A method and a system for determining an orthodontic treatment plan including a tooth stripping step are provided. The method comprises: acquiring a 3D digital model of a first tooth and a second tooth of the subject, the second tooth being adjacent the first tooth; receiving a stripping request for stripping tooth material, from at least one of the first tooth along a first stripping plane and the second tooth along a second stripping plane; determining, along a surface of the first tooth, a first area of interest; determining, along the surface of the second tooth, a second area of interest; determining a distance between a first set of vertices associated with the first area of interest and a second set of vertices associated with the second area of interest; in response to the distance being greater than a predetermined distance threshold, denying, by the processor, the stripping request.

A typical orthodontic treatment includes a number of consecutive treatment steps in which orthodontic appliances are consecutively used to apply forces to a subject's teeth to move the subject's teeth from a respective start position to a desired position, typically associated with alignment of the subject's teeth or normal occlusion thereof. For example, such orthodontic appliances can include brackets, braces, elastics or orthodontic aligners.
In one example, the orthodontic appliance comprises an orthodontic elastic. The orthodontic elastic can be attached to lower teeth on a lower jaw and upper teeth on an upper jaw of the subject causing, through applying thereto a certain amount of elastic force, a desired position of the lower jaw relative to the upper jaw of the subject.
Typically, such elastics are applied to the subject's teeth via specific orthodontic attachments attached to predetermined lower and upper teeth of the subject.
However, efficacy of using the orthodontic elastics depends on positions of the orthodontic attachments on surfaces of the predetermined teeth of the subject. Another consideration is wear comfort to the subject, particularly when the subject must also wear an aligner in addition to the elastic.
Certain prior art approaches have been developed to address the technical problem of determining an optimal position for such orthodontic attachments.
U.S. Pat. No. 11,166,787-B1, issued on Nov. 9, 2021, assigned to Arkimos Ltd., and entitled "ORTHODONTIC ATTACHMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS" discloses systems and methods for determining a coupling point for an attachment on a tooth of a subject comprising: obtaining a digital 3D representation of the tooth to which the attachment will be coupled; obtaining attachment data indicative of the attachment to be coupled to the tooth; determining, on the digital 3D representation of the tooth, a plurality of excluded areas for the coupling point based on the digital 3D representation of the tooth and the attachment data; determining the coupling point by identifying an area on the tooth which is not in the plurality of excluded areas; and storing, in a memory of the computer system, the determined coupling point.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,326,831-B2, issued on May 3, 2016, assigned to Align Technology Inc, and entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR POSITIONING THREE-DIMENSIONAL BRACKETS ON TEETH", discloses systems and methods for positioning 3D virtual brackets on teeth for the precise positioning of conventional brackets and wire. Various reference features may be calculated for the teeth and used to calculate a position for the virtual bracket. Reference features that are calculated include curve of Spee, Andrew's plane, and a facial axis of the clinical crown for the teeth.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,503,282-B2, issued on Nov. 22, 2016, assigned to 3M Innovative Properties Co, and entitled "METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETERMINING THE POSITIONS OF ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCES", discloses determining positions of orthodontic appliances such as brackets and buccal tubes on a patient's teeth using digital data that represents the shapes of the patient's teeth. Certain landmarks of the teeth such as the marginal ridges are determined using software, and the software adjusts positions of the virtual appliances on the teeth as needed in order to bring the marginal ridges into proper alignment at the conclusion of treatment. The resulting positions are optionally used to determine the location of the appliances in an indirect bonding apparatus such as a transfer tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,136,964-B2, issued on Nov. 27, 2018, assigned to Align Technology Inc, and entitled "AUTOMATIC PLACEMENT OF PRECISION CUTS", discloses an orthodontic positioning device and methods for making an orthodontic positioning device including a first patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient's teeth provided in one of an upper jaw and a lower jaw. The first appliance includes a hook configured to receive an orthodontic elastic band. The orthodontic positioning device also includes a second patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient's teeth provided in the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw. The second appliance includes a cutout operable to expose an orthodontic elastic band receiving member.

Systems and methods for determining a position for an orthodontic attachment


A subsurface water drainage system which includes a high porosity cylinder made of a mixture of Portland cement and activated charcoal, such cylinder disposed vertically in the subsoil to receive water discharge therein and to direct such water through its porous midsection into adjacent subsoil at a rate sufficient for dispersing the water to prevent yard surface flooding.

1. Field of the Invention
The system of this invention resides in the area of water drainage systems and more particularly relates to an underground water discharge system that receives water drainage from such sources as a building's roof gutter through down spout extensions, underground pipes, sump pump discharges and the like that are directed to an underground pipe and then disperses such water drainage underground into the subsoil to prevent surface flooding and provide deep-root irrigation to plants.
2. History of the Prior Art
In many buildings, such as home dwellings, water drainage from the roof gutter system through down spouts and their extensions as well as sump pump drainage and the like can cause an excess of water to accumulate on the surface of the ground that the soil of the home's yard cannot readily absorb, thereby causing undesirable flooding of yard areas around the home. This flooding is a nuisance to homeowners and is not only unsightly, but also in some cases can damage plants, rot building structures and destroy carefully maintained lawns. To combat and prevent such flooding many homeowners install dry wells which are subsurface storage facilities that receive and store water runoff from roofs and/or sump pumps. The discharge of this stored runoff from dry wells occurs through infiltration into the surrounding soil. Dry wells can be structural chambers as well as excavated pits. Sometimes these pits are filled with aggregate, but they tend to soak up water from surrounding areas and become over saturated, rendering them useless. Dry wells can only be used where sub grade soils have sufficient permeability rates. If the dry well is not effective, anaerobic conditions can result, leading to odor and water quality problems and even the promotion of mosquito breeding. The soil around dry wells must therefore be sufficiently permeable to allow a reasonable rate of water infiltration.
The construction of dry wells is well known in the art and in one simple embodiment can be a pit surrounded by a number of cement blocks arrayed in a circle, often in an arrangement that has the blocks positioned closer and narrowed near the top of the pit, so that a conical structure is created. There is no particularly desirable form for such simple dry wells. In some cases dry wells can be plastic, barrel-like structures, in some instances made of polyethylene, and have a plurality of large apertures, such apertures being several inches in diameter formed therein to promote drainage into gravel placed therearound. In some instances a series of dry wells are utilized, one flowing into another. Some dry well structures can be surrounded with a porous, filter-type, geo-tech fabric wrap to keep soil from entering into the dry well. They can be surrounded with stone aggregate to increase the leaching capacity of the water into the subsurface soil. Dry wells not only can have an underground water inlet, but also can be provided with surface drains and vents to the surface of the ground. Dry wells are not used for any kind of sewerage and have quite different specifications from those of septic systems. Dry wells are generally placed beneath the surface in areas where vehicles or other heavy objects will not interfere with their operation.
One of the co-inventors herein is a co-inventor of U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,703 for an Encapsulated Turf Maintenance System which discloses elongated, porous conduits made of a mixture of Portland cement and activated charcoal, such conduits disposed horizontally in a grid pattern for the purpose of underground fluid exchange in the turf area of playing fields.


The present invention generally relates to a method of peptides' or polypeptides' modification by glycosylation. In particular, the invention relates to one pot synthesis of disaccharide glycan on to the acceptor substrate and thereby generating O- and/or S-glycosylated neo-glycopeptides including antimicrobial peptides by using multifunctional recombinant nucleotide dependent glycosyltransferase.

