In a fixing apparatus that an unfixed developer is fused and fixed by heating/pressurizing a recording medium on which an image of the unfixed developer is formed, a belt-shaped cleaning member is fed from a feeding roller, and the cleaning member is made to respectively contact a heating roller and a pressure roller by a pressure-contact roller, thereby cleaning that the heating roller and the pressure roller, respectively. When a winding roller takes up the cleaning member which has cleaned a roller surface, guide rollers are respectively provided between the pressure-contact roller and the winding roller, and between the feeding roller and the pressure-contact roller so as to contact the cleaning member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing apparatus favorably for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and to an image forming apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image formation using an electrophotographic system, a photoreceptor charged with a uniform electric potential is exposed to light in accordance with image information so that an electrostatic latent image is formed. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed by a developer so as to be visualized. The visualized image is transferred on a recording paper or the like, and the transferred developer on the recording paper is made to be fixed so as to form a solid recording image.
The fixing apparatus used for such image formation, is generally composed of a heating roller and a pressure roller, which are such configured that in passing the recording paper on which the developer for forming a visualized image through a pressure contact region (hereinafter referred to as a nip section) of the heating roller and the pressure roller which is formed by pressing the pressure roller against the heating roller, unfixed developer is fused and fixed by heating of the heating roller and pressing of the pressure roller.
During a fixing operation in the fixing apparatus, there sometimes occurs a so-called hot offset that the developer fused on the nip section of the both rollers is not all fixed on the recording paper, but a part of the developer is attached to a surface of the roller. For instance, the developer attached to the heating roller is transferred on a portion which should be properly a white base, on a recording paper on which the developer is to be subsequently fixed, with the result that an image defect is made to occur.
Moreover, on the pressure roller, the developer which has already fixed to a back surface of the conveyed recording paper, for instance as in a case of duplex print, is sometimes fused again by heat in passing through the nip section and a part of the developer is transferred and attached to the pressure roller. The developer thus attached to the pressure roller may cause the image defect and further, may cause a soil of the back surface of the recording paper.
The image defect caused by the hot offset in the fixing apparatus sometimes remains, in a case of black-and-white print, mere defects such as a fog in a white base of the formed image, a soil on the back surface of the recording paper, or the like in a tolerable range. However, in a case of full-color print, since a developer having a color different from a prescribed one is transferred from the both rollers, there often occur practically intolerable defects.
As a related art for solving such a problem, there is an apparatus having roller cleaning means on the both rollers provided in a fixing apparatus (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2003-107952).
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a configuration of roller cleaning means 1 provided in a related art fixing apparatus. FIGS. 10A to 10C are views for explaining a general outline of operation of the roller cleaning means 1 shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 illustrates the roller cleaning means 1 provided on a heating roller 2 in the fixing apparatus.
The roller cleaning means 1 comprises a feeding roller 4 for feeding a belt-shaped cleaning member 3 which has been previously rolled up, a winding roller 5 for taking up the cleaning member 3 fed from the feeding roller 4, and a pressure-contact roller 6 (also referred to as a web pressure-contact roller) provided between the feeding roller 4 and the winding roller 5 so as to press the cleaning member 3 on the heating roller 2.
The roller cleaning means 1 presses the cleaning member 3 on the heating roller 2 which is rotated in an arrow sign 7 direction in a state where the winding roller 5, the feeding roller 4, and the pressure-contact roller 6 are made to be at rest without being rotated so that the heating roller 2 and the cleaning member 3 are made to be slidingly scrubbed. By so doing, a developer 8a attached in a fused state to an outer circumferential surface of the heating roller 2 is removed and the removed developer 8b is accumulated, still in a substantially fused state, in a gap formed by the cleaning member 3 located between the pressure-contact roller 6 and the winding roller 5, and the surface of the heating roller 2.
When the developer 8b accumulated in the gap reaches a certain amount level, the roller cleaning means 1 operates the winding roller 5 for take-up in an arrow sign 9 direction so as to take up the cleaning member 3 only by a predetermined length, with the result that the developer 8b is made to detach from the surface of the heating roller 2 in a state where the developer 8b is attached to the cleaning member 3.
Hereinafter, an operation of the roller cleaning means 1 in the related art will be further described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10C. FIG. 10A shows a state where the above-described winding and feeding rollers 4, 5 and the pressure-contact roller 6 are in a rest state, and the developer 8a on the surface of the heating roller 2 is removed by the cleaning member 3 and accumulated in the gap between the cleaning member 3 and the surface of the heating roller 2.
FIG. 10B shows a state where an amount of the developer 8b accumulated in the gap reaches a certain level, and the winding roller 5 is made to be rotated so as to start taking-up of the cleaning member 3. When the cleaning member 3 is taken up in an arrow sign 10 direction by driving the winding roller 5, the pressure-contact roller 6 is also rotated by frictional force acting between the pressure-contact roller 6 and the to-be-taken-up cleaning member 3. When the pressure-contact roller 6 is rotationally activated, attributable to actions such as the frictional force between the pressure-contact roller 6 and the cleaning member 3, and adhesion of the fused developer 8b impregnated in a minute air gap of the cleaning member 3 formed by, for instance, Nomex paper (trade name), there sometimes arises a phenomenon that the cleaning member 3 moves as being attached to the pressure-contact roller 6, namely that the cleaning member 3 is taken up by the pressure-contact roller 6.
FIG. 10C shows a state where the winding roller 5 has further rotated so that a taken-up tension in the arrow sign 10 direction for the cleaning member 3 has further increased. When the taken-up tension further increases and force acting in a direction moving away from an outer circumferential surface of the pressure-contact roller 6 for the cleaning member 3 exceeds an adherence of the cleaning member 3 to the pressure-contact roller 6, the cleaning member 3 is rapidly detached from the surface of the pressure-contact roller 6. By so doing, the cleaning member 3 pulsates in a direction perpendicular to a taken-up direction 10 and in a direction moving close to and away from the surface of the heating roller 2 (an arrow sign 12 direction). Since force generated by pulsation of the cleaning member 3 acts the developer 8b in a fused state, attached to the cleaning member 3, the developer 8b is dispersed and attached again to the surface of the heating roller 2.
Consequently, in the roller cleaning means 1 of the related art, there arises a problem that a valuable cleaning effect diminishes since the developer 8b removed from the surface of the heating roller 2 by the cleaning member 3 is attached again to the heating roller 2 by the pulsation of the cleaning member 3 at the time of starting the taking-up operation for taking up the cleaning member 3.
Moreover, in a cleaning method using such a cleaning member 3 in the related art, it is required to replace a portion of the cleaning member 3 used for cleaning when the developer 8b has been accumulated to a certain extent in the gap between the cleaning member 3 and the surface of the heating roller 2, in other words when the cleaning member 3 is soiled by the developer 8b. There arises another problem that a time for replacement is not made clear in the related art in spite of a fact that its cycle for replacement varies depending on a print image density, a print image size, or the like.

Fixing apparatus having a cleaning member and image forming apparatus having the same


Provided are a water-based ink composition characterized by containing 0.01 to 1.0% by weight of high molecular saccharides (trade name: Diutan gum) represented by Formula 1 as an essential component in the ink composition and a ballpoint pen in which an ink reservoir in a main body is charged with the above water-based ink composition.

