A video watermarking method resistant to temporal desynchronization attacks, of the type that comprises a watermark embedding, an attack stage and a watermark detection stage wherein during the watermarking embedding stage, the same watermark is hidden in a number of frames given by the mutual information between them; a temporal redundancy control is modified to hide a watermark in each possible I-frame; and during the watermark detection stage, the watermark extractor takes all the frames watermarked with the same key to extract its characteristics.

The use of video watermarking is focused on protection issues where just a few bits are enough for copyright protection of content. Nevertheless, the use of methods that embed more information opens the door for the use of the watermarking in emerging rich media applications like indexing, subtitles, hypervideo, interactive video, etc. as disclosed by Dumitru et al. at the EUROCON 2007 conference: "Gaussian Hypothesis for Video Watermarking Attacks: Drawbacks and Limitations".
Nowadays, the protection of videos is usually achieved by hiding a single watermark in a full video such as the method disclosed in the PhD thesis of L. Coria-Mendoza "Low-Complexity methods for Image and Video Watermarking". The watermarking methods for media protection embed little information to ensure a greater probability of detection. Increasing the capacity of information embedding involves the use of more complex watermarking methods, mainly to ensure the correct extraction of the watermark in the right order. This implies introducing a temporal synchronization phase, e.g., temporal synchronization is the process of identifying the correspondence between the temporal coordinates of the watermarked signal and the ones for watermark. Furthermore, it is important to mention that the video will be compressed, which causes the watermarking methods to be robust to video compression attacks.
As it is known, the video compression process removes temporal redundancy by using a motion compensation unit and a rate control unit. These two internal tasks are the main cause of temporal desynchronization on compressed videos. The temporal synchronization is crucial for successfully detecting watermarks. If the detector cannot be synchronized with its input video, an embedded watermark cannot be detected even though it is present in the video. The video compression methods attack the watermark hidden in each frame and desynchronize in time the detector due to the mechanism used to reduce the redundancy in the video. Thus, if two or more frames hide a single watermark (regardless of the reasons), then a temporal synchronization process is necessary to resist the video compression attack.
In order to achieve temporal synchronization and resistance to video compression, some watermarking methods, such as the one described by Zhang et al. at the ISDA 2007 conference: "A Video Watermarking Method Resistant To Synchronization Attacks Based On Statistics And Shot Segmentation", and Kezheng et al. at the ISKE 2008 conference: "Video Watermarking Temporal Synchronization On Motion Vector", hide information by changing slightly the magnitudes of the motion vectors of an entire scene. To perform this, motion vectors are classified into different groups, then a bit of information is embedded in each one. In this way, a bit is hidden within a group of vectors with similar characteristics. However, when using the internal task of MPEG compression as disclosed by Moving Pictures Expert Group ISO/IEC 14496-2, ISO/IEC 14496-10 and ISO 13818, (the generation of motion vectors), these methods provide robustness to this attack. This could be seen as a disadvantage because if the video is re-encoded, the watermark can be lost.
C. Chen et al. at the 2008 Congress on Image and Signal Processing, in the document "A Compressed Video Watermarking Method With Temporal Synchronization", provides another method which hides information using other inner process carried out into the compression process like the use of the DCT coefficients (Discrete Cosine Transform), in the MPEG-4 compression. The spread spectrum is used to hide the same watermark in a subset of DCT blocks per video scene. This method depends on the internal task performed by the encoder.
The method described by Lin et al. in the documents: "Temporal synchronization in video watermarking" published in the Proceedings of the SPJE International Conference on Security and Watermarking of Multimedia Contents IV: "Temporal synchronization in video watermarking" published in IEEE Transactions on signal processing; and by Delp et al. in the document "Optical and Digital Techniques for Information Security" of 2005, hides information on the raw video, which makes it independent of the encoder. However, the method was not resistant to compression attacks.
The method above mentioned performs temporal synchronization by manipulating the embedding keys used for watermarking each frame. In this way, the watermark that is embedded in each frame carries along temporal information. The key is changed every β frames using the information of the current frame and the previous key, thereby a new key time dependent of the current and the previous frame is generated.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,567,721 B2 a method for embedding digital watermarks in compressed video include perceptual adapting a digital watermark in predicted and non-predicted data based on block activity derived from the compressed video stream, embedding in predicted objects in a video stream having separately compressed video objects and bit rate control of watermarked video.
One of the improvements made to the original Lin's method algorithm is attributed to a paper published by Delp and Lin in 2004, "Temporal Synchronization In Video Watermarking", the disclosure of which was incorporated in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,886,151 which describes a protocol for temporal synchronization of media signals with temporal components to be used in digital watermarking and other applications. This synchronization protocol achieves initial synchronization by finding an initial synchronization key through analysis of a temporal media signal stream. It then uses features of the stream and a queue of one or more keys from previous frames to derive subsequent keys to maintain synchronization. If synchronization is lost due to channel errors or attacks, for example, the protocol uses the initial synchronization key to re-establish synchronization. In digital watermarking applications, the synchronization protocol is agnostic to the watermark embedding and reading functions.
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,840,005 B2 relates to synchronization paradigm and applies this paradigm to different forms of synchronization, including both temporal and spatial synchronization of digital watermarks. For spatial synchronization, a paradigm in a spatial coordinate system of a media signal is applied, such as the two-dimensional spatial coordinate system of a digital still image or frame of video. The paradigm is applied to perform spatial synchronization of digital watermarks.
For performing the synchronization, the method of U.S. Pat. No. 7,840,005 B2 comprises: detecting peaks due to redundancy of features in a host media signal; wherein the redundancy is controlled via a state machine that repeats a portion of a watermark structure and varies another portion of the watermark structure over a coordinate system of the host media signal; analyzing the peaks to derive estimates of geometric or temporal distortion of the host media signal; computing a histogram of the estimated geometric or temporal distortion parameters; and from the histogram, computing a geometric or temporal distortion of the host media signal.
As we can see from the above, prior methods describe synchronizing a digital watermark by using feature extraction and a key generator. The temporal synchronization embeds a watermark within each frame that carries temporal information. The key is changed every (3 frames, which is called the local repeat. Keys are based on previous keys and information from the current frame. A finite state machine is used to calculate the keys. It is initiated by a global master key and can be reset every α frames (global repeat rate).
Since the present invention method is directed to a method comprising MPEG standards, it is quite convenient to define the type of frames included in it. MPEG standards include three kinds of frames: a) intra picture frames (I-frames); b) forward-predicted frames (P-frames); and c) bidirectional-predicted frames (B-frames). A video stream or recording will always start with an I-frame and will typically contain regular I-frames throughout the stream. These regular I-frames are crucial for the random access of recorded MPEG-4 files, such as with rewind and seek operations during playback. As is mentioned by Smart et al. in IC-COD-REP012 of 2008 "Understanding Mpeg-4 Video", the main disadvantage of I-frames is that they tend to compress much less than P-frames or B-frames.
I-frames are coded without reference to other frames. They are coded like an image. P-frame applies motion prediction by referencing an I-frame or P-frame in front of it, motion vector points to the block in the referenced frame. B-frame applies motion prediction, referencing a frame in front of it and/or a frame behind it. Each of the two referenced frames may be I-frame or P-frame.
Macro block (MB) in video stream is represented as a 16×16 sample area. Each MB contains six 8×8 blocks, four for luminance and two for chrominance. A block of an I-frame contains six 8×8 block S, four for luminance and two for chrominance. A block of an I-frame contains simply values of luminance or chrominance of its own. A block of a P-frame or B-frame contains the difference between the values of itself and the referenced block. This process is called motion compensation. Each frame is divided into MBs. The coding process of each block includes DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform), quantization, run length encoding and entropy coding in that order. The resulting video stream comprises of entropy codes, motion vectors and control information about the structure of video and characteristics of coding.
The present invention method provides a more robust video watermarking method resistant to various types of attacks. The present invention comprises a method which is robust to MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2 and MPEG-4 part 10 compression attacks. Moreover, the method provides an improved resistance against the more common temporal synchronization attacks.

