A method for trapping of a plurality of charged particles in a charged particle trap. The trap includes first and second electrode mirrors having a common optical axis, the mirrors being arranged in alignment at two extremities thereof. The mirrors are capable, when voltage is applied thereto, of creating respective electric fields defined by key field parameters. The electric fields are configured to reflect charged particles causing their oscillation between the mirrors. The method includes introducing into the trap, along the optical axis, the plurality of charged particles as a beam having pre-determined key beam parameters. The method further includes choosing the key field parameters for at least one of the mirrors such as to induce bunching among charged particles in the beam.

This invention relates generally to the field of charged particle trapping and, in particular, to the use of a charged particle trap for time-of-flight mass spectrometry.
Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) is a process by which charged particles, such as ions, can be separated according to their mass. Assuming all the charged particles have the same energy, they will traverse a fixed distance in different amounts of time depending on their mass. Particles having a larger mass will take more time to travel across the fixed distance, resulting in a spectrum of flight times, from which the masses of the individual charged particles can be determined by a detector. The main advantages of TOF-MS techniques lie in fast acquisition time, high throughput, and virtually unlimited mass range, the latter of which is particularly important for methods of the production of ions of large biological molecules in the gas phase.
It is known that the resolution of TOF-MS instruments can be improved by increasing the length of the flight paths of charged particles before the charged particles are steered into a detector. This is known to be achieved by the multiple folding of the flight path by using electrode mirrors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,466 (U.S. ""466) to Benner discloses the trapping of a single, highly charged DNA molecule in an evacuated charged-particle trap, between the trap""s two parallel sets of electrode mirrors with applied voltages that establish an electrostatic situation analogous to an optical resonator. The electrode mirrors cycle the charged molecule back and forth many times through a detector tube mounted between the two mirrors. An induced image charge signal whose amplitude is proportional to the molecule""s net charge is read by the detector on the molecule""s every pass through the detector tube, based on which the molecule""s charge, flight time and, consequently, its mass, are determined. It is inherent to any known ion-producing source that successive particles introduced into the trap have an unavoidable range of initial energies, and therefore different flight times even if their masses are equal. Therefore, in order to obtain high resolution of measurement in the charged-particle trap of U.S. ""466, the trapping procedure must be repeated a large number of times for which an average time of flight for all the molecules can be statistically attained. Also, in order to produce a signal that can be distinguished by the detector from baseline noise, the single trapped particle must carry a relatively large number of charges. To create a particle having such a large net charge, U.S. ""466 makes use of an electrospray ionization (ESI) source.
The present invention provides for a novel method of simultaneously trapping a plurality of charged particles in a charged particle trap consisting of first and second electrode mirrors having a common optical axis. These mirrors are arranged in alignment at the two extremities of the trap and are capable, when voltage is applied thereto, of creating respective electric fields defined by key field parameters and configured to reflect the charged particles and to keep at least part of them oscillating between the mirrors. The method by which this is performed includes introducing into the trap, along the optical axis, a beam of charged particles having pre-determined key beam parameters, and establishing such field parameters, for at least one of the mirrors, as to cause bunching among charged particles in the beam.
By the xe2x80x98key beam parametersxe2x80x99, it is meant the main properties of the beam, such as the number of charged particles in the beam, charge on the particles in the beam, length, density, radius, and volume of the beam, energy and velocities of the particles in the beam. For the purposes of the present description, the length of the trap is also considered a key beam parameter since the oscillation frequency of the beam is dependent thereof. By the xe2x80x98key field parametersxe2x80x99, it is meant such main properties of the electric fields created by the mirrors as the number of electrodes in each electrode mirror, the geometrical arrangement of the electrodes, and the voltage applied to the electrodes.
By xe2x80x98bunchingxe2x80x99, it is meant a synchronization effect, believed to have been discovered by the authors of the present invention, in which oscillating ions having like charges and slightly different velocities when reflected by an electric field of a certain configuration, surprisingly move together, despite the Coulombie repulsion force acting between the ions, the slightly different velocities of the ions and the various path lengths over which the ions can be stored.
The method of the present invention is particularly useful when applied in TOF-MS, because it enables the detection and measurement of a plurality of charged particles, in spite of the particles"" having a range of energies unavoidably created by an ion-producing source. Thereby, the necessity is avoided of repeating the trapping procedure for one particle after another, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,466.
If a bunch of charged particles were introduced into the trap in the manner described in the prior art reference, the bunch would quickly expand until its time of flight could no longer be detected. The method of achieving the bunching phenomenon of the present invention prevents a bunch of charged particles oscillating within the trap from its natural expansion and allows for the prolonged oscillating flight time of the bunch necessary for high resolution in TOF-MS. Therefore, the trapping time of a plurality of charged particles becomes limited only by the extent of evacuation in the trap. Bunching not only facilitates the spectrometry process by allowing a plurality of particles to be simultaneously measured, thereby requiring less time and effort to perform the process, it also allows for each charged particle in the bunch to carry but a single or double charge, because collectively, the particles have a net charge large enough to produce a discernible signal. The latter aspect is of particular importance because it enables the trap to detect all kinds of particles of equal charges, regardless of their mass and charge. Thus, ion sources producing bunches of singly or doubly charged particles, such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), may be used. MALDI is more popular and much more prevalent than the ESI technique used in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,466.


A threaded fastener, such as a screw or a bolt, has a central longitudinal axis in a z-axis direction. The fastener has a head and a threaded shaft. The head has an overhanging periphery in an x-y plane and at least two slots, evenly-spaced apart, that extend completely through the overhanging periphery. Each slot has a sloped surface that undercuts the overhanging periphery in the same tangential direction. The screw is turned by using a bit that has a central longitudinal axis in a z-axis direction. The bit has a shank fixed to an end portion and at least two legs, evenly-spaced apart, extend from the end portion in a z-axis direction. Each leg has a sloped surface that extends in the same tangential direction.

This invention relates to a novel screw and matching novel bit. In particular, it relates to a screw having at least two undercut slots at the periphery of its head, and to a bit that engages those slots.
Power screwdrivers are now used more and more, especially when a large number of screws must be fastened. Power screwdrivers can produce greater torque than can a human, but if the rotation of the driver is not stopped immediately when the bottom of the head of the screw hits the surface into which the screw is being driven, both the slot in the screw and the bit can be stripped, destroying the bit and making it difficult to remove the screw. It is not easy to stop the driver just when the head of the screw contacts the surface, so stripped screws and ruined bits are common. This is especially true of Phillips screwdrivers (X-shaped slots) and square drives (where the slot is a square well) because the bit engages the slot so close to the center of the head of the screw that there is very little mechanical advantage. In addition, the torque of the driver tends to force the bit out of the slot, so that the operator must apply considerable pressure to keep the bit in the slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,851, the grandparent of this application, shows a screw having an undercut slot and a matching bit. The bit can be easily inserted into the slot and, when the bit is turned to tighten the screw, the bit is forced towards the screw and will not easily disengage from the screw in a vertical (z-axis) direction. Also, the bit applies torque to the periphery of the head of the screw, not to the center, thereby reducing the likelihood that the screw and bit will be stripped. However, the bit can still slide out of the slot in a horizontal (x-axis) direction. Also, unlike a Phillips screw, where the bit slides into position as it engages the screw, the bit does not automatically slide into position at the center of the slot and the user must place it in the center and keep it there while tightening the screw.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/248,790, the parent of this application, shows a screw and bit that are similar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,851, but there is a protuberance in the center of the slot and a matching well in the center of the bit. The protuberance and well guide the bit to the proper position and prevent the bit from sliding out of the slot along its length. While the use of the protuberance and well is an improvement over the screw and bit of U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,851, the screws of both U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/248,790 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,851 are difficult to manufacture using cold heading, the most common technology for making inexpensive screws. Thus, it would be desirable to have a screw and bit with all of the advantages of the screws and bits of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10,248,790 and of U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,851, but which can be easily made by cold heading.


An integrated circuit device includes a reference voltage generator, which is configured to generate an adaptive reference voltage (Vref) that varies inversely relative to changes in magnitude of a data signal (DATA) received at an input thereof. This reference voltage generator includes a totem pole arrangement of at least two variable impedance elements having control terminals capacitively coupled (by respective capacitors) to the input. A current mirror is electrically coupled to the totem pole arrangement of at least two variable impedance elements. A comparator is also included. The comparator has a first input terminal that receives the adaptive reference voltage and a second input terminal that receives the data signal.