Glycosylation is the enzymatic process that attaches glycans to proteins, lipids or other organic molecules. Glycosylation is an important co-translational or post-translational modification. Many industrial and therapeutic proteins are glycoproteins harboring different types of glycans. Hence, glycosylation of these proteins is important for structure, function, host-pathogen interactions, biomimicry etc (Sola, R. J., and Griebenow, K. (2009). Effects of glycosylation on the stability of protein pharmaceuticals. J Pharm Sci 98, 1223-1245, Sola, R. J., and Griebenow, K. (2010). Glycosylation of therapeutic proteins: an effective strategy to optimize efficacy. BioDrugs 24, 9-21, Shental-Bechor, D., and Levy, Y. (2008). Effect of glycosylation on protein folding: a close look at thermodynamic stabilization. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105, 8256-8261, Vasudevan, D., and Haltiwanger, R. S. (2014). Novel roles for O-linked glycans in protein folding. Glycoconjugate journal 31, 417-426).
In eukaryotes, typically, majority of proteins are synthesized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, which undergo glycosylation wherein glycosylation is an enzyme directed site-specific process. Glycosylation also happens in the cytoplasm and nucleus as the O-GlcNAc modification. Therefore, the proteins or peptides that are not glycosylated naturally but in vitro are termed neo-glycoproteins or neo-glycopeptides and usually possess better bio-activity and stability.
Hence, protein or peptide glycosylation can be achieved in vitro, either by enzymatic means or by chemical means. Enzymatic glycosylation is a preferred route for its specificity, affordability and process simplicity provided suitable and applicable glycosyltransferases are available. The advantage of using glycosyltransferases for generation of glyco-conjugate is that the glycosidic linkages formed by these enzymes are highly stereo and regio-specific (Hanson, S., Best, M., Bryan, M. C., and Wong, C. H. (2004). Chemoenzymatic synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoproteins. Trends in biochemical sciences 29, 656-663, Katayama, H., Asahina, Y., and Hojo, H. (2011). Chemical synthesis of the S-linked glycopeptide, sublancin. Journal of peptide science: an official publication of the European Peptide Society 17, 818-821, Zhang, Y., Muthana, S. M., Farnsworth, D., Ludek, O., Adams, K., Barchi, J. J., Jr., and Gildersleeve, J. C. (2012). Enhanced epimerization of glycosylated amino acids during solid-phase peptide synthesis. Journal of the American Chemical Society 134, 6316-6325).
Generally, glycosyltransferase catalyzes a specific linkage of specific sugar donor residues to other specific acceptor molecules, which include a peptide, protein, an oligosaccharide or lipid. Therefore, synthesis of a glyco-conjugate harboring a glycan that is composed of more than one sugar necessitates the use of more than one glycosyltransferases for each independent saccharide unit being transferred. Traditionally known glycosyltransferases are eukaryotic proteins of which most are membrane bound and difficult for expression and purification. Accordingly, these eukaryotic proteins are less amenable for in vitro applications.
Last decade of 20th century saw discovery of bacterial glycosyltransferases that are capable of N-, O- and recently characterized S-glycosylation. Most of these proteins are smaller, cytoplasmic and unique in specificities. Thus, providing an opportunity to identify and create novel tools for useful glycosylation in protein or peptides of miscellaneous interest. For example EP Pat. No. 2,049,144B1 (E.P. Patent No. EP2049144 B1 7/2014 Shawn Defrees A61K47/48) discloses method of preparing glycosylated polypeptides using short enzyme recognized O-linked glycosylation sequences (O-linked Sequon).
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,338,933 titled "O-linked glycosylation of peptides" (U.S. Pat. No. 7,338,933 B2 3/2008 Shawn Defrees et al 514/11.4) discloses enzymatic glyco-conjugation reactions specifically targeted to O-linked glycosylation sites and to glycosyl residues (glycan) that are attached to O-linked glycosylation sites. The targeted O-linked glycosylation sites can be sites, native to a wild-type peptide or, alternatively, they can be introduced into a peptide by mutation. The polypeptides of the invention include glyco-conjugates in which, a species, such as a water-soluble polymer, a therapeutic agent of a biomolecule is covalently linked through an intact O-linked glycosyl residue to the polypeptide. Accordingly, the invention provides polypeptides comprising mutated sites suitable for O-linked glycosylation and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. In addition, the invention provides method of making such polypeptides and using such polypeptides and/or pharmaceutical compositions thereof for therapeutic treatments. However, the invention primarily focuses on transfer of monosaccharide and thereby creating O-linked glycosylation.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,933 titled "Method of transferring at least two saccharide units with a polyglycosyltransferase" (U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,933 B1 4/2002 Karl F. Johnson et al 435/97) discloses a method of transferring at least two saccharide units with a polyglycosyltransferase, a polyglycosyltransferase and a gene encoding such a polyglycosyltransferase. In particular, the invention involves method of transferring at least two saccharide units with a polyglycosyltransferase, which transfers both GlcNAc, and GalNAc, from the corresponding sugar nucleotides to a sugar acceptor. However, the invention is specific for and focuses on biosynthesis of oligosaccharides using a polyglycosyltransferase.
The European patent, numbered EP 2,049,144 titled "Glycosylation of peptides via O-linked glycosylation sequences" (E.P. Patent No EP2049144 B8 2/2015 Shawn Defrees C12P21/00) discloses a method of preparing glycosylated polypeptides using short enzyme-recognized O-linked glycosylation sequences. Accordingly, the invention provides targeted glycosylation sequence introduced into a parent polypeptide (e.g., wild-type polypeptide) by mutation creating a mutant polypeptide that includes a glycosylation sequence, wherein this glycosylation sequence is not present, or not present at the same position, in the corresponding parent polypeptide (exogenous glycosylation sequence). Such mutant polypeptides are termed herein "sequon polypeptides". Accordingly, the invention provides sequon polypeptides that include one or more O-linked glycosylation sequence in accordance with the invention. In one embodiment, each glycosylation sequence is a substrate for an enzyme, such as a glycosyltransferase, such as a GalNAc-transferase (e.g., GalNAc-T2). Hence, the invention focuses on O-linked glycosylation and conjugation between a glycosylated or non-glycosylated sequon polypeptide and a polymeric modifying group such as poly (ethylene glycol) and methoxy-poly (ethylene glycol) (m-PEG).
The PCT application, numbered WO/2008/151258 titled "O-linked glycosylation using N-Acetylglycosaminyl transferases" (U.S. Patent No. WO2008151258 A3 2/2009 Shawn Defrees et al C12N9/10) discloses covalent conjugates between a polypeptide and a modifying group, such as a water-soluble polymer (e.g., Poly Ethylene Glycol). The amino acid sequence of the polypeptide includes one or more O-linked glycosylation sequence, each being a substrate for a GlcNAc transferase. The modifying group is covalently linked to the polypeptide via a glycosyl-linking group interposed between and covalently linked to both the polypeptide and the modifying group. In one embodiment, a glucosamine linking group is directly attached to an amino acid residue of the O-linked glycosylation sequence. Accordingly, each glycosylation sequence serves as a substrate for GlcNAc transferase, wherein the method involves transfer of one sugar to given residue at a time creating monosaccharide glycan.
The PCT application numbered WO/2004/009793 titled "Synthesis of glycoproteins using bacterial glycosyltransferases" (U.S. Patent No. WO2004009793 A2 1/2004 Daniel James Bezila et al C12P21/02) discloses methods to use the fucosyltransferases from Helicobacter pylori to synthesize oligosaccharides, glycoproteins, and glycolipids. The method involves transfer of a fucose residue from a donor substrate to an acceptor substrate in the presence of α-1, 3/4-fucosyltranferase proteins. Hence, the invention primarily focuses on efficient production of fucosylated oligosaccharides.
The European patent numbered EP 1,981,977 titled "Production of polysialic acid containing glyconjugates using a self-priming polysialyltransferase" (E.P. Patent No. EP1981977A4 4/2010 Warren-wakarchuk et al C12N15/63, Lindhout, T., Iqbal, U., Willis, L. M., Reid, A. N., Li, J., Liu, X., Moreno, M., and Wakarchuk, W. W. (2011). Site-specific enzymatic polysialylation of therapeutic proteins using bacterial enzymes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108, 7397-7402) discloses site specific enzymatic polysialylation of therapeutic proteins using bacterial enzymes. The patent describes an enzyme which can transfer at least three sialic acid residues on to a glycoprotein having a terminal galactose residue pre attached to it. In fact, product(s) derived using our method can be useful input(s) for such enzyme.
The NCBI article, numbered 1002/chem.201405692 titled "Synthesis of the antimicrobial S-linked glycopeptide, glycocin F (Brimble, M. A., Edwards, P. J., Harris, P. W., Norris, G. E., Patchett, M. L., Wright, T. H., Yang, S. H., and Carley, S. E. (2015). Synthesis of the antimicrobial S-linked glycopeptide, glycocin F. Chemistry 21, 3556-3561, Stepper, J., Shastri, S., Loo, T. S., Preston, J. C., Novak, P., Man, P., Moore, C. H., Havlicek, V., Patchett, M. L., and Norris, G. E. (2011). Cysteine S-glycosylation, a new post-translational modification found in glycopeptide bacteriocins. FEBS Lett 585, 645-650, Kerr, A. P. (2013). The bacteriostatic spectrum and inhibitory mechanism of glycocin F, a bacteriocin from Lactobacillus plantarum KW30. In Microbiology (Palmerston North, New Zealand, Massey University) discloses the first total synthesis of glycocin F, a uniquely di-glycosylated antimicrobial peptide bearing a rare S-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) moiety in addition to an O-linked GlcNAc, has been accomplished using a native chemical ligation strategy. The synthetic and naturally occurring peptides were compared by RP-HPLC, mass spectrometry, NMR and CD spectroscopy, and their stability towards chymotrypsin digestion and antimicrobial activity were measured. This is the first comprehensive structural and functional comparison of a naturally occurring glycocin with an active synthetic analogue.
The NCBI article, numbered 1021/ja2075168 and 1038/nchembio.509 titled "Substrate selectivity of the sublancin S-glycosyltransferase (Wang, H., and van der Donk, W. A. (2011). Substrate selectivity of the sublancin S-glycosyltransferase. Journal of the American Chemical Society 133, 16394-16397) and Sublancin is not a lantibiotic but an S-linked glycopeptide (Oman, T. J., Boettcher, J. M., Wang, H., Okalibe, X. N., and van der Donk, W. A. (2011). Sublancin is not a lantibiotic but an S-linked glycopeptide. Nat Chem Biol 7, 78-80), respectively, disclose SunS a novel S-glycosyltransferase involved in the biosynthesis of the antimicrobial peptide sublancin. SunS selectively modifies cysteine22 in a 37 amino acid peptide substrate SunA and can accept a variety of NDP sugars. Hence the study reports the substrate selectivity with regard to the peptide substrate and the antimicrobial activity of the resulting sublancin analogues (Garcia De Gonzalo, C. V., Zhu, L., Oman, T. J., and van der Donk, W. A. (2014). NMR structure of the S-linked glycopeptide sublancin 168. ACS chemical biology 9, 796-801, Hsieh, Y. S., Wilkinson, B. L., O'Connell, M. R., Mackay, J. P., Matthews, J. M., and Payne, R. J. (2012). Synthesis of the bacteriocin glycopeptide sublancin 168 and S-glycosylated variants. Organic letters 14, 1910-1913,). The results suggest that SunS recognizes an α-helix N-terminal of the cysteine to be glycosylated, which is present in a flexible linker. Interestingly, when cysteine22 is mutated, sugar attachment is not required for sublancin antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the sublancin-producing strain Bacillus subtilis 168 also becomes susceptible to such mutants. Therefore, the data suggest that S-glycosylation may be important for self-resistance/immunity in host to its self-produced bacteriocin.
The NCBI article, numbered 1021/ja411159k titled "The glycosyltransferase involved in thurandacin biosynthesis catalyzes both O- and S-glycosylation" (Wang, H., Oman, T. J., Zhang, R., Garcia De Gonzalo, C. V., Zhang, Q., and van der Donk, W. A. (2014). The glycosyltransferase involved in thurandacin biosynthesis catalyzes both O- and S-glycosylation. Journal of the American Chemical Society 136, 84-87) discloses discovery of a second S-glycosyltransferase, ThuS, and shows that ThuS catalyzes both S-glycosylation of the thiol of cysteine and O-glycosylation of the hydroxyl group of serine in peptide substrates. ThuS-catalyzed S-glycosylation is more efficient than O-glycosylation and the enzyme demonstrates high tolerance with respect to both nucleotide sugars and peptide substrates. The biosynthesis of the putative products of the thuS gene cluster are reconstituted in vitro and the resulting S-glycosylated peptides thurandacin A and thurandacin B exhibit highly selective antimicrobial activity towards Bacillus thuringiensis.
The Wiley online article numbered 1002/anie.200503900 titled "Glycosylation of a Neo glycoprotein by using glycosynthase and thioglycoligase approaches: The generation of a thioglycoprotein" (Mullegger, J., Chen, H. M., Warren, R. A., and Withers, S. G. (2006). Glycosylation of a neoglycoprotein by using glycosynthase and thioglycoligase approaches: the generation of a thioglycoprotein. Angewandte Chemie (International ed in English) 45, 2585-2588) discloses glycosylation of a neo-glycoprotein achieved by quantitative yields by using a glycosynthase or a thioglycoligase. The resulting glycoproteins function as good acceptors for glycosyl transferases, and the thioglycoprotein is proved to be resistant to glycosidase digestion. Hence the established technology will enable the remodeling of natural glycoproteins to make them more stable against degradation in serum. (Laure Guillotin, P. L., Richard Daniellou (2014). Enzymatic thioglycosylation: current knowledge and challenges, Vol 40, Laure Guillotin, P. L., Richard Daniellou (2015). Thioglycoligases: innovative biocatalytic tools for S-glycosylated proteins synthesis. In 11th Carbohydrate Bioengineering Meeting (Espoo, Finland).
In the view of foregoing, there is ongoing need for an improved method that creates novel glycans like a disaccharide and thereby generates O- and/or S-glycosylated neo-glycopeptides including antimicrobial peptides (Hassan, M., Kjos, M., Nes, I. F., Diep, D. B., and Lotfipour, F. (2012). Natural antimicrobial peptides from bacteria: characteristics and potential applications to fight against antibiotic resistance. Journal of applied microbiology 113, 723-736, Cotter, P. D., Ross, R. P., and Hill, C. (2013). Bacteriocins—a viable alternative to antibiotics? Nature reviews Microbiology 11, 95-105, Izquierdo, E., Wagner, C., Marchioni, E., Aoude-Werner, D., and Ennahar, S. (2009). Enterocin 96, a novel class II bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis WHE 96, isolated from Munster cheese. Appl Environ Microbiol 75, 4273-4276, Maky, M. A., Ishibashi, N., Zendo, T., Perez, R. H., Doud, J. R., Karmi, M., and Sonomoto, K. (2015). Enterocin F4-9, a Novel O-Linked Glycosylated Bacteriocin. Appl Environ Microbiol 81, 4819-4826, Masias, E., Sanches, P. R., Dupuy, F. G., Acuna, L., Bellomio, A., Cilli, E., Saavedra, L., and Minahk, C. (2015). 28-mer Fragment Derived from Enterocin CRL35 Displays an Unexpected Bactericidal Effect on Listeria Cells. Protein and peptide letters 22, 482-488) by using minimal number of glycosyltransferases necessary to form different glycosidic bonds (Gantt, R. W., Peltier-Pain, P., and Thorson, J. S. (2011). Enzymatic methods for glyco (diversification/randomization) of drugs and small molecules. Natural product reports 28, 1811-1853). Moreover, the resultant disaccharide-conjugates provide for more bioactive species than corresponding monosaccharide linked conjugates (Iwao, Y., Hiraike, M., Kragh-Hansen, U., Kawai, K., Suenaga, A., Maruyama, T., and Otagiri, M. (2009). Altered chain-length and glycosylation modify the pharmacokinetics of human serum albumin. BiochimBiophysActa 1794, 634-641).