Video watermarking method resistant to temporal desynchronization attacks

INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ASTROFISICA, OPTICA Y ELECTRONICA


A link mechanism prevents a first pin from coming out of a groove and prevents interference with other elements. The line of action is the line orthogonal to the center line of the grooved portion and passes through the center of the first pin when the first pin is located at the open end of the grooved portion. A reference line passes through the swinging center of the first link lever and the center of the first pin. The angle between the line of action and the reference line is larger than 0°. The force that raises the pressure at the contact surface between the second pin and the cam surface acts upon the first pin from the grooved portion when the first pin is located at the open end of the grooved portion. The link mechanism is operational without the cam grooved wall in the entire cam surface region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a link mechanism and is applicable to a blowing mode switching device in a vehicle air-conditioning apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional vehicle air-conditioning apparatus, a door (damper) means is operated to control the conditioned air flow through a link mechanism including a plurality of link levers (see for example Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 63-297854).
FIG. 6 is a view of a test model link mechanism developed by the inventor. In the link mechanism, a grooved portion 22a provided at a second link lever 22 is open at an end and a cam 23 in contact with the second pin 21b of a first link lever 21 is not provided with a guide wall to restrict the first link lever 21 from swinging in such a direction that the second pin 21b moves away from the cam surface 23a of the cam 23. Therefore, when the first link lever 21 rotates excessively to the left (counter-clockwise), the first pin 21a of the first link lever 21 could come out of the grooved portion 22a.
The disadvantage may be solved by forming the grooved portion of the second link lever 22 into a closed shape or providing the guide wall to the cam 23. However, if the grooved portion 22a has a closed end, the second link lever 22 can be increased in size, while the guide wall provided at the cam 23 may interfere with other elements.


A low-latency centralized RTK system utilizes an RTK server to perform matched updates using base station GNSS measurements from one or more base stations and GNSS measurements from one or more rovers, and the one or more rovers produce RTK solutions based on the results of the matched updates. The RTK server includes one or more processors that perform the matched updates and a transmitter that transmits at least the ambiguities to the rovers. The respective rovers, which have processing power that is sufficient to quickly calculate RTK baselines, utilize the received ambiguities, the base station GNSS measurements received from either the RTK server or the base stations, known base station positions and instantaneous GNSS measurements at the rovers to readily determine and update their RTK baselines and their precise positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to real time kinematic (RTK) systems and, more particularly, to RTK systems utilizing central processing.
2. Background Information
RTK systems typically utilize one or more GNSS reference receivers, or base stations, with known locations that provide GNSS pseudorange and carrier phase observables and, optionally, associated correction information to remote receivers, or rovers. The GNSS pseudorange, carrier phase observables and, as appropriate, correction information are collectively referred to herein as "the base station GNSS measurements." The rovers use their own GNSS measurements and the base station GNSS measurements to determine RTK solutions. The rovers thus determine baselines to the respective base stations and use the baselines, in a known manner, to determine their own precise positions. The correction information relates to satellite signal delays associated with changes in satellite orbits, and so forth, which would otherwise introduce errors into the rover position calculations.
The base stations, operating in a known manner, transmit or broadcast the base station GNSS measurements to the rovers. The rovers use their own GNSS measurements and the base station GNSS measurements to calculate estimates of the real-valued carrier cycle ambiguities and resolve the ambiguities into integers. The rovers may also, as appropriate, use the measurements to estimate atmospheric, geometric, and other environmental errors based on system models that are maintained at the rovers. The rovers then use the ambiguities and the error estimates to ultimately determine precise positions. The various calculations performed by the rover utilize rover GNSS measurements that are closely matched in time with the base station GNSS measurements provided by the one or more base stations. Accordingly, the operations are commonly referred to as "matched updates."
Before performing a matched update, a given rover must wait to receive the base station GNSS measurements from the one or more base stations. The rover then matches the received measurements with the GNSS measurements retained over the same time period by the rover, and performs the necessary, processing-intensive calculations to estimate the real-valued ambiguities and then resolve the ambiguities to integers. As appropriate, the rovers also perform the processing-intensive calculations necessary to update the system models. Due to the wait for receiving GNSS measurements from the base stations there is inherent latency associated with the processing-intensive calculations performed by the given rovers.
In parallel with the matched update the given rover extrapolates the base station GNSS measurements to the current time and calculates updated baselines and positions, based on the instantaneous GNSS measurements made by the rover and the calculated ambiguities from the most recent matched update. The extrapolation, however, introduces errors into the precise position calculations, and the longer the latency associated with the matched update, the more error is introduced into the baseline and position calculations.
The rover performs the matched updates to estimate and resolve the ambiguities at least each time the rover loses lock, which may occur, for example, when the rover travels under a bridge, in a tunnel, under tree canopy or through an urban canyon, and also each time a new satellite rises sufficiently above the horizon for its signals to be included in the position calculations. Also, the matched updates may be performed periodically between such events, to ensure that the error introduced into the position calculations by the extrapolation of the base station GNSS measurements is kept to an acceptable level.
There is a trade-off between the time required to perform the matched updates and the precision of the calculated positions. Accordingly, to minimize the latencies associated with the matched updates, the rovers must have sufficient processing capacity and available power to perform the processing intensive calculations for resolution of the ambiguities relatively quickly using the matched data sets. The respective rovers are therefore complex and expensive.
Centralized RTK systems utilize low cost slave receivers in place of the rovers. The slave receivers provide GNSS measurements to a central processing facility that also receives the GNSS measurements from the respective base stations. The central facility performs the calculations to resolve the carrier cycle ambiguities, update the system models and calculate the precise positions of the slave receivers. The facility then provides the calculated precise positions to the respective slave receivers. The trade-off in such a system is between the use of the low cost slave receivers and the increased latency of the precise position information provided to the slave receivers by the central facility.
While such centralized RTK systems tend to work well for certain applications, such as applications that utilize post-processed data, the relatively long latencies associated with providing the precise positions to the respective slave receivers is unacceptable for other applications in which the position information is required in a more timely manner by, for example, kinematic users.