Signals in high speed systems can be deteriorated by inter-symbol interference (ISI) and cross talk, which often make detecting such signals hard to realize. For example, as illustrated by FIG. 1, a high frequency pseudo-random binary sequence (PRBS) may be transmitted across a printed circuit board (PCB) and through input/output connectors, cables and bonding wire. As shown, these data streams may be distorted by the low pass effect of these transmission components and cross-talk caused by the high speed toggling of signals on other channels (not shown). Thus, as shown by the right side of FIG. 1, the output from the PCB may not produce a correct data sequence when submitted to a conventional comparator, which is referenced to a fixed voltage (Vref). For example, if a "long" 1 binary input sequence is interrupted by a "short" 0, as illustrated, a comparator receiving the output binary sequence may fail to detect the "short" 0 because the output binary sequence fails to drop below the reference voltage Vref. Likewise, if a "long" 0 binary input sequence is interrupted by a "short" 1, a comparator receiving the output binary sequence may fail to detect the "short" 1 because the output binary sequence fails to rise above the reference voltage Vref. Accordingly, if the binary input sequence equals "1111101111000010000", the output binary sequence may be detected incorrectly as "1111111111000000000."

Adaptive reference voltage generators that support high speed signal detection


A photorefractive composite, a spatial light modulator and a hologram display device using the same include at least one carborane compound expressed as the following Chemical Formulae 1A through 1C:

1. Field
Example embodiments relate to photorefractive composites, spatial light modulators, and hologram display devices using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to realize holograms, studies have been actively conducted about a spatial light modulator (SLM) that uses a photorefractive composite. The photorefractive composite is a material simultaneously having optical nonlinearity and photoconductivity, and a refractive index of which is periodically spatially modulated (spatial modulation of refractive index) due to redistribution of charges generated by light irradiation. The SLM is an apparatus that may modulate intensity and a phase of a light beam, and may repeatedly record 3D information. However, current SLMs do not have a sufficient modulation speed to realize a display. Therefore, there is a need to develop a new photorefractive composite.

Photorefractive composite, spatial light modulator, and hologram display device using the same

Abstract: wherein the photorefractive composite exhibits photoconductivity and optical nonlinearity.


Disclosed herein is a portable communication terminal wherein: an upper case is connected, at its lower end position, to a lower case so as to be slidable and rotatable about a shaft substantially perpendicular to a display screen of a display portion; the lower case has, on its inner main surface, a main operating portion equipped with various keys; and the display portion, even in a closed state of the upper case, is exposed; a shutter button is disposed on an outer side face of the lower case. The device is designed such that when the shutter button is depressed long in a closed state of the upper case, a shift is made to an imaging mode. The imaging mode allows a user to utilize the display screen of the display portion as a finder and to permit imaging in accordance with the user's operation of the shutter button. The device is also designed such that when the upper case is opened, the imaging operation is inhibited. This construction permits the display portion for communication to be utilized as a finder as well and also permits the device as an imaging function to serve in a way comparable to an ordinary camera.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal device (portable communication terminal, hereinafter), in particular, relates to a folding type portable communication terminal with a digital camera as an imaging function. Specifically, the invention relates to a folding type portable communication terminal that has an upper case and a lower case and is designed such that the upper case is adapted to slide and rotate relative to the lower case.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known portable communication terminal with an imaging function such as a portable telephone is disclosed in JP-A No. 336498/1998. This portable communication terminal is so designed as to utilize an LCD (liquid crystal display) for telephone use as a finder as well during imaging. Imaging is conducted such that: a user operates the terminal to display an image of an object in real time onto an LCD, check the state of display, and then conduct imaging. The portable communication terminal is equipped with a folding type upper case in which the LCD is disposed on an inner main surface of the upper case. Thus, when the LCD is utilized as a finder during imaging, the upper case is kept open relative to a lower case.
Further, for recent portable telephones available on the market, a folding type has been most popular, because of its user-friendly design where its display screen is large in size and yet small size when folded. The portable telephone generally has a sub-display portion on the outer surface of the upper case. The sub-display portion is utilized such that the state of radio wave, date and time, and received information can be checked-visually even in a closed state of the upper case.
A folding type portable telephone having a digital camera is constructed such that a shift is made to a camera mode by user's key operation in an open condition of the upper case and imaging can be done while utilizing a main display portion as a finder.
Opening and closing motions of the above conventional folding type portable communication terminal are similar to opening and closing motions of a bivalve. That is, the portable communication terminal opens and closes using a pivot shaft parallel to a lower-side side of the upper case (an upper-end side of the lower case). According to this construction, a main display portion which is utilized during communication and an operating portion which includes ten key, talk key, and clearing key, are disposed on inner main surfaces of the upper and lower cases, respectively. And when the cases are closed, the main display portion and the operating portion are hidden inside in a mutually opposed state. On such structural grounds, for utilizing the main display portion as a finder during imaging, it is necessary to use the portable communication terminal in an open condition of the upper case. This is different from the form and way of handling of an ordinary camera. Such a way of use gives a sense of incongruity to a user and the operationality of the terminal device is inferior.
When imaging is to be done using the conventional folding type portable communication terminal, it is required as a precondition that first the cases should be opened, next Camera Mode Key should be depressed for shift to a camera mode, and thereafter a finger of a user should be moved to a shutter button to start an imaging operation. Thus, a problem has been encountered in point of operationality also from the standpoint of quick imaging.
The portable communication terminal disclosed in the JP-A No. 3364981/1998 may carry out imaging even in a closed state of the upper case. However, the LCD cannot be utilized as a finder during imaging and therefore a dedicated finder is separately provided and is utilized. Such a separate provision of a dedicated finder causes an increase of cost.

Portable communication terminal device for communication and image data

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan, Inc.


A method for communicating text through a telephone system comprises the steps of generating a text message in a TTY format and electronically converting the text message in the TTY format to a pager format capable of display on a pager. The text message is sent to the pager in pager format and displayed on the pager. The user of the pager may then communicate back with the user of the TTY device through another communications device, such as a pay phone.

The passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has moved the telecommunications industry to consider the development of telecommunication technologies that provide equal access to handicapped phone users. Currently, the deaf and hard of hearing use specific devices, known as TTY devices (teletype) or telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) to communicate across a POTS network (Plain Old Telephone System). These devices consist of a keyboard, display screen, and modem. The modem links to a regular telephone. When the handicapped phone user places a phone call, he types his message into the keyboard, and the device then converts the characters of the message into electrical signals that travel over normal phone lines. When these electrical signals reach another TTY device, they are converted back into letters which appear on a display screen. The message may also be printed on paper.
Typically, a person communicating on a TTY device can only communicate with another individual with another TTY device. As a consequence, the handicapped individual is greatly limited in the number of individuals he or she may contact. Because of limits with existing TTY devices, many of the new advances available to the public are not available to the handicapped.
Phone services have developed wherein operators who have TTY devices receive calls on behalf of the handicapped. For example, a handicapped individual may place a call to the operator, who will then relay a message to a third party that may not have a TTY device. This form of communication, however, reduces the level of privacy available to the handicapped individual and his desired contact.
A need therefore exists for an improved method of communication between the handicapped individual and individual without access to TTY equipment.
The invention comprises a method for linking a user with a TTY device to a third party without such a device through phone network systems. The user of the TTY equipment may send a text message in a format for the TTY equipment, a known TTY format, such as Baudot format. The message is translated electronically using software into a format suitable for the non-TTY device, such as a pager. The text message is then sent to the paging network which routes the translated message to a customer with a pager.
In addition, rather than only sending a single message, a TTY user may also have the option of waiting for the individual with the pager to find a telephone. If the TTY user waits, the pager user may be notified that the customer is waiting for a return phone call. The pager user may then use an ordinary phone and dial a special number, provide a personal identification number (PIN), and then have his phone line associated with his pager number. Following this association, the user of the TTY device may be notified to begin text messaging. The pager user may receive the TTY user""s text message over his pager""s display. The pager user may then use his keypad on his phone or his pager, if the pager is a two-way pager, to type a return text message back to the user of the TTY device. As the pager user enters text using his keypad, he may see his text message on his pager and any return message from the user of the TTY device on his pager display. Other input devices, such as speech recognition devices, may be used to create text messages in this way.
Moreover, the TTY device need not be a traditional piece of equipment. For example, the device could be a computer work station or server accessed remotely. Accordingly, the pager and signal input device, such as the touch-tone pad, may be used to command the work station or server remotely. This invention thus uses existing telecommunication devices to facilitate text messaging between TTY users and individuals without immediate access to TTY equipment.


A system and method for the placement and retrieval of embedded data blocks within a document includes converting a document into a bitmap image; calculating a total area required to embed information; analyzing the bitmap image for areas for placement of at least one embedded data block; calculating a total available area in the bitmap image to embed the information; dividing the information to encode into data packets; determining a location on the bitmap image to place at least one embedded data block; storing coordinate information for the location of the at least one embedded data block; creating a decoding protocol for at least one embedded data block; encoding the data packets and the decoding protocol into at least one embedded data block; and creating a bitmap image of at least one embedded data block.

