Method and system for selecting and accessing multimedia information/services located on a user workstation or on a server by touching finger items that are electronically illuminated over the surface of a hard-copy document or any other physical surface. The system includes: an opto-touch foil, placed over (or under) a portion of the document, used to highlight hyperlinked items over the surface of the physical document and to read coordinates of these hyperlinked items; and a user workstation for accessing the information/service associated with the hyperlinked items. Hyperlinked items are illuminated by the luminous signal for identifying and selecting hyperlinked items. When a user selects an item, the workstation receives a signal indicating the position of this selected item. The user workstation identifies, locates and accesses the information/service associated with the position of the selected item.

The present invention generally relates to interactive hypermedia systems and more particularly to a method and system for creating hyperlinks from selected items (e.g., words, pictures, foot notes, symbols, icons) on hard-copy documents to locally or remotely accessible servers, for highlighting by means of a light emitting source the position of each selected item, and for triggering anyone of said hyperlinks simply by touching the hard-copy document over said highlighted items.
Internet
The Internet is a global network of computers and computers networks (the xe2x80x9cNetxe2x80x9d). The Internet connects computers that use a variety of different operating systems or languages, including UNIX(trademark), DOS(trademark), Windows(trademark), Macintosh(trademark), and others. To facilitate and allow the communication among these various systems and languages, the Internet uses a language referred to as TCP/IP (xe2x80x9cTransmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocolxe2x80x9d). TCP/IP protocol supports three basic applications on the Internet:
transmitting and receiving electronic mail,
logging into remote computers (the xe2x80x9cTelnetxe2x80x9d), and
transferring files and programs from one computer to another (xe2x80x9cFTPxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cFile Transfer Protocolxe2x80x9d).
World Wide Web
With the increasing size and complexity of the Internet, tools have been developed to help find information on the network, often called navigators or navigation systems. Navigation systems that have been developed include standards such as Archie(trademark), Gopher(trademark) and WAIS(trademark). The World Wide Web (xe2x80x9cWWWxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cthe Webxe2x80x9d) is a recent superior navigation system. The Web is:
an Internet-based navigation system,
an information distribution and management system for the Internet, and
a dynamic format for communicating on the Web.
The Web seamlessly, for the use, integrates format of information, including still images, text, audio and video. A user on the Web using a graphical user interface (xe2x80x9cGUIxe2x80x9d, pronounced xe2x80x9cgooeyxe2x80x9d) may transparently communicate with different host computers on the system, different system applications (including FTP and Telnet), and different information formats for files and documents including, for example, text, sound and graphics.
Hypermedia
The Web uses hypertext and hypermedia. Hypertext is a subset of hypermedia and refers to computer-based xe2x80x9cdocumentsxe2x80x9d in which readers move from one place to another in a document, or to another document, in a non-linear manner. To do this, the Web uses a client-server architecture. The Web servers enable the user to access hypertext and hypermedia information through the Web and the user""s computer. (The user""s computer is referred to as a client computer of the Web Server computers.) The clients send requests to the Web Servers, which react, search and respond. The Web allows client application software to request and receive hypermedia documents (including formatted text, audio, video and graphics) with hypertext link capabilities to other hypermedia documents, from a Web file server.
The Web, then, can be viewed as a collection of document files residing on Web host computers that are interconnected by hyperlinks using networking protocols, forming a virtual xe2x80x9cwebxe2x80x9d that spans the Internet.
Uniform Resource Locators
A resource of the Internet is unambiguously identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), which is a pointer to a particular resource at a particular location. A URL specifies the protocol used to access a server (e.g. HTTP, FTP, . . . ), the name of the server, and the location of a file on that server.
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol
Each Web page that appears on client monitors of the Web may appear as a complex document that integrates, for example, text, images, sounds and animation. Each such page may also contain hyperlinks to other Web documents so that a user at a client computer using a mouse may click on icons and may activate hyperlink jumps to a new page (which is a graphical representation of another document file) on the same or a different Web server.
A Web server is a software program on a Web host computer that answers requests from Web clients, typically over the Internet. All Web servers use a language or protocol to communicate with Web clients which is called Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (xe2x80x9cHTTPxe2x80x9d). All types of data can be exchanged among Web servers and clients using this protocol, including Hyper Text Markup Language (xe2x80x9cHTMLxe2x80x9d), graphics, sound and video. HTML describes the layout, contents and hyperlinks of the documents and pages. Web clients when browsing:
convert user specified commands into HTTP GET requests,
connect to the appropriate Web server to get information, and
wait for a response. The response from the server can be the requested document or an error message.
After the document or an error message is returned, the connection between the Web client and the Web server is closed.
First version of HTTP is a stateless protocol. That is, with HTTP there is no continuous connection between each client and each server. The Web client using HTTP receives a response as HTML data or other data. This description applies to version 1.0 of HTTP protocol, while the new version 1.1 breaks this barrier of stateless protocol by keeping the connection between the server and client alive under certain conditions.
Browser
After receipt, the Web client formats and presents the data or activates an ancillary application such a sound player to present the data. To do this, the server or the client determines the various types of data received. The Web Client is also referred to as the Web Browser, since it in fact browses documents retrieved from the Web Server.
Interactive Access To Multimedia Services
Interactive electronic services, video-on-demand, and the World Wide Web are providing access to an increasing offering of movies, shopping information, games, multimedia documents, electronic commerce and many other services. A major problem in using these systems is to browse the enormous variety and quantity of possible choices to discover what is available, and to make a selection. By example, when surfing on the Web, a conventional method to navigate across many pages of hypertext documents consists of using search tools or invoking bookmarked links to the different required topics. When surfing on video-on-demand services, a conventional method to navigate is to surf on channels. Advertisements on preview channels are used as entry points to other movies. Users can navigate and make selections from a remote control using hierarchical menus. Obviously, these approaches does not allows a rapid access and browse of the thousands of multimedia documents that are available on the Web or interactive TV.
Present invention is based on the recognition of two significant facts:
People are very skilled at browsing through paper catalogs, magazines, newspapers, maps and books by flipping through the pages and glancing at pictures and text.
A collection of printed color photographs can be much easily and quickly browsed than a sequence of computer screens. Paper has a number of useful properties:
paper is easy to read, mark, and manipulate;
paper is portable, familiar and can be easily distributed.
Many electronic systems attempt to replace paper by providing many advantages such as, for example, a better access to multimedia services. But, however most users prefer to work with paper. It is difficult to foresee, for example, the replacement in the future, of paper catalogs by electronic catalogs (e.g., by Web accessible catalogs). Publication entitled xe2x80x9cThe Last Bookxe2x80x9d, IBM Systems Journal, Vol 36, No. 3 Vol 36, No. 3-1997, by J. Jacobson, B. Comiskey, C. Turner, J. Albert, and P. Tsao of the MIT Media Laboratory, compares printed books and computer screens in the following terms:
xe2x80x9cA book represents a fundamentally different entity than a computer screen in that it is a physical embodiment of a large number of simultaneous high-resolution displays. When we turn the page, we do not lose the previous page. Through evolution the brain has developed a highly sophisticated spatial map. Persons familiar with a manual or textbook can find information that they are seeking with high specificity, as evidenced by their ability to remember whether something that was seen only briefly was on the right side or left side of a page, for instance. Furthermore their haptic connection with the brain""s spatial map comprises a highly natural and effective interface, when such information is embodied on actual multiple physical pages.
Another aspect of embodying information on multiple, simultaneous pages is that of serendipity and comparison. We may leaf through a large volume of text and graphics, inserting a finger bookmark into those areas of greatest interest. Similarly, we may assemble a large body of similar matter in order to view elements in contrast to one another, such as might be done to determine which of a particular set of graphical designs is most satisfyingxe2x80x9d.
Out of those advantages the most important problem, of course, with traditional printed books is that they cannot be changed, amended, updated nor completed.
During the last years, due mainly to the widespread use of personal computers and the universal access of millions of users to the World Wide Web, the xe2x80x9cmultimedia publishingxe2x80x9d has veritably exploded. Due to the widespread penetration of CD-ROM drives an enormous amount of multimedia titles combining text, images and sounds, are now accessible to owners of personal computers. In this evolution, an incredible amount of hypermedia information is today accessible via the Internet on the World Wide Web.
Even when the public""s enthusiasm for new computer-based multimedia services has been seen by many analysts as a threat to the conventional forms of hard-copied publishing, particularly book publishing, the real fact is that reading a book cannot be compared with reading an electronic media. Reading paper remains preferable for most people, whether they are familiar with computers or not.