Oil-based inks and water-based inks have so far been used for writing instruments. In particular, ballpoint pens include ballpoint pens charged with oil-based inks and ballpoint pens charged with water-based inks. Among them, known are water-based inks referred to as a so-called gel ink which are prepared by providing water-based inks with a viscosity-reduced shearing property, and various proposals are made to a viscosity-reduced sharing property-donating agent therefor.
Proposed are, for example, application of xanthane gum (refer to, for example, a patent document 1), application of welan gum (refer to, for example, a patent document 2) and application of succinoglycan (refer to, for example, a patent document 3) as viscosity-reduced sharing property-donating agents.
However, in the ink compositions described in these respective patent documents, it is difficult to maintain dispersion and stabilization of the coloring agents over a long period of time, and ballpoint pens using these inks cause starving of drawn lines and bring about paling or darkening of lines when left standing in low temperature or high temperature atmosphere. Further, the dispersion system is broken, and the components in the inks are coagulated, whereby it has resulted in clogging at the pen tips to bring about the situation of impossibility to write. Writing instruments are used under various atmospheres, and therefore such deficiencies as described above are serious defects.    Patent document 1: Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 8673/1989.    Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 214782/1992    Patent document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 88050/1994

Water-based ink composition and ballpoint pen using the same


Provided is an automatic inspection device and method for inspecting processing quality of laser processing equipment that forms a modified area by irradiating a laser beam into an object to be processed. The automatic inspection device includes: an image film coated on a bottom surface of the object to be processed; an image sensing unit configured to detect a damage image of the object to be processed formed on the image film through irradiation of the laser beam; and an image processing unit configured to process the damage image detected by the image sensing unit.

A laser processing device irradiates a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator to an object to be processed by using an optical system, and performs a laser processing operation such as marking, exposure, etching, punching, scribing, or dicing on the object to be processed through irradiation of the laser beam.
Recently, a method of processing an object to be processed by forming a focusing point in the object to be processed through which a laser beam may be transmitted and forming cracks so as to prevent damage to a surface of the object to be processed has been spotlighted. For example, when a high-power laser beam is focused in a semiconductor wafer to form a focusing point, a modified area is formed around the focusing point and cracks are formed from the modified area. Next, when the laser beam moves along a processing line of the semiconductor wafer, a crack row may be formed in the object to be processed, and then the crack row may extend to a surface of the semiconductor wafer naturally or due to an external force, thereby making it possible to cut the semiconductor wafer.
In a laser processing device for performing a processing operation by forming a focusing point in an object to be processed, when a laser beam is incident on a modified area or a crack area formed by the focusing point, the laser beam is splashed around due to interference, thereby damaging the object to be processed. In particular, when the object to be processed is a semiconductor wafer on which elements are integrated and the splashed laser beam affects an active area where the elements are located, a semiconductor chip may be damaged, thereby greatly reducing the yield of the semiconductor chip. Accordingly, it is necessary to automatically inspect and manage the laser processing device so as to early detect damage to the object to be processed due to the splashed laser beam.

Automatic inspection device and method of laser processing equipment


Apparatus and a corresponding method of operating a hub device, and a target device, in a coherent interconnect system are presented. A cache pre-population request of a set of coherency protocol transactions in the system is received from a requesting master device specifying at least one data item and the hub device responds by cause a cache pre-population trigger of the set of coherency protocol transactions specifying the at least one data item to be transmitted to a target device. This trigger can cause the target device to request that the specified at least one data item is retrieved and brought into cache. Since the target device can therefore decide whether to respond to the trigger or not, it does not receive cached data unsolicited, simplifying its configuration, whilst still allowing some data to be pre-cached.

The caching of copies of data items in a data processing system more closely to the point at which they are required for data processing operations (e.g. close to a CPU) enables the significant latency associated with a retrieval of data item from memory to largely be avoided. However, data caches must necessarily typically be much smaller than the memory devices they support and therefore the selection of the subset of data items from the memory device which are held in a cache device at any given time must be carefully administered in order to ensure that the caching works effectively. One mechanism by which data items may be populated in a cache is where a data access by a data processing component (e.g. a CPU) causes the data item to be retrieved from memory and the data item may then be stored in the local cache, on the assumption that having been retrieved once from memory it is likely to be accessed again in the near future. Alternatively, in particular in a multiple data processing component and multi-cache system, data items may be proactively pushed into a target data cache even before the processing component associated with that target cache requests the data item. This however requires the cache to have space available to accommodate this unsolicited data and administering such a system adds complexity to the administration of a cache.