An embedded data block (EDB) is a two-dimensional image symbology for the storage and retrieval of data. EDBs are composed of embedded data characters, some of which are encoded to define a synchronization frame and others of which are encoded to carry user/application-specific information. The synchronization frame and the user information are the two major structural components of an EDB. Patents relating to the encoding of EDBs include U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,605, U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,896, U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,010, U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,271 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,703, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties for the teachings therein.
One example of an EDB is a glyph block. Glyph blocks encode information, for example, text, data and graphics, in thousands of tiny glyphs. Typically, glyph blocks are written on a recording medium in accordance with a regular and repeating spatial formatting rule that is selected to map the glyph encodings into a two dimensional, rectangular array of logical data blocks of predetermined size, such as data blocks having a 16 symbol cell×16 symbol cell format. These data blocks suitably are organized sequentially on the recording medium in left-to-right, top-to-bottom logical order. Glyph block detection is then also be performed sequentially.
The existing techniques for decoding glyph codes are designed to be initialized at or near the center of a reference glyph that occupies a known spatial position relative to the remainder of the glyph code (for example, the reference glyph is located in the upper, left-hand corner of a rectangular array of glyphs). Thus, accurately locating this reference glyph is a key to spatially synchronizing the decoding process with the glyph code. The decoding of glyphs is often time-consuming, inefficient, and inaccurate. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a more efficient way to encode and decode glyphs on a recording medium.

System and method for placement and retrieval of embedded information within a document


Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for heat pipe cooling of an excimer lamp. In one embodiment, a heat pipe is used to dissipate heat from an excimer lamp. The heat pipe is in direct contact with at least one electrode of the excimer lamp. In one embodiment, heat is transferred through the heat pipe to a cooling point that is electrically isolated from the lamp. In one embodiment, dissipation of heat from the cooling point is done by conventional means. In one embodiment, the heat pipe is on the inside of the lamp. In another embodiment, a heat pipe is attached to the outside of an excimer lamp. In another embodiment, two heat pipes are used, one on the inside and one on the outside of an excimer lamp. In yet another embodiment, a heat pipe is used with a flat lamp.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of excimer lamps, and in particular to a method and apparatus for heat pipe cooling of an excimer lamp.
2. Background Art
Between 60 and 90 percent of the energy input in an excimer lamp is dissipated as heat. The efficiency of excimer lamps is greater when the temperature of the lamp is lower. Thus, lamp temperatures in the range of 0 to 40 degrees C. are desirable from an efficiency standpoint. However, when an excimer lamp is not cooled, the temperature of the lamp rises to values of 50 to 130 degrees C., depending on the electrical power load and the convectional cooling conditions.
One way of cooling excimer lamps is to use water. The water is usually in direct contact with one electrode of the lamp. Since in most cases this electrode has a very high potential (on the order of 10000 V), serious electrical insulation problems arise. Thus, deionized water of the highest purity is used when the high-voltage electrode is cooled. Additionally, in many applications, cooling with water has significant disadvantages due to possible leaks and problems arising when the lamp is changed. Furthermore, the water must be contained in a closed system and cooled in an external unit. The cleanliness of the water has to be monitored and insured on a continuous base. These problems can be better understood with a review of excimer lamps.
Excimer Lamps
In excimer lamps, excited diatomic molecules (excimers) emit light in the deep ultra-violet ((V)UV), the ultra-violet (UV) or the visible spectral range when the excimers decay. One form of excimer lamp is driven by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). In a DBD driven excimer lamp, a high voltage is applied across a gas gap which is separated from metallic electrodes by at least one dielectric barrier. Dielectric barriers include, for instance, ceramic, glass, and quartz. FIG. 1A provides an example of a typical DBD driven excimer lamp.
DBD Driven Excimer Lamps
FIG. 1A is a side view of a coaxial DBD driven excimer lamp. The lamp envelope 100 is a transparent vessel that is typically comprised of glass or quartz. In common arrangements, an inner electrode 110 is separated by a dielectric barrier 120 from the excimer gas 130 enclosed within the envelope 100 and bounded on the outside by a second electrode 140 on the outer surface of the dielectric barrier.
FIG. 1B provides an end-on view of the same coaxial DBD lamp shown in FIG. 1A. In FIG. 1B, it can be seen more clearly that the inner electrode 110 and the outer electrode 140 are circular in shape, and that the excimer gas 130 is sealed between the two electrodes. The second electrode 140 may be a mesh which allows radiation from the plasma to be emitted through the lamp envelope. The discharge from a DBD driven excimer lamp is also widely known as xe2x80x9cozonizer dischargexe2x80x9d as the utilization of DBDs in air (or oxygen) is a mature technology to produce large amounts of ozone. DBD driven excimer lamps are used to efficiently produce excimers when using rare gases, or mixtures of rare-gases and halogens as the discharge gas. The excimers emit radiation in the deep ultra-violet ((V)UV), the ultra-violet (UV), or the visible spectral range when they decay. This radiation can be used for various photo-initiated or photo-sensitized applications for solids, liquids and gases.
Typical efficiencies of DBD-driven excimer (V)UV light sources depend on the electron densities and electron energy distribution function and can be xe2x80x9ccontrolledxe2x80x9d mainly by the applied voltage frequency and shape, gas pressure, gas composition and gas gap distance. With typical arrangements, such a DBD configuration only operates in a range of 1-20% efficiency. Using steep-rising voltage pulses, efficiencies in the range of 20-40% can be obtained. Still, what makes these light sources unique is that almost all of the radiation is emitted spectrally selectively. For photo-initiated or photo-sensitized processes, the emission can be considered quasi-monochromatic. Since many photo-physical and photo-chemical processes (e.g., UV curing and bonding, lacquer hardening, polymerization, material deposition, and UV oxidation) are initiated by a specific wavelength (ideally the excimer light source will emit close to those wavelengths), these light sources can be by far more effective than high-powered light sources that usually emit into a wide spectral range.
Cooling Excimer Lamps
Excimer lamps perform more efficiently when cooled, and air cooling is typically insufficient. Thus, water is frequently used to cool excimer lamps. However, the water is usually in direct contact with one electrode of the lamp. For example, water used to cool the excimer lamp of FIGS. 1A and 1B would be in direct contact with the inner electrode 110, the second electrode 140 or both. Since in most cases this electrode has a very high potential (on the order of 10000 V), serious electrical insulation problems arise. Without sufficient insulation the danger of electrocution exists. One method of addressing this electrical insulation problem is to use deionized water of the highest purity. Pure, deionized water is significantly less conductive than non-deionized water and acts as an insulator rather than a conductor.
Another problem of cooling with water in many applications is due to possible leaks and problems arising when the lamp is changed. Furthermore, the water must be contained in a closed system and cooled in an external unit. The cleanliness of the water has to be monitored and insured on a continuous base to ensure the purity of the deionized water. Thus, water cooling is too expensive and complex of a method of increasing an excimer lamp""s efficiency for use in certain applications.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and apparatus for heat pipe cooling of an excimer lamp. In one embodiment of the present invention, a heat pipe is used to dissipate heat from an excimer lamp. Heat pipes transfer heat at a rate that is up to 1000 times higher than copper. The heat pipe is in direct contact with at least one electrode of the excimer lamp. In one embodiment, heat is transferred through the heat pipe to a cooling point that is electrically isolated from the lamp. The cooling point has essentially the same temperature as the lamp. In one embodiment, dissipation of heat from the cooling point is done by conventional means (e.g., the use of fins, the use of forced air cooling or the use of liquids).
In one embodiment, the heat pipe is on the inside of the lamp. The heat pipe consists of 3 major parts: a section where the heat is transferred from the glass of the lamp to the heat pipe, a section that has an electrical insulation strength higher than the lamp voltage and a cooling part where the heat is transferred to the environment. In another embodiment, a heat pipe is attached to the outside of an excimer lamp. The heat pipe covers only part of the lamp. In one embodiment, since the outside electrode is grounded, no electrical insulation is necessary.
In another embodiment, two heat pipes are used, one on the inside and one on the outside of an excimer lamp. This allows efficient cooling of the lamp and operation at extremely high power levels. In yet another embodiment, a heat pipe is used with a flat lamp. One electrode is covered by a flat heat pipe. In still another embodiment, a flat heat pipe is used with a flat lamp and the heat pipe has an insulation section that electrically isolates the lamp electrode from the environment.

Method and apparatus for heat pipe cooling of an excimer lamp


An adjustable animal garment, the garment comprising a tubular body defining a front opening, a rear opening, a chest portion and a back portion. The garment further comprises a plurality of discrete elasticized areas formed along a length of at least the chest portion or the back portion and configured to render said at least chest portion or back portion stretchable substantially transversely to the length of the chest portion or the back portion between an extended position and a rest position; and a fastening system connectable to the chest portion or the back portion, said fastening system being adjustably closing an opening along the length of the chest portion or the back portion.

