unit (UE) participates with the radio access network in a "handover" process whereby traffic involving the user equipment unit (UE) is rerouted to the target base station.
A procedure for an intra-LTE hand-over is shown in FIG. 4. In order to avoid packet losses during hand-over, the procedure involves the transfer of buffered data from the source eNodeB to the target eNodeB. This transfer is started after step 4-4 (e.g., after the hand-over command).
It has been agreed in LTE that, in conjunction with the handover, a radio link control (RLC) protocol context will not be transferred, but rather the complete RLC SDUs that have not been received by the user equipment unit (UE) will be transmitted from the source to the target eNodeB.
In E-UTRAN, the target base station can be referred to as a "target eNodeB" and the source base station can be referred to as a "source eNodeB". In the handover procedure for LTE, knowing exactly which packets of the traffic stream destined to the user equipment unit (UE) need to be rerouted to the target eNodeB (those not already successfully received by the user equipment unit (UE)), and knowing when to perform the handover, can be problematic. Part of the problem resides in the fact that, while the eNodeB sends packets to the user equipment unit (UE), those packets are received by the eNodeB in the form of a larger unit as part of the radio link control (RLC) protocol, the larger unit typically being called a service data unit (SDU).
There are at least two possible ways to determine which Service Data Units (SDU) have been completely received by the user equipment (UE).
As a first way, the eNodeB (i.e., an LTE-base station) can use the HARQ information (ACK/NACK status) to determine which HARQ processes have been successfully received by the user equipment. This information can then be mapped to successfully received RLC protocol data units (PDUs) and finally to RLC SDUs. However, the problem with this solution is that the HARQ feedback signaling is not fully reliable, which can lead to residual packet losses during the hand-over.
As a second way, it is possible to use RLC status report(s) to obtain reliable information on which RLC PDUs have been successfully received in the user equipment. The RLC status report contains an indication of the received and not received RLC PDUs. This information can then be mapped to the undelivered RLC SDUs. This method avoids the problem of residual packet losses, but requires the transmission of the RLC status report from the user equipment to the radio base station (eNodeB). This consumes uplink resources and leads to a delay before the forwarding can start.

Link layer control protocol implementation


A detector detects a first key information piece embedded on one side of one sheet or more than one respective sheets from which image data is read out by a reader, and a second key information piece embedded on the other side thereof or on another sheet. And a comparator compares to each other, the detected first and second key information pieces and judges whether or not these key information pieces are related to each other. Then, a controller permits an output portion to output image data read out from all judgment target sheets if it is judged about all these respective sheets that the first and second key information pieces are related to each other, meanwhile the controller prohibits the output portion from outputting image data read out from one sheet if it is judged about this sheet that those key information pieces are not related to each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus such as a MPF (Multi Function Peripheral) that is a multifunctional digital machine, an image processing method implemented by this image processing apparatus, a computer readable recording medium having an image processing program stored therein to make a computer of the image processing apparatus execute image processing.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
With the development of digital circumstances, which is represented by the recent wide spread of personal computers, false documents can be created easier than before. Furthermore, since the copy quality of copiers has been notably improved, there happens a problem for example, that a copy is made from an original document and some of the sheets are replaced with false ones, and the copy including the false sheets is maliciously distributed as an original document. To cope with such a problem, it is required to ensure the authenticity of an original document.
To prevent illegal document copying, there is an art conventionally suggested by Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-116588, in which a copy operation is prohibited if a particular image is included in any side of a sheet having images on its both sides.
However, the art disclosed in the publication above is intended only to prohibit a copy operation if a particular image is included in any side of a sheet having images on its both sides, and not intended to check the authenticity of the sheet. Therefore, this art is not effective to prevent a problem, for example, that a false document is maliciously distributed as an original document.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.

Image processing apparatus, method, and recording medium for ensuring the authenticity of a document

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


In various embodiments, a base station may be provided. The base station may include a first determiner configured to determine whether user data has been received from a radio communication terminal by the base station; a second determiner configured to determine whether information from which it may be determined that the user data has been received from the radio communication terminal by another base station has been received from the other base station; and a transmitter configured to transmit to the radio communication terminal information indicating whether at least one of the base station and the other base station has received the user data based on at least one of the result of the determination of the first determiner and the result of the determination of the second determiner.

In various cellular communication systems, a packet may be transmitted from a radio communication terminal to one or more base station. An acknowledgment may be sent to the radio communication terminal in case the packet has been properly received in the base station. A negative acknowledgement may be sent to the radio communication terminal in case the packet has not been properly received in the base station. The radio communication may decide on whether to re-transmit the packet, based on whether an acknowledgment or a negative acknowledgement is received in the base station.

Base stations, cellular communication systems, methods for controlling a base station, and methods for controlling a cellular communication system

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


A method and apparatus support delivering a video media stream to a wireless device by exchanging communication signals through a secure communications interface to establish first and second communication channels. The channels may be according to different communication protocols. A first portion of the streamed video media stream over the first communication channel is encrypted while a second portion of the video media stream over the second communication channel is not encrypted. The second portion is based on the first. In addition to encryption of only the first portion, one embodiment includes using different communication protocols for the first and second channels to further enhance secure media delivery.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to wired and wireless communications and, more particularly, to circuitry for accessing shared media.
2. Related Art
In today's world of rapidly changing devices that instantly add tools that become a significant part of everyday life, the Internet has served as a backbone for coupling networks of all types include cellular and wireless local area networks as well as wired networks to create opportunity for the continual advancement of feature based devices. As different devices are developed to operate using these networks, popular features are often limited to the particular devices. Thus, devices are often application specific having application related data formats and associated interfaces that are incompatible. Accordingly, specific functionality corresponds to specific hardware platforms that support specific protocols and interfaces.
Many communication systems, nonetheless, support wireless and wire lined communications between wireless and/or wire lined communication devices to expand global communications. Such communication systems range from national and/or international cellular telephone systems to the Internet to point-to-point in-home wireless networks.
Each type of communication system is constructed to operate to be compatible with one or more communication standards. For instance, wireless communication systems may operate in accordance with one or more standards, including, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, advanced mobile phone services (AMPS), digital AMPS, global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), local multi-point distribution systems (LMDS), multi-channel-multi-point distribution systems (MMDS), and/or variations thereof.
Depending on the type of wireless communication system, a wireless communication device, such as a cellular telephone, two-way radio, personal digital assistant (PDA), personal computer (PC), laptop computer, home entertainment equipment, etc., communicates directly or indirectly with other wireless communication devices. For direct communications (also known as point-to-point communications), the participating wireless communication devices tune their receivers and transmitters to the same channel or channels (e.g., one of a plurality of radio frequency (RF) carriers of the wireless communication system) and communicate over that channel(s).
For indirect wireless communications, each wireless communication device communicates directly with an associated base station (e.g., for cellular services) and/or an associated access point (e.g., for an in-home or in-building wireless network) via an assigned channel. To complete a communication connection between the wireless communication devices, the associated base stations and/or associated access points communicate with each other directly, via a system controller, via a public switch telephone network (PSTN), via the Internet, and/or via some other wide area network.
Each wireless communication device includes a built-in radio transceiver (i.e., receiver and transmitter) or is connected to a radio transceiver (e.g., a station for in-home and/or in-building wireless communication networks, RF modem, etc.). The various circuit blocks of a radio transceiver jointly operate to support communications and associated functionality according to the type of communication system(s) it supports.
As wireless device capabilities have increased, new functionality is developed to enable wireless handheld devices to provide services of all type including data services, communication services, and entertainment services. The wireless communications that support such services, however, often carry proprietary or private data. Accordingly, encryption is sometimes used to protect the wireless communications to prevent capture and evaluation or copying by other devices.

Multi-wireless device channel communications


A medical device includes at least four layers including a first material and a second material having a different stiffness than a stiffness of the first material, wherein at least one of the layers varies in thickness axially along the device.

