An apparatus for connecting an electronic device to a communications system to provide access via the device to a user in a seat on a mobile platform. A jack is pivotally attached to one end of a gooseneck assembly and receives a connector of the electronic device. Another end of the gooseneck assembly is pivotally attached to a pivot for an armrest of the seat. An interface cable extends through the gooseneck assembly and electrically connects the jack with a system connector near the seat. The gooseneck assembly is easily accessible and visible to passengers.

The present invention relates generally to apparatus for connecting electronic devices to communication networks and, more particularly, to an apparatus for connecting an electronic device to a communications network accessible in a mobile platform.
Broadband data and video services have not been widely available to users on mobile platforms such as aircraft, boats, trains, and automobiles. Mobile network systems have traditionally been limited in bandwidth and link capacity, making it prohibitively expensive and/or unacceptably slow to distribute such services to all passengers on a mobile platform.
A system for supplying television and data services to mobile platforms, described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/639,912, provides bi-directional data transfer via satellite communications link between a ground-based control segment and a mobile RF transceiver system carried on each mobile platform. Each user on each mobile platform is able to interface with an onboard server by using, for example, a laptop computer. Each user can independently request and obtain Internet access, company intranet access and live television programming.
It would be desirable to provide each seated passenger with an easily accessible connection to such a network. It also would be desirable to directly illuminate, for example, a keyboard of a laptop computer while a passenger is using it to access the network.
In one preferred form, the present invention provides an apparatus for connecting an electronic device such as a laptop computer to a communications system, to provide system access via the device to a user in a seat on a mobile platform. The system is accessible via a system connector near the seat. The apparatus includes a gooseneck assembly having first and second ends. A jack is pivotally attached to the first end and configured to receive a connector of the electronic device. The second end is pivotally attached to a pivot for an armrest of the seat. An interface cable extends through the gooseneck assembly and electrically connects the system connector with the jack.
The above-described apparatus allows an airline to provide a network connection at each passenger seat so that passengers may use their laptop computers or other electronic devices to access a communications network during flight. The gooseneck assembly is easily accessible and visible to passengers.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Apparatus and methods for connecting an electronic device to a mobile platform communications network


The polypropylene-based thermoplastic fibers are uniform in cross-section, not having any degraded surface skin, and they are heat-weldable at a pressure at a temperature which is lower than the melting temperature, by virtue of internal heating due to the effect of said pressure. They are made of a first constituent with high crystallinity and at least one second constituent, compatible with the first constituent, and of crystallinity that is lower than that of the first constituent. They have a quantity of primary oxidation inhibitor lying in the range 350 ppm to 1000 ppm. Such fibers are made by spinning under conditions that avoid molecular degradation by thermal oxidation at the periphery of the fibers, in particular with cooling that is rapid immediately on leaving the extrusion head. The non-woven fabric obtained by heat-bonding such fibers is characterized by weld points that are in the form of a polymer laminate that is uniform and transparent.

Polyolefin fibers, and in particular polypropylene fibers, present particular characteristics which have contributed to their development: high chemical inertness, no polar groups, allow specific weight, low heat conductivity, good insulating power, good resistance to abrasion, little power to absorb water, good resistance to mold and to bacteria, and excellent color fastness obtained by including pigments during spinning. Such polyolefin fibers are used on their own or mixed with other fibers in the fabrication of products belonging to the textile sector proper, such as underwear, sports garments, and carpets, or indeed the industrial sector such as engineering fabrics, or filters, or indeed the hygienic/sanitary sector such as sanitary napkins. In this hygienic/sanitary sector, it is the properties of resistance to mold and bacteria, chemical inertness, and poor ability to absorb water that constitute the main advantages of polyolefin fibers, and in particular of polypropylene fibers. These fibers are considered as being non-toxic and non-cytotoxic.
Polypropylene fibers are generally produced using the molten spinning technique which consists in melting the polymer with various additives in an extruder at high temperature, and in causing the resulting molten material to pass through the holes of an extrusion head, a metering pump serving to maintain a constant pressure during this operation. The hot filaments leaving the extrusion head are cooled by a flow of air and are subjected to various operations, in particular to stretching and cutting, in order to obtain fibers having desirable cohesion and mechanical characteristics.
Non-woven fabric is fabricated from polypropylene fibers by various techniques, including heat-bonding. In this technique, the polypropylene fibers are in the form of a sheet and they are compressed while hot so as to obtain inter-fiber bonds by localized surface melting of the fibers in the bonding zones.
Until now, there have been three types of polypropylene fiber that are specially designed to be used in fabricating non-woven fabrics by the heat-bonding technique.
A first type of fiber, disclosed in particular by documents U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,677, U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,193, and WO 99/55942, comprises two-component fibers. They are obtained by using two extruders, each being fed independently with a specific polymer, the two polymers in question having melting temperatures that are slightly different. During the heat-bonding operation, it is the component that has the lower melting temperature that melts in order to provide bonding between the fibers. The drawback of that first type of fiber stems in particular from the relatively high cost of fabrication due to the fact that a special spinning installation is required for the co-extrusion.
In a second type of fiber, as disclosed in particular by documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,193 and WO 99/55942, the fibers are likewise two-component fibers made by a polymer mixture obtained directly from a single extruder. The structure of the fibers is irregular, with one of the components forming islands in the other component, and with the dimensions of the islands being a function of the miscibility of the two components.
In a third type of fiber, as disclosed in particular by documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,378, U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,735, U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,119, U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,662, U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,193, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,883, the fibers present a surface skin that is degraded. Such fibers are commonly referred to as "skin" fibers. They are obtained under special conditions in the spinning and cooling process leading to molecular degradation by thermal oxidation at the periphery of the fibers, the skin being constituted by a surface layer of polymer degraded in this way. During the heat-bonding operation, cohesion between the fibers is obtained by melting of the polymer that constitutes the degraded skin, which polymer presents a melting temperature that is lower than that of the non-degraded polymer constituting the fiber core.
From the above examination of the three types of polypropylene fiber that has been specially designed for use in fabricating non-woven fabrics by heat-bonding, it can be seen that cohesion between the fibers is always obtained by means of a polymer portion situated at the surface of the fiber that presents a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the polymer constituting the remainder of the fiber. The polymer portion having a lower melting temperature enables inter-fiber bonds to be created in the non-woven fabric, while the remainder of the polymer which is not directly involved by the heat-bonding serves to maintain the mechanical properties of the fibers.
Concerning the costs of fabricating the three above-mentioned types of fiber, there is no doubt that degraded skin fibers are the best since they do not require a special installation for fabrication purpose, merely requiring special conditions to be implemented during spinning and cooling.
Nevertheless, degraded skin fibers present certain drawbacks. Although no clear explanation is available for this phenomenon, it is observed that degraded skin fibers are less soft to the touch, presenting a harder "handle" or "feel". This discomfort is further increased when accessing the software of a non-woven fabric obtained with such degraded skin fibers, since the inter-fiber bond zones that have been melted are themselves rigid, and are made of the degraded polymer.
Furthermore, in order to obtain a degraded skin during spinning, the Applicant has found it necessary to work under operating conditions that are precise, and thus with an operating window that is quite narrow. The difficulty of controlling such operating conditions leads to frequent variations in the quality of the non-woven fabric obtained using such fibers.
Finally, in order to obtain molecular degradation by thermal oxidation it is necessary to work at a high extrusion temperature which leads to greater energy consumption.

Polypropylene-based heat-weldable thermoplastic fibers, a method of fabricating such fibers, and a non-woven fabric obtained by heat-bonding such fibers


An apparatus supports, during a testing operation, a leadframe formed with at least one row of non-singulated semiconductor devices. The apparatus includes a main body and a leadframe support member, and the leadframe support is formed with at least one groove for receiving semiconductor devices such that in use leads extending from the semiconductor devices lie on a surface of the support member.