An image forming apparatus including a latent image bearing member, a charging device, a latent electrostatic image formation device, a development device, a transfer device, and a lubricant supplying device, the latent image bearing member satisfying (I), (II) and (III):|(A1−B1)−(A2−B2)|≦5.0  (I)B1≧1 (atomic %)  (II)1 (nm)≦X≦30 (nm)  (III),                where, by XPS analysis, A1 and B1 represent oxygen and silicon atom content ratio in a cross-linked surface layer, respectively, A2 represents oxygen atom content ratio in a surface dug through a cross-linked surface layer along a direction perpendicular to the latent image bearing member surface, to an electroconductive substrate at depth point X where B1 decreases to not greater than B1×0.5, and B2 represents the silicone atom content ratio in the surface at X.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Background
Electrophotographic images are formed, for example, through processes of charging, irradiation, development and transfer conducted around a photoreceptor functioning as a latent image bearing member in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
In such image formation, corona products produced in the charging process and un-transferred residual toner may remain on the image bearing member after the transfer process. Therefore, the image bearing member is subject to a cleaning process after the transfer process to remove such corona products and residual toner.
Cleaning blade systems using a rubber blade are known and typically used as the cleaning system for use in such a cleaning process since the rubber blade is inexpensive, simple and of good cleaning property.
However, the rubber blade is pressed against the surface of the image bearing member to remove the residuals thereon, which causes substantial friction stress between the surface of the image bearing member and the cleaning rubber blade. Therefore, the rubber blade and the surface layer of the image bearing member, particularly in the case of an organic photoconductor, are abraded, which shortens the actual working life of the rubber blade and the organic photoconductor.
In addition, toner having a small particle diameter has come to be widely used for image formation to respond to the demand for improvement in image quality. In an image forming apparatus using a toner having a small particle diameter, the proportion of un-transferred residual toner that slips through the cleaning blade significantly increases, particularly when the dimensional accuracy and assembly accuracy of the cleaning blade are low, and/or when the cleaning blade partially vibrates, thereby degrading the image quality. Therefore, improvement of the cleaning property by reducing the deterioration of members due to abrasion is required to make the actual working life of an organic photoconductor longer, and output quality images for an extended period of time.
Friction between the blade and the photoconductor is typically reduced by supplying and applying a lubricant to the surface of the organic photoconductor followed by even application of the supplied lubricant to the surface with the cleaning blade or brush to form a lubricant film. Refer to unexamined published Japanese patent application publication No. (hereinafter referred to as JP-A) 2000-162881-A, etc.
Although successful, with this approach it is necessary to determine in advance the precise amount of lubricant to be applied. An excessively small amount of the lubricant leaves such problems unsolved that the organic photoconductor is not protected from abrasion or damage, or the blade is still easily degraded. By contrast, when an excessively large amount of the lubricant is supplied, excess lubricant accumulates on the surface of the organic photoconductor, which leads to image flow, or mixes with a development agent, resulting in degradation of the performance of the development agent
On the other hand, in a typical method of improving the cleaning property, a lubricant is externally added to the toner for use in development and supplied to the latent image bearing member only when developing an image with the toner.
JP 2002-229241-A describes a method in which friction between the latent electrostatic image and the cleaning blade is reduced by the supply of a lubricant and the cleaning ability for the residual toner is secured. However, as described in JP 2002-229241-A, when a lubricant is externally added to a toner, the lubricant is applied only to the toner image formed portion on the surface of a latent image bearing member. When a large quantity of data of, for example, an estimate, or a project protocol having an image portion clearly distinct from a non-image portion in a single image, or data having large image density differences depending on which portion of one image are printed on recording media such as sheets, the lubricant is not supplied to the portion where no toner image is formed on the latent image bearing member. That is, lubricant application is localized.
Consequently, the latent image bearing member tends to be locally abraded and the cleaning blade easily vibrates at the border between the portion where the lubricant is applied and the portion where the lubricant is not applied. In addition, this leads to problems such as poor cleaning performance and squeaky noise disturbance.
Furthermore, the amount of the lubricant, which is externally added to toner (for use in a development agent), applied to a latent image bearing member varies depending on the image density. As a result, the amount of lubricant applied decreases with regard to a portion having a thin image density so that abrasion or damage on the latent image bearing member or deterioration of the cleaning blade is not sufficiently prevented. When the image density is thick or the proportion of the lubricant externally added to toner is too high, the amount of the lubricant applied to the latent image bearing member easily increases to a degree that excessive lubricant thereon causes image blur due to image flow on the end portion of the image portion, or lubricant transfers to the charging roller, resulting in variation of the resistance of the charging roller, which leads to a problem of insufficient charging, depending on the image formation conditions. Therefore, the lubricant applied to a latent image bearing member is required to keep an optimal amount.
As the method of using toner to which a lubricant is externally added as described in JP 2002-229241-A, for example, JP 2003-241570-A describes a method in which a solid toner image is formed on the entire surface of a latent image bearing member before image formation starts so as to supply lubricant.
Although lubricant is supplied to the entire surface of a latent image bearing member by using the method described in JP 2003-241570-A, a great amount of the development agent is used, thereby increasing the amount of toner waste, which is a heavy burden on the environment.
In addition, outputting a solid image is not limited to the timing before image formation starts. Such a solid image is periodically output over time in order to prevent local uneven abrasion of the latent image bearing member.
As described above, a great amount of toner waste is typically discharged in exchange for prevention of uneven local abrasion of a latent image bearing member.
In addition, abrasion and image blur can be caused not just by too much lubricant or too little, but also by the interaction between the lubricant and the latent image bearing member onto which the lubricant is applied. For example, a lubricant such as metal soap covers all over the surface of a latent image bearing member, meaning that the lubricant has a function of protecting the surface from the discharging energy of a charging device. However, protecting the surface of a latent image bearing member from the discharging energy means that the lubricant absorbs the energy, thereby degrading the lubricant film.
JP 2008-139804-A attempts to solve this problem, and describes a method in which a lubricant functions as the protection film by regulating the application amount of the lubricant while reducing unwanted side effects. However, when degraded lubricant is left on the surface of a latent image bearing member under high-temperature, high-humidity conditions, significant image blur tends to occur particularly immediately below the charging device. This image blur is particularly noticeable when a latent image bearing member having a cross-linked surface structured by cross-linking a radical polymerizable compound is used.
Although the mechanism of this phenomenon is not clear, one possible reason is that degraded lubricant, moisture in the atmosphere, and corona products produced by a charging device bond together, thereby reducing the resistance of the surface, resulting in image flow of a latent electrostatic image.
In addition, another possible reason why this phenomenon occurs particularly to a latent image bearing member having a cross-linked surface structured by cross-linking a radical polymerizable compound is that degraded lubricant is hardly removed from the surface, and so is hardly replaced with fresh lubricant.
It is possible to increase the amount of the lubricant supplied. However, fresh lubricant is just applied onto the degraded lubricant attached to the surface of the latent image bearing member. Therefore, increasing the amount of lubricant does not contribute to replacement of the degraded lubricant and is actually not effective to solve the image flow problem.
On the other hand, when the amount of lubricant applied to the surface of a latent image bearing member is reduced, the lubricant on the surface is slightly easier to remove, although at the cost of increased abrasion of the surface of the latent image bearing member.
When the cross-linked surface layer of a latent image bearing member has a high content ratio of oxygen atom, the oxygen easily becomes an active spot of a radical, etc. due to discharging in the electrophotographic process. Therefore, deterioration of the surface due to discharging is aggravated, or corona products such as ozone and nitrogen oxides are easily attached to the surface, thereby degrading the cleaning property or image quality.
To deal with this issue, for example, JP 2007-156081-A describes a method of abrading a portion of the surface having a high content ratio of oxygen atoms or curing the surface layer in an inert gas atmosphere. However, in an image forming apparatus having a lubricant application mechanism, which has come to be widely used in recent years, not only the surface of a latent image bearing member but also the lubricant applied thereto are possibly degraded by discharging.
In addition, different from a latent image bearing member vulnerable to abrasion, the degraded lubricant is hardly removed together with the surface of a latent image bearing member having a cross-liked surface layer because of its extremely strong abrasion resistance. Therefore, unless the lubricant is smoothly replaced with fresh lubricant, image blur tends to occur in high-temperature, high-humidity environments.
As described above, when a highly durable latent image bearing member because of its cross-linked surface layer formed by cross-linking a radical polymerizable compound is used in an image forming apparatus having a lubricant applicator, the image blur in under high-temperature, high-humidity conditions and the abrasion of the latent image bearing member are inversely related.
Furthermore, when an image forming apparatus employs a counter-blade cleaning system having a urethane rubber blade, in which the urethane rubber blade is brought into contact with the latent image bearing member against the rotation direction thereof to remove un-transferred residual toner, a lubrication material such as silicone oil is added to the surface of the latent image bearing member to reduce the initial torque. Such a lubrication material tends to ooze to the surface, which blocks cross-linking of a radical polymerizable compound. Therefore, replacement of the lubricant applied to the surface on which silicone oil is present in large amounts tends to be hindered, which leads to frequent occurrence of image blur.


A signal-generated locator for locating at least one device can include a transmitter configured to transmit at least one first signal and a receiver configured to receive at least one second signal. In addition, the signal-generated locator can have a first processing unit configured to process the at least one second signal with respect to the at least one first signal, and a display unit configured to display information processed by the processing unit, wherein the information is related to at least one device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for using signal-generated range and geographic position information to provide a list of available devices in a wireless communication network environment such as IEEE 802.11, BLUETOOTH™, Ultra-Wideband or any other wireless environment. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of and a system of using signals such as ultra-wideband (UWB) signals to locate and list available electronic devices within a network such as a wireless network. The present invention can be implemented in a wireless network device, which may include discrete devices or which may be implemented on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon chip.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, cables and wires are predominantly used as the communication medium for transferring information such as voice, video, data, etc. from one source to another. For example, cables or wires are commonly used to set up networking infrastructures in business offices, and are also used for personal home computing, and for connecting to the Internet. Although cables and wires may provide an inexpensive and fast connection with a communication network, any device connected to such communication network by way of wires or cables must remain stationary or is restricted to movement by the length of the wire or cable.
Wireless technology offers mobility of a communication device that wired technology cannot. In a wireless communication infrastructure, each wireless device may freely move from one geographic area to another without having the communication disconnected or interrupted. As wireless services become popular, the usage thereof will increase. Accordingly, more and more wireless device will be used in public areas, such as cafes, airports, hotel lobbies, as well as in the office environments. Therefore, in order to enhance communication between mobile devices, it may be important to detect available mobile devices within a geographic area and to provide a listing thereof.

Using signal-generated location information to identify and list available devices


An image processing apparatus including: a first email creator to create a first email including first header information and a message body based on a user's request; a second email creator to create a second email including second header information containing a request for acquisition of a status of an external apparatus when the first email is created and to send the second email to the external apparatus; an email analyzer to receive a third email containing a status response to the second email from the external apparatus and to analyze the third email to output an analysis result of whether the external apparatus can receive an email; and a controller to send the first email when the analysis result is that the external apparatus can receive and to notify the user that the external apparatus cannot receive when the analysis result is that the external apparatus cannot receive.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image processing apparatus including a function to transmit scanned image data or other types of data by electronic mail (hereinafter, just referred to as email).
2. Description of Related Art
There is a conventional apparatus having a function to transmit a file of a scanned image as an attachment of an email and to, upon receiving an email with an attached file, print the attached file. Hereinafter, such a function is referred to as Internet FAX, and the transmission and reception functions of Internet FAX are referred to as Internet FAX transmission and Internet FAX reception, respectively. Internet FAX also has a function in which a sender (=a transmission apparatus) adds a message disposition notification (MDN) request to an email to be transmitted by Internet FAX and sends the email, whereas a recipient (=a reception apparatus) having received the email with the MDN request added sends an email as an MDN replay to the sender of the received email to notify the sender that the email sent by Internet FAX has been received. Such a technique concerning the MDN request and response is described in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2003-256339.
The conventional image processing apparatus, however, has a risk that a transmitted email may be read by a third party. Specifically, the transmitted email goes through two or more email servers or may be stored in an email box before arriving at the receiving apparatus. For this reason, even if the reception apparatus is powered off, the transmission apparatus cannot detect the status of the reception apparatus and normally sends the email. The email is therefore stored in the email box for a long time and may be read by a third party before the reception apparatus is powered on.