Pet apparel and accessories represent an increasingly important category within the pet industry as evidenced by the rapidly growing consumer demand for new styling, better coverage, better fit range, more flexibility, higher quality, value added features and trendy designs.
Demographic shifts in regards to smaller human families and a higher proportion of the population who are finding themselves as empty nesters is moving at an unprecedented rate. This shift is contributing to a heightened importance of pets within the family unit, taking to some extent the place of children and providing around the clock companionship within the family unit and for singles. In this context, the humanization of pets, and by extension the humanization of the pet accessory industry, is in direct correlation to this powerful trend. Pet owners are increasingly sensitive to the potential discomforts experienced by their pets, and looking for solutions much in the same way they would for a human. These same owners are also demonstrating a noticeable sense of pride in procuring and boasting superior quality, good looking and comfortable pet products for their dog or cat.
Within the pet apparel and accessory categories, the ability to properly adjust a garment or any other item onto a dog, for example, to achieve a comfortable, heat efficient and good looking fit is one of the biggest challenges that pet owners face today. Improperly-fitting pet apparel is the leading reason why many dogs and cats do not like to wear them despite the discomforts of extreme cold, direct sun, etc, causing worry to their owners and risk to the animals. And when they do wear the ill-fitting garment, their discomfort causes them to move unnaturally or not at all, and focus their efforts on trying to remove the garment.
In addition, the difficulty that many pet owners experience while attempting to fit their pet info an ill-fitting garment, or a garment with a complex closure system, or a garment without adjustability or elasticity in multiple areas can be significant.
Moreover, certain animal breeds in addition to pets at the extreme ends of the size scale and/or proportion scale do not even fit in the apparel or accessories on the market today.
The present invention provides a solution that can be applied to each challenging component to create a great fitting item, which can be applied to any type of pet apparel (shirt, coat, wrap, and the like) and other accessories such as footwear, collars and harnesses where extendibility positively impacts comfort, fit, length and/or look.
The following are some contributing factors to the need for the present invention:                Brutal and unpredictable winter conditions mean that even pets who do not like to wear weather protection, especially short haired pets, still need to;        The challenges of proper fitting to the varied shapes of pets, and especially mixed breed dogs with disproportionate shapes as well as dogs with excess weight; and        Consumers' increasing desire to dress their pets in comfort and style, the way they would dress their child or themselves.
Hence, in light of the aforementioned, there is a need for a highly adjustable animal garment which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome some of the above-mentioned prior art concerns.


A DC voltage boost circuit including a regulation circuit that produces a pulse width modulated control signal for regulating the output of the DC voltage boost circuit. Various embodiments of regulation circuits are disclosed. In one embodiment, the regulation circuit includes a waveform generator for generating a triangular waveform and a comparator for producing the pulse width modulated control signal by comparing the triangular waveform with a voltage that varies proportional to the booster output voltage. In another embodiment, the regulation circuit includes a waveform generator for generating a sawtooth waveform whose rise time varies inversely with the booster output voltage and a comparator for producing the pulse width modulated control signal by comparing the modulated sawtooth waveform with a substantially constant voltage. Yet, in another embodiment, the regulation circuit includes a counter for generating a count that sequentially cycles in response to a clock signal, wherein the counter is reset in response to a change in the booster output voltage, and a logic circuit for generating the pulse width modulated control signal from the count.

This application is related to Patent Application entitled xe2x80x9cIn-Package Inductive Charge Pump Circuit for Providing Voltages Useful for Flash Memory and Other Applications,xe2x80x9d filed on the same date as the application.
This invention relates generally to direct current (DC) voltage boosting circuits, and in particular, to a DC voltage boosting circuit that includes a resolution circuit that produces a control signal for the boosting circuit that is pulse-width modulated by the output voltage of the boosting circuit.
Many applications require circuits that can boost up an input power supply DC voltage to a higher DC voltage used for specialized operations. The reason for the voltage boost up is that often only standardized power supply voltages are available for supplying power to electronic circuits. However, there may situations where a circuit needs a higher voltage than one available from the associated power supply. One example of such a circuit is an electrical erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), typically termed in the art as xe2x80x9cflash memory.xe2x80x9d
A flash memory generally comprises an array of memory cells each typically storing a bit of digital information. Often, a memory cell is merely a field effect transistor (FET) that includes a floating gate which holds a charge that corresponds to a bit of digital information (termed herein as a xe2x80x9cbit chargexe2x80x9d). More specifically, a memory cell FET comprises a drain, gate, and a source, wherein the gate includes a control gate for enabling reading, writing, and erasing operations on the cell, and a floating gate for storing the bit charge of digital information. In addition to these gates, some memory cells include an erase gate used for removing the bit charge from the floating gate, thereby erasing the memory cell.
The writing (i.e. programming) of a bit charge of digital information typically involves electrons that tunnel or inject from the FET channel through the thin gate oxide to the floating gate. Generally, the tunneling effect or hot electron injection requires relatively high energy to move the electrons across the gate oxide layer. Similarly, the removing of electrons from the floating gate during an erase procedure requires relatively high energy to move the electrons across the gate oxide or an oxide situated between the erase and floating gates. The source for the high energy for both the writing and erasing operations is typically a relatively high voltage source, which is higher than the power supply voltages used for memory control operations. For example, the voltage required for writing and reading operations may be on the order of six (6) volts, whereas the voltage for the memory control normal operations may be on the order of 1.5 volts.
In a typical flash memory circuit, the majority of the circuit operations require a voltage on the order of 1.5 volts, for example. Thus, the design of the power supply for the flash memory circuit includes a 1.5 volt power supply. However, to generate the higher voltage used for writing and erasing operations, a DC voltage boost circuit is used which takes the normal power supply voltage of 1.5 volts and boosts it up to about six (6) volts to perform these higher voltage operations. In general though, DC voltage boost circuit can convert any input voltage to any desired output voltage.
An example of such a DC voltage boost circuit is a capacitor charge pump circuit which includes a plurality of cascaded stages each comprising a switch and a capacitor. A previous stage in the cascade supplies charges to a next stage in boosting an input voltage to a higher output voltage. However, this type of boost circuit is typically inefficient due to the losses incurred in the transfer of charges between stages, and the losses incurred across each capacitor. The efficiency for a DC voltage boost circuit that includes a capacitor charge pump circuit is on the order of about five (5) to eleven (11) percent.
Thus, there is a need for a DC voltage boost circuit that has improved efficiency in the conversion of a relatively low input voltage to a relatively high input voltage. Such a need is provided for in the new DC voltage boost circuits of the invention, as described below. The DC voltage boost circuits of the invention can be used for flash memory, static and dynamic random access memory (RAM) application, or any other application which may or many not be related to memory applications. In general, there is a need for a DC voltage boost circuit that generates an output voltage from an input voltage.

Regulator design for inductive booster pump using pulse width modulation technique


A device for transmitting the movement to a fan for cooling the cooling fluid in a motor vehicle, mounted, by means of an idle support, on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis (X-X) of the driving shaft of the vehicle, said device comprising movement generating means which are coaxial and integral with the driving shaft; means for transmitting the movement of the driving shaft to a first clutch; at least one first friction clutch with an electromagnetic actuating system, which is arranged on an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis (X-X) of the driving shaft and the rotor of which is connected to said movement transmission means and the engagement of which produces a rotation of the fan at a number of revolutions at least equal to that of the movement generating means.

The present invention relates to a device for transmitting the movement to fans for cooling the cooling fluid in vehicles, arranged coaxially with the driving shaft thereof.
It is known in the technical sector relating to the cooling of cooling fluids contained in motor-vehicle radiators that there exists the need to force air onto the radiator in order to obtain more rapid dissipation of heat from the fluid to the exterior, said forced air flow being obtained by causing rotation of a fan which is normally mounted on the water pump shaft or on the driving shaft or on a driven and fixed shaft carrying a pulley which receives movement from a belt actuated by the driving shaft.
It is also known that said fan must be made to rotate only upon reaching a certain predefined temperature of the water detected by means of a thermostat which activates an electromagnetic clutch, closing of which causes the fan to start rotating.
More particularly it is required that a motor vehicle fan must be able to rotate:                at a lower speed than that of the transmission shaft for cooling in low external temperature conditions;        at a speed equal to or even greater than that of the transmission shaft in the case of higher external temperatures or use in severe conditions which cause overheating of the engine;        at zero speed, namely with the fan which does not rotate at all and remains in an idle condition with respect to the transmission shaft, in the case of particularly low temperatures at which further cooling is of no use or even damaging.
In an attempt to achieve these performance features, coupling systems of the mixed type with electromagnetically operated friction clutches and drive couplings based on the use of parasitic currents generated by rotation of a conducting element in the vicinity of permanent magnets have been developed.
DE-32 03 143 describes, for example, an arrangement in which the driving shaft is connected to the rotor of an electromagnetic clutch, which is engaged by an armature connected to the fan for direct driving, whereas slow speed operation makes use of the engagement between a conducting disk, rotating with the transmission shaft, and the permanent magnets integral with the fan, said engagement causing transmission of movement at a low speed as a result of relative slipping between the two parts. With this solution, however, it is not possible to obtain the idle condition of the fan.
In addition to this, the known devices do not envisage the possibility of maintaining an albeit slow rotation of the fan in the case of breakage and/or complete interruption of the power supply to the coils of the clutches as occurs for example in the event of a total electrical failure.
Said devices are applied to cooling fans, the axis of rotation of which is arranged in a position slightly higher than the axis of the driving shaft in order to limit the radial dimensions of the fan and obtain rotational speeds thereof greater than those of the driving shaft.
The evolution of vehicles, in particular large-size vehicles such as lorries and the like, however, is progressing in such a way that it is preferred to design the driving cabs so that they are arranged as close as possible to the ground in order to reduce the friction and improve the air penetration coefficient of the vehicle; this arrangement of the cab, however, is made difficult by the said raised position of the fan which therefore must be displaced into a position substantially coaxial with the driving shaft.