Intravascular medical devices such as, for example, guide wires, catheters, and medical tubing, allow physicians to perform a medical procedure, such as angioplasty or delivery of an endoprosthesis. In some cases, a device is inserted into a patient's vascular system at a convenient site and subsequently delivered, e.g., pushed, through the vascular system to a target site. The path that the device takes through the vascular system to the target site can be relatively tortuous, for example, requiring the device to change direction frequently.
In some circumstances, it is desirable for the device to have relatively good trackability so that it can travel along the tortuous path. At the same time, the device preferably has good pushability so that forces applied proximally to the device can be transmitted distally to deliver the device.


A fuel gas reformed in a reformer is fed to the anode electrode of a molten carbonate type fuel cell and is used for electrochemical reaction therein, the gas discharged from the anode electrode is introduced into a carbon dioxide separator containing an carbon dioxide absorptive liquid to remove carbon dioxide gas from the exhaust gas, the separated carbon dioxide gas is fed to the cathode electrode of the fuel cell together with air, and the exhaust gas from which carbon dioxide gas has been removed is recirculated to the anode electrode of the fuel cell via the reformer.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of producing electric power with molten carbonate type fuel cell which directry converts chemical energy of fuel to electrical energy, and to an apparatatus for carrying out the method.
2. Background Art
A molten carbonate type fuel cell device is well known in the art. This particular fuel cell device is composed of a plurality of fuel cells stacked one after another with separators being inserted between two adjacent fuel cells. Each fuel cell comprises a tile (electrolyte plate) of a porous substance filled with an electrolyte of a molten carbonate, which tile is sandwiched between a cathode electrode (oxygen plate) and an anode electrode (fuel plate), and an oxidizing gas is fed into the cathode electrode while a fuel gas is supplied into the anode electrode so as to cause a reaction between the cathode and the anode and to produce electric power.
In a case where a hydrocarbon or methanol is employed as a fuel in the electric power-producing system using the molten carbonate type fuel cell, first the fuel gas is reformed to a fuel gas and then fed into the anode of the fuel cell.
As the means of reforming the above-mentioned fuel, an external reformation type and an internal reformation type are popular in the art.
As the conventional external reformation type, one typical system is shown in FIG. 9 of the accompanying drawings, in which a hydrocarbon (natural gas such as methane) that is used as the fuel gas to be fed into the anode b of the fuel cell a is first introduced into the reformer d, and then the hydrogen (H.sub.2) and carbon monoxide (CO) formed therein are introduced into the anode b as the fuel gas and are partially consumed for producing electric power. On the other hand, the anode exhaust gas expelled from the anode b, as containing the non-reacted methane (CH.sub.4), hydrogen (H.sub.2) and carbon monoxide (CO) in addition to the carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and water (H.sub.2 O) generated in the fuel cell 1, is supplied into the combustion chamber of the reformer d through a line e and is combusted therein to product a heat necessary for reformation of the fuel gas. The CO.sub.2 -containing gas exhausted from the combustion chamber of the reformer d passes through a line f to be combined with air A and is fed to the cathode c to be utilized for the cell reaction.
On the other hand, one typical system of the conventional internal reformation type is shown in FIG. 10, in which the reformer d is built in the fuel cell a so that the heat from the fuel cell a is directly utilized for the reforming reaction in the reformer d, the anode exhaust gas to be discharged from the anode b is composed of the same components as those constituting the anode exhaust gas in the case of the above-mentioned external reformation type system and contains the non-reacted CH.sub.4, H.sub.2 and CO. The hydrogen (H.sub.2) is separated from the anode exhaust gas in a hydrogen-separator g and is recirculated to the reformer d thorugh a line h via a fuel feed line i to the reformer d while the remaining CH.sub.4, CO and the non-separated H.sub.2 are combusted in a catalyst combusting device j and are fed into the cathode c together with the air A through a line k (U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,192).
However, in both these external reformation type and internal reformation type systems, the non-reformed CH.sub.4 contained in the gas exhausted from the anode b and CO and H.sub.2 not reacted in the fuel cell are combusted and then fed into the cathode c together with the air. Therefore, these systems have a drawback that the CH.sub.4, CO and H.sub.2 can not be completely utilized in the cell reaction but are combusted to be converted into a heat energy. Hence, the power-producing efficiencty is poor. In addition, the methane (CH.sub.4) which is not reformed in the reformer d would cause a deterioration of the power-producing efficiency. Such a deterioration has to be counterbalanced by a certain measure. For this purpose, generally an amount of the steam for reformation is increased and the reaction temperature for reformation is elevated. Still another problem is that the H.sub.2 and CO not used in the fuel cell would also cause a depression of the power-producing efficiency. If the utilization factor of those gases is raised, the cell potential would drop, and therefore, a part of these H2, and CO are inevitable to remain as they are not used. Moreover, there is still another problem that the non-combusted gas from the fuel cell contains carbon dioxide gas which is a low caloric gas. Therefore, an expensive catalyst combustion device is necessary for combusting the gases.

Electric power producing system using molten carbonate type fuel cell

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.


A rim space sealing device comprising a peripheral sealing ring of over-lapped shoe segments attached to a floating cover within a storage tank. Spring loaded hanger-pushers and horizontal springs keep the peripheral sealing ring of shoe segments pressed against the tank wall and also keep the floating cover centered within the tank. The space between the peripheral sealing ring of shoe segments and the floating cover is covered by a flexible fabric that prevents product loss. Vertical movement of the individual shoe segments over each other is prevented by a series of circumferentially arranged rods. The over-lap of the shoe segments is restricted by a series of bars forming expansion-contraction spaces.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in sealing devices for the rim space between the inner wall of a storage tank and the periphery of a floating cover therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bulk fluids such as petroleum and fuel products are usually stored in large cylindrical tanks. These are commonly designed with floating covers to minimize product losses to the atmosphere. A critical part of the floating cover is the sealing mechanism that is installed in the annular space (rim space) between the floating cover and the inner wall of the storage tank. This sealing mechanism is designed to allow the floating roof to float on the stored product, to maintain a vapor seal, to move easily within the tank as the product levels rise and fall, and to keep the floating cover centered within the tank.
The sealing ring, or shoe type seal, has proven over the years to be the most effective type of sealing device. The shoe type seal consists of a sealing ring that completely encircles the inner periphery of the storage tank wall. This sealing ring is formed of segments that overlap. This configuration allows for expansion and contraction of the sealing ring segment joints. The most common methods of expansion joints are (1) the use of flexible fabric at every 3-5 shoe segments that is riveted or bolted to the shoe segment, and (2) the use of a metal expansion joint that is formed into the shoe segment. The metal expansion joints allow expansion and contraction that allow gaps or openings that exceed accepted gap criteria and promote product loss and environmental pollution.


A ratchet buckle and strap assembly is provided. The ratchet buckle has a passageway configured to slidably receive the strap, a pawl arranged to engage the strap and prevent movement of the strap in a direction from the rear portion toward the front portion, while allowing movement of the strap in a direction from the front portion toward the rear portion of the passageway, and a drive actuator arranged to engage the strap and feed the strap through the passageway from the front portion toward the rear portion of the passageway. The strap may have a plurality of first teeth, and a plurality of separate second teeth. The first teeth may be on a first side of the strap and the second teeth may be on a second side of the strap. The ratchet buckle may be configured such that the pawl is configured to engage a first side of the strap and the drive actuator may be configured to engage a second side of the strap opposite the first side.

Ratchet buckles are used in a variety of applications and, for instance, are known for securing and releasing snowboard binding straps. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,416,952 and 5,745,959 (both assigned to The Burton Corporation) are directed to ratchet buckles which are used in snowboard boot bindings and permit incremental tightening of the binding straps as well as quick release of the buckle and straps. The '959 patent discloses a buckle which is configured to receive a strap. The buckle has a drive actuator for tightening the strap and a pawl for locking the strap. The drive actuator and the pawl engage with teeth located on one side of the strap.


A treatment and containment system for treating an elongate object to be treated. The system comprises surface treatment equipment or device for treating a portion of the elongate object to be treated; a housing defines an enclosed treatment area and separates the enclosed treatment area from an operator of the surface treatment equipment or device, and the housing is opened at opposed ends thereof; each opposed opened end of the housing accommodates a pair of movable doors which seal against the elongate object to be treated and thereby closing each opposed opened end of the housing; the housing has an access aperture therein through which the surface treatment device passes and communicates with the enclosed treatment area, and the access aperture facilitates manipulation of the surface treatment device within the housing; and a transparent viewing aperture facilitates viewing of the elongate object to be treated by the operator.