Touching directly the objects we have around is one of the simplest, most instinctive, and universal human actions.
Finger pointing and touching are the most natural form of human/machine interface. The action of touching is so simple and natural that navigating by means of touch screens require no training and no learning. In fact the pervasiveness robustness and versatility of the xe2x80x9ctouch technologyxe2x80x9d is transforming the way people are living, working, learning, and playing. The xe2x80x9ctouch technologyxe2x80x9d is successfully used in many different applications, by example:
In industrial environments: Environmentally-robust touch screens are increasing productivity under hazardous and hostile conditions that would cripple a standard Personal Computer and keyboard.
In hospitals: Touch input helps doctors to prescribe medications to patients faster by allowing handwritten prescriptions.
In retail locations: Interactive, through-the-window displays let customers shop whenever they want, even when a store is closed.
In mobile and consumer devices: Touch and stylus input is the widely accepted input method for portable, and other mobile devices.
At tourist destinations: User-friendly kiosks are a cost-effective way to help travelers to get information and make their own reservations.
The two main advantages of touching are:
Simplicity: Touching with the fingertip is the simplest and more intuitive form of pointing and selecting an item, and
Versatility: Touching is particularly adapted to applications where the use of a keyboard, a mouse or an optical pencil or stylus is not practical or is not well adapted to the user""s service or comfort.
Traditionally, a touch panel is integrated into the computer display. The touch panel and the display forms a combination called xe2x80x9ctouch screenxe2x80x9d. The input device is integrated into the monitor, so no space is wasted, and the interaction of the user with the system is made easier. The system guides the user by showing different choices in the form of icons displayed on the screen. When the user touches the icon of its choice, the associated action is executed.
Therefore, there is a real need to provide the user with new systems and methods for improving printed texts with electronically stored data in the form of images, sounds and/or additional text.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,697 entitled xe2x80x9cPrinted Book Augmented with an Electronic Virtual Book and Associated Electronic Dataxe2x80x9d, discloses a system and method for augmenting a printed text with electronically stored data in the form of images, sounds and/or additional text where a printed book comprising a plurality of pages of text is emulated by an electronic virtual book, that mimics the appearance of the printed book. This invention is based on the duplication of the paper book, on the creation of an electronic book over which links to hypermedia are defined and can be selected by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,729 entitled xe2x80x9cMethod, System, and Article of Manufacture for Navigating to a Resource in an Electronic Networkxe2x80x9d, discloses a method for navigating on an electronic network. The method comprises the steps of
forming an electronic image of an object having a plurality of markable regions associated with a plurality of electronic resources;
processing the electronic image to detect which of the markable regions associated with the plurality of electronic resources is marked;
generating a list comprising at least one link to at least one of the electronic resources whose associated markable region is marked, and
displaying a display screen based upon the list.
This invention requires image scanning and image processing means to read marked regions on hard-copied documents.
A similar approach using optical image scanners to access multimedia services is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,193 entitled xe2x80x9cMultimedia Service Access by Reading Marks on an Objectxe2x80x9d. This patent discloses an apparatus and a method to enable a user to control the selection of electronic multimedia services by means of a scanner for reading marks on an object and for communicating a request signal, having an object code representing the read marks, to a user interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,581 entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Linking a Document with Associated Reference Information Using Pattern Matchingxe2x80x9d also uses image scanning and pattern matching techniques. This patent discloses an apparatus for linking a portion of a document with associated reference information, wherein the linked portion is designated by a predetermined attribute of the received document image, using among several other, a device for electronically scanning the electronic representation of the document image to locate said predetermined attribute of the document""s image.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,251 entitled xe2x80x9cHand-held Portable WWW Access Terminal with Visual Display Panel and GUI-based WWW Browser Program Integrated with Bar Code Symbol Reader in a Hand-supportable Housingxe2x80x9d discloses a portable hand-held WWW access terminal for accessing HTML-encoded documents located on the WWW. The terminal includes a bar code symbol reader in a hand-supportable housing for reading URL-encoded symbols specifying the location of HTML-encoded documents stored in information servers connected to the Internet and supporting the TCP/IP standard. This invention requires the marking of physical documents with bar code symbols and requires bar code readers to trigger hyperlinks.
Finally, a different approach for having an access to mutimedia services from physical documents is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,265 entitled xe2x80x9cPrinted Publication Remote Control for Accessing Interactive Mediaxe2x80x9d. This patent discloses a remote control system for an interactive media comprising a printed publication (such as a book, a magazine or a catalog), and one or a plurality of buttons physically attached to the printed publication to allow users to remotely control use of associated electronic content by a host device.
None of the methods referenced in the prior art describes a system that would enable a user to get access to hypermedia services simply by touching with a fingertip an original, unmarked, hard-copied document (e.g., over an original edition of a rare ancient book).
From the prior art analysis, there is a real, uncovered need, for a system and a method for selecting and accessing multimedia information and/or services from different items (i.e., words, icons, figures, foot notes, etc.) printed on a book, a hard-copy publication or, more generally, on any type of physical document:
simply by touching the document with the fingertip, while, at the same time,
maintaining the integrity of the document.
There is a need for not modifying a document using special marks or fonts to locate, identify or visualize the different items the user can select on the document. It would desirable to highlight these items while preserving the integrity of the physical document.
Aspects of the Invention
It is an aspect of the present invention to improve the current systems and methods of selecting and accessing electronic multimedia information or services.
It is another aspect of the present invention to select and to access electronic multimedia information or services directly from a physical document.
It is another aspect of the present invention to select and access electronic multimedia information or services simply by touching items on a physical document.
It is another aspect of the present invention to create hyperlinks between items on the physical document and multimedia information or services located on servers.
It is another aspect of the present invention to highlight said items while preserving the integrity of the document.
The present invention discloses a method and system of selecting and accessing information or services by touching hyperlinked items on a physical document. The method, for use in a user system, comprises the steps of:
identifying a physical document, said physical document comprising one or a plurality of pages;
identifying a page of said physical document, said page comprising one or a plurality of predefined hyperlinked items;
identifying position of hyperlinked items comprised in said identified page referring to a hyperlink table associated with said identified document, said hyperlink table comprising for each page of the document, a list of hyperlink items, and for each hyperlink item, an indication of its position on said page;
sending for visualization on an opto-touch foil, the position of said hyperlinked items, said opto-touch foil being connected to the user system.
The method comprises the further steps of:
determining the position of a point pressed on said opto-touch foil; said opto-touch foil being placed and aligned over or under the identified page of the physical document; each one of hyperlinked items on said page corresponding to a visualized position on said opto-touch foil; said opto-touch foil being pressed at a point corresponding to a selected hyperlinked item;
identifying the selected hyperlinked item corresponding to the position of the point pressed on said opto-touch foil referring to the hyperlink table, said hyperlink table comprising an indication of the position of each hyperlinked item on the identified page;
identifying and locating information or service associated with the selected hyperlinked item referring to the hyperlink table, said hyperlink table comprising for each hyperlinked item of each page of the document the identification and location of the information or service associated with the hyperlinked item;
acessing the information or service associated with the selected hyperlinked item.
The present invention discloses a method and system of creating hyperlinks, by touching hyperlinked items on a physical document, for use in a user system. The method comprises the steps of:
creating a hyperlink table for a physical document; said physical document comprising one or a plurality of pages;
receiving and storing in said hyperlink table an identification of the physical document;
for each page of said physical document:
receiving and storing in said hyperlink table an identification of the page and an identification of hyperlinked items defined by the user on said page;
receiving and storing in said hyperlink table identification and location of information or service associated with each defined hyperlinked item;
determining the position of points pressed on a opto-touch foil; said opto-touch foil being placed and aligned over or under the page of the physical document; said opto-touch foil being pressed at points corresponding to the position of said defined hyperlinked items;
storing the position of the points pressed in the hyperlink table, said hyperlink table comprising for each hyperlinked item, an indication of its position on the page.
The foregoing, together with other aspects, features, and advantages of this invention can be better appreciated with reference to the following specification, claims and drawings.