Semiconductor circuits are initially manufactured as wafers. A circular wafer of a semiconductor material such as silicon is formed with a plurality of individual circuits each of which is called a die (pl. dice). After the dice are formed on the wafer, the wafer is cut so as to separate the dice from each other and each die is then assembled into a semiconductor package with bond wires connecting the bond pads of a die with the pins of the package. A number of tests on the dice are carried out at various stages in the process. In particular, for example, a test of the devices while they are still part of the wafer is carried out. This test is known as a wafer test and is used to discard dies that have been incorrectly formed.
Once the die is assembled in a package it is tested again to ensure that the package has been properly assembled and that no damage has occurred to the die during the assembly and processing and to verify that the device still meets its design specifications. This test may be carried out at several different temperatures to check parameters that may be temperature sensitive. For example commercial devices may be tested at 0° C., 25° C. and 70° C. Devices intended for military applications may be tested at more extreme temperatures still, for example −55° C., 25° C. and 125° C.
In summary, the testing of semiconductor devices is an important part of the manufacturing process, and in order to prevent the processing time being seriously delayed, methods and apparatus need to be designed that facilitate the testing of such semiconductor devices in the most time-efficient and reliable manner possible.

Apparatus for supporting semiconductor devices during testing


The disclosure of this application is directed to a downhole tool comprising a central element/member and a sleeve that is rotatably and orbitally disposed around the central element/member. The sleeve rotates and orbits around the central element/member responsive to fluid flowing through the downhole too. The disclosure is also related to a method of advancing the downhole tool in a well by flowing fluid through the tool.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a downhole tool that creates downward force to advance a tubing string and/or bottom hole assembly (BHA) into a well.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various problems are encountered when attempting to advance a tubing string and/or bottom hole assembly (BHA) into a well. Vibratory tools have been used to help advance a tubing string and/or BHA into a well, but typical vibratory tools lack the ability to actually force the tubing string and/or BHA down into the well.
Accordingly, there is a need for a downhole tool that can be included in the BHA to force the BHA and/or tubing string down into the well.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A single valve door thrust recovery outflow valve is provided that does not rely on a relatively large and expensive actuator to move it, and does not create unwanted drag during aircraft cruise operations. The valve includes a valve frame, a valve door, and an aerodynamic flap. The valve door is rotationally coupled to the valve frame, is adapted to receive a drive torque, and is configured, upon receipt of the drive torque, to rotate between a closed position, a full-open position, and a plurality of partial-open positions between the closed position and the full-open position. The aerodynamic flap is coupled to the valve door. When the valve door is in the closed position and in numerous partial-open positions, the aerodynamic flap makes the thrust recovery outflow valve aerodynamically clean.

Aircraft are commonly equipped with Cabin Pressure Control Systems (CPCSs), which maintain cabin air pressure within a desired range to increase passenger comfort during flight. A typical CPCS may include a controller, an actuator, and an outflow valve. The outflow valve is typically mounted on either a bulkhead of the aircraft or on the outer skin surface of the aircraft, and selectively fluidly couples the aircraft cabin and the atmosphere outside of the aircraft. During operation, the controller commands the actuator to move the outflow valve to various positions to control the rate at which pressurized air is transferred between the aircraft cabin and the outside atmosphere, to thereby control the pressure and/or rate of change of pressure within the aircraft cabin. The controller may be configured to command the actuator to modulate the outflow valve in accordance with a predetermined schedule or as a function of one or more operational criteria. For example, the CPCS may additionally include one or more cabin pressure sensors to sense cabin pressure and supply pressure signals representative thereof to the controller. By actively modulating the outflow valve, the controller may maintain aircraft cabin pressure and/or aircraft cabin pressure rate of change within a desired range.
In some aircraft, the outflow valve may be positioned on the aircraft outer skin surface such that, when pressurized air is exhausted from the cabin, the exhausted air may provide additional forward thrust to the aircraft. Thus, outflow valves may sometimes be referred to as thrust recovery valves. Modern thrust recovery valves often include two valve door elements with multiple actuation linkages to enable proper sealing, reduce drag, and optimize valve door positioning for cruise thrust creation. Some earlier thrust recovery valves include a single, scoop-type valve door. These single valve doors are typically hinged on an end of the trailing edge. While this configuration makes the valve door aerodynamically acceptable, it can also make the actuation torque needed to drive the valve undesirably large. This, in turn, can result in relatively large and relatively expensive actuators and drive linkages being used.
Single valve door thrust recovery valves with the hinge point midway on the valve door, to thereby reduce the drive torque, have been envisioned. Unfortunately, these single valve door thrust recovery valves exhibit certain drawbacks. For example, in order to move the valve to the positions necessary to both seal and to not protrude during aircraft cruise operations, the valve door must be located inboard of the fuselage skin, which creates unwanted drag.
Hence, there is a need for a single valve door thrust recovery valve that does not rely on a relatively large and expensive actuator to move it, and/or does not create unwanted drag during aircraft cruise operations. The present invention addresses at least these needs.

Cabin pressure thrust recovery outflow valve with single door


A system and method for achieving process spot color consistency using white and CMYK toners is disclosed. The present application employs traditional CMYK using the automated spot color editing approach and enhances this approach by applying a white toner to the printing substrate prior to applying the color. This new and novel method will improve the color printing technology for printing or alternately, applying the application of the white as a distinct separation layer for the color toner separations, on plastics, ceramics, woods, and other such non-paper materials.

The current art of printing technology is deficient in presenting an effective way to print a wide variety of colors on a plastic, synthetic, or other non-paper surface. Reproduction of a wider variety of colors can be achieved by improving inks to incorporate a white opaque ink layer which serves to achieve a high L* gamut in comparison with a plastic substrate that does not have a sufficiently white layer.

Method to create spot colors with white and CMYK toner and achieve color consistency


A method for performing a simplified digital spectral analysis on a block of N samples representing an information signal in the time domain, in which the block of N samples is multiplied by a forward transform window to provide a block of N processed samples. The block of processed samples is digitally preprocessed to provide a block of N/4 complex numbers, which is orthogonally transformed, using digital processing equivalent of a Fast Fourier Transform, to provide a block of N/4 transformed complex numbers. The block of transformed complex numbers is then digitally post-processed to provide a block of N/2 spectral coefficients representing the information signal in the frequency domain. In a method of performing a simplified digital temporal analysis on a block of N/2 spectral coefficients representing the information signal in the frequency domain, the block of spectral coefficients is digitally pre-processed to provide a block of N/4 frequency domain complex numbers, which is orthogonally transformed into a block of N/4 time domain complex numbers by digital processing equivalent to a Fast Fourier Transform. The block of N/4 time domain complex numbers is digitally post processed to provide a block of N/2 processed time domain samples, which is re-arrayed and multiplied by an inverse transform window to provide a block of N samples representing the information signal in the time domain.

