A body supplement and method for improving blood flow, muscle chemistry and/or the oxygenation of muscles, said supplement including cinchona bark or quinine in the range of approximately 0.0010 grams and 4.0 grams per dosage.

The invention of this application relates to supplements and, more particularly, to supplements that help improve the physical characteristics of the muscles. It has been found that these supplements work well when used for human muscles and, therefore, it will be described in connection with human applications. However, the invention of this application has broader applications and should not be limited to only human uses.
Thousands of athletes are sidelined by serious injuries to their muscles each day. Whether the injury is a minor pulled muscle or a serious torn hamstring, these injuries are troublesome to all athletes.
These injuries can happen when the muscles are not properly warmed up before hard physical exercise or exertion even in the well trained athlete. Often, many younger athletes believe they are impervious to injury and often do not fully warm their muscles before or during athletic practices. This can result in short term and long term injuries that can plague an athlete for the next game or for an entire season.
While it has been found that proper stretching and warming up of the muscles can prevent these injuries, that is not always the case and injuries often sideline the best of athletes.

Supplement formula to prevent and deter muscle trauma and method of using same


A vacuum waste system having reduced noise levels associated therewith. The vacuum waste system includes a sanitary unit for initially receiving waste. An intermediate container is connected to the sanitary unit by a first sewer pipe and a first sewer valve. A receptacle is connected to the intermediate container by a second sewer pipe and a second sewer valve. The system also includes a vacuum pump for generating vacuum in the second sewer pipe, intermediate container, and first sewer pipe. Transfer of waste from the sanitary unit to the receptacle is performed in two stages. In a first stage, the first valve is opened and the second valve is closed so that vacuum transports the waste from the sanitary unit to the intermediate container. In the second stage, the first valve is closed and the second valve is opened to transfer the waste from the intermediate container through the second sewer pipe. A flexible membrane is provided for adjusting the volume of the intermediate container to control the velocity of air entering through the first valve, thereby reducing noise. The flexible membrane increase the volume of the intermediate container during the first stage so that the intermediate container holds a sufficient amount of air at approximately ambient air pressure to perform the second stage.

One basic problem with vacuum sewer systems relates to the high noise they produce. The noise occurs when the sewer valve opens and closes and when air is drawn into the open sewer. The vacuum sewer technique requires a relatively great volume of air to rapidly flow into the sewer immediately following the material to be transported. Further, the sewer valve must open and close rapidly. These functions cause considerable noise reducing pressure variations.
Reducing the noise level in a large vacuum sewer system is particularly difficult, because a large system has a greater total volume. As a result, large vacuum sewer systems typically require an intake of large amounts of air.


A blind stitch sewing machine includes a straight needle, a driving mechanism which gives a linear reciprocating motion to the straight needle, a needle guide which prevents the straight needle from sliding on the surface of the work without sticking therein, and a work raising portion formed on a work raising member so that a raised part of the work is continuously raised until it is stuck with the pointed tip of the straight needle and, after the pointed tip of the straight needle has passed the work raising member, the work raising member is withdrawn from the path of the straight needle by a distance not less than the radius of the trunk of the straight needle. Also disclosed is a blind stitching method which comprises employing a straight needle, giving a linear reciprocating motion to the straight needle in a direction which is parallel to the plane in which the work spreads and which is orthogonal to the sewing direction, preventing the straight needle from sliding on the surface of the work without sticking therein, and actuating the work raising member such that, after the pointed tip of the straight needle has passed the work raising member, the work raising member is withdrawn from the path of the straight needle by a distance not less than the radius of the trunk of the straight needle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blind stitch sewing machine and a blind stitching method. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a blind stitch sewing machine and a blind stitching method whereby it is possible to employ a straight needle used in ordinary household sewing machines which is readily produced with high accuracy and at low cost and which sticks in a work stably with a relatively great piercing force and minimizes the possibility that the needle will be deformed or the pointed tip thereof will be damaged during blind stitching. It is therefore possible to obtain a beautiful and high-quality sewn product which has no spotted stitches and it is also possible for laymen such as housewives to perform a blind stitching operation satisfactorily without the need for a high level of skill in sewing and it is unnecessary to pay any more attention to the condition of the needle than is needed for ordinary household sewing machines.
2. Related Art Statement
Blind stitch sewing machines employing a curved needle have heretofore been known [e.g., Japanese Patent Post-Exam Publication Nos. 39-28960 (1964), 43-26076 (1968), 45-20026 (1970), 45-23980 (1970) and 45-37268 (1970), Japanese Patent Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 58-105786 (1983), U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,760,747, 3,986,469, 4,043,284 and 4,416,207].
This type of conventional blind stitch sewing machine has a driving shaft, a needle activated to perform a circular reciprocating motion by the driving shaft, a looper driven by the driving shaft to perform a somewhat elliptic reciprocating motion in relation to both the needle and the sewing thread such that the looper is inverted at two ends of an elliptical path, a needle plate and a presser foot which clamp a work therebetween, a work raising member which raises a part of the work through an opening provided in the needle plate, and a work holding-down member which holds down the raised part of the work, so that a curved needle is circularly stuck into the raised part of the work, while the thread is caught with the looper so as to form a loop, and the curved needle is entwined with the loop, thereby performing blind stitching by means of a single-yarn chain stitch.
Referring to FIG. 10, a curved needle 3001 used in the above-described prior art has an overall circular configuration. The pointed tip 3002 of the curved needle 3001 is eccentric with respect to the trunk 3003 of the needle 3001 and extends along a circular arc defined by the outer periphery of the curved needle 3001 so that the gap between the tip 3002 and the pointed upper end of the work raising member (not shown) is constant. Therefore, the curved needle 3001 has the advantage that it can pierce the work readily and smoothly.
On the other hand, the curved needle 3001 suffers from the following disadvantages. Namely, the production of such a curved needle is extremely difficult and troublesome. It is likely that there will be variations in the accuracy of needles. The production cost of curved needles is about 5 times that of straight needles for use in ordinary household sewing machines. Since the needle is curved, upon entering a workpiece, the piercing force is relatively weak, and the needle cannot stick in a work stably, so that the needle may be deformed during the blind stitching operation, which leads to spotted stitches and hence deteriorates the quality of the sewn product. In addition, the tip of the curved needle is readily damaged, so that it must frequently be replaced with a new one. Thus, the prior art requires a high level of skill in sewing, so that it is difficult for laymen to perform a satisfactory sewing operation and it is necessary in order to obtain a sewn product of high quality to pay special attention to the condition of the needle.

Blind stitch sewing machine and blind stitching method


According to one embodiment, a first shift amount calculation unit counts the number of continuous zeros from a less significant bit toward a more significant bit of an intermediate result of a computation of Montgomery multiplication result z and calculates a first shift amount. A second shift amount calculation unit counts the number of continuous zeros from a less significant bit toward a more significant bit of redundant-binary-represented integer x and calculates a second shift amount. An addition/subtraction unit calculates the intermediate result by adding/subtracting, with respect to the intermediate result which has been bit-shifted by the first shift amount, the integer p, and the integer y which has been bit-shifted by the second shift amount. An output unit outputs, as the Montgomery multiplication result z, the intermediate result when the sum of the first shift amounts is equal to the number of bits of the integer p.

