A powdered food composition comprising: (a) 30%-40% powdered dehydrated avocado; (b) 2%-6% powdered dehydrated mango; (c) 2%-6% powdered dehydrated prickly pear (nopal); and (d) 40%-60% oats, the composition having (i) 47%-49% carbohydrate content; (ii) 9%-11% protein content; (iii) 19%-25% monounsaturated vegetal fat (omega −3 y omega −6) content; (iv) 6%-9% raw fiber content; and (v) moisture content between 3%-7%, is disclosed. Also disclosed are a weight loss diet and a school meal diet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention belongs in the field of food compositions, more particularly, in the field of food composition, to fight obesity and malnutrition.
2. Background of the Invention
Mexico and the United States of America show the largest world percentage of obesity and overweight among 6 to 14 year old children and adults. Such rate of obesity is the result of poor eating habits, mainly for the consumption of what is known as "junk food", which has high caloric contents, standing out among this kind of food, over-consumption of Coca Cola® and other carbonated drinks, indiscriminate consumption of Gansito® and other mass-consumer foods such as, Cheetos®, potato chips, flour cracklings, pop corn and other widely consumed fried food; candy and chocolate; ice-cream and sorbets, hamburgers, pizza and, finally, the consumption of highly fatty products such as tacos, quesadilla, and the like.
Obesity is a public health problem that is invariably related to heart and respiratory conditions, as well as diabetes and hypertension. In addition, obesity is paradoxically related to malnutrition. According to data provided by Public Health Department, treating obesity costs the country 68,000 million pesos, a figure that might soar to 167,000 million in 2017 if poor eating habits persist.
On the other hand, and at the opposite end, malnutrition, which affects children from deprived areas worldwide, has become a major concern for authorities since the absence of a balanced mineral and protein-rich diet prevents children from growing physically and mentally healthily.
Known in the state of the art are different food compositions intended to correct said overweight and malnutrition problems. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. US-2009-0074919A1 discloses a lunch and breakfast diet: (1) Starter food, a serving consisting of a food combination or a single food, (2) Dairy food, one serving, with or without a flavoring agent, (3) Accompanying food, one or more servings. Any meal serving will be regarded as an accompanying food, if condiment-free. At least three foods must be consumed: A starter, liquid milk and accompanying food. The consumer may select at least two of the three foods, but one has to be a starter. The purpose of said application is to rationalize food servings to reach food balance.
US patent publication No. US-2007-0281059 A1 discloses a carbonated beverage that is prepared by providing a carbonated shelf stable beverage and by adding thereto suitable foodstuff nutrients.
Unfortunately, although the cited prior art has addressed the problem if a balanced diet as a prophylactic measure, these compositions fail to solve the current overweight and malnutrition problem. Treatment of overweight, obesity and malnutrition requires the consumption of natural, nutritious and health foodstuffs and/or preparations making up a healthier diet allowing the reduction of said overweight and obesity.
Table 1 shows the average sizes and weights as recommended for children.
TABLE 1Chile size and weightLight buildMedium buildHeavy buildHeightWeightHeightWeightHeightWeightAge(cm)(Kg)(cm)(Kg)(cm)(Kg) 5 years103.116.41107.518.46112.321 6 years108.818.09113.520.67118.623.58 7 years11419.94119.223.14124.726.7 8 years119.322.112525.7213130.19 9 years12428.7130.128.7136.834.210 years128.426.925135.331.85142.138.72511 years13329.735140.335.37514843.8912 years137.433.05145.839.775154.150.21513 years14336.95152.345.01161.557.5114 years150.341.95159.651.1168.464.2815 years156.748165.658.0917468.716 years161.252.8169.762.93178.371.817 years163.354.5417265.115180.473.8518 years164.154.96172.86618175.03Source: National Research Council, 1989.The following table shows the medium servings as recommended by age and weight.
TABLE 2Recommended Nutritional ServingsAgeWeightHeightTMBMean Kcal servingCategory(years)(Kg)(cm)Kcal/dayTMB-MultipleBy KgPer dayChildren1-31390740—1021,3004-620112950—901,800 7-10281321,130—702,000Male11-14451571,4401.70552,50015-18661761,7601.67453,00019-24721771,7801.67402,90025-50791761,8001.60372,90051+771731,5301.50302,300Female11-14461571,3101.67472,20015-18551631,3701.60402,20019-24581641,3501.60382,20025-50631631,3801.55362,20051+651601,2801.50301,900Source: National Research Council, 1989.
As noted, a child has to consume 1,800 to 2,000 Kilocalories, depending on his/her age. A female child has to consume about 2,900 Kilocalories per day, and a female child about 2,200 Kilocalories on a daily basis.
On the other hand, each individual's kilocalorie balance depends on the activity he/she carries out, since the amount of calories required by a 70-kg construction workers differs from that required by an office employee who is sitting 8 hours a day, reason by which the purpose of the present invention is to create a feeling of satiety through dehydrated avocado, prickly pear (nopal) and oats, plus water, which, in addition, may be optimized by way of 20 minutes of physical exercises, such as jogging, walking or working out, and which would entail a consumption of 300 to 1,000 Kilocalories.
TABLE 3Energy consumption.CAL/HOURMALEFEMALEACTIVITY80 Kg.63.5 Kg.Sitting, static10080House cleaning300120Office work300120Walking460370Jogging730580Running920740Nutritional values for Americans nationals, US Department of Agriculture, 1995.
The food preparation of the present invention is able to provide a high percentage of the necessary daily food requirements that, when supplementing a normal diet, provide the malnourished child with the necessary nutrients allowing him/her to grow normally, and the overweight or obese adult or child with the fat, dietary fiber and carbohydrates that discourage the consumption of foodstuffs that translates into a lower consumption of calories and, consequently, weight loss.