Orthogonal transform coding is known as a way of high efficiency coding sample data signals in the time domain, such as digital signals resulting from sampling analog audio signals. The input signal is divided in time into blocks of a predetermined number of samples. Transform coding orthogonally transforms each block of the input signal into a block of plural spectral coefficients in the frequency domain. Transform coding is typified by the discrete cosine transform (DCT). Discrete cosine transform coding suffers from distortion caused by discontinuous connecting points between adjacent blocks, and which manifests itself as noise. Block distortion has conventionally been reduced by overlapping one end of a block with the end of the adjoining block. A modified discrete cosine transform (MDCF) overlaps a given block with the adjoining blocks on both sides by one half of the block length. The MDCT is well suited for high efficient coding because samples in the overlapped portions are not transmitted. Thus, N/2 spectral coefficients are generated from a frame of N time domain samples.
Discussion of the MDCT and the inverse MDCT (IMDCT) may be found in Motizuki et al., Constraints in MDCT Filters in Which Plural Block Sizes Co-exist, SHINGAKU GIHOU, CAS90-10 and DSP90-14, pp. 55 to 60, or in Sugiyama et al., Adaptive Transform Coding with Adaptive Block Lengths Using MDCT (ATC-ABS), ABSTRACTS IN 1990 SPRING MEETING OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION COMMUNICATION MEETING, A-197.
The modified discrete cosine transform and inverse modified discrete cosine transform will now be briefly described by referring to FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, a given block of sample data in the time domain, such as the J-th block, has an overlap of one-half (50%) with each of the (J-1)-th block and the (J+1)-th block. If the number of samples in the J-th block is N, where N is a natural number, there is an overlap of N/2 samples with the (J-1)-th block, and an overlap of N/2 samples with the (J+1)-th block. Each of the N samples in each block, such as the J-th block, is processed by a forward transform window or pre-filter Wh to produce a block 102 of N windowed samples in the time domain.
The characteristics of the forward transform window or pre-filter Wh are so selected that power density of the transformed data is maximized in conformity with the statistical properties of input signals. The block 102 of N windowed samples in the time domain is processed by a forward MDCT to produce a block 103 of independent spectral coefficients in the frequency domain. The number of spectral coefficients is one half the number of input samples in the block 102, or N/2.
In the inverse transform, the block 103 of N/2 spectral coefficients is processed with a linear IMDCT to produce a block 104 of N processed samples in the time domain. The block 104 of N processed samples is processed by an inverse transform window or synthesizing filter Wf to produce a block 105 of samples in the time domain. The block 105 of samples in the time domain is summed to the preceding and succeeding blocks of samples in the time domain to produce an output signal of samples in the time domain.
A method of high speed processing using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFI) to provide an MDCT and IMDCT has been proposed by Iwatare et al., A Study in MDCT System and High Speed Processing Method, SHINGAKU-GIHOU, CAS 90-9, DSP 90-13, pp. 49 to 54, and a similar method has also been proposed in Japanese Patent Early Publication 4-44099 (1992).
The processing method proposed by Iwatare et al. will now be described. The MDCT is defined by the equation: ##EQU1## where x.sub.0 : MDCT input signal
N: block length PA1 h: function of forward transform window PA1 y.sub.0 : MDCT output signal PA1 C.sub.0 : constant, and PA1 y.sub.1 : IMDCT input signal PA1 N: block length PA1 f: inverse transform window function PA1 x.sub.1 : IMDCT output signal PA1 C.sub.1 : constant, and where n is an integer between 0 and N-1, and k is an integer between 0 and N/2-1. The block numbers are omitted because IMDCT processing is carried out on the frequency domain data in each block independently. The present IMDCT calculating method is substantially independent of the value of C.sub.1, so the following description assumes that C.sub.1 =1.
n is an integer between 0 and N-1, and k is an integer between 0 and N/2-1. The block numbers are omitted because MDCT processing is carried out on the time domain data in each block independently. The method for performing an MDCT is substantially independent of the value of C.sub.0, so the following description assumes that C.sub.0 =1.
In the calculation process, x.sub.0 is multiplied by the forward transform window to find x.sub.01 : EQU x.sub.01 (n)=x.sub.0 (n)h(n) for 0.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.N=1 (2)
x.sub.02 is derived from x.sub.01 in accordance with the following equation: ##EQU2##
x.sub.03 is calculated from in accordance with the following equation: ##EQU3##
x.sub.03 is multiplied by the coefficient shown in equation (5) to produce a block of complex numbers z.sub.01. ##EQU4##
z.sub.01 is processed by a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) having a length of N/2 to produce a block of complex numbers z.sub.02. ##EQU5##
y.sub.01 is a block of real numbers calculated from the block of complex numbers z.sub.02 as follows: ##EQU6##
y.sub.01 thus calculated thus coincides with y.sub.0 as defined in equation (1), as demonstrated by the above-cited treatise A Study in MDCT System and High Speed Processing Method.
Conversely, the IMDCT is defined by the following equation (8): ##EQU7##
where
In the known calculation method, y.sub.1 is re-arrayed in accordance with the following equation to produce y.sub.11. ##EQU8##
y.sub.11 is multiplied by the coefficient shown in equation (10) to produce a block of complex numbers z.sub.11. ##EQU9##
z.sub.11 is processed by an inverse FFT of a length of N/2 to produce a block of complex numbers z.sub.12. ##EQU10##
The block of complex numbers z.sub.12 is multiplied by the coefficient shown in equation (12), and the real part is extracted to produce the block of real numbers x.sub.11. ##EQU11##
x.sub.11 is re-arrayed with a sign change and multiplied by the inverse transform window in accordance with the equation: ##EQU12##
This coincides with x.sub.1 as defined in equation (8), as demonstrated by the above-cited treatise A Study in MDCT System and High Speed Processing Method.
The processing to perform an MDCF to determine the spectral coefficients for block of N samples and to perform a complementary IMDCT involves performing a complex number FFT having a length of N/2. Suitable algorithms for this are described in E. Oran Brigham, THE FAST FOURIER TRANSFORM. In chapter 11, entitled Theory of FFT Algorithm with a Base of 2, the algorithm described on pages 196 to 199 in the Japanese translation by Miyagawa et al. has the following requirements:
N/4 log(N/2) complex number multiplications,
N/2 log(N/2) complex number additions, and
a work area for storing N/2 complex numbers.
Thus, the method described above is not fully suitable for high-speed processing, especially when a small processing system is used.

Forward transform processing apparatus and inverse processing apparatus for modified discrete cosine transforms, and method of performing spectral and temporal analyses including simplified forward and inverse orthogonal transform processing


A method of depositing nanowire chains includes applying a nanowire mixture to a chain-site. The chain-site includes a patterned conductive film covering at least a portion of a surface of a substrate. The patterned conductive film includes a gap. The method also includes, after applying the nanowire mixture, forming a nanowire chain suspended adjacent to a portion of the patterned conductive film by generating an electric field proximate to the patterned conductive film; and depositing the nanowire chain across the gap by removing a liquid portion of the nanowire mixture. An average length of the nanowires of the nanowire mixture is less than a width of the gap.

Electronic devices such as touch screen displays or solar collectors utilize both light and conduction current during operation. Conduction currents are frequently directed by metallic conductors formed of copper, gold, silver, tin, or other optically opaque materials. Such opaque materials can prevent the transmission of light utilized by the electronic devices during operation.

Nanowire chain devices, systems, and methods of production


A corn furnace comprises a hopper for storing corn to be burned, and a combustion chamber in which corn is burned in a pot of fire to produce heat. An endless screw, supplying corn from the dispensing bottom of the hopper to the combustion chamber, comprises a lower proximate end for receiving corn from the hopper, a higher distal end for discharging corn in the combustion chamber through an inclined conduit, an elongate tubular member extending from the proximate to the distal end, and a generally helicoid blade rotatively mounted in the tubular member for conveying corn through that tubular member. The rotative helicoid blade is formed with a sharpened distal outer helical edge section. An air blower system supplies air to the distal end of endless screw to produce in the tubular member a flow of air in a direction opposite to the movement of the corn to remove from this corn dust and other impurities. To better sustain combustion of corn in the perforated pot of fire of the combustion chamber, air is supplied in the pot of fire through the inclined conduit, air is supplied in the pot of fire through the perforations thereof, and air is deflected from underneath the pot of fire toward an area of the combustion chamber above that pot.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a corn furnace comprising a reliable endless screw for supplying corn to a combustion chamber, and a blower system both for removing dust and other impurities from the corn being supplied to the combustion chamber, and for efficiently ventilate the combustion chamber.
In the present specification and in the appended claims, the term "corn" is intended to designate the seeds of corn plants.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many corn furnaces are presently available on the market. However, these prior art furnaces present the following two drawbacks.
The conventional corn furnaces comprise a hopper to store corn, a combustion chamber in which corn is burned to produce heat, and an endless screw for continuously supplying corn from the dispensing bottom of the hopper to the combustion chamber to thereby ensure continuous operation of the furnace. A first drawback is that corn seeds often jam the helicoid rotative blade of the endless screw and stop operation of the furnace.
Another drawback of the conventional corn furnaces is that they require clean corn to operate properly.