It is known in the art to apply or propel various substances, materials and/or media, e.g., both abrasive and non-abrasive, against a desired surface in order to "treat" the surface, e.g., polish, clean, abrade, prepare a surface for painting, remove rust, grease or oil, etc. The blasting media may consist of dry or liquid material or a combination thereof with or without a variety of abrasive or non-abrasive constituents added thereto. In many applications, the blasting media is a composite media comprising a combination of two or more components which are mixed or blended together with one another, in the desired proportion, to achieve the desired amount surface treatment, e.g., polishing, cleaning, abrading, remove rust, surface preparation, etc. Application of the blasting media by a pressurized applicator generally results in a substantial quantity of media and contaminants becoming airborne and rebounding off of the surface being treated. This rebounding media must be adequately contained within an enclosed treatment area in order to prevent contamination to the surrounding environment with the media and/or removed contaminants and/or debris from the surface being treated. This is especially true if hazardous materials are being removed from the surface being treated.
Containment systems currently known in the art are used in the treatment of objects or surfaces are to be treated including beams, pipes, fixtures, wall, ceilings panels or some other structure. These systems contain the blasting media and other material, contaminant, debris and hazardous material and suppress the harmful affects to a confined area. However, to treat these objects or surfaces, generally an operator would be required to be located inside the containment area and thus exposed and subjected to such hazardous conditions.
Recently, there has been a trend toward designing containment systems and barriers in which the operator is able to stand and be located completely outside the treatment area.

Containment system or barrier with open/closable doors


An improved conveyor radii is provided for us with a conveyor system of the type in which two rails are spaced apart and parallel with each other and define a conveyor line therebetween. The rails are adapted to rotatably support a plurality of longitudinally spaced axles which extend between the rails and so that a portion of at least one of the axles protrudes laterally outwardly from one of the rails. The improved rail comprises an elongated one piece body which is preferably an extrusion. The body is generally L-shaped in cross sectional shape and thus has a lower and generally horizontal leg and an inner and generally vertical leg. A shield is removably secured between the upper and outer free ends of the vertical leg and horizontal leg, respectively, which encloses the outwardly protruding portion of the axles. The shield, however, is removable when required in order to provide access to the protruding ends of the axles for maintenance purposes.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved conveyor rail for a conveyor system.
II. Description of the Prior Art
There are a number of previously known conveyor systems which include a pair of elongated rails which are spaced apart and parallel to each other and define a conveyor line between them. The rails are adapted to rotatably support a plurality of longitudinally spaced axles along the conveyor line which extend between the rails. Furthermore, at least one end of at least some of the axles protrude laterally outwardly from the rails. Sprocket wheels or the like are secured to this outwardly protruding portion of the axles for connection with the conveyor drive system.
A disadvantage of the previously known rails for conveyor systems is that the rails are generally U-shaped having an upper and lower horizontal leg and an inner and vertically extending central leg extending between the upper and lower horizontal legs. The sprockets which are attached to the outwardly protruding portion of the axles are contained within the cavity formed by the U-shaped rail so that the rail effectively encloses the sprockets secured to the end of the conveyor axles.
These previously known U-shaped conveyor rails thus effectively prevent workers from inadvertently contacting the rail and injuring themselves. Unfortunately, the U-shaped rails also prevent or limit access to the outwardly protruding ends of the axles as well as to the sprockets or drive pulleys which are connected to the outwardly protruding ends of the axles. Consequently, these previously known rail constructions make it difficult to perform maintenance procedures on the axles, their associated drive sprockets, chains and the drive system for the conveyor.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known conveyor rails is that it is frequently necessary for the conveyor rails to support accessories, such as limit switches, sensors, and the like, for use in connection with the conveyor system. It has been the previously known practice to individually measure mounting holes in the conveyor rails for these accessories when fabricating the conveyor rails for a particular conveyor system. Such a procedure, however, is time consuming and thus it increases the overall labor costs for the conveyor system.


Software for designing interior and/or exterior spaces efficiently ensures that user intent is captured in a timely, practical manner. When a user creates an input, such as selecting a shape of a table to put into a design space, the design software creates an initial object that is managed as part of a data structure. Generally, the initial object includes a type element having one or more options. Program code in the created initial object determines an appropriate option based on any number of factors including, but not limited to, elements of the user's original input. A subsequent child object with a set of independent program code is also created, which has as its type the option determined from the previous initial object. The subsequent object also determines its options based on attributes of the user's input, and creates any additional child objects where appropriate.

1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems, methods, and computer program products for modeling the design of commercial and residential interiors, and related spaces.
2. Background and Relevant Art
As computerized systems have increased in popularity, so has the range of applications that incorporate computational technology. Computational technology now extends across a broad range of applications, including a wide range of productivity and entertainment software. Indeed, computational technology and related software can now be found in a wide range of generic applications that are suited for many environments, as well as fairly industry-specific software.
One such industry that has employed specific types of software and other computational technology increasingly over the past few years is that related to building and/or architectural design. In particular, architects and interior designers (or "designers") use a wide range of design software for designing the aesthetic as well as functional aspects of a given residential or commercial space. In some cases, the designer might use some software programs that might be better suited for exterior design, and then use other software programs that might be better suited for interior design. For example, a designer might implement one software program to design an overall look of a building, and then use the software to design or position each of the functional components of the building, such as weight-bearing walls, trusses in a roof, positioning of electrical outlets, and so on. The designer might then use another software program, whether separately, or as an add-on to the first software program, to design functional walls for offices, design where to place work stations, design the position of desks, chairs, lamps, and so forth.
When designing the exterior and/or interior of a given residential or commercial space, the designer will ordinarily need to take care that each of the elements in the design are structurally sound when built. This is because typical design software allows spaces to be fairly configurable to suit the user's tastes without specific regard in many cases to whether the design will actually work. For example, one typical software design program might allow an architect to design a roof or ceiling that is ill-suited for the number or type of weight-bearing walls the architect has presently drawn. If the roof were actually constructed as designed by the architect, the roof or ceiling might collapse. In a situation such as this, however, the builder might indicate to the architect that the design is physically impossible or impractical, and ask for a redesign. This, of course, can lead to any number of inefficiencies.
Part of the problem with many design software programs that can lead to designing physically impractical structures is the notion that many such design problems require some drawing of a space in flat, two-dimensional space. For example, the outside of a building is designed in a view that emphasizes primarily only height and width, while a top ("plan") view of a building is designed in a view that emphasizes primarily only length and width. With views such as these, the designer will either need to independently visualize the three-dimensional spacing, or will need to perform a separate rendering of the design, if the software allows for it.
While three-dimensional rendering is available in some design software, three-dimensional rendering is fairly processing or resource intensive, and can take an additional amount of time. Furthermore, while three-dimensional rendering does allow the designer to "travel" around a design, such as an office, conventional three-dimensional rendering in design software does not typically allow the designer to peek around doors, look under tables, travel through hallways, or look up at ceilings, and the like very effectively. Three-dimensional design software also does not ordinarily accurately capture other natural variables that might affect the positioning of lamps, desks, or computer monitors based on the directly or spread of available natural light, and so on.
In addition, neither the three-dimensional rendering nor the two-dimensional drawing views are designed to accommodate necessary modifications to the objects or walls, based on real-world materials, or other important constraints. For example, a designer might place several L-shaped desks in a work space that are to be arranged back to back against a cubicle wall. In an ordinary environment, positioning the L-shaped desks together might involve a next step of removing a leg where one leg might be shared, or removing a bracket from one of the L-shaped desks for similar reasons. Accordingly, both the two-dimensional views and three-dimensional renderings of conventional design software captures only what is entered, and requires the designer to add or remove parts in a specific drawing to reflect real-world usage.
Once a design has been finalized by a designer, the designer will need to generate one or more parts lists that are reflective of the various dimensions and parts place in any of the design views. The parts list will be used for any number of cost estimate or ordering ends. Unfortunately, there is generally not a convenient way for an accurate parts list to be generated automatically from one or more design views. For example, even though a designer might use a conventional design software program to design one or more views of a space, the designer might need to independently deduce a parts list based from each of the views. In some cases, the designer might hire another person to identify each part, including wood or sheetrock for each wall, as well as the number of brackets or screws needed for each door hinge, desk mount, and the like.
Although there are some software programs that can produce parts lists from generated view, the parts lists are not always accurate. For example, in the case where two L-shaped desks will be adjoined in a work space, a conventional parts list that interfaces with the design software will not ordinarily be able to deduce the correct, specific amount of parts needed for each environment, such as in the case of shared components. Furthermore, the parts lists that are generated are difficult to read, and usually comprise some detailed information in text, or in a stock keeping unit ("SKU"), and do not readily inform the reader exactly what the image looks like. Thus, conventional, automatically generated parts lists must often be edited in painstaking fashion before they can be submitted to an order fulfillment company.
Accordingly, an advantage in the art can be realized with systems, methods, and computer program products that provide a designer with the ability to design spaces in a highly configurable, and yet user-friendly manner. In particular, an advantage can be realized with expert systems that are interoperable with other systems, and are configured to specifically capture a designer's intent in a manner that emphasizes physically possible or practical configurations.