Finite field arithmetic operations, which use the remainder of an arithmetic result between integers, have been used for basic techniques which are applicable to various fields such as error correction codes (ECC) and cryptography. Partly due to the wide application field, a number of studies have been conducted in order to make the circuits performing multiplications and modular arithmetic operations faster, be implemented in a smaller size, and consume less power. A modular multiplication is an operation of calculating the remainder when dividing the multiplication result of integers by another integer. For example, a Montgomery multiplication is known as an algorithm which can execute the modular multiplication at a high speed.
When using the Montgomery multiplication, numbers on a finite field subject to an arithmetic operation are mapped in advance to numbers on the Montgomery space, and then the Montgomery multiplication is performed. The result of the Montgomery multiplication is mapped back to the numbers on the finite field. In this way, it is possible to obtain the result which originally is to be obtained. Since the Montgomery multiplication requires conversion and inverse conversion, the use of the Montgomery multiplication for a single modular multiplication incurs a large cost, but the Montgomery multiplication is well-suited to a case when successively performing the modular multiplication several times as in a modular exponentiation operation.
There are mainly two implementation methods for the Montgomery multiplication. The first implementation method uses word multipliers. When one word is made up of 32 bits, for example, this method uses 32-bit multipliers capable of calculating a 64-bit product which is the multiplication result of 32 bits by 32 bits. In this case, it is known that (2×M^2+M) multiplications are required if the number of words of the modulus is M. If there is one multiplier, a single Montgomery multiplication requires (2×M^2+M) clocks.
The other implementation method uses adders of a large number of digits. This method uses adders capable of calculating the addition result of 1024 bits+1024 bits if the modulus is made up of 1024 bits. (2×m) additions are required if the number of bits of the modulus is m. If there is one adder, a single Montgomery multiplication requires (2×m) clocks.
For example, when a word-based Montgomery multiplication uses 32×32-bit multipliers, and the modulus is made up of 1024 bits, M=32 words, and therefore, 2080 clocks are required. On the other hand, in the Montgomery multiplication using adders, when the modulus is made up of 1024 bits, 2048 clocks are required. When the modulus is made up of 2048 bits, M=64 words, and therefore, 8256 clocks are required in the word-based Montgomery multiplication, while 4096 clocks are required in the Montgomery multiplication using adders.
Moreover, as a method of accelerating multiplications, there is a known method of using a redundant binary representation such as a Non-Adjacent Form (NAF; see D. Hankerson, A. Menezes, S. Vanstone, "Guide to Elliptic Curve Cryptography," Springer, 2004, p. 98.). This method accelerates multiplications taking advantage of the fact that the average number of zeros included increases when a multiplier is represented in a redundant binary representation.
Furthermore, as a method for accelerating modular multiplications as well as multiplications using a redundant binary representation, a ZDN method is known (for example, see H. Sedlak, "The RSA cryptography processor," Proceedings of EUROCRYPT '87 (Amsterdam) (D. Chaum and W. L. Price, eds.), LNCS, vol. 304, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1988, pp. 95-105). In the ZDN method, when the number of bits of the modulus is m, ideally, it is possible to calculate a modular multiplication with m/3 clocks (steps). For example, when the number of bits of the modulus is 1024, ideally, it is possible to calculate a modular multiplication with 342 steps.
However, the ZDN method is a method which performs the arithmetic process sequentially from the significant bit. That is, the ZDN method is a left-to-right process (L-R process). In general, in the case of the L-R process, there is a problem in that it is difficult to change the number of processing bits. For example, the position of the most significant bit changes between when processing 1024 bits and when processing 512 bits. As a result, there is a problem in that a plurality of circuits are required so as to correspond to the bit position from which the process starts. Therefore, in order to implement the ZDN method under the present circumstances, it may be a practical solution to fix the number of processing bits. Since the ZDN method is an algorithm which processes from the most significant bit, there is a problem in that it is difficult to freely change the number of processing bits.
On the other hand, as described above, the Montgomery multiplication of the related art requires 2×M^2+M clocks or 2×m clocks and has a problem associated with its processing speed which is slower than the ZDN method.


A board game is provided having the theme Death and Taxes. Multiple levels of paths of spaces are indicated on a board, each level having differing rules affecting the amount of scrip currency that a player receives or loses in playing. Players' pieces are moved to differing levels dependent on the amount of currency assigned to that player (Net Worth).

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to board games and, more specifically, to games in which the surface has a pattern divided into plural spaces, and where at least one contest element moves over the pattern in accordance with rules for multiple levels that relate the amount of movement over the pattern to the spaces.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,026,082, "Board Game Apparatus," issued to Charles B. Darrow on Dec. 31, 1935 discloses a board game simulating barter, trade and bargaining, a board game apparatus acting as a playing field affording a plurality of spaces forming a track for continuity of play, a set of differentiated playing pieces for registering movement, and dice or the like to control certain movements of the game. ("Monopoly")
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,672, "Method of Playing a Tax Board Game," issued to Carolyn M. Jordan on Nov. 16, 1993 discloses a board game having a single path including an inner path and outer path having coloration spaces indicating expenses to be born by players, penalty spaces, tax break spaces, and spaces indicating players to draw a card from a first card deck to determine income.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,890, "Method and Apparatus for Playing a Stock Trading Simulation Game," issued to Hariprasad S. Trivedi on Mar. 6, 2007 discloses a method of playing a stock trading simulation game and providing a game apparatus including a game board having a plurality of spaces marked thereon defining a path of movement on the game board, with a portion of the plurality of spaces representing individual stock positions. A game apparatus may include the game board, a trade transaction sheet for recording trades of stock positions, a hidden bid card for secretly recording hidden bids, and a number of game pieces including open turn and hidden turn game pieces.
More variety in board games is needed. A subject of universal interest, such as "Death and Taxes," can be valuable in teaching while entertaining players in a wide range of ages.

Board game having multi-level playing rules


Anomalies can be identified within a network. For example, a system can automatically detect anomalous network-activity using a machine-learning model that can analyzing how network configurations change over time. The machine-learning model may detect anomalies by comparing current and anticipated rates of change and/or types of topological changes in the network.

Software-defined networking (SDN) is an adaptable and easily manageable network architecture that is well suited to support applications requiring high-bandwidth. In SDN architectures, the network control functions are separate from data forwarding functions. This separation allows for directly programmable network control functions and enables abstraction of the network infrastructure for network applications and services. Administrators of SDN Networks can leverage the separation of network control from data forwarding to dynamically adjust traffic flow as service needs change. Instructions are provided by SDN software-based controllers represented as a single logical switch having a global network perspective, instead of multiple, vendor-specific devices and protocols. Further, SDN administrators may configure network controllers using open source SDN programs. The use of these programmable open source software-based controllers simplifies network design and operation.
The quick adaptability and dynamic nature of SDN networks make them well suited to applications including carrier and service providers, cloud computing and data centers, as well as enterprise campuses. For carrier and service providers, SDN enables bandwidth-on-demand, allowing carrier links to request additional bandwidth as needed, such as during peak usage times. For cloud computing and data centers, SDN network virtualization offers better utilization of resources and faster generation of segregated networks. Further, SDN controls may offer quickly adjustable network access control and configurable network monitoring in large-scale or distributed networks environments.


A method and apparatus for the improved display of digital mammographic images, which were measured in the context of a mammographic imaging system and displayed on a workstation monitor. The mammogram consists of a plurality of pixels with each pixel having a pixel value assigned thereto. The pixel values of all pixels of the mammogram lie within a pre-determined first range of values and the pixel values of pixels of a subsection of the mammogram lie within a second range of values, which represents a subset of the first range of values. A mammogram having a subsection with increased contrast, such that the second range of pixel values of the pixels in the subsection are spread by a spreading function, whereby the amount of the spreading function changes over the subsection. In this way, an improved display is created, by means of those representations of the mammogram regarding their contrast in subsections being optimized, at the same time the representation for a user is improved without artifacts.

This disclosure relates generally to a method and apparatus for improved display of digital mammographic images.
Digital mammographic images or mammograms are usually presented as gray scale images having individual pixels, with each pixel having a pixel value corresponding to a specific gray scale value. These gray scale values may lie within a range of values between a minimum value of, for example, 0 (black) and a maximum value of, for example, 225 (white). The edge length of a typical mammogram is approximately 2000 to 4000 pixels, and the dissolution of a typical mammogram is approximately 10 line pairs/mm and/or 0.1 mm/pixel.
A mammographic imaging system may be coupled to a workstation, for example, a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) workstation, on which a mammogram may be viewed and reviewed by a physician or other medical professional. Mammography assigned PACS workstations usually have high resolution monitors, which are able to represent the high volume range and the comparatively high resolution of mammographic images.
Mammographic imaging systems generate raw mammograms containing measured data. These raw mammograms exhibit a global image characteristics with a comparatively high contrast in a boundary region of the measured object (i.e., the boundary region of the breast) and a relatively low contrast inside the measured object (i.e., the inside the breast). Conventional PACS workstations typically include tools for selecting parts of the whole gray scale level range and displaying these parts with maximum contrast through window level settings. Gray scale level ranges outside of the selected gray scale level window are mapped to the smallest or highest possible gray scale level, which means that information contained in these outside ranges is no longer displayed. Alternatively, nonlinear transfer functions represented through so called lookup tables may be applied to the raw mammogram modifying the global image characteristics in order to achieve a better over-all-contrast. Since the available total range of gray scale levels is fixed, a contrast enhancement for a selected part of the gray scale level range leads to a decrease of contrast in other gray level ranges. Therefore, an optimal display of all gray scale levels of the mammogram with optimal contrast and sharpness cannot be achieved by applying window level settings and/or lookup tables.
In the case of a mammogram a fundamental problem results in the fact that it is difficult to visualize structures within the breast. At the same time, structures within the background do not have to be visualized. The actual interesting structures are represented within the breast by pixel values, which do not use the entire range of values available, but use values within a comparatively small range. Therefore, the contrast between the pixels of the actual interesting structures is thus comparatively small.
Well known level and window functions use a global adjustment of the contrast between the pixels for contrast optimization, as for example the contrast between pixels with pixel values in a certain range of values is increased (the range of values is spread), all pixels with pixel values outside of this range of values however on the minimum or maximum pixel value is at the same time are set In this way, the contrast for certain structures, for example within the represented close gland fabric of a breast may be optimized, while the contrast within other ranges, received at the same time, are not optimal and may be within set ranges, so that the information is not represented into individual ranges any longer.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for an intuitive way for a physician or other medical professional to locally optimize the contrast of a mammographic image in a particular portion of the mammographic image.