A diffusion-weighted MRI pulse sequence employs a two-dimensional diffusion weighting gradient that is sensitive to spin diffusion in a plane defined by two orthogonal gradients to acquire an image. The resulting magnitude image indicates the location of neuronal fibers perpendicular to this plane and by repeating the acquisition with the plane oriented at different angles, neuronal fibers extending through the field of view at any angle are detected. The magnitude images are used to produce a fiber tracking image.

The field of the invention is nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods and systems. More particularly, the invention relates to MR imaging of the brain.
When a substance such as human tissue is subjected to a uniform magnetic field (polarizing field B0), the individual magnetic moments of the spins in the tissue attempt to align with this polarizing field, but precess about it in random order at their characteristic Larmor frequency. If the substance, or tissue, is subjected to a magnetic field (excitation field B1) which is in the x-y plane and which is near the Larmor frequency, the net aligned moment, Mz, may be rotated, or "tipped", into the x-y plane to produce a net transverse magnetic moment Mt. A signal is emitted by the excited spins after the excitation signal B1 is terminated, this signal may be received and processed to form an image.
When utilizing these signals to produce images, magnetic field gradients (Gx, Gy and Gz) are employed. Typically, the region to be imaged is scanned by a sequence of measurement cycles in which these gradients vary according to the particular localization method being used. The resulting set of received NMR signals are digitized and processed to reconstruct the image using one of many well known reconstruction techniques.
There are many MR imaging techniques used to acquire diagnostic information from the brain. These include contrast enhanced T1-weighted images that brightly reveal regions where the blood-brain barrier is destroyed, T2-weighted fast-spin-echo (FSE) and fluid attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) imaging which show the extent of edema surrounding a damaged region. Two of the most important diagnostic tools, however, are diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and perfusion-weighted imaging (PWI) which measure physiological parameters that correlate with tissue health.
Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a powerful MRI technique for probing microscopic tissue structure. In DWI, a pulse sequence is employed which contains a magnetic field gradient known as a diffusion gradient that sensitizes the MR signal to spin motion. In a DWI pulse sequence the detected MR signal intensity decreases with the speed of water diffusion in a given volume of tissue. The first moment of this diffusion gradient, also known as the "b-value" determines the speed of diffusion to which the image is sensitive. This b-value may be adjusted by either varying the area of the two lobes of the diffusion magnetic field gradient, or by varying the time interval between them. When water motion in the subject is unrestricted, the MR signal intensity at the center of the echo using a spin-echo diffusion-weighted pulse sequence is related to the b-value as follows:
                    A        =                                            S                                            (                b                )                                                    S              0                                =                      ⅇ                          -              bD                                                          (        1        )            where the "b-value" b=γ2G2δ2(Δ−δ/3). The parameter γ is the gyromagnetic ratio and G is the amplitude of the applied diffusion magnetic field gradients. S(b) is the MR signal magnitude with diffusion weighting b, and S0 is the MR signal magnitude with no diffusion weighting (b=0). The parameter D is the diffusion coefficient of the fluid (in mm2/s), which directly reflects the fluid viscosity where there are no structural restrictions to diffusion of the water. Δ is the time interval between the onsets of the two diffusion gradient lobes and δ is the duration of each gradient lobe. The diffusion coefficient D in equation (1) may be calculated, since b is known and the attenuation A can be measured.
Nerve tissue in human beings and other mammals includes neurons with elongated axonal portions arranged to form neural fibers or fiber bundles along which electrochemical signals are transmitted. In the brain, for example, functional areas defined by very high neural densities are typically linked by structurally complex neural networks of axonal fiber bundles. The axonal fiber bundles and other fibrous material are substantially surrounded by other tissue.
Diagnosis of neural diseases, planning for brain surgery, and other neurologically related clinical activities as well as research activities on brain functioning can benefit from non-invasive imaging and tracking of the axonal fibers and fiber bundles. In particular, diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,526,305; 6,642,7126 and 6,806,705 has been shown to provide image contrast that correlates with axonal fiber bundles. In the DTI technique, motion sensitizing magnetic field gradients are applied in a diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) pulse sequence so that the magnetic resonance images include contrast related to the diffusion of water or other fluid molecules. By applying the diffusion gradients in selected directions during the excitation/imaging sequence, diffusion weighted images are acquired from which apparent diffusion tensor coefficients are obtained for each voxel location in image space. From this tensor the dominant direction of spin diffusion in each voxel can be determined.
Fluid molecules diffuse more readily along the direction of the axonal fiber bundle as compared with directions partially or totally orthogonal to the fibers. Hence, the directionality and anisotropy of the apparent diffusion coefficients tend to correlate with the direction of the axonal fibers and fiber bundles. Using iterative tracking methods, axonal fibers or fiber bundles can be tracked or segmented using the DTI data as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,305.
To calculate the apparent diffusion tensor coefficients, it is necessary to acquire at least six DWI images using motion-sensitizing gradients directed in six different directions. Using the DTI method of measuring anisotropy in each image voxel will indicate a single direction that corresponds to a single neuronal fiber. This method is very limited in its ability to track neuronal fibers that cross each other in an image voxel.
Diffusion sensitive imagery (DSI) is a method for analyzing DWI images to determine the diffusion directions in each image voxel. As described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,614,226 and 7,034,531, by acquiring more DWI images at different directions and gradient b values, it is possible to produce an image that indicates multiple diffusion directions in each image voxel. When a fiber tracking method is used with such a DSI image, neuronal fibers that cross each other can more accurately be detected and displayed.

Method for measuring the microarchitecture of complex tissue with MRI


An image processing system includes: a background-image generation unit configured to generate an background image based on input images captured at a plurality of times; a static-area determination unit configured to detect a continued-presence area in a partial area in which an image of a plurality of persons possibly exists in an input image, based on a difference between a first background image generated based on input images captured within a first time width from a processing time and a second background image generated based on input images captured within a second time width from the processing time; a person detection unit configured to detect at least one person which exists in the partial area; and a gathering-score calculation unit configured to detect, based on a detection result of the continued-presence area and a person detection result, continued presence of the plurality of persons in the partial area.

Development has been made in recent years for identifying a congestion state and the like, for example, by analyzing video captured by a security camera or the like, in video surveillance and the like. For example, PTL 1 discloses a congestion estimating device which is capable of determining whether or not there is a person in each area by determining whether or not there is motion in each partial area of an input image and determining, on the basis of texture information, whether or not there is a person in each partial area.
In addition to the above, PTLs 2 to 4 also disclose related techniques.

Image processing system, image processing method, and recording medium


A powered dispensing tool includes a housing, a motor positioned within the housing, a rack coupled to the motor for powered translation in at least one of a forward direction and a reverse direction, and a transmission selectively coupling the motor and the rack. The transmission includes an input ring rotatable in response to rotation of the motor in a first direction corresponding with powered translation of the rack in the forward direction, a first clutch member engaged with the rack through an intermediate gear, and a second clutch member that receives torque from the input ring and that is movable in response to rotation of the motor in the first direction toward a first position engaging the first clutch member. The second clutch member is also movable in response to rotation of the motor in an opposite, second direction toward a second position disengaged from the first clutch member.