Capturing a user's design intent with resolvable objects


Techniques for forming cast parts for medical devices suitable for contact with internal regions of patients are described herein. Such parts can be small in scale (e.g., having a major axis less than 0.3 inches, and/or a minor axis less than about 0.08 inches), and can be formed from metals that have a high melting point and high reactivity with environmental components or mold surfaces, such as stainless steel and titanium alloys. Such techniques can include injecting molten metal into the sprue of a mold tree such that the side runners are backfilled after the molten metal impacts a closed end of the sprue. Side runners can be oriented in particular directions and positions to promote backfilling. As well, flask temperatures and the use of surfactants can also promote cast part formation, hindering the formation of surface defects.

Metallic medical device parts that are suitable for surgical use and/or implantation in a patient can be difficult to create. Typically, the parts are formed using machining techniques that physically shape and finish the part surfaces. However, when parts reach a small enough scale (e.g., having a major axis below about 0.3 inches and/or a minor axis below about 0.08 inches), the cost of meeting the tolerances required to form such parts with conventional machining can become prohibitively expensive.
Casting provides a potential cost effective, alternative technique for forming such small-scale parts. The casting of medical-grade metals in a molten state for forming such parts, however, presents a number of challenges. In general, metallic materials that are suitable for medical applications are difficult to cast into small-scale pieces owing to their high chemical reactivity at temperatures close to the material's high melting point or range. In particular, as these molten metals are heated higher and higher above their melting point or range, they tend to become more and more reactive (e.g., undergoing oxidation reactions or other unwanted reactions with the mold surface). Such reactions lead to the formation of impurities that contaminate the metal parts, which result in various detrimental consequences. The presence of impurities skews the composition of the metal such that it may not meet the desired standard of a medical-grade material, thereby disallowing the use of the cast piece for the intended application. As well, the presence of the impurities can detrimentally affect the mechanical properties of the metallic material (e.g., lowering the strength of the material). Furthermore, such reactions can lead to surface texturing, which results in substantial, undesirable roughness on the surface of the cast piece. For example, using the surface roughness value Ra, as known in the art for characterizing surface roughness, cast pieces utilizing stainless steel alloys and/or titanium alloys are typically exhibit an Ra value between about 100 and 200 under good working conditions. Indeed, the production of small-scale cast pieces with such materials can be very difficult since the scale of the roughness features approaches the scale of the individual piece. These detrimental effects drive one to use lower temperatures for filling molds. If the temperature of the molten metal is not heated enough, however, the casting material can cool too quickly, leading to incomplete filling of the cast mold.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved techniques of casting small-scale metal pieces such that appropriately sized medical parts can be cast for use in surgical and implantation applications.

Cast parts with improved surface properties and methods for their production


Embodiments relate to extracting contact information from streaming voice data. An aspect includes a speech recognition module configured to transcribe a stream of voice data representing at least a portion of a telephone conversation into text data; a contact information extraction module configured to extract contact information from the text data; and a transceiver configured to send at least a portion of the contact information to a recipient calling device.

The present disclosure relates generally to speech recognition, and more specifically, to identifying and retrieving contact information in streaming voice data.
The digitization of telephone voice data has promoted the development of voice capture systems, speech recognition systems and data analysis systems directed to the field of switched telephone networks. Speech recognition applications are available to analyze digital voice data in an attempt to transcribe an accurate written-language record of speech.
For example, a voice capture system has been used with a telephone switching system and transcribing terminals to record calling party generated information in predefined formats, digitize and record messages generated by calling parties served by the telephone switching system, and record recognized terminology occurring within the calling party voice messages as file records. Associated transcribing terminals are available to display file record terminology in predefined formats. Recorded digitized calling party messages typically have been transmitted as audio messages via a telephone coupled with the telephone switching system.
Answering machines and voice messaging, or voicemail, services are available to record and store voice data of an incoming caller. Speech recognition is available to convert voice messages into written-language text. Methods and devices are available to extract certain information from recorded voice messages, such as telephone numbers, meeting times and locations. For example, data or information typically has been extracted from voice messages based on identified predetermined key phrases using voice recognition and pattern matching technology.
Automatic number identification (ANI), may provide so-called caller identification, or caller ID. Telephone service providers generally cooperate through the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to provide the telephone call recipient with a telephone number or name registered with the telephone service provider corresponding to the outgoing or originating calling device. For example, the registered name or telephone number associated with the outgoing calling device may be displayed on the incoming or recipient calling device upon receipt of a phone call. Similarly, a dialed number identification service (DNIS) may provide an outgoing or originating calling device with the registered name or telephone number associated with an receiving calling device.
However, some caller identification systems often do not provide useful contact information. Generally, a caller may block caller identification systems from receiving caller information. Outgoing calls from a private branch exchange (PBX), such as those implemented by many business entities, often cannot be associated with a specific calling device or individual. Most individuals access multiple calling devices, for example, depending on the time of day or current location of the caller, but many existing caller identification systems provide only one telephone number.

Computer-based streaming voice data contact information extraction

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


Systems and methods for enhanced diagnosis of transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis in a subject are disclosed. The systems and methods may use both SPECT imaging data as well as an anatomical imaging data, such as computed tomography (CT) data, to produce a combined image. Within the combined image, the radiotracer uptake between two volumes of interests are compared, one of which may represent the left ventricle of the subject and the other may represent the blood pool retention of the subject. Combining the anatomical imaging data with SPECT data enables better anatomical delineation and helps in avoiding areas with coronary or lymph node calcifications and overlying soft tissue and bony pathologies.