Image processing apparatus that sends apparatus-specific information email to another image processing apparatus


The dirt holding capacity of the filter is increased by providing one or more areas for the particles to settle and remain out of suspension on the filter so that the particles are not carried through a filter media disposed in the filter. The areas may be provided by recessed pockets, chambers or downwardly sloping floors which end in gutters. This arrangement is useful in transmissions and engine lubricating arrangements wherein oil is accumulated in and recirculates from an oil pan. With these arrangements, the filter is in the form of a panel having an opening therethrough, wherein the panel is disposed within an oil pan in spaced relation to the bottom of the oil pan.

In automatic transmissions, oil is circulated by a pump and used as a medium through which power is transmitted from an engine to driven components, such as vehicle wheels. Internal combustion engines use lubricating oil to provide a film of oil between opposing surfaces of components which have relative motion. In both cases, the oil entrains particulates which can damage the surfaces of the components. In both cases, it is necessary to remove the particulates in order to prolong the life of the transmission or engine. This is generally accomplished by a filter media which is porous in order to let liquid pass through but traps particulates on a "dirty side" of the filter media. One way to increase the useful life of a filter is to increase the dirt holding capacity of the filter by reducing the amount of dirt which must be trapped by the filter media.
One arrangement for a filter element which includes a filter media is to provide a panel having an opening therethrough in which the filter media is mounted. The panel is mounted in an oil pan between the bottom of the oil pan and the transmission case when the oil being filtered is transmission oil, or between an engine block and lubricating oil pan when the oil being filtered is lubricating oil. A primary interest is filtering transmission oil. In currently known arrangements, substantially all particulate matter is removed by the filter media itself, thus loading the filter media with all of the particulates removed from the oil. This, of course, limits the holding capacity of the entire filter to the amount of particulate matter which can be retained by the filter media itself.


A combustion improving device and a combustion improving method for an engine improves the combustion of an internal combustion engine such as a Diesel engine and can reduce noxious emissions, such as sooty smoke, or nitrogen oxides. To achieve this, magnetic poles of two magnets 2 are arranged in proximity to confront each other, so that fuel fed from a fuel tank to the engine is guided to pass through a gap 3 between the magnetic poles. At this passage, magnetic force (an attractive force or a repulsive force) per unit area to act between the confronting magnetic poles is set at 0.15 kgf/cm.sup.2 or more, and a time period for the fuel to pass between the confronting magnetic poles is set at 1.7 seconds or more.

The present invention relates to a combustion improving device and a combustion improving method using magnetism, which acts in a fuel feeding path for a Diesel engine and a gasoline engine with the aim of improving the combustions thereof.
JP-B-03030718 (Japanese Patent Examined Publication H3-30718) and JP-Y2-04021810 (Japanese Utility Model Examined Publication H4-21810) show devices in which a plurality of permanent magnets are fixed in a cylindrical casing in a combination to repulse each other and in which an inlet port and an outlet port are individually formed generally at centers of two bottom faces of the cylindrical casing so that a fuel may pass through the ports in the magnets or between the magnets.
In JP-U-3012313 (Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Registration 3012313 or Japanese Utility Model Application H6-16287), a fuel passage between magnetic poles of permanent magnets is filled with granular ceramics.
In the above prior art, however, the effect to improve the combustion has not been sufficient but has been frequently lost depending upon the type or displacement of the engine or the mode of using the combustion improving device. The following problems have arisen especially when a Diesel engine is used: (1) No effect is found; (2) Sooty smoke increases all the worse; (3) Running of the engine is unstable at idling mode; (4) The engine output decreases all the worse; (5) Running of the engine may become unstable and might stop; and (6) The engine will not start in some cases.
The aforementioned devices of the prior art have structures in which the air may reside in a combustion improving device to form relatively coarse air bubbles. When this happens, the air to fuel ratio in the engine combustion chamber deviates to cause an abnormal combustion.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a combustion improving device and a combustion improving method, which can exhibit a combustion improving effect in a variety of engines without adverse effects such as forming the air bubbles.

Device and method for improving engine combustion by use of magnetism


Devices and techniques are generally described for inference reduction in natural language processing using semantic similarity-based caching. In various examples, first automatic speech recognition (ASR) data representing a first natural language input may be determined. A cache may be searched using the first ASR data. A first skill associated with the first ASR data may be determined from the cache. In some examples, first intent data representing a semantic interpretation of the first natural language input data may be determined by using a first natural language process associated with the first skill.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) combined with language processing techniques may enable a computing device to retrieve and process commands from a user based on the user's spoken commands. In some systems, speech recognition and/or voice-controlled devices activate upon detection of a spoken "wakeword." Natural language processing is used to translate the spoken requests into semantic interpretations of the spoken command. A speech processing application (e.g., a "skill") is selected for processing the spoken request. Executable instructions are generated based on the semantic interpretation of the spoken command. The executable instructions are executed by the skill and a corresponding task is performed. Such speech processing and voice control may be used by personal computers, hand-held devices, telephone computer systems, and a wide variety of other computing devices to improve human-computer interactions and to control various systems.


Methods of processing record data are presented, together with a Central Management Node for processing record data, and Management Subsystem DataBases for providing a record data set and matching record data. Triggered by service related network fault event, a key table comprising at least one key type is determined, based on a focus target record and related to the network fault event is determined, which key table is used in the step matching the at least one key with record data sets in determined Management Subsystem DataBases. Matched results are merged, whereafter a service performance indicator may be determined, based on which a multi-layer water flow analysis of subsystem specific performance related indicators can be obtained. This analysis may be successfully used to reveal the location of the service related network fault.

Known fault localization methods aim at finding the correlation between fault carrying events and a network fault. This is usually a difficult task due to the relatively large amount of events caused by a network fault.
An important limitation of such methods is that they limit the scope of correlation to fault carrying events. In reality, in a complex communication system, such as mobile systems, it may not be necessarily sufficient to process fault events alone to succeed in fault localization, because fault events themselves may be an effect of a real fault and may even occur as symptoms of the real fault. These symptoms may be localized far away from the actual location of the fault.
For example, subsystem I has a retransmit timer, which can be set so that a service II experience a large access delay because of that its state machine delay requirements are often exceeded, which now is due to the interaction between the retransmit timer of subsystem I and its own state machine. In this example, service II accordingly reports a fault, whereas subsystem A does not, although the problem is located in subsystem I.
Moreover, common communication systems have in fact limited the set of possible fault events, for the reason that it may be difficult to represent all possible problem sources. For example, routers typically report lost packets. However, they do not report packet reordering. Packet reordering as such is not considered to be an important performance fault in transport networks. Nevertheless, there are services that are sensitive to high levels of reordering of packets. This type of fault events, packet reordering in routers, is therefore not detectable by fault management systems that are purely based on fault reporting from the network.
It is known from existing techniques to analyze the dependence on different network subsystems that are fault event or alarm based. However, these techniques seem to search for dependencies between the fault event(s) and the problem causing the fault events, within one or more different subsystems. Dependencies between for instance an alarm in a certain subsystem and the cause of the problem, if the cause resides in a different subsystem, are thus not considered.
Some techniques correlate events within a subsystem and that are capable of finding non-trivial dependences between network faults that may be hidden from an ordinary Operations, Administrations and Maintenance (OAM) system. However these are not applicable to system levels, for the reason that they fail to relate the various services to different subsystems.
From US-2003018228-A1 it is known a graph-based dependence mapping technique, which describes fixed dependences and which is therefore usually not applicable since this assumption is generally not feasible.
There is still a need to provide a generally applicable solution to the problem of localizing faults within networks, comprising different subsystems in a reliable way.

Method and system for network fault management


A main spindle device for a machine tool has a hollow main spindle, which is supported by a housing such that the hollow main spindle can rotate. The main spindle device is provided with: an annular cylinder, which is fixed to the housing, and is formed extending into the main spindle, said annular cylinder having an opening formed in the axis line direction of the main spindle; and a cooling path formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder to face the inner circumferential surface of the main spindle.

Machine tools which machine a workpiece into a desired shape by moving a rotary tool, such as an end mill mounted on the tip of a spindle, and a workpiece, which is affixed on a table, relative to each other have been conventionally known. In such machine tools, the rotary tool is mounted on a tool holder, and the tool holder is drawn and clamped by a draw bar, whereby the tool can be mounted on the tip of the spindle. Patent Literature 1 describes an example of such a spindle device.
Furthermore, since heat is inevitably generated by the bearing or the seal for the lubricant which lubricates the bearing during rotation of the spindle, it is necessary to cool the spindle. Patent Literature 2 describes such a spindle cooling device.