Dispensing tools, such as those used for dispensing caulk, adhesives, or like materials, are typically manually operated by squeezing or grasping a handle of the dispensing tool. The handle is typically connected to a rack via an advancing mechanism (e.g., a ratchet and pawl-type mechanism) to incrementally advance the rack and cause the caulk, adhesive, or like material to be discharged from a cartridge. Such manually operated dispensing tools can be difficult to control and strenuous, thereby fatiguing the user and possibly shortening the duration of time the manually operated dispensing tool may be used before the user requires rest.


The present invention includes compound compositions and methods of making compounds that include an oligo-benzamide compound having at least two optionally substituted benzamides.

Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with compositions and methods of making the compositions that mimic peptides and proteins, using oligo-benzamide compositions. Proteins are one of the essential components for all living organisms and are utilized to maintain and regulate nearly all critical cellular functions—from intercellular communication to cell death. For their actions, proteins interact with diverse molecules, and among them protein-protein complex formation is an essential theme through which many regulatory processes like modulation of enzymatic activity, signal transduction, and apoptosis, are initiated or inhibited. Therefore, small molecules that inhibit protein-protein or protein-peptide interaction have been actively pursued in an attempt to develop potential therapeutic agents. Conventional methods for identifying such inhibitors include the preparation and screening of chemical libraries to discover lead compounds although often with little success.

Composition and method for making oligo-benzamide compounds

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A wall repair compound useful for filling and repairing cracks, holes, and other imperfections in a wall surface includes a conventional filler material, a conventional binder material, and a dust reducing additive which reduces the quantity of airborne dust particles generated when sanding the hardened joint compound. Airborne dust reducing additives include oils, surfactants, solvents, waxes, and other petroleum derivatives. The additive can be added to conventional ready-mixed joint compounds and to setting type joint compounds. A method of reducing the quantity of airborne dust generated when sanding a fully hardened joint compound includes mixing a sufficient quantity of the dust reducing additive with the joint compound prior to when the joint compound has been applied to the wall.