Dried, powdered avocado, mango, prickly pear and oats-based food composition and tablets


An apparatus and associated method related to reading from memory an indicia that is dedicated to identifying a first portion less than an entirety of an addressable storage medium, the first portion having previously been subjected to a certification scrutiny. In relation to results of the reading, a second portion less than the entirety of the addressable storage medium is selected for subsequently subjecting the second portion to the certification scrutiny.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tape libraries using auxiliary memory devices contained in tape storage cartridges to maintain information related to tape cartridge verification.
2. Description of Related Art
Data storage libraries, such as tape libraries, are typically used to store and retrieve large amounts of data for data manipulation and archiving purposes. These libraries are generally comprised of drive devices adapted to write data to and read data from tape cartridges that are often housed within the tape libraries. In the interest of obtaining cursory information about a specific tape cartridge without requiring a time-consuming media load and tape threading process to read the on-tape index file, techniques using holes arranged in patterns in the cartridge casing and later electrical pads grounded in a variety of combinations were introduced. The holes and/or electrical pads provided simple information such as the tape capacity and the manufacturer identity. Today, these techniques are yielding to the introduction of radio frequency chips located in the tape cartridges, called a Memory-In-Cartridge (MIC) also known as a Medium Auxiliary Memory (MAM). FIG. 1A shows an example of a tape cartridge 100, tape medium 102, and MAM 104 (shown here in dashed lines). The tape medium 102 is an illustrative embodiment of an addressable storage medium to which data is stored and from which stored data is retrieved in accordance with embodiments of the claimed invention. An addressable storage medium is "addressable" in that storage locations are demarcated by storage addresses, be they physical addresses (such as physical block addresses, PBAs) or logical addresses (such as logical block addresses, LBAs). A plurality of storage elements each employing a separate addressable storage medium can be combined to form a data storage array. Although a tape medium is used for purposes of this description, the claimed embodiments are not so limited such that in equivalent alternative embodiments the addressable storage medium encompasses other types of storage media such as but not limited to magnetic data storage disks, optical data storage disks, solid state memory, and the like. The MAM 104 and tape medium 102 reside in the interior of the cartridge 100. In this example, the MAM is disposed in an LTO-3 cartridge which can be provided by TDK Corp. of Tustin, Calif.
A MAM allows the tape drive to access valuable cartridge data without the use of a physical connection, reducing connector wear for both the drive and the media. The MAM comprises a memory chip built into the data cartridge that provides a direct and immediate connection to the drive's on-board processors, which speeds access to information related to the data cartridge such as system logs, for example. Information and file search parameters are formatted within the MAM system thereby effectively cutting the data access time down to a fraction from historical techniques.
As shown in FIG. 1B, a MAM 104 fundamentally comprises an integrated circuit that includes solid state memory and a transponder 124 attached to an antenna 126, which is typically a small coil of wires. The MAM 104 is considered a passive device because it is energized when subjected to a sufficiently strong RF field, generated by a MAM-Reader. Information can be transmitted between the MAM and the MAM-Reader via a specific radio frequency.
Though a MAM is capable of storing data, the amount of data stored on a MAM is relatively miniscule compared to that stored on the tape medium 102. As such, a MAM device, in the exemplary configuration, cannot reasonably function as a backup device that stores duplicate data stored on the tape medium 102. Currently, data verification on a tape medium is done by comparing the data stored on a tape medium 102 with a duplicate copy stored on either a different tape medium or another storage device, such as a disc drive. Hence, if data is corrupt or missing because of damage to the tape medium, such as delamination of the magnetic thin film from the polymer tape substrate, damage due to contamination, or some other malfunction, knowledge of data corruption can be accomplished by comparing the data with the copy of the data. Unfortunately, maintaining a duplicate copy of data for the purposes of data verification is a resource-consuming approach.
In an effort to expand capabilities of a storage element containing a MAM operable for the purpose of improving data verification of tape cartridges 100, methods and apparatus are disclosed herein. It is to innovations related to this subject matter that the claimed invention is generally directed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A regulating valve includes a valve body having a cylindrical portion, a valve stem inserted into the cylindrical portion and coupled to the valve body, and a locking member, in which the valve body includes a female screw including threads formed on an inner wall of the cylindrical portion and a plurality of first holes penetrating through an inner wall and an outer wall of a region of the cylindrical portion, the region having no threads of the female screw, in which the valve stem includes a male screw having threads formed on a surface close to the other end of the valve stem and at least one second hole formed in a region of the surface close to the other end of the valve stem, the region having no threads of the male screw.

