A system and method are provided for authenticating a person's identity to a business using a trusted entity with a secure repository to store and protect the person's identity information. The person accesses their account on the trusted entity's server using a user name and a password. Then, the trusted entity grants the person a unique code so the person can authenticate their identity to the business. The person delivers the unique code to the transactional entity. The business makes a request to verify the unique code with the trusted entity. The trusted entity verifies the unique code, which authenticates the person's identity to the business.

With advances in technology and the expansion of the Internet, people and companies are transacting more of their business electronically via the Internet. Many relationships between businesses and their customers are formed and maintained via electronic communication or through the telephone without the business' representatives having any physical interaction with their customers. Usually an exchange of products and services for money results from these relationships.
Some of these relationships between companies and customers involve companies setting up accounts (e.g. extending loans and credit) to customers. In order to form this relationship, a person provides the company with some important information, like their name, address, phone number, employer, Social Security Number (SSN), and birthday. With the name, SSN, and birthday, the business can check the person's credit score or credit worthiness with a credit agency and potentially extend the person the loan or credit. Anyone who possesses these limited pieces of information of a person's name, SSN, and birthday may have the ability to pose as the person and get a loan, credit, products, and services from businesses.
Since the loan, credit, or account is tied to the person's identity, name and SSN, and not the impersonator, the impersonator or identity thief can steal money, products, and services from the businesses leaving either the person or business to pay for the loss. Usually the person whose identity was used does not know about the use of their identity until weeks or months after their identity was used and an account previously unknown to them shows up on their credit report. As a result of the previously unknown account, the person may receive a poor crediting rating or a collection agency can attempt to recover payment from the person for the business. Once a person discovers this identity theft, they can go through a laborious process of proving they did not apply for the loan, credit, or account and showing that their identity was stolen. After this occurs, the business is left to find the impersonator or absorb the loss. Finding impersonators or an identity thief is difficult because most if not all of the identity information known about the thief is actually the identity information of the person whose identity was stolen. Identity theft has cost businesses and individuals billions of dollars and millions of hours of time to identify the fraud and clean up the individual's credit.
The identity theft problem exists largely because a person's name, SSN, and birthday are frequently used and given to others to verify the person's identity. The second problem is a person's name, SSN, and birthday are permanently associated with the individual. Individuals use this information to get employment, apply for a credit card, obtain a mortgage, buy a mobile phone, get healthcare, and perform numerous other transactions. A person's SSN and birthday are usually stored by businesses electronically in databases or on physical paper documents which can be viewed by many individuals within a business. Once a person supplies a SSN and birthday they lose control of how that information will be used and who will view that information. Sometimes business computer systems and databases get hacked into allowing the hacker access to the person's personal identity information. Sometimes the SSN and birthday are transmitted to businesses and others electronically via the Internet. The Internet is an unsecured network, so information not properly encrypted can be viewed by others on the Internet. There are various ways an impersonator or identity thief can obtain a person's SSN or birthday. The thief can obtain this information by looking at business records, viewing unencrypted messages with this information, or other types of fraud.
Once a thief has someone's SSN and birthday, the thief can use that information anytime during the lifetime of the person because of the permanence of SSN and birthday and its association with the person. The SSN and birthday have been reliable indicators of a person's existence but their widespread use by both the person and identity theft impersonators has made them of little use in authenticating the identity of person using the information.

System and method for authenticating a person's identity using a trusted entity


A clock adjusting method and an electronic equipment using the method are disclosed in which a clock portion of an electronic equipment is correctly and simply adjusted by use of time information in broadcasting waves. In the case where a time indicated by the clock portion of the electronic equipment is xe2x80x9c0:00xe2x80x9d a.m. or after xe2x80x9c0:00xe2x80x9d and before xe2x80x9c23:00xe2x80x9d, the time of the clock portion is set at a reference time based on the time information. In the other case, the judgement is made of whether the time of the clock portion indicates a time of the next day as compared with the reference time or a time of the preceding day as compared with the reference time. When the time of the clock portion indicates a time of the next day as compared with the reference time, the time of the clock portion is set at the reference time while a day of the week indicated by the clock portion is put back one day. When the time of the clock portion indicates a time of the preceding day as compared with the reference time, the time of the clock portion is set at the reference time while the day of the week of the clock portion is put forward one day.

The present invention relates to a clock adjusting method for electronic equipment, and more particularly to the correct adjustment of a day of the week and a time indicated by clock means of an electronic equipment by discriminating the time of the clock means and a reference time obtained through the reception of broadcasting waves with reference time information and adjusting the day of the week of the clock means on the basis of the result of discrimination while setting the time of the clock means at the reference time.
In the conventional electronic equipment, for example, an audio equipment capable of recording a broadcasting program of a radio casting into a recording medium and reproducing a music or the like recorded in the recording medium, a desired broadcasting program can be recorded simply by a timer recording function. In this audio equipment, a clock indicating a day of the week and a time is incorporated so that in order to enable the recording even in the case where the broadcasting dates of desired broadcasting programs are different, not only the designation of the instant of time of recording start and the instant of time of recording end or a recording time but also the designation of a broadcasting day of the week of the program are possible at the time of timer recording. Therefore, it is possible to make the recording reservation of broadcasting programs over one week.
In order to correctly record a desired broadcasting program, it is required that the clock incorporated in the audio equipment should be placed in a correctly adjusted condition. For that purpose, broadcasting waves including the multiplexed form of message data indicative of broadcasting station information, traffic information, date/time information and so forth, for example, as in a RDS (Radio Data System) broadcasting practiced in Europe are received so that the clock is adjusted using the obtained time information.
However, when not only information of a time but also information of a date or the like are to be obtained from a received signal, a complicated operation processing is required to obtain information of xe2x80x9cmonthxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cdayxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cday of weekxe2x80x9d since information of a date or the like is represented using a corrected Julian calendar in the case of the RDS broadcasting.
Also, assume the case where the adjustment based on the acquisition of only time information from a received signal is made in order to provide the simple adjustment of the clock of the audio equipment. In this case, if the adjustment of the clock is made at a timing near to 0:00 a.m. at which a day of the week changes, there may occur the case where a day of the week is not correctly adjusted.
For example, in the case where the clock of the audio equipment goes slow or indicates xe2x80x9c23:58 on Tuesdayxe2x80x9d when a correct time is xe2x80x9c0:02 on Wednesdayxe2x80x9d, as shown in FIG. 6, the adjustment of the clock of the audio equipment results in the adjustment to xe2x80x9c0:02 on Tuesdayxe2x80x9d, that is, a state in which a day of the week is put back one day. Also, in the case where the clock of the audio equipment goes fast or indicates xe2x80x9c0:02 on Tuesdayxe2x80x9d when a correct time is xe2x80x9c23:58 on Mondayxe2x80x9d, the adjustment of the clock of the audio equipment results in the adjustment to xe2x80x9c23:58 on Tuesdayxe2x80x9d, that is, a state in which a day of the week is put forward one day.
An object of the present invention is to provide a clock adjusting method and an electronic equipment in which a clock of an electronic equipment can correctly be adjusted using time information.
A clock adjusting method according to the present invention comprises a step in which a reference time and a time indicated by a clock portion are compared, a step in which when the time of the clock portion is in a first time range from 0:00 a.m. and the reference time is in a second time range before 0:00 a.m., the time of the clock portion is set at the reference time while a day of the week indicated by the clock portion is put back one day, and a step in which when the time of the clock portion is in a third time range before 0:00 a.m. and the reference time is in a fourth time range from 0:00 a.m., the time of the clock portion is set at the reference time while the day of the week of the clock portion is put forward one day.
Also, an electronic equipment according to the present invention comprises receiving means for receiving broadcasting waves with reference time information to obtain a reference time, and clock adjusting means for discriminating a time indicated by clock means and the reference time information obtained by the receiving means so that a day of the week indicated by the clock means is adjusted on the basis of the result of discrimination while the time indicated by the clock means is set at the reference time obtained by the receiving means.
In the case where the discrimination of the time indicated by the clock means and the reference time obtained through the reception of the broadcasting waves results in that when the time indicated by the clock means is in a first time range from 0:00 a.m., the reference time indicates a time of the preceding day which is in a second time range before 0:00 a.m., the day of the week of the clock means is put back one day. Also, in the case where when the time indicated by the clock means is in a third time range before 0:00 a.m., the reference time indicates a time of the next day which is in a fourth time range from 0:00 a.m., the day of the week of the clock means is put forward one day.
Further, in the case where the announcement of time of 0:00 a.m. is detected when the time indicated by the clock means is in a fifth time range before 0.00 a.m., the clock adjustment is made with the day of the week of the clock means being put forward one day.