The present invention relates generally to wall repair compounds such as joint compounds, spackling compounds, and the like used to repair imperfections in walls or fill joints between adjacent wallboard panels. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a wall repair compound that includes an additive which reduces the quantity of airborne dust generated when the hardened compound is sanded.
Interior walls of residential and commercial buildings are often constructed using gypsum wallboard panels, often referred to simply as xe2x80x9cwallboardxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cdrywall.xe2x80x9d The wallboard panels are attached to studs using nails or other fasteners, and the joints between adjacent wallboard panels are filled using a specially formulated adhesive composition called joint compound to conceal the joints. The procedure for concealing the joint between adjacent wallboards, and thereby producing a smooth seamless wall surface, typically includes applying soft wet joint compound within the joint or seam formed by the abutting edges of adjacent wallboard panels using a trowel or the like. A fiberglass, cloth, or paper reinforcing tape material is then embedded within the wet joint compound, and the compound is allowed to harden. After the joint compound has hardened, a second layer of joint compound is applied over the joint and tape to completely fill the joint and provide a smooth surface. This layer is also allowed to harden. Upon hardening, the joint compound is sanded smooth to eliminate surface irregularities. Paint or a wall covering, such as wall paper, can then be applied over the joint compound so that the joint and the drywall compound are imperceptible under the paint or wall covering. The same joint compound can also be used to conceal defects caused by the nails or screws used to affix the wallboard panels to the studs, or to repair other imperfections in the wallboard panels, so as to impart a continuously smooth appearance to the wall surface.
Various drywall joint compounds are known for concealing joints between adjacent wallboard panels. Conventional joint compounds typically include a filler material and a binder. Conventional fillers are calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), which are used in xe2x80x9cready mixedxe2x80x9d joint compounds, and calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4-xc2xd H2O; also referred to as plaster of Paris or calcined gypsum), which is used in xe2x80x9csetting typexe2x80x9d joint compounds. Ready mixed joint compounds, which are also referred to as pre-mixed or drying type joint compounds, are pre-mixed with water during manufacturing and require little or no addition of water at the job site. Such joint compounds harden when the water evaporates and the compound dries. Setting type joint compounds, on the other hand, harden upon being mixed with water, thereby causing dihydrate crystals to form and interlock. Setting type joint compounds are therefore typically supplied to the job site in the form of a dry powder to which the user then adds a sufficient amount of water to give the compound a suitable consistency.
The Koltisko, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,013 provides an example of a ready-mixed (wet) joint compound including a filler, binder, thickener, non-leveling agent, and water. The McInnis U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,712 provides an example of a setting (dry mix-type) joint compound including a fine plaster material, such as stucco, a material which imparts internal strength and workability to the joint compound, such as methyl cellulose, and a material for retaining water, such as perlite. Additional examples of joint compounds are provided in the Brown U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,622; the Mudd U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,167; the Williams U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,267; the Struss et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,253; the Attard et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,318; and the Patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,786.
A spackling compound is disclosed in the Deer et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,648. While joint compound and spackling compound do many of the same things and are both smeared onto walls to hide flaws, spackling compound is generally lighter, dries more quickly, sands more easily, and is more expensive than joint compound. For simplicity, joint compound, drywall joint compound, and like expressions are used throughout this specification to refer to wall repair compounds generally, including joint compound and spackling compound.
Sanding hardened joint compound can be accomplished using conventional techniques including power sanders, abrasive screens, or manual sanders which consist simply of a supporting block and a piece of abrasive paper mounted on the block. Sanding the joint compound, however, produces a large quantity of an extremely fine powder which tends to become suspended in air for a long period of time. The airborne particles settle on everything in the vicinity of the sanding site and usually require several cleanings before they can all be collected, thereby making cleanup a time consuming and tedious process. The particles may also present a serious health hazard to the worker.
The airborne particles are highly pervasive and can enter the nose, lungs, eyes and even the pores of the skin. Results from a study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that dust levels in 9 out of 10 test samples taken at test sites where workers were finishing drywall with joint compound were higher than the limits set by OSHA. The report also said that the dust may not be safe even when it falls within the recommended limits. In addition, the study found that several dust samples contained silica and kaolin, a material found in clay, which have been found to cause permanent lung damage. The report recommended the use of local exhaust ventilation, wet finishing techniques, and personal protective equipment to reduce the hazard.
In an effort to reduce the dust generation and cleanup problems associated with the sanding of conventional joint compounds, various attempts have been made to develop specialized dustless drywall sanders. The Matechuk U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,632, for example, discloses a drywall sander including a sanding head designed to minimize the release of dust and further discloses attaching a vacuum cleaner to the sanding head to collect the dust. The Krumholz U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,748 discloses a dustless drywall finisher which uses a wet sponge to prevent the formation of airborne dust.
Dust remains a problem, however, when conventional power sanders or hand sanders are used to sand conventional joint compounds. A need therefore exists for a joint compound that can be sanded using conventional sanders without producing a large quantity of fine particles capable of becoming suspended in air. It would also be desirable to provide an additive that could be mixed with commercially available joint compounds to inhibit the formation of airborne particles during the sanding procedure without otherwise interfering with the properties of the joint compound.
The present invention provides a wall repair compound, such as a joint compound or spackling compound which, when sanded, generates a lower lever of airborne particles than conventional joint compounds. More specifically, the present invention provides a wall repair compound which includes a dust reducing additive. Generally, the wall repair or joint compound includes a sufficient amount of the dust reducing additive so that when the joint compound is tested as described in this specification, it generates a lower quantity of airborne dust than the joint compound would produce if it did not contain the dust reducing additive.
The dust reducing additive can be pre-mixed into the wet joint compound prior to application or applied as a coating to the hardened joint compound after application. Generally, the dust reducing additive reduces the quantity of airborne dust particles having a size of less than or equal to 10 microns to less than 50% of the quantity that would be generated without the additive. In certain embodiments, the quantity of airborne dust particles is reduced by at least 75% compared to a mixture without the additive. Most preferably, the level of airborne dust is reduced by more than 90%. In one embodiment, the quantity of airborne particles generated by sanding the hardened joint compound of the present invention was less than 50 mg/m3 and, in certain other embodiments, less than about 15 mg/M3. The quantity of airborne particles generated by sanding the hardened joint compound is preferably less than 5 mg/m3.
It is desirable that the dust reducing additive serve to suppress the formation of airborne particles without significantly interfering with the desired characteristics of the joint compound. Suitable dust reducing additives include oils, such as mineral oils, vegetable oils and animal oils, surfactants, oleoresinous mixtures, pitch, solvents, paraffins, waxes, including natural and synthetic wax, glycols, and other petroleum derivatives. Other materials which do not fit within the above categories may also effectively reduce the quantity of dust generated by a joint compound.
The joint compound formulations include a conventional filler material and a binder material, such as a resin. The joint compound can also include a surfactant, which may or may not serve to suppress airborne dust formation, and a thickening agent. Prior to hardening, the joint compound preferably includes a sufficient amount of water to form a mud-like spreadable material which can be applied to the wall surface. The present invention further provides an additive which can be admixed with conventional joint compounds to reduce the quantity of dust generated during sanding. The dust reducing additive can be used with both drying type (i.e. ready mixed) or setting type joint compounds.
The present invention also provides a method of reducing the quantity of airborne dust generated by sanding a fully hardened joint compound which includes mixing a sufficient quantity of a dust reducing additive with the joint compound prior to applying the joint compound to a wall surface.
It is also desirable that the present invention provide a joint compound having good plasticity, water retention, cohesiveness, viscosity stability, resistance to cracking, sandability, minimal shrinkage, good paint adherence, light weight, low cost, good hardening properties, and other properties comparable to those offered by conventional joint compounds.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art when considered in view of the following detailed description.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the testing enclosure used to measure the quantity of airborne dust generated by sanding the wall repair compounds of the present invention.
According to the present invention, there are provided compositions suitable for filling and repairing cracks, holes, or other imperfections in a wall surface, such as the joints between adjacent wallboard panels. The compositions of the present invention include a dust reducing additive combined with conventional wall repair compound materials including a filler and a binder to form a low dust wall repair compound. Dust reducing additive refers to any ingredient capable of preventing, minimizing, suppressing, reducing, or inhibiting the formation of particles capable of becoming airborne. The expressions xe2x80x9cairborne particlesxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cairborne dust particlesxe2x80x9d refer to fine particles generated during the sanding or abrading of the compound which are capable of being carried by or through the air. Wall repair compound refers generally to compositions useful for filling and repairing cracks, holes, and other imperfections in surfaces such as drywall, wood, plaster, and masonry. Wall repair compounds include interior finishing and patch compounds such as joint compound, spackling compound, wood fillers, plasters, stucco, and the like. The joint compound can also include a thickener, and other materials found in conventional joint compounds.
Any conventional filler material can be used in the present invention. Suitable fillers include calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4-2H2O commonly referred to as gypsum) for ready mixed type joint compounds, and calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CaSO4-xc2xd H2O) for setting type joint compounds. The joint compound can also include one or more secondary fillers such as glass micro bubbles, mica, perlite, talc, limestone, pyrophyllite, silica, and diatomaceous earth. The filler generally comprises from about 25% to about 95% of the weight of the joint compound based on the total wet weight of the formulation (i.e. including water). More preferably, the filler comprises from about 55% to about 75% of the total wet weight, and most preferably, from about 60% to about 70%.
Another ingredient usually present in joint compounds is a binder or resin. Suitable binders include polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene vinyl acetate co-polymer, vinylacrylic co-polymer, styrenebutadiene, polyacrylamide, other acrylic polymers, other latex emulsions, natural and synthetic starch, and casein. These binders can be used alone or in combination with one another. The amount of binder can range from about 1% to about 45% of the joint compound total wet weight. More preferably, the binder comprises from about 1% to about 20% of the total wet weight, and most preferably, from about 4% to about 14%. Preferred binders are Rhoplex HG 74M and Rhoplex AC 417M acrylic copolymers available from Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, Pa.
A surfactant can also be included in the joint compound formulation, particularly when the dust reducing additive includes an oil. Certain surfactants have also been found to act as dust reducing additives by themselves. A preferred surfactant is Triton X-405, a nonionic surfactant available from Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Co. Inc., Danbury, Conn. The surfactant generally comprises less than about 3.5% of the joint compound total wet weight, and preferably less than about 0.25%.
Many joint compound formulations also contain a cellulosic thickener, usually a cellulosic ether. Suitable thickeners include methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). These thickeners can be used alone or in combination with one another. The amount of cellulosic thickener can range from about 0.1% to about 2% by weight of the joint compound. A preferred thickener is hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose available from Dow Chemical Company under the trade designation Methocel.
Another ingredient that can be included in the joint compound of the invention is a non-leveling agent. Suitable non-leveling agents include clays such as attapulgus clay, bentonite, illite, kaolin and sepiolite, and clays mixed with starches. Thickeners, such as those described above, can also function as non-leveling agents.
To provide a lighter weight joint compound, glass bubbles or a specially treated expanded perlite can be added as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,267. Additional ingredients which can be utilized in the joint compound are preservatives, fungicides, anti-freeze wetting agents, defoamers, flocculents, such as polyacrylamide resin, and plasticizers, such as dipropylene glycol dibenzoate.
In accordance with a characterizing feature of the present invention, the joint compound includes an ingredient which serves to minimize the quantity of airborne particles generated during sanding of the hardened joint compound. The additive generally comprises less than 20% of the joint compound total wet weight. More preferably, the dust reducing additive comprises between about 0.1% and about 10% of the joint compound by wet weight percent and, most preferably, between about 1.5% and about 6%.
Many ingredients have been found to effectively reduce the quantity of airborne particles generated when sanding the joint compound including oils such as animal, vegetable, and mineral oils (saturated and unsaturated), and oils derived from petroleum, pitch, natural and synthetic waxes, paraffins, solvents which evaporate slower than water, terpenes, glycols, surfactants, and mixtures thereof. A preferred dust reducing additive is a mixture of mineral oil and an unsaturated oil, such as corn oil, comprising from about 1.5% to about 6% of the joint compound total wet weight, and a surfactant comprising from about 0.15% to about 0.40% of the joint compound total wet weight. It has also been found that increasing the level of resin in the joint compound may serve to reduce the level of airborne dust generated during sanding.
While the manner by which each additive serves to suppress the formation of particles capable of becoming airborne is not fully understood, some general observations have been made. For example, it was observed that the joint compounds containing a dust reducing additive seemed to produce particles which were larger and heavier than the particles produced by joint compounds without a dust reducing additive. Thus, the dust reducing additive may cause the dust particles to agglomerate or stick together, thereby forming large heavy particles which tend not to become or remain airborne. The invention, however, is not intended to be limited to any particular mechanism.
The relative quantity of the various ingredients can vary substantially in accordance with the invention. Table 1 shows the general range of each ingredient for either a setting type joint compound or a ready-mixed type joint compound in its wet condition:
The teat procedure for measuring the quantity of airborne particles generated when sanding the hardened joint compound was as follows. First, each test specimen was prepared according to a specific formulation. The specific formulations for the various joint compounds are described more fully below along with the method used to prepare the specimens. The test specimens were approximately five inches long, one and one-half inches wide, and one quarter of an inch thick (5xe2x80x3 by 1xc2xdxe2x80x3 by xc2xcxe2x80x3). Before sanding, each test specimen was allowed to completely harden for at least twenty four hours at room temperature in an environment where the relative humidity generally ranged from about 25% to about 75%.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown the test enclosure 2 that was used to sand the test specimens 4a, 4b, 4c and measure the quantity of airborne dust particles generated. The enclosure 2 was a rectangular box six feet high, four feet wide, and two feet wide (6xe2x80x2xc3x974xe2x80x2xc3x972xe2x80x2). The top 6, bottom 8, side 10, and rear walls 12 of the enclosure 2 were constructed of wood, and the front wall 14 was constructed of transparent Plexiglas. A generally triangular access opening 16 located about one foot above the bottom wall 8 was provided in the front wall 14 to allow the individual conducting the test to insert his or her hand and arm into the enclosure and sand the specimen. The access opening 16 had a base dimension of about 7xc2xd inches and a height of about 8xc2xd inches. A movable cover member 18 was provided to allow the enclosure 2 to be completely sealed when sanding was completed. To sand the specimens 4a, 4b, 4c, the cover 18 was arranged in its up position as shown by the solid lines in FIG. 1. When sanding was completed, the cover 18 was pivoted downwardly to completely cover the access opening 16 as shown in phantom 18xe2x80x2.
As shown, three specimens 4a, 4b, 4c of joint compound were prepared on a section of wallboard 20 and the section of wallboard 20 was clamped to a mounting block 22 arranged within the enclosure 2. When tested, the specimens were located about twelve inches above the bottom wall 8 of the enclosure. Each specimen was tested individually and after each test, the enclosure was cleaned so that the quantity of airborne dust particles measured less than 0.05 mg/m3. A particle counter 24 for measuring the quantity of airborne particles was mounted in the right side wall about forty eight inches above the center of the specimens 4a, 4b, and 4c.
The test specimens were sanded using a model B04552 power palm sander available from Makita Corporation of America, Buford, Ga. The sander included a 4xc2xdxc3x974 inch pad equipped with a 120 grit mesh sanding screen mounted over a 5xc3x973xc2xdxc3x97xc2xe inch open, semi-rigid, non-woven, heavy duty, stripping, backing pad available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul Minn. Sanding was performed at a sanding speed of approximately 14,000 OPM (orbits per minute) using ordinary sanding pressure. Ordinary sanding pressure is defined as the amount of pressure typically required to sand a hardened joint compound. Sanding pressure, therefore, is the manual pressure typically applied by an ordinary person when sanding a joint compound. It will be recognized that the sanding pressure can vary depending on the hardness of the joint compound. Sanding was continued until the specimen was completely sanded. That is, the entire thickness of the specimen was sanded so that a generally smooth wall surface was produced. Care was taken to ensure that sanding was discontinued before the drywall itself was sanded. The amount of time required to sand each specimen varied depending on the hardness of the joint compound and the sanding pressure.
The quantity of airborne dust particles was measured starting from the time sanding was initiated until several minutes after sanding was discontinued. In general, the level of airborne dust was measured until the level decreased to less than 50% of its peak level. The quantity of airborne dust was measured using a DUSTTRAK(trademark) aerosol monitor model 8520 available from TSI Incorporated, St. Paul, Minn. The particle counter measures the number of particles having a size of less than or equal to 10 microns. In the Examples, the peak or highest level of airborne dust measured during the test is presented.
A summary of the various ingredients used to prepare the joint compounds in each of the Examples is provided below:
Fillers
Calcium Carbonatexe2x80x94Marble Dust available from ECC International, Sylacauga, Ala.
Calcium Sulfate Dihydratexe2x80x94available from J. T. Baker Chemical Co., Phillipsburg, N.J.
Micaxe2x80x94Mica AMC available from Kraft Chemical Co., Melrose Park, Ill. Mica prevents cracks from forming as the joint compound hardens.
Kaolinxe2x80x94Aldrich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
Glass Bubblesxe2x80x94K1 (177 microns-0.14 g/cm3) glass bubbles available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn. Glass bubbles improve the sandability of the joint compound and help to form a lighter weight joint compound.
Binders
Rhoplex HG 74M, Rhoplex HG 74P, Rhoplex AC 417M, Rhoplex 2620, and
Rhoplex EC-2848 xe2x80x94acrylic resins available from Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, Pa.
Airflex RP-226 xe2x80x94vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer available from Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, Pa.
Waxes
Octowax 321 xe2x80x94available from Tiarco Chemical Div., Textile Robber and Chemical Co., Dalton, Ga.
Boler 1070 xe2x80x94a paraffin wax available from Boler Inc., Wayne Pa.
Carbowax 540 xe2x80x94synthetic wax available from Union Carbide Corp., Danbury, Conn.
Oils
Corn Oilxe2x80x94conventional corn oil. A suitable corn oil is available from Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.
Linoleic Acidxe2x80x94an unsaturated oil, available from Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.
Castor Oilxe2x80x94an unsaturated vegetable oil available from Aldrich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
Tung Oilxe2x80x94an unsaturated vegetable oil available from Woodworkers Store, Medina, Minn.
Mineral Oilxe2x80x94Carnation light mineral oil available from Witco Corporation, Sonneborn Division, New York, N.Y.
Surfactants Surfactants were generally included in the joint compound formulations when the dust reducing additive included an oil to help emulsify the oil and combine it with a water based joint compound. Certain surfactants, however, were found to have a dust reducing effect when used by themselves.
FC 430 xe2x80x94a nonionic surfactant available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, Industrial Chemicals, St. Paul, Minn.
Triton X-405 xe2x80x94a nonionic surfactant (octylphenoxy polyethoxy ethanol) available from Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Co. Inc., Danbury, Conn.
Variquat B-200 xe2x80x94a cationic surfactant (benzyl trimethyl ammonium chloride 60%) available from Sherex Chemical Co. Inc., Dublin, Ohio.
Steol KS 460 xe2x80x94an anionic surfactant (alkyl ether sulfate sodium salt 60%) available from Stephon Chemical Co., Northfield, Ill.
Span 85 xe2x80x94a nonionic surfactant (sorbitan trioleate) available from ICI Americas Inc., Wilmington, Del.
Tween 80 xe2x80x94nonionic surfactant (polysorbate 80) available from ICI Americas Inc., Wilmington, Del.
Solvents
Isopar Mxe2x80x94an aliphatic hydrocarbon available from Exxon Chemical Co., Houston, Tex.
Norpar 15 xe2x80x94a normal paraffin available from Exxon Chemical Co., Houston, Tex.
Heptanexe2x80x94available from Aldrich Chemical Co, Milwaukee, Wis.
Isopropanolxe2x80x94available from Aldrich Chemical Co, Milwaukee, Wis.
Propylene carbonatexe2x80x94available from Arco Chemical Co., Newton Square, Pa., under the trade designation Arconate HP.
Tripropylene glycol methyl ether available from Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.
Tripropylene glycol-n-butyl ether available from Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.
Ethylene glycol phenyl ether available from Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.
D. Limonenexe2x80x94a terpene available from SCM Glidden Organics, Jacksonville, Fla.
Exxsol D-110 xe2x80x94an aliphatic hydrocarbon available from Exxon Chemical Co., Houston, Tex.
Exxate 1300 xe2x80x94C13 alkyl acetate available from Exxon Chemical Co., Houston, Tex.
Glycerolxe2x80x94available from J. T. Baker Chemical Co, Phillipsburg, N.J.
Thickener
Methocel 311 xe2x80x94hydroxypropyl methylcellulose available from Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.