Method and apparatus for improved display of digital mammographic images


The present disclosure discloses an earphone charging device including a lower box portion having a main control circuit, an upper cap portion covering the lower box portion, and a display screen positioning around the lower box portion. The display screen includes a first portion firmly secured to the lower box portion and at least one second portion floatably connected to the lower box portion. The present disclosure can not only provide a high-leveled visual feeling of the large screen, but also realize a rapid storage of the display screen.

With a rapid development of wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth technology, TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earphones have developed rapidly. More and more people are accustomed to use TWS earphones in office, travel and fitness places. At present, TWS earphones usually use charging boxes for charging and storage. In an existing charging box, a casing of the charging box is made into a display area. However, for such a display screen that is completely fitted and fixed on the surface of the casing of the charging box, the displayed content is restricted by the size of the charging box.


An enclosure for electronic components has a chassis, a cover mountable to the chassis, and a face plate mountable to the chassis/cover sub-assembly. The top side of the cover has a generally U-shaped groove running along three sides to receive a friction-fitted gasket that forms a portion of the environmental seal for the enclosure. Each end of the groove has a J-shaped portion within which the gasket loops back on itself. The bottom of each J-shaped portion is open on the cover""s front side, such that the side of the gasket will protrude beyond the front side of the chassis/cover sub-assembly, thereby providing a portion of the seal when the face plate is mounted onto the chassis/cover sub-assembly. The J-shaped portions account for contraction of the gasket due to strain relief after the gasket is placed in the groove and provide increased frictional force that further inhibits such strain relief.

The present invention relates to enclosures for housing electronic components and other sensitive equipment.
In order to protect electronic components from the adverse affects of ambient environmental conditions, such components are often housed within enclosures that are environmentally sealed to prevent moisture and other corrosive or otherwise debilitating gases and liquids located outside the enclosure from reaching the components inside.
FIG. 1A shows an exploded perspective view of an exemplary, conventional enclosure 100 for housing electronic components. As shown in FIG. 1A, enclosure 100 contains a cover 102, a chassis 104, and a face plate 106. Electronic components (not shown) such as printed wire boards and individual electronic modules are mounted within or on chassis 104. Cover 102 is then mounted to chassis 104 to form a partial assembly that encloses the electronic components on five of the six sides of enclosure 100 (i.e., the top, bottom, left, right, and back sides). The remaining, front side of enclosure 100 is formed by mounting face plate 106 onto the front side of the partial assembly formed by chassis 104 and cover 102. Face plate 106 has apertures 108 that provide electrical access to the electronic components housed in enclosure 100.
FIG. 1B shows a detail of one corner of cover 102 of enclosure 100, FIG. 2A shows a top view of cover 102, and FIG. 2B shows a top view of the corner shown in FIG. 1B. As shown in the FIGS. 1-2, cover 102 has a generally U-shaped groove 110 running around the periphery of the top side of cover 102 along the left, right, and back sides of cover 102. Groove 110 is adapted to retain a deformable (e.g., silicone rubber or polymer) gasket (not shown) that runs along the entire length of groove 110. In particular, groove 110 is specifically designed such that the gasket will extend above the top surface of cover 102 along the entire length of groove 110. As such, when cover 102 is mounted to chassis 104, the gasket will be compressed by the mating surfaces of those parts to form a sufficiently tight seal between cover 102 and chassis 104 along the left, right, and back sides of the resulting partial assembly referred to herein as the chassis/cover sub-assembly. Moreover, the width of the groove is preferably slightly undersized compared to the size (e.g., width or diameter) of the gasket to provide a friction fit for the gasket.
Furthermore, it is desirable for the ends of the gasket to protrude beyond the front side of the chassis/cover sub-assembly at both ends of groove 110 to form a portion of the sealing configuration when face plate 106 is mounted onto the front side of the sub-assembly.
Ideally, during assembly of an enclosure, such as enclosure 100 of FIGS. 1-2, the gasket is inserted into the groove using only vertical force, making sure that the gasket extends beyond the front side of the cover on both ends of the groove. The ends of the gasket are then trimmed as necessary to achieve a desired amount of protrusion. The cover is then mounted over the chassis to form the chassis/cover subassembly, followed by the mounting of the face plate onto the front side of the chassis/cover subassembly.
In practice, however, an assembler might insert the gasket within the groove by applying both vertical and lateral pressure to the gasket, e.g., using a finger or thumb, from one end of the groove around the periphery of the cover to the other end of the groove. As such, assemblers tend to stretch the gaskets as they are inserted into the grooves, thereby creating strain in the gaskets. After the ends of a gasket are trimmed, the strain on the gasket may overcome the friction fit, causing the gasket to relieve itself (i.e., contract along its length). As a result, one or both ends of the gasket may pull back into the groove, thereby eliminating one or both of the desirable, front-side protrusions at the ends of the groove. The subsequent application of the chassis and face plate may then fail to appropriately seal the assembly. In particular, the resulting xe2x80x9cgapsxe2x80x9d in the enclosure can cause leakage failure for UL testing or other quality issues for the electronic components.

Configuration for sealing three-dimensional enclosures


A reverser handle comprising a key component integrally associated with a light component. In an exemplary embodiment, the light component comprises a cap which houses a light source, such as, e.g., a plurality of light emitting diodes, a light bulb, or a photoluminescent material which allows the cap to glow in the dark. The key component comprises a body having extending therefrom a flange which is configured to actuate a control stand. The light component preferably comprises a blue light emitting light source to comply with a blue flag safety procedure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to reverser handles, and, more particularly, to a reverser handle that emits light and to a method of use.
2. Background of the Invention
A reverser handle, which is commonly referred to as a "railroad key," is an operating control for a railroad locomotive that is used to determine the direction of travel. The reverser usually has three positions: forward, reverse, and neutral. When the reverser is in the forward or reverse position, the locomotive will move in the indicated direction when the throttle is opened. Removing the reverser handle from the control stand in the neutral position locks the throttle controller, effectively disabling the locomotive. Oftentimes reverser handles are handled in dimly lit environments, making it difficult to see precisely where the reverser handle fits within the control stand. Accordingly, it would be useful to have a reverser handle integrated with a light emitting member thereby enhancing an operator's visibility so that the operator can accurately position the reverser handle in the locomotive's control stand.
The present invention is designed to overcome another problem frequently encountered in the railroad industry. A safety concern on railroads is injury caused when an engineer puts a locomotive into motion without knowing there are others nearby who are inspecting or repairing the locomotive. Railroad companies have implemented a safety procedure to prevent such an occurrence which is referred to as the "Blue Flag" procedure. Under the Blue Flag procedure, an operator working on a locomotive is required to place a blue flag in the locomotive's cab. No one is permitted to move any locomotive tagged in this manner. Unfortunately, this does not always protect against poorly trained or careless operators, or just plain human error. Accordingly, what is needed is a key that can integrate the blue flag safety requirement.


The input side and the output side of a first bandpass filter circuit BPF1a are magnetically coupled to each other in a jump-coupling manner by the first mutual inductance (L31a, L41a) for connection between an input port IN and the input side of the first bandpass filter circuit BPF1a and connection between an output port OUT and the output side of the bandpass filter circuit BPF1a. The input side and the output side of a second bandpass filter circuit BPF2a whose center frequency is higher than that of the first bandpass filter circuit BPF1a are magnetically coupled to each other in a jump-coupling manner by the second mutual inductance (L32a, L42a) for connection between the input side of the first bandpass filter circuit BPF1a and the input side of the second bandpass filter circuit BPF2a and connection between the output side of the first bandpass filter circuit BPF1a and the output side of the second bandpass filter circuit BPF2a. This multiband filter circuit is capable of improving the degree of steepness by generating a number of transmission zeros in the vicinity of a plurality of passbands with a simple construction.