Clock adjusting method and electronic equipment using the method


Compositions and methods for enhancing PCR and other polynucleotide replication reactions are disclosed. These comprise the addition of low molecular weight organic amides, sulfones or sulfoxides to PCR or other replication reaction mixtures.

Various scientific articles, patents and other publications are referred to throughout the specification. Each of these publications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Polynucleotide amplification reactions have become central techniques of molecular biology. Indeed, many current methods in molecular biology utilize as their first step an amplification reaction involving either DNA or RNA as a template.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and related techniques, such as NASBA (nucleic acid sequence-based amplification), TAS (transcription-based amplification system), 3SR (self-sustained sequence replication), LAR (ligation amplification reaction, Q-beta replicase and LCR (ligase chain reaction) are all methods of polynucleotide amplification. Many of these amplification reactions utilize a polymerase enzyme or fragment of such an enzyme.
Despite their widespread use, however, these techniques are often fraught with difficulties. In many cases, the standard procedure fails to produce meaningful amplification or any amplification at all. In other instances, the amplification of the target sequence is nonspecific, meaning that its amplification is accompanied by similar amplification of non-target polynucleotide fragments (Roux, 1995, in: Dieffenbach & Dveksler, eds., PCR Primer-A Laboratory Manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., pp. 55-66; Newton & Graham, 1994, PCR. Bios Scientific, Oxford). These problems, especially low yield, can be particularly severe for templates with high GC contents (Varadaraj & Skinner, 1994, Gene 140, 1-5; McDowell et al., 1998, Nucl. Acids Res. 26, 3340-3347).
Accordingly, improvement of amplification and stringency has been the focus of many research efforts. It has been found that various organic additives can often yield significant improvements in this regard, the most successful of the additives tested being DMSO, glycerol, polyethylene glycol, betaine and formamide (Winship, 1989, Nucl. Acids. Res. 17, 1266; Smith et al., 1990 Amplifications 5, 16-17; Weissensteiner & Lanchbury, 1996, BioTechniques 21, 1102-1108).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,539 and 5,846,716 to Miller et al. disclose a method for improving sequencing or amplification of polynucleotides that comprises including a glycine-based osmolyte, such as trimethylglycine, in the amplification or sequencing reaction mixture. Addition of this reagent was reported to be particularly advantageous in reducing the appearance of stutter bands in the amplification product.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,150 to Weissman et al. discloses methods and compositions for obtaining uniform amplification of nucleic acid templates with variable G+C content by adding to the reaction mixture a zwitterion and a compound that disrupts base pairing. Compounds such as betaine, monomethyl glycine, dimethylglycine and D-carnitine are disclosed as useful zwitterions; DMSO and formamide are disclosed as useful for disrupting base-pairing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,075 to Preston et al. discloses a method to amplify nucleic acids that is alleged to improve the specificity of amplification of a target nucleic acid. The method comprises supplementing an amplification reaction mixture with a carrier nucleic acid and one or more magnesium salts. Addition of these materials is reported to reduce polymerase extension of non-target nucleic acids during amplification assays through a reduction in the amount of primer-dimer formation prior to raising the temperature of the amplification mixture during thermal cycling.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,773 to Segawa et al. discloses that the sensitivity of amplification reactions, particularly of RNA templates, may be improved by adding EDTA or a similar reagent, such as nitriotriacetic acid (NTA), uramil diacetic acid (UDA), trans-1,2-cyclohexanediaminetetraacetic acid (CyDTA), diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethyleneglycolbis(2-aminoethyl)ether diaminetetraacetic acid (GEDTA) or triethylenetetraminehexaacetic acid (TTHA), or salts thereof, to the reaction mixture. These compounds are reported to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of amplification reactions by significantly inhibiting the occurrence of non-specific amplification reactions.
Despite their general applicability, the performance of the currently available compounds, especially in the case of GC-rich targets, is quite unpredictable. Any given compound often fails to provide adequate improvement over the control (Baskaran et al., 1996, Genome Methods 6, 633-638).
Thus, increasing the selection of additives that are capable of improving polynucleotide amplification, especially for recalcitrant targets, would be a significant advance in the art of nucleic acid amplification. Such new additives would be of particular benefit by improving both the potency and specificity of the amplification reaction.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compositions and methods for enhancing polynucleotide amplification reactions


An apparatus is described that includes a light emitting diode (LED) display and a sensor. The LED display includes pixel emissive areas that are each coupled by a corresponding conductive trace to a corresponding pixel circuit that drives the respective pixel emissive area. The LED display has a high density region, a low density region, and a transition region between the high density region and the low density region. A pattern of the pixel circuits in the transition region matches a pattern of pixel circuits in the low density region, with at least some conductive traces that couple pixel emissive areas to pixel circuits in the transition region being longer than corresponding conductive traces that couple pixel emissive areas to pixel circuits in the low density region. The sensor is arranged to receive electromagnetic radiation transmitted through the low density region of the LED display.

In general, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays are emissive flat panel displays featuring an array of pixels, each of which includes at least one OLED. During operation, a pixel circuit delivers electric current to the OLED, causing it to emit light. Pixels in full color OLED displays often include multiple sub-pixels, each emitting light of a different color. The sub-pixels are sufficiently small and closely-spaced such that a viewer perceives the multi-colored emission to emanate from a single point having a color corresponding to the combined spectral emissions of the sub-pixels.

Display structure for smooth transition between different pixel density regions in an OLED display


An application registers a first component used by the application with a customizing mechanism, and a component setting unit notifies the customizing mechanism of a second component corresponding to the first component. In accordance with changeover of the second component corresponding to the first component by the component setting unit, the first component executes process using the second unit after the second unit has been changed over.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and storage medium for customizing an application.
2. Description of the Related Art
Applications for implementing functions using components exist. Such applications include one in which the components used can be changed over (e.g., see the specifications of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 6-4477 and 3-164934). There are also techniques in which a plug-in mechanism is used in order to extend the functionality of a platform (e.g., see the specification of WO 04/028182).
With the methods disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 6-4477 and 3-164934, the application side need not know when a component has been changed over. Conversely, however, since the component changeover timing cannot be determined, processing requiring execution in accordance with the component changeover cannot be executed. For example, when the component changeover is executed the application is not able to discard an old component and create a new component. Also, in a case where a new component is a component that provides a GUI, the application is not able to render a screen again using this component.
If the software structure is one that merely changes over a call pointer, there may be little need for processing conforming to such component changeover. However, in the case of an objected-oriented software structure, there is an interaction between an application and a component and between one component and another and it becomes necessary to execute some process in accordance with component changeover.
Conventionally, in instances where continuing to use an old component leads to problems, an operation such as re-booting the application after the component changeover is performed to thereby dispense with the old component and use the new component.
More specifically, it has not been possible to achieve both dynamic changeover of components, in which a component is changed over with the application running as it is, and execution of process responsive to the component changeover. The same holds true with regard to the technique using the plug-in mechanism disclosed in WO 04/028182.

Method, apparatus and storage medium for customizing application


A plug for connection of an electro-fluidic converter provided with electrical plug contacts projecting from a converter housing, the plug has a plug housing, electrical counter contacts to the plug contacts of the converter and accommodated in the plug housing, electrical connecting means for a multi-wired encased connecting cable and accommodated in the plug housing, connecting means for electrical or electronic joining of the connecting means with the counter contacts and accommodated in the plug housing, and a contacting device provided for connecting the connecting cable with the connecting means and arranged in the plug housing, the contacting device having a movable cable receiving part for insertion of a cable portion and a clamping lever acting on the cable receiving part for contact-producing pressing of the cable portion against the connecting means.

The present invention relates to plugs for connection of an electro-fluidic converter.
Electro-fluidic converters such as electro-pneumatic and electro-hydraulic converters, which convert an electrical input value into a fluid, for example pneumatic or hydraulic output value, and provided for this purpose with fluid valves actuated by electro magnets or piezo valves, are widely used in industrial control technology for power tools. The number of the converters required for a power tool control is very high and correspondingly increases the installation expenses, since all converters must be connected individually and thereby all converters must be manually contacted to connect them through control conduits with a central control device.
A known control device with two electro-fluidic, for example electro-hydraulic or electro-pneumatic converters arranged in a converter housing is disclosed for example in the German patent document DE 196 32 691 A1. It has a contacting device formed on the converter housing. A conductor portion with a two-wire connecting cable which serves for a current supply and transmission of control signals is inserted in a housing opening, and a clamping device is formed on a flappable housing cover. During pressing of the housing cover against the converter housing, a separating disk of the clamping device separates the connecting cable, and the pressing surfaces which press on the electrical conductors of both separated cable portions produce an electrical connection between the electrical conductors and the connecting contacts of an electric circuit. By means of this contacting unit, plurality of converters can be placed in a shortest time on the connecting cable and contacted.