Device for transmitting the movement to fans, in particular of vehicles


A microwave applicator having a probe which comprises an elongate shaft (14), the shaft having an external tubular wall (18), a radiating portion (15) disposed at the distal end of the shaft (14), a transmission line (17) extending to the radiating portion internally of the tubular external wall (18), and an elongate flow dividing member (19) which co-extends with the transmission line (17) longitudinally of the shaft (14), the side wall of the transmission line (17) and the side wall of the flow dividing member (19) contacting each other and contacting the internal surface of the external tubular wall (18) at two-spatially separated discrete positions, thereby defining a pair of flow channels (20, 21) inside the shaft (14). In use, cooling fluid can pass down one channel (20) and return via the other channel (21). The structure of the probe is uncomplicated and the probe is straightforward to assemble.

It's well known to ablate body tissue using a microwave applicator which heats and destroys the surrounding tissue. One use of such an applicator is in the non-invasive treatment of cancer in an internal body organ such as the liver. GB2415630 discloses an applicator of the above-mentioned type comprising a probe having a thin elongate shaft, which can be inserted into the patient. The proximal end of the probe comprises a handle which is connected to an external microwave generator by an elongate flexible cable. A thin elongate microwave transmission line extends inside the probe from the handle to a radiating tip disposed at or adjacent the distal end of the probe. In use, the microwave field radiated from the tip heats and ablates the surrounding tissue in a localised area.
A disadvantage of the above-mentioned applicator is that the probe can heat up for a variety of reasons. Firstly, power losses can occur in the transmission line extending along the probe to the tip, which power losses heat the transmission line and the surrounding parts of the probe. Secondly, the radiated microwave energy can heat the probe. Thirdly, the heat from the ablation can be conducted back along the probe. Such heating of the probe is undesirable, since it can burn the patient's skin at the point of entry of the probe or it can burn other parts of the patient's body adjacent the shaft of the probe. Indeed, UK government regulations specify that no external part of any medical apparatus should exceed 48° in temperature.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, it is well known to pass a liquid, such as a saline solution, along the probe so as to cool the probe. In use, the liquid passes out of the apertures in the distal end of the probe into the surrounding body cavity. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the liquid fills the wound and undesirably either flows out of or into the body. Furthermore, the radiated microwave energy can heat the liquid in the body cavity.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, WO2005/011049, DE2407559 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,220 each disclose microwave applicators in which cooling fluid is passed along the probe to its distal end along one flow passage and then returned along another flow passage.
In order to achieve this, each of the above-mentioned applicators comprise a complicated arrangement of cooling pipes or formers inside the probe, which define the flow and return passages. It will be appreciated that microwave applicator probes are advantageously thin, in order to enable them to be used as non-invasively as possible. However, a disadvantage of the pipes and formers used in the above-mentioned applicators is that the flow and return passages need to be relatively large in order to achieve the desired flow rates and it will be appreciated that this correspondingly increases the overall diameter of the probe. Furthermore, the probe also needs to be of a relatively large diameter in order to facilitate the insertion of the pipes or former.
We have now devised a microwave applicator which alleviates the above-mentioned problems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A heat engine apparatus for use in association with a borehole and a method of operating a heat engine in association with a borehole. The apparatus includes a first heat exchanger assembly in fluid communication with a proximal segment of the borehole, a second heat exchanger assembly in fluid communication with a distal segment of the borehole, a circulation barrier for providing a seal between the apparatus and the borehole in order to isolate the proximal segment of the borehole and the distal segment of the borehole from each other, and a heat engine associated with the first heat exchanger assembly and the second heat exchanger assembly, wherein the heat engine is a gas phase closed cycle thermodynamic heat engine. The first heat exchanger assembly, the second heat exchanger assembly, the circulation barrier and the heat engine are all adapted to be inserted in the borehole.

Thermodynamic heat engines may be used to convert heat energy to mechanical work. A thermodynamic heat engine relies upon a (relatively) high temperature heat source and a (relatively) low temperature heat sink in order to operate according to a thermodynamic cycle. In general, the greater the temperature difference between the heat source and the heat sink, the higher the efficiency of the thermodynamic heat engine.
A closed cycle thermodynamic heat engine is a thermodynamic heat engine in which a fixed amount of a working fluid is contained within the heat engine, which working fluid is repeatedly subjected to repetitions of the thermodynamic cycle. A gas phase closed cycle thermodynamic heat engine is a closed cycle thermodynamic heat engine in which the working fluid is maintained in a gaseous state throughout the thermodynamic cycle.
A typical thermodynamic cycle for a closed cycle thermodynamic heat engine includes cooling, compression, heating and expansion as basic processes. Non-limiting examples of closed cycle thermodynamic heat engines include those which operate according to the Carnot cycle, the Stirling cycle and the Ericsson cycle.
The Carnot cycle is characterized by a sequence of processes performed on the working fluid which consist of isothermal expansion, adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression, and adiabatic compression.
The Stirling cycle is characterized by a sequence of processes performed on the working fluid which consist of isothermal expansion, cooling at constant volume, isothermal compression, and heating at constant volume.
The Ericsson cycle is characterized by a sequence of processes performed on the working fluid which consist of isothermal expansion, cooling at constant pressure, isothermal compression, and heating at constant pressure.
The efficiency of some closed cycle thermodynamic heat engines can be increased through the use of a regenerator. A regenerator is a heat storage device and secondary heat exchanger which may be interposed between the cooling and heating processes of the heat engine in order to exchange heat with the working fluid and thus retain heat within the system which could otherwise be lost to the environment exterior to the heat engine. Thermodynamic heat engines operating according to the Stirling cycle and the Ericsson cycle frequently include regenerators in order to increase their efficiencies.
The temperature within the earth below the frost line (i.e., about 2 meters below the surface of the earth in Northern countries such as Canada) remains relatively stable throughout the year. An estimate of the average stable year-round ground temperature in Canada at a point within about 1 meter below the frost line is about 5-10 degrees Celsius.
The temperature within the earth below the frost line tends to increase as the distance below the surface (i.e., depth) increases, particularly within the earth's crust. This increase in temperature as a function of depth is referred to as the "geothermal gradient". An estimate of the average geothermal gradient throughout the earth's crust is about thirty degrees Celsius per kilometer (30° C./km).
The temperature within the earth at a location two kilometers below the earth's surface may therefore be about 50-55 degrees Celsius higher than the temperature several meters below the earth's surface.
As a result, the stability of the ground temperature below the frost line and/or the geothermal gradient can potentially be utilized for the operation of a heat engine, such as a closed cycle thermodynamic heat engine.
Geothermal or ground source heat pump systems are known for houses and other buildings. Such systems typically include a heat exchanger located within the building for transferring heat to and from a closed loop containing water or antifreeze as a working fluid, which closed loop extends between the heat exchanger and a location in the ground which is relatively shallow but is below the frost line. The working fluid is typically circulated through the closed loop by a pump. Geothermal or ground source heat pump systems may be used to transfer heat from the ground to the building (i.e., for heating of the building) or to transfer heat from the building to the ground (i.e., for air conditioning of the building).
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2007/0245729 A1 (Mickleson) describes a geothermal energy system comprising an injection borehole, a production borehole, a heat extraction system located at the earth's surface and coupled to the production borehole, piping coupled to and extending between the heat extraction system and the injection borehole, and a spanning borehole portion extending from the injection borehole to the production borehole and extending through hot rock. The heat extraction system may be comprised of a turbine, an exchanger-piping system or a Stirling engine and alternator combination. A geo-fluid is circulated through the geothermal energy system in order to mine heat from hot rock resources and deliver the heat to the heat extraction system.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0209904 A1 (Sumrall) describes an electrical power generating system including a Stirling engine and a high temperature source coupled to a hot chamber of the Stirling engine, wherein the high temperature source comprises heat from below the earth's surface. In an embodiment of the system, the high temperature source may be a borehole such as a dry hole, an oil well, or a gas well. The low temperature source for the Stirling engine may be comprised of a body of water, in which case the Stirling engine is thermally coupled to the body of water. In some embodiments, the Stirling engine may be located in the body of water.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0223032 A1 (Sumrall) describes an electrical power generation system similar to that described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0209904 A1 (Sumrall). The electrical power generation system includes a power generating means comprising a hot junction and a cold junction, wherein the power generating means may be comprised of a thermoelectric generator or alternate power generating means including Stirling engines, Rankin engines, Matteran energy cycle engines, flash power plants, dry steam power plants, binary power plants, flash/binary combined cycles, and the like.