A communication navigation system is provided with: a communication navigation terminal (5) and a communication center apparatus (3) with a communication network (2) for connecting them. The communication navigation terminal is provided with a traveling locus recording device (36, 24) for preferentially holding a traveling locus recorded when a movable body is driving out of a service area of the communication navigation system; and a processing device (20) for performing a route search and the like on the basis of this preferentially held traveling locus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication navigation system and a communication navigation method for vehicle use or the like, which can perform navigation processing, such as route search, route navigation, map display, and the like, at least partially by using a communication network, as well as a program storage device and a computer data signal embodiment in a carrier wave.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, research and development on electronic control for controlling the drive of a vehicle are advanced, and navigation systems for aiding in driving are significantly spread and popularized. This navigation system generally has various databases and such a basic structure that displays, on a display device, map information, current position information, various guidance information, and the like. Moreover, it searches for a drive route on the basis of an inputted condition.
A function called as a xe2x80x9croute searchxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpath searchxe2x80x9d of a navigation apparatus mounted on a vehicle is designed to be capable of searching for an optimum route connecting an origin and a destination, both of which are designated by a user. It is also designed to lead and guide (navigate) the user to the destination by displaying on a map a current position based on a self-contained or built-in positioning measurement or a GPS (Global Positioning System) measurement and the searched optimum route.
With respect to a traditional navigation apparatus, this kind of route search is performed by microprocessor processing in the apparatus on the basis of the map database information stored in a map information record medium (e.g. a DVD-ROM) equipped in the navigation apparatus. More concretely, the route search is executed by using xe2x80x9cinformation for a route searchxe2x80x9d, which enables a search for the optimum route based on predetermined mathematical algorithm, such as link information corresponding to a road part between branching points and intersections, node information including coordinates information (e.g., absolute position information on latitude and longitude, or on altitude, latitude and longitude) corresponding to the branching points and the intersections of roads or the like among the map database information. Generally, in view of its nature of being for route search, this kind of information for a route search is constructed by the link information, the node information, and the like, which are about broad areas where roads are mutually connected, for example, such as throughout Honshu or the main island of Japan, throughout Japan, or the like, so that its volume of data becomes enormous, which increases the whole amount of data of the map database information.
Moreover, the map database information includes data of added information, which may be facility guidance information on tourist attractions/facilities, facility numerals, names (characters) of maps/roads, views of waters/railroads, and roads, in each one of many pieces of map information (drawings). These data as well as the above-described information for the route search further increase the volume of data of the map database information.
By the way, the search for the optimum route requires the newest map database information because of changes, new constructions, and the like on roads.
Therefore, there is a need to equip for the traditional navigation apparatus a map information record medium that stores the map database information which is the newest and whose data volume is enormous. At the same time, there is a need of the display processing and the search processing of the optimum route based on the complicated map database information. In this case, there is a need to mount a microprocessor unit (MPU), which is capable of high-speed processing, so that the scale of the processing and that of the apparatus come to increase.
On that account, various communication navigation systems are suggested in order to improve such increase of the scale of the processing and that of the apparatus. In these communication navigation systems, the map database information is obtained and provided through two-way wireless communication between a communication center apparatus on a communication network and a communication navigation terminal mounted on a vehicle (e.g. refer to the examples of Japanese Patent Application Laying Open NO. Hei 7-262493 xe2x80x9ca system for distributing map information for a movable bodyxe2x80x9d and Japanese Patent Application Laying Open NO. Hei 10-96644 xe2x80x9ca system for guiding a moving routexe2x80x9d).
The communication center apparatus in the communication navigation system in this kind can quickly and cheaply provide the newest map database information, because, for example, all we need is update the map database information of one communication center apparatus to the newest information, comparing to the case of providing an information record medium, which stores the newest map database information, for an individual navigation apparatus mounted on a movable body. Therefore, users side becomes able to receive the map database information including the newest information for the route search or the like.
Moreover, there has been developed such a communication navigation system that is designed not to perform the route search on the side of the communication navigation terminal, but to transmit information indicating a current position or an origin and a destination on the side of the communication navigation terminal, to perform the route search according to these by a high performance processor on the side of the communication center apparatus, to receive this search result and display it in a predetermined format on the side of the communication navigation terminal and so on.
However, the above-described communication navigation system has the following disadvantage.
It is impossible to have a service of navigation in the area that an electric wave cannot arrive in with a sufficient electric field intensity to use a wireless device. Usually, in this situation, there is no problem while driving along a route of a preset drive plan, however, in the case of deviating from the route by some reasons, if the area is out of a service area, it becomes impossible to obtain information to return the original route. For example, if it is impossible to transmit and receive the necessary information for the route search, then it is impossible to perform a route search to return to the route from which the movable body has deviated (hereinafter, such a route search is referred to as a xe2x80x9creroute searchxe2x80x9d as the occasion demands) on the side of the communication navigation terminal. Alternatively, if it is impossible to receive information on a current position or the like, then it is impossible to perform the reroute search on the side of the communication center apparatus. Moreover, if it is impossible to transmit and receive the search result, there is no meaning to perform the reroute search. Particularly, a movable body communication network is placed along expressways and main highways in many cases, and once the movable body deviates from this road, it is impossible to communicate, which is sufficiently assumed. Moreover, in the current situation, the infrastructure of a communication device such as a cellular phone or the like is not sufficiently promoted in mountain areas, and even in the future, it is difficult to think of the possibility to promote the infrastructure to cover all districts including depopulated areas, in the view of economic investment efficiency.
On that account, it is extremely important to construct a device for executing some navigation processing, such as searching for a route or a direction to be traveled, providing the search result, and the like, even if a vehicle enters into the area that it cannot communicate from its communication terminal, when expanding the use of the communication navigation system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a communication navigation system and a communication navigation method, which enable a search for a route to be traveled or the like, even if a movable body such as a vehicle or the like goes out of a service area of the communication navigation system, as well as a program storage device and a computer data signal embodiment in a carrier wave.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a first communication navigation system provided with: a communication center apparatus; and a communication navigation terminal, both of which transmit and receive information by a two-way communication through a communication network, (i) the communication center apparatus provided with: a map database for storing therein map database information including information for a route search, which enables the route search from a current position of a movable body to a destination by a predetermined algorithm; a search device for searching, by the predetermined algorithm, for a route heading to the destination from the current position, on the basis of the map database information including the information for the route search, according to the destination and the current position received through the communication network; and a center side wireless device for wirelessly transmitting route information indicating the searched route through the communication network, (ii) said communication navigation terminal provided with: a measurement device for measuring the current position; a terminal side wireless device for transmitting the measured current position and receiving the transmitted route information through the communication network; a traveling locus recording device for recording a traveling locus of the movable body such that it preferentially holds the traveling locus recorded when the movable body is moving out of a service area of the communication navigation system; and a processing device for performing navigation processing of a predetermined type based on the preferentially held traveling locus in case that the movable body is moving out of the service area.
According to the first communication navigation system of the present invention, the communication center apparatus is provided with the map database. This map database stores large-scale map database information including the information for the route search such as the above-described node information, link information, or the like, which enables a search for an optimum route from an origin to a destination by predetermined mathematical algorithm such as Dijkstra""s algorithm and so on. When the communication navigation is performed, route search request information indicating an origin and a destination may be firstly transmitted by a user communication terminal such as a cellular phone, a mobile, a facsimile, a personal computer, or the like at a user""s home, a communication navigation terminal, which is carried by a user or which is mounted on a user""s movable body, and so on. Secondly, the communication center apparatus receives this information through the communication network. Then, at the communication center apparatus, the search device searches for the optimum route with respect to the received route search request information with the predetermined algorithm such as Dijkstra""s algorithm or the like on the basis of the information for the route search included in the above-described map database information. Then, the center side wireless device wirelessly transmits, through the communication network, the searched information, including information on a plurality of guidance positions, for example, such as a branching point, an intersection, or the like, located on this searched route. In this specification, the xe2x80x9cguidance positionxe2x80x9d is referred to a position at which it is preferable to perform the route navigation or the route guidance of some kind in order to drive on a predetermined route. Moreover, the xe2x80x9cinformation on guidance positionsxe2x80x9d is information that allows the specification of locations of the guidance positions somehow, such as coordinates information that indicates absolute locations of the guidance positions, coordinates information that indicates relative locations with the absolute location as a standard, and the like.
On the side of the communication navigation terminal, the terminal side wireless device receives the route information indicating the optimum route from the current position to the destination, which has been transmitted from the center side wireless device of the communication center apparatus. This route information is recorded in the communication navigation terminal, and it is read out and displayed when the processing device performs the navigation processing such as route display, map display including the route, route navigation, route guidance, and the like. Map information for display used in this case can be obtained such that when the optimum route is presented from the communication center apparatus, the related map information within a predetermined range is transmitted at the same time. In this case, the map information for display can decrease in the volume of data to be transmitted and received, by cutting the related information within a predetermined range from the map database information including the information for the route search, whose data volume is huge, and transmitting it, and thus a recording device of the communication navigation terminal may be small. Alternatively, if the simple map information having small data volume is available, the map information may be stored in a storing device such as a DVD or the like equipped for the communication navigation terminal, and a related part may be read out from this.
Moreover, the communication navigation terminal is provided with a measurement device for measuring the current position. This is constructed by, for example, a GPS measurement device or a self-contained or built-in positioning apparatus for detecting a velocity, an acceleration velocity, an angular velocity, and the like, which is mounted on the movable body.