Plug for connection of an electro-fluidic converter


A bellows-type pump has a plastic bellows interiorly supported by interior pressure. The interior pressure is supplied by a fluid source which passes through a pressure regulator to control the amount of interior pressure exerted on the bellows. A fiber-optic leak detector can be inserted into the plastic bellows to detect the leakage of process fluid therein.

To permit pumping of corrosive fluids such as high-temperature acids and the like, particularly in the semiconductor industry, positive displacement pumps have been developed which utilize a plastic bellows as a pumping member. Such bellows is typically constructed of Teflon and has a plurality of coils flexibly joined together to define an extendable and contractible sleeve, one end of which is closed, and the other end of which has a movable piston rod extending therethrough. This bellows is movably disposed within a pumping chamber in which the pumped fluid is alternately supplied and discharged. The bellows, in the interior thereof, is attached to the piston rod, and is alternatively extended and contracted to effect a pumping operation by reciprocating movement of the piston rod.
With this known pump, which is typically a double acting arrangement having a pair of bellows connected to opposite ends of and simultaneously driven by a common driver, it has been conventional to provide an interior support ring within each coil of the bellows to prevent inward collapse of the bellows during the pressurizing and pumping operation (that is, during the axial extension of the bellows). Such support ring typically comprises an elongate rod of spring material which is rolled to form a loop of a diameter slightly smaller than the interior diameter of the bellows coil. This loop is inserted into the bellows and then radially expanded so as to fill out and radially support the bellows coil. The ends of the split loop, which ends are flat, are disposed in abutting engagement with one another to hold the loop expanded and to form a substantially continuous ring for radially outwardly supporting the bellows coil. However, with this arrangement, it has been observed that the abutting ends of the support loop can become dislodged from one another. Thus, the loop tends to radially contract and the ends create edges which can effect undesired wear and possible puncturing of the thin plastic bellows.
This known pump is also extremely limited in its service application in that, due to the fragility of the plastic bellows, only about a 30 to 35 psi pumping pressure can be tolerated when a high temperature fluid, such as an acid at about 180.degree. C., is being pumped, even when support rings are provided in the bellows. Since the capacity of this bellows-type pump is directly proportioned to its pumping pressure, its capacity and range of service in the pumping of high temperature fluids is extremely limited.
Accordingly, this invention relates to an improved bellows-type pump which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages. More specifically, the improved bellows-type pump of this invention incorporates a means for internally pressurizing the interior of the pump bellows so that the discharge pressure of the pump, and its pumping capacity, can be greatly increased. In the preferred embodiment, the pump has a pair of bellows which operate out of phase, and the pressure in each bellows is maintained substantially constant, and the pressure in the pair of bellows is equalized.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the bellows does not contain a support ring and is internally supported only by the means for pressurizing the interior of the bellows thereby eliminating wear points in the bellows.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, the means for internally pressurizing the bellows additionally comprises a leak detector means for determining the leakage of process fluid into the bellows and shutting down the pump if necessary, thereby eliminating the danger of process fluid leakage into the environment.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with pumps of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.


A glove has a palm portion, a front ring finger portion unitary therewith, and a first sidewall thereof, a back portion fixed to the palm portion, a back pinky portion, a back ring finger portion, a separate pinky portion formed of a separate material from the palm portion and back portion, and fixed to the palm portion and back pinky portion. The glove also has a thumb portion, a pointer finger portion, and a middle finger portion. This construction enables the first sidewall of the ring finger portion and inner sidewall of the pinky portion to be made unitary. A method of making the glove includes cutting the front of the glove with a palm portion that includes a front ring finger portion and first sidewall as one piece of material, cutting from a separate piece of material the front portion of the pinky finger portion so that it includes an inner sidewall, and sewing the front palm portion, back portion, and front ring finger portion to the palm and back portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gloves and a method of making same, and in particular to gloves with improved comfort.
2. Description of the Related Art
In horse riding, the rider typically wears gloves to hold the reins. The reins pass between the first finger (thumb) and second (pointer or index) finger, and also between the fourth (ring) finger and fifth (pinky) finger. Accordingly, conventional riding gloves often have reinforcing sewn on the fourth and fifth fingers, and on the second finger. While such reinforcing may help provide wear resistance and some comfort, it does not make the glove comfortable on the hand of the wearer.
In typical glove construction, there are seams on the inside where the front and back halves of the gloves are sewn together. The present inventor has recognized the problem that the rider will feel the seams of the pinky and ring fingers rubbing on the rider's fingers whether reinforcing is provided on the outside or not. This rubbing is exacerbated by pressure from holding the reins and can irritate the rider.
The problem is that in order to make a glove, there must be a seam on the finger portion otherwise bending a finger will create a lot of pressure on the tip of the finger. Because the reins are held with fingers bent, such pressure would be unacceptable.
Conventionally, two pieces of material, front and back, are sewn together to form the hand and finger portions for a smoother better finger construction. The front for all four fingers are cut from same piece of material as palm, as is the back for the fingers and back of the hand. There is also a sidewall seam on the pinky and ring fingers. Additional pieces of material are used to form sidewalls for the pointer, ring and middle fingers.
However, there are many variations of making gloves. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,358,823 to Burden, there is a glove with the hand portion and lower portions of the fingers made in one piece, and most of the finger portions made in separate pieces, so that the fingers can be made of a warmer material than the rest of the glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,839 to Safford discloses a glove, designed for use by bicyclists, which has a front panel of wear-resistant material, a somewhat thinner panel of wear-resistant material, and a rear panel of open weave net material. Elongated finger sections of the second panel have sinuous side edges that promote flexibility of the glove finger sections. Resilient pads on rear surfaces of the finger sections provide protection against cuts and bruises.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,053 to Tepley discloses a glove having a palm piece including a thumb portion, a first finger portion and a fourth finger portion, and a straight linear cut connecting the base of the first finger portion and the fourth finger portion at an angle of between about 13 and 19 degrees to a line parallel to a longitudinal axis of the thumb portion, a back thumb piece, a back piece including first, second, third, and fourth back finger portions, and second and third finger pieces are attached together to provide a glove particularly conformed to the shape of the working hand, the hand in action, and the hand as it is naturally meant to be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,750 to Tepley discloses a glove having a palm piece including a thumb portion with a longitudinal axis extending substantially parallel to a lower edge of the glove, a first finger portion and a fourth finger portion, and a straight linear cut connecting the base of the first finger portion and the fourth finger portion at an angle of between about 21 to 25 degree to a line parallel to the lower edge of the glove, as in the other Tepley patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,255 to Schild discloses a glove having a pinky finger, ring finger, middle finger, index finger and thumb receiving portion in communication with a hand receiving portion. The pinky finger, ring finger, middle finger, and index finger receiving portions each have a top panel and a bottom panel, which are connected to form each of the finger receiving portions. An intermediate region of two of the finger receiving portions (ring finger, middle finger) includes a first and second insert. The intermediate region of the other two finger receiving portions (pinky and index fingers) include only a first insert sewn into a bottom panel of the finger receiving portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,896 to Rinehart discloses a finger portion for a glove where the portion comprises two superimposed four-pointed star-shaped pattern pieces where each star forms a finger part. Each pattern piece has a cut out. The pattern pieces are joined together around their peripheries by sewing or sealing in the flat where the line of juncture of the pieces is along lines of non-extension of the fingers formed by the finger portion. The finger portions of one pattern piece are longer than that of the other pattern piece and the pattern piece having the longer finger part is folded to form a tuck when joined to its corresponding finger part of the other pattern piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,357 to Connelly discloses a curved gunn-cut glove construction wherein the fingers of the glove curve inwardly towards the palm portion of the glove to conform to the configuration of a hand when in a relaxed state. The palm piece of the glove including the front portions of the first and fourth fingers are joined to a back piece including the back portion of the first, second, third and fourth fingers as well as to a middle piece including the front portions of the second and third fingers.

Glove with improved comfort and method of making same


A variable focal length lens system including: a first lens group having positive power; a second lens group having negative power; a third lens group having positive power; and a fourth lens group having positive power sequentially arranged from a side where an object is present. An aperture stop is disposed between the second and third lens groups. The first to fourth lens groups are so moved that the distance between the first and second lens groups increases, the distance between the second and third lens groups decreases, and the distance between the third and fourth lens groups decreases when a lens position setting is changed from a wide angle end state to a telescopic end state. The third lens group includes a negative lens and a positive lens disposed on the image side thereof. The variable focal length lens system satisfies the conditional expression, 0.35<f3/|f3a|<0.8.