The present invention relates to a multiband filter circuit that has a plurality of passbands and to a high frequency transmitter that employs the circuit.
The present specification supposes a high-frequency band system for digital wireless communications and so on, and therefore, filter characteristics are hereinafter each expressed in a 50-Ω system S-parameters graph. With regard to the filter characteristics, an S11-parameter represents a reflection coefficient, and an S21-parameter represents a transmission coefficient. Moreover, all the graphs of the S11-parameter and the S21-parameter show theoretical calculation results obtained by a general circuit simulator (GENESYS7.0 of EAGLEWARE Corp.) available on the market.
First of all, the fundamental BPF (bandpass filter) circuit will be described before proceeding to the explanation of a multiband filter circuit. FIG. 11 shows one example of the structure of a most fundamental prior art BPF.
FIG. 11 shows a well-known circuit structure that is practically often used in a high-frequency band and serves as a resonator-coupled type bandpass filter circuit constituted mainly of electric field coupling. This bandpass filter circuit is the circuit that is disclosed in, for example, "Design and Applications of filter circuits for communications" (written by Yoshihiro Konishi, published by Sougou-Denshi Shuppan, 1st Edition, p.26, FIG. 2.27(b)) and has a number n of stages of n=2.5 commencing from the series capacitance located between the stages. In FIG. 11, there are shown resonator sections 1 and 2. One example of the characteristic of this bandpass filter circuit is shown in FIG. 14, which includes only one passband. The circuit constants when this result was obtained were C1g=C2g=5.451 pF, C3g=C5g=1.343 pF, C4g=0.679 pF, and L1g=L2g=2.267 nH.
Although there is shown the case of the circuit of the minimum construction that has only two resonator sections 1 and 2, it is well known that the number of stages can easily be increased or decreased in such a bandpass filter circuit. Although the present specification provided below mentions only circuit diagrams and simulation results in the case where the number of resonators is two for the sake of simplicity of explanation, neither the prior art nor the present invention described in the present specification is limited by the number of resonators.
Although the case of an ideal equivalent circuit constructed of only lumped-constant elements (L and C) is shown in FIG. 11, it is well known that this circuit can also be provided by a distributed constant circuit. For example, FIG. 12 shows an example in which only the resonator sections 1 and 2 in FIG. 11 are replaced by λ/4 shortcircuit resonators TL1h and TL2h of distributed constant transmission lines. FIG. 13 shows an example in which the capacitance elements C1h, C2h and C3h in FIG. 12 are replaced by gap capacitances 27, 28 and 29 between the distributed constant transmission lines and the λ/4 shortcircuit line resonators TL1h and TL2h are replaced by λ2 open-circuited line resonators 25 and 26. In FIG. 13, there are shown a dielectric substrate 21 of ceramic, glass epoxy or the like, a ground pattern 22 on the lower surface of the substrate, and metal wiring patterns 23 and 24 formed on the upper surface of the substrate. The patterns 23 and 24 constitute a high-frequency transmission line called the microstrip line in the case of FIG. 13.
In the present specification provided below, circuit diagrams and simulation results in the distributed constant transmission line form as in FIGS. 12 and 13 are not shown for the sake of simplicity of explanation. However, neither the prior art nor the present invention described in the present specification is limited to the lumped constant form as in FIG. 11.
As is apparent from FIGS. 11 through 13, the resonator-coupled type bandpass filter circuit is the technology that has a number of derivative forms and is widely put to practical use. It is impossible to describe all these derivative forms in the present specification. The essence of the present invention described later is shown in FIGS. 7 through 9, and the structure of the bandpass filter circuit is not limited only to FIGS. 11 through FIG. 13.
The present specification is focused on a filter circuit that has a plurality of passbands, or a so-called multiband filter circuit.
There is a prior art multiband filter circuit shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 (refer to, for example, JP 2000-124705 A (see FIGS. 4, 13 and 26).
FIG. 15 shows a figure of the principle of a first prior art multiband filter circuit. This multiband filter circuit shown in FIG. 15 has a structure in which two bandpass filter circuits 31 and 32 of different center frequencies are connected parallel to each other. Impedance matching cannot be achieved if the circuits 31 and 32 are simply connected parallel to each other and the filter waveform disadvantageously collapses. Therefore, matching is achieved by four phase shifters 33, 34, 35 and 36. Due to the four phase shifters 33, 34, 35 and 36, the multiband filter circuit of FIG. 15 generally tends to have a large size.
Moreover, FIG. 16 shows a figure of the principle of a second prior art multiband filter circuit. This multiband filter circuit shown in FIG. 16 has a structure in which two bandpass filter circuits BPF1i and BPF2i of different center frequencies are connected parallel to each other. It is to be noted that this circuit differs from the multiband filter circuit of FIG. 15 in that the individual bandpass filter circuits 31 and 32 have different structures and two (35, 36) of the phase shifters are removed. However, the other two (33, 34) of the phase shifters remain unable to be removed, and this is a factor for hindering the size reduction of the circuit.
The prior art multiband filter circuits as described above have several problems.
A first problem is that the number of passbands to be provided is able to be increased up to two but not able to be increased to three or more. For example, according to the recent portable telephones, there has been demanded a triple-band type terminal that utilizes three or more frequency bands such as the initial PDC system (800-MHz band) and the subsequently expanded PDC system (1.5-GHz band) and W-CDMA system (2-GHz band). It is difficult for the prior art multiband filter circuits to cope with such a high frequency transmitter.
A second problem is that the degree of steepness of the filter characteristic is low as described later. In the case of a single unit bandpass filter circuit as shown in FIG. 11, there is known a designing method for increasing the degree of steepness by forming a transmission zero in the vicinity of the passband as a derivation form. However, in the case of the multiband filter circuit of which the structure is more complicated, it is the current situation that no design theory for freely forming a transmission zero has been established. In the case of the second prior art multiband filter circuit (FIG. 16), it is disclosed that a total of four transmission zeros can be formed in JP 2000-124705 A. However, as is apparent from this document of JP 2000-124705 A, a transmission zero is formed only in a frequency band comparatively remote from the passband, and the degree of steepness is consequently not so improved (particularly in the vicinity of the higher frequency side of the passband).
A third problem is that it is difficult to reduce the size of the circuit. The problem of the large size of the first prior art shown in FIG. 15 is pointed out in the document of JP 2000-124705 A. Moreover, according to the second prior art shown in FIG. 16, the two transmission lines TL31i and TL41i for phase adjustment cannot be removed as already pointed out in the present specification, and therefore, it is also difficult to reduce the size of the circuit in the low frequency band in which the wavelength λ is long.

Multiband filter circuit and high-frequency transmitter


A control apparatus and a control method of an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine 1 are provided for efficiently controlling functions as a starter-motor and as a charging generator. In case that the dynamo-electric machine 1 acts as a charging generator, when a rotation speed of the dynamo-electric machine 1 is not higher than a predetermined value, a power is generated by applying a compensation current from and inverter to an armature coil 3 for phase control. On the other hand, when a rotation speed of the dynamo-electric machine 1 is not lower than a predetermined value, operation of the inverter is stopped. Thus, controlling a current applied to a field coil 4 by a field coil current control means 5 generates a predetermined target voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus of an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine that is mounted on a vehicle to act as a starter-motor at the time of starting an internal combustion engine and as a generator after starting the internal combustion engine. The invention also relates to a control method of the on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an internal combustion engine mounted on a vehicle, it is often required to reduce number of parts mounted on the internal combustion engine and secure a space enough for an engine room. For that requirement, a motor dynamo (hereinafter referred to as dynamo-electric machine) capable of acting both as a starter-motor for starting the internal combustion engine and as a generator for charging batteries may be used. Dynamo-electric machines for use in vehicles may be classified into two types. One is a dynamo-electric machine that is employed in so-called hybrid vehicles and is directly coupled with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine to act for starting the internal combustion engine and driving the vehicle, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open (unexamined) No. 140004/1997. Another is a dynamo-electric machine having only the function of starting the internal combustion engine, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open (unexamined) No. 247857/1995. From the viewpoint of securing a space enough for the engine room, the latter having only the starting function is generally employed, and in which case the internal combustion engine and the dynamo-electric machine are connected via any belt or chain and put on practical use.
In such dynamo-electric machine, a three-phase synchronous motor and a generator are usually employed. In case of using the dynamo-electric machine as a motor, power is supplied from an on-vehicle battery via an inverter. In the inverter, transistors (IGBT) or the like are usually used as switching elements. The switching elements are connected in the form of a three-phase bridge and controlled by PWM signal or the like, thus supplying a three-phase ac to the dynamo-electric machine. Diodes are inverse-parallel connected to each switching element to form a rectifier circuit as disclosed in the mentioned the Japanese Patent Laid-Open (unexamined) No. 140004/1997. In case of using the dynamo-electric machine as a generator, the output power of the generator is rectified by the rectifier circuit and charges the batteries.
In the mentioned prior art, in the case of using the dynamo-electric machine as a motor, the switching elements are controlled by PWM signal to supply the dynamo-electric machine with an ac power. On the other hand, in the case of using the dynamo-electric machine as a generator, field currents are controlled to use the dynamo-electric machine as a generator of a constant voltage. It is to be noted that in the mentioned conventional arrangement, both characteristics as a motor and as a generator are low as compared with an arrangement in which a starter-motor and a charging generator are separately disposed. In the technical field of synchronous generator, a technique for controlling a generated voltage is known, in which a generated voltage is controlled by applying a phase controlled compensation current from an inverter to an armature coil. Application of such a control technique to an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine may be certainly effective from the viewpoint of improving the performance at a low speed. However, the on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine is operated over a wide range of rotation in actual use, and therefore there arise various disadvantages in employing the mentioned control technique.
For example, it is herein supposed that a mode for generating a power by applying a phase-controlled compensation current from an inverter to an armature coil is referred to as xe2x80x9cinverter generation modexe2x80x9d. In the case that such an inverter generation mode is applied to an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine, when the generated voltage of the armature coil comes up to a certain level, the application of the compensation current becomes impossible due to increase in rotation speed. Eventually, voltage control falls within a state of incapability. Moreover, because the on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine is used while the rotation speed being increased by the internal combustion engine, the voltage control becomes incapable in the range of relatively low rotation speed.
The present invention was made to solve the above-discussed problems and has an object of providing a control apparatus and a control method of an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine, in which a function as a starter-motor and a function as a charging generator can be both efficiently controlled by shifting from the inverter generation mode to the normal generation in response to the rotation speed of the dynamo-electric machine and eliminating troubles incidental to such shift.
To accomplish the foregoing object, a control apparatus of an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine according to the invention includes: an armature coil and a field coil; a dynamo-electric machine for acting as a starter-motor and as a charging generator that is combined with an on-vehicle internal combustion engine; switching elements that are bridge connected; an inverter for supplying an ac to the armature coil of the dynamo-electric machine; a field current control means for controlling a current of the field coil; and control means for applying a PWM signal to the switching elements of the inverter and controlling the a current supplied to the field coil. In case that the dynamo-electric machine acts as a charging generator, when a rotation speed of the dynamo-electric machine is not higher than a predetermined value, the control means generates power by applying a compensation current for phase control from the inverter to the armature coil. On the other hand, when a rotation speed of the dynamo-electric machine is not lower than a predetermined value, the control means stops the operation of the inverter. Thus, controlling the current applied to the field coil by the field coil current control means generates a predetermined target voltage.
As a result of such arrangement, it is now possible to obtain an output power from the dynamo-electric machine enough to cover a wide rotation range from a low-speed rotation range to a high-speed rotation range, making it possible to carry out smoothly charging the battery.
A method of controlling an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine according to the invention is to control an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine being mounted on an internal combustion engine for vehicles, acting as a starter-motor at the time of starting the internal combustion engine and as a charging generator after starting the internal combustion engine. In case that the dynamo-electric machine acts as a charging generator, a target voltage is generated by controlling a field current under normal operating condition. On the other hand, under the conditions that engine speed of the internal combustion engine is lowered and a voltage generated by the dynamo-electric machine does not reach the target voltage, a power is generated by applying a compensation current for phase control from on-vehicle batteries to an armature coil of the dynamo-electric machine via an inverter.
As a result, it is possible to achieve a control method of an on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine capable of extracting an output power from the dynamo-electric machine enough to cover a wide rotation range from a low-speed rotation range to a high-speed rotation range.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the course of the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Control apparatus and control method of on-vehicle dynamo-electric machine