Multifunctional recombinant nucleotide dependent glycosyltransferase protein and its method of glycosylation thereof

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research


Motion-sensing display apparatuses supported near a user's eye including partially transparent screens at least partially disposed within the user's field of vision, image generators positioned to display an image on a first side of the screen, motion capture devices positioned near the screen and configured to capture a user gesture occurring beyond the screen in the user's field of vision, and processors in data communication with the image generator and the motion capture device, the processors configured to execute computer executable instructions in response to the user gesture. In some examples, motion-sensing display apparatuses include cameras. In some further examples, image generators display user interfaces on screens.

The present disclosure relates generally to motion-sensing display apparatuses. In particular, motion-sensing display apparatuses supported near a user's eye that execute computer executable instructions in response to user gestures are described.
Known motion-sensing display apparatuses are not entirely satisfactory for the range of applications in which they are employed. Some existing display apparatuses are configured to interface with motion-sensing technologies, such as the Microsoft® Kinect® system. Many such apparatuses, however, do not provide a display proximate a user's eye. As a result, these devices are often ill-suited for displaying images that encompass large portions of a user's field of vision. Further, conventional motion sensing technology is generally large and not portable, limiting its use outside of a user's home or during physical activities.
Often, these displays include an opaque backing that prevents a user from seeing beyond the display. As a result, these devices are often unable augment or overlay scenes within the user's field of vision. Other devices may use a camera to capture a scene beyond the display and augment this captured scene on a display. This often results in unnatural and unreliable displays, however.
Certain display apparatuses are mounted near a user's eye with a piece of eyewear. These devices often produce a display that encompass a large portion of a user's field of vision. These devices, however, often include an opaque backing, preventing the ability to augment natural scenes and view user motions or gestures occurring beyond the screen. This, commonly in conjunction with the use of unwieldy accessories, leads to poor motion capture capabilities (if any exist at all).
Some other devices mounted on a piece of eyewear, such as Vuzix® brand eyewear devices, provide a display on a partially transparent screen. However, these devices often lack support for image capturing and motion sensing functionality. By extension, they often lack the ability to execute computer instructions in response to motion or natural images, including the ability to manipulate the display.
Thus, there exists a need for motion-sensing display apparatuses that improve upon and advance the design of known motion-sensing devices and display devices. Examples of new and useful motion-sensing display apparatuses relevant to the needs existing in the field are discussed below.


An anodic double layer gasochromic sensor structure for optical detection of hydrogen in improved response time and with improved optical absorption real time constants, comprising: a glass substrate; a tungsten-doped nickel oxide layer coated on the glass substrate; and a palladium layer coated on the tungsten-doped nickel oxide layer.