Generally, in a regulating valve, a valve stem is coupled to a valve body (plug) by engaging the valve stem with the valve body via screwing (see JP-A-60-146966). However, if the engagement is performed only by screwing, vibrations of the valve body caused when the regulating valve performs flow rate control of fluid may loosen the screwing. Accordingly, a pin is used as one means for preventing (locking) the screwing from being loosened in a conventional regulating valve.
FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate examples of the coupling structure between a valve stem and a valve body in conventional regulating valves. FIG. 12 illustrates the coupling structure of a valve stem and a valve body of a conventional typical globe valve and FIG. 13 illustrates, the coupling structure of a valve stem and a valve body of a globe valve in which a bellows has been welded to a conventional valve stem.
As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, in conventional regulating valves, after a valve body 91 is engaged with a valve stem 92 by screwing, through-holes 91A and 92A are formed in the valve body 91 and the valve stem 92 in the screwed region, respectively, and a pin 94 (for example, a taper pin or a spring pin) is inserted into the through-holes 91A and 92A to prevent the screwing from being loosened between the valve body 91 and the valve stem 92.

Regulating valve, valve body, and valve stem


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method that comprises, within a sample window, determining an active time of a central processing unit (CPU) at an operating frequency. If there are any different operating frequencies within the sample window, the method further comprises determining active times of the CPU at the different operating frequencies within the sample window and, based upon the active times for the operating frequencies within the sample window, calculating a millions of instructions per second (MIPS) value for the sample window. The method further comprises performing a comparison of the MIPS value to a threshold value and, based upon the comparison of the MIPS value to the threshold value, setting an operating frequency of the CPU for a next sample window.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In general, for various micro-architecture platforms for SOCs, an adaptive power management technique may be utilized that dynamically characterizes workloads based on system-level events and adapts frequency and voltage in order to save power dissipation. An overall framework for embedded software-based power management may include two basic components, specifically, a performance/idle profiler and a policy manager. The profiler is responsible for probing the system, collecting statistics from a performance monitoring unit and operating system, and making the statistics available to the policy manager. The policy manager may then use these inputs and statistics in order to optimally choose a suitable system operating point (including core, bus, memory frequency, processor states and voltages) and even different power modes to save power while satisfying an application's dynamic performance needs.

Millions of instruction per second (MIPS) based idle profiler in a power management framework


A card connector of the present invention comprises a dielectric housing, a plurality of conductive terminals, an extraction plate and a push rod. A cylindrical locking member is disposed in an upper surface of the dielectric housing, an annular flange extending from an upper edge thereof, the annular flange diametrically oppositely defining a pair of notches therein. The extraction plate defines a locking hole and a pair of tags corresponding to the flange of the locking member and the pair of notches. This arrangement assures engagement of the extraction plate with the locking member at a specific angle. The extraction plate is thus securely mounted to the locking member to form a pivotal mechanism. A force applied to one end of the push rod causes the extraction plate to rotate about the locking member, thereby extracting a card from the card connector.