A memory device having a dual port function includes a memory cell array and a switching unit. The memory cell array has a first port and a second port. The switching unit assigns first data received through a data bus to the first port in response to a leading edge of a clock signal and assigns second data received through the data bus to the second port in response to a trailing edge of the clock. Methods of operating memory devices having a dual port mode are also disclosed.

Various sub-blocks of a central processing unit (CPU) used in mobile computing devices such as, for example, mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable music players, and the like, may require access to a memory device.
Specifically, in order to perform a large number of functions efficiently, the CPU of a mobile computing device may include various associated sub-blocks, such as a baseband processing block, a game-related processing block, a camera-related processing block, a music-related processing block, and/or other processing blocks. In order to simultaneously perform two or more functions, such as to simultaneously perform a music function and a game function, and/or to simultaneously perform a call function and a camera function, the corresponding sub-blocks may need to simultaneously access a memory device.
A memory device may be designed to have multiple ports so as to accommodate multiple memory accesses, thereby enhancing the overall system performance. Specifically, when two sub-blocks simultaneously access the memory device, the memory device may have I/O data pins and address/command pins for each of the two sub-blocks.
In that case, the total number of I/O pins coupled to the memory device may increase and the power consumption of the system may increase accordingly.

Semiconductor memory devices having a dual port mode and methods of operating the same


A line driver device is provided in which an output stage can be controlled so as to provide an output current according to at least a first or a second operating mode of the line driver device, the first operating mode corresponding to a class A mode of the line driver device and the second operating mode corresponding to a class B mode of the line driver device.

The present application relates to a line driver device, a line driver cell to be used within the line driver device, and a method of operating a line driver device.
To give only one of many examples, in Ethernet interfaces, in particular of the FastEthernet type, it is known to use class A current mode line drivers for supplying a digital data signal onto a communication line, e.g. a network cable. A class A current mode line driver will consume 40 mA per port. This leads to problems concerning the generation of heat, especially in multi-port applications and when the interface is housed in a plastic cassette or housing. As an alternative, a class B current mode line driver may be used. On average, a class B line driver will consume only 20 mA per port. However, the performance of the class B current mode line driver depends strongly on the package, components on the printed circuit board of a line driver device, and the layout quality of the printed circuit board. When using a class B current mode line driver, it may therefore be difficult, if not impossible, to comply with the standard specifications for the interface.
A solution to the problem of high power consumption and overheating in class A current mode line drivers is, for example, to add heat sinks or other suitable cooling devices. In class B current mode line drivers, specification compliance has to be ensured by imposing strict package and printed circuit board layout requirements. In both cases, significant additional outlay is required to achieve acceptable results.


An apparatus includes a processor and a machine-readable medium coupled to the processor and comprising instructions. The instructions, when loaded into the processor and executed, configure the processor to identify that a USB element has attached to a USB hub at a port, classify the USB element according to power operations of the USB element, and assign an upstream or downstream setting of the port based upon the classification of the USB element based on power operations of the USB element.

A USB connector may be a type "A" connector with rectangular shape and four pints. USB type A connectors can be found on upstream devices such as a USB host or a hub. USB type A plugs can be found on cables, and smaller peripherals such as a mouse and a flash drive. However, USB devices and peripherals such as printers and scanners use the USB type "B" receptacle. A USB type b connector has a shape that is more akin to a square. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate examples of these connectors.
Connecting a peripheral to a host involves a USB type A to type B cable. The two types of plugs have the same number of pins, and are electrically identical. They are only different mechanically. This was an intentional feature designed by the USB specification to prevent connecting a host to another host, which could cause a short circuit.
More recently, a USB type "C" connector has been developed. FIG. 2 illustrates examples of USB types A, B, and C. While USB type A and type B connectors are unidirectional, a USB type C connector is bidirectional. type C connectors were developed with the advent of the USB Specification version 3.0 and later. Versions of the USB Specification include 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1. USB 1.1 was released in 1998 and has a top speed of 12 Mbps. In many cases, USB 1.1 only performs at 1.2 Mbps. Released in 2000, USB 2.0 has a maximum speed of 480 Mbps in hi-Speed mode, or 12 Mbps. It is backward-compatible with USB 1.1 and has a maximum output power of 2.5 V (1.8 A). USB 3.0 was released in 2008 and has a top speed of 5 Gbps in SuperSpeed mode. It is backward-compatible with USB 2.0, and can deliver up to 5V (1.8 A) of power.
The most recent version of USB is 3.1, which was released in 2013 and doubles the speed of 10 Gbps. It is backward-compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. USB 3.1 has three power profiles and allows larger devices to draw power from the host: up to 2 A at 5 V (for a power consumption of up to 10 W), and up to 5 A at either 12V (60 W) or 20V (100 W).
With a flat and rectangular shape, the USB type-A was the original design for the first USB standard. On a traditional USB cable, the type-A connector, also known as the A-male connector goes into a host, and the USB port where the type A-male is inserted into is referred to as a type A-female port. type-A ports are typically in host devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, game consoles, keyboards, mice, thumb drives, head units, and media players. Generally, the type-B connector is the end of the standard USB cable that plugs into a peripheral device such as a printer, phone, or external hard drive, and is also known as the type B-male. The port on the device itself is referred to as the type B-female.
Since peripheral devices come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the type-B connector and its companion port also come in several different designs. Designs for the USB type-B's plugs and connectors include the original Standard-B, the Mini-B, Micro-B USB, Micro-B USB 3.0, and the Standard-B USB 3.0.


A server has a processor and a memory connected to the processor. The memory stores instructions executed by the processor to collect scan lists from client devices, where each scan list specifies a Wi-Fi access point identifier collected by a client device and geographic coordinates of the client device when the Wi-Fi access point identifier was collected. A cluster of geographic coordinates around a designated Wi-Fi access point is formed. A centroid within the cluster is identified. The location of the centroid is ascribed the geographic position of the designated Wi-Fi access point. The geographic position of the designated Wi-Fi access point is added to a Wi-Fi access point location database. A Wi-Fi tag scan list is processed to form a tag path listing known geographic locations of Wi-Fi access points observed by the Wi-Fi tag. The tag path is supplied in response to a request.