The invention relates to a Pd/Ni WO3 (palladium/tungsten-doped nickel oxide) anodic double layer gasochromic device in which the palladium layer functions as a catalyst material that facilitates reaction with hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas is disassociated on the Pd catalyst into H atoms, which diffuse into the Nixe2x80x94WO3 film. The Nixe2x80x94WO3 thin film exhibits an anodic coloration with H+ or Li+ insertion. The Nixe2x80x94WO3 thin film is more stable than WO3 films in air, due to the fact that Ni oxide based materials, unlike WO3, forms a hydroxide upon absorption of water vapor. Even after forming the hydroxide, the Nixe2x80x94W hydroxide thin film still shows a strong color change. By use of the gasochromic response upon exposure to hydrogen gas, hydrogen gas monitoring of the anodic double layer device of the invention can be detected via optical detection schemes such as a fiber-optic type H2 sensor.
1. Background Art
Hydrogen is a plentiful, clean, non-polluting fuel. Hydrogen is currently used in many industries, and the US demand for hydrogen is approximately 140 billion cubic feet per year and growing. However, hydrogen is explosive at 4% in air. Therefore, it is critical to measure, monitor and control hydrogen wherever it is used.
In the gasochromic art where sensors and measurement instrumentation for hydrogen gases detect and/or measure hydrogen, typically there is required a portable sensing device, a kit (where hydrogen gas detection and/or measurement is required in existing equipment), and sensor heads installed at points where hydrogen leaks are possible, or where monitoring is necessary (i.e., in internal combustion engines which operate using hydrogen as a fuel).
The problems associated with current H2 gasochromic devices are that these devices are not of adequate durability in that they degrade quickly with cycling and time, are too moisture sensitive, and react too slowly in response to the presence of H2 to produce an optical absorption change with a lengthy time constant in the vicinity of 30 seconds.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, optical detection of H2 is widely accomplished through the use of Pd/WO3 hydrogen detecting gasochromic devices. However, several problems or drawbacks are associated with the use of Pd/WO3 hydrogen detecting gasochromic devices. These problems are: they are of inadequate durability; they respond slowly to the presence of H2; and there is a conflicting cathodic-anodic optical response that results in a weak color change.
Inadequate durability problems are occasioned by the fact that the Pd/WO3 hydrogen detecting gasochromic device degrades quickly with cycling and time, and is unduly moisture sensitive.
The slow response of the Pd/WO3 hydrogen detecting gasochromic device in the presence of a H2 leak is due to the hydrogen reaction in HxWO3 which produces a slow optical absorption change within a lengthy room temperature time constant of about 30 seconds.
Also, there is a conflicting optical response upon detection of H2 by the Pd/WO3 gasochromic device due to the fact that the WO3 exhibits a cathodic response and the Pd exhibits an opposite anodic response.
3. Disclosure of Invention
One object of the present invention is to provide an anodic double layer H2 detecting gasochromic device of improved durability that shows little degradation with cycling and time.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an anodic double layer H2 detecting gasochromic device that responds more swiftly to detection of H2 gas by producing faster optical absorption change within a room temperature time constant of about 10 seconds.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an anodic double layer H2 detecting gasochromic device comprising complementary coloring layers in which both of the layers consist of an anodic coloration material.
In general, the invention is accomplished by providing a palladium/tungsten-doped nickel oxide anodic double layer gasochromic device in which, a Nixe2x80x94WO3 thin film is prepared on a glass substrate by reactive sputtering. Thereafter, a palladium layer is evaporated onto the Nixe2x80x94WO3 thin film. The palladium layer serves as a catalyst material that facilitates reaction with hydrogen gas. That is, the hydrogen gas is dissociated on the Pd catalyst into H atoms, which readily diffuse into the Nixe2x80x94WO3 film. The Nixe2x80x94WO3 thin film exhibits an anodic coloration with insertion of either H+ or Li+.
The Nixe2x80x94WO3 thin films arc more stable than WO3 films in air due to the fact that Ni oxide based materials, unlike WO3, form a hydroxide upon absorption of water vapor. Even after formation of the hydroxide, Nixe2x80x94W hydroxide thin films still show a strong color change. By use of this gasochromic response upon exposure to hydrogen gas, hydrogen gas can be monitored via optical detection schemes such as fiber-optic type H2 sensors.

Pd/Ni-WO3 anodic double layer gasochromic device


A flat-panel display including a body, a base detachably connected with the body, and a metal plate detachably connected with the base is provided in the present invention. When the body is at a first use-state, the metal plate is affixed to the base and supports the body. When the body is at a second use-state, the metal plate is separated from the base and connected with the body to make the body capable of being hung on a wall. Besides, the metal plate also can reduce the electromagnetic interference effectively.

Currently, LCD monitors and LCD TV are more and more popular than ever in the flat panel display marketplace. The structure of this kind of products usually includes a body and a base. The base usually consists of a metal component inside and a plastic component covering the metal component. The metal component plays the roles of weight supporting and structure stabilization.
Occasionally, the flat panel display needs to be mounted on wall to meet a user's demand. For larger-size flat panel displays (over 20 inches), an additional wall mount component is needed to assist mounting of displays on the wall.
To meet the requirements of structure strength and weight distribution, traditionally, the metal plate is square in form and usually has a large area making the electromagnetic interference suppressing difficult. In addition, the metal plate of large area increases electromagnetic interference due to the antenna effect of the metal plate.

Flat panel display having support of multiple use states


An orientation/time sensing alarm device is provided, which comprises an orientation sensor, a time sensor connecting to the orientation sensor, and an alarm connecting to the orientation sensor and the time sensor, forming a circuitry. The time sensor is activated by the orientation sensor when the orientation sensor senses the alarm device is above a predetermined orientational threshold. The alarm is activated when the time sensor senses the duration of activation of the time sensor being above a predetermined timing threshold. Also provided is a self-reminding golf club having an orientation/time sensing alarm device connected to the grip of the golf club for reminding a golfer of a misplaced golf club.

The present invention relates to golf club reminding devices, and more particularly to an orientation/time sensing alarm device and its use for reminding mis-positioned golf clubs.
During a round of golf, a golfer uses a number of different clubs to address various obstacles and situations that arise. It is common for a golfer to remove more than one clubs from the golf bag when considering how best to approach a shot. It is also common for a golfer to temporarily place a club on the ground when raking a sand trap, replacing a divot, holding a flag, watching a drive or lining up a shot. If the golfer forgets to retrieve the club, the club can become misplaced, and even lost. These and other common practices in a round of golf can lead to the misplacement of a gold club.
In the prior art, several types of devices exist for warning golfers that a glof club has removed from a glof bag and has not been returned. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,565,845 (to Hara) and 5,028,909 (to Miller) disclose devices that have sensors installed within a golf bag for detecting the presence of each golf club, and an alarm for warning a golfer when a club is missing from the bag. This type of device has several disadvantages. With this type of device, the golf bag needs to be equipped with receptacles and sensors for receiving and detecting individual clubs. The device also requires that a club must be returned to an appropriate receptacle in order for the device to function properly.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,118,376 (to Regester) and 5,952,921 (to Donnelly) disclose another type of club reminding system that comprises multiple transmitters, each attached to a golf club, a transceiver being carried by a golfer or attached to a golf bag or a golf cart, and an alarm. These systems operate based on a distance sensing mechanism. The transceiver continuously or periodically monitors the distance between the transmitters and the transceiver, and triggers alarm if the monitored distance is above a predetermined threshold distance.
These systems overcome the disadvantages associated with those devices that only have sensors embedded within a golf bag. However, these systems require continuous operation of the sensors for constantly or periodically monitoring the distance between the transmitters and transceiver. To effectively assist a golfer to trace all his golf clubs during a play, the sensors are most likely kept on during the entire play. This continuous operation consumes battery, particularly the button battery used to support the transmitters attached to the golf clubs. It can be very costly and inconvenient to maintain the system because each golf club needs a transmitter.
Therefore, it is apparent there exists a special need for more effective and less expensive golf club reminding devices that can be conveniently utilized by the golf players.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to an orientation/time sensing alarm device adaptable to a golf club, which comprises an orientation sensor, a time sensor connecting to the orientation sensor, and alarm. The time sensor is activated by the orientation sensor when the orientation sensor senses the golf club being positioned in a direction with an angle from a horizontal plane less than the predetermined threshold angle. The alarm is activated when the time sensor senses the duration of activation of the time sensor is above a predetermined timing threshold.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a self-reminding golf club. The self-reminding golf club comprises a golf club, and orientation/time sensing alarm device connected to a grip of the golf club, wherein the orientation/time sensing alarm device comprises an orientation sensor, a time sensor connecting to the orientation sensor, and an alarm. The time sensor is activated by the orientation sensor when the orientation sensor senses the golf club being positioned in a direction with an angle from a horizontal plane less than the predetermined threshold angle. The alarm is activated when the time sensor senses a duration of activation of the time sensor is above a predetermined timing threshold.
In a further aspect, the present invention relates to an orientation/time sensing alarm device. The orientation/time sensing alarm device comprises an orientation sensor, a time sensor connecting to the orientation sensor, an alarm connecting to the orientation sensor and the time sensor forming a circuitry, and an on/off switch. The time sensor is activated by the orientation sensor when the orientation sensor senses the device is above a predetermined orientational threshold. The alarm is activated when the time sensor senses duration of activation of the time sensor being above a predetermined timing threshold.