The present invention relates to a card connector, and particularly to a card connector used for receiving an electrical card and electrically connecting the card to an electrical device to transmit electrical signals.
With the development of the computer industry and particularly notebook computers, electronic components having smaller volumes and higher capabilities are required. However, some components can not be mounted into notebook computers because of the mini-volume and reduced weight required. Card connectors have been adapted to remedy the shortfall. The cards used generally have a relatively large number of terminals to provide enough signal paths for transmitting a great number of signals quickly. However, a relatively large retention force exists between a mated card and the terminals of the card connector, so it-is often difficult to eject the card. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an ejection mechanism to facilitate ejection of a card from a card connector. Conventional ejection mechanisms for card connectors are very complicated, as described in Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 83215629, 84112148 and 86205493. As shown in FIG. 6, a prior art ejection mechanism comprises at least a fixed plate 51, an ejection plate 52, an actuator 53 and a push rod 54. The fixed plate 51 is firmly fixed to both sides of a connector housing 6. The ejection plate 52 is received within the card receiving passageway, an engaging slot 521 being located at a middle of the ejection plate 52, and ejection tabs 522 being formed at opposite ends of the ejection plate 52. The actuator 53 firmly interconnects with the fixed plate 51 at a pivot 533, and the actuator 53 rotates about the pivot 533. A tag 531 projects from one end of the actuator 53 for locking the engaging slot 521 of the ejection plate 52, the other end of the actuator 53 has an engaging tongue 532 for engaging with the locking slot 541 in a distal end of the push rod 54. An opposite end of the push rod 54 provides a "finger shelf" on which to push when actuating the ejector 5. When a force is applied to the push rod 54, the actuator 53 is rotated by the force being transmitted from the locking slot 541 to the engaging tongue 532 of the actuator 53. Since the actuator 53 rotates about the pivot 533, the tag 531 at the other end of the actuator 53 moves in a direction opposite to that of the engaging tongue 532. Since the tag 531 engages with the engaging slot 521 in the ejection plate 52, the ejection plate 52 is moved in the direction of extraction, ejecting the card. However, the conventional ejection mechanism is too complex and difficult to assemble, so its cost is relatively high. In addition, because of its complicated design, improper connection of one component can cause poor actuating capability. Additionally, some parts for conventional card connectors need to be machined (pivots for instance), thereby increasing the cost.
Hence, an improved card connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.


A printing apparatus includes a print head that ejects ink for printing, an ink tank from which ink is fed to the print head, a first channel provided between the print head and the ink tank to feed ink in the ink tank to the print head, a second channel through which the ink in the first channel is transferred, and a pump connected to the second channel to transfer the ink in the first channel. The pump allows air or the ink in the first channel to be discharged via the second channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus with a print head that ejects ink through nozzles and an ink supply apparatus that supplies ink to the print head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ink jet printing apparatuses which eject ink (ink droplets) to a print medium through ink ejection ports of a plurality of nozzles formed in a print head are widely used. A known technique for ejecting ink droplets through ink ejection ports in a print head involves supplying thermal energy associated with a driving pulse to ink in nozzles formed in the print head to cause film boiling in the ink so that the resultant bubbles allow ink droplets to be ejected through the nozzles. In an ink jet printing apparatus utilizing such an ink ejection technique, a large number of nozzles are arranged in the print head. Many types of ink associated with an image to be printed are ejected to a print medium through the plurality of nozzles to print an image on the print medium. Some known ink jet printing apparatuses use a line head with a large number of nozzles each including an ink ejection port and an ink channel that is in communication with the ink ejection port, the nozzles being integrally arranged in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the print medium. The printing apparatus using the line head allows ink to be ejected through ink ejection ports in a plurality of nozzles in concurrence with conveyance of the print medium to simultaneously print a single line. For current printing apparatuses, there is generally a demand to form images with high image quality and resolution at high speed. These requirements can be met using an ink jet printing apparatus such as a line printer. Furthermore, the ink jet printing apparatus is also advantageous in that, during image printing, the print head is prevented from coming into contact with the print medium, enabling very stable image printing. On the other hand, in the ink jet printing apparatus, bubbles may enter channels extending from ink tanks to the nozzles in the print head to hinder the supply of ink. This may cause a defect such as the degraded capability of ejecting ink droplets and thus degraded printing quality. To eliminate such a defect, a technique has been disclosed which involves sucking ink through the nozzles at high flow velocity using a pump to discharge bubbles in the channels (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-203649).
However, such a recovery operation as in the conventional technique allows not only the bubbles but also the ink in the nozzles to be discharged, leading to a large amount of waste ink. In this case, the amount of waste ink, which does not contribute to a printing operation, increases, thus undesirably raising an ink running cost.