Here, the traveling locus recording device, which is constructed by, for example, a RAM, a hard disk, a DVD-RAM, and the like and which is equipped for the communication navigation terminal, records the traveling locus of the movable body. This recording may be or may be not performed within the service area of the communication navigation system, but at least, it is performed out of the communication navigation system. Then, especially with respect to the traveling locus recorded when the movable body is moving out of the service area, it is preferentially held. Then, in case that the movable body is moving out of the service area, the processing device performs the navigation processing of the predetermined type based on the preferentially held traveling locus, held by this traveling locus recording device. Namely, out of the service area, it is difficult or impossible to execute the route search on the communication center apparatus through the communication network. Besides, in view of the nature of the communication navigation, there are basically fewer information sources to search for a route and a direction to be traveled on the side of the communication navigation terminal. That is why the traveling locus, which is held by the traveling locus recording device in the past, is extremely helpful this time as the information source to search for the route and the direction to be traveled, out of the service area where the communication network cannot be used.
Incidentally, although the traveling locus is more or less recorded in traditional on-vehicle navigation systems, this is recorded without questioning whether it is within or out of the service area and the old ones are sequentially deleted while storing the new ones. Moreover, it is impossible for those traditional systems to hold the traveling locus out of the service area where the communication network cannot be used as the useful information source.
On the contrast, according to the present invention, since the traveling locus out of the service area is preferentially held by the traveling locus recording device, even in case that the movable body drives out of the service area later, it becomes possible to perform the navigation processing of the predetermined type, such as the search for the route and the direction to be traveled and the like, on the basis of this preferentially held traveling locus. For example, even out of the service area, it is possible to execute the processing relatively easily on the basis of the traveling locus in the past, such as the route search to a specified destination which has been visited in the past, the route search for a return route, and the like.
As described above, the first communication navigation system of the present invention, in which the communication navigation terminal mounted on the movable body is simply constructed with essential functions, is intended to execute the navigation processing, such as the route search and the like, by using the traveling locus in the past, even if the movable body goes out of the service area of the communication navigation system, in which the searching and operating functions in high quality requiring time are installed at the communication center apparatus.
In one aspect of the first communication navigation system of the present invention, the traveling locus recording device records the traveling locus with information indicating within or out of the service area.
According to this aspect, it becomes possible to treat with the traveling loci within and out of the service area of the communication navigation system while dividing or identifying them easily. Namely, the traveling locus out of the service area is helpful for the route search or the like when the movable body is out of the service area. On the other hand, if the movable body is within the service area, apparently, the communication center apparatus is accessed to perform the route search or the like, so the availability of the traveling locus is low.
In another aspect of the first communication navigation system of the present invention, the traveling locus recording device deletes the traveling locus recorded when the movable body is traveling within the service area, in an order from old to new one.
According to this aspect, in case that the route search or the is like is executed at the communication navigation terminal, it becomes possible to hold the locus data of the outer service area more, by the amount of deleting the traveling locus within the service area, which gives major effect to the route search out of the service area or the like. Moreover, even about the traveling locus within the service area, it is possible to hold, to some degree, the one which is relatively highly useful since it is new.
In another aspect of the first communication navigation system of the present invention, the traveling locus recording device gives priority to recording the traveling locus out of the service area than to recording the traveling locus within the service area until the traveling locus out of the service area occupies a predetermined ratio of a record area of said traveling locus recording device, and the traveling locus recording device replaces the traveling locus in an order from old to new one.
According to this aspect, it becomes possible to record the traveling locus within the service area at a predetermined ratio at the traveling locus recording device. Moreover, it prevents all of the recorded traveling loci from becoming the ones out of the service area.
In another aspect of the first communication navigation system of the present invention, the traveling locus recording device is equipped with a first record area for recording the traveling locus within the service area and a second record area for recording the traveling locus out of the service area and replaces the traveling locus in an order from old to new one respectively in the first and second record areas.
According to this aspect, the traveling locus within the service area can be recorded and held in the range of the first record area capacity, and the traveling locus out of the service area can be recorded and held in the range of the second record area capacity. Thus, it is prevented that all of the recorded traveling loci become the ones out of the service area, and at the same time, and the search of the data of the outer service is quickly performed. As for the first and second record area capacities, the whole record capacity may be distributed at a predetermined rate, considering their importance. Moreover, as for rewriting, the new traveling loci are replaced in the order to old to new one in each area.
In another aspect of the first communication navigation system of the present invention, the navigation processing of a predetermined type is processing of searching for at least one of a route and a direction to be traveled by the movable body, from the measured current position and the preferentially held traveling locus.
According to this aspect, out of the service area, it is possible to search for the route and the direction to be traveled by the movable body, on the basis of the traveling locus in the past, which is preferentially held by the traveling locus recording device.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a second communication navigation system provided with: a communication center apparatus; and a communication navigation terminal, both of which transmit and receive information by a two-way communication through a communication network, (i) the communication center apparatus provided with: a map database for storing therein map database information including information for a route search, which enables the route search from a current position of a movable body to a destination by a predetermined algorithm; a search device for searching, by the predetermined algorithm, for a route heading to the destination from the current position, on the basis of the map database information including the information for the route search, from the destination and the current position received through the communication network; and a center side wireless device for wirelessly transmitting route information indicating the searched route through the communication network, (ii) the communication navigation terminal provided with: a measurement device for measuring the current position; a terminal side wireless device for transmitting the measured current position and receiving the transmitted route information through the communication network; a traveling locus recording device for recording a traveling locus of the movable body; and a processing device for searching for at least one of a route and a direction to be traveled by the movable body as navigation processing of a predetermined type based on the measured current position and the recorded traveling locus in case that the movable body is moving out of the service area.
According to the second communication navigation system, which is different from the case of the above described first communication navigation system of the present invention, the traveling locus recording device records the traveling locus of the movable body without questioning whether it is within or out of the service area. Then, out of the service area, the processing device searches for at least one of the route and the direction to be traveled by the movable body, on the basis of this recorded traveling locus and the current position measured by the measurement device. Namely, comparing to the above described first communication navigation system of the present invention, in case that the movable body travels one area, which is out of the service area, the possibility of the traveling locus, which was obtained when having traveled within the same area in the past, being recorded in the traveling locus recording area becomes low. However, if there is the traveling locus, it becomes still possible to surely search for at least one of the route and the direction to be traveled on the basis of this recorded traveling locus and the current position.
Incidentally, although the traveling locus is more or less recorded in traditional on-vehicle navigation systems, it is impossible for those traditional systems to use the traveling locus out of the service area where the communication network cannot be used, as the useful information source to search for the route and the direction to be traveled, out of the service area.
As described above, the second communication navigation system of the present invention, in which the communication navigation terminal mounted on the movable body is simply constructed with essential functions, is intended to execute the navigation processing, such as the route search and the like, by using the traveling locus in the past, even if the movable body goes out of the service area of the communication navigation system, in which the searching and operating functions in high quality requiring time are installed at the communication center apparatus.
In another aspect of the first or second communication navigation system of the present invention, the communication navigation terminal is further provided with a judgment device for judging whether the current position is within or out of the service area.
According to this aspect, in case that the movable body goes out of the service area of the communication navigation system, in response to that, it becomes possible to appropriately deal with the route navigation, the simple navigation, the route search, and the like by automatic or manual operations.
In one aspect provided with the above described judgment device, it may be constructed such that the judgment device judges on the basis of an electric field intensity of an electric wave received by the terminal side wireless device.
By constituting in this manner, if the electric field intensity level of the electric wave received by the terminal side wireless device of the communication navigation terminal is low and information cannot be transmitted in sufficient quality, it is judged out of the service area of the communication navigation. If judged out of the service area, it is possible to automatically perform the navigation processing based on the traveling locus recorded in the traveling locus recording device, or it is possible to inform the fact of a driver by displaying it on the display device of the communication navigation terminal, alarming with a speaker, or the like.
In another aspect provided with the above described judgment device, it may be constructed such that the judgment device judges by transmitting a predetermined data row to the communication center apparatus from said communication navigation terminal, restoring the received data row at the communication center apparatus and transmitting it back to the communication navigation terminal, and then comparing the received data row with the transmitted data row at the communication navigation terminal.
By constituting in this manner, the communication navigation terminal judges whether the current position is within or out of the service area by emitting a signal for checking to the communication center apparatus, receiving and analyzing a signal for replying which has been transmitted, and judging whether or not the communication quality is sufficient. For example, it transmits predetermined data and has the communication center apparatus transmitted the data back. After receiving the data, it compares the transmitted data with the received data to obtain the frequency of errors and judges whether the current position is within or out of the service area. In this manner, it is possible to judge whether or not it is possible to have a service in the total communication system including the condition of the communication center apparatus in addition to the condition of the wireless communication network, which becomes a communication medium.
In another aspect provided with the above described judgment device, it may be constructed such that a judgment of the judgment device is performed at a predetermined time interval.
By constituting in this manner, the terminal side wireless device of the communication navigation terminal receives a carrier wave of a wireless line at predetermined time intervals and monitors its electric field intensity while the movable body is driving. If the electric field intensity level is equal to or lower than a predetermined level, it is judged out of the service area.