An object placement managing unit changes at least one of a position and a direction of a virtual object based on a value of a parameter associated with a physical quantity that is an attribute of the virtual object. The object placement managing unit determines a first change, which corresponds to a user's operation, in a first physical quantity of the virtual object. The object placement managing unit determines a second change in a second physical quantity. The second change corresponds to and is different from the first change. The object placement managing unit changes a value of a parameter based on the first change and the second change. The object placement managing unit changes, after the value of the parameter is changed, at least one of the position and the direction of the virtual object based on the changed value of the parameter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a program, an information storage medium, an information processing system, and an information processing method.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been available an information processing system that sequentially generates frame images each showing a picture obtained by viewing an object placed in a virtual space from a viewpoint position defined in the virtual space in the viewing direction, and displays on a display device. There has also been available an image processing system that utilizes a physics engine, which is a software for simulating the laws of physics, such as the laws of classical mechanics, to improve reality in movement of an object placed in a virtual space.
Typically, the physics engine determines a position and an direction of an object after elapse of a predetermined period of time, based on a value of a parameter indicative of physical quantity (e.g., position, direction, mass, inertia moment, velocity, angular velocity) set for each object at a certain moment and a value of a parameter indicative of physical quantity (e.g., wind velocity) relating to the whole virtual space.
In addition, there has been known an information processing system capable of moving an object placed in the virtual space according to an amount of operation input by a user's operation of a controller, for example.

Program, information storage medium, information processing system, and information processing method for controlling a movement of an object placed in a virtual space


A filter assembly for an engine and operable to support a filter element. The filter assembly includes a housing defining a filter receiving space having a first end and a second end. The first end and second end defining an axial length therebetween. A biasing element is integrally formed as one piece with the housing and disposed adjacent the first end.

The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines. More particularly, the present invention relates to air cleaners for internal combustion engines.
Internal combustion engines mix air with fuel to produce a combustible fuel-air mixture. Before the air enters the engine, it often passes through an air cleaner to remove any undesirable particles (e.g., dirt, grass clippings, twigs, and the like).
Current air cleaners generally include a pleated filter media contained within a filter housing. Generally, the filter housing includes two halves that bolt together. The filter element is positioned between the two halves and the bolt is tightened until the housing makes solid contact with both ends of the filter media. Thus, the screw is used to assure that the filter media is properly seated within the housing.
Other air cleaners use simple connections to assemble the housing but require the maintenance of tight tolerances to assure that the filter element is properly positioned. The tight tolerances increase the cost associated with the manufacture of the housing.


The present invention related to a method for retrieving a tumor contour of an image processing system that includes a memory storing a grayscale image and a processor, comprising: receiving an input tumor contour of the grayscale image; defining a tumor contour annular region and a plurality of reference segments of the grayscale image, wherein the input tumor contour is in the tumor contour annular region, and each of the plurality of reference segments is across the tumor contour annular region and includes a plurality of measured points; retrieving a tumor contour suggestion point on each of the plurality of reference segments; and linking all the tumor contour suggestion points on all of the reference segments, for forming the tumor contour. Accordingly, by applying the method of the present invention, a doctor can rapidly and accurately identify the contour of a tumor in a grayscale image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for retrieving a tumor contour of an image processing system and, more particularly, to a method for retrieving a tumor contour of an image processing system that includes a memory storing a grayscale image and a processor.
2. Description of Related Art
Owing to the non-invasive image-information technique, ultrasonography becomes one of the most acceptable medical tools without serious side effect, and an important radiography for retrieving information from patients applied in clinical diagnosis and medical application. Moreover, since advanced ultrasonography can provide real-time medical imaging with high resolution, it is widely applied in medical examination and diagnosis of tumoral changes.
For example, by way of analyzing the ultrasonographic image in detail, the properties of the tumor can be easily identified by doctors. Thus, ultrasonography can advantageously reduce frequency of tumoral biopsy. In ultrasonography, an imaging contour of a tumor is a principal index for the diagnosis of benignancy and malignancy. If the imaging contour of a tumor obtained from ultrasonography can approximate the real appearance of the tumor, it is beneficial to promote the accuracy of the examination of tumors at the initial stage. In clinical researches, professional doctors often provide the diagnosis of a tumor through description or checklist after the ultrasonographic images are output and checked. However, referring to the same image of the tumor, diagnostic variation between different diagnoses of different doctors still occur.
Therefore, as the technique of computer-aided diagnosis and reading-out of tumor image develops, the identification of tumors assisted by a computer is gradually accomplished in clinical application. Basically, the prerequisite of the examination or identification of tumors is to determine the site of an imaged tumor, i.e. to determine the contour of the imaged tumor. Conventionally, the researchers delineate an imaged tumor to determine the contour of the tumor. However, the definition of the image, the recognition of the researchers for the boundary of the tumor, and the operational condition of the researchers all incur the variation of the determination of the contour of the tumor, and then undesirably affect the examination or identification of the tumor.
One of the advantages for diagnosing the contour of a tumor aided by a computer is that most of the people who know the location of the imaged tumor can depict similar or even the same contour of the tumor. In other words, people are not required to carefully delineate a tumor but only approximately depict the boundary of the tumor with naked eyes. Then, the computer can provide the real boundary of the tumor by algorithm. Hence, the computer-aided diagnosis is invariably highlighted in the research of medical image processing. For example, in 1987, Michael Kass et al. set forth Snake algorithm, in which an initial boundary was determined first and then an optimal boundary was found out sequentially by algorithm. Therefore, Snake algorithm now becomes one of the well-known methods in medical image processing.
Snake algorithm, also called "active contour method", currently becomes the most widely used algorithm in the research of medical image processing. In Snake algorithm, the principal step is to find out delineation of a region with the minimal constraint of the outside region to the delineated region and the minimal influence of the inside image to the delineated region. Owing to the minimal constraint and influence, the delineated region appears as movement of a snake, and performs expansion and contraction.
Snake algorithm can automatically search data in neighboring regions, locally consider data in each region, and retrieve data according to a feature by surrounding a region based on spatial consecution. The advantage illustrated above is the reason why Snake algorithm is called an "active contour method". Snake algorithm is suitable to retrieve data from a line segment, a boundary, and a contour, to dynamically track, and to three-dimensionally comparison. As long as the initially delineated region is near to the contour of the interesting image, Snake algorithm can propose a final contour by recursive calculation. As shown in FIG. 1, the contour of the airplane is retrieved by the conventional Snake algorithm.
When Snake algorithm is applied in an image having a clear boundary, especially in an image having high contrast difference between outside and inside neighborhoods of the boundary, an acceptable result can be obtained. However, the tumor image often has an indistinct boundary or hypoechoicity, or even has no hypoechoicity such that the applied Snake algorithm needs to be modified to depict the contour clearly. Generally, Snake algorithm is applied to investigate the consecution, curvature, and local gradient energy of each point in the regions (n×n mask) surrounding an predetermined point. However, if the regions surrounding the predetermined point are indistinct, the search result of the regions surrounding the predetermined point is poor in Snake algorithm. If most regions surrounding the main predetermined points are indistinct, Snake algorithm cannot propose acceptable results. On the other hand, if calculating regions surrounding the predetermined point is expanded, Snake algorithm consumes long calculating time and still provides unsatisfactory results for large-scaled indistinct images. Furthermore, the calculation of Snake algorithm requires a depicted contour of an initial region given by the researchers. Once the initial region is improperly determined and the image is indistinct, Snake algorithm cannot output an outstanding result in the ultrasonographic imaging of a tumor.
In conclusion, the conventional delineation of a tumor needs to be carefully made by hands of medical professionals. By contrast, Snake algorithm requires an initial approximate contour of a clear predetermined region instead of delineation by hand, and then a subsequent calculation performs the approaching of the real contour in Snake algorithm. Nevertheless, if the input initial contour depicted by hand is required to very close to the actual contour of the predetermined region, it is time-consuming delineation is inevitable. On the other hand, if the input initial contour is quite different from the contour of the predetermined region, the calculation of the approaching is time-consuming since Snake algorithm falls into no boundary calculation at the same time. Hence, Snake algorithm is not suitable to be applied in an image which is not clear.