Method and system for accessing interactive multimedia information or services by touching highlighted items on physical documents

International Business Machines Corporation


A process for removing NO.sub.x and/or SO.sub.x from a gaseous stream by oxidation with a fine flocculent acidic catalyst slurry which is regenerable during the process, in particular by pH adjustment in the absence of added heat. The catalyst slurry comprises MnO.sub.2, Mn.sub.2 O.sub.3, and Mn.sub.3 O.sub.4 having pH in the range from about 0.5 to about 6.5 and is prepared by aerating a divalent manganous salt in an aqueous solution having a pH in the range from about 8.0 to about 13.5.

Contamination of the atmosphere by oxides of sulfur (SO.sub.x) and oxides of nitrogen (NO.sub.x) has been a public health and environmental problem for many years, because of the irritating effect on the human respiratory system, the adverse effect on plant life, and corrosive attack on many metals, fabrics, and building materials. These pollutants are generated from the combustion of sulfur and nitrogen compounds in the fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, and from the high temperature reaction of nitrogen and oxygen gases at the point of combustion, and are subsequently emitted as power plant flue gas, incinerator off-gas, and other waste gas from combustion engine, metallurgical plants, fertilizer plants and chemical plants.
One prior solution to this problem is to utilize wet scrubbing processes which involve washing the flue gas with various scrubbing solutions. Wet scrubbing processes can be effective in removing sulfur dioxide (SO.sub.2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2) from the flue gases. However, nitric oxide (NO) is usually the major NO.sub.x species in waste gases from combustion processes. Due to the extremely low water solubility of nitric oxide (NO), the wet scrubbing processes are ineffective in removing nitric oxide (NO), unless the nitric oxide (NO) is oxidized to nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2). Gas phase oxidation of NO requires expensive oxidizers such as ozone or chlorine. Reaction-driven scrubbing processes utilizing chelated ferrous salts (e.g. EDTA-Fe (II) solution) to form a covalent Fe-NO bond with nitric oxide have been proposed. However, the presence of 3-5% oxygen in most waste gases tends to oxidize Fe(II) to Fe(III) and thus render these reaction-driven scrubbing processes ineffective unless a reducing agent is also provided. This approach is again economically not viable, unless Fe(II) can be practically regenerated, because the costs of the chemicals used are relatively high.
Another prior art solution to this problem comprises Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) of NO.sub.x to nitrogen (N.sub.2) with a catalyst and a reducing agent such as urea or ammonia. However, this method is expensive and also ineffective in removing SO.sub.x.
One other solution to this problem was proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 54,026,966 published Feb. 28, 1989. This method comprises contacting the waste stack gas with a solution containing ferric nitrate and ferric sulfate. SO.sub.x is oxidized and dissolved as FeSO.sub.4 and NO.sub.x is oxidized to Fe(NO.sub.3).sub.2 OH. The drawback for this process is the poor removal of NO.sub.x, since ferric nitrate cannot effectively convert NO to NO.sub.2 which is more water soluble.
Still another solution to this problem comprises treating waste gas with manganese dioxide (MnO.sub.2) to form nitrate (NO.sub.3.sup.-) and sulfate (SO.sub.4.sup.=), while the manganese (IV) dioxide is reduced to manganous (II) compounds.
There are several patents disclosing the use of manganese dioxide for waste gas treatment. Chinese patent application No. 1,052,260 published Jun. 19, 1991 discloses a process for treating SO.sub.x using a soft Manganese ore containing about 60% MnO.sub.2. The Mn(IV) is reduced to Mn(II) and MnSO.sub.4 is recovered as a byproduct. No manganese regeneration is mentioned. A similar process is disclosed in Japanese patent application No. 3,207,427, published Sep. 10, 1991.
German Patent Application No. 3,731,899, published Apr. 27, 1989, discloses a stepwise removal of NO.sub.x which involves first converting NO to NO.sub.2 and subsequently oxidizing NO.sub.2 to manganous nitrate by MnO.sub.2. Thermal regeneration of MnO.sub.2 is mentioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,545, issued Aug. 14, 1979, described a process for treating waste gas utilizing MnO.sub.2 absorbent for NO.sub.x and SO.sub.x removal. The manganous ion formed is then recovered by ion exchange in acidic condition followed by thermal regeneration. This method is again tedious and expensive.
A flue gas wet scrubbing process using MnO.sub.2, KMnO.sub.4, FeS, and CuO and surfactant as scrubbing medium is described in Chinese Patent Application No. 87,107,725, published May 18, 1988. No regeneration of Manganese is mentioned.
Japanese Patent Application No. 51,136,592 and 51,136,595, both published on Nov. 26, 1976, disclose an anodic deposition method for the regeneration of a MnO.sub.2 -based catalyst. MnO.sub.2 is supported. Complicated dialysis and ion exchange procedures are involved.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,569, issued May 15, 1990, discloses a process for reducing the level of sulfides in aqueous solutions and gaseous in the presence of manganese-containing catalyst. There is no mention of removal of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides in the reference. There is again no mention of regeneration of manganese oxide.
These prior art processes are either tedious and/or too expensive. Those processes which utilize MnO.sub.2 are costly because they either consume large quantities of manganese compounds which are expensive, or the methods for regeneration of the manganese dioxide involve complicated and costly steps, such as thermal regeneration, ion exchange, etc. Since the 1990 Amendment to the Clean Air Act requires more facilities to have NO.sub.x control in addition to SO.sub.x control, there is a need for an improved process which can efficiently remove both NO.sub.x and SO.sub.x simultaneously and with a simple and economic method for the regeneration of the chemicals used.

Process for removing nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides from gaseous stream


An apparatus for filling a plurality of tubes is disclosed. The apparatus includes a positioning device that directs a tube from a hopper to a labeler where a label is applied to the tube. The positioning device further directs the tube to one of a plurality of filling stations where a continuous flow of filling material is dispensed into the tube. The tube is then directed to a capping device where a cap is applied to an end of the tube.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and process for filling tubes and, more particularly, to an automated tube filling apparatus and process wherein a continuous flow of filling material is directed into a plurality of tubes.
It has long been known to package merchandise and supplies in tubes. Typical products packaged in tubes include caulk, sealant, silicones, greases, as well as health supplies such as toothpaste, lotion, cleansers, and the like. Thus, there is a significant industry relating to tube filling machinery and techniques.
In the manufacturing arena, such as in the fabrication of aircraft or other large machinery, large amounts of sealant are required throughout the manufacturing process. In this regard, sealant is purchased in bulk containers and thereafter packaged into smaller, more usable quantities. Typically, industry standard tubes are used to package the sealant that are used with pneumatic guns to dispense the sealant on the various components throughout the aircraft or other machinery.
The filling operation is conventionally done by hand, since mixing the filling materials and filling the tubes are often required to be in explosion-proof facilities. A typical filling operation comprises an operator applying a label to an empty tube, filling the tube from a filling nozzle, and applying a cap. It is not unusual to fill 1000+ tubes in an eight hour shift. In many cases the packaging must be done locally because the filling material has a relatively short shelf life and, in some cases, the filled tubes must be stored frozen, which further limits their transportability. Filling over 1000 tubes manually creates a significant risk to the operator in terms of repetitive motion, which may result in carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive stress conditions. Manual operation also creates potential for other personal injuries from contact with the filling material or heavy machinery.
Automatic tube filling machines are known in the art, such as machines described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,788,035; 5,209,044; and 6,082,077. Other automatic filling machines are sold by Daeyong Filling Machinery of Korea. These conventional machines and others like them, however, suffer from several disadvantages. Specifically, some of these conventional automatic machines are electrically operated and therefore susceptible to igniting fumes during the filling operation by electrical sparks or shorts.
An even greater disadvantage with conventional filling machines is the repeated on/off cycling of the filling material pump, which can cause multi-component filling materials to be inconsistently mixed during the tube filling process. The inconsistently mixed filling material cures irregularly or not at all, which results in insufficient seals or other quality problems. In some cases where the filling material is a sealant used to seal joints in aircraft manufacturing, it has been observed that a substantial amount of the filling material is wasted due to rejections for insufficient seals from inconsistently mixed filling material. Thus, there is a need for an automatic filling machine and process that substantially eliminates inconsistently mixed filling materials during the tube filling process. Preferably, such a machine would also be explosion-proof and simple in construction.
These and other needs are provided by the apparatus for filling tubes according to the present invention. Advantageously, the apparatus of the present invention is able to direct a continuous flow of filling material into a plurality of tubes instead of directing intermittent flows into the tubes. As a result, the filling material is consistently mixed and thus provides an improved seal when the filling material is dispensed from the tube during normal use. As such, quality rejections are reduced and the overall manufacturing process is more efficient.
In particular, an apparatus for filling a plurality of tubes according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first filling station and a second a filling station operatively connected to at least one gas supply, such as a conventional shop air supply, wherein each filling station is operable to dispense a filling material into a respective tube. Advantageously, the gas supply is the sole source of power a majority if not all of the moving components of the apparatus, which allows the apparatus of the present invention to be used in an explosion-proof environment. In addition, the filling material dispensed by the filling stations is preferably a multi-component filling material, such as an epoxy-resin or the like.
The apparatus also includes a positioning device capable of moving between a plurality of positions, such as between a first position for receiving one of the plurality of tubes from a tube hopper or the like, and a second position for directing the tube towards the filling stations. In particular, the positioning device moves the tube along a path of travel to a selector, which is operable to selectively direct the tube to either the first filling station or the second filling station depending on which filling station is ready to receive an empty tube.
The filling stations direct a continuous flow of filling material into the tubes. In particular, a predetermined amount of filling material is dispensed into the tube until a sensor is actuated, which causes the continuous flow of filling material to be redirected into another tube. Advantageously, the flow of filling material is continuous so that the filling material is consistently mixed during the process. More specifically, the filling material pump does not intermittently start and stop during the filling process, which can cause inconsistent mixing of the filling material components. By contrast, the filling material pump runs continuously according to the present invention, and the filling material components flow through a static mixer or the like and mix consistently before being dispensed into the empty tubes.
According to one embodiment, the apparatus also includes a label applicator that is positioned proximate a third position of the positioning device. In this regard, the positioning device moves the tubes to the label applicator, where an adhesive-backed label is applied to the outer surface of the tube. In one embodiment, the positioning device includes an actuator that can rotate the tube while the positioning device is in the third position so that the label can be easily applied to the rotating tube. The label applicator can be positioned in several locations along the tubes"" path of travel, and in one embodiment is positioned between the first position and third position of the positioning device.
The apparatus also includes a capping device downstream from the filling stations. The capping device includes a cap supply source, such as a cap hopper, a capping station, and a cap feed system capable of directing and aligning a plurality of caps along a path of travel from the cap supply source to the capping station. In operation, the cap feed system moves the caps along an elevator, such as a moving endless belt. At least one orienting device is located along the elevator or elsewhere along the path of travel. The caps are directed to the capping station where they are applied to the end of the tubes. Advantageously, the capping device is powered solely by at least one fluid supply, such as by a standard shop air line. In particular, an elevator drive is operatively connected to the fluid supply, and in one embodiment the drive includes a clutch that limits torque output of the drive if a cap becomes jammed in the capping device.
The apparatus also comprises several safety devices or safety interlocks that protect the operator and prevent damage to the apparatus. One such safety device is a safety door that must be positioned over the tube hopper such that a pair of interlock members suitably engage either mechanically or proximally. If the safety door is not in place over the hopper, new tubes that are not already in process will not be fed through the apparatus. Another interlock is located at a main door so that the apparatus will not operate when the door is opened, such as by opening a latch and pivoting the door about hinges.
Accordingly, the apparatus of the present invention provides a safe and efficient method of filling tubes that avoids the problems of conventional tube filling devices. The apparatus of the present invention is particularly advantageous when the filling material comprises a plurality of components. In particular, because the apparatus of the present invention directs a continuous flow of filling material into the tubes, the filling material pump does not start and stop during the filling operation. As a result, the filling material is consistently mixed and provides better quality seals and less wasted material.