In another aspect provided with the above described judgment device, it may be constructed such that a judgment of the judgment device is performed at a predetermined driving distance interval.
By constituting in this manner, the terminal side wireless device of the communication navigation terminal receives a carrier wave of a wireless line and monitors its electric field intensity every time the movable body drives a predetermined distance while the movable body is moving. If the electric field intensity level is equal to or lower than a predetermined level, it is judged out of the service area. According to this method, it becomes possible to omit the operation of judgment regardless of the case of rarely driving because of traffic congestion. Moreover, it becomes possible to sufficiently understand the first driving distance after the movable body goes out of the service area.
In another aspect provided with the above described judgment device, it may be constructed such that the processing device performs the navigation processing of the predetermined type in case that the current position is judged to belong out of the service area by the judgment device.
By constituting in this manner, in case that the current position is judged to belong out of the service area by the judgment device, the processing device automatically performs the search for the route and the direction to be traveled and the like, on the basis of the traveling locus in the past, which is recorded in the traveling locus recording device Therefore, in the eyes of users, it is possible to obtain a screen display and/or an audio output of the route guidance or the like as a result of the navigation processing, without being aware of whether or not the current position is out of the service area.
In another aspect of the first or second communication navigation system of the present invention, the system is further provided with a user communication terminal for performing a two-way communication on the communication network, the user communication terminal being capable of transmitting the destination to said communication center apparatus.
According to this aspect, the user communication terminal, such as a personal computer, a facsimile, a mobile, a cellar phone, and the like, which are installed at the user""s home, transmits the route search request information, and the center side wireless device receives this route search request information. Since the route that meets the condition presented by the user is searched for on the basis of this information at the communication center apparatus, it becomes possible to request the route search before the user actually starts moving. The searched route information may be transmitted or transported to the communication navigation terminal through the wireless communication device directly from the communication center apparatus. It may also be transported to the communication navigation terminal after stored in the user communication terminal once. The transportation to the communication navigation terminal from the user communication terminal may be performed with a wireless device or through a memory medium such as a magnetic record medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a communication navigation terminal included in the above described first or second communication navigation system (including its various aspects).
According to the communication navigation terminal of the present invention, it is possible to establish the above described first or second communication navigation system of the present invention by the use of this with the communication center apparatus and the communication network related to the present invention as described above. Moreover, even if a lot of communication navigation terminals are connected to the same communication center apparatus, each of them can obtain the benefit from the communication navigation system.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a first program storage device readable by a computer for tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer, which causes the computer to function as the communication navigation terminal in the above-described first or second communication navigation system (including its various aspects), more concretely, at various constitutional elements, such as the measurement device, the terminal side wireless device, the traveling locus recording device, the processing device and the like, which constitute the communication navigation terminal.
According to the first program storage device, the above described communication navigation terminal of the present invention can be relatively easily realized as a computer reads and executes the program of instructions from the program storage device such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (DVD Read Only Memory), a hard disc or the like, or as it executes the program of instructions after downloading the program through communication device.
The above object of the present invention can be also achieved by a first computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which causes a computer to function as the communication navigation terminal in the above-described first or second communication navigation system (including its various aspects), more concretely, at various constitutional elements, such as the measurement device, the terminal side wireless device, the traveling locus recording device, the processing device and the like, which constitute the communication navigation terminal.
According to the first computer data signal embodied in the carrier wave of the present invention, as the computer downloads the program in the computer data signal through a computer network or the like, and executes this program, it is possible to realize the above described communication navigation terminal of the present invention.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a second program storage device readable by a computer for tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer, which causes the computer to function as the above described first or second communication navigation system (including its various aspects), more concretely, on one hand, at various constitutional elements, such as the map database, the search device, the center side wireless device and the like, which constitute the communication center apparatus, and on the other hand, at various constitutional elements, such as the measurement device, the terminal side wireless device, the traveling locus recording device, the processing device and the like, which constitute the communication navigation terminal.
According to the second program storage device, the above described first or second communication navigation system of the present invention can be relatively easily realized as a computer reads and executes the program of instructions from the program storage device such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a hard disc or the like, or as it executes the program of instructions after downloading the program through communication device. For example, the communication navigation terminal may be constructed such that it has a browser function and that the computer program to use is substantially or partially provided from the side of the communication center apparatus, as occasion demands.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a second computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which causes a computer to function as the above described first or second communication navigation system (including its various aspects), more concretely, on one hand, at various constitutional elements, such as the map database, the search device, the center side wireless device and the like, which constitute the communication center apparatus, and on the other hand, at various constitutional elements, such as the measurement device, the terminal side wireless device, the traveling locus recording device, the processing device and the like, which constitute the communication navigation terminal.
According to the second computer data signal embodied in the carrier wave of the present invention, as the computer downloads the program in the computer data signal through a computer network or the like, and executes this program, it is possible to realize the above described first or second communication navigation system associated with the present invention. For example, the communication navigation terminal may be constructed such that it has a browser function and that the computer program to use is substantially or partially provided from the side of the communication center apparatus, as occasion demands.
Incidentally, the above object of the present invention can be achieved by another program storage device readable by a computer for tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer, which causes the computer to function as the communication center apparatus included in the above described first or second communication navigation system of the present invention (including its various aspects), more concretely, at various constitutional elements, such as the map database, the search device, the center side wireless device and the like, which constitute the communication center apparatus.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by another computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which causes a computer to function as the communication center apparatus included in the above described first or second communication navigation system of the present invention (including its various aspects), more concretely, at various constitutional elements, such as the map database, the search device, the center side wireless device and the like, which constitute the communication center apparatus.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a first communication navigation method executed in a communication navigation system provided with: a communication center apparatus; and a communication navigation terminal, both of which transmit and receive information by a two-way communication through a communication network, the method provided with: (i) at the communication center apparatus, a search process of searching, by a predetermined algorithm, for a route heading to a destination from a current position of a movable body, according to the destination and the current position received through the communication network, on the basis of a map database for storing therein map database information including information for a route search, which enables the route search from the current position to the destination by the predetermined algorithm; and a center side wireless process of wirelessly transmitting route information indicating the searched route through the communication network, and (ii) at the communication navigation terminal, a measurement process of measuring the current position; a terminal side wireless process of transmitting the measured current position and receiving the transmitted route information through the communication network; a traveling locus recording process of recording a traveling locus of the movable body such that it preferentially holds the traveling locus recorded when the movable body is moving out of a service area of the communication navigation system; and a process of performing navigation processing of a predetermined type based on the preferentially held traveling locus in case that the movable body is moving out of the service area.
According to the first communication navigation method of the present invention, as is the case with the above described first communication navigation system of the present invention, since the traveling locus out of the service area is preferentially held by the traveling locus recording device, even in case that the movable body drives out of the service area later, it becomes still possible to perform the navigation processing of the predetermined type, such as the search for the route and the direction to be traveled and the like, on the basis of this preferentially held traveling locus.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a second communication navigation method executed in a communication navigation system provided with; a communication center apparatus; and a communication navigation terminal, both of which transmit and receive information by a two-way communication through a communication network, the method provided with: (i) at the communication center apparatus, a search process of searching, by a predetermined algorithm, for a route heading to a destination from a current position of a movable body, according to the destination and the current position received through the communication network, on the basis of a map database for storing therein map database information including information for a route search, which enables the route search from the current position to the destination by the predetermined algorithm; and a center side wireless process of wirelessly transmitting route information indicating the searched route through the communication network, and (ii) at the communication navigation terminal, a measurement process of measuring the current position; a terminal side wireless process of transmitting the measured current position and receiving the transmitted route information through the communication network; a traveling locus recording process of recording a traveling locus of the movable body; and a process of searching for at least one of a route and a direction to be traveled by the movable body as navigation processing of a predetermined type based on the measured current position and the recorded traveling locus in case that the movable body is moving out of the service area.
According to the second communication navigation method of the present invention, as is the case with the above described second communication navigation system of the present invention, in case that the movable body travels one area out of the service area, if there is recorded the traveling locus, which was obtained when having traveled within the same area in the past, it becomes still possible to surely search for at least one of the route and the direction to be traveled on the basis of this traveling locus and the current position.
The nature, utility, and further features of this invention will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed description with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings briefly described below.