As recording means used with a camera, there is a known method including forming a subject image on an imaging device formed of photoelectric conversion devices, such as CCD (charge coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) elements, converting the amount of light of the subject image into an electric output in the photoelectric conversion device, and recording the electric output.
On the other hand, recent advances in micro-processing technologies have allowed a central processing unit (CPU) to operate faster and a storage medium to have higher packing density than ever, whereby a large amount of image data that has not been handled before can now be processed at high speed. Photoelectric conversion devices have also been packed more densely and reduced in size. The higher packing density allows higher spatial frequency recording, and the size reduction allows reduction in entire camera size.
The higher packing density and size reduction described above, however, disadvantageously narrow the light receiving area of each photoelectric conversion device and increase its susceptibility to noise as its electric output level decreases. To address the problems, the amount of light that reaches each photoelectric conversion device is increased by increasing the aperture diameter of an optical system, and tiny lens elements (what is called a microlens array) are disposed immediately in front of the photoelectric conversion devices. The microlens array advantageously guides a light flux directed to the space between adjacent photoelectric conversion devices to these photoelectric conversion devices but disadvantageously constrains the exit pupil position of a lens system. The reason for this is that when the exit pupil position of the lens system approaches the photoelectric conversion devices, that is, when the principal ray that reaches each of the photoelectric conversion devices forms a large angle with the optical axis of the lens system, off-axis light fluxes directed toward the periphery of the screen are inclined to the optical axis by large angles and hence do not reach photoelectric conversion devices, resulting in an insufficient amount of light.
In general, what is called a standard zoom lens has an angle of view ranging from about 24 to 35 mm on a 35-mm format basis in an wide angle end state in which the focal length of the zoom lens is minimized and an angle of view greater than 50 mm on a 35-mm format basis in a telescopic end state in which the focal length is maximized.
The standard zoom lens has employed a positive, negative, positive, and positive four-group configuration and a positive, negative, positive, negative, and positive five-group configuration in many cases. A positive, negative, positive, and positive four-group zoom lens includes a first lens group having positive power, a second lens group having negative power, a third lens group having positive power, and a fourth lens group having positive power sequentially arranged from the object side. A positive, negative, positive, negative, and positive five-group zoom lens includes a first lens group having positive power, a second lens group having negative power, a third lens group having positive power, a fourth lens group having negative power, and a fifth lens group having positive power sequentially arranged from the object side.
JP-A-2002-323656, JP-A-2003-241092, and JP-A-2007-114432, for example, describe positive, negative, positive, and positive four-group zoom lenses, and JP-A-2009-156891 and JP-A-2010-237453, for example, describe positive, negative, positive, negative, and positive five-group zoom lenses.
In a positive, negative, positive, and positive four-group zoom lens, the second lens group is mainly responsible for magnification changing operation. In this case, increasing the power of the second lens group for size reduction and a higher magnification ratio disadvantageously results in insufficient correction of aberrations produced by the second lens group itself and a difficulty in correcting change in off-axis aberrations that occurs when a lens position setting is changed. In the zoom lenses described in JP-A-2002-323656, JP-A-2003-241092, and JP-A-2007-114432, since the third lens group includes a positive power partial group and a negative power partial group, the combination of the third lens group and the fourth lens group has a power arrangement of a positive power partial group, a negative power partial group, and a positive power partial group. As a result, off-axis light fluxes passing through the first lens group in the wide angle end state shift away from the optical axis, disadvantageously resulting in an increase in the lens diameter of the first lens group. In a positive, negative, positive, negative, and positive power five-group zoom lens, since the combination of the third lens group to the fifth lens group has the same power arrangement, it is also difficult to reduce the lens diameter of the first lens group.
It is therefore desirable to provide a variable focal length lens system that includes a first lens group having a small lens diameter and has a small, lightweight configuration as a whole. It is also desirable to provide an imaging apparatus having the same advantages.

Variable focal length lens system and imaging apparatus


The disclosed computer-implemented method may include directing a head-mounted display system to render, within a frame generated by the head-mounted display system, at least one performance metric for the frame. The method may also include recording when the frame containing the performance metric is displayed by a display of the head-mounted display system, measuring, based at least in part on when the frame containing the performance metric was displayed, at least one aspect of the head-mounted display system's performance, and calibrating the head-mounted display system based on the measurement. Various other methods, calibration systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Artificial reality systems, including virtual reality (VR) systems and augmented reality (AR) systems, may enable users to have more immersive experiences than ordinary television or video gaming can provide. While wearing a head-mounted display (HMD), a user can view different portions of a captured scene or an artificially generated scene simply by moving his or her head, just as the user naturally does to view a real-world environment. Additionally, a user can view a real-world scene directly and have added descriptive, informative, or instructive information presented in context on top of or alongside the real-world scene.
When using an HMD, an artificially generated scene or feature may be presented in the HMD to the user based on the position and orientation of the user's head. In order to present the displayed scenes or features to users in a way that feels natural to the user, the displayed scene or added features should change based on changes in the position and orientation of the user's head. However, when the user moves the HMD to view some other part of an artificial or real-world scene, the displayed scene or features can become separated from the user's movements if the HMD is not able to accurately synchronize the display with the HMD's movements. This lack of synchronization may degrade the user's experience.

Systems and methods for display synchronization in head-mounted display devices


A spindlehead for tools is insertable into a tool disk with holders provided for such spindleheads. A spindle holds the shank of the tool in its chuck at its front end section, and is rotatably mounted by a spindle bearing in a spindlehead housing. A coolant feed extends at least in part in the spindlehead housing to convey coolant to the tool via at least one coolant channel and an internal coolant feed line in the spindle. A sealing device with a throttling point is separated form parts of a drainage channel. The sealing device has at least one sealing ring enclosing the spindle. The sealing ring is longitudinally movable in the spindlehead housing coaxially with the spindle axis. After longitudinal movement into a sealing position, the sealing ring separates the internal coolant feed line from the associated parts of the drainage channel up to a specifiable leakage amount. The accuracy of machining with the tool may be increased and the installation space available can be better used.