Automated filling machine and associated method


In one embodiment, a device in a wireless network receives telemetry data from a plurality of autonomous vehicles. The telemetry data is indicative of radio signal quality metrics experienced by the vehicles at a particular location over time. The device forms an array of wireless roaming thresholds by applying regression to the telemetry data. The device computes an optimum roaming threshold from the array of wireless roaming thresholds to be used by the vehicles when approaching the location. The device triggers, based on the computed optimum threshold, one or more of the autonomous vehicles to initiate access point roaming when approaching the particular location.

As wireless access points become increasingly ubiquitous, more and more access points are being deployed in industrial settings. Typically, this is done through the implementation of a wireless mesh, whereby access points relay communications between one another, in order to pass data to and from clients. This is in contrast to traditional enterprise wireless networks.
Unfortunately, triggering roaming between access points in certain wireless mesh deployments can be quite challenging. For example, hills, turns, and the like, can sometimes lead to 'dead spots' at which a client will lose its connection to the network, were it to say connected to its current access point. To complicate this even further, roaming decisions for fast-moving clients, such as vehicles, must be made in a very short amount of time. Effects such as co-channel interference, though, can create delays in coordinating these roaming decisions, leading to the client unavoidably losing its network connection.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Triggering client roaming in a high co-channel interference environment


An acoustic cleaning assembly that includes a horn assembly and a generator body that is coupled to the horn assembly. The generator body includes an inner surface that at least partially defines an outlet plenum, and an opening that extends in flow communication between the horn assembly and the outlet plenum. An end cap is coupled to the generator body and includes an inner surface that at least partially defines an inlet plenum. A diaphragm is coupled between the generator body and the end cap. The diaphragm channels air from the inlet plenum to the outlet plenum to facilitate generating sound waves within the outlet plenum.

The subject matter described herein relates generally to turbine engines and, more particularly, to an acoustic cleaning assembly for use with power generation systems.
At least some known power generation systems includes a furnace and/or boiler to generate steam that is used in a steam turbine generator. During a typical combustion process within a furnace or boiler, for example, a flow of combustion gases, or flue gases, is produced. Known combustion gases contain combustion products including, but not limited to, carbon, fly ash, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, chlorine, arsenic, selenium, and/or mercury.
At least some known power generation systems include a particulate collection device, such as a baghouse, for use in reducing an amount of combustion products within the flue gases. During operation, at least some known components of the power generation system, such as the baghouse, are subjected to deposits being formed thereon. The formation of such deposits in air treatment systems may adversely affect the operation of the components. For example, buildup on a surface of these components may cause treatment inefficiencies, pressure drops, and excessive outage time. Removing such deposits while the system remains online facilitates improving an efficiency and an availability of the system.
At least some known methods of online deposit removal include soot blowing and/or the use of acoustic horns. Generally, known methods, including soot blowing, may cause erosion to surfaces being cleaned. Moreover, at least some known acoustic horns require a supply of compressed air to actuate a vibrating diaphragm plate to generate sound waves for use in cleaning air treatment components. Often, in such acoustic cleaners, a relief valve is used to discharge pressurized air from the acoustic cleaner, and additional pressurized air is required to facilitate operation. However, the loss of pressurized air through the relief valve increases the cost of operating the acoustic cleaner by increasing an amount of pressurized air required to operate the acoustic cleaner.

Acoustic cleaning assembly for use in power generation systems and method of assembling same


A multifunctional polypeptide chain or a protein. A polypeptide chain X, comprising an antigen 1 binding domain R1, an auxiliary peptide chain linking domain R2 and an antigen 2 binding domain R3. The auxiliary peptide chain linking domain R2 is a cytokine or a cytokine binding domain in a cytokine receptor. A protein, which is a heterodimer composed of the polypeptide chain X as a main peptide chain and an auxiliary peptide chain Y. The auxiliary peptide chain Y comprises an antigen 3 binding domain R4 and a main peptide chain X linking domain R5, or the auxiliary peptide chain Y is the main peptide chain linking domain R5. The multifunctional protein mediates specific cell killing by binding to different tumor antigens with the two antigen binding domains of tumor-associated antigens therein. The multifunctional protein can function as a cytokine by introducing a cytokine or a cytokine receptor complex.