It is known to track valuable items in commerce using cellular connections. For example, cargo ships and trucks are commonly outfitted with cellular devices that provide ongoing location updates. Such an approach is relatively expensive because a data plan is required for the cellular communications. In addition, such an approach consumes a relatively large amount of power. To track items of less value, these expenses are prohibitive.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide low cost and low power techniques for tracking items in commerce.

Apparatus and method for tracking the position of an intermittently operable Wi-Fi tag


A method for managing connections between an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and one or more associated UAV devices is described. The method includes determining, by a radio control management service, that one or more associated UAV devices are attached to a wireless network; determining, by the radio control management service, that one or more UAVs are attached to the wireless network; and routing, by the radio control management service in response to determining that the one or more associated UAV devices and one or more UAVs are attached to the network, at least one of (1) communications from at least one of the one or more UAVs to at least one of the one or more associated UAV devices and (2) communications from at least one of the one or more associated UAV devices to at least one of the one or more UAVs.

There is increasing interest in using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for a wide variety of applications throughout society. Examples include delivery services, aerial photography and film making, remote sensing tasks for agriculture, city planning, civil engineering, support for public safety and rescue services, and much more. Common to these use cases are that they each make use of remote-controlled UAVs that operate at low altitudes (in comparison to larger aircraft) and often above urban areas. In some scenarios, a UAV is manually flown by a UAV operator while in other scenarios a UAV engages in fully or partially autonomous flight where a UAV operator may be monitoring multiple aircraft simultaneously and intervening only when issues arise.
When some level of control is being asserted by a UAV operator or otherwise by a ground based controller, a control channel is needed between the UAV and the controller for controlling the flight of the UAV. Typically, this control channel is implemented through the use of a radio controller that operates with a line-of-sight control interface. This line-of-sight control interface/channel allows for control of UAVs over an operating distance (dictated by transmission constraints of the interface/channel) and while obstructions are not present between the UAV and the radio controller. Once the UAV extends beyond the operating distance of the line-of-sight control interface, the UAV is forced to fly without controller/operator input. In addition, since traditional UAV radio controllers use analog radio signals, only simple/low-bandwidth instructions (e.g., servo commands) can be communicated over the line-of-sight control interface/channel. Further, although some UAVs allow for communication of telemetry data and video/image data, each of these types of data are communicated over separate line-of-sight interfaces/channels (e.g., separate telemetry interface/channel and video/image interface/channel) that are marred by the same issues as the control interface/channel.

Using a cellular interface for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle communications


A biometric matching process is disclosed. The biometric matching process may be used to obtain access to a resource managed by an access device using only biometric information. In some embodiments, a biometric template is stored in relation to a user device and/or account information, and is obscured. Upon receiving a request for access to a resource from an access device, the system may identify a number of user devices in proximity to the access device. Biometric templates associated with each of those user devices may be compared to a biometric template received from the access device. Upon identifying a match, the system may provide the access device with account information stored in relation to the matched biometric template. The access device may then complete a transaction using the provided account information and grant access to the requested resource.

Conventional systems for obtaining a resource such as cash at an access device such as an ATM (automatic teller machine) can be inconvenient For example, a typical transaction to obtain cash from an ATM may involve a user inserting a card into the ATM, waiting for a prompt for a PIN and instructions, inputting the PIN and instructions, and receiving the cash. Such processing uses a number of steps. In addition, the security of the conventional processes can also be improved.
Some systems may utilize biometric verification to authenticate a user when accessing a resource. In the above-described system, if a fingerprint reader is installed at the ATM machine, a user may provide a fingerprint to the ATM machine and the ATM machine may match the provided fingerprint to a stored fingerprint. Once the ATM machine matches the fingerprints, the user may have access to his or her cash.
Biometric systems such as these suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, in the scenario above, the ATM or a computer in communication with the ATM would hold a user's enrollment biometric template, and would also receive the user's authentication biometric to do the comparison. Since the ATM may not be entirely trusted by the user and/or may be compromised in some way, the user's biometric data may not be entirely secure. Unauthorized access to a user's biometric data is more problematic than unauthorized access to secret data, since the latter can be changed by a user, but the former cannot. Further, the ATM or a computer in communication with the ATM may store thousands of biometric templates of various users. When a user wishes to access a resource using a biometric sample, the ATM or a computer in communication with the ATM may need to do a comparison to all of the thousands of stored biometric samples. This may take too long and may make the resource access process longer than conventional systems which may use secrets such as PINs or passwords.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems individually and collectively.

Biometric validation process utilizing access device and location determination


A modular ductwork assembly decontaminates an air stream circulating within a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The assembly includes one or more of (a) an ionizing module for removing particulates from the air stream, (b) a sterilization module for neutralizing airborne pathogens present in the air stream, (c) an ozone treatment module for neutralizing pathogens or odoriferous constituents or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the air stream, optionally (d) baffles for slowing and disrupting the flow rate and promoting turbulence in the air stream traveling through the modules and optionally (e) a fan module for directing a treated air stream, (f) an ozone sensor, (g) a monitoring or ozone control means, (h) a means of delivering and repurposing generated ozone. Each of the modules is arranged substantially adjacent to at least one of the other modules.

The present technique addresses the problem of reducing or eliminating contaminants, including particulate, dust, mold, mildew, odors, bacteria, viruses and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), within the air stream of HVAC systems.
Several companies presently offer commercial ultraviolet (UV) probe lights that are configured to extend from the interior walls of HVAC ductwork to remediate indoor air contamination problems at discrete locations.
Configuring individual probes, ionizers and ozonators in HVAC ductwork on an as-needed basis is time-consuming and expensive. An electrician is hired to crawl alongside ductwork to install such ductwork components at recommended intervals (for example, every 15 feet (4.57 meters)), and then to install wiring to electrically connect each component to the building's main electrical system. UV probes are only capable of treating bacteria, ionizers only treat particulates and ozonators only treat odors. These components, by themselves, do not solve all of the air quality problems listed above, namely: mold, mildew, bacteria, viruses, VOCs, odors and particulates at one location with one installation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Modular ductwork decontamination assembly


A vacuum pack food container is closed by releasable and reclosable sheet metal closure having a center portion defining an annular recess around an upwardly projecting integral vacuum release button with an undercut wall partially surrounded by a score line smaller than the button. The sealant material is confined within the button and has an outwardly projecting flange releasably bonded to the closure under the score line. Depressing the button peels the sealant flange from the closure to define a vacuum release passage which closes and seals when the pressure on the button is released. A peripheral skirt portion on the closure has inwardly projecting bosses which cooperate with cam surfaces on the bottom of a curled rim portion of a sheet metal container to provide a twist-on twist-off closure.

In the art of vacuum packed sealed food containers, it is common to use a glass jar or plastic or metal container, hereinafter referred to as "container", with a sealed reclosable cap or lid or closure such as a snap-on, snap-off closure or a twist-on, twist-off closure, hereinafter referred to as "closure". A partial vacuum in the container causes the closure to bow inwardly to form a slight concave configuration. When the closure is released from the container and atmospheric pressure enters the container, the closure pops upwardly, thereby providing a form of tamper evident seal. As a result of a resilient sealant between the closure and the container and the atmospheric pressure on the closure due to the vacuum within the container, it is sometimes difficult to force or untwist the closure to an open position, and substantial torque is required to unscrew or release a twist-off reclosable closure.
In one form of reclosable and snap-on closure for a vacuum container which has been used for packaging food, the center portion of the closure is provided with a small vent release opening. A resilient sealant material extends through the vent opening and is molded to form a small diameter flange or disk on the inside surface of the closure and a larger diameter disk or button on the top surface of the closure. When it is desired to open the vacuum container, the top button of the resilient material is peeled upwardly with the fingers to pull a stem of the resilient material through the vent hole and to tear a vent hole within the inner disk. This exposes the contents of the container to atmospheric pressure, after which the closure may be snapped from the container. The top button of resilient material is discarded, and the food contents of the container remain open to the atmosphere through the small vent opening. Thus the vent opening continues to permit the escape of moisture and vapor from the food product within the container and/or permits humidity in the atmosphere to enter the container and the food product within the container.
In the art of pressurized aluminum beverage cans or containers having a top end wall or shell with an E-Z open scored portion defining a hinged tab for forming a pour opening, it is known to provide a pressure release vent tab or button which is also defined by a smaller score line and hinge section, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,947. The pressure in the beverage container is released by depressing the vent tab or button down into the container so that the beverage does not squirt from the container when the pour tab is pivoted to its open position within the container. As disclosed in connection with FIG. 4 of the patent, a ring of resilient and elastic sealant material is applied on the inner surface of the top end wall or shell around the pressure release vent tab or button. The ring of sealant material is sheared when the vent tab is depressed into the container.
Other forms of food and beverage containers with reclosable sealing closures having vacuum release means in the form a pull tab or depressible button are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,046,227, U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,689, U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,436 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,383. In all of such containers and reclosable closures, it is highly desirable for the vent release means to be able to withstand pressure within the container as well as a partial vacuum within the container. For example, with food products which are cooked within a sealed container, the vent release means must be able to withstand the cooking pressure. After the food product cools, a partial vacuum is created within the container so that the vent release means must also be able to hold the vacuum within the container.
After a container is opened by actuating the vent release means and removing the closure and it is desired to reclose the container with the closure, it is highly desirable for the vent release means to prevent any gas or liquid from escaping out of the container or into the container, for example, when a container enclosing a liquid, is accidentally upset. Thus it is desirable to avoid any tearing or shearing of a resilient sealant material which is used to seal the closure to the container or to form the vent release means. That is, when the resilient sealant material is torn or sheared, it is difficult for the material to prevent the passage of gas or liquid through the material. The tearing of the resilient sealant material also produces fine fibers or hairs which are undesirable, especially in the environment of a food product. It is further desirable for the vent release means to be operable without the exposure of any sharp metal edges which may cut the fingers of a person gripping the container and closure. As apparent from a review of the above mentioned patents, none of the containers disclosed in the patents provide all of the above desirable features.