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a progressive and fatal cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) that has been grossly underdiagnosed [Ref. 1-4]. In one study, 17% patients with HFpEF who had no ante-mortem suspicion of CA were found to have CA at autopsy [Ref. 3]. A high prevalence (13.9 to 16%) of occult cardiac transthyretin related amyloid (ATTR) has also been noted in patients with aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) [Ref. 5,6]. Amyloidosis is caused by a progressive extracellular deposition of insoluble fibrils that are composed of variety of serum proteins, leading to tissue destruction and organ function impairment [Ref. 7]. Amyloid is classified based on the protein that led to its deposition [Ref. 8]. The two most common types of cardiac amyloid that can cause heart failure are light chain amyloid (AL) and ATTR [Ref. 9-12]. It is essential to differentiate between these two types of amyloid as they are managed differently [Ref. 11,13,14]. The current gold standard for diagnosis of CA is endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) followed by mass spectrometry for amyloid subtyping on the biopsied tissue [Ref. 15,16]. Immunohistochemistry is also used for amyloid subtyping, with variable reliability [Ref. 15,17]. EMB is an invasive procedure and can lead to complications such as myocardial perforation, arrhythmias, pneumothorax and pulmonary embolization. The reported rate of complications ranges from less than 1 to 6 percent [Ref. 18,19]. In addition, these methods require significant expertise for both the vascular interventional procedure and the pathologic interpretation, which are not widely available. Therefore, there has been an unmet need for alternative non-invasive methods for diagnosing and differentiating between different types of cardiac amyloidosis. Noninvasive procedures like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and echocardiography can be helpful in differentiating restrictive cardiomyopathy caused by amyloid deposition from other types of cardiomyopathy, but neither imaging method can reliably differentiate between amyloid types [Ref. 20-26].
It has been known that cardiac amyloidosis can be detected by planar scintigraphy using bone seeking radiotracers like 99mTc-3,3-diphophono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (DPD), 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MPD), and 99mTc-pyrophosphate (PYP). However, these studies failed to recognize the need to differentiate ATTR from AL, and therefore concluded there was low sensitivity for detection of CA. Hence, its clinical use was not further studied [Ref. 27-30]. But with recent understanding that these radiotracers are highly sensitive and specific for ATTR CA [Ref. 31-34], there has been a reemergence in the interest for non-invasive diagnosis and differentiation of different types of cardiac amyloid. The currently used 2-D planar scintigraphy based heart to contralateral (HCL) ratio has shown an excellent diagnostic accuracy for detecting ATTR-CA. However, planar images have potential diagnostic limitations particularly in patients with bone pathologies, recent thoracic surgeries, myocardial infarction, cardiac trauma, renal failure and altered thoracic anatomy, which may lead to thoracic uptake of PYP unrelated to cardiac amyloid.
An alternative option to 2-D scintigraphy that has been recently studied has been to use SPECT/CT. In a recent study by Moore et al., 99mTc-DPD SPECT/CT was used for assessment of cardiac amyloidosis in 21 subjects with heart failure due to amyloid (8 AL and 13 ATTR) [Ref. 39]. In that study a semi-quantitative visual scoring of cardiac retention was evaluated in accordance with criteria proposed by Perugini et al. [Ref. 40]. The results of the study showed a 100% sensitivity (Sn) but only 75% specificity (Sp) for detection of ATTR-CA. Similar results were observed in this study with quantitative comparison of cardiac retention relative to bone retention (sternum) (Sn=94.1% and Sp=80%). Comparison of the cardiac radiotracer retention relative to bone retention was used in this study and is a standard technique.
In a different study, Yamamoto et al. [Ref. 41] described a quantitative method, the PYP score, based on SPECT alone. It was defined as the ratio of myocardial mean counts to ventricular cavity mean counts and was used to assess the utility of 99mTc-PYP for evaluation for cardiac amyloidosis in 13 subjects with heart failure due to amyloid (1 AL, 3 ATTRm, and 8 ATTRwt) and 37 subjects with heart failure attributable to non-amyloid causes. The PYP score was found to have a Sn of 84.6% and Sp of 94.5% for differentiating cardiac amyloidosis from non-amyloid causes of heart failure.
What is needed therefore is an improved system and method for enhanced diagnosis of transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis in a subject.

Systems and methods for enhanced diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research


A dither drive system for a ring laser gyroscope includes a computer, a digital to analog converter, a filter, and a power amplifier. The system senses the dither frequency of the gyro frame and produces a digital signal that corresponds to a specified dither drive signal and toggles the dither drive signal to drive the flexure at its resonant frequency. The dither drive system generates digital waveforms that approximate the sine function and digital waveforms that approximate the cosine function and applies the digital waveforms in quadrature to the flexure.

This invention relates generally to rotation sensors and particularly to ring laser gyroscope rotation sensors. This invention relates particularly to dither drive apparatus and methods for preventing mode locking in ring laser gyroscopes. Still more particularly, this invention is directed to a dither drive technique that uses computer-generated signals to control a set of piezoelectric torquers that dither a ring laser gyroscope.
A ring laser gyroscope employs the Sagnac effect to detect rotation. Counter-propagating light beams in a closed loop will have transit times that differ in direct proportion to the rotation rate of the loop about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the loop. The ring laser gyroscope uses the resonant properties of a closed cavity to convert the Sagnac phase difference between the counterpropagating beams into a frequency difference. In an active ring laser gyroscope the cavity defined by the closed optical path becomes an oscillator, and output beams from the two directions interfere to give a beat frequency that is a measure of the rotation rate. The high optical frequencies of about 10.sup.15 Hz for light used in ring laser gyroscopes cause the minute phase changes to become beat frequencies that are readily measured.
When the rotation rate of a ring laser gyroscope is within a certain range, the frequency difference between the beams disappears. This phenomenon is called frequency lock-in, or mode locking, and is a major difficulty with the ring laser gyroscope because at low rotation rates it causes a false indication that the device is not rotating. The range of rotation rates over which lock-in occurs is the deadband of the ring laser gyroscope.
Lock-in arises from coupling of light between the beams. The coupling results primarily from backscatter off the mirrors that confine the beams to the closed path. Backscatter causes the beam in each direction to include a small component having the frequency of the beam propagating in the other direction. The lock-in effect in a ring laser gyroscope is similar to the coupling that has long been observed and understood in conventional electronic oscillators.
Any inability to accurately measure low rotation rates reduces the effectiveness of a ring laser gyroscope in a navigational system. There has been a substantial amount of research and development work to reduce or eliminate the effects of lock-in and to enhance the effective use of ring laser gyroscopes in such systems.
There are several known approaches to solving the problems of lock-in. Various biasing techniques have been employed to avoid the dead band so that lock-in would not be a problem in ring laser gyroscope operation. Biasing techniques can be divided into mechanical and optical techniques and into fixed and dithered bias techniques.
One approach involves mechanically oscillating the ring laser gyroscope about its sensor axis so that the device is constantly sweeping through the deadband. This mechanical oscillation of the ring laser gyroscope is usually called dithering. A typical ring laser gyroscope may be dithered at about 400 Hz with an angular displacement of a few arc minutes.
The amplitude of the dithering must be carefully controlled and monitored to minimize the effects of lock-in. Since the dither oscillation angular velocity and displacement relative to a support structure can be constantly monitored, they may be excluded from the output signal of the ring laser gyroscope. However, it has been found that a constant dithering amplitude is inadequate to eliminate all of the effects of lock-in.
Another approach to reducing lock-in error is to superimpose a random signal upon the amplitude of the dither driving amplifier. A random bias technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,472. Several rather severe disadvantages to the random bias technique have been found, however. The phase error, even though randomized by the technique described in this patent, is not eliminated and still remains a relatively large source of error.
When the sign of the frequency difference reverses, the two beams tend to lock-in since at some point the frequency difference between the beams is zero. Since the output angle of the ring laser gyroscope is generally derived from the frequency difference, which locks in to indicate a zero rotation rate even if the actual rotation rate is non-zero, an error accumulates in the output angle. The periods of time when the two beams are locked in are usually very short so that the resulting output angle error is very small for any single sign change. Nevertheless, the error resulting from lock-in during sign reversal of the frequency difference is cumulative, and in time may become significant, particularly in precision navigational systems. This error is usually the major contributor to the random walk or random drift.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,311 to Morgan et al. is directed to a dithered ring laser gyro system in which the phase relationship between a pair of beams is accounted for. This phase may be used in a feedback loop for error control or it may be utilized to generate a set of error parameters for error correction. Morgan et al. regards the phase offset and the coupling efficiency of the two beams as being independent of time and temperature. However, the phase offset and the beam coupling efficiency are time and temperature dependent, which limits the accuracy of the error correction disclosed in Morgan et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,534 to Elbert is directed to the elimination of errors induced in dithered ring laser gyroscopes. Elbert discloses the use of a regression algorithm for minimizing lock-in. For a short time on both sides of zero velocity a trace of the rotation rate is stored in a computer memory. When there is no lock-in, this trace is a parabola. Deviations from the parabola are indicative of the lock-in rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,297 to Simpson et al. is directed to the use of phase differences between the alternating components in the counterpropagating beams to minimize lockin in a ring laser gyroscope. Signals indicative of the phase differences in the separate beams are input to a mirror driver circuit that drives two cavity length control mirrors to control the phase difference. Simpson et al discloses that the preferred phase difference between the beams for minimum lock-in is 180.degree..
In present dithered ring laser gyroscope systems, elaborate dither drive hardware is used to generate the proper frequency and amplitude for the signals applied to the piezoelectric transducers. A navigation system must include sensors for measuring rotations about three mutually orthogonal axes. Three ring laser gyroscopes may be mounted on an instrument block on three mutually orthogonal surfaces to measure rotations of the device in which the instrument block is mounted. Lines perpendicular to these surfaces define the sensing axes of the three gyros.
Unfortunately dithering one of the ring laser gyros can cause the sensing axes of the other two gyros to deviate from the desired lines. This deviation of the sensing axes is known as "coning" because the sensing axis of each gyro moves to define a cone centered on the line that defines the desired orientation of the sensing axis. U.S. patent application No. 740,371, filed June 3, 1985 discloses a dither drive system in which computer generated signals are used to reduce coning. That application discloses driving each gyro with a drive signal having a distinct frequency; generating a signal indicative of the coning motion of each gyro; demodulating the signals to determine the components of the motion that are not about the desired sensing axis; deriving virtual drive signal components corresponding to the the off-axis components; and combining the virtual drive signal components with the drive signals to reduce the off axis-components.