The present invention relates to a floating console control system of computer system. This computer system includes a main storage unit storing the operating system, a central processing unit for reading instructions of a program stored in the main storage unit and excuting programmed processing and calculations and a service processor connected to the main storage unit and central processing unit to load the program to the main storage unit. The service processor is connected to a plurality of terminals which are able to perform as both a service processor terminal and a work station terminal. The purality of terminals are assigned numbers and stored, in such a manner that the operating system is loaded to the main storage unit, when the plurality of terminal issues connection request to the service process. Thereafter, when a predetermined program for loading the operating system to the main storage unit is loaded, the number indicating the terminal which has issued such connection request is stored in the program. Thereafter the predetermined program loads the operating system to the main storage unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to change-over of console terminals of service processor for fault detection and recovery, initial program loading of an information processing unit.
2. Background of the Related Art
A computer system comprising a central processing unit, a and main storage unit, a main storage control unit for accessing the main storage unit and a channel unit for controlling the input and output has been used for information processing and scientific calculation, etc.
A supercomputer to be installed in offices is connected with a service processor (hereinafter abbreviated as SVP). As described in the Japanese Patents of Laid-open Nos. 55-88157, 59-173815, 59-180734, the service processor conducts fault detection and recovery of the central processing unit, main storage unit and main storage control unit, for example, and follows the history or prior art of the instruction processings. Moreover, the service processor conducts the well known initial program loading as an important processing. The initial program loading means loads of necessary programs before the computer starts processing, but if the computer generates a system-down or system-failure due to a fault, it discontinues processing.
The service processor SVP is connected to a terminal unit for executing the intrinsic processing (e.g., fault detection and recovery, initial program loading) thereof, providing, a console and an operator is capable of inputting processing commands from this console. Moreover, an operating system (OS) stored in the main storage unit is tranferred to the central processing unit (CPU) and thereby the predetermined processing is executed by the computer system. The OS message is sometimes output to SVP from this operating system (OS). This operation is carried out by outputting the current condition of computer system to SVP.
In addition, SVP is sometimes connected with a plurality of work stations. The interface line is connected to SVP through an interface of channel unit and an output of a application program of computer system is output to work station WS through SVP. Moreover, it is possible to input determined data and command to the application program from WS.
In more detail, it is supposed here that 16 units, for example, are connected to SVP. A particular one unit of the sixteen is used executing the intrinsic processings of SVP (e.g., fault detection and recovery, initial program loading described previously). The remaining 15 terminal units are used as the work stations to execute the processings concerning the application program. Therefore, the unit used as the SVP is connected with the interface (signal line connected directly to CPU, main storage unit and main storage control unit, etc.) for intrinsic processing and the signal line outputs data of the application program to the display screen in order to input the command concerning the application program of the computer system.
As a plurality of terminals connected to SVP, the terminals for executing the intrinsic processing of SVP (hereinafter called an SVP terminal) and the terminals for application program (hereinafter called a WS terminal) are previously determined.
A total of 16 terminals are called from No. 1 to No. 16. Of these terminals, the terminal No. 1 is determined as the SVP terminal and the terminals from No. 2 to No. 16 are chosen as the WS terminals. These assignments of the terminals cannot be changed. Namely, when data is to be transferred to the terminal No. 1 or to the terminal No. 16 from CPU of the computer system, data is transferred together with information which designates the distant or target terminal number. Each function of the terminal which is previously stored in the program is stored in the main storage unit.
Therefore, alteration of the functions stored in the program is impossible unless the program is updated.
Usually, the necessary program is loaded before starting of the computer system during the initial program loading described previously. Specifically, the nucleus initial program is loaded and it is stored in the terminal No. 1, for example, whose terminal No. 1 is the SVP terminal. Accordingly, such a determination is already made before the computer system is started.
If a hardware fault (for example, display screen, CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) fails and display becomes impossible, or if a keyboard fails or microprocessor forming the terminal fails) occurs in the SVP terminal during operation of computer system, the intrinsic processing of SVP can no longer be continued. For instance, when CPU fails and it must be started again, namely when the initial program loading must be done, if the SVP terminal is defective or experiencing a failure, the processings by the computer system cannot be executed thereafter.
The SVP terminals are often installed in the area wherein the main frame of the computer system is also installed. In the case of offices or laboratories, a computer room is prepared and CPU, main storage unit, main storage control unit, channel unit and SVP are typically installed therein. The SVP terminals are installed in the computer room. The WS terminals connected to SVP are installed in the offices and laboratories for use by operators. In general, the computer room is physically separated from offices and laboratories. Therefore, when an operator recognizes a system-down or failure of the computer during use of the WS terminal, the operator must go to the computer room and conduct initial program loading by operating the SVP terminals to re-initialize the computer. Namely, an operator must go to the computer room from his current position and thereby the initial program loading is delayed. Currently, the computer system also deals with the processings including recording, calculation and simulation of changes of stock prices. Stock prices usually change from time to time in the matter of seconds. If initial program loading is delayed, it is no longer possible to correctly continue the procesings carried out. Such use of computer system is not limited only to stock prices but is also applicable to the computer system dealing with data which changes with the time, such as weather data or data transmitted from satellites.
It is a matter of course that a similar problem is generated even if the SVP terminal fails when the computer system fails and restarting must be done, when the initial program loading must be done.
Usually the same type of terminals are often used for the SVP and WS terminals and sometimes the same hardware of terminal itself may be used for both the SVP and WS terminals. The Japanese Patent of Laid-open No. 59-173815, "Console Work Station Change-over System" discloses a structure that the interface of a work station terminal is connected with the interface of an SVP terminal with a connecting line, a switch is provided between these interfaces and the terminal is connected to this switch. These terminals are changed over or converted to the work station terminal and SVP terminal with the switch. However, this switching is considered or preferred based on the computer system which is different from the system described above. Namely, the interface of SVP is so structured as allowing connection of one SVP terminal from the beginning, the interface for the work station is provided separately and such an interface is switched for one terminal with a physical switch. However, in this method, when a terminal is used as the work station, the SVP terminal does not exist or cannot be used. Therefore, a particular one terminal is switched from the WS terminal to the SVP terminal but it is impossible to freely select the SVP terminal from a plurality of terminals. If it is required to switch a plurality of terminals, it can be done by providing a plurality of switches the amount of hardware increases remarkably. Thus, the increased hardware is a disadvantage for realization of low cost computer system. An additional problem is that the SVP terminal is not recognized by the CPU. That is, the SVP terminal is not stored in the main storage unit. Therefore, if an operator changes over the switch when CPU starts the transfer of data to SVP or WS, the data transfer cannot be carried out correctly.
The Japanese Patent of Laid-open No. 59-180734 entitled "Common Use of System Console and Work Station" discloses the switching of a particular unit as the SVP terminal or WS terminal among a plurality of terminals connected to SVP. This technique realizes that terminal which is the SVP terminal is stored in the main storage unit but the particular unit which can operate as an SVP terminal can also be used as the WS terminal. Namely, a particular terminal unit can be used as the SVP terminal or WS terminal through the switching operation but the other terminals can be used only as the WS terminals.
Therefore, it is desired that the WS terminals among a plurality of terminals connected to the SVP be used also as the SVP terminals.

Computer system including a terminal operable as a service processor and a work station


A coal haulage apparatus is provided for use in moving coal fragments within the horizontal shafts of a coal mine on a belt conveyor that runs longitudinally along the apparatus. The apparatus is an assembly of multiple, like sections that each have a pair of longitudinal rails and cross members which join the rails together in a parallel, spaced-apart relationship, of which the rails are designed to receive the bottom portion of V-grooved wheels of a dolly that can move longitudinally along the top of each section of the coal haulage apparatus. The longitudinal rails essentially act as the frame that supports the vertical weight of the dolly which rolls along the top of each section of the coal haulage apparatus, and a separate vertical support frame is not required. The rails are made of square tubing that uses a smaller mating, connecting tube to join rails from one section to another adjacent section. The connecting tube is oriented such that the allowable deviation between sections in the vertical direction is much greater than the allowable deviation in the horizontal direction.