Communication navigation system and method, program storage device and computer data signal embodied in carrier wave


Disclosed herein is a bag sealer and/or cutter including a hollow resilient core member over which the end of a paper or plastic bag can be folded, whereupon a resilient cover member can be applied thereover to effect sealing closure of the open end of a bag. The cover member also mounts an interior cutting blade to facilitate the initial opening of the bag.

Plastic or paper bags having contents such as potato chips, nuts, and many other products are sealed to assure freshness However, after initial opening and partial dispensing of the contents, the remaining contents are exposed to air and soon lose their freshness and flavor. Various clips or the like have been proposed for bag resealing but have been ineffective and difficult to apply properly. The resealing problem is rendered more difficult because initial opening of the bag is frequently irregular.


A CMOS memory is disclosed which employs a column selector circuit that prevents write disturb in shared column EPROMs. When a selected memory transistor is programmed, disturb is prevented by selecting all columns on the source side of the selected memory transistor to be tied to the source programming voltage, and selecting all columns on the drain side of the selected memory transistor to be tied to the drain programming voltage. By reducing voltage differentials across non-selected memory transistors, write disturb is prevented. This may be implemented by employing shorting devices between all adjacent columns. When a memory transistor is selected, all the shorting devices except the one between the source and drain columns of the selected memory cell are enabled. This may be further improved to minimize the number of required select lines by employing a shorting device comprising transistors controlled by the normal select lines.

The present invention relates to semiconductor computer memories. In particular it relates to erasable programmable read only memories (EPROMs).
EPROMs are now well known semiconductor devices, often formed using MOS technology. AMOS EPROM cell is shown in FIG. 1 with word line 14 coupled to bit line 16 by a MOS transistor 34. Bit line 16 serves as a drain for transistor 34, and line 17 serves as a source. Transistor 34 includes a floating gate 35, electrically isolated from the control gate 37. The transistor is programmed by electrons flowing onto the floating gate and being trapped there. This causes the floating gate to act as a capacitor holding charge, thereby altering the functionality of the transistor in a detectable manner, e.g. changing its threshold voltage. In one type of cell, the programming is done by bringing both the word and bit lines high.
The MOS memory cell of FIG. 1 operates at TTL voltage levels or in the general vicinity, but has the advantage of being erasable. It can be erased, for example, by removing the charge from the floating gate using ultraviolet light or electrical techniques. Thus, a cell can be programmed and verified, then erased and reprogrammed if necessary. The capability of reprogramming eliminates the need for test cells as in bipolar PROM circuits.
A typical MOS EPROM circuit is shown in FIG. 2A. As shown, the circuit uses an array 43 of the cells of FIG. 1 with an input pin 36, input buffer 38 and decode circuit 40 for each word line 41. Each memory cell 42 is also connected to a sense line 47, which is coupled to a sense circuit 44, output buffer 46 and output node 48. To program a memory cell 42 of FIG. 2A, a program voltage is provided on a Vpp node 39 to address decode circuit 40 to the selected word line 41. Vpp node 39 not only supplies the high voltage needed for programming, but also selects the programming mode when asserted by enabling programming circuit 45. For most EPROMs Vpp is about 2.5 times the read voltage, which is generally around 5 volts but may be smaller.
Any cell connected to a high word line and a sense line at a high value will be programmed. An input provided through output node 48 and programming circuit 45 causes sense line 47 to carry a high value. Thus, this circuit requires a programming circuit coupled to the output pin, just as the bipolar PROM requires a programming circuit. However, the separate high current data input circuitry coupled to the output (or combined circuitry with high current capability) is eliminated. During a read operation, read voltage levels are used to select the word line through input buffer 38 and decode circuit 40 with the bit lines being sensed through sense circuit 44 and output buffer 46.
EPROM transistor arrays are typically arranged in one of two types of configurations. The older, more prevalent type is the "T" cell, shown in FIG. 2B. Each transistor 34' in this arrangement has a unique drain column, or bit line, 16' and word line 14' combination. The sources 17 are usually attached to a common node throughout the array.
On the other hand, in the shared column or virtual ground array configuration shown in FIG. 2C, pairs of transistors along word line 14" share coincident drain column 16" connections and adjacent pairs share coincident source column 17" connections. This configuration therefore requires selection of word, drain and source to uniquely select an EPROM transistor. Although the shared column approach usually produces a denser array, the read and programming accesses are more difficult since unselected transistors adjacent to the selected one are easier to inadvertently sense or disturb.
A standard method for programming a shared column EPROM is to force the V.sub.ss source voltage and V.sub.pd drain programming voltage on the respective selected source and drain columns. All other columns are allowed to float. At the same time, the V.sub.pp gate programming voltage is applied to the XS.sub.i row select line. FIG. 3 shows a group of EPROM memory cells used to explain the programming process and certain problems with its column selection process. If transistor memory cell 25 is to be programmed, the source and drain columns are selected by asserting YSS.sub.1 and YSD.sub.1, which turns on the transistors coupled to lines 11 and 13, connecting them to drain line D.sub.k 50 at V.sub.pd and source line S.sub.k 60 at V.sub.ss, respectively. All other transistors and, more importantly, column RMOS III lines float. Unfortunately, this process can lead to errors in adjacent cells, through an effect known as disturb. This problem may occur when a transistor 25, which is desired to be programmed, is adjacent to a transistor 27 which is in an unprogrammed state and is intended to stay that way. As transistor 25 is programmed, the source column 9 of adjacent memory transistor 27 may be floating at voltage V.sub.ss. With line 11 carrying the programming voltage V.sub.pd, there will be a voltage drop across transistor 27. Because word select line XS.sub.i selects all the gates on the entire row, transistor 27 will conduct current. The parasitic capacitance C.sub.col of source column 9 will require a finite time to rise to V.sub.pd, during which current will conduct through transistor 27. The current may be at a high enough level to inject hot electrons into the floating gate of memory transistor 27; from this the floating gate would charge to a negative voltage. Although a single such event is probably insufficient to change its data value, repeated cycles can place sufficient charge on the floating gate of transistor 27 to corrupt its data value. This is a significant disadvantage of prior art EPROMs.

Column selector circuit for shared column CMOS EPROM


A device adapted for deployment in a body vessel for collecting floating debris and emboli in a filter. The device includes a collapsible proximally tapered frame for operably supporting the filter between a collapsed insertion profile and an expanded deployment profile. The tapered collapsible frame includes a mouth which is sized to extend to walls of the body vessel in the expanded deployed profile to seal the filter relative to the body vessel for collecting debris floating in the body vessel.