Orientation/time sensing alarm device for golf club


Image frames of a video stream are encoded with the aim of reducing flicker in the video stream when displayed. In one embodiment, the quantization parameter used to quantize an image frame is capped to be not greater than a quantization parameter used to quantize an immediately previous image frame. In another embodiment, the quantization step size used to quantize a macro-block of an image frame is computed based on the value of a quantization error of a co-located macro-block in an immediately previous image frame. In yet another embodiment, macro-block transform coefficients corresponding to high-frequency components are quantized using relatively higher quantization parameter values if the image frame is deemed to contain high activity. In yet another embodiment, flicker-prone macro-blocks of a source frame are replaced by corresponding best-match macro-blocks of a previous reconstructed frame, prior to being encoded.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to image processing, and more specifically to reducing flicker in the display of video streams.
2. Related Art
A video stream refers to a sequence of image frames representing a scene of interest. The image frames may be generated and displayed at rates (e.g., thirty frames per second) suitable to create the impression of continuity between the image frames to a viewer. Image frames constituting a video stream are typically encoded prior to transmission and/or storage. The encoding may include operations such as compression, encryption, quantization, etc. At a receiving or display end, the image frames are decoded to reconstruct the original frames prior to display.
Flicker generally refers to visual discontinuity that may be perceived in displayed video streams. Flicker may degrade visual quality of displayed video streams. It may, therefore, be desirable to encode image frames constituting the video stream in a manner so as to render display of the video stream flicker-free or at least to reduce the flicker.

Reducing flicker in the display of video streams


In a system comprising a host device and at least one peripheral device connected to the host device, suitable firmware to allow combined operation of both devices is selected and downloaded from among a plurality of firmware stored in memory using the identification codes of each device. As a result, devices which heretofore were incompatible can operation in combination. Furthermore, functions previously unavailable can be used.

The present application is based on Patent Application No. 2000-27676 filed in Japan, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system comprising a device such as a printer or the like, and peripheral devices connected thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
Peripheral devices connected to a printer include scanner, mailbox, stapler and the like. When an old peripheral device is connected to a printer, the peripheral device may not operate, or functions may not be fully used after the printer version has been upgraded.
Rewritable CD-ROM which can be rewritten much like flash memory have become popular, and the firmware included in the printer and peripheral device can be freely rewritten by a modification means. In this way many devices incorporating firmware, not just limited to printers, may have their firmware later modified. Methods previously have been proposed for downloading firmware from an external device to update the firmware if the peripheral device has an old firmware version. For example, a printer system comprising a printer connected to an image processing device for processing image data received from a host is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H8-147171, and according to this method when control software is modified due to replacement of the image processing device or printer, control programs of a plurality of control boards within the printer are downloaded from the image processing device.
Devices incorporating firmware conventionally have been made as independent systems, and it was not contemplated that they would be used while interconnected. The method of the aforesaid firmware update pointedly refers to the update of a printer firmware version, and is limited to firmware having a clear master-slave relationship with the control boards in the printer. Firmware replaceability had not been contemplated. However, there are many advantages to the user when a device can be connected to peripheral devices, since the functions and performance of the device can be expanded. For example, a peripheral device such as a scanner used by a printer of a particular model may be connected to a printer of a different model. Furthermore, the mailbox of a new model printer may be used by connecting to the printer of the previous model.
On the other hand, the work of developing a common interface is not limited to printers, and is ongoing in a wide range of fields including personal computers (PC), PC peripheral devices, and consumer electronic products, and it has been suggested that all such devices will be interconnected in the future. Even most peripheral devices which have functioned independently up to now can be physically interconnected when they have a common hardware interface. Even when the hardware is connectable, problems arise insofar as firmware functions and control methods are not coordinated. Since the firmware of a device and its peripheral devices were not originally developed with the idea of connecting many devices, interconnectability is often a problem in practical terms. Further problems arise depending on the specifications and period of development of the other connected device. Accordingly, it is desirable to achieve functionality of combined devices other than devices for which such connection was considered beforehand.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate the previously described disadvantages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide suitable firmware version upgrades in a system comprising a device and peripheral devices connected thereto.
A further object of the present invention is to provide easy firmware version upgrades in a system comprising a device and peripheral devices connected thereto.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method capable of interconnecting even combinations other than devices for which such connection was considered beforehand in a system comprising a device and at least one peripheral device connected thereto.
These and other objects are attained by a host device provided with a communications unit for exchanging information with a peripheral device having firmware (i.e., receiving the identification code of the peripheral device through the communication unit), a first memory for storing the identification code of the host device having firmware, a second memory for storing the firmware of the host device and the peripheral device, a discrimination unit for discriminating an optimum environment for operation of the combination of both devices based on both identification codes and the firmware stored in the second memory, and a controller for shunting firmware stored in the second memory with the firmware of a peripheral device or the host device in accordance with the discrimination result.
These objects of the present invention are further attained by a host device provided with a communications unit for exchanging information with a peripheral device having firmware (i.e., receiving the identification code of the peripheral device through the communication unit), a first memory for storing the identification code of the host device having firmware, a second memory for storing the firmware of the host device and the peripheral device, a first discrimination unit for discriminating whether or not both devices it is possible for the two devices to operate in combination, a second discrimination unit for discriminating whether or not operation is possible in firmware stored in the second memory when the first discrimination unit determines operation is not possible, and a controller for shunting stored firmware with the peripheral device or the host device when the second discrimination unit determines firmware is stored which makes operation possible.
The invention itself, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

System comprising host device that determines compatibility of firmware for connected peripheral device and downloads optimum firmware if peripheral device is not compatible


An electronic certificate signature program to create electronic signatures for documents, filings, and commercial transactions effectuated over the Internet, other computer networks or by other transmission means. A digital certificate is issued to a computer user after a personal identity verification. The personalized digital certificate may include biometric data, such as a photograph, a retinal scan, a voice print, a fingerprint, a handwriting exemplar, or other biologically derived data, and a date and time stamp, all of which is digitally signed using the private key of the issuing computer. If a hardware token is employed to house the certificate, some or all of the biometric data is printed on the exterior. A digital signature is effectuated using a network computer""s private key. A user presents the digital certificate and enters a unique passphrase or other identifying secret to gain access. The signature on the electronic document or data incorporates certain of the certificate information and a date and time stamp. This method positively authenticates the user. Multiple users may share the same private key of a network computer using this method. Individual private signature keys are not employed.