A method and system for reducing clutter in a number of images. Sub-image pixel values are identified for a sub-image at a location in an image in the number of images. A first portion of the sub-image pixel values corresponds to a number of suspected target pixels in the sub-image. A second portion of the sub-image pixel values corresponds to clutter pixels in the sub-image. Modeled pixel values are generated using a clutter model fitted to the second portion of the sub-image pixel values. The modeled pixel values are subtracted from the sub-image pixel values to form new pixel values.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to processing images and, in particular, to reducing clutter in images. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for reducing clutter that changes with respect to space and time in a number of images.
2. Background
Sensor systems are commonly used to detect target objects. As used herein, a "target object" is an object of interest. The object of interest may be, for example, without limitation, an aircraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a projectile, a watercraft, a spacecraft, a vehicle, a weather phenomenon, a living organism, or some other suitable type of object.
Typically, the sensor system used to detect a target object is configured to detect electromagnetic radiation and convert this electromagnetic radiation into electrical signals that can be used to form images. These images may be, for example, without limitation, radar images, infrared images, ultraviolet images, visible light images, or other suitable types of images.
In some situations, a portion of the electromagnetic radiation detected by the imaging system is undesired electromagnetic radiation. Some or all of this undesired electromagnetic radiation may be clutter. As used herein, "clutter" describes electromagnetic radiation reflecting off of and/or emanating from sources that are not target objects. These sources may include, for example, without limitation, the ground, the surface of a body of water, precipitation, radar countermeasures, atmospheric turbulences, weather conditions, trees, foliage, waves, animals, birds, insects, and other types of sources other than a target object.
The presence of clutter in an image may make detecting a target object in the image more difficult than desired. Some currently available solutions for reducing the clutter in an image use spatial filters, spatial-temporal filters, and/or spatial-spectral filters. These different types of filters may use fixed weights to characterize the clutter in an image. However, with fixed weights, these types of filters may be unable to characterize the variations of clutter in different locations in an image with a desired level of accuracy. Consequently, the solutions using these types of filters may be unable to provide a desired level of reduction in clutter throughout the entire image.
Further, when used to reduce clutter in a sequence of images generated over time, filters that use fixed weights to characterize clutter may not take into account changes in the clutter over time. Clutter that changes over time may be referred to as non-stationary clutter. Some currently available solutions for reducing clutter that use filters with fixed weights may be unable to provide the desired level of reduction in clutter in all of the images in a sequence of images. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.