Coal haulage systems have been available for use in coal mines to receive coal fragments presently being mined by a coal mining machine, and to carry that coal, by a belt conveyer, through substantially horizontal shafts. Modern coal mining machines include their own integral, flexible belt conveyor to continuously remove coal from the cutting area.
The coal from the above mining machine typically is transported to another conveyor system which has means to receive the coal from the conveyor of the mining machine, and further means to transport the coal through one section of the conveyor and to other downstream sections. A mobile type of bridge conveyor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,997 (by Nelson). In Nelson, each of the bridge conveyors is wheeled and is configured to either receive coal from the mining machine, or to dump the coal into some other system (such as an elevator). Between the bridge conveyors are intermediate mobile conveyors, which are also wheel-mounted. The intermediate conveyors have inbye and outbye ends, of which the inbye ends use a pair of side rails to carry a dolly. The dolly has "V"-grooved wheels which mate to the rails, so that the dolly may move longitudinally along the intermediate conveyer. The dolly helps to receive the coal from one section of the conveyer such that the coal is directed onto the conveyor belt before further transportation toward another intermediate section, or to the final bridge conveyer.
Each of the rails that receives the "V"-grooved wheels is further supported by a generally vertical frame structure, which supports the weight of the dolly. This type of vertical frame arrangement is typical for coal mining conveyor systems.
Another type of conveyor system that uses "V"-grooved wheels is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,864 (by Cross). Cross discloses a conveyor that feeds material into a blending bin having a horizontal frame along its longitudinal axis. The V-grooved wheels are mated to a track member which is supported by a vertical frame member, also running along the longitudinal axis. In Cross, the V-grooved wheels allow the longitudinal movement of a gantry blade and diverter discharge device.
The existing coal haulage systems that use a dolly guided by a pair of rails all use some type of vertical frame structure to support the weight of the dolly. Because of this fact, such coal haulage systems are greater in vertical height than if the vertical frame sections were eliminated from the structure.
Existing coal haulage systems comprising of sections of track to support the dolly are difficult in joining one section to its adjacent section. The vertical frame which supports the rails typically has a male end which must fit inside a mating female end of its adjacent section. In such sectional coal haulage systems, the tolerance is relatively tight as to the clearance between the outer portions of the male mating member and the inner portions of the female mating member. The alignment of the holes for such screws or bolts is quite difficult when situated within an actual coal mine.

Apparatus for hauling coal through a mine


A derivative trade order at a home marketplace is routed to an away market place having a better price for a counter position to the order where it is executed. The executed order triggers creation of a “balance derivative trade” at the home marketplace to balance at a home clearing house the away trade. The home clearing house uses the balance derivative trade to create derivative positions of the balance derivative trade and informs a balancing clearing entity which manages the balance derivative trade obligations. The balance derivative trade order account permits netting and reduced margin benefits for the trading participant. A dual derivative exercise operation allows balance derivative positions to be performed in one day to reduce overnight risk for the clearing entity.

A derivative contract is a contract between two parties that specifies conditions (e.g., dates, resulting values of underlying variables, and amounts) for which payments are to be made between the parties. Some of the common variants of derivative contracts include a forward, which is a non-standardized contract between two parties where payment takes place at a specific time in the future at a current predetermined price; a future, which is a standardized contract to buy or sell an asset on or before a future date at a price specified today; an option, which is contract giving the owner the right, but not the obligation, to buy (in the case of a call option) or sell (in the case of a put option) an asset at a "strike" price at a time specified by the option contract; a warrant, which is a long-dated option and generally traded over-the-counter; and a swap, which is a contract to exchange cash (flows) on or before a specified future date based on the underlying value of currency exchange rates, bonds/interest rates, commodities, stocks or other assets.
Clearing relates to the activities from the time a commitment is made for a contract transaction until it is settled. That clearing time period (the cycle time for completing the transaction) is much longer that the time it takes for the transaction commitment to occur, e.g., a buy-sell match. Clearing itself involves the management of post-trading and pre-settlement credit exposure to ensure that trades are settled in accordance with market rules even if a buyer or seller might become insolvent prior to settlement. Clearing processes include reporting/monitoring, risk margining, netting of trades to single positions, tax handling, and/or default handling.
Settlement is a process where securities or interests in securities are delivered, usually against (in simultaneous exchange for) payment of money, to fulfill contractual obligations arising under financial instrument trades. For example, the settlement date for marketable stocks might be 3 business days after the trade is executed, and for listed options and government securities, it might be 1 day after the execution. As part of performance on the delivery obligations entailed by the trade, settlement involves the delivery of securities and the corresponding payment.
Multiple risks arise for the parties during the settlement time, which are managed by the clearing process. Clearing also typically involves modifying the contractual obligations associated with the trade so as to facilitate settlement. A clearing house is a financial entity that provides clearing and settlement services for financial and commodities derivatives and securities transactions. A clearing house intercedes between two clearing entities (also known as clearing members) in order to reduce the risk that one (or more) clearing participants fails to honor its trade settlement obligations. A clearing house reduces the settlement risks by (1) netting (netting means to allow a positive value and a negative value to set-off and partially or entirely cancel each other out) offsetting transactions between multiple counterparties, (2) requiring collateral or margin deposits, (3) providing independent valuation of trades and collateral, (4) monitoring the credit worthiness of clearing participants, and in many cases, (5) providing a guarantee fund that can be used to cover losses that exceed a defaulting clearing participant's collateral on deposit.
Once a trade is executed by two counterparties, the trade is provided to a clearing house which then "steps" in between the two original traders' clearing firms and assumes the legal counterparty risk for the trade. In derivatives trading markets, the clearing house interposes between buyers and sellers as a legal counterparty, i.e., the clearing house becomes the buyer to every seller and the seller to every buyer. This process of transferring the trade title to the clearing house is typically called "novation." As a result, there is no need to determine the credit-worthiness of each counterparty, and the only credit risk that the participants face is the risk of the clearing house committing a default. Thus, a clearing house assumes the risk of settlement failures and also isolates the effects of a failure of a market participant.
In a derivative market place, in exchange for taking on the counterparty risk, the clearing house requires derivative contract trading participants to provide a certain amount of collateral for each contract. The amount of collateral the trading participants need to provide is often calculated as a margin. As some derivative contracts are mutually exclusive, some contract obligations can be netted when calculating the margin, which means that the trading participant may provide less collateral than if providing collateral for each contract individually.
But a trading participant that wants to trade the same derivative contract on multiple markets, e.g., different trading exchanges, does not enjoy this netting benefit (and thus lower margin requirement) because the clearing houses for the different markets each requires collateral for only one part of the contract rather that both sides of the contract as is the case when a trade is handled at the same marketplace by a single clearing house. This issue arises for example when trade order-routing is used to ensure that trading participants receive the best price across several market places. In this situation, a trading participant cannot be sure at which marketplace an order will ultimately be traded. Another disadvantage in this best price order routing situation is that the trading participant must be a member or associated with a member of multiple clearing houses.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Computer-implemented system and method for clearing a derivative trade involving multiple trading exchanges