The present invention relates to a spindlehead for tools which may be inserted into a tool disk with tool carriers provided for this purpose, and to chucking means for the spindle holding the shank of the tool in a second end section adjoining the first end section. The first end section is rotatably mounted in the spindlehead housing with a spindle bearing. A coolant feed line extends at least in part in the spindlehead housing. Coolant is transferred over at least one coolant channel which represents an internal coolant feed line for the tool involved. The internal coolant feed line is separated from a drainage channel by a sealing device with a throttle point. The sealing device has at least one sealing ring which encloses the spindle.
DE 195 16 986 C2 discloses a spindlehead, for tools which may be inserted into a tool disk of a turret with tool insertion holes as specified in DIN 69880 [German Industrial Standard 69880] (especially Part 6, March 2000, pages 2 and 4).
In addition, coolant transfer occurs in a spindlehead cover provided on the tool side in which an annular groove is provided. A coolant feed channel discharges into the groove. Through that channel, coolant is delivered internally for a particular tool. In the conventional solution, the coolant transfer point is situated upstream from the spindle bearing. The annular groove is open up to the first end section and is provided with a connecting channel. One end of the connecting channel discharges into the annular zone of the first end zone surface oriented toward the annular groove. The other end of the connecting channel discharges into a chucking means space of the spindle with which the inlet opening provided in the shank end of the coolant channel extending through the tool communicates. The annular groove itself is sealed from the exterior by an external split seal and from the interior in the direction of the spindle bearing by an internal split seal. Both the external and the internal split seals are bounded by the external surface of the spindle and the internal surface of the spindlehead. This arrangement results in a creation of a spindlehead for tools with internal coolant feed which takes up little installation space on the tool disk. In addition, reliable sealing is ensured which in no way exposes the spindle bearing to damage by the coolant.
DE 38 24 427 A1 discloses a machine tool with a spindlehead carrier and a spindlehead mounted on this carrier and provided with a spindle. The drive shaft mounted in the spindlehead carrier is connected to the spindle by gears, bevel gears in particular. In the area of the gears, an oil circulation space for lubrication of the gears is provided. The oil circulation space is sealed from the stationary component of the spindlehead by sealing elements. Compressed air is applied by compressed air feed lines feeding compressed air via throttling ports to the front sealing surfaces of the sealing elements operating in conjunction with opposite rotating sealing surfaces. The pressure relationships and the line cross-sections are selected such that a sealing gap is present for the purpose of contact-free sealing between the rotating opposite sealing surfaces and the sealing surfaces of the sealing elements. Hence, the conventional solution achieves oil lubrication through an oil circulation space. Escape of oil at an undesirable location is prevented by sealing of the oil circulation space by compressed air. The compressed air introduced into the oil circulation space and the resulting excess pressure make certain that the oil lubricant will reach the gears to be lubricated. The oil circulation space is then filled with an oil and air mixture and the gears need not operate entirely in oil. The sealing gap in question of the respective sealing elements thus serves the purpose of delivery of lubricant for the gearing referred to.
DE 42 26 922 A1 discloses a generic spindlehead having a coolant device for supply of the respective boring and/or cutting tools with coolant and/or lubricant. The spindle is provided with an axial channel element fed via an opening in a stationary feed device for transfer of the coolant and/or lubricant to the tool/working area. The feed device and the spindle mesh to form a split seal coaxially. In the conventional solution, leaks through the split seal are removed by a pressure relief space so as to flow to the exterior (virtually free of pressure). This pressure relief space is sealed from, the spindlehead housing downstream on the bearing side by another split seal. The coolant feed proper further requires delivery of compressed air for the conventional sealing solution. Compressed air is applied to this split seal to support the sealing effect. The respective conventional solution in this embodiment requires much installation space and is cost-intensive in application and in maintenance.
Objects of the present invention are to provide and optimize a spindlehead, and in particular to increase the accuracy of machining with the tool, achieve better use of available installation space, and lower manufacturing costs an d potential maintenance costs.
The foregoing objects are basically obtained according to the present invention by the sealing ring being guided coaxially and longitudinally so as to be displaceable relative to the spindle axis in the spindlehead housing. After longitudinal displacement into a sealing position, the sealing ring separates the interior coolant feed, including a prescribable leakage amount, from the parts of the drainage channel to be associated with the feed. The interior coolant feed from the area of the pressurized means for the shank of the tool may be transferred back in the opposite direction into the spindlehead housing. The spindle bearing itself can then move further forward into the area of the pressurized means, so that the tool is better guided and supported by the spindle carrier and the spindle bearing. This situation definitely favors machining accuracy.
Since the internal coolant feed may now take place exclusively centrally by way of the sealing device and along the longitudinal axis of the spindle, installation space is conserved. In addition, a cost-effective solution is achieved, one which also noticeably lowers any subsequent maintenance costs.
Since the respective sealing ring of the sealing device may be displaced longitudinally, a dynamic sealing is achieved which is automatically adapted to prescribed machining situations such as delivery of coolant lubricants, speed of spindle unit, etc. Because of the floating layout of the respective sealing ring, sealing is effected as a function of the pressure relationships and the quantity of coolant to be supplied. As a result, the optionally aggressive coolant cannot reach places which might be damaged by it, ones in the form of the spindle bearing, for example.
In a preferred embodiment of the spindlehead of the present invention, the sealing device has two sealing rings whose sealing surfaces are positioned opposite and against the spindlehead housing with their front sides facing away from each other. This permits a layout in which the respective sealing ring is guided over its external circumference along the spindlehead housing and can slide, generating little friction, on a cushion of coolant produces internal feed of coolant through the spacing between the respective sealing ring and spindle. Sealing with a prescribed amount of leakage can then be effected by way of the front side of the sealing ring in question facing the spindlehead housing.
In another preferred embodiment of the spindlehead of the present invention, the two sealing rings are connected to the coolant feed line on their sides facing each other. An optional axial connection for internal coolant feed is present in the spindle. This arrangement results in good control of the sealing rings by the coolant, and reduces the need for installation space as a result of intervention of the internal coolant feed in the connection option. Space is thereby conserved.
In an especially preferred embodiment of the spindlehead of the present invention, each sealing ring has flexible sealing means on its external circumference. Such means rest on the spindlehead housing, and exert a restoring force on the sealing rings tending to keep the rings together. Dry operation of the spindlehead without coolant is also possible on the basis of this layout. The two sealing rings are held together and kept at a distance from the driven spindle both axially and radially so that to this extent no harmful friction occurs and the spindle can rotate freely in the spindle bearing.
In another preferred embodiment of the spindlehead of the present invention, the throttling point is in the sealing rings in the form of lubricant pouches. The pouches are mounted spaced at a distance from each other on the limiting surface of the sealing rings to allow passage of coolant to form a leakage point. A small leakage flow of coolant is built up by the lubricant pouches; but this flow is in the form of a pressure cushion such that the rotating spindle moves more or less free of friction inside the sealing rings mounted stationarily in the spindlehead housing. A hydrostatic lubrication is thereby achieved. The respective leakage point discharges preferably into the drainage channel. The damage channel emerges from the spindlehead housing into the open through a longitudinal channel section extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spindle.
In a preferred embodiment of the spindlehead of the present invention, the sealing device encloses the spindle on the side facing away from the tool shank, beyond the spindle bearing engaging the first end section. The sealing device is thus mounted between a first and a second end section of the actuatable body of the spindle in the spindlehead housing more or less in a manner so as to conserve space.
In another preferred embodiment of the spindlehead of the present invention, additional seals are present upstream and downstream from the spindle in the longitudinal direction. One seals the spindle from the sealing device. In this way lubrication of the spindle through the leakage points is sealed from the other parts of the spindle bearing. This layout preferably also connects the coolant feed radially from the spindlehead housing to a central supply point to conserve space and ensure dependable coolant supply.


Dendritic compounds are provided. The dendritic compounds include an anionic dendron that has a focal point having an anionic group and a linking group, and a photoreactive cation. The dendritic compounds find particular use as photoacid generators. Also provided are photoresist compositions that include such a dendritic compound, as well as methods of forming electronic devices with the photoresist compositions. The dendritic compounds, photoresist compositions and methods find particular applicability in the manufacture of semiconductor devices.

Advanced lithographic techniques such as 193 nm immersion lithography have been developed to achieve high quality and smaller feature sizes in microlithography processes, for purposes of forming ever-smaller logic and memory transistors. It is important to achieve both smaller critical dimension (CD) in the imaged photoresist used in the microlithography process, and for the photoresists to provide both low line edge roughness (LER) and line width roughness (LWR), while still retaining good process control tolerances such as high exposure latitude (EL) and a wide depth of focus (DOE).
To meet the challenges for resist materials raised by high resolution lithography, photoacid generators (PAGs) with low, controllable diffusion properties are desirable, particularly ionic PAGs having a photoreactive cation and diffusion limiting anion. The structure of the PAG anion can affect the overall performance of a photoresist by affecting the interaction of the photoacid generator with other photoresist components. These interactions, in turn, affect the diffusion characteristics of the photogenerated acid. PAG structure and size can greatly affect the homogenous distribution of the PAG in the photoresist film. Defects such as T-topping, foot formation and notching can arise if the PAG is not uniformly distributed within the resist film.
Efforts have been made to limit diffusion and the attendant problems associated with diffusive acids. Photoacid generators in which a perfluoroalkysulfonate group is covalently linked to a single sterically bulky, aliphatic or heteroaliphatic group are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,301,047 B2 and 7,304,175 B2 disclose a bulky photoacid generator in which the sulfonate is linked to an adamantyl group. There remains a need for photoresist compositions including PAGs having controlled acid diffusion, improved miscibility with polymers and improved solubility in formulation solvents and organic developers.

Dendritic compounds, photoresist compositions and methods of making electronic devices


A system includes an apparatus for identifying an item with inclusion of a contact smart card to store the authenticity information of the item, and a card reader to allow examination of the authenticity being conducted locally and/or remotely. The identifying apparatus further has a locking means and a disabling means. The locking means prevents normal use of the item in a locked position. The disabling means will disable the contact smart card when the locking means is unlocked. The identifying apparatus further has a releasing means to be engaged with the locking means and disabling means. The card reader includes a central operating unit, an interface to the contact smart card, an interface to an external device and an interface to users. The interface to the contact smart card includes an adaptor of contact smart card and a fastening means to secure the identifying apparatus.