Bispecific antibodies, also known as bifunctional antibodies or bivalent antibodies, can specifically bind to two different antigens simultaneously, with specificity and bi-functionality, have broadly application in the future in the fields of tumor immunotherapy and autoimmune diseases etc.
Bispecific antibodies are not found in nature and can only be prepared by artificial methods. At present, methods for preparing bispecific antibodies mainly include chemical conjugation, hybridoma technology, and recombinant DNA technology etc.
Medarex had developed bispecific antibodies as early as 30 years ago and conducted a phase III clinical trial in 2001. However, the research in this field has been silent due to clinical trial failures and manufacture problems (Garber K, 2014). In 2009, the bispecific antibody Catumaxomab developed by Trion was approved by the European Union for the treatment of malignant ascites caused by EpCAM-positive tumors, but its high immunogenicity greatly limits its clinical application (Spasevska I, 2014). In recent years, the rapid progress of antibody engineering technology has brought new opportunities for the development of bispecific antibodies.
1. Synthetic Bispecific Antibodies by Chemical Coupling.
Her2/CD3 bispecific antibodies were obtained by chemical coupling of the commercialized Herceptin with OKT3 in Lum Laboratory to recruit T cells to kill Her2-positive tumor cells (Msen et al., 2001). This antibody conjugate based on clinically widely used antibodies showed very good records of clinical safety and efficacy. Five of the 22 patients with metastatic breast cancer who participated in the clinical trial remained stable disease condition within 14.5 weeks after use (Lum et al., 2015).
OKT3 antibody has also been used to chemically conjugate with other clinically used antibodies to kill tumors with corresponding targets: including EGFR-positive tumors (Reush U et al., 2006; MAD et al., 2015), CD20 positive tumor line (Lum et al., 2013), B7-H3 positive tumors (MA et al., 2016) and the like.
2. Bispecific Antibodies Produced by Hybridoma Technology
Lindnorer et al. fused a rat hybridomas secreting anti-CD3 antibody with a mouse hybridomas secreting anti-EpCAM to obtain a hybridoma that could secrete up to 11 antibodies consisting of different heavy and light chains (Lindnoer et al., 1995). The bispecific antibodies prepared from heterologous rat and mouse hybridomas inevitably produce a human anti-mouse (HAMA) cross-reactivity. Surprisingly, this anti-drug response is in direct proportion to the efficacy of patient's response to the antibody (OTT M G et al., 2012) and its mechanism needs to be further explored. It has been approved for clinical use in 2009 (Carberk, 2014). The Her/CD3 antibody (Kiewe et al., 2006) was developed on the same platform. Anti-CD20/CD3 antibody for the treatment of relapsed B cell lymphoma has been approved for clinical trials and shows a good safety record and efficacy (Buhmann et Al., 2009). A bispecific antibody of anti-CD2/CD3 has been used in experimental studies of melanoma (Ruf et al., 2004).
3. Expression of Bispecific Molecules by Recombinant Technology
Genentech scientist Shalaby et al. linked the Fab fragment of the humanized anti-CD3 antibody UCHT1 to the anti-HER2 antibody 4D5 via a linker peptide and successfully expressed it in an E. coli expression system. This bispecific antibody specifically recognizes HER2-highly expressed breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3 and mediates the killing of this tumor cell line by human peripheral blood T cells (Shalaby et al., 1992). With the development of synthetic biomolecules and protein recombinant technology, protein molecules prepared by genetic engineering to recruit T cells to target tumors have come to the fore and have become the mainstream of such drugs.
BiTE: In December 2014, FDA approved a new engineered CD3 targeting bispecific antibody molecule-BiTE (Bispecific T-cell engager) for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. This novel small protein molecule is directly linked by the scFv of OKT3 and the anti-CD19 scFv via a linker peptide (Nagorsen D et al., 2012) (Patent No.: 201180063222.2; 201580009124.9), requiring only very low concentrations to inhibit the growth of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (Bargou R et al., 2008). Due to the ability of this molecule to efficiently recruit T cells to kill target cells, more products targeting different tumors based on BiTE platform have entered clinical trials including several BiTE molecules that recognise EpCAM, CEA, and DSMA (Thakur A et al., 2016) etc.
T and Ab connects a pair of BiTE-like bispecific molecules with a linker peptide to form a tetrameric molecule called T and Ab with a molecular weight of 160 kD doubling that of BiTE, making it to bind to CD3 and CD19 with higher affinity (Reusch U et al, 2015). At the same time, the pharmacokinetics of T and Ab is also significantly improved compared to BiTE, the half-life in the blood reaches about 20 h. It can mediate the killing of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
DART is a combination of anti-CD19 and anti-CD3 scFv through a disulfide-containing linker peptide. It can recruit T cells to kill tumors and has the advantages of stable and easy scale preparation (Johnson S et al, 2010; Kuo S R et al., 2012).
FcabFv fuses the antigen recognition fragment of OKT3 with a mutated Fc (Wozniak G et al., 2010) which has a function of recognizing Her2 produced by CH3 mutation and expresses a novel bispecific antibody highly similar to a conventional antibody. It can effectively target Her2-positive tumors and inhibit tumor growth in vivo (Wang L et al., 2013).
TriKE inserts IL-15 between the scFv of CD33 antibody and the scFv of CD16 antibody and is linked by two linked peptides. It can effectively promote the activation and survival of NK cells in vivo while effectively targeting tumors. Adding IL-15 that is beneficial for NK cells to treat myeloid malignancies or to target solid tumors (Szun Tay et al., 2016; Vallera D A. et al., 2016).
Currently, bispecific antibodies have become a new hot-pot in the field of pharmaceutical research, there are at least 30 kinds of bispecific antibodies in clinical development phase (Garber K et al, 2014; Kontermann R E et al., 2015).
A certain amount of IL-2 must be added to the culture medium of both T cells and NK cells (Bodnar et al., 2008; Grund et al., 2005). IL-15 is functionally similar to IL-2 and shares the same βγ receptor. Studies indicate that IL-2 or IL-15 is required for survival and proliferation of NK cells and CD8+ T cells (Boyman et al., 2007). Although IL-15 and IL-2 share the same fly receptor, they each have a specific a receptor. It was found that IL-15Rα-sushi (the sushi domain of IL-15 receptor a) is super agonist of IL-15. An agonist can greatly enhance the function of IL-15 (Han et al., 2011; Mortier et al., 2006) (Patent Application No.: 201280037114.2, 201510358540.1) and the complex of IL-15 and IL-15Rα-sushi can completely replace the role of IL-2 in T/NK cells (Peter S. Kiml, 2016; Rosario et al., 2016) to activate NK/CD8+ T cells and increase their cytotoxicity against tumors. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute rankedlL-15 as number one agent among 12 immunotherapeutics for cancer treatment. By supporting the viability of CD8+ T cells, IL-15 has demonstrated great potential for the maintenance of long-term immune response in T cells. Compared with IL-2, IL-15 is a more promising, more effective, less toxic product in tumor treatment, and can stimulate anti-tumor activities of both T cells and NK cells. Fusion of IL-15 and IL-15Rα-sushi complex or other functional cytokine and receptor complexes in bispecific molecules is a major trend to improve the efficacy of cellular immunotherapy.
PD-1 (programmed death 1) and its receptors PD-L1, PD-L2 are important regulators of T cell activity (Okazaki and Honjo, 2007). The binding of PD-1 on the surface of T cells to PD-L1/2 on the surface of other cells causes inhibition of T cells, which plays an important role in the process of avoiding autoimmune diseases and producing immune tolerance in humans. By contrast, tumor cells utilize the self-regulating mechanism of PD1/PD-L1 checkpoint to achieve the purpose of suppressing immune response, tumor escape by expressing PD-L1/L2 in the tumor cell itself or in the tumor microenvironment to bind to PD1 on the surface of T cells, transmitting a negative signal, leading to a decline in T cell function and exhaust of T cells (Freeman et al., 2000; Keir et al., 2008; Parry et al., 2005). Therefore, the researchers explored the use of PD-1 or PD-L1 antibodies to bind respective antigens and blocked the PD1 checkpoint pathway of T cells while targeting tumors. The results showed that this method can significantly increase T cell activity and enhance the body's resistance to pathogenic microorganisms cancer (Topalian et al., 2012; Yanan Guo et al., 2016). A number of clinical trials have demonstrated good therapeutic effects by PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies against melanoma (Cho et al., 2016; Hamid et al., 2013), multiple myeloma (Badros et al., 2015), leukaemia (Pork et al., 2014) (Patent Application No.: 200380109929.8, 201310258289.2, 201180019629.5).


A pneumatic nail gun includes a gun body with a trigger, collecting a compressed high pressure air with a constant pressure, a movable cylinder installed in the gun body, a hitting piston disposed in the cylinder, a valve ring formed outside the cylinder, a head valve disposed on the top of the cylinder, at least one return passage formed outside the cylinder, and a valve bolt disposed in the return passage. Before the trigger is pressed, the high pressure air drives the valve ring to keep the cylinder at the upper position to close the head valve. When the trigger is pressed, the high pressure air drives the cylinder move downwardly to open the head valve for guiding the high pressure air to drive the piston downwardly move to hit nails. When the trigger is released, the high pressure air drives the valve bolt open for guiding the high pressure air via the return passage to drive the piston rapidly move upwardly to reposit.

The present invention relates to pneumatic nail guns, and particularly to a pneumatic nail gun having a movable cylinder for a hitting piston of the nail gun driven by the high pressure air to upwardly move for reposition and a head valve disposed on top of the movable cylinder.
A typical pneumatic nail gun has a gun body, a main air housing formed in the gun body to continuously collect the compressed high pressure air for nail hitting, a movable or fixed cylinder disposed in the gun body, and a hitting piston installed inside the cylinder and divided the cylinder into a top and a bottom cylinder chambers. Moreover, a trigger disposed on the gun body may be pressed to have the high pressure air guided into the top cylinder chamber to drive the piston downwardly move for hitting the nails, and be released to have the high pressure air discharged from the top cylinder chamber and guided into the bottom cylinder chamber to upwardly move the piston for reposition.
The related arts, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,308, U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,705 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,391 respectively disclose a pneumatic nail gun having the movable cylinder and the head valve individually disposed on top of the movable cylinder. The head valve can push the cylinder moving downwardly and move upwardly together with the cylinder. When the trigger is pressed, the high pressure air in the main air housing can drive the head valve upwardly move together with the cylinder to open a bottom passage for air discharging in the bottom cylinder chamber and open the passage between the head valve and the cylinder to guide the high pressure air into the top cylinder chamber for driving the piston move downwardly. When the trigger is released, the cylinder moves downwardly together with the head valve to open a top passage for air discharging in the top cylinder chamber so that the piston can move upwardly to reposit. However, since the head valve is separated from the cylinder, in order to effectively control the head valve and the cylinder moving together, not only a passage for moving the head valve has to be formed in the gun body, but also a passage for the high pressure air moving the cylinder has to be formed in the main air housing. As such, the nail gun has a high manufacturing cost and complicated air flow passage distribution.
Above related arts also disclose to utilize a valve control device between the main air housing and the bottom cylinder chamber to control the timing of the high pressure air driving the piston move upwardly to reposit; therefore, as the trigger is released, the valve control device can open the passage between the main air housing and the bottom cylinder chamber so that the high pressure air can be continuously introduced to the bottom cylinder chamber to move the piston upwardly for reposition. However, the valve control device has complicate assembly and more passages in the nail gun are needed, as well as the valve control device is installed farther away from the cylinder in the gun body so that larger capacity of gun body and higher cost are inevitable.
Accordingly, what is needed is a pneumatic nail gun that can overcome the above-described deficiencies.


A monitored area is provided multiple RFID tags placed at defined coordinates/locations throughout the extended area. These RFID tags respond to receipt of a RF signal by transmitting/broadcasting their unique identifier (ID) within the specific area in which the tag is located. A device, whose location within the monitored area is desired, is equipped with an RFID interrogating device, such as an RF transceiver, which periodically broadcasts RF interrogation signals. The multiple RFID tags are positioned at specific areas within the environment to allow the RF interrogating device to (1) receive the RFID signal and (2) utilized the received data to independently determine the device's location.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to RFID technology, and in particular to a method and system for using RFID technology to locate devices. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for cost-effectively locating devices using RFID technology.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of radio frequency (RF) identification (RFID) technology to locate devices that are equipped with an RFID tag (i.e., an electronic tag that emits an RFID signal when triggered by an RF signal) is generally known in the art. In conventional systems, a number of RF transceivers are provided in a monitored environment. These transceivers generate and transmit RF signals in a particular sub-area defined by the strength of the RF signal and location of the RF transceiver relative to the area of projection.
Thus, in a retailed environment, for example, the RF transceivers may be placed in the ceiling of the retail environment, and the area of projection is some diameter immediately below the RF transceiver. The transceivers are placed at a measured distance apart from each other with enough signal strength to reach the edge of the signal from an adjacent RF transceiver.
The transmitted RF signals are received by RF devices designed to respond to receipt of the RF signal by transmitting/broadcasting an identification signal in return. A typical RF device is the RFID tag, which is a low-logic (and passive) electronic component that transmits a signal containing a stored ID of the tag whenever an RF interrogation signal is sensed by the tag. When an RF interrogation signal is received by the RFID tag, a coil within the tag is energized and causes an internal chip to rebroadcast the tag's ID, which is received by the interrogating device (e.g., RF transceiver).
Typical RFID tags are omni-directional or wide viewing angle devices that do not lend themselves to receiving or producing directional signals. Because of this limitation, locating the particular RFID tag requires utilization of multiple RF interrogation devices. In this and other RF location sensing applications, readings of RF signal strength from multiple interrogating RF devices are utilized to triangulate the position of an RFID tag (or other RF device). This process often yields errors due to attenuation of RFID signal strength, etc.
In order to perform the device locating service over a large area, a large number of interrogating devices are required to continually triangulate the position of a tag, which is moved around in the area. Additionally, a background computing device must be connected to these interrogating devices to complete the triangulation calculations. Use of such a large number of high-logic (active) devices tends to be rather costly. Each high logic device is substantially more expensive to obtain than the low-logic tags. Also additional expense is incurred because each interrogating device must be powered and a central processing system that performs the triangulation calculations must be provided. Also, the triangulation method is inherently inaccurate because signal strength of the tag received by respective devices varies due to attenuation and other factors.
The substantial cost in implementing the above described device locating system by using a large number of high-logic devices limits the ability to implement the system on a large scale. Additionally, with current methods, there is no way to inform the user of the user's location relative to the RFID sensors, absent a feedback to the user of the results of the triangulation. The present invention provides a generally applicable solution to overcome these and other limitations found with the above described system.