Ring laser gyroscope dither drive system and method


Concepts and technologies for providing virtualized network monitoring as a service are provided. In an embodiment, a method can include providing, by a processor of a computer system within a service host network, a network monitoring portal to a user equipment associated with a private network. The method also can include receiving, from the user equipment via the network monitoring portal, access credentials that enable access to the private network. The method can include receiving a selection of a plurality of network monitoring service modules for monitoring the private network, and instantiating a plurality of virtual network monitoring probes that each correspond to at least one of the plurality of network monitoring service modules selected. The method can include injecting the plurality of virtual network monitoring probes within the private network, where the virtual network monitoring probes are activated in response to being injected within the private network.

As computing demands fluctuate, commercial enterprises are frequently turning to a distributed computing architecture to meet their computing needs, such as via use of cloud computing. Cloud computing generally refers to a computing environment with dynamically scalable resources that may be virtualized and available for user access in diverse computing locations. In some instances, commercial enterprises may configure a cloud computing environment to be a private network that allows their employees and users to connect, utilize, and communicate workloads across the cloud environment. However, concerns regarding cost, performance, latency, reliability, and security may present significant challenges for commercial enterprises who may be attempting to operate their private network in an economically viable manner. Conventional techniques for managing and controlling private networks may leave the data streams visible to various computing systems, thereby increasing privacy concerns of the commercial enterprises. Moreover, conventional solutions may rely on reactive network problem solving in which an electronic trouble ticket is submitted for review by a human operator that may only receive limited and/or solid information from the electronic trouble ticket. These conventional techniques may leave the private network exposed to computing threats and inefficiency.

Virtualized intelligent and integrated network monitoring as a service


A night vision system for a vehicle includes a vehicle directional sensor generating a vehicle directional signal when the vehicle is changing bearing. A night vision camera generates a camera signal. A camera motor directs the night vision camera. A camera motor control unit receives the vehicle directional signal from the vehicle directional sensor and responds by activating the camera motor.

The present invention relates generally to a night vision system and more particularly to a night vision system that is responsive to vehicle steering systems.
Night vision systems are utilized to allow a user to see objects at relatively low visibility light levels. Examples of night vision technologies are image enhancement and thermal imaging.
Image enhancement functions through collecting the tiny amounts of light, including the near infrared light spectrum, that are present but may be imperceptible to human eyes, and amplifying the light to a point at which the image can easily be observed.
Thermal imaging operates by capturing the far infrared light spectrum, which is emitted as heat by objects instead of simply reflected as light. Hotter objects, such as warm bodies, emit more of this light than cooler objects such as trees or buildings.
Night vision systems typically are classified as either passive or active. In known, passive, night vision systems used in automotive applications, far infrared cameras are used to image objects using the ambient infrared light emitted by the objects in the environment. Far infrared night vision systems have relatively few pixels and, accordingly, images formed using such cameras have low video resolution and a relatively narrow field of view. Known active night vision systems utilize a near-infrared (NIR) diode laser or a filtered incandescent light source. The NIR light is subsequently reflected off objects in the environment and is received by a camera. The camera generates a video signal responsive to received light.
Current night vision systems have a camera rigidly fixed in the vehicle pointing straight ahead. This arrangement works well if the vehicle remains relatively flat and steady while travelling in a straight line. However, this scenario is rarely achieved. Given that the camera is designed to focus beyond the range of the headlights, a pitch of a single degree can cause a shift of over twelve feet in the image. This can be distracting to a driver viewing a display of the imaged area on, for example, a Heads Up Display (HUD).
In addition, while on a curved road, the driver will be focusing, and the vehicle travelling, in a direction different than where the camera is pointing providing very little useful information to the driver.
The disadvantages associated with current night vision systems for automobiles have made it apparent that a new night vision system is needed. This new system should provide increased night vision information during most vehicle operating conditions including curves and hills.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a night vision system for a vehicle is provided. The system includes a motion or directional sensor coupled to the vehicle and adapted to generate a vehicle directional signal when the vehicle is changing bearing (i.e. undergoing a turn, ascending or descending); a night vision camera adapted to generate a camera signal; a camera motor adapted to direct the night vision camera; and a camera motor control unit adapted to receive the vehicle directional signal from the directional sensor and respond by activating the camera motor.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a night vision method for a vehicle is provided. The method includes sensing that the vehicle is changing bearing; generating a vehicle directional signal; activating a camera motor control unit adapted to direct a night vision camera in response to the vehicle directional signal; rotating the night vision camera; steadying an image from the night vision camera; and displaying the image on an image view screen.
The present invention enhances the utility of night vision systems far beyond present ranges of use by providing added night vision information during various vehicle operating conditions including turns. The aforementioned system directs the night vision camera while the vehicle is turning rather than having a constant view along the instantaneous direction of travel of the vehicle, as currently exists in the art.


A hummingbird feeder comprising a two-part housing and a vessel unit supported by the housing. The vessel unit may be prefilled with a sugar and water solution. Once the sugar and water solution has been emptied from the vessel unit, the two housing pieces may be separated, the empty vessel unit removed, and a full new vessel unit placed inside the housing. Alternatively, the vessel unit may be refilled.