Method for retrieving a tumor contour of an image processing system


A method and apparatus for providing musical training is disclosed. The method/apparatus allows a user to practice voice lessons, ear training lessons, songs, and/or various musical instruments that rely on good pitch perception (such as a violin or a brass instrument). The method/apparatus displays a sequence of music notes to the user via a combination of conventional music staffs (such as a grand staff) and instances of a pitch-based representation. The method/apparatus also displays the accuracy of the user in hitting notes, the quality of his/her tone if supported, changes to his/her vocal range if desired, and tracks the user's practice history. The method/apparatus further provides features such as automatic vocal range detection, adjustment of lessons to a user's vocal range, and a display method that makes changes to the pitches of music notes clear during musical key/scale changes.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a method and apparatus for providing musical training.
2. Description of the Related Art
In ancient human tribes, it is believed that music was a group activity that everyone participated in. However, with the introduction of professional musicians and music as a professional field in general in recent centuries, our societies have been split into those who are deemed to have a talent for music and those who believe (or are told) that they don't have any musical talent. However, many people can develop a musical talent when trained by a teacher.
As a prior patent points out: "In music instruction, a student's aural perceptions are typically developed through collaboration with a music teacher who points out, by verbal comment and audible example, the pitch, timbral, and timing errors of the student. Teaching musical skills are complicated by the fact that sound, unlike paintings, cannot directly be seen and only exist when played. Audio tape recorders allow students to review their performances, but do not provide any analysis."
Over the years, there have been attempts to help singers and other musicians with their pitch perception. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,789 (the source of the quote in the previous paragraph) describes a tool to help singers with a line that shows their pitch and other vocal characteristics, while bars on a screen indicate the notes within a prerecorded or live musical sequence.
There also exist computer/console-based karaoke games, such as Rock Band (Harmonix Music Systems Inc.), Band Hero (by Activision Publishing Inc.), SingStar (by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) that provide immediate pitch feedback on a singer's voice. The main shortcoming of such games is they are not designed for vocal training. These games assume fixed length songs that are in no way customized to the user's vocal skills (e.g. vocal range) and a design suitable for delivering voice lessons.
There also exist pitch-correction tools, such Melodyne by Celemony Software GmbH, that are designed for correcting pitch errors within prerecorded audio clips of singers and instruments. These tools show the pitches detected in the audio using pitch bars and pitch lines. Melodyne also provides a crude display of note heads on a non-conventional staff that is subject to ambiguous interpretation of note timing, and is suited to audio-mixing applications rather than voice/musical training.
There also exists various vocal training books (with audio CDs) and vocal training software with built-in voice lessons, but without pitch bars. These tools may be valuable for singers who are already confident that they are singing the correct notes, but not for those who are unsure if they are singing the correct notes or not (whether they are beginners or advanced singers). One of these tools, Voice Tutor by IMPACK Productions, provides pitch feedback using a needle (similar to the fuel gauge needle found in automobiles). Its needle design shows immediate pitch, which performs poorly when vocal vibrato is present, and can only show local pitch errors relative to a predetermined target note.
Some existing vocal training software (such as Singer's Friend by Robert Lumpkins) allows very limited customization of voice lessons to a user's vocal range. These software applications rely on limiting the range of the voice lessons to an exact range manually set by the user, without any regard for what the lesson is intended for, and assume the user already knows their own vocal range.

Method and apparatus for musical training


A process of programming a programmable logic device (PLD) to carry out a specified logic function. The PLD contains three levels of logic implemented as a plurality of functional blocks, each with AND and OR planes, and a programmable interconnect matrix or logic expander carrying out AND logic. After providing such a PLD with specified size constraints and after specifying a logic function, the function is split or factored into subfunctions or factors. A Boolean factorization procedure chooses factors by replacing pairs of product terms in the first factor with their supercube and minimizing the number input terms and product terms required. Subfunctions or factors which are too large can be simplified by combining pairs of inputs in the interconnect matrix. The product terms of a subfunction or factor can be ordered according to the number of input terms they have and assigned to the functional blocks one at a time. Functional blocks which use many inputs or product terms per output can have some of their assigned subfunctions split so as to pack the PLD more densely. Split subfunctions or factors are recombined in the interconnect matrix. After assigning terms to functional blocks and the matrix, they are loaded into the PLD using a device programmer to configure the logic arrays in the PLD.

Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are a class of integrated circuits which can be programmed by a user after they have been fabricated so as to emulate various logic functions. Logic designers typically use PLDs to implement control logic in electronic systems, because they are relatively easy to program and can be reprogrammed when necessary to change their logic. This makes their use in an electronic system's design phase less costly than the custom hardwired or "application specific" integrated circuits (ASICs).
One major class of PLDs has a set of input pins, a programmable AND plane connected to the input pins, an OR plane connected to outputs of the AND plane and a set of output pins connected to outputs of the OR plane. The AND plane provides a matrix of programmable connections where each column connects to an input pin and each row forms an output of the AND plane, called a product term line, which connects to the OR plane. The OR plane may be programmable, such that each product term line is connectable to columns leading to different output pins, in which case the PLD is called a programmable logic array (PLA). Alternatively, the OR plane may be fixed, such that each product term line is assigned to a particular output pin, in which case the PLD is called a programmable array logic (PAL) device.
The PLDs just described contain two levels of logic (AND and OR) and are capable of implementing logic functions that are representable in "sum of products" form. A sum of products form of a logic function is essentially a set of product terms for each output of the function. Such a logic function is represented in a PLD by programmed connections in the AND plane and OR plane. Each product term line has a programmable input connection in the AND plane to each input pin and produces a single output value representing the logical AND or "product" of the connected inputs. Usually both the original input pin value and its complement are available for connection to a product term line. Each output has a programmable product term connection in the OR plane and produces an output value representing the logical OR or "sum" of the connected product terms.
Recently, PLDs with more complex architectures have been developed. Such architectures use two or more functional blocks, each structured like the two-level PLDs described above, which are connected together to produce the final output or outputs. Connection of functional blocks may be done in a number of ways. One connection scheme uses the outputs of the functional blocks as inputs to another functional block or blocks, again structured like a simple two-level PLD. However, because an input assignment must propagate through two or more PLD functional blocks before the correct output pattern can be obtained, the propagation delay of this scheme is usually at least twice that of a single two level PLD. Another connection scheme combines outputs from two or more functional blocks in a logic expander. The logic expander is usually just a product term array and possibly followed by an inverter array which provides the necessary logical connection with less propagation delay than a PLD functional block. A third connection scheme uses a programmable interconnect matrix to logically AND inputs to or outputs from the functional blocks.
PLDs of any of the above described architectures are electronically configured, mapped or "programmed" to implement a specific logic function. A logic function in a PLD device takes a set of input pins and for each possible input assignment value produces an output pattern on the set of output pins. Usually there are a plurality of output pins and the function is a multiple output function. A single output function is a special logic function requiring only one output pin. Logic functions need not necessarily be connected to input and output pins. They may refer to the values of internal registers, and so in speaking of pins, it will be understood that internal registers are equivalents. The type of logic functions which can be implemented on a PLD described above is that which can be represented in "sum-of-products" form. The sum-of-products form of a function is essentially a set of product terms, where product terms are formed by the logical AND of one or more inputs. Such a function is easily implemented in a simple two-level PLD by connecting selected columns representing inputs or their complements in the AND plane with selected rows, i.e. product term lines, to produce product terms and connecting selected rows representing these product terms in the OR plane with selected columns to form the outputs.
It is standard practice for logic designers using two-level logic PLDs to use logic minimization steps to more efficiently program those PLDs. Logic minimization takes advantage of the realization that many different sum-of-products forms may exist for the same function, and that one particular form may be selected so as to minimize the number of required product terms. If the PLD allows for programmable inversion of the outputs, the inverse of the desired function may require fewer product terms than the function itself. In the case of PLAs and other PLDs that allow sharing of all or some product terms, a multiple output function with common product terms may be more efficiently programmed by taking advantage of this feature. Thus, these techniques allow users to pack more logic onto a given PLD.
With regard to the efficient programming of the more complex three-level logic PLDs, problems are manifest in areas such as the breaking up of a logic function into a plurality of subfunctions that can be programmed into separate output cells or functional blocks, what to do when a particular subfunction has too many input variables or product terms, or both, to fit into a single functional block, and how to make best use of the available third level of logic. One approach merely applies the logic minimization steps used for two-level logic PLDs to the subfunctions to better pack those subfunctions into the functional blocks, but does not address the situation where one or more of the subfunctions do not fit, even after minimization. The bulk of the research on multilevel logic synthesis has focused ASIC design, not in PLD functional block assignments.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a process for programming a PLD having multiple functional blocks connected by a third level of logic, such as an interconnect matrix, which does not introduce significant propagation delays, which can handle logic having input or product term requirements that exceed the capacity of any one functional block, and which can program larger functions into the PLD.

Programming process for 3-level programming logic devices


An apparatus may include a housing adapted for at least partial insertion into a concha bowl of a human ear, at least one speaker residing in or on the housing, a control system residing in or on the housing and a positioning element attached to the housing. The control system may be configured for controlling the speaker and configured for radio frequency (RF) communication. The positioning element may be configured to fit at least partially inside a concha of the human ear and may be configured to retain the housing at least partially within the concha bowl. The positioning element may include one or more wires Control System configured for communication with the control system. The one or more wires may be configured for at receiving and/or transmitting RF radiation. In some examples, the positioning element may be, or may include, a concha lock. The positioning element may include a loop antenna.