Self-locating devices via highly directional RFID tags in controlled location

International Business Machines Corporation


A combination envelope and greeting card having a detachable card structure which is removable from the envelope and can function separately as a greeting card. Portions of some of the panels of the envelope can be separated from the envelope along lines of perforation, forming cards having two or more panels. The combination envelope and greeting card structure can also comprise a detachable display strip which includes an adhesive display assembly for securing the card structure when displayed in a standing position. Photograph retaining structures can also be included on one or more card panels.

None.
The present invention relates in general to envelopes, and more specifically, to envelopes having a greeting card combined therewith. In particular, this invention relates to an envelope and a greeting card made from a single envelope blank, wherein the greeting card is separable from the envelope by lines of perforation.
In the greeting card industry, manufacturers must utilize not only the appropriate machinery for producing the cards, but also the appropriate machinery for producing the envelopes in order to affect cost savings. Thus, at a minimum, two expensive pieces of machinery, as well as two separate manufacturing processes, must be employed by the greeting card manufacturers to accomplish the task of manufacturing each greeting card.
In addition, standard bi-fold greeting cards are often displayed by their recipients by standing them up on a level surface. This method is not always satisfactory, as such a bi-fold card lacks adequate stability to withstand even light breezes, which can be caused by simply walking past the displayed card.
It is, therefore, an advantage of the present invention to provide a combination envelope and greeting card, wherein a single blank can be formed, on a single machine and in a single process, into both the mailing envelope and the greeting card.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide an envelope which includes a greeting card, wherein upon opening the envelope and unfolding the card panels thereof, a greeting card is formed which can be separated from the envelope by lines of perforation.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a combination envelope and greeting card, which further includes a detachable display strip for displaying the greeting card in a stable manner.
Additional advantages, objects, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The present invention comprises a combination envelope and greeting card formed from a single blank.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a combination envelope and greeting card made from a blank is disclosed and comprises a front panel having opposed side edges and a back panel having opposed side edges, the front and back panels being connected along a line of perforation or a fold line, two side flap receiving panels extending from the back panel at the side edges thereof and connected thereto along a line of perforation, the side flap receiving panels adapted to receive a portion of the back panel when the blank is formed into an envelope, a seal flap structure extending from the front panel opposite the back panel and connected thereto at a fold line, and a detachable card structure, the detachable card structure comprising the back panel, and at least one additional panel extending from the back panel. The front panel can further comprise two side flaps extending from therefrom at the side edges thereof, each side flap connected to the front panel along a fold line. The seal flap structure can include an adhesive strip assembly and a detachable display strip portion.


A medical imaging system for acquiring medical image data from an imaging zone. The medical imaging system includes a memory for storing machine executable instructions and medical imaging system commands. The medical imaging system further includes a user interface and a processor. Execution of the machine executable instructions causes the processor to: receive scan parameter data for modifying the behavior of the medical imaging system commands; receive metadata descriptive of imaging conditions from the user interface; store configuration data descriptive of a current configuration of the medical imaging system in the memory; calculate an error probability by comparing the metadata, the configuration data, and the scan parameter data using a predefined model, wherein the error probability is descriptive of a deviation between the metadata and between the configuration data and/or the scan parameter data; perform predefined action if the error probability is above a predetermined threshold.

In various medical imaging modalities, information about the internal structure or anatomical of a subject can be determined non-invasively. For example, a large static magnetic field is used by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners to align the nuclear spins of atoms as part of the procedure for producing images within the body of a patient. This large static magnetic field is referred to as the B0 field or the main magnetic field. Various quantities or properties of the subject can be measured spatially using MRI. For example, various electrical properties of a subject can be investigated using MRI.
Often times, a physician will order a medical examination of a patient, which will then be conducted by a technician. The technician will acquire and prepare the medical images. Typically, these images will be stored in a format with metadata that provides a context which enables either manual or automated analysis of the medical images. The metadata can contain such information to the orientation of the image, the imaged anatomical regions, and/or conditions which can be important to achieve a correct analysis.
United States patent application US 2013/0265044 A1 discloses a system and method for performing a magnetic resonance imaging scan using a MR scanner. The method can comprise receiving via a user interface a MR imaging protocol categorizable into a MR scan type of a predefined set of MR scan types. Further, the method can comprise querying a database by providing to the database scan information permitting the database to identify the MR scan type of the MR imaging protocol. The method can further comprise receiving from the database statistical information on the MR scan type which can include statistics on modifications of individual scan parameters of the MR scan type, and providing the statistical information to the user interface. Modifications of the MR imaging protocol can be received from the user interface, resulting in a modified MR imaging protocol, according to which the MR imaging scan can be performed.

Automated consistency check for medical imaging


Disclosed is an electronic device having a waterproof function. The electronic device includes a housing in which a coupling groove is formed, a cover including a hook detachably fit to the coupling groove, the cover configured to detachably couple to the housing by the hook, and a sealing band disposed on an inner side of the cover configured to contact at least a part of a surface of the housing which faces the cover when the cover is coupled to the housing, wherein the sealing band has a rib extending towards the housing, at least a part of the rib being bent in a specific direction. Other embodiments derived from the specification are possible.

Electronic devices are required to be waterproof so as to be used normally under various humidity or temperature conditions, for example, under rainy or snowy weather conditions.
A sealing member is commonly disposed in a gap of an electronic device through which water or moisture may permeate in order to waterproof the electronic device.