The present invention deals with an emboli capturing system. More specifically, the present invention deals with an emboli capturing system and method for capturing embolic material in a blood vessel during an atherectomy or thrombectomy procedure.
Blood vessels can become occluded (blocked) or stenotic (narrowed) in a number of ways. For instance, a stenosis may be formed by an atheroma, which is typically a harder, calcified substance which forms on the lumen walls of the blood vessel. A stenosis may also be formed of a thrombus material, which is typically much softer than an atheroma but can nonetheless cause restricted blood flow in the lumen of the blood vessel. Thrombus formation can be particularly problematic in a saphenous vein graft (xe2x80x9cSVGxe2x80x9d).
Two different procedures have been developed to treat a stenotic lesion (stenosis) in vasculature. One is deformation of the stenosis to reduce the restriction within the lumen of the blood vessel. This type of deformation, or dilatation, is typically performed using balloon angioplasty.
Another method of treating stenotic vasculature is to attempt to completely remove the entire stenosis, or enough of the stenosis to relieve the restriction in the blood vessel. Removal of the stenotic lesion has been performed through use of radio frequency (xe2x80x9cRFxe2x80x9d) signals transmitted via conductors, and also through use of lasers. Both of these treatments are intended to ablate (i.e., super heat and vaporize) the stenosis. Removal of the stenosis has also been accomplished using thrombectomy or atherectomy. During thrombectomy and atherectomy, the stenosis is mechanically cut or abraded away from the vessel. However, problems may be encountered during thrombectomy and atherectomy because the stenotic debris which is separated from the stenosis is free to flow within the lumen of the vessel. If the debris flows distally, it can occlude distal vasculature and cause significant problems. If it flows proximally, it can enter the circulatory system and form a clot in the neural vasculature or in the lungs, both of which are highly undesirable.
Prior attempts to deal with the debris or fragments produced during thrombectomy and atherectomy have included cutting the debris into pieces small enough (having a size on the order of a blood cell) that they will not occlude vessels within the vasculature. However, this technique has certain problems. For instance, it is difficult to control the size of the fragments which are severed from the stenotic lesion. Larger fragments may be severed accidentally. Also, since thrombus is much softer than an atheroma, it tends to break up easier when mechanically engaged by a cutting instrument. Therefore, at the moment that the thrombus is mechanically engaged, there is a danger that it can be dislodged in large fragments which would occlude the vasculature.
Another attempt to deal with debris severed from a stenosis is to remove the debris as it is severed, using suction. However, it may be necessary to pull quite a high vacuum in order to remove all of the pieces severed from the stenosis. If the vacuum used is not high enough, all of the severed pieces will not be removed. Further, use of a high vacuum may tend to cause the vasculature to collapse.
A final technique for dealing with the fragments severed during atherectomy of the stenosis is placement of a device distal to the stenosis during atherectomy to catch the pieces of the stenosis as they are severed, and removal of those pieces along with the capturing device when the atherectomy procedure is complete. Such capture devices have included expandable filters which are placed distal of the stenosis to capture stenosis fragments. Problems are also associated with this technique. For example, delivery of such devices in a low-profile pre-deployment configuration can be difficult. Further, some devices include complex and cumbersome actuation mechanisms. Also, retrieving such capture devices, after they have captured emboli may be difficult.
The present invention provides a device adapted for deployment in a body vessel for collecting emboli. The device includes a proximally-tapered collapsible frame for operably supporting the filter between a collapsed insertion profile and an expanded deployment profile. The tapered frame includes a mouth which is sized to extend to walls of a body cavity in the expanded deployed profile for collecting emboli floating in the body cavity.


A system allowing a query to be submitted to a server that locates a human searcher to perform a search. The searcher performs a search including using conventional tools, browser, and provides results to the user. A searcher who produces result(s) accepted by the user is rewarded and the results can be used when a similar query is submitted by another user. The searcher is bested by comparing keywords of the query to keywords for which the searcher has registered and a high ranking searcher may be chosen by the system based on various factor(s). While the search is performed, information including videos, games, advertisements, etc., may be provided to the user based on keywords of the query and selection by the searcher. The reward for the searchers can be based on revenue from advertisements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a system that utilizes human searchers to perform searches for users in real-time to provide highly relevant results from a broad base of knowledge which includes the "Deep Web", herein defined as that part of the web's vast amount of information that is still not commonly indexed by current search engines. Using this unique invention, users have access to a vast body of information or knowledge, from anywhere at anytime, offered in a way that makes it easy to find desired information quickly. The system may be accessed via text- or speech-based devices such as desktop computers, laptops, cell phones, telephones, and personal digital assistants. The user and searcher may communicate directly during the search process in order to provide much better results to the query. Searchers are motivated to participate because they may be compensated for providing timely and relevant results.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the current search environment a user can access a search engine, such as Google™ and perform a search. However, many users struggle with formulating a set of keywords that will result in the search engine obtaining useful results. (The term "keyword" includes one or more keywords and keyphrases that can include multiple keywords as well as natural language sentences that can be analyzed to extract keywords and keyphrases). Also, while there are already more web pages indexed than the world's population. It is estimated that less than 1% of all information is indexed by any given search engine.
Current search engines are very difficult to use on devices such as cellular telephones (cellphones) because the top search results are often not relevant to what the user really desires to know, forcing the user to look through a long set of listing results or to repeat queries in order to get more relevant results. Cellphone users are sometimes frustrated by the limited display capability and awkward input methods of cellphones, which further complicates the search function when using a cellphone.
Attempts have been made to have humans answer users' questions via a variety of mechanisms including via email, via information posted at websites, and via library reference desks that are connected to users via "chat" sessions. However, there are many limitations imposed by these and other offerings including having limited pools of "experts", having latency in delivering results, having helpers who are not sufficiently knowledgeable to provide optimal results, etc.
There are many advertising-based models on the web that have been tried with "search" applications, including ones that "target" the user by mapping advertisements to keywords based on keywords in a user's query.
What is needed is a widely accessible system that allows information seekers to find highly relevant information from a broad base of knowledge, offered in a way that one can find what one wants easily and quickly, from anywhere at anytime. Also needed is a business process that enables such a system to be sustainable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Scalable search system using human searchers


A charged engine may utilize a plurality of independently controllable intake valves for a cylinder of the engine. A method to operate the engine includes monitoring an unmodified timing for the plurality of independently controllable intake valves for the cylinder, monitoring operation of the engine, determining a delayed timing for a first intake valve of the independently controllable intake valves for the cylinder based upon the monitored operation of the engine and the unmodified timing for the plurality of independently controllable intake valves for the cylinder, controlling the first intake valve based upon the determined delayed timing for the first intake valve, and controlling a second intake valve of the independently controllable intake valves for the cylinder based upon the monitored unmodified timing.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Internal combustion engines utilize valve timing strategies to effect changes to engine operation and performance. Valve opening and closing timings influence the thermodynamic cycle and the combustion process, including fuel efficiency, emissions, and engine torque level.
A number of advanced combustion strategies are known, including homogeneous-charge spark ignition, homogeneous-charge compression ignition (HCCI), and stratified charge spark ignition. Such strategies are designed to improve the efficiency and emissions of the internal combustion engine, through a combination of reduced pumping work, reduced heat losses, an improved combustion process, and improved thermodynamics.
Charged engines utilize a compressor device such as a supercharger or a turbocharger to create forced induction of intake air into the engine. Forced induction allows increased engine output under wide-open-throttle (WOT) engine operating conditions.

Method and device for improving charged engines


Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to requirement-based resource sharing in a computing environment. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method is disclosed. According to the method, it is determined whether a plurality of services to be provisioned in a computing environment match with each other in resource consumption based on respective resource requirements of the plurality of services. In response to determining that the plurality of services match with each other, a resource pool is allocated in the computing environment to be shared by the plurality of services. The resource pool has a resource quota determined based on at least one of the resource requirements. The plurality of services is caused to be provisioned in the computing environment using the resource pool. In other embodiments, a computer system and a computer program product are disclosed.

The present invention relates to the field of computer resource sharing, and more specifically to requirement-based resource sharing in a computing environment.
A computing environment, especially a cloud computing environment, is becoming an innovative computing paradigm. It provides reliable, customized, and guaranteed computing infrastructures for users. The concept of cloud computing refers to the use of computing capabilities of machines provided by more than one provider center around the world. Linked by a network, these machines provide resources, such as physical or logical compute engines, servers and devices, memories, storage devices, network bandwidth, that may be invoked to instantiate a virtual machine or other processes for a limited or defined duration. The users can request resources in the computing environment for deployment of services they desire and running workloads of the deployed services.

Requirement-based resource sharing in computing environment


An energy harvesting imaging sensor includes an array of pixel structures each formed from a semiconductor having a photodiode overlying a photovoltaic diode. The photodiode and photovoltaic diode are implemented as a vertically stacked P+/NWELL/PSUB junction. This structure enables simultaneous imaging and energy harvesting by generating charge in the photodiode that is indicative of light impinging on the photodiode and simultaneously generating charge from the light in the photovoltaic diode located underneath the photodiode.

Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors have been widely used fir distributed IoT sensor nodes for continuous monitoring of environments due to their small form factor and low power consumption. These distributed IoT sensor nodes should be able to operate and cover comprehensive, unreachable areas under a limited energy source. To further extend the lifetime of the distributed sensor nodes, several potential energy harvesting methods has been explored, including vibration, radiation, solar energy, etc. Among these, photovoltaic energy harvesting showed a high potential to support remotely-distributed IoT image sensors due to its high energy is harvesting efficiency and compatibility with conventional CMOS processes. However, in previous works, the efficiency of a photovoltaic (energy harvesting) and a photodetection (imaging) operations for the CMOS image sensors is limited since they assign for each photovoltaic and photodetection operation by the time-division technique or placing the separated additional diode in the same plane. Examples of these multiplexing imaging/energy harvesting devices are disclosed by I. Cevik and S. U. Ay, "A 0.8V 140 nW Low-Noise Energy Harvesting CMOS APS Imager with Fully Digital Readout," in IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, 2014, pp. 5-8. DOI: 10.1109/CICC.2014 0.6946128 ("Cevik") as well as A. Y. Chiou, and C. Hsieh, "A 137 dB Dynamic Range and 0.32 V Self-Powered CMOS Imager With Energy Harvesting. Pixels," IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, vol. 51, no. 11, pp. 2769-2776, 2016 ("Chiou"). The pixels in Cevik and Chiou use a reconfigurable PN-junction diode that switches between photodetection (photocurrent generation) and the photovoltaic (solar cell) operations: However, this pixel structure does not provide continuous video images due to mode switching. Another approach to achieving both imaging and energy harvesting is to use two separate photodiodes in a side-by-side arrangement for imaging and photovoltaic operations simultaneously. However, this approach inevitably leads to a low fill factor and a large pixel size, which lead the low efficiency for the energy harvesting and the imaging mode.

Imaging sensor and pixel structure for simultaneous imaging and energy harvesting

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN


A wrapping film container, including: an elongated container body for housing therein a rolled self-tacky wrapping film, an opening provided to the container body along a longitudinal direction of the container body for pulling out a portion of the wrapping film therethrough, cutting means for cutting the pulled-out portion of the wrapping film and a film-holding section provided on a front face of the container body for preventing re-winding to an inside of the container, wherein the film-holding section comprises a laminate structure including a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, a substrate layer, an adhesive layer and a self-tacky film layer, disposed sequentially from the container body side. The film-holding section is efficiently formed on the front face of the container body by using a label for forming film-holding section of a wrapping film container having a laminate structure including a self-tacky film layer, an adhesives layer, a base material layer, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and a separator layer, disposed sequentially from one side thereof, and exhibits a stable and consistent film-holding power.

A wrapping film used for packaging of food, etc., by pulling out a rolled self-tacky film little by little from the container and cutting it for packaging of food, etc., is very convenient as a packaging medium used at cooking places, but because of its self-tackiness, once it rewinds into the container, it becomes considerably difficult to peel off and pull the end thereof stuck to the roll body out of the container for re-use thereof. For this reason, it has been a frequently adopted practice to form a film-holding section on the front face of the container body for holding a wrapping film end after cutting so as to allow re-peeling thereof for easier continual use of the wrapping film roll. As such a film-holding section, it has been known to form a layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising a mixture of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer grafted with vinyl chloride monomer and acrylic resin (Patent document 1) or a layer of a pressure-sensitive adhesive comprising a cured product of a composition comprising a polyurethane elastomer and an acrylic resin (Patent document 2). However, the use of such a pressure-sensitive adhesive is accompanied with difficulties, such as difficulty in control of adhesive power, causing an excessive strength leading to film cutting or lowering in film-holding capability due to attachment of dust or dirt with continuation of use thereof, and also a change in film-holding capability due to an environmental temperature change.
Then, the present applicant formed a film-holding section by applying a wrapping film on a front face of the container so as to utilize a self-tackiness of the wrapping film per se and found that the thus-formed film-holding section exhibited an appropriate level of stable film-holding capability which was little affected by an environmental temperature change and suffered little from deterioration with time, thereby having proposed a wrapping film container having such a film-holding section (Patent document 3). However, such a self-tacky film is generally as thin as about 5-20 μm and is extremely rich in flexibility, so that application thereof is encountered with considerable inconveniences, such as waving and adhesion failure or turning at edges, even in a case where the film is applied onto a front face of the container on which an adhesive or a pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied in advance or a case where a self-tacky film coated on its surface with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is applied onto a front face of the container, and because of these inconveniences, it has been found difficult to form a film-holding section exhibiting a stable film-holding capability.
[Patent document 1] JP-A 6-270935
[Patent document 2] JP-A 10-35657
[Patent document 3] JP-A 2008-265839

Wrap film container and label adapted for use for the container and used for film holding section


The present invention is related to a fusion protein comprising a variant of a nucleoprotein antigen from Influenza strain A, B or C, and a variant of a C4bp oligomerization domain for increasing the cellular immunogenicity of the nucleoprotein antigen from Influenza. The invention is also related to nucleic acids, vectors, fusion proteins and immunogenic compositions, for their use as a vaccine or immunotherapy for the prevention and treatment of influenza disease.

A need exists for improved influenza vaccines. Current vaccine strategies against influenza focus on generating robust antibody (humoral) responses against hemagglutinins. Because of the high degree of antigenic drift among circulating influenza strains over the course of a year, vaccine strains must be reformulated specifically for each influenza season. Although annual (or seasonal) influenza vaccines are successful to varying degrees in different age categories, more effective protection is clearly needed particularly for the young and the elderly. Furthermore, there is a major, permanent risk that reassortant viruses will evolve which have acquired very different HA (hemagglutinin) genes in a process known as "antigenic shift". This would create a public health emergency, as current influenza vaccines rely essentially on the HA antigen.
Influenza is an enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus in the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, divided into 3 major types: A, B, and C. Influenza A viruses infect a wide variety of animals, including humans, birds, pigs, horses, bats and many others, although the tropism of any particular influenza virus is generally highly adapted to a particular host. Influenza B viruses infect a smaller number of species, namely humans and seals, but are still a substantial cause of annual influenza epidemics. Most human influenza infections are caused by influenza A or B; influenza C viruses, which infect humans and pigs, rarely account for serious human infections or epidemics (Lamb).
The current inactivated influenza virus vaccines induce antibodies that protect against closely related virus strains. Currently licensed vaccines mainly induce strain--specific neutralizing antibodies against hemagglutinin (HA), the main antigenic determinant on the surface of the virus, which is highly immunogenic, and can prevent disease caused by infection with a matching virus strain. However, HA has substantial antigenic variation which excludes its use alone in a vaccine designed to provide broad protection. For this reason, alternative vaccine strategies that generate protective responses directed against less variable targets are of great interest.
Natural infection with influenza A virus induces both humoral and cellular immunity. Long-lasting cellular immunity is directed predominantly against conserved, internal viral proteins, such as the nucleoprotein (NP). NP antigen is immunogenic in humans following natural infections, but the cytotoxic T lymphocytes that are induced have a short life-span (McMichael a, McMichael b).
Cellular immunity against NP is valuable, as it is directed against different variants of NP epitopes, and NP-targeting DNA vaccines have induced cross-protective immunity in animals (Schotsaert).
The nucleoprotein (NP) antigen has long been recognized as a highly conserved antigen: even the most divergent influenza A strains share 90% identity in the NP proteins they encode (Gorman, Xu). Antigenic changes to NP are rare and only occur to a minor extent (Staneková).