Valuable products are often produced and inserted into the supply chain surreptitiously by counterfeit producers. Most consumers do not have the expertise to distinguish such counterfeit products from legitimate products. Accordingly, there are needs for a suitable system to help consumers to examine the authenticity of a valuable product during purchase.
Over the last decade, several types of apparatus with inclusion of a RFID have been proposed or implemented to combat counterfeit. In such a way the ID information of a product is compiled and stored in an integrated circuit by the manufacture, and retrieved to examine the authenticity using an external reader and centralised systems when the product is being sold to a consumer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,619 B1, Halperin is observed as describing a tagging mechanism that includes an electronic tag and visible indicia that are attached to an item. Therefore, the authenticity of an item can be checked by the comparison of the number stored in the tag and displayed in the indicia. However this patent has not provided an efficient mechanism to disable the electronic tag so that it leaves chances to reuse the tag for counterfeit products.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,061,382 B2, Claessens is observed as describing an apparatus with RFID tag embedded in a bottle cap and a ratchet mounted on the bottle cork. The authenticity information of the content in the bottle is stored in the RFID tag that would be destroyed upon removal of the cap. The success of the disabling the RFID tag depends on the degree of friction between the cork and bottle surface and the ability of the cork to resist the rotating torque when the cap is unscrewed from the bottle. Therefore, it is not a reliable means for disabling the RFID tag.
In U.S. patent application publication 2008/0069736 A1, Mingerink is observed as describing several types of containers on which a RFID tag is affixed. The tag includes an integrated circuit and an antenna. The information of the contents stored in the integrated circuit can be interrogated by a reader in order to identify the contents included in the container. The deactivation of the tag is generated by the disconnection of the integrated circuit and the antenna. The integrated circuit remains functioning. There are chances for a counterfeiter to recover the used container and reuse it for counterfeit products.
In China Patent application publication CN 1247147A, the inventor is observed as describing a bottle cap in which a RFID tag is embedded. The bottle cap includes an inner cap and an outer cap. The tag would be fractured when outer cap rotates with respect to inner cap. However the solution proposed is not viable due to the ways in which the inner cap engages the outer cap and the bottle.
In China Patent application publication CN 2397060Y, the inventor is observed as describing a bottle cap in which a RFID tag is embedded. The tag is disposed in between the outer cap and the inner cap of a child-proof cap for medicine. The cap is limited to plastic material and use with a bottle having screwing neck only.
Using RFID for anti-counterfeit has major drawbacks. Firstly there are as many as five different RFID standards existing simultaneously. This would lead to technical difficulties and would increase the expense of the examination system. Secondly, RFID technology has physical limitations such as the inability to read through liquids or metals. These limitations have reduced its efficacy and narrowed its application in combating counterfeit.
Although many inventors claim that an interrogating device is a part of their invention, all of them failed to provide a comprehensive design of such a device. In fact, existing tag readers are expensive and require a sophisticated network to exchange information with a remote database. As a result, there has been a persistent need for cost effective readers and a satisfactory data exchange network when applying an electronic tag to deter counterfeiting.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus suitable for using various contact smart cards to store authentic information so as to extend the application of an electronic anti-counterfeit system to products that include metal or liquid.
It is further an objective of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for protecting the authenticity of consumable products. In a locked status, the apparatus prevents the product to which it is attached from being used and provides the authenticity information of the product. The apparatus will disable the authenticity information when the product is released for consuming.
It is further an objective of the present invention to provide a cost effective apparatus and method for verifying the authenticity information stored in the contact smart card, by using public telecommunication networks and a remote centralised device.

System for electronically sealing an item and verifying the authenticity of the item sealed


A flash memory unit includes a plurality of physical blocks including a plurality of memory cells and serving as erase units of data, wherein each of the memory cells is capable of recording information of 1 bit or more and degradation in the characteristics of the memory cells differs according to the amount of information that is recorded. A controller includes a control unit for controlling the reading, writing and erasure of data to and from the flash memory unit, and a degradation level table for recording a degradation level of the memory cells in physical block units. The control unit stores, in the degradation level table, the degradation level of the memory cells according to the amount of information stored in the memory cells for each cycle of data erasure from the physical blocks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nonvolatile memory controller for controlling a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and to a nonvolatile storage device using such nonvolatile memory controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as a nonvolatile storage device equipped with a NAND-type flash memory as a rewritable nonvolatile memory, memory cards are being used as the storage medium of digital cameras and mobile phones, and its market is expanding.
Moreover, pursuant to the microfabrication of the semiconductor process, the bit unit price of nonvolatile storage devices has decreased and nonvolatile storage devices are being used as an inexpensive storage device in markets other than memory cards; for example, as memories of SSD (Solid State Drive) used as a substitute of HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or of embedded systems which are directly mounted on a host device, and its application is expanding.
Here, the characteristics of a NAND-type flash memory can be listed as follows:                A nonvolatile memory with the largest capacity among the semiconductor memories and with a low bit cost        The reliability of data is deterioration pursuant to the microfabrication of the semiconductor process        There are a plurality of types of memory cells including binary and multi-valued
Each of these characteristics is now explained in order.
With a NAND-type flash memory, if the minimum feature size of the semiconductor process is F, then one memory cell can be configured in a size of the square of (2F). This is why the NAND-type flash memory has the lowest bit cost and largest capacity among the semiconductor memories.
Moreover, in recent years, a NAND-type flash memory is being manufactured by using, as the process driver, the most advanced process rule of the semiconductor process. Consequently, a NAND-type flash memory is now being used in systems that use different memories.
For example, a system in which a program code demanded of high-speed random access is stored in a NOR-type flash memory and user data demanded of large capacity is stored in a NAND-type flash memory is being replaced only with a single NAND-type flash memory.
This is because the capacity of the mounted NAND-type flash memory is sufficiently smaller than the capacity of the required NOR-type flash memory and, even if the program code loaded in the NOR-type flash memory is stored in the NAND-type flash memory, the influence is minimal, and the cost advantages of being able to eliminate the NOR-type flash memory are higher even if it is necessary to apply creative efforts in using the NAND-type flash memory.
Moreover, the increase in capacity of the NAND-type flash memory depends largely on the microfabrication of the semiconductor process. Nevertheless, the microfabrication of the semiconductor process is not only advantageous, it also entails the problem of deteriorating the reliability of data. Specifically, pursuant to the advancement of microfabrication, the data retention characteristics will deteriorate, and degradation of characteristics due to the rewrite processing will advance.
Here, a memory cell of the flash memory takes on a configuration of retaining, in a nonvolatile manner, electrons between a control gate and a substrate in a MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor)-type transistor, and performs the erasure and writing of data by shifting the electrons between the substrate and the floating gate. Moreover, data is read from the memory cell of the flash memory by determining the amount of current that flows through the transistor configuring the flash memory.
As described above, when the erasure and writing of data are repeated to the memory cells of the flash memory, the electrons move between the substrate and the floating gate, and this causes the degradation of the insulator film (hereinafter referred to as the "gate insulator film") between the substrate and the floating gate. When the gate insulator film becomes degraded, electrons are leaked from the floating gate to the substrate via the defects existing in the gate insulator film, the writing efficiency deteriorates due to the influence of the electrons trapped in the defects of the gate insulator film, and this consequently deteriorates the reliability of data.
Even with the foregoing disadvantages, with the unparalleled bit unit price as its strength, the use of flash memories manufactured based on microfabrication is expanding even if it is necessary to apply creative efforts for improving the reliability of data.
Moreover, an important element upon examining the reliability of data of a flash memory is the handling of memory cells in the writing of data. Specifically, the reliability of data differs considerably depending on whether data is written as a binary memory cell or data is written as a multi-valued memory cell, and the reliability of data is higher if data is written as a binary memory cell. Meanwhile, needless to say, the capacity of the memory can be increased if data is written as a multi-valued memory cell, and the bit unit price can be reduced at the same time.
From the foregoing characteristics of a NAND-type flash memory, there are cases of using a plurality of different writing methods upon storing data in the flash memory. For example, it is possible to perform binary writing upon writing a program code demanded of high reliability as a binary memory cell, and perform multi-valued writing upon writing user data demanded of high capacity as a multi-valued memory cell.
The binary writing and the multi-valued writing are now compared. In order to simply the explanation, the case of performing binary writing and the case of performing four-valued writing are now explained with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing how the threshold voltage of the memory cells is distributed in the case of binary writing. The distribution on the left side of FIG. 12 shows the distribution of the threshold voltage of the memory cells in an erased state, and the distribution on the right side of FIG. 12 shows the distribution of the threshold voltage of the memory cells in a written state. In the case of binary writing, 1 bit of information is stored depending on whether the threshold voltage of the memory cell is on the left-side distribution or the right-side distribution.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how the threshold voltage of the memory cells is distributed in the case of four-valued writing. The distribution on the left side of FIG. 13 shows the distribution of the threshold voltage of the memory cells in an erased state, and the three distributions on the right side of FIG. 13 respectively show the distribution of the threshold voltage of the memory cells in respectively different written states. In the case of four-valued writing, 2 bit information is stored depending on where the threshold voltage of the memory cells is located among the four distributions.
As evident from FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the distribution interval 1301 of the threshold voltage in the case of four-valued writing is narrower in comparison to the distribution interval 1201 of the threshold voltage in the case of binary writing. Accordingly, as the distribution interval becomes narrow, the margin relative to the variation in the threshold voltage of the memory cells becomes small. In other words, the data retention period is shorter with the four-valued writing in comparison to the binary writing.
Moreover, the distribution width 1302 of the threshold voltage in the case of four-valued writing needs to be narrower in comparison to the distribution width 1202 of the threshold voltage in the case of binary writing. Accordingly, in order to narrow the distribution of the threshold voltage of the memory cells, it is necessary to repeatedly execute detailed control in the writing to the memory cells. Consequently, degradation of the gate insulator film during the rewriting process will advance as a result of the number of times that writing stress is applied to the memory cells increasing, or the application period becoming longer, and the rewrite cycle will decrease.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing how the threshold voltage of the memory cells is distributed in the case of eight-valued writing. In the case of eight-valued writing, it is evident that the distribution interval 1401 of the threshold voltage and the distribution voltage 1402 of the threshold voltage are respectively even narrower in comparison to the case of four-valued writing. In other words, if the eight-valued writing is performed, the rewrite cycle will decrease further, and the data retention period will be shortened further.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-257773 describes technology related to a nonvolatile storage device with a binary writing area and a multi-valued writing area, wherein, by physically dividing and managing a memory cell array into an area to use as the binary writing area and an area for use as the sixteen-valued (i.e., multi-valued) writing area, optimal block management in the respective areas is performed.
Nevertheless, with the configuration described in foregoing Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-257773, since the area used as the binary writing area and the area used as the sixteen-valued writing area are physically divided and managed, if only the binary writing area is repeated used, while the rewrite cycle of the physical blocks of the binary writing area will increase and become degraded, the physical blocks of the multi-valued writing area will not degrade since they are not used, and, consequently, there is a problem in that the overall physical blocks cannot be used uniformly.
Moreover, the degradation level of the respective areas is managed only based on the rewrite cycle. Thus, since only a common degradation scale is available for both binary writing and sixteen-valued writing which have different degradation levels to begin with, this becomes a factor in inhibiting the mutual exploitation of the respective areas.