RF (radio frequency) communication with devices worn in the ear, such as ear buds or hearing enhancement devices, can be challenging because of RF absorption by the body. Because the human body is largely electrically conductive, it can absorb RF radiation. The situation is especially challenging with ear devices that fit completely or substantially into the ear canal, because such ear devices are surrounded on all but an outward facing face by flesh.

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation


A computer-implemented method includes receiving (i) a request for ratable content, and (ii) information specifying a geographic location of a computing device; accessing a data repository configured to store items of ratable content, with an item of ratable content associated with a geographic location; obtaining a plurality of items of ratable content related to the geographic location of the computing device; sending, from the obtained items of ratable content, an item of ratable content to the computing device; receiving a request for ratable content associated with a level of granularity relative that is higher than the level of granularity of the sent item of ratable content; sending, to the computing device, another item of ratable content, from the obtained items of ratable content, that is associated with a level of granularity that is higher than the level of granularity of the previously sent item of ratable content.

The Internet provides access to a number of online forums in which people can exchange information, ideas, opinions, and digital resources of various formats. Examples of these online forums include blogs, digital bulletin boards, online discussion boards, social websites, online gaming sites, online market places, and so forth. A user of an online forum can submit content ("content submissions") to a server of the online forum, and the server provides the content submissions to other users for viewing and/or comments. Generally, content submissions include user submitted information, including, e.g., questions, ideas, comments, media resources, and so forth.
The server may generate items of ratable content, for example, by converting a content submission to a format that promotes receipt of rating information for the content submission. Generally, an item of ratable content includes a content submission that may be rated by users. Rating information may be in the form of comments, an approval vote, a disapproval vote, and so forth.
In an example, a server of an online forum receives a large number of content submissions from the users and generates a large number of items of ratable content from the content submissions. In order to facilitate viewing of the items of ratable content by the users, the server may generate "series," for example, by associating the items of ratable content with topic categories. Generally, a topic category includes a label that is used to identify at least a portion of the items of ratable content. Generally, a series includes a grouping of items of ratable content that are associated with a particular topic category.
For items of ratable content in a series, the server may rank the items of ratable content, for example, based on rating information received for the items of ratable content. In an example, the items of ratable content are each associated with a number of votes. For an item of ratable content, the server tallies the votes received for the item of ratable content. The item of ratable content is ranked, based on an overall number of votes received, relative to the overall number of votes received for the other items of ratable content.

Retrieving ratable content based on a geographic location


A three dimension collapsible lampshade mainly includes a collapsible rib foldable on a cubical surface and a pliable fabric cover foldable on a plane. The pliable fabric cover has a flexible ring at a lower rim that may be fixed or folded in a desired shape. The collapsible rib and the pliable fabric cover are separable. By coupling the collapsible rib and the pliable fabric cover a cubical lampshade can be formed. The lampshade may also be folded in three dimensions. Compared with the conventional lampshades that are foldable only in two dimensions, the invention can save the cost of package material and transportation. The separable design also allows consumers to change and replace the pliable fabric cover as desired after purchase.

U.S. patent publication No. 20030189833 discloses a lampshade, referring to FIG. 1. The lamp shade 10 has a bracing rib 11 with one end pivotally coupled with an upper ring 12 through a movable joint 13 and other end pivotally coupled with a lower ring 14 in the same way. By means of such a construction the upper and lower rings 12 and 14 and the bracing rib 11 can be collapsed to fold the lamp shade 10 in a flattened and circular manner as shown in FIG. 2, with the folded bracing rib 11 located beneath a fabric cover 15.
FIG. 3 shows another U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,434 which also is a collapsible lampshade. It has an upper ring 21, a lower ring 22, a plurality of hinges 23 located at a lower end of the upper ring 21 and an upper end of the lower ring 22 to be coupled respectively with a post 24 to support and extend a fabric cover 25. To collapse the lampshade, the post 24 is removed as shown in FIG. 4. Then a flattened and circular lampshade 20 is formed. The post 24 is stored separately. If the post 24 is lost, the lampshade becomes useless.
The conventional lampshades as previously discussed are collapsible on a cubical surface in a vertical space. They differ only in the structure. Referring to FIG. 5, they aim to fold the lampshade 10 (20) on the cubical surface to save space. Such structures still have problems remained to be solved, notably:
1. Collapsed Area:
As shown in FIG. 5, after the lampshade 10 (20) has been collapsed, it is folded only in the direction of the cubical surface (Z axis). While the size shrinks after collapse, the collapsed lampshade still has to be packaged separately for shipping. This results in a higher cost of the package material and transportation. The present invention proposes a three dimension collapsible lampshade that can form a shrunk size as shown in FIG. 6. Folding ribs foldable on a cubical surface can be disposed beneath a pliable fabric cover folding on a plane to reduce the cost of package material and transportation.
2. Replacing of the Pliable Fabric Cover:
The conventional lampshades as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 have the pliable fabric cover fastened to the upper or lower ring, and cannot be removed and replaced. Nowadays consumers like to have alterations and different styles. The conventional design cannot meet such a requirement.


An encoder/decoder is disclosed which is operative to convert an 8 bit value to a ten bit serial run length limited code for transmission over a serial data link. The encoding technique maintains DC balance within 2 bits over a single ten bit word and compensates for DC imbalance by inverting selected words in the transmission sequence to correct for a DC imbalance resulting from the transmission of a prior unbalanced word. One or more encoding lookup tables are employed at the encoder to map each byte into a ten bit run length limited code for serialization and transmission over the serial data link. A second decoding lookup table is employed at the decoder to map the received 10 bit run length limited code into the original 8 bit value.

The present invention generally relates to the transmission of data over a serial data link and more particularly to encoding methods and apparatus for generating DC balanced, run length limited codes for transmission over a serial data link and a decoder for decoding such codes.
Numerous applications exist in which it is desirable to transmit data over a high speed serial data link. Well known problems must be overcome, however, when transmitting data over serial data links at high speed. To maintain a high signal to noise ratio, differential transmitters and receivers are often employed at the transmitting and receiving ends of the serial link. It is well known that it is desirable to maintain the transmitted binary signal generally in a DC balanced state to maintain good common mode rejection characteristics at the receiver. DC balance is maintained by transmitting approximately the same number of binary 1s as 0s over the link. This would not typically occur if data were just randomly transmitted over the serial data link. To obtain a DC balanced signal for transmission over a serial link it is known in the art that encoders and decoders may be employed to assure that a balanced condition is maintained over the link. If transmissions over the serial link are imbalanced (i.e. more binary 1's than 0's or more 0's than 1's) a DC offset may be induced on the serial link which can interfere with the ability of a differential receiver to properly decode the binary digits.
When transmitting data at high speeds over a serial data link it is often impractical or not desirable to provide a separate clock signal for data recovery at the receiver since clock skew may occur. Additionally, it is often desirable to minimize the number of backplane or data link signals and the provision of a separate clock signal necessarily increases the signal count. For this reason, a clock signal is sometimes recovered from the serially transmitted data using a phase locked loop at the receive end of the serial data link. To maintain proper operation of a phase locked loop, however, the input signal to the phase locked loop must exhibit sufficient transitions for the phase locked loop to maintain a lock on the input data frequency. If the received data, for example, comprises a long string of logic 1s or 0s, the absence of transitions renders clock recovery difficult. For this reason, run length limited encoding techniques are employed. A run length limited (RLL) code is an encoded character which has a maximum number of logic 0s or 1s in a row. For example, a digital signal with a run length limit of 5 has a maximum of five consecutive logic 0s or 1s. It is known to select run length limited codes so as to maintain the run length over successive characters. The use of such run length limited encoding technique maintains sufficient clocking transitions to permit clock recovery and recovery of the data stream at the receiver.
A number of encoding techniques have been developed to address the problems associated with the maintenance of DC balance and data stream synchronization using RLL codes. One such technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,379 entitled Byte Oriented DC Balanced (0,4) 8B/10B Partitioned Block Transmission Code. The encoding circuit therein disclosed partitions an 8 bit byte of information into 5 bit and 3 bit sub-blocks for encoding purposes. The 5 bit and 3 bit blocks are separately encoded while maintaining DC balance across all block and sub-block boundaries.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide a simple, cost effective DC balanced encoder/decoder with a short run length limit to provide improved data transmission and clock recovery over a serial data link.

Data encoder/decoder for a high speed serial link


A system and method for serializing output includes shift registers that sample a deserialized input signal at a relatively slow clock speed. Data latency between the input and output signals is controllable to a higher granularity than the input signal with bit positions corresponding to the high-speed input signal. A predictive learning algorithm receives data latency values from the input signal and corresponding data latency values from the output signal to correct and control output latency, potentially within one high speed clock cycle.

Processor latency is a great concern in many systems. Decreasing, or precisely controlling, latency to intervals of less than one nanosecond can provide more accurate control of systems and interfaces. Existing predictive algorithms provide the possibility of latency through the integrated circuit of less than a single clock period, but the resolution confined to a clock period of around 3 ns.