Electronic device including a function of water proof and cover thereof


A semiconductor logic integrated circuit of this invention comprises a source follower-type switching stage A in which loads MESFET-Q.sub.LU and MESFET-Q.sub.LD are provided for the drain and source of a switching MESFET-Q.sub.SW, respectively, a push-pull-type buffer stage C composed of a pull-up MESFET-Q.sub.PU and a pull-down MESFET-Q.sub.PD, and a feedback stage B provided between those two stages, which contains a MESFET-Q.sub.FB for feedback control of the output potential and a level-regulating diode D.sub.2.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor logic integrated circuit composed of junction gate field-effect transistors.
2. Description of the Related Art
GaAs logic integrated circuits are attracting attention because of their high speed operation and low power consumption, and now undergo vigorous developments for higher speed and much larger-scale integration. Various types of basic circuits of GaAs logic integrated circuits have been proposed. Among them, direct-coupled FET logic (DCFL) circuits are widely used particularly for purposes of higher integration. DCFL circuits have advantages of low power consumption, operation on a single power supply, and high packing density.
FIG. 1A shows a DCFL 2-input NOR circuit. This circuit is made up of switching elements EFET.sub.1 and EFET.sub.2 of normally-off MESFETs, and a load element DFET of a normally-on MESFET. The DFET, whose gate and source are connected to each other, acts as a constant-current load. The gates of EFET.sub.1 and EFET.sub.2 are signal input terminals IN.sub.1 and IN.sub.2, respectively. When one of input terminals IN.sub.1 or IN.sub.2 goes to a high (Hi) level, the output terminal OUT drops to a low (Lo) level. When both input terminals IN.sub.1 and IN.sub.2 are at the Lo level, a Hi level output appears at the output terminal OUT.
The above DCFL circuit, which is of a simple arrangement with a small number of elements, has the following disadvantages:
(1) The noise margin is small because the logic amplitude is small. The reason for this is that since the gate electrode of a GaAs MESFET is of a Schottky junction, current flows between the gate and source of the next stage during the Hi level output, which clamps the Hi level output at the forward-direction rising voltage (normally, 0.6 to 0.8 V) at the Schottky junction. Therefore, the DCFL circuit is liable to be affected to fluctuations in the threshold value (V.sub.th) due to process variations, making it difficult to achieve a high yield stably.
(2) The load driving capability is low. The reason for this is that since, to obtain a sufficiently low level output, the current capacity of the DFET cannot be made very large, it takes time to charge the output from the Lo level to the Hi level when the output terminal OUT is connected to a heavy load. As a result, the switching speed becomes low.
(3) The logical capability is low. The logical capability shows how many logical functions can be realized with a single logic gate. The higher the logical capability, the smaller the number of gates used to realize a complex logic circuit. This helps to achieve low power consumption and high speed operation. Because the DCFL circuit has a small logic amplitude as noted earlier, the threshold value of an E-type FET used as a switching element is set nearly equal to the Lo level of the DCFL gate. Even when the gate voltage is the threshold voltage, however, the FET cannot cut off the drain current completely, carrying a very small current. This current is what is called a subthreshold current. For this reason, when the number of inputs increases in composing a DCFL NOR gate, current from the constant-current load flows through the E-type FET that should have been off. Consequently, as the number of NOR inputs increases, the Hi level drops accordingly. Because of this, in the DCFL circuit, the maximum number of inputs to the NOR circuit is limited to approximately 4 to 5. To realize a NOR logic with the number of inputs larger than 5, it is necessary to connect logic gates in multiple stages.
To eliminate such disadvantages, various circuits have been proposed.
FIG. 1B shows a DCFL circuit added with a push-pull buffer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a buffer), which is called a supper buffer FET logic (SBFL) circuit. This circuit enables a high speed operation, since two E-type FETs constituting the buffer stage rapidly charge the load capacitance at the output terminal. In contrast, during the Hi level output, the pull-up FET at the upper part of the buffer stage carries a large current, resulting in nearly three times as much power consumption as that of the basic DCFL circuit. The noise margin of this circuit is improved a little, but almost equals that of the basic DCFL circuit. Further, the disadvantage of a low logical capability is not improved very much with this circuit.
FIG. 1C shows a circuit in which a source follower buffer is added to the output stage of the DCFL circuit. By parallel-connecting E-type FETs at the upper part of the source flower stage in the circuit, what is called wired-OR logic is possible, which makes the logical capability greater than that of the DCFL circuit. In addition, this circuit has a larger driving capability. In this circuit, however, current flows through the source follower stage during the Hi level output, resulting in a larger power consumption. When the output terminal drops to the low level, charges are removed via the constant-current load composed of D-type FETs, making the driving capability low as compared with an active operation of pull-down FETs, such as a push-pull operation.
As described above, the DCFL circuit used as a basic circuit of conventional GaAs integrated circuits has the disadvantages of a small noise margin, a low load driving capability, and a low logic capability, which makes it impossible to make full use of the high-speed performance of GaAs MESFETs. There is also the problem that the yield drops significantly, when the threshold value varies as a result of process variations. Circuits proposed to solve those disadvantages of the DCFL circuit also have problems such as increasing the power consumption, and have not yet reached essential solutions.

Semiconductor logic integrated circuit having improved noise margin over DCFL circuits


Apparatus and method for chilling a food product which includes a food distribution device having a pair of circular members including at least one spaced-apart partition defining a food receiving area; the circular members rotating to cause food delivered to the food product receiving area to fall into a food storage compartment in a uniform manner; and a cryogen releasing device connected to one of the circular members which uniformly distributes a cryogenic substance to the food product within the food storage compartment.

Commercial procedures for treating freshly killed poultry or meat generally require that the temperature of the fresh killed product be reduced in accordance with standards established by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Conventionally, the fresh killed product is treated with brine to lower the temperature of the food product to about 45.degree. F. This procedure reduces water loss in the product, prevents the growth of bacteria and extends the shelf life of the food product.
The brine treated product is then cut and/or ground as desired prior to packaging. The cutting/grinding step generates heat thereby increasing the temperature of the food product. Prior to packaging the food product, however, it is necessary to lower the temperature of the food product in the range of from about 30.degree. to 40.degree. F.
Conventional methods of chilling the food product after it has been cut/ground and treated with brine involve manual operations. Specifically, the food product is placed in a large, often times rectangular vessel. Dry ice in the form of pellets is shoveled into the vessel to lower the temperature of the food product to meet USDA requirements.
Such manual systems, however, are inefficient and inconsistent. The shoveling of dry ice into the receiving vessel often produces localized cold spots so that a portion of the food product is chilled to lower than necessary temperatures while other portions of the food product remain above desired temperatures. To date, there is no apparatus or method which uniformly distributes the food product within the storage vessel and uniformly treats the food product with a coolant as it is distributed within the vessel.
It would be a significant advance in the art of chilling food products, if the food product can be uniformly distributed within the food receiving vessel while receiving a uniform distribution of a coolant.

Apparatus and process for chilling food products


A mixing blade (10) for mixing a drink in a cup (20) having a dome-shaped lid (30) with an opening (32) therein is provided. The mixing blade comprises tow hollow truncated cones (12, 14) attached base-to-base. A top side of one cone has an opening (18) therein for attaching to a rotatable shaft(2). The cone-shaped walls each have a plurality of openings (16) therein. To mix a drink, the ingredients are measured and placed in the cup and the lid is placed on the cup. The mixing blade is inserted through the opening in the lid and is spun or rotated for a predetermined mixing time. After the blade is removed from the drink, the drink is served and the blade is sanitized in a sanitizing solution before being used to mix another drink. The mixing blade is particularly suitable for the preparation of frozen drinks.

N/A
Fast food establishments often offer frozen drinks that are prepared for the customer at the point of sale. Examples of a frozen drink include the Coffee and Fruit Coolatta(copyright) drinks offered by Dunkin"" Donuts. Drink preparation typically comprises measuring two or more ingredients, such as diary, flavoring syrup, frozen base, etc., in a measuring cup, which may subsequently serve as the serving cup. The ingredients are poured from the measuring cup into a stainless steel mixing cup or malt cup. The ingredients are mixed for a predetermined mixing time using a mixing apparatus having a mixing blade. The mixing blade is sanitized for a predetermined sanitizing time in a sanitizing solution. The mixed ingredients are poured into a disposable serving cup and a lid is placed onto the disposable serving cup. The frozen drink is served along with a straw to the customer. The disposable serving cup may serve as the measuring cup, and the preparation may comprise one or more additional steps, such as the addition of one or more toppings, e.g., whipped cream and cinnamon powder. Frozen drink preparation is time consuming and slows the servicing of fast food customers who desire and expect quick service.
Some prior art mixing blades are illustrated in FIGS. 13-18. These blades are commercially available, but are not used for and are not suitable for mixing frozen drinks.
The present invention provides a mixing blade and a method for preparing a drink, particularly a frozen drink, using the mixing blade, in which the ingredients are measured directly into a disposable serving cup and mixed therein with the mixing blade. The mixing blade is affixed to a rotatable shaft of a mixing apparatus and is sized to pass through an opening in a domed lid placed on the serving cup containing the ingredients to be mixed. The domed lid keeps the ingredients from splattering outside of the cup during mixing.
In one embodiment, the mixing blade has a hollow shape generally comprising a top cone frustum portion oriented base-to-base with a bottom cone frustum portion. Openings, such as generally triangular openings, are disposed on the sides of the top and bottom portions. The top side of the mixing blade has an opening sized for receiving a bolt used to affix the mixing blade to the rotating shaft, and the bottom side of the mixing blade is open.
The mixing blade facilitates an improved method for preparing a drink, particularly a frozen drink, wherein the measured ingredients remain in the disposable cup for the mixing step to thereby reduce the number of steps required to prepare the frozen drink. In contrast to the larger, metal prior art mixing blades, the mixing blade of the present invention is smaller and preferably formed of a plastic material, so that it does not cut the plastic disposable serving cup during mixing.


A control apparatus for a suspension apparatus, includes: a vehicle speed acquiring section which acquires a vehicle speed as a speed of a vehicle; an acquisition section which acquires a stroke velocity of the suspension apparatus; a contribution ratio determining section which determines a contribution ratio between a first parameter and a second parameter based on the vehicle speed, the first parameter serving for controlling a damping force in a first speed region of the vehicle, the second parameter serving for controlling the damping force in a second speed region which is a speed region higher in speed than the first speed region; a change amount restricting section which restricts a change amount of the contribution ratio; and a damping force controlling section which controls the damping force of the suspension apparatus based on the restricted contribution ratio and the stroke velocity.