This application relates generally to bird feeders and, more particularly, to a hummingbird feeder which supplies an aqueous nutrient solution to hummingbirds.
In part due to their unique characteristics such as rapid wing beat, people like to watch hummingbirds. Consequently, people who live in areas inhabited by hummingbirds encourage their presence via the use of hummingbird feeders. Hummingbird feeders differ from conventional bird feeders in that they provide a solution of granulated sugar and water as opposed to dry feed.
There are basically three types or configurations of hummingbird feeders. The first type utilizes a tube extending from the bottom of a bottle such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,662. This type of hummingbird feeder exposes the solution which the hummingbirds eat at the bottom of the tube at all times, thus attracting bees, ants, and other unwanted insects to the feeder. In addition, this type of feeder requires frequent cleaning and refilling to be effective. This type of feeder is also susceptible to xe2x80x9cdrool effectxe2x80x9d, wherein the fluid in the tube is forced out of the tube by thermal expansion of the air inside the bottle. If left outside for too long between cleanings, the aqueous solution will ferment or become sour, causing the hummingbirds to ignore the feeder in favor of more suitable food sources. Direct exposure to sunlight exacerbates the fermentation process.
A second type of hummingbird feeder comprises a bottle or jar, the neck of which is located inside a pan. This type of hummingbird feeder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,682,835 and 3,720,184. This type of feeder utilizes an internal vacuum to meter the flow of the solution of the bottle according to demand from the hummingbirds. Although this type of hummingbird feeder does not have solution immediately accessible to insects, it can be subject to the xe2x80x9cdrool effectxe2x80x9d and it does require the same frequent cleaning as described above with regard to the first type of feeders. In order to reduce the frequency of the requisite cleaning, these types of feeders are commonly very large in capacity, onerous to handle during cleaning and wasteful because the birds may not be able to consume all of the solution prior to fermentation. Partial filling of large bottles invites the xe2x80x9cdrool effect.xe2x80x9d Direct exposure to sunlight also causes the fermentation process to occur in these types of feeders.
The third type of feeder is a pan with a cover, which, like the other two types of feeders, requires frequent cleaning. In addition, this type of feeder often allows access to the aqueous solution by bees when full because the fluid level is variable.
Regardless of which type of hummingbird feeder is used, the entire feeder must be cleaned regularly, thus requiring regular, careful maintenance to keep attracting hummingbirds and avoid harming the birds due to the existence of cleaning agents resulting from cleaning the feeders. In addition, hummingbirds feeding from an existing aqueous solution contaminate the feeder with residue, i.e. pollen, mold, etc. that the individual hummingbird has transported from other hummingbird feeders and/or flowers. Thus, the source of aqueous solution is consistently being contaminated as it is being consumed.
Another difficulty with each of the types of feeders described hereinabove is that the owner of the hummingbird feeder must prepare a suitable aqueous solution using the right ingredients, mixed in the proper proportions, in a safe manner, and avoid exposing the birds to potentially harmful chemical contaminants left over from cleaning. In doing so, boiled water is frequently used, as opposed to tap water, to ensure the safety of the solution. Thus, filling the hummingbird feeder with an aqueous solution (food for hummingbirds) is a time-consuming, arduous proposition. Therefore, it has been one objective of the present invention to provide a hummingbird feeder which provides an aqueous nutrient solution in a safe, clean manner.
Further, it is another objective of the present invention to provide a hummingbird feeder which need not be frequently cleaned and thus exposed to harmful cleaning chemicals.
It is a further objective of the present Invention to provide a hummingbird feeder which is self-shading and self-cooling, thus slowing the fermentation process of the aqueous solution inside the feeder.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a hummingbird feeder in which the fluid level of the feeder may be visually monitored at any time.
The invention of this application which accomplishes these objectives comprises a hummingbird feeder which may be quickly and easily placed on any structure such as the side of a building, a fence post, a window or a tree. The hummingbird feeder comprises of a two-part housing, including a front housing piece and a rear housing piece, the housing pieces being adapted to be removably coupled together. The housing is preferably made of plastic but may be made of any other material. One type of plastic which has proven to be effective is polycarbonate.
A vessel unit is removably located inside the housing. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a vessel portion of the vessel unit is prefilled with a sugar and water solution which is food for the hummingbirds. Once the sugar and water solution has been used, the vessel unit may be disposed or recycled. The disposable vessel unit comprises a generally cylindrical vessel portion and a pan portion in fluid communication with the vessel portion. Although one configuration of vessel unit is illustrated and described, the vessel unit may assume other configurations in accordance with the present invention. The pan portion is able to hold less volume than the vessel portion and is located in front thereof. The pan portion of the vessel unit has a feeder hole therethrough which may be removably covered by a cap or seal. When one wishes to utilize the disposable vessel unit, one peels off the cap or seal, thus exposing the feeder hole.
The pan portion of the vessel unit projects through an opening formed in the front housing piece so as to expose the feeder hole to hummingbirds interested in feeding at the feeder.
An adjustable arcuate perch is secured to the front housing piece and is used by the hummingbirds when feeding. Other configurations of perches may be incorporated into the present invention if desired. In addition, the user may bend or otherwise modify the perch to accommodate different species of hummingbirds.
The disposable vessel unit is preferably made of a clear material so that one may monitor the fluid level inside the vessel unit. One material which has proven satisfactory in this regard is high-density polyethylene. However, any other clear material will function satisfactorily and may be used.
In operation, one takes a disposable vessel unit and removes the cap from the pan portion of the unit so as to expose the feeder hole. Then one hangs the disposable vessel unit from the rear housing piece support in order to locate the disposable vessel unit in place. One then couples the front housing piece to the rear housing piece to complete the housing with the disposable vessel unit therein. In this manner, the hummingbird feeder of the present invention may be quickly and easily assembled. When the sugar and water solution inside the disposable vessel unit has been exhausted, the vessel unit is removed and a full vessel unit is hung from the support of the rear housing piece before the front housing piece is coupled to the rear housing piece. The emptied vessel unit may be disposed or preferably, recycled.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the vessel unit is not prefilled but rather empty when purchased by the user. The vessel portion of the vessel unit has a neck with a threaded exterior surface to receive a removable cap. The user may fill the vessel unit with sugar and water solution as he or she desires.
In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the vessel unit has a valve incorporated therein. Use of the valve permits the user to keep the fluid in the vessel portion of the vessel unit until he or she is ready to use the vessel unit. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following description of the drawings.

Hummingbird feeder having removable vessel unit


The invention relates to a cathode for electrolytic processes provided with a catalytic coating based on ruthenium crystallites with highly controlled size falling in a range of 1-10 nm. The coating can be produced by physical vapor deposition of a ruthenium or ruthenium oxide layer.

The use of metallic electrodes provided with catalytic coatings in electrolytic applications is known in the art. Electrodes comprising a metal base (for instance made of titanium, zirconium or other valve metals, nickel, stainless steel, copper or alloys thereof) equipped with a coating based on noble metals or alloys thereof are, for instance, used as hydrogen-evolving cathodes in water or chlor-alkali electrolysis processes. In the case of cathodes for hydrogen electrolytic evolution, particularly relevant are coatings containing ruthenium, as metal or more frequently as ruthenium oxide, optionally in admixture with valve metal oxides. Electrodes of such kind may be produced by thermal processes, through the decomposition of precursor solutions of the metals to be deposited by suitable thermal treatments, or less frequently by galvanic electrodeposition from suitable electrolytic baths.
These preparation methods are capable of producing ruthenium catalysts characterised by a great variability of crystal lattice parameters, presenting a fair catalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution reaction, non perfectly correlated with the crystallite average size. The best catalysts produced by thermal decomposition of salt precursor solutions can, for instance, present a crystal average size of about 10-40 nm with a standard deviation of 2-3 nm, the relevant catalytic activity being moderately increased for samples at the lower end of the range.
In an industrial electrolytic process, the catalytic activity of the electrodes is directly reflected on the operating voltage of the electrolysers, and therefore on energy consumption. For this reason, it would be desirable to obtain catalysts with an increased activity towards gas evolution reactions, for instance towards the reaction of cathodic hydrogen evolution.

Electrode for electrolytic processes with controlled crystalline structure


The present invention relates to dehumidification equipment and more particularly, to a dehumidification system and method for use in hazardous locations. In particular, there is provided a desiccant wheel assembly for use in a dehumidification system. The desiccant wheel assembly includes a cabinet and a desiccant wheel rotatively mounted within the cabinet. The desiccant wheel has a core impregnated with a desiccant material and an electrically conductive outer shell surrounding the core. Means are provided for driving rotation of the desiccant wheel within the cabinet. The desiccant wheel assembly further includes a static control device connected to a ground and associated with the desiccant wheel for discouraging the build-up of electrostatic charges on the desiccant wheel during rotation thereof. A dehumidification system comprising such a desiccant wheel assembly is also described along with a method for dehumidifying air in an enclosed space using a desiccant wheel dehumidification system.