A computer system that functions as a cordless telephone base unit is disclosed. The computer system includes a cordless telephone device that can be operative through the computer system. The cordless telephone device can function as a cordless telephone base unit with the help of an external antenna that can be attached to the computer system housing. The cordless telephone device may, for example, include a cordless telephone card installed in one of a plurality of connector slots on the computer system motherboard. The cordless telephone device is coupled to a sound device, which may be a computer sound card and may also be installed on the computer system motherboard. The cordless telephone device comprises a cordless telephone base unit, a microphone output and a speaker input to allow the cordless telephone device to be coupled to the sound device in the computer system. An external cordless telephone handset is coupled to this cordless telephone device to allow a user to carry out a telephone communication over an external telephone line, which is connected to the sound device. The connection of the telephone line to the sound device also facilitates a telephone communication using the Internet. Thus, the computer unit will itself function as a cordless telephone base station. This will eliminate the need to have an external cordless telephone base unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multifunctional computer systems, and more particularly, to a computer system that executes functions of a cordless telephone base unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems have traditionally comprised a system unit or housing which comprises a plurality of electrical components comprising the computer system. A computer system typically includes a motherboard, which is configured to hold the microprocessor and the system memory, and one or more buses used in the computer system. The motherboard typically comprises a plurality of slots to accommodate various peripheral device controller cards, such as a sound card, a graphics card, a communication port controller card, etc. Through the motherboard slots, these controller cards are typically coupled to a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus to facilitate data communications with the microprocessor and the system memory.
More recently, computer systems are evolving toward an integration of functions. Some modem computer systems are capable of performing a variety of advanced communication and signal processing functions, such as voice recognition, interactive data transmission and reception, telephone call routing, telephone communication using the Internet, etc. Internet telephony using a personal computer typically involves a sound card installed on the computer motherboard. The Internet telephony software configures the sound card to function as a telephone handset through its microphone and speaker jacks. The sound card is connected to a telephone line and the user is provided a telephone handset that is connected to the sound card through its microphone and speaker jacks.
A telephone communication may be either in a full-duplex mode, as in the conventional circuit-switched (i.e., traditional) telephone communication, or in a half-duplex mode, as is typically the case with the Internet telephone communication. In the full-duplex operation, the talking and listening can take place at the same time during the telephone communication. In the half-duplex mode, only one function, either talking or listening, may be performed at a given instance to have an intelligible telephone conversation. As the Internet is a packet-switched network, there is a strong possibility of out-of-sequence or delayed arrivals of various data packets containing the audio information. Because of the complexities associated with full-duplex operation, majority of packet-switched communications using personal computer sound cards is not truly full-duplex.
During an Internet telephone conversation, the user may want to switch to his/her cordless telephone handset without interrupting the conversation. If the telephone handset is attached to the user""s computer, this may not be convenient. Further, an external coupling device may be needed to connect the computer sound card with the cordless telephone base station because the base station is now not connected to the telephone line. In addition to this, the user may also want to initiate a regular telephone conversation using the traditional circuit-switched telephone networks and with his/her cordless telephone handset. In that case, the external coupling device may need to be configured to accept the RF signals from the cordless telephone base unit and utilize the telephone line connected to the computer sound card to establish the requisite point-to-point telephone connection. In the absence of such an arrangement, the user may need to first connect the cordless telephone base station with the telephone line before initiating the telephone conversation.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a cordless telephone device that can be operative through the computer system and that can function as a cordless telephone base unit with the help of an external antenna that can be attached to the computer unit or housing. It is further desirable to have this cordless telephone device carry out the Internet (packet-switched) telephony as well as the conventional point-to-point (circuit-switched) telephony. Thus, the computer unit will itself function as a cordless telephone base station. This will eliminate the need to have an external cordless telephone base unit or any other coupling devices. The computer system will thus integrate the cordless telephone base unit, and hence, there will be a reduction in device redundancy.
When two or more users operate a common telephone instrument, as in a typical household, it may be desirable to have a telephone instrument, such as a cordless telephone handset, identify the specific user that is using the instrument at a given instance. This is helpful when each user has his/her personal preference that is different from that of the other. For example, one user may want to have a louder telephone speaker volume setting than the other one. It is therefore more convenient if, in addition to identifying the user, the telephone instrument also recognizes individual user preferences and automatically implements those preferences when the corresponding user is operating the instrument. It is noted that the cordless telephone handset that identifies the user and implements the user-specific preferences may also have a computer system as its corresponding cordless telephone base unit.
It is desirable to configure a personal computer to utilize the cordless telephone device to wirelessly transmit and receive data including text and images. A portable digital photo album is desirable to view transmitted photographs or images on an LCD display, but in a manner similar to viewing actual printed photographs through a photo album. Similarly, a portable electronic book will store the transmitted text and allow the user to read each page of the text in a way similar to reading an actual paper version of the text. Hence, a user will have his/her own personal digital image album or an electronic book, and will be able to conveniently store the information he/she deems interesting. The digital image album and the electronic book will also offer flexibility in user movements by allowing portability in information storage and retrieval.
The computer system according to the present invention includes a cordless telephone device operative through the computer system. The cordless telephone device may, for example, include a cordless telephone card installed in one of a plurality of connector slots on the computer system motherboard. The cordless telephone device is coupled to a sound device, which may be a computer sound card and may also be installed on the computer system motherboard. An external cordless telephone handset is coupled to this cordless telephone device to allow a user to carry out a telephone communication over an external telephone line, which is connected to the sound device. The connection of the telephone line to the sound device also facilitates a telephone communication using the Internet.
The cordless telephone device includes an antenna jack to couple an external RF antenna thereto. This external RF antenna may be installed in an antenna port provided on the computer system housing or may be directly connected to the cordless telephone device through the antenna jack. The cordless telephone device further includes a cordless telephone base unit, a microphone output and a speaker input to allow the cordless telephone device to be coupled to the sound device in the computer system.
In one embodiment, the computer system housing includes a built-in cordless telephone base station. Here, the cordless telephone base station, and not the sound device, is connected to the external telephone line. The computer system here functions as a cordless telephone base station for the regular (circuit-switched) cordless telephone communications only.
The present invention also contemplates a cordless telephone handset that identifies the user operating the handset and automatically configures itself to implement one or more preferences specified by that user. The cordless telephone handset unit includes a speaker recognition unit to ascertain an identity of the handset operator. A programming unit is provided to allow a user to input one or more user-specific preferences. The speaker recognition unit identifies the user and sends a corresponding signal to the programming unit, which, in turn, sends another signal to an operation control unit. The operation control unit, in response, configures the handset unit to implement one or more of the user-specific preferences. A display, such as an LCD display, may be provided to facilitate programming and display of user-specific preferences.
The speaker recognition feature may also be implemented in a traditional, non-cordless telephone instrument. In one embodiment, a non-cordless telephone instrument is contemplated to include speaker recognition unit in its housing. This regular telephone instrument also includes the programming unit and the operation control unit to identify the user and implement that user-specific preferences. The speaker recognition units in the regular telephone as well as in the cordless telephone handset operate on a voice print comparison method. Each telephonexe2x80x94the regular one or the cordless telephone handsetxe2x80x94initially stores a voice print of the user. During a subsequent telephone conversation, the speaker recognition unit periodically samples the telephone operator""s voice to ascertain his/her identity. If the operator""s voice print matches the user""s voice print, then the programming unit notifies the operation control unit of that. Thus, more than one user may conveniently operate a common telephone instrument or a cordless telephone handset that is configured to automatically implement the user""s individual preferences.
A digital image or photo album according to the present invention comprises a housing that includes, for example, an LCD display provided on a face of said housing. The LCD display may be electronically partitioned into two LCD pages to create an impression of a pair of pages of a photo album. The housing also includes an input port to receive a storage medium, such as a compact disc (CD) or a floppy disk. Each of these storage media store one or more photographs in a digital format. The digital photo album includes a command input unit that allows a user to input a number of predetermined commands to select and view the photographs or images. The photographs or images to be displayed on the LCD display are first converted from said digital format into a user viewable format. A file viewer unit in the digital image album performs this conversion, whereas a display control unit ultimately displays the photographs or images, one pair at a time, through the LCD display.
A number of keys may be provided in the housing to allow the user to input one or more of the predetermined commands. Alternately, a touch-screen LCD display may be provided in the housing to achieve the same purpose. A transmit port, a receive port or both may be provided in the housing to allow the digital photo album to perform data communication wirelessly. The earlier mentioned computer system with a cordless telephone device may accomplish such a data transfer using the functionality of the built-in cordless telephone base unit.
In another embodiment, the digital photo album comprises two housings mechanically hinged and electrically coupled with each other. Each housing includes one LCD display to display one photograph. Thus, jointly, the two housings display two photographs creating an impression of the actual paper pages of a photo album. The various electronic circuitry is conveniently distributed between the two housings. One, or both, of the housings may include the input port to receive the storage medium as explained earlier. The user operable keys, if provided, may be distributed between the two housings according to the designer""s choice. Instead, a pair of touch-screen LCD displays may be providedxe2x80x94one on each housing.
The electronic book according to the present invention may either include a single housing or a pair of mechanically hinged housings as earlier described with reference to the digital image album. The electronic book allows a user to view a pair of pages at a time through its display, which may be an LCD display. The LCD display may either be a single continuous display or a single display electronically divided into pages in case of a single housing, or may comprise a pair of displays in case of the pair of mechanically hinged housings. The user can read two pages at a timexe2x80x94as in a paper version of a book. The pages may contain text as well as images. The text is stored in one digital format? and the images are stored in a different digital format to allow for compatibility with present compression schemes.
In one embodiment of the electronic book, an RF port is provided to facilitate a wireless data communication with an external electronic device. The external electronic device may include the earlier described computer system with built-in cordless telephone base unit. In that case, the cordless telephone base unit in the computer system will accomplish the necessary RF communication with the electronic book. Similar to the digital photo album, the electronic book may also have a number of keys provided in the single housing, or distributed over a pair of housings, to allow the user to input one or more of the predetermined commands. The predetermined commands may perform operations such as selection of a text, repagination, deletion of a selected text, etc. Alternately, a touch-screen LCD display may be provided in the housing to perform the same operations. An individualized storage and retrieval of text, images and photographs is thus achieved.

Computer peripheral base station for a cordless telephone


An exemplary power supply circuit includes an output terminal configured for providing electric power to a load circuit, a direct current (DC) power supply, a first resistor, a second resistor, a first switch and a second switch. The first switch includes a control electrode is grounded via the first resistor, a first current conducting electrode is connected to the DC power supply, and a second current conducting electrode is connected to the output terminal. The second switch includes a control electrode is connected to the output terminal, a first current conducting electrode is connected to the DC power supply, and a second current conducting electrode is connected to the control electrode of the first switch. The second resistor is interconnected the first current conducting electrode of the first switch and the second current conducting electrode of the first switch.