Vehicles such as motorcycles are provided with suspension apparatuses (suspensions) for suitably reducing vibration transmitted from road surfaces toward vehicle bodies during travelling to thereby improve ride comfortability or steering stability. Recently, so-called electronic control suspensions which can electronically control damping forces of such suspension apparatuses are gaining popularity.
A suspension apparatus for a vehicle has been described in PTL 1. The suspension apparatus is configured to allow working oil of each of paired hydraulic cylinders for suspension of a vehicle body to flow into a first oil chamber and a second oil chamber of a pressure regulating apparatus. The two oil chambers are made communicable with each other through a variably additional damping force valve. The suspension apparatus is provided with a control section which controls the variably additional damping force valve. The control section can change over an additional damping force characteristic from one of two or more stages to another. A desired additional damping force characteristic can be selected by an operation from the outside. When a vehicle speed becomes not lower than a predetermined forcible changeover vehicle speed in a state in which the selected additional damping force characteristic is an additional damping force characteristic with a relatively small damping force, the control section controls the variably additional damping force valve to forcibly change over the additional damping force characteristic to an additional damping force characteristic with a relatively large damping force.
A control apparatus of a suspension apparatus has been described in PTL 2. The control apparatus is provided with a control section which electrically controls a damping force characteristic of a damping mechanism of the suspension apparatus damping at least one of an extension direction force and a compression direction force when a wheel and a vehicle body move relatively to each other, and which can change over the damping force characteristic from one of a plurality of characteristic modes to another. The control section is configured to change a changeover time required for changeover from one to another among the characteristic modes, in accordance with the magnitude of a change of the damping force for the changeover among the characteristic modes. In PTL 2, an ECU of a motorcycle is described as the control apparatus of the suspension apparatus, and a right side front fork and a rear suspension are described as the suspension apparatus. In addition, a compression-side electronic control valve, an extension-side electronic control valve, a compression-side electronic control valve and an extension-side electronic control valve are described as the damping mechanism, and a circuit mode, a sports mode, a normal mode and a comfort mode are described as the characteristic modes.
PTL 1: JP-A-2004-149090
PTL 2: JP-A-2009-255777
In order to control the damping force of the suspension apparatus, a current value determined based on a stroke velocity may be varied. In addition, a requirement characteristic required in a low speed-side speed region of a vehicle speed varies from a requirement characteristic required in a high speed-side speed region of the vehicle speed. Therefore, vehicle speed-dependent control for outputting different current values respectively for the low speed-side speed region and the high speed-side speed region may have to be performed. Further, in order to lower an influence on a driver when the current value is changed over from one of the different current values to the other between the low speed-side speed region and the high speed-side speed region, a transition region may be provided between the low speed-side speed region and the high speed-side speed region so that the current value can be changed over more smoothly.
However, when, for example, acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle is large, the current value has a more sudden change between the low speed-side speed region and the high speed-side speed region. Therefore, the influence on the driver increases. As a result, the driver is more apt to feel uncomfortable feeling. In order to suppress this, it is considered that countermeasures may be taken to widen a speed range of the transition region or to reduce the difference between the current values outputted in the low speed-side speed region and the high speed-side speed region. However, when these countermeasures are taken, there is a problem that an effect of the vehicle speed-dependent control is lowered.
An object of the present invention is to provide a control apparatus for a suspension apparatus etc., by which an influence on a driver can be reduced easily even during large acceleration or deceleration of a vehicle while an effect of vehicle speed-dependent control is maintained.

Control apparatus for suspension apparatus and suspension system


Methods of forming a contact structure for semiconductor assemblies are described. One method provides process steps to create an inner dielectric isolation layer after the contact region is protected, which is followed by the formation of the self-aligned contact structures. A second method provides process steps to create an inner dielectric isolation layer after the self-aligned contact structures are formed.

The continuing trend of scaling down integrated circuits has motivated the semiconductor industry to consider new techniques for fabricating precise components at sub-micron levels. One important area in semiconductor fabrication is forming the interconnecting structure within the integrated circuit and particularly connection between a transistor and other devices.
As is the case for most semiconductor integrated circuitry, circuit density is continuing to increase at a fairly constant rate. In semiconductor devices it may be advantageous to build contact plugs for interlayer connections having high aspect ratio structures, as circuit density will be enhanced. In that light, the ability to precisely align contact plugs to their associated devices becomes a crucial requirement of semiconductor manufacturing technologies if future generations of expanded memory array devices are to be successfully manufactured.
Forming contact plugs to regions in a semiconductor device are well known. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,518,626 describing a self-aligned contact to a source/drain region of a transistor. The contact is fabricated between transistor gate stacks having sidewall spacers, often formed of an oxide or nitride. The process includes forming an insulating layer, for example an oxide such as BPSG, over the gate stacks and etching through the insulating layer. The sidewall spacers on the gate stack protect the gate stack and allow for lateral margin during the etching process. The etching process, however, does remove some of the sidewall spacer. As the thickness of the spacer decreases with advances in semiconductor designs, removal of a portion of the spacer can create short circuits between the transistor gate stack and the conductive contact plug.
Removing doped oxide relative to un-doped oxide can be more difficult than removing an oxide relative to nitrite. Therefore, prior art used a nitride sidewall spacer and a layer of oxide over the gate stack. Prior self aligned contact processes used an etch process to remove the oxide (BPSG) selectively to nitride. Depending upon the selectivity used, a polymer layer is re-deposited on the sidewall spacer during the etch operation. The higher the selectivity the thicker the polymer layer becomes. As such, if too high of a selectivity is used the contact opening can become blocked with the polymer layer. Balancing the thickness of the polymer layer, etch selectivity, contact width and the thickness of the sidewall spacer is challenging. Prior etch processes have been limited to a selectivity of oxide to nitride in the range of less than 40:1.
Embodiments of the present invention describe methods to form self-aligned contact plugs that address the above challenges, the methods disclosed herein for use in the manufacture of semiconductor assemblies, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following disclosure.


A data transmission method and a communications device, the method including: determining, by a first communications device, a target data transmission mode, where the target data transmission mode is used to indicate a quantity of times that the first communications device transmits an encoded-bit combination to a second communications device and an encoded-bit combination transmitted each time, the encoded-bit combination transmitted each time may include one encoded bit sequence or a plurality of encoded bit sequences, where the encoded bit sequence is obtained by encoding all or some of K information bits, and K is a positive integer, and sending, by the first communications device, the encoded-bit combination to the second communications device in the target data transmission mode, and receiving, by the second communications device, the encoded-bit combination sent by the first communications device, and decoding the encoded bit sequence included in the encoded-bit combination.

A satellite base station is capable of providing a wider coverage area and is not vulnerable to a natural disaster or an external force. If satellite communication is introduced to future 5th generation (5G) communication, communication services can be provided for some areas that cannot be covered by terrestrial communications networks, such as oceans and forests, to enhance reliability of the 5G communication. In this way, for example, better communication services can be provided for aircrafts, trains, and users on these transportation vehicles. More data transmission resources are provided for the 5G communication, to improve a network rate. Therefore, supporting communication with both the ground and a satellite is an inevitable trend of the future 5G communication, and has great benefits in terms of wide coverage, reliability, multi-connection, a high throughput, and the like.
Currently, the satellite communication and terrestrial communication greatly differ in terms of a communications protocol. A common terminal device such as a mobile phone can support only baseline communication with a terrestrial base station, and only a dedicated satellite mobile phone can communicate with the satellite. In the 5G communication, a satellite communication process needs to be redesigned, so that the satellite communication process can be integrated with the existing terrestrial communication, and does not greatly increase costs or complexity of a terminal device. During communication, a terminal only needs to select an appropriate base station based on a corresponding requirement.
To improve communication reliability, in an existing long term evolution (LTE) network, a relatively complex hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism is provided to transmit a signal for a plurality of times until a receive end successfully performs decoding or a maximum quantity of retransmission times is reached. Specifically, a plurality of encoded redundancy versions are generated during channel coding, and a redundancy version different from a previous redundancy version is sent in each retransmission. The redundancy version herein means that a part of encoded data is combined at the receive end, to improve decoding performance. However, because the satellite communication is typically characterized by a long transmission distance and a large latency, if the HARQ mechanism in LTE continues to be used, a latency is greatly increased, and communication efficiency is severely affected. Currently, some satellite communications systems do not directly support the HARQ mechanism, to reduce the latency. However, as the satellite communication and the terrestrial communication are integrated, and a user has an increasingly high reliability requirement for communication data, a new transmission mechanism needs to be considered to be applicable to the satellite communication. Therefore, how to design a data transmission method applicable to the satellite communication to improve efficiency of the satellite communication is a technical problem that needs to be resolved currently.

Data transmission method and communications device


A video skim is assembled by identifying one or more key frames from a video shot. Certain lengths of frames to the left and right of the key frame are measured for visual content variety. Depending upon the measured visual content variety to the left and right of the key frame, the video skim is assembled that has L frames to the left of the key frame and R frames to the right of the key frame. Measuring the visual content variety to the left and right of the key frame, provides a video skim that incorporates the more salient features of a shot.

Digital video is rapidly becoming an important source for information entertainment, among which home video probably constitutes the type of information entertainment that many people are increasingly becoming interested. With the size of home video collections growing, technology is needed to effectively browse videos in a short time without losing the content, especially the salient content of the video. "Video skimming" is such a technique that extracts compact, content rich abstractions of longer videos. Ideally, a video skim preserves the essential content summarizing an original video in a compact representation. The compact representation should greatly reduce viewing time and assist the viewer in determining whether to view the video in an uncondensed format or perhaps to categorize the video or segments of the video.
One technique used for creating video skims, increases the frame rates across the whole video. This "fast forward" approach might achieve a tenfold decrease in viewing time, but seriously degrades coherence, perturbing audio information and distorting visual information.
Another approach used for creating video skims is to drop frames at regular intervals, but preserve the source video frame rate to overcome the "fast forward" approach. Unfortunately, this approach often omits essential information because such essential information is often found in the frames that are dropped at the regular intervals.
Still another approach discards shots either randomly or selectively. This approach may provide decent results for an entertainment movie. It does not, however, lend itself to home video material, because home videos often document people's lives where all shots are more or less equally important. Thus, randomly or selectively discarding shots does shorten the video for a video skim, but often omits material that is important to the viewer.

System and method for producing a video skim