Ink supply apparatus and printing apparatus


Laminate structures and methods for forming same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a laminate structure includes a metal-polymer composite lamina. The metal-polymer composite lamina has a first face and a second face spaced apart, and extends to a terminal edge. The lamina includes a ply of fiber-reinforced polymer that extends between the first face and the second face and has an interior edge. The interior edge defines at least one cutout. A ply of metal foil extends between the first face and the second face substantially from the interior edge filling the at least one cutout.

Airframe manufacturers have found that skins of graphite, boron, or a blend of ugraphite and boron composite (collectively "polymeric composite") unidirectional tape can be strengthened by the introduction of titanium foil between laid up plies of polymeric composite unidirectional tape. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,272 to Westre et al., incorporated by this reference, is one of several patents teaching the placement of titanium foil between plies of polymeric composite unidirectional tape.
The resulting skin including a titanium foil makes up for a bearing deficiency of non-titanium containing polymeric composite panels, which ordinarily will not bear loads or hold pins well. In addition, composite construction is typically one-third of the density of titanium. Titanium has a relatively low fatigue strength and relatively high crack growth rates. Introducing titanium foil to the polymeric composite skins yields a resulting hybrid that exploits the strengths of polymeric composite and titanium construction. With the introduction of sufficient titanium foil, the resulting skin approaches and can surpass the strength properties of either material alone.
Traditionally, adding plies of polymeric composition has made pad-ups for joints and higher-loaded areas of composite panels. The added plies are laid up in balanced and symmetric manner to form a ramp at the site of the pad-up. These pad-ups add strength at points in the skin without the addition of weight by uniform addition of material across the skin. Recently, the virtues of introduction of titanium foil have been achieved by padding up by adding titanium foil plies.
The selective introduction of titanium foil at places of greater pin bearing loads causes a resulting skin of non-uniform thickness. The transition in thickness from polymeric composite skin alone to reinforced hybrid composite skin is known as a ramp. Fastening parts to pad-ups typically requires complex machining and close tolerances to conform to the ramp. Such considerations mean greater expense in manufacturing.
Additionally, as the thickness of the composite skin increases, the bolt bending stresses increase, consequently decreasing the strength of skin at the bolthole. For this reason, minimizing of the pad-up is advantageous. Thus, there is an unmet need in the art for a method of introducing titanium foil to a polymeric composite lay-up in a manner to reduce the pad-up and ramp length.

Methods of forming metal foil ply replacement in composite structures


According to one embodiment a valve arrangement for a gas burner is provided that includes a manual gas valve with a manual actuator for opening or closing the gas flow, and an electromagnetic valve having a movable closure member which allows opening or closing a gas passage to the burner. The electromagnetic valve is arranged in the gas valve, with the manual actuator being coupled to a rotary flow regulating element, the manual actuator being configured in order to move the closure member of the electromagnetic valve, opening the gas passage, the manual gas valve including a reduced gas flow channel which puts the inlet conduit in fluid communication with the regulating element regardless of the position of the closure member.

Valve arrangements for regulating the gas flow of a gas burner, in which an electromagnetic valve, controlled by a control unit, is arranged between a manual gas valve and the gas burner, with the electromagnetic valve acting as a safety valve, are known. These valve arrangements comprise, for example, a temperature sensor calibrated with a maximum temperature, electrically connected with the control unit to limit a temperature relating to a cooking process in the gas burner. The control unit acts on the electromagnetic valve to cut off the gas flow when the temperature sensor detects overheating in the cooking process.
KR2015099080A describes a valve arrangement for a gas burner comprising a manual gas valve comprising a body comprising a gas inlet conduit, a gas outlet conduit suitable for conducting gas to the burner, and a manual actuator for opening or closing the gas flow through the gas valve, and an electromagnetic valve comprising a movable closure member which allows opening or closing a gas passage to the burner, the electromagnetic valve being powered through an electric circuit, and the electric circuit being connected to at least one sensor.