Nonvolatile memory controller and nonvolatile storage device


An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The OLED display includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; a thin film transistor and a driving driver on the first substrate; an organic light emitting element including a pixel electrode, an organic emission layer, and a common electrode; a pixel defining layer; a thermal conductive layer covering the driving driver; and a first sealant along an outer edge of the first substrate and the second substrate.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the embodiments relate to an OLED display and a method of manufacturing the same that can stabilize the OLED display operations. The stabilizing operations may occur, despite long term driving of a panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
An OLED display has self-luminance characteristics. Therefore, the OLED display does not require an additional light source. Thus, the OLED display may be manufactured with a small thickness and weight. OLED displays have been in the spotlight as a potential next generation display device because OLED displays represent high quality characteristics. These high quality characteristics may include low power consumption, high luminance, and a high reaction speed.
The OLED display includes an organic light emitting element and a thin film transistor for driving the OLED display. A pixel defining layer (PDL) defines a pixel area. The PDL is formed on the thin film transistor. An organic light emitting element is formed in a pixel area. The pixel area is formed between the PDL. The organic light emitting element includes an anode, a cathode, and an organic emission layer. Holes and electrons are injected from the anode and the cathode to form excitons. The excitons emit light while transiting to a ground state.
The information disclosed in the Background is only for an enhanced understanding of the described technology. Therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art in this country.

Organic light emitting diode display and method of manufacturing the same


A power generation system includes a gas turbine, a fuel cell, an exhausted fuel gas supply line, an on-off control valve arranged in the exhausted fuel gas supply line, a heating unit that heats the exhausted fuel gas supply line in a range on an upstream side of the on-off control valve, a detection unit that detects a state of exhausted fuel gas in the exhausted fuel gas supply line in the range on the upstream side of the on-off control valve, and a control unit which controls the heating of the exhausted fuel gas supply line by the heating unit and which sets the on-off control valve to open when determining that the heating of the exhausted fuel gas supply line is completed.

A solid oxide fuel cell (hereinafter referred to as SOFC) is known as a versatile and highly efficient fuel cell. An operating temperature of the SOFC is set to high in order to increase ionic conductivity, so that air discharged from a compressor of a gas turbine can be used as air (oxidant) supplied to a cathode side. Further, a high temperature fuel that cannot be used by the SOFC can be used as a fuel of a combustor of the gas turbine.
Therefore, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-205930, various combinations of SOFC, a gas turbine, and a steam turbine are proposed as a power generation system that can achieve highly efficient power generation. A combined system described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-205930 includes an SOFC, a gas turbine combustor that combusts exhausted fuel gas and exhausted air which are exhausted from the SOFC, and a gas turbine including a compressor that compresses air and supplies the compressed air to the SOFC.

Power generation system and operation method of power generation system


An internal combustion engine includes a main combustion chamber, an auxiliary combustion chamber, a fuel reforming unit, and a control unit. The auxiliary combustion chamber is configured and arranged to communicate with the main combustion chamber. The fuel reforming unit is configured and arranged to reform a fuel to produce a reformed gaseous fuel and a reformed liquid fuel. The control unit is configured to execute control such that the reformed gaseous fuel is supplied to the auxiliary combustion chamber when a first operating condition exists and the reformed liquid fuel is supplied to the main combustion chamber when a second operating condition exists.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine having an auxiliary combustion chamber.
2. Background Information
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-11517 discloses a conventional internal combustion engine having a main combustion chamber and an auxiliary combustion chamber arranged and configured to communicate with the main combustion chamber. The technology described in this reference is contrived to reform a fuel to produce a reformed gaseous fuel and a reformed liquid fuel. The reformed gaseous fuel is supplied to the auxiliary combustion chamber and the reformed liquid fuel is supplied to the main combustion chamber.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved internal combustion engine with auxiliary combustion chamber. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Internal combustion engine with auxiliary combustion chamber


A method of processing a pulse response with an adaptive threshold and corresponding receiver. According to the method, an adaptive threshold is calculated that is a function of a maximum reached by the pulse response, noise, and a coefficient adjustable between 0 and 1. The processing only comes into operation for signals that exceed this threshold. Such a method may find application notably to digital radio-communications with spread spectrum.