1. Field of Invention
This invention allows multiple users to access a single signature device located on a central network computer by typing a unique passphrase known only to the individual user and presenting a digital certificate that contains personal data about the individual user and to sign using the certificate information which is also incorporated into the signature itself as a way to authenticate the user in connection with the signed electronic document or data.
2. Description of Prior Art
The dominant technology under prior art for individuals to sign electronic documents and transaction data is based upon client-side digital signatures. The signatures are created by software that uses an encryption algorithm, called a private key, of the user to electronically encode the electronic document or transaction data. A mathematically related algorithm, called the public key corresponds to the private signature key. The public key is used by the recipient to verify the authenticity of the electronic document or data and the integrity of the data since signing occurred, including the fact that it has not been changed or altered since the signature was affixed. Digital certificates issued by trusted third parties called certification authorities identify public keys of the presumptive true owners of the private keys that were used for signing, thus assuring that the signer is in fact the person who purported to sign the document or data.
An example of a system of digital signatures is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,405,829 to Rivest et al. (1983). It is based upon a technology commonly referred to as xe2x80x9casymmetric encryption.xe2x80x9d In this technology, a user generates two mathematically related numbers based upon prime numbers, called keys. The so-called private key remains with the issuing user. It is kept secret. The other key, denominated the public key, can be freely distributed by the issuer to others. The keys are related, but they are not identical. They perform reverse roles. One is used to encrypt information, and the other to decrypt it. With respect to signatures, one key affixes the signature and other is used to verify it and the electronic document contents.
Electronic communications are signed, generally with the private key, in a two step process. First a digest of a message is created with a one way hash function, and then the hash function is encrypted using the private key. The authenticity of the message and its contents can be verified by a recipient as being authentic and sent from the signing party by testing the message using the public key. An altered message or fraudulent sender will be detected by a computer possessing the proper software and the public key. If either the message has been altered since signing or alternatively the signer did not use the proper private key, the signature will be reported as false or inauthentic. This method is useful for electronic authentication.
However, to the extent that this method of authentication occurs using individual desktop or laptop computers that are identified to others through a system of digital certificates, it also requires a massive infrastructure for key management and verification by trusted third parties, called certification authorities. These certification authorities verify the identities of individual key holders before issuing certificates to them. Once identity is confirmed, they sign the public key of the individual with the certification authority""s private key. They also allow others to verify that the public key of the key pair belongs to the party who is identified as the holder of the key pair, and maintain lists of active and revoked certificates for use by third parties that rely upon the certificates to prove identity. Authentication by a relying party requires not only a check of the digital signature on the message, but also of the status of the certificate identifying the signer, to make sure that it is still valid. This involves accessing the certificate authority computer and checking its lists of revoked and suspended certificates. The investment to create and operate a commercial or large enterprise-wide certification authority is considerable. Legal requirements of periodic audits impose other costs.
The digital certificates from certification authorities identify the owner of the key pair principally through the owner""s public key that was signed by the certification authority at the time of issue. No other identification is made part of the certificatexe2x80x94no picture identification, fingerprint identification, handwriting exemplar, voice print, finger print, retinal scan, or other additional proof in the certificate of the owner""s personal identity. Without such other proof as part of the certificate itself, there is no personal identification of the owner to protect the certificate from subsequent wrongful use. An identity check is performed by the certification authority at the time that the public key is signed, but not afterwards. This makes it possible for an unauthorized person who comes into possession of the private key and the certificate of another to claim the identity of the true owner for purposes of one or more transactions over the Internet. The assumed identity can continue until the wrongful use is discovered and the certificate is revoked by the certification authority. Under the laws of many states, the true owner could be bound to a transaction involving wrongful certificate use up to the moment of certificate revocation because there is no other proof of identity needed or required to complete a transaction other than possession of the private key that corresponds to the public key which was signed by the certification authority. This risk is usually placed upon the key owner by contractual agreement, governing law, or custom, and may be protected against by insurance or warranty coverage.
Obtaining possession of the private key without authorization of the owner is not impossible using currently available technology. Private keys left on the hard drive of the owner""s computer are subject to various computer attacks. Because the true owner gains access to the private key on the computer""s hard drive generally using an unencrypted password, anyone who can learn or decipher this password has equal access. A password can be deciphered through a brute force dictionary attack. All possible permutations and combinations are generated electronically on another computer until the proper password is reconstructed. Generally, there is no check on the number of failed attempts to access the password, the public key or logging device built into the software.
One additional precaution that can be taken in light of this weakness is to store the private keys not on the computer hard drive, but on a card, called a smart card, which is read via a computer peripheral device. The card is inserted into the peripheral device only at the time of signature and is removed immediately thereafter. By keeping the key on the card and in the possession of all times of the owner, the security deficiency caused by leaving the key on the hard drive is corrected, but that is not the end of the matter. The smart cards themselves are subject to being stolen from the person of the owner, and there have been a number of successful attacks on smart cards in which the private key has been extracted in laboratory tests that simulate attacks by sophisticated computer hackers.
A certification authority infrastructure requires a massive investment in equipment and personnel that results in a relatively high cost to the user. The certification authority keeps track of the current status of the public keys that have been signed by it. Each public key corresponds to a private key that may be employed on the client computer for signature purposes.
The system is also particularly awkward for business enterprises. In the event of the compromise of a private key of an employee, all correspondents, including customers, must be alerted and replace that employee""s public key with a new one, which may be viewed as an annoyance or bother inappropriate for a business context. When employees leave, the employee certificates that were issued by a certification authority on behalf of the enterprise must also be revoked so that the authority contained in the certificate is no longer valid.
On a broader scale, because the integrity of the entire system of this prior art rests upon the security of the certification authority, if the private key of a commercial certification authority is ever compromised, all certificates issued by it are suspect, and a massive undertaking to replace all keys and certificates of users or certification authorities lower in the certification chain of trust is required.
Furthermore, unless suitable means are adopted by the certification authority to verify the true identity of a holder of a private key in the first place, the claimed security of all subsequent transactions involving the issued certificate is questionable. If less than thorough identity checks are initially made, the true identity of the key holder may be in doubt. As of the date of this application, there is no agreed upon legal procedure or standard for certification authorities, their agents, or registration authorities affiliated with the certification authorities to follow in making initial identity checks for purposes of issuing digital certificates to computer users.
Certificates intentionally have a limited life-span. At the end of the cycle, if the private key has not already been compromised, a new certificate is required. This is done for security reasons. As a result of this practice, real-time checking of the validity of the corresponding digital certificate from the certification authority is necessary, to make sure the certificate is still valid at the time of signing. Thus, the prior art creates a need for continuous communications between users and their certification authorities. This need can create enormous network traffic and bandwidth usage as significant numbers of transactions take place.
There are also significant liability issues which can arise from the need for prompt notice to potential relying third parties from the certification authority of compromised or revoked certificates. If such notice is not correctly given, a third party who relies upon a compromised private key may have a legal cause of action against the responsible certification authority for damages, costs and attorney""s fees incurred. This liability cannot be limited by contract in certain jurisdictions.
Furthermore, in business and legal settings where both parties are required to electronically sign documents, filings or transaction records using their respective private keys and digital certificates, and they are located in or claim citizenship of different legal jurisdictions or countries there is a possibility for uncertainty or actual conflict in the various laws that theoretically are applicable to the transaction. In some countries, users may be required to give copies of the private keys to the applicable governmental authority upon pain of punishment. This requirement may compromise the privacy and security of the electronic signatures. Where different legal regimes are involved, such uncertainty or conflict may actually impede the use of the electronic signatures for fear of participants of legal attacks by overzealous authorities or corrupt ones, depending on the reputations of the countries involved and their respective political regimes.
A widespread proliferation of private keys among individual computer users for electronic commerce is a basic tenet of the prior art. This creation and dispersion of private keys creates an administrative and legal tangle for those charged with keeping track of the corresponding public keys and the certificates which prove ownership of them.
So long as the private key of the individual gives practically unrestricted power to bind the individual to a transaction, there will be a temptation among hackers and others to gain unauthorized control of one or more individual""s private keys. Once in their possession, the unauthorized users may be able successfully to utilize the private key of the true owner for any purpose, because the private key and digital certificate associated with the corresponding public key are the presumptive indicia of personal identity.
Another example of prior art, PenOp, U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,255(1994), and continuation Ser. No. 298,991, U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,017 (1997) and related patents cited therein, adopts a completely different approach to electronic signatures. It uses a digital drawing tablet as a basis for digitally capturing the characteristics across the drawing tablet of a handwritten signature in addition to the image of the signature itself. In certain applications, the software identifies the characteristic dynamic movements of the writer""s hand across the tablet during repeated signature creation and stores them as a template which identifies the common signature characteristics of the series of such signatures. This stored information is later used for comparison purposes to identify a subsequently generated signature as authentic.
If a hash function is also used, digested, and linked to the signature, this approach, like the xe2x80x9cdigital signaturexe2x80x9d approach of the xe2x80x9casymmetric encryptionxe2x80x9d can also determine whether any changes have been made to the document since the signature was applied.
This xe2x80x9csignature dynamicsxe2x80x9d approach may avoid the massive infrastructure of the xe2x80x9cpublic key encryptionxe2x80x9d certification authorities, and the problem of conflicting legal regimes applicable to electronic signing of documents in an international or multijurisdictional setting, but nonetheless will still require the provision of a digital drawing tablet and stylus at each computer where signature is to be accomplished, as well as the related software, which can be a significant item of cost across an entire network. In addition, traditional forensic analysis applicable to handwritten signatures does not yet apply to electronic signature analysis, and it may be some time, if ever, for the legal forensic community to become adept at signature dynamics handwriting analysis. Because there is no generally accepted way at present for expert analysis of dynamic signatures, the ability to authenticate signatures from templates is arguable at best.
Furthermore, while the xe2x80x9csignature dynamicsxe2x80x9d is claimed to allow for authentication based upon a stored template of signature characteristics, the variations in signature that occur naturally each time a signature is produced make the comparison results somewhat imperfect and correspondingly error-prone as an automatic authentication scheme:
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the invention are to provide a specific new type of electronic signature method that makes use of certificates issued by trusted parties but does not also depend upon a widespread distribution of private keys on client computers for signatures; nor upon certification authorities to keep track of valid and revoked certificates in real time; nor for a system of checking with respect to each individual transaction whether the certificate is still valid and reliable; further that uses only one signature key of a server which is shared by many users; and further, that can automatically generate and affix a date and time stamp of the server computer as proof of those parameters at the time of the signature.