This invention relates to systems and methods for applying acoustic energy to a sample. According to one aspect of the invention, a system comprises a housing, a chamber for receiving the sample, an acoustic energy source for providing a focused acoustic field to the sample according to a treatment protocol, a processor for determining the treatment protocol, a sensor for detecting information about the sample, and a user interface for communicating with a user.

Ultrasonics have been utilized for many years in a variety of diagnostic, therapeutic, and research purposes. Some uses of ultrasonic or acoustic energy in materials processing include breaking up and/or mixing of fluid suspensions of materials. Additional uses are in solubilizing or otherwise ensuring that all or substantially all of the constituents of a sample are in solution and/or in suspension. Regardless of the particular use, sample materials are typically contained in a plastic or glass enclosure, such as vials, tubes, culture plates/well, or micro-titer plates, with an acoustic transducer coupled to the sample by way of a coupling medium, such as water. Typically, systems in which acoustic energy is precisely controlled and transferred to a sample in a vessel are relatively low power. Examples of low power systems include high-frequency, low-intensity focused acoustic dispensing systems, which transfer droplets of sample from a fluid-air interface through an air gap to a receiving vessel, and high-frequency focused interrogation systems commonly used in non-destructive testing of materials. Alternatively, acoustic transducers can be directly immersed in the material to be treated. This type of system, in which an acoustic transducer directly contacts the sample, is capable of relatively high power; however, it is typically of lower frequency. A distinct disadvantage of lower frequency systems is the lack of control inherent with long wavelength acoustics. For example, the low-frequency probe-type sonicator typically used in biological and chemical laboratories is operated at approximately 15 KHz, which results in wavelengths in aqueous media measuring several centimeters. Other systems can implement both high-power and high-control processing of diverse samples. However, there exists a need for a system with both high-power and high-control which is easy to use on a routine basis with minimal a priori sample preparation, process optimization, or operator training.
The foregoing arrangements have been used for a number of applications, including large-scale batch processing, yet there is still a need for acoustic systems and methods that are more flexible, convenient, and effective, in particular for on-demand uses, such as for automated processing of small quantities of samples, for example, in laboratory or benchtop settings.

Methods and apparatus for treating samples with acoustic energy


Disclosed is a method including having an ongoing communication session via a packet switched network, transferring said communication session from the packet switched network to a second network providing both packet and circuit switched access, and informing an application server maintaining said ongoing communication session that the communication session is to be split into a packet switched part and a circuit switched part. Also disclosed is a method in an application server, including receiving, from a first communication device, an indication that a communication session between the first communication device and a second communication device is to be split into a packet switched part and a circuit switched part, waiting for to receive transfer requests of both the packet switched part and the circuit switched part, and informing the second communication device of the split.

A user equipment (UE) or a mobile node may be allowed to be registered to an IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) via different access technologies at the same time. For example WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) access and UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) access may be allowed in parallel. The parallel use of different access technologies may allow service continuity for example when a mobile user moves out of WLAN coverage and at the same time enters UTRAN coverage.
VCC (Voice Call Continuity) is a technology defined by 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) that provides a possibility to transfer a voice call ongoing in an IMS domain to a CS (circuit switched) domain and vice versa without disrupting the call. There are however unresolved issues relating to service continuity when transferring from one network access technology to another.
Let's assume the following scenario: First, a UE_A is registered to an IMS via WLAN (A_WLAN). Then, the user of the UE_A moves into an area where the WLAN coverage gets weaker but UTRAN is available. Therefore, the UE_A registers to the IMS via UTRAN GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) (A_GPRS) in parallel with the WLAN registration. In result, the UE_A has two parallel IMS registrations.
Now, the UE_A can start to transfer its ongoing SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) dialogs (that is, ongoing multimedia sessions, subscriptions e.g. to presence information, etc.) from A_WLAN to A_GPRS. This procedure may be referred to as PS-to-PS handover (packet switched-to-packet switched handover).
The UE_A may also have an ongoing multimedia session (for example, SIP INVITE initiated) that includes an audio part, as well as another RTP (Real Time Transport Protocol) transported media, such as a video share. In this case, the UE_A may desire that the audio part of this session is to be handled via a CS domain, whilst the video part should be handled via IMS (A_GPRS).
There are three major issues in this scenario:                1. IMS PS-to-PS handover,        2. Voice Call Continuity, and        3. splitting the voice from other media.
It is not yet certain how these issues should be handled in order to ensure service continuity both for the voice and other media. It is likely that in current solutions one or the other of the voice and other media may be discontinued when performing the transfer. Thus further considerations are needed.