Vacuum container with reclosable sealing closure having a vaccuum release sealing button


An oral care composition, including a mixture of antibacterial agents, the mixture of antibacterial agents including oleanic acid and eugenol at a 2:1 to 3:1 weight ratio.

Gum bleeding is associated with many common oral conditions, such as gingivitis. Gum bleeding may be caused by a buildup of plaque, a soft, sticky, colorless film of bacteria that forms on the teeth and gums, and produces toxins that may inflame or infect the gum tissue to cause gingivitis. Gingivitis is the initial stage of gum disease and, if left untreated, may cause periodontitis.
Among other uses, antibacterial agents have been used in oral care products to reduce plaque and gingivitis, and hence reduce gum bleeding. However, the antibacterial efficacy of compounds may be affected by other active ingredients in the oral care product, or by limits on the amounts of an antibacterial agent that can be used.
Accordingly, it would be useful to develop oral care compositions, such as toothpastes and mouthwashes, configured to provide improved antibacterial efficacy. Additionally, it would be useful to develop oral care composition with natural or botanically-based active ingredients.


A snow plough which has a handle on one end and a large snow scoop on the other. The plough is supported on a frame which is mounted on a pair of large wheels placed well behind the snow scoop.

This invention relates, in general, to snow shovels, and, in particular, to a snow shovel mounted on wheels.
In the prior art various types of snow shovels have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 328,633 to Angell discloses a snow removing machine having a scoop at one end, a handle and wheels and a mechanism for lifting and lowering the scoop.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,683,732 to Selin discloses a snow shovel having a scoop at one end, a handle and wheels and the wheels are spaced apart less than the width of the scoop.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,470,217 to McLoughlin discloses a snow shovel having a scoop at one end, a handle and wheels and the wheels are spaced apart less than the width of the scoop.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,893 to Asay discloses a manually operated snow plough having a scoop at one end, a handle and wheels and the wheels are spaced apart less than the width of the scoop and a mechanism for adjusting the angle of the scoop.
The present invention is directed to a snow plough which has a handle on one end and a large snow scoop on the other. The plough is supported on a frame which is mounted on large wheels.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved manual operated snow plough.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved manual operated snow plough that is mounted on large wheels.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved manual operated snow plough that is inexpensive to produce and is equipped to handle large amounts of snow without straining the user.


In an embodiment, a method is provided for processing data in a storage device, and a storage device. The method includes writing data according to a write command received from a processor. The method also includes determining whether a predetermined write restriction time has elapsed. The method also includes discontinuing the data writing upon expiration of the predetermined write restriction time.

A processor (for example, a host processor) is connected to a storage device (for example, a memory) via an Input/Output (I/O) interface. The processor writes data to the storage device or reads data from the storage device, via the I/O interface.
Data input/output may be synchronous or asynchronous between the processor and the storage device.
In the synchronous I/O scheme, after the processor transmits a command to the storage device, the processor does not issue the next command until the previous command is executed and a response message is received from the storage device. The storage device may be an embedded MultiMedia Card (eMMC), a Secure Digital (SD) card, or the like. The storage device operating in this manner is called a synchronous storage device.
In the asynchronous I/O scheme, after the processor transmits a command to the storage device, the processor may process another command before the transmitted command is executed and a response message is received from the storage device. The storage device may be a Solid State Drive (SSD) or the like. This type of storage device is called an asynchronous storage device.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

Method for processing data in storage device and storage device


The technology disclosed is generally directed to massively multivariate testing, conversion rate optimization, and product recommendation and, in particular, directed to automatically and autonomously placing conversion code (e.g., scripts) in webpages of a host website without requiring any affirmative action on the part of the host. The conversion code modifies display and functionality of a particular portion of a host webpage without modifying other portions of the host webpage. The conversion code is placed by a website modification service which is limitedly authorized by the host to modify only the particular portion of the host webpage under a product recommendation and/or conversion rate optimization scheme.

The subject matter discussed in this section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in this section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in this section or associated with the subject matter provided as background should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in this section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves can also correspond to implementations of the claimed technology.
Common methods for running controlled experiments on websites include sophisticated conversion optimization solutions. Conversion optimization includes testing multiple combinations and variations of webpages and webpage elements at the same time. For example, two alternative images, plus two alternative headlines, plus two copy text alternatives, for a total of twenty-seven possible combinations (including the original control versions) may be provided. Thus, conversion optimization introduces a rather complex set of permutations and combinations that need to be analyzed to determine the most effective combination of webpage elements that truly engage the users.
As Big Data plays a more important role in web personalization, the number of data signals, the complexity of rules, and the sheer number of outcomes has increased exponentially. As that happens, human optimization simply cannot be done except perhaps after the fact, where there is little to no opportunity to impact the outcome. Algorithmic optimization is required, but even there, simple linear regression algorithms that can handle linear relationships and correlations may not be able to sufficiently create improved outcomes, given the vast number of data inputs and resulting measurements that have to be processed to predict performance.
In e-commerce, designing user experiences, i.e., webpages and interactions, which convert as many users as possible from casual browsers to paying customers is an important goal. While there are some well-known design principles, including simplicity and consistency, there are also often unexpected interactions between elements of the webpage that determine how well it converts. The same element may work well in one context but not in others. It is often hard to predict the result, and even harder to decide how to improve a given webpage.
An entire industry has emerged to tackle these challenges; it is called conversion rate optimization, or conversion science. The standard method most practitioners use is A/B testing, i.e., designing two different versions of the same webpage, showing them to different users, and collecting statistics on how well they each convert. This process allows incorporating human knowledge about the domain and conversion optimization into the design, and then testing their effect. After observing the results, new designs can be compared and gradually improved. The A/B testing process is difficult and time-consuming: only a very small fraction of webpage designs can be tested in this way and subtle interactions in the design may simply be missed completely.
Machine learning systems are utilized to run tests where many variables with very complex relationships between them are involved in determining outcomes. Machine learning systems typically attempt to learn from the data to figure out the formula, rather than to try to figure out a formula to begin with, given that the relationships between the variables may be too complex to determine the algorithm in advance. Therefore, with so many variables at play in conversion optimization, very sophisticated algorithms are desirable that utilize machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other non-linear algorithms to make predictions about outcomes based on learning from large data sets of inputs.

Autonomous configuration of conversion code to control display and functionality of webpage portions


A playing field (10) is useful in a game in which objects are thrown at a target by at least one player, such as in a game of darts. The playing field has a vertically-extending planar surface (12) and a horizontal surface (14). The vertically-extending planar surface is adapted on a front face for mounting the target. The horizontal surface, which extends from the front face, has at least one transverse indicium (52) marked thereupon, the transverse indicium positioned parallel to the planar front face. The playing field has a plurality of planar members (18, 20, 26, 28, 30, 32) that are easily assembled and disassembled for transport.

The game of darts is well-known. In playing the game, it is important that the dart board, which is the target for the thrown darts, be mounted at a particular height and that the toe line, that is, the line beyond which the darter throws the darts, is approximately 8 feet from the front plane of the dart board. In fact, the toe line distance varies slightly, depending upon the type of dart used. In a steel-tip dart game, the traditional toe line distance is 2.37 meters, or 7 feet, 9.25 inches. In a soft-tip game, the accepted toe line distance is 8 feet.
Although it is expected that the darter will hit the board with each and every dart thrown, practical experience teaches that such is not the case, particularly when the game is played in association with drinking and merriment. It is, therefore, well-known in the games of darts to not mount the dart board directly on a wall, but instead to place the dart board atop a larger backstop board that provides protection against darts striking the wall.
To enlarge the area of protection and to store the darts when not in use, it is also known in the art to provide a cabinet-like structure, with a pair of doors in hinged relationship to the side edges of the backstop board. When closed, the doors conceal the dartboard and provide an ornamental surface. When opened, they effectively double the protective area provided.
Such a cabinet-like structure adds considerably to the weight that needs to be mounted to a wall, requiring a more substantial means for attaching, and, possibly, a larger hole in the wall.
In many situations, permanent attachment of such a structure to a wall is not feasible. It is also desirable in many of these same situations to provide a complete (and accurately laid out) dart playing area that is portable. For example, one such situation is encountered at a darts tournament, where a number of playing areas are required to facilitate the number of players.
It is therefore an unmet advantage of the prior art to provide a portable dart playing field that positions the dart board at a correct height, provides a backstop board for errant darts and provides a toe line at a correct distance from the dart board.