An LCD has the advantages of portability, low power consumption, and low radiation, and has been widely used in various portable information products such as notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video cameras and the like. Usually, the liquid crystal display device needs a power supply circuit to provide a working voltage.
Referring to FIG. 6, a typical art power supply circuit 10 for an LCD (not shown) includes a control signal input terminal 11 which is configured for receiving control signals, an output terminal 12 for providing an operation voltage for the LCD, a five volt direct current (DC) power supply 13, a first transistor 14, a second transistor 15, a filter capacitor 16, and a resistor 17.
The first transistor 14 is a p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). A gate electrode 141 of the first transistor 14 is connected to the five volt DC power supply 13 via the resistor 17. A source electrode 142 of the first transistor 14 is connected to the five volt DC power supply 13. A drain electrode 143 of the first transistor 14 is connected to the output terminal 12.
The second transistor 15 is a negative-positive-negative (NPN) bipolar transistor. A base electrode 151 of the second transistor 15 is connected to the control signal input terminal 11. An emitting electrode 152 of the second transistor 15 is connected to the gate electrode 141 of the first transistor 14. A collecting electrode 153 of the second transistor 15 is grounded.
A working principle of the power supply circuit 10 for the LCD is described as follows. When the LCD is connected up a commercial power, the five volt DC power supply 13 provides a five volt voltage to the source electrode 142 of the first transistor 14. When the LCD is powered on, an electric potential of the control signal input terminal 11 is a logic high electric potential. The second transistor 15 is switched on, and the gate electrode 141 of the first transistor 14 is grounded via the collecting electrode 153 and the emitting electrode 152 in turn. Therefore, the first transistor 14 is switched on, a five volt voltage of the five volt DC power supply 13 is provided to the output terminal 12 via the source electrode 142 and the drain electrode 143.
When the LCD is powered off, an electric potential of the control signal input terminal 11 is a logic low electric potential. The second transistor 15 is switched off. The five volt DC power supply 13 provides a voltage to the gate electrode 141 of the first transistor 14 via the resistor 17. Therefore, the first transistor 14 is switched off, and the five volt DC power supply 13 stops providing voltage for the output terminal 12.
When the first transistor 14 is switched on, and the five volt voltage is provided to the output terminal 12 via the activated first transistor 14, a rush current is generated at the moment that the first transistor 14 is switched on. The rush current may accelerate an aging process of electronic devices of the LCD. Thus a service life of the LCD is liable to be reduced.
Further, in case that the LCD is short-circuited, a high short circuit current passes through the first transistor 14. Thus, the first transistor 14 is liable to be destroyed. Thus the reliability of the power supply circuit 10 is low.
It is desired to provide a new power supply circuit used in an LCD which can overcome the above-described deficiencies.

Power supply circuit for liquid crystal display


A display device is disclosed. In one aspect, the display device includes a substrate, a barrier layer formed over the substrate, and an emission layer formed over the barrier layer. The display device also includes a stress-absorbing layer contacting one of the substrate, the barrier layer, and the emission layer. The stress-absorbing layer has a structural density configured to partially vary based on an applied voltage.

Field
The described technology generally relates to a display device.
Description of the Related Technology
Display panels (devices) are used in various consumer electronics applications including televisions, computer monitors, PDAs, and smart devices, the demands of which have rapidly increased.
High-quality flat display panels include technologies such as organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, liquid crystal displays panel, plasma display panels (PDPs), and electrophoretic display panels.
Flexible display devices that are light and thin with good portability are being developed to fulfill market demand. Such a flexible display device can be implemented by using a flexible substrate, such as plastic, instead of glass.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only to enhance the understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it can contain information that does not constitute the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


Described herein is a neural network accelerator (NNA) with a decompression unit that can be configured to perform multiple types of decompression. The decompression may include a separate subunit for each decompression type. The subunits can be coupled to form a pipeline in which partially decompressed results generated by one subunit are input for further decompression by another subunit. Depending on which types of compression were applied to incoming data, any number of the subunits may be used to produce a decompressed output. In some embodiments, the decompression unit is configured to decompress data that has been compressed using a zero value compression scheme, a shared value compression scheme, or both. The NNA can also include a compression unit implemented in a manner similar to that of the decompression unit.

Neural networks are currently being developed for a wide variety of applications such as image or speech recognition. Neural networks can be executed on general purpose processors using program code written in a specialized programming language such as TensorFlow. The program code is converted into machine instructions by a compiler. In a neural network, the types of computations performed, and the data the computations are performed on, are very different from that used for other applications. For example, neural networks generally involve repeated manipulation of large quantities of data in the form of activation values and weight values. Because the amount of data is large, supplying this data to a computing system that executes a neural network requires that the computing system have a corresponding large memory in which the data can be stored, as well as sufficient bandwidth to transmit the data between components of the computing system or between the computing system and external devices. This increases the hardware requirements and power consumption of the computing system.

Decompression and compression of neural network data using different compression schemes


The present invention is related to an interface design for multimedia data transmitting, which can provide a working interface in a data storing device or a communication device, using the working interface can provide the connecting facility between a multimedia device and computer system and improve the traditional high speed differential signals to portable digital data processing device. The present invention also provides a multimedia storage device, being inserted into a connector of a computer device or a portable device so that the computer device can transmit data to or receive from the portable device, wherein, the multimedia storage device comprises: printed circuit board, for conveying the following elements, having at least one terminal been formed on one end of the printed circuit board and exposed outwardly, wherein one end of the printed circuit board can be inserted into the connector; controller, positioned on the printed circuit board and coupled to the terminal, a working interface of the controller having a parallel data transmission with synchronous clock mode and a differential signal transmission mode, for controlling adaptive data transmission rate and power consumption; and storage unit, for storing data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multimedia storage and communication device and its judgment method and, more particularly, relates to a multimedia storage and communication device that can change its operation mode to a suitable signal interface mode so as to control the transmission rate and power consumption of the multimedia storage and communication device according to the control signal received from a host system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, there are many interfaces existing between small size memory card and host or portable electrical device, for example the CFC (Compact Flash Card) or SD (Secure Digital Card)/MMC (Multi-Media Card) are the popular two of them. However, the new generation memory cards with USB interface have the advantage of high transmission rate, such as the Express card designed by Intel cooperation and Intelligent Stick system designed by PQI®. The traditional intelligent Stick is a memory card with USB interface, and the USB 2.0 version interface has a transmission rate up to 60 Mbytes/second, however, it consumes more power than USB 1.1 version interface. Due to not every portable electronic device needs such high transmission rate, such as MP3 player. The traditional Intelligent Stick system only has USB 2.0 interface, which comprises VBUS, D−, D+ and GND terminals and has 5.0V operation voltage, a set of differential signals consisted of D−, D+ and a transmission rate up to 60 Mbytes/second. Due to the traditional Intelligent Stick system with USB 2.0 interface has higher transmission rate and consumes more power, therefore, it is suitable applied to an application required mass transmission data, for example but not limited to high resolution digital camera or digital video recorder.
The MMC (Multi-Media Card, referred as MMC card hereinafter) is a protocol defined by MMC association, which is a low cost data storage and communication device designed for smart phone, digital camera, personal digital assistant, digital video recorder, MP3 player or electronic games. The MMC card comprises 7 pins (remarks: wherein a pin is reserved) and its currently version is version 4.0. The MMC version 3.2 and its former version have a 3.3V or 1.8V operation voltage, 1 bit data width with synchronous clock and 0-20 MHz or 26 MHz operation frequency. However, for increasing the transmission rate, the MMC version 4.0 increases the data width to 1 bit, 2 bits, 4 bits and 8 bits, 0-20 MHz, 26 MHz or 52 MHz operation frequency and a transmission rate up to 52 Mbytes/Second so that its pins is increased to 13. Thought the MMC version 4.0 has a transmission rate up to 52 Mbytes/Second, it is still slower than the USB 2.0 with 60 Mbytes/Second but consumes less power. Due to the MMC version 4.0 has lower transmission rate and consumes less power, therefore, it is suitable applied to an application required less transmission data, for example but not limited to MP3 player, the third generation mobile phone, which requires less transmission data and long standby time features.
For the general memory cards, most of their interfaces only has one signal type, such as the multimedia card just has an MMC interface with synchronized signal, the Intelligent Stick 2.0 just has one USB interface with differential signal, although they can be applied to portable electronic device for digital image or MP3 audio signals transmitting, however, using the USB interface with the higher transmission rate and more power consumption to transmit the MP3 signal is not a good design in power saving; or using the MMC interface with the lower transmission rate and less power consumption to transmit the video signal, though it saves power but loses video quality. Therefore, the user must make a decision when he (or she) buys the multimedia card with MMC interface or memory card with USB interface.
Therefore, we need a memory storage device that is compatible to the existing system and has suitable transmission rate and power consumption to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks.

Multimedia storage and communication device and its determining method