System and method for reducing image clutter


An information processing apparatus selects attribute information in a predetermined layer based on a result of measurement of the number of appearances of attribute information included in print data, determines a priority order of the attribute information based on the number of times of references to a reusable object from a page corresponding to a record that includes the selected attribute information, serially selects attribute information based on the determined priority order, generates intermediate data for a page corresponding to the selected attribute information, and generates image data by rasterizing the generated intermediate data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing apparatus control method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a printing method, termed variable data printing (VDP), has been put into practice. In VDP, private information, which is included in a monthly invoice or transaction specification and differs customer by customer, and a content that a customer, who receives a direct mail, may take interest in are appropriately selected uniquely for each customer and the selected private information and content are printed.
As a method that implements VDP, portable document format (PDF)/variable and transactional (VT) has been introduced. The PDF/VT is a data format, which is a sub set specification of PDF format regulated by Adobe° Systems, Inc. The specification of PDF/VT is currently being developed by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and named ISO 1612-2 as a standard PDF format for variable printing.
As a characteristic of PDF/VT, PDF/VT includes "XObjects", which is a concept related to a drawing object, and "DPart", which is a concept related to management of attribute information. XObjects defines a drawing object as a reusable object. By using XObjects, a reusable object can be referred to from a PDF file a plurality of times.
In conventional PDF, it is necessary for an information processing apparatus that executes printing, to execute drawing of a drawing object included in print data for a number of times equivalent to the number of appearances of the drawing object in the print data. Suppose that the same corporate logo is included in all page data of 10,000 pages. In this case, it is necessary for an information processing apparatus to execute drawing of the same logo data 10,000 times in total for the pages. On the other hand, in PDF/VT, by using XObjects, the information processing apparatus can refer to a reusable object that appears in a first page, any number of times during processing of PDF data.
More specifically, if the information processing apparatus has generated intermediate data based on the reusable object that appears in the first page and if reference of the reusable object arises in a subsequent page, then the information processing apparatus generates a raster image (executes rasterization) based on the generated intermediate data. Accordingly, it becomes unnecessary for the information processing apparatus to generate intermediate data again based on the same reusable object for the subsequent page. Therefore, printing can be efficiently executed.
On the other hand, DPart is an information management area for managing attribute information in a hierarchical structure. By using DPart, a creator of PDF data can set an arbitrary attribute in PDF data.
In conventional PDF, it is necessary for an information processing apparatus to execute data processing in order of appearances of page information. However, by using DPart, i.e., by utilizing and referring to attribute information managed by DPart, the information processing apparatus can search for or extract and process a page including specific information. In addition, in this case, the information processing apparatus can group pages based on attribute information and process the group of pages. To paraphrase this, in PDF/VT, the information processing apparatus can efficiently execute processing by utilizing a reusable object in executing drawing of input data.
In PDF/VT also, an information processing apparatus may execute drawing in order of pages defined in input data. If an information processing apparatus processes data in order of pages defined in input data, the productivity may decrease because the throughput is affected after rasterization. The cause of degradation of productivity that may occur if a printing apparatus is used as the above-described information processing apparatus will be described below.
Suppose that a printing apparatus executes drawing of data in order of pages and that records including pages that refer to mutually different reusable objects successively exist. In this case, it is necessary for the printing apparatus to execute drawing of the reusable object every time the processing shifts to processing of a subsequent record. As a result, the printing capacity of the printing apparatus may decrease (i.e., a phenomenon of cycledown may occur).
In other words, if data to be printed is not ready at an appropriate timing, processing of a flow of print processing that is downstream thereof is suspended. This phenomenon is called "cycledown".
More specifically, a conventional printing apparatus, such as a printing apparatus having an electrophotographic type print engine or a printing apparatus that executes offset printing, includes a print engine that serially processes raster images transmitted from a drawing processing unit and transfers a toner or an ink onto a recording paper. The printing apparatus like this includes a mechanism that generates heat and uses a chemical agent during transfer processing.
Accordingly, if raster images are not transmitted from a drawing processing unit for a predetermined period of time, the printing apparatus suspends the processing in order to prevent otherwise possible mechanical affect on the print engine. If the operation of the printing apparatus is suspended during serial printing, several tens of seconds may be required to calibrate and recondition the printing apparatus, which is required to restore the printable operation status of the printing apparatus. In this case, the phenomenon of cycledown occurs.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-226465 discusses an image output system that determines the degree of overlap among part information that indicates variable data of a plurality of pages, divides and arranges the plurality of pages in descending order of the overlap degree, and outputs an image of each divided page.
Even in a printing apparatus that executes drawing by referring to a reusable object, the phenomenon of cycledown may occur when the printing apparatus executes drawing of data in order of pages defined in input data. In this case, the productivity may decrease.
If a direct mail having a plurality of pages is to be sent to one customer, it is desired to output a plurality of pages as one product in the unit of a predetermined attribute. In this case, the image output system discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-226465 cannot meet the desire.
To paraphrase this, in the image output system, a plurality of pages is divided into pages and an image is output in the unit of the divided page. Accordingly, all pages may not be image-processed by the same image forming apparatus (i.e., the pages may be image-processed by different image forming apparatuses).
More specifically, in the image output system discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-226465, in inserting the output product into an envelope, it is necessary to sort the print products for each customer, who is the target of sending the product, by using a sorter or by hand.

Information processing apparatus, information processing apparatus control method, and storage medium