Electronic certificate signature program


A sealed electrical connector assembly is provided for wire-to-wire electrical connections. The assembly includes a pair of mateable electrical connectors each of which includes a plurality of terminal receiving cavities extending therethrough. Each terminal receiving cavity preferably includes a static locking projection and a dynamic terminal positioning beam which deflects during insertion of the corresponding terminal and which resiliently returns to an undeflected condition for locking the terminal in the housing after complete insertion. A TPA component is mounted to the rear of each housing prior to insertion of the terminal. The TPA component includes terminal receiving apertures which function to rotationally align each terminal for efficient full seating in the corresponding terminal receiving cavity. Positive assurance of full terminal seating is achieved by advancing the TPA component from a first position into a second locked position.

Electrical connectors for automobiles are subjected to broad ranges of temperature, moisture, vibrations, and occasional direct contact. As a result, electrical connectors intended for automotive applications should provide an environmentally sealable housing that can lockingly receive and protect electrically conductive terminals therein, and that can lockingly engage a mating connector. Automobile manufacturers also generally require terminal position assurance (TPA) means to positively assure that the electrically conductive terminals are properly seated in the housing of the connector. It also is desirable to provide an electrical connector that is easy to assemble and easy to mate.
The prior art includes many electrical connectors that provide some assurance of positive locked engagement of the terminals therein and that lockingly mate with another connector. The prior art further includes various environmental sealing means for electrical connectors.
A typical prior art connector intended for automotive applications is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,542 which issued to Coller et al. on Dec. 10, 1985. The electrical connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,542 includes a housing with pairs of terminal receiving cavities extending therethrough. The terminal receiving cavities in each pair are separated by a pair of forwardly projecting deflectable latches for engaging terminals inserted therein. The terminals are inserted into the respective cavities from the rear of the housing, and cause the latches to initially deflect and then resiliently return to engage the terminal. The connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,542 further includes a TPA component which is slid into the forward end of the housing. If the terminals are properly seated and locked, the TPA component will advance between the forwardly projecting latches in each pair. If any terminal is not properly seated, the TPA component will not fully advance into the forward end of the electrical connector housing. The electrical connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,542 does not provide means for aligning terminals with interior forwardly disposed portions of the terminal receiving cavities. Thus, terminal insertion can be difficult and the small terminals can be damaged. Furthermore, the housing typically will be manufactured in one location and shipped to another location where the terminated leads are inserted. The provision of an entirely separate TPA component which also must be shipped to the location where the terminals are inserted can create inventory control problems. Additionally, the deflectable terminal locking means shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,542 may be weaker and permit greater terminal movement than a comparable terminal locking means on a nondeflectable structure. Still further, the forwardly disposed TPA component can interfere with seals in a pair of mating connectors.
Another such electrical connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,437 which issued to Dyki on Dec. 22, 1987. The connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,437 also includes pairs of terminal receiving cavities in an electrical connector housing. The wall between each pair of terminal receiving cavities is defined in part by a pair of forwardly projecting deflectable levers. The latches in the connector of U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,437 are not disposed on the deflectable levers, but rather are static and are rigidly disposed on exterior walls of the electrical connector housing. As noted above, this may provide additional locking strength and positively position the terminals. However, the connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,437 suffers similar deficiencies to the previously described connector in that the TPA component is forwardly mounted after insertion of the terminals, and therefore can contribute to inventory control problems and can interfere with seals on mating structures. Furthermore, it may be difficult to properly align the terminals during insertion into the housing since the area of minimum cross section in the terminal receiving cavity is disposed well forwardly of the rear entry to the housing.
Still another similar electrical connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,372 which issued to Betsui on June 7, 1988. The connector of U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,372 also includes a pair of forwardly projecting latches disposed intermediate a pair of terminal receiving cavities. The TPA component is insertable into the forward end of the connector, thereby providing at least some of the deficiencies explained above. However, the exteriorly disposed portion of the TPA component is severable from portions thereof inserted into the housing. The connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,372 provides no means for aligning the terminals for insertion into the housing.
A more efficient wire-to-wire electrical connector for automotive applications is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,813 which is issued to Wilson et al. on Oct. 11, 1988 and which is assigned to the assignee of the subject invention. The connector of U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,813 includes an electrical connector housing with a TPA component that is mounted to the rear of the housing. Thus, the TPA component does not interfere with seals between the electrical connector to which it is mounted and a mating connector. Additionally, in the embodiment depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,813, the TPA component is urged against a seal disposed in the rearward end of the electrical connector housing to contribute to sealing the rear of the connector. The connector shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,813 has proved to be very successful. However, it is desirable to provide even further improvements to such electrical connectors. More particularly, it is now considered desirable to provide an electrical connector with even stronger locking of the terminals therein and wherein alignment of the terminals to terminal receiving cavities in the housing is achieved to facilitate assembly of the electrical connector. It is also now considered to be desirable to provide greater assurance that the seals on the mating end of the connector do not interfere with locking structure on the connectors.
Other electrical connectors with terminal locking means and/or with terminal position assurance means are shown in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,452 which issued to Sian et al. on May 2, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,205 which issued to O'Grady on Mar. 7, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,617 which issued to Oda on Nov. 15, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,508 which issued to Sueyoshi on Dec. 8, 1987. The connectors in these references, however, do not provide for the most efficient terminal locking, terminal alignment during assembly and sealing during mating.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide an improved electrical connector for automotive applications.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide an electrical connector which enables efficient alignment of the terminals for facilitating assembly of the connector.
It is an additional object of the subject invention to provide an electrical connector with a TPA component which contributes to sealing and to terminal alignment.
Still a further object of the subject invention is to provide an electrical connector having efficient sealing means at the mating end thereof.

Electrical connector with terminal alignment and position assurance component


An industrial robot utilizing a parallel link mechanism comprises a shoulder portion swingable about a vertical axis, which supports a first arm and a first link for swing movements about a common axis. A second arm pivoted at the end of the first arm for swing movement about a swing axis parallel to the common axis and being provided with a wrist portion at the front end thereof, while a second link is connected between the first link and the second arm so as to form a parallel link mechanism. Further, the second arm is provided with first and second connecting portions formed at the rear side and front sides of the second arm, respectively, with respect to the swing axis of the second arm. The first and second connecting portions are selectively connectable with one end of the second link using a connecting mechanism. In an application that the robot is placed on a floor, the second arm is assembled under a first condition that the first connecting portion is located in the back of the first arm in which the second link is located and the second link is connected to the first connecting portion. In an application that the robot is hung down from a ceiling, the second arm is assembled under a second condition that the second connecting portion is located in the back of the first arm in which the second link is located and the second link is connected to the second connecting portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an industrial robot utilizing a parallel link mechanism.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In an industrial robot of the above-mentioned type, a first arm and a first link are supported on the shoulder portion for swing movements about a common axis, while a mid portion of a second arm is pivoted at the upper end of the first arm for swing movement about a swing axis parallel to the common axis. Also, a second link parallel to the first arm is connected between the first link and the rear end of the second arm, thereby forming a parallel link mechanism together with the first arm, a rear portion of the second arm and the first link. Further, first and second motors for swinging the first arm and the first link, respectively, are mounted on the shoulder portion. The second arm is moved by a swing movement of the first link through the second link to be swung about the swing axis.
In such industrial robot, a wrist portion is attached to the front end portion of the second arm opposite to the rear end portion thereof, to which the upper end of the second link is connected. Therefore, the wrist portion cannot be moved far above the upper end of the first arm, thereby limiting the working area of the robot within an area in front of the first arm. Accordingly, such industrial robot can be used only in applications in which robots are placed on floors of plants (hereinafter referred to as floor installation applications). It cannot be used in applications in which robots are hung down from ceilings of plants (hereinafter referred to as ceiling installation applications). In the past, therefore, it is required to manufacture special industrial robots having a configuration suitable for the ceiling installation applications, if robots are required to be hung down from ceilings.


A measuring tape dispenser with an impact buffer housing and tentative tape halting device, in which the housing is at least or partially covered with an impact buffer layer formed of an elastic material so as to protect the housing from being deformed or even destroyed. Furthermore, a slip resistant effect and tentative tape halting device is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a measuring tape dispenser with an impact buffer housing and tentative tape halting means, wherein the housing is entirely or partially covered with an impact buffer layer formed of an elastic material so as to protect the housing from being deformed or even destroyed by impact, furthermore a slip resistant effect and tentative tape halting means are also provided for the measuring tape dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B show schematic drawings of the structure for a conventional measuring tape dispenser. As shown in the drawings, a conventional measuring tape dispenser is constituted of a housing 11, a brake button 12, a tape 13, a coiled spring 14, and a reel. The housing 11 is made of a single brittle material, for example, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) which is vulnerable to impact resulting in deformation or destruction. Besides, the slippery surface of the housing formed of the above mentioned material is apt to cause a measuring tape dispenser to skip out of the grasp of the sweating palm of an user and fall down on the ground.
As for the tape halting means for a conventional measuring tape dispenser, when it is intended to halt the moving tape 13 at a desired position, the brake button 12 is pushed downward to the lower position of a slide slot formed on the housing 11 so that the lower terminal 121 of the brake button 12 forcibly presses the tape 13 against the housing 11 and tightly sandwiches and detains the tape 13 therebetween. However, there is no means for tentatively halting the tape 13 at a transient position desirable during measuring work.
Coming to the realization of such shortcoming as described above, the present inventor carried out studies and experiments for a long time. Based on these studies and researches, the present inventor came to propose the present invention.