Session continuity in communication networks


A fluid tank connector enables reliable separation of a plug and a socket by opposing the coupling force of a fluid sealing portion. The fluid tank connector is provided with a plug that is fit with play in the inner periphery of a fluid port of the fluid tank that stores a fluid, and a socket that is detachably connectable to the plug. The socket includes a sleeve that connects and disconnects the socket and the plug by being threadable on an external thread that is formed on the outer periphery of the fluid port. A pressing device is provided in the socket, and the pressing device applies a pressing force that separates the plug from the socket by opposing the coupling force of an O-ring that seals the fluid path between the plug and the socket.

Generally, fluids such as high-purity chemical products for semiconductors or general-use chemical products are filled into fluid tanks such as polyethylene tanks at a production facility, and they are shipped after a lid has been attached to a fluid port for filling and discharging that is formed in this fluid tank. As a method for removing the fluid that has been stored in such a fluid tank, a siphon hose method is known in which a gas such as air is introduced into the container, and the fluid is fed to the outside of the container due to the gas pressure that is produced thereby.
In this method, after removing the lid that was attached to the fluid port of the fluid tank, a plug is installed in the fluid port, and then a socket is connected in the plug. The plug is provided with a siphon hose, which forms a fluid path, and a gas supply duct. The socket is provided with a tube for removing fluid to the outside of the fluid tank and a tube for introducing gas. The socket enables the respective communication between its tube for removing fluid and the tube for introducing gas with the siphon hose and the gas supply duct of the plug. By connecting the socket into the plug, a fluid path for removing fluid and a gas path for introducing gas are formed. Such a fluid tank connector is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2002-59993.
However, the above patent document discloses a plug that is fastened by being threaded onto an internal thread that has been formed on the inner periphery of the fluid port of the fluid tank. Therefore, the plug cannot be used in a container in which an external thread has been formed on the fluid port, that is, a container in which the thread for the installation of a cap that closes the fluid port is an external thread.
Thus, in order to connect the plug and the socket to a fluid tank in which the fluid port has an external thread, a construction can be considered in which the plug is disposed at the inner periphery of the fluid port, and a sleeve that is provided on the socket is then threaded onto the external thread of the fluid port. In this case, an attachment method can be considered in which a plug that is provided with a catch is pressed into the fluid port under the assumption that the plug will not be removed therefrom. However, under these circumstances, such a method cannot meet the needs of a user who, for various reasons, wishes to remove the plug. In contrast, a construction can be considered in which the plug is fit into the inner periphery of the fluid port with some play so that the plug can be removed therefrom. However, in this construction, the coupling force (frictional force) of a fluid sealing portion (for example, an O-ring), which is provided between the plug and the socket when the fluid path is formed, is strong, and there is a concern that the plug may be pulled out from the fluid port along with the socket.