The subject of this invention is a method of processing a pulse response with an adaptive threshold and a corresponding receiver. It finds general application in the processing of signals, every time a signal arrives in the form of pulses accompanied by overwritten replicas with noise. This may be the case in seismology, in radar or sonar detection or in the case of digital radio-communications with Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS).
The invention will be more specifically described in the context of spread spectrum digital radio-communications, although its scope is wider than this.
The technique of direct sequence spread spectrum consists schematically of multiplying a data symbol (for example one or more bits, by a pseudo-random code made up of a sequence of elements called chips). This operation has the effect of spreading the spectrum of the signal. On reception, the received signal is processed by correlation with a pseudo-random code identical to that used for transmission, which has the effect of reducing (xe2x80x9cunspreadingxe2x80x9d) the spectrum. The xe2x80x9cunspreadxe2x80x9d signal is then processed in order to recover the data symbol.
The technique of modulation by direct sequence spread spectrum is widely described in the specialist literature. The following books can be mentioned:
xe2x80x9cCDMA Principles of Spread Spectrum Communicationxe2x80x9d by Andrew J. VITERBI, Addison Wesley Wireless Communications Series,
xe2x80x9cSpread Spectrum Systemsxe2x80x9d by Robert C. DIXON, John WILEY and Sons,
xe2x80x9cSpread Spectrum Communicationsxe2x80x9d by Marvin K. SIMON, Jim K. OMURA, Robert A. SCHOLTZ and Barry K. LEVITT, Computer Science Press, 1983, vol. I.
FIG. 1 appended gives the simplified block diagram for a spread spectrum receiver in the case where a differential type modulation has been used on transmission.
In this Figure, one can see a receiver comprising an aerial 10, a conversion oscillator 12, a multiplier 14, an amplifier 16, a matched filter 18, a delay line 20, a multiplier 22, an integrator 24 and a decision circuit 26.
The operating principle of this receiver is as follows. The matched filter 18 carries out the correlation operation between the received signal and the spread sequence used. The principle of the phase differential modulation, which is sometimes chosen on transmission, leads to data being carried by the phase difference between the signals at the output from the matched filter 18 and at the output from the delay line 20. This data is reconstructed by the multiplier 22.
A correlation peak at the output from the multiplier 22 corresponds to each propagation path. The role of the integrator 24 is to take into account the data carried by each of the propagation paths. The propagation paths being statistically independent in a multiple path environment, with this particular reception technique, diversity processing is carried out, the order of which can be raised when the pulse response is complex. The decision circuit 26 enables one to reconstruct the transmitted data and, in addition, regenerate a clock signal used to command the various circuits.
Document FR-A-2 742 014 describes a digital embodiment of this receiver, which is illustrated in FIG. 2. This receiver comprises two similar channels, one to process part I of the signal in phase with the carrier and the other to process part Q in quadrature with this same carrier.
Channel I comprises filtering means 50(I) matched to the pseudo-random sequence used on transmission; these first means supplying samples Ik. Channel I further comprises delay means 60(I), the delay period being equal to the period Ts of the symbols; these means supplying samples Ikxe2x88x921.
Channel Q also comprises filtering means 50(Q) matched to the pseudo-random sequence and supplying samples Qk. Channel Q additionally comprises delay means 60(Q), the delay being Ts and supplying samples Qkxe2x88x921.
The multiplier 70 calculates combinations of products of these samples and notably a signal designated below Dot(k) which is equal to IkIkxe2x88x921xe2x88x92QkQkxe2x88x921 and a signal designated Cross(k) equal to QkIkxe2x88x921xe2x88x92IkQkxe2x88x921. The signals Dot(k) and Cross(k) allow one to calculate the product of a sample Sk obtained at the instant k by the Skxe2x88x921 conjugated sample obtained at the instant txe2x88x92Ts, where Ts is the duration of the symbols. This calculation is specific to the differential modulation.
The circuit in FIG. 2 further comprises a programming means 72. A decision circuit 90 finally supplies a clock signal H and the reconstructed symbol D (over one or more bits).
By way of an explanatory example, FIG. 3 appended, shows the throughput of a Dot signal obtained by simulation, in the case where only a single propagation path exists between the transmitter and the receiver. Some of the peaks shown are positive, some negative, depending on the value of the binary data transmitted. The interval between two consecutive peaks corresponds to the duration Ts of one symbol.
In the case of Four Phase Shift Keying or DQPSK (Q for quaternary), the two signals Dot and Cross must be examined simultaneously in order to recover the transmitted data. FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively show the throughput of the signals Dot and Cross still provided by simulation in the case of a single path.
In the case of several paths, the peaks illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 would be doubles, triples, quadruples etc., for each symbol, the number of peaks detected being equal to the number of paths assumed by the radio wave between the transmitter and the receiver.
A simple integrator, like the integrator 24 in FIG. 1, integrated into the circuit 90 in FIG. 2, integrates all of the signals present, that is to say both the peaks (corresponding to true data) and the noise (that doesn""t correspond to any data). The signal to noise ratio is therefore low.
Document FR-A-2 757 330 proposes a solution to improve this signal to noise ratio. It consists firstly of calculating the sum of the squares of the Dot(k) and Cross(k) signals, and then extracting the square root of this sum, a quantity that reflects the energy distribution of the various propagation paths, each peak having as its amplitude, the energy carried by the corresponding path. Hence the quantity E(k) is measured defined as:
E(k)=[Dot(k)2+Cross(k)2]xc2xd
Next an operation is carried out finding the mean of the energy E(k) over a few symbols, that is to say over a few values from row k. The number of symbols used for this estimation of the mean must correspond to a duration less than the coherence time of the channel, that is to say less than the time beyond which two separate waves from the same origin no longer interfere.
Using these means, designated Emoy, the instantaneous signals Dot(k) and Cross(k) are weighted, for example, by multiplication of Dot(k) and Cross(k) by Emoy. In this way, two new weighted signals are obtained, namely Dot(k)moy and Cross(k)moy. It is on these weighted signals reflecting the average of the energy of several symbols, that one then carries out the integration over a period Ts for the symbol and then the regeneration of the clock and the recovery of the data.
While this known technique gives satisfaction in certain regards, it nevertheless has the disadvantage of taking the noise into account even though it may be slight. Furthermore, the integration carried out on the pulses prevents the determination of the number of paths present.
The purpose of this invention is to remedy these disadvantages by allowing one to discard the noise and keep the identity of the paths.
To this end, the invention proposes that a threshold is determined starting from which the signal will be used in subsequent processing. Those skilled in the art would be inclined to choose a fixed threshold, determined once and for all. However, the value of the threshold would often be inappropriate. In effect, depending on the transmission conditions, the amplitude of the main peak can be subject to great variations and the same is true for the mean noise level. For example, in the field of rail transport, communications by spread spectrum are used between the front and the rear of the train to transmit command and control signals. In a rural area and on a relatively sharp curve, a transmitter and receiver are in direct line of sight and there is therefore a single path of high amplitude. However in a tunnel having a curve, the only paths existing correspond to the reflection from the walls of the tunnel; they are numerous and of low amplitude.
Furthermore, although communication by spread spectrum is relatively robust in relation to interference from transmitters operating on the same frequencies, this induces a reduction in the peaks and an increase in noise. To once more use the example of a train, it may travel through rural and urban areas, in tunnels and in areas crossed by other trains and providing interference. These great variations in the environment lead to large variations in pulse response.
For all these reasons, a fixed threshold would not be advisable. Hence the invention proposes that a threshold be determined which is matched to the signal and to the noise. In other words the threshold is adaptive. Adaptation is carried out through a measurement of the maximum achieved by the signal and by the mean noise value.
To put it more precisely, the subject of this invention is a method of processing a pulse response made up of several successive pulses overwritten with noise, characterized in that, in a preliminary process, the value of the maximum of the pulses within a defined period of time and the value of the mean noise within this interval are determined, an adaptive threshold equal to a function of the maximum and of the mean noise is calculated, the pulses received are compared with this threshold and only those pulses that exceed this threshold are taken into account when processing the signal.
Preferably, the adaptive threshold is taken as being equal to the quantity B+xcex1(Mxe2x88x92B) where M is the value of the maximum of the pulses, B is the value of the mean noise and xcex1 is a coefficient adjustable between 0 and 1. In this way a threshold is obtained which increases linearly with the mean noise and with the difference between the signal maximum and the noise.
This method is applicable in an advantageous manner in the case where the signal to be processed is a signal corresponding to data symbols transmitted by spread spectrum, said interval being then equal to the duration of each symbol.
A further subject of the invention is a receiver for direct sequence spread spectrum radiocommunication for implementation of the method which has just been specified.

Method of processing a pulse response with an adaptive threshold and corresponding receiver


A translation apparatus translates article information in a first language including an article body and a related headline as a summary of the article body. A decision unit discriminately identifies the article body and the headline in the article information. A translation unit respectively translates the article body and the headline into a second language based on identification result of the decision unit.

Recently, machine translation software is widely utilized in order for a user to read Web page on the Internet. For example, in case of reading a Web page of on line-news reporting a trend of foreign countries in real time, the machine translation software is utilized. In general, the Web page of on line-news includes a headline and an article body. The headline represents a summary of the article body. The Web page is described in a first language (For example, English) and the machine translation software automatically translates the Web page into second language (For example, Japanese). The user whose native tongue is the second language reads the Web page after the machine translation. In this case, before the user reads translated sentences of the article body, he often reads a translated headline in order to decide whether to read the article body or not. Accordingly, translation of the headline is more important than translation of the article body.
However, in this news article (For example, English article), new proper nouns not registered in a translation dictionary are often used and a style of the English article is unique. Accordingly, machine translation is difficult. Especially, the headline (a title of the article) is fragmentally described on the assumption of background knowledge of an English-speaking people. Accordingly, machine translation of the headline is extremely difficult.
As mentioned-above, the style of news article headline is unique and its machine translation is quite difficult.


Method and system for monitoring present location and/or present status of a target inventory item, where the inventory items are located on one or more inventory shelves or other inventory receptacles that communicate with an inventory base station through use of responders such as RFIDs. A user operates a hand held interrogation and display (IAD) module that communicates with, or is part of, the base station, to provide an initial inquiry. Information on location(s) of the target inventory item is also indicated visibly and/or audibly on the receptacle(s) for the user. Status information includes an assessment of operation readiness and a time, if known, that the specified inventory item or class was last removed or examined or modified. Presentation of a user access level may be required for access to the target inventory item. Another embodiment provides inventory information for a stack as a sight-impaired or hearing-impaired person passes adjacent to that stack.

Keeping track of inventory, whether books or documents or electronic copies or goods or sensitive material, is a continual task. Determining where an inventory item is presently located, or mislocated, is increasingly time consuming as the inventory grows and items are repaired, maintained, replaced, or moved and recharacterized. Inclusion of a paper slip noting the "history" of the item is only acceptable if the item users are diligent about supplementing this history with an account of recent activities involving the item and/or the present status of the item. Where multiple copies of an inventory item are present and are kept in different locations, the tasks become correspondingly multiplied.
What is needed is a system that (1) indicates whether a selected item or category of items is present in the collection; and, if present, identifies the location(s) of the item(s) using a visually perceptible and/or audibly perceptible signal; and (2) the present condition or status, if known, of the item(s). Preferably, the system should be flexible and should permit implementation of one or more redefined categories for subsequent searches.

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