An optical imaging lens assembly is provided. The optical imaging lens assembly includes, sequentially along an optical axis from an object side to an image side, a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, and a fourth lens. The first lens has a negative refractive power. The third lens has a positive refractive power. At least one of the second lens or the fourth lens has a positive refractive power. A center thickness CT2 of the second lens on the optical axis and a center thickness CT4 of the fourth lens on the optical axis satisfy: CT2/CT4<0.5.

With the improvement in performance and reduction in size of the commonly used photosensitive elements such as charge-coupled devices (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor elements (CMOS), higher requirements for miniaturization, lightweight, and high imaging quality of the counterpart imaging lens assemblies have been brought forward.
A typical configuration of an existing imaging lens assembly has an F-number Fno (total effective focal length of the lens assembly/entrance pupil diameter of the lens assembly) of 2.0 or above, to have a good optical performance while achieving the miniaturization. With the continuous development of portable electronic products such as smart phones, higher requirements for the counterpart imaging lens assemblies have been brought forward. In particular, in situations such as insufficient lighting (e.g., on cloudy and rainy days, or at dusk) or hand trembling, the lens assembly having the F-number Fno of 2.0 or above has been unable to fulfill the higher-order imaging requirements. In particular, in the field of infrared camera, the imaging lens assembly also needs to have a high relative illumination while ensuring a small size and a large aperture, to fulfill requirements of the applications such as detection and identification for the lens assembly.


The present disclosure provides a refrigerator with a lifting shelf, including a lifting shelf, a shelf driving mechanism, and a shelf stroke detection device. The shelf driving mechanism includes: a driving motor and a gear transmission mechanism, where the gear transmission mechanism includes at least one group of transmission gears, the driving motor outputs a torque through a driving output shaft, and a first pulley is disposed on the driving output shaft; a guide rail slidably connected to a support piece on the guide rail, wherein the lifting shelf is fixedly connected with the support piece; and a traction cable, where the traction cable is wound around the first pulley, and the other end of the traction cable is fixedly connected with the support piece.

Along with increasing living quality, multi-door refrigerators with features such as high capacity, multiple functions and classified storage have an increasing share on market. Further, people have higher and higher requirements for the intelligence of the refrigerator products.
The shelves of the existing refrigerator products are mostly fixed shelves. Generally, liner ribs are formed on opposing sides of a refrigerator inner liner and the shelves are placed on the liner ribs. In order to help users to adjust, several liner ribs are generally reserved during refrigerator designing to allow adjusting the position of the shelves. However, the height between shelves is not suitable for placing articles with different volumes, bringing limitation to storage space. Further, the space utilization rate of the interior of the refrigerator is low and many foods with large volumes cannot be placed in, affecting the user experiences. In addition, in recent years, the increasing demand for refrigerators with high capacity causes the height of the refrigerator to have a trend to increase. In this case, the difficulty in taking articles from the shelf of the highest level in a refrigerator has become a problem to be solved for users.


A system is provided that extrapolates item characteristics from items considered to possess a characteristic to items not known to possess the characteristic. The system may include an item data repository that stores data representing physical items. These items can include first items having a characteristic and second items not known to have the characteristic. A characteristic extrapolation module can extrapolate the characteristic from at least some of the first items to at least some of the second items based at least in part on the strength of associations between the plurality of items. A recommendations module may provide item recommendations based at least partly on the characteristic of the items.

A variety of methods are known for detecting behavior-based associations (associations based on user behaviors) between items stored or represented in a database. For example, the purchase histories or item viewing histories of users can be analyzed to detect behavior-based associations between particular items represented in an electronic catalog (e.g., items A and B are related because a relatively large number of those who purchased A also purchased B). See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,505. As another example, the web browsing histories of users can be analyzed to identify behavior-based associations between particular web sites and/or web pages. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,163 and U.S. Pat. Pub. 2002/0198882.
The detected behavior-based associations are typically used to assist users in locating items of interest. For example, in the context of an electronic catalog, when a user accesses a network resource, such as a web page, that is associated with an item, the resource may be supplemented with a list of related items. This list may, for example, be preceded with a descriptive message such as "people who bought this item also bought the following," or "people who viewed this item also viewed the following." The detected associations may also be used to generate personalized recommendations that are based on the target user's purchase history, item viewing history, and/or other item selections.
In some instances, however, behavior-based associations may generate low quality associations or no associations at all for certain items. The quantity of behavioral data collected for a particular item, for instance, may be insufficient to create behavior-based associations for that item. This may be the case when new items are added to an electronic catalog or when new web pages or documents are added to a data repository. In addition, the quantity of behavioral data can also be insufficient to create behavior-based associations for items that are rarely purchased.
Behavior-based associations can also generate low-quality associations for popular items. Popular items tend to be associated behaviorally with many other items simply because many people buy the popular items along with other unrelated items. As a result, for example, a best selling novel might become behaviorally-associated with an unrelated item such as a pen knife.

System for extrapolating item characteristics


The invention relates to a microscope (12) having an objective interchange apparatus (22) comprising a holder (21) for receiving a number of objectives (1) at respective holder positions (21.n) and an objective receptacle (11) which is configured for receiving an objective (1) and is arranged in an optical beam path (13) of the microscope (12). The microscope (12) is characterized by an objective delivery device (20) which is configured for transporting in each case a selected objective (1) having an objective retainer (3) between its holder position (21.n), which is delivered to a transfer position (ÜP), and the objective receptacle (11), wherein the objective receptacle (11) remains in the optical beam path (13) during the transport of the objective (1). The objective retainer (3) has an outer centering diameter (10) as a reference surface, which diameter is guided against a lateral reference surface located in the objective receptacle (11) such that a reproducible positioning perpendicular to an optical axis (4) of the microscope (12) may be achieved.

To permit recording and analysis of structures of varying size using imaging methods, microscopes are equipped with various objectives that can be inserted, for example by being pivoted, into the optical beam path of the microscope, depending on the desired magnification.
If objectives are to be interchanged frequently, a plurality of objectives can be arranged in a holder, which permits fast and repeatable access to a selected objective and which allows for an objective interchange to be performed efficiently.
In what are known as revolvers, by way of example, a selected objective may be pivoted into the optical beam path of the microscope by rotating the holder about an axis of rotation. Focusing is achieved by way of setting a distance between the objective and a sample to be examined by displacing the holder having the objective or displacing the sample.
When it is displaced, the mass of the holder and of the objectives attached thereto causes high mechanical pre-loading of the drive train or the objective drive used for focusing, which disadvantageously helps bring about what are known as stick-slip effects, which occur in particular in guides and gears that are based on friction. In order to reduce disadvantageous mass-induced effects, complicated and therefore costly principles and constructive solutions must be implemented. In addition, relatively high drive capacities are required and the dynamic parameters of the output are unfavorable, which in turn has a negative impact on the positioning accuracy of the objective.
A high mass of the holder and of the drive train furthermore causes low natural frequencies and consequently high oscillation amplitudes at constant excitation energy. These have a negative impact on the resolution and the accuracy of the microscope in the case of great magnifications.
In addition, the eccentric centroid of the holder, in particular of the revolver, leads to additional and changing mechanical loads of the drive train. By way of example, due to the differing masses of the individual objectives, interchanging an objective results in a displacement of the centroid and causes a changed load situation as compared to the initial state before the objective was interchanged, which likewise has a negative effect on obtaining the image section and on the precision of the displacement motion.
International Application WO 2012/097191 A2 discloses a microscope that has an objective interchange apparatus having a holder for receiving a number of objectives at respective holder positions. When necessary, a selected objective is positionable in an optical beam path of the microscope in an objective receptacle that is configured for receiving and retaining the objective in a scanning unit. To this end, a scanning unit is displaced, together with the objective receptacle, to a specific holder position so as to lift the objective, which is located at the relevant holder position, with the objective receptacle from the holder and to connect it to the objective receptacle using a magnetic coupling. In addition, the objective is fixed at the objective receptacle by way of a locking mechanism based on movable balls.
After the objective is received, the scanning unit is displaced horizontally until the selected objective is situated in the optical beam path of the microscope. Disadvantageous here is the complicated horizontal displacement motion of the scanning unit and the necessary orientation of the scanning unit in the optical beam path of the microscope, which must be renewed for each objective interchange.

Microscope having an objective-exchanging device