Measuring tape dispenser with an impact buffer housing and tentative tape halting means


Systems and methods may include an amplifier having at least a first input port, where the amplifier includes a first capacitance associated with the first input port; a first bias circuit, where the first bias circuit comprises a series connection of a first charging circuit and a first discharging circuit, wherein a first node between the first charging circuit and the first discharging circuit is connected to the first input port, wherein responsive to an RF input signal having at least a first predetermined level being received at the first input port, the first charging circuit charges the first capacitance associated with the first input port during a first portion of a cycle of the RF input signal, and discharges the first capacitance associated with the first input port during a second portion of the cycle, thereby controlling a DC bias voltage level available at the first input port.

With the ever-growing needs for wireless communications, more efforts have been made to provide a fully integrated radio frequency (RF) transceiver, which would result in lower bill of materials, a smaller form factor, and more functionality. A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) power amplifier (PA) may be a good candidate to achieve one or more of the foregoing goals, and a higher level of transceiver integration that includes a PA has recently been demonstrated for some wireless communications such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth, and Cordless phone. However, CMOS PAs need to utilize various techniques such as a distributed active-transformer, Doherty, parallel power combining, and polar transmission to compete with HBT PAs, because the power capability of CMOS transistors is much less than that of hetero junction bipolar transistor (HBT) PAs. With continuous research to improve power and efficiency, switching CMOS PAs have attracted attention for their high power-added efficiency (PAE), but at the sacrifice of linearity. For a linear CMOS PA, however, good linearity and good efficiency cannot be easily achieved at the same time. Since recent wireless systems require a high peak-to-average ratio (PAPR) to increase data rates, linear PAs should operate at a power back-off of a PAPR from 1 dB power compression point (P1dB), which results in a heavy loss of PAE.

Systems and methods for adaptive bias circuits for a power amplifier


Cotton denim fabrics are treated to enhance abrasion and shade reduction thereby reducing stonewashing time and expense by embrittling the fibers with an acid, heat-activated finish.

Stonewashing of cotton and cotton blend fabrics has gained great popularity and provides many styling applications in today's apparel market. This effect is chiefly applied to denim products but may be applied to cotton goods treated with vat, sulfur, reactive, direct and naphthol dyes, as well as pigments. Typically ring dyed yarns are woven and are then normally treated according to various so-called "stonewashing" processes that may or may not include abrasive materials to remove portions of the outer blue dyed yarns partially exposing the white portion of the yarn underneath. Stonewashing is costly and time consuming. The term "stone washing" and related descriptions herein refers to the use of abrasive stones such as pumice, cellulase enzymes or other treatments used to abrade fabrics or garments.
This invention provides an improved stonewashing effect while reducing or eliminating the use of abrasive materials by treating the ring dyed woven goods with a finish containing acid forming salts, solid organic acids, acid forming organic compounds, mineral acids or organic materials containing acid radicals, followed by drying, heating the goods to activate the acidic material, compressively shrinking and then cutting and sewing the garments followed by washing in garment form. The desired stonewashed look is achieved while saving one-third to one-half of the normal processing time and cost associated with conventional stonewashing.
The traditional procedure for providing a stonewashed appearance to garments is to expose the garment, typically denim jeans, to a combination of bleaching and an abrasive material. This combination provides a faded, worn appearance and is achieved by tumbling the garments with an abrasive substance, typically pumice stones and usually also with a bleaching solution such as potassium permanganate, a chlorine-based bleach or the like. Typically the garment to be stonewashed is denim or other type of cotton or a predominantly cotton garment in which the cotton yarn is ring dyed. When examined in cross section, the cotton fibers of the ring dyed yarn are dyed only around the outer circumference of the cotton yarn leaving the center portion or core undyed, hence the term "ring" when the yarns are viewed in cross section. Removal such as by abrasion or other means of a portion of the ring dyed outer surface of the yarn will leave the undyed portion exposed to view thus giving the faded appearance of a garment that has been worn for a considerable period of time. Abrasive treatment also imparts a worn, weathered appearance. In addition, the stonewashing process softens the hand of the garment giving it a more comfortable, less rigid, familiar feel and comfort when worn.
Conventional stonewashing procedures are time consuming and costly and provide garments which sometimes vary from batch to batch. In addition, stonewashing is usually performed on finished garments, that is garments in the completely constructed or fabricated condition. It would be desirable to provide a procedure that assures more uniform results prior to actual construction of the garment.
Several procedures have been proposed to achieve the appearance of stonewashed garments over shorter periods of time and/or at less cost. U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,033 describes a procedure for impregnating pumice rock with potassium permanganate solution under vacuum conditions, then tumbling the impregnated pumice rock with the garments to be stonewashed followed by neutralization, rinsing and drying. This procedure results in granules of pumice in the treatment and rinse water and also granules of pumice in the pockets and compartments of the constructed garments so treated.
A similar procedure for achieving a stonewashed look is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,231 in which pumice granules are impregnated with a bleaching agent such as sodium hypochlorite. According to this disclosure the combined abrasive action from the pumice coupled with the bleaching action from the sodium hypochlorite reduces the processing time required to achieve the desired stonewashed appearance.
A difficulty with the use of pumice stones is that they average in size from 1 to 10 inches, often disintegrate into smaller size pieces and tend to accumulate in the pockets, interior closed or partially closed compartments and in the creases and folds of finished garments subjected to stonewashing. In addition, pumice powder tends to cause mechanical damage to the processing equipment and drive machinery, clogs drains and sewer lines and presents a sewage disposal problem for the finisher.
Chemical means without the use of abrasives to achieve the same or similar results have also been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,126 describes the use of cellulase enzyme to degrade or partially degrade the cellulosic fabric and release the dye from the fabric to achieve the stonewashed appearance with variations in local color density in fabric panels and seams of dyed cotton fabrics, especially denim.
A streaked, faded, worn appearance for denim is achieved according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,990 using a thickened/viscous aqueous solution of a chlorine bleaching agent in a polyacrylic acid. A similar procedure is described in U.K. patent application 2,213,842 A1 in which a fabric, typically denim, is decolorized selectively with a decolorizing paste to form patterns, characters or designs in the fabric followed by washing.
Published European application 0 404 009 describes the use of a dichloroisocyanuric acid salt as a decolorizing and bleaching agent for indigo fabrics.
Laid Open Japanese patent application 161,580/1991 describes a procedure for achieving a washed, worn-out appearance for cellulosic textile fabrics by applying a resin such as a cellulose reactive-type resin. The fabric is next scoured and bleached then subsequently dyed. The resin applied to the fabric acts as a dye resist, the areas of the fabric where the resin is present preventing the dye from entering and dyeing the cellulosic fabric resulting in a mottle dyed, washed and worn appearance.
Direct abrasion of denim fabric to achieve a softened, worn or laundered appearance with a stream of abrasive particles is described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,366. The procedure is similar to that of sandblasting and the results achieved are said to resemble stonewashing.
The present invention achieves the desired worn, stonewashed appearance for denim and other types of cellulosic fabrics that are ring dyed by providing a controlled modification of the surface of the yarn, fabric, and/or dye such that further processing, for instance with strong bleaching agents, abrasive agents and the like or both, will result in the desired level of abrasion and stonewashed fabric appearance in a shorter period of time or at a reduced cost or, preferably, both.


A lens moving apparatus includes a housing for supporting a first magnet, a bobbin, which includes a first coil provided on an outer surface thereof and which moves in a first direction, a support member, which is disposed over one side surface of the housing, and which supports the bobbin and the housing such that the bobbin and the housing are movable in second and/or third directions, which are perpendicular to the first direction, a second coil, which is disposed over the housing, and which is spaced apart from the support member by a predetermined distance and which generates an electromagnetic force to move the support member in the second and/or third directions, and a printed circuit board disposed over the second coil.

Recently, information technology products such as cellular phones, smart phones, tablet PCs and notebook PCs, in which ultracompact digital cameras are incorporated, are being actively developed.
A camera module mounted in a small-sized electronic product, such as a smart phone, may be frequently subjected to shocks during use. In addition, the camera module may minutely shake due to the trembling of the user's hand while taking a photograph. Therefore, there is a high necessity for a technology capable of incorporating an optical image stabilizer into the camera module.
In order to further improve such an optical image stabilizer, there is a necessity for structural improvement of a lens moving apparatus by the adjustment of focal length in the optical axis or the provision of an optical image stabilizing function.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.