Humidity control is a primary concern in many industries. Accordingly, over the years, various techniques have been developed to address these concerns. One such technique to control humidity combines cooling and condensation principles to remove humidity from air. The air in an enclosed space is cooled until it reaches a temperature below its dew point temperature at which time the moisture in the air condenses on the nearest surface. Conventional cooling-based dehumidification systems typically include a cooling coil, a condensing coil and a compressor.
While these types of systems are capable of extracting moisture from the air, it should be noted that they are primarily designed for cooling air. Nonetheless, the use of cooling-based dehumidification systems in industrial facilities and installations remains relatively widespread. Some cooling-based dehumidification systems have even been used on work sites located in generally hazardous environments where significant explosion or ignition hazards tend to exist. A readily apparent advantage associated with these cooling-based dehumidification systems resides in the fact that these systems do not generate high temperature air streams which could otherwise ignite flammable vapours or gases in the ambient air. The use of such systems however has had mixed results. While these systems have tended to be effective at removing moisture from the air in regions where the ambient temperature is generally warm and the humidity is relatively high, they have tended not to perform well in regions where the climate tends to be colder. In particular, cooling-based dehumidification systems tend to become inefficient at removing moisture from the air when the dew point of the air approaches 0° C. because at that temperature the moisture freezes on the condensing coil. Accordingly, cooling-based dehumidification systems have been found to be ill-suited for use in hazardous environments located in cold climates.
Another known humidity control technique relies on differences in vapour pressure to remove water vapour from air. When air is humid it has a relatively high water vapor pressure. In contrast, a dry desiccant surface tends to have a low water vapour pressure. When the moist air comes in contact with the desiccant surface, the water molecules will move from the humid air to the desiccant surface in an effort to equalize the differential pressure. In the result, the humid air will be dried. Since these systems do not involve any liquid condensate, they can continue to remove moisture efficiently even when the dew point of the air is below freezing. In fact, the performance of such desiccant-based dehumidification systems tends to improve in colder temperatures. It will thus be appreciated that such systems do not suffer from the same drawback traditionally associated with cooling-based dehumidification systems.
Desiccant-type dehumidification systems typically employ a rotating desiccant wheel whose core is impregnated with desiccant material. The desiccant wheel includes a process section and a regeneration section. In operation, an air stream from the enclosed space flows through the process section in one direction, while simultaneously another, heated air stream through the regeneration section in an opposite direction, all the while the desiccant wheel rotates slowly about its longitudinal axis. As the air flows through the process section, the desiccant material in the core extracts moisture from the air. The thus treated air is returned to the enclosed space in a dehumidified state. The desiccant material is regenerated by the heated air stream which flows through the reactivation section of the desiccant wheel.
While such systems tend perform well in colder climates, conventional desiccant-type dehumidification systems have tended not to be employed in hazardous environments. This is because proper functioning of a conventional desiccant wheel requires the use of a heated air stream and a thermal energy source for regeneration (usually electricity). Both of these requirements tend to create significant explosion and ignition risks in a hazardous environment. Moreover, the risk of explosion or ignition is further compounded by the fact that rotation of the wheel and the drying action of the desiccant tend to promote the generation of significant static electrical charges. The build-up of these static electrical charges can result in electrostatic discharge causing sparking. In a hazardous location, sparking can ignite flammable or combustible vapours in the ambient air.
Accordingly, there is a need for a desiccant-based dehumidification system that is versatile and that may be safely deployed in hazardous environments while minimizing the risks of explosion and/or ignition.


A dewatering device for an internal combustion engine having an engine body with a lower portion, an exterior wall, and a combustion chamber formed in the engine body, the dewatering device comprising a normally closed dewatering valve detachably secured to the exterior wall, a valve activating member, and a bracket for supporting the valve activating member on the lower portion of the engine body. The dewatering valve is spring loaded and moves between a normally closed position and an open position upon operation of the valve activating member, thereby allowing evacuation of water from the combustion chamber.

This invention relates to gasoline engines, and more particularly to an internal combustion engine, which can be used in humid environment or on watercraft in such applications as, for instance, an outboard motor.
Internal combustion engines are extensively used in many industrial applications, including marine applications. The engines are designed to generate power for long periods of time on a dependable basis. Of particular concern is operation of the internal combustion engine in humid environment or where the engine is exposed to water. Sometimes, the moisture seeps into the engine block, significantly hampering performance or even rendering the entire motor useless. It is also not uncommon for an engine to become submerged under water. After submersion, the engine becomes hydro-locked, with water trapped between the piston and head in the combustion chamber. The engine becomes impossible to crank. In such cases, water must be evacuated from the engine in order to restore it to an operating condition.
Dewatering of the engine can be a lengthy process, requiring special equipment, which can be found only in professional repair shops. The present invention addresses this problem and provides a means of removing water from an engine block of an internal combustion engine in situ.


A method for etching a polysilicon gate is disclosed, wherein the polysilicon gate includes an undoped polysilicon portion and a doped polysilicon portion that is situated on the undoped polysilicon portion. The method includes: obtaining a thickness of the undoped polysilicon portion and a thickness of the doped polysilicon portion by using an optical linewidth measurement device; and etching the undoped polysilicon portion and the doped polysilicon portion by using two respective steps with different parameters, respective etching time for the undoped polysilicon portion and the doped polysilicon portion of every wafer being adjusted in real time by using an advanced process control system. This method enables the doped and undoped polysilicon portions of each polysilicon gate on every wafer to have substantially consistent profiles between each other.

In processes of 65 nm technology node and below, in order to reduce the resistance and the parasitic depletion-region capacitance of a polysilicon gate and thereby to improve the overall performance of the device, part of the polysilicon gate is usually doped with a certain amount of dopant ions and thereby the polysilicon gate is formed into a composite structure consisting of a doped upper portion and an undoped lower portion. However, in such structure, affected by the existence of the dopant ions, the doped portion has an etching rate higher than that of the undoped portion even under the same etching and cleaning conditions, which leads to different profiles between the doped portion and undoped portion after etch, as shown in FIG. 1, wherein an etched doped portion 104 and an etched undoped portion 103 are formed on a gate oxide layer 102 that is formed on a semiconductor substrate 101, and the etched doped portion 104 has a smaller width than that of the etched undoped portion 103 (as indicated by the area of the figure marked with an oblong). Such profile difference will lead to a gate with an unsatisfying profile and a relatively large deviation in size which will affect the overall performance of the device.
A method for etching polysilicon gate of the prior art developed for solving the above issue of different profiles between the etched doped and undoped portions includes the following steps of:
manually measuring the thickness of the doped polysilicon portion according to an analytical image of a cross section obtained by using cross-section analysis means, e.g., a transmission electron microscopy (TEM);
etching the doped and undoped polysilicon portions in two respective steps with different parameters; and
defining different etching times, which will be kept constant in subsequent etching processes, respectively for the two portions according to a formula based on the above measured thicknesses of both the doped and undoped polysilicon portions.
Nevertheless, this method has drawbacks as follows:
First, errors will be inevitably generated in manual thickness measurement for the doped polysilicon portion.
Second, the result obtained from a limited number of samples (generally 1 or 2 samples) may not work for wafers of different lots, as wafer characteristics vary with lot in growth and doping conditions.
Third, the etching time is fixed and would not be adjusted for any single wafer according to its growth or doping condition.
Therefore, the method for etching polysilicon gate of the prior art is lack of universality in addressing the issue of different profiles between etched doped portion and undoped portion of a polysilicon gate.
Thus, there is a need to improve the existing method for etching polysilicon gate so as to effectively increase the profile consistency between the etched doped portion and undoped portion of a polysilicon gate.

Shanghai Huali Microelectronics Corporation


The present invention discloses a method of fabricating a semiconductor memory device including forming sequentially a gate insulating layer and a first conductive pattern on a semiconductor substrate; forming a protective layer on surfaces of the first conductive pattern and the gate insulating layer; performing an etching process to form a trench, the etching process being performed such that the protective layer remains on side walls of the first conductive pattern to form a protective pattern; forming an isolation layer in the trench; etching the isolation layer; removing the protective pattern above a surface of the isolation layer; and forming sequentially a dielectric layer and a second conductive layer on surfaces of the isolation layer, the protective pattern and the first conductive pattern.

The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor memory device and a method of fabricating the same, and more particularly relates to a semiconductor memory device capable of inhibiting generation of etching damage caused during a process of fabricating a semiconductor memory device, and a method of fabricating the same.
In semiconductor memory devices, a flash memory device comprises a plurality of strings. In each string, memory cells are disposed in serial. The string is formed on an active region, and an isolation layer is formed between the strings so that the strings are electrically isolated from each other.
A method for fabricating a flash memory device is illustrated in detail as follows.
On a semiconductor substrate, a gate insulating layer, a first conductive layer to be used for forming a floating gate, a dielectric layer, a second conductive layer to be used for forming a control gate and a gate mask pattern are sequentially formed. An etching process is performed according to the gate mask pattern to form an isolation trench on the semiconductor substrate. In particular, in the etching process performed for forming the trench, side walls of the first conductive layer and the gate insulating layer are exposed so that an etching damage can be generated.
In addition, after the trench is formed, an oxidation process can be performed for compensating for etching damage in the trench. At this time, a "bird's beak" phenomenon, in which the thickness of both ends of the exposed gate insulating layer is increased, can be generated.

Semiconductor memory device and method of fabricating the same