A roulette device including: a roulette plate having a plurality of marks arranged thereon; a ball which rolls on the roulette plate; a plurality of ball receiving parts which are formed corresponding to the marks in a circumferential direction of the roulette plate to receive the ball; a bank passage which is provided on an outer periphery of the ball receiving parts of the roulette plate and on which the ball rolls along a circumferential orbit; a compressor which compresses air; and a first discharge hole which is provided in each ball receiving part and through which the air compressed by the compressor is discharged to the bank passage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roulette device in which a ball is received in a ball receiving part corresponding to a mark formed on a roulette plate and a game control method, in which the ball can be easily found in the roulette plate for increased entertainment by discharging air compressed by a compressor from the ball receiving part and a bank passage and forming the ball receiving part having a depth shorter than the diameter of the ball in respect to an inclined plane formed between the ball receiving part and the bank passage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A medal game, which uses medals, as a game medium such as a roulette gaming machine is started when a game player purchases or borrows a plurality of medals from a medal providing machine and inserts the medals to a gaming machine. If the game player wins the game, he/she can get the predetermined number of medals. Accordingly, the game player who has acquired a plurality of medals can continue to enjoy the game without the need to purchase or borrow additional medals.
In the roulette gaming machine, when the game player selects a mark (a numeral) provided on the roulette plate, the roulette plate is rotated and a discharged ball rolls on the roulette plate. When the roulette plate is decelerated and the ball is received in any part of the roulette plate, it is determined whether or not the mark (numeral) selected by the player is identical to a mark (numeral) corresponding to the part receiving the ball. If it is determined that they match each other, medals are refunded to the player according to a predetermined rate.
The prior art roulette gaming machine includes a system for collecting a ball from the roulette plate to discharge the ball used in the previous game to the roulette plate again. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-8-229191, a ball passing hole is formed on each ball receiving part of a rotating wheel and a flange for closing the ball passing hole is formed on a fixed wheel. A cut portion is formed in the flange. An open/close plate is provided on the cut portion to open/close the cut portion by driving a solenoid. The cut portion is opened to collect the ball. Accordingly, since there is no need to provide a system for lifting the rotating wheel and the ball is fell down from the wheel, there is disclosed a roulette gaming machine capable of reducing the size of a bucket.
However, the roulette gaming machine disclosed in JP-A-8-229191 requires a complex system for temporarily storing the ball collected from the roulette plate in a lower part of the roulette plate and sending back the ball to the roulette plate.
Also, since each ball receiving part requires an operating unit such as a shutter for opening/closing the ball passing hole, the cost increases and a game may be stopped due to breakdown of the operating unit. Further, the operation and maintenance of the device becomes complex.
Also, since the ball passing hole needs to be formed on each ball receiving part, the ball receiving part is formed to have a predetermined depth so that a part of the ball received in the ball receiving part is covered by the roulette plate. Meanwhile, since the roulette plate needs a discharge opening for discharging the ball to the roulette plate, the roulette plate should be formed to have a height higher than a predetermined height. A detailed example thereof will now be described with reference to FIGS. 30 and 31.
FIGS. 30 and 31 are views showing a roulette device used in the prior art roulette gaming machine. As shown in FIG. 30, the prior art roulette device 100 includes a plurality of ball receiving parts 102 which are formed along a circumferential direction of the roulette plate 101. Also, a ball passing hole 104 is formed on the ball receiving part 102 to collect a ball 103 received in the ball receiving part 102 after the game is terminated. Outside of the ball passing hole 104, a ball collecting part 105 is mounted to collect the ball 103 passing the ball passing hole 104. Meanwhile, a ball discharge hole 107 is formed on a bank passage 106 on which the ball 103 rolls circularly. The ball 103 passing through the ball passing hole 104 is temporarily collected in the ball collecting part 105 and is carried to a ball discharge unit (not shown). Subsequently, the ball sent to the ball discharge unit is discharged from the ball discharge hole 107 to the roulette plate 101 and rolls on the roulette plate 101.
Since the ball passing hole 104 is formed on the ball receiving part 102 to carry the ball 103 to the outside, a height h1 of the ball receiving part 102 is set to be higher than the diameter of the ball 103. Also, a height h2 of the roulette plate 101 should be higher than a predetermined value (e.g., 143 mm) to form the ball discharge hole 107 on the bank passage 106.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 31, a game player 109 who playing the game with a game apparatus 108 in which the roulette device 100 is located at a height H1 has a narrow viewing angle α which allows the game player 109 to see the ball 103, regardless of which ball receiving part 102 the ball is received in. Accordingly, a viewing point of the game player 109 should be higher in height than H2. In more detail, if H1=about 900 mm and α=50°, H2=about 1400 mm. In this case, a general game player 109 should stand up to view the ball 103 in the roulette plate 101. A game player 109 with a very low viewing point should not only stand up but move to other places to view the ball 103. Accordingly, it is difficult for a game player to view the ball, resulting in decreased entertainment.


A mount assembly for a lamp has a glass stem (122) having a first portion (124) that is tubular and has an outside diameter D2 and a second portion (118) formed as a pinch seal. A blow-hole (125) is formed in the tubular first portion and is connected to an exhaust tubulation (126). A substantially C-shaped clip (100) is mounted upon the first portion (124). The C-shaped clip (10) has an inside diameter D that is smaller than the outside diameter D2 whereby the clip (100) frictionally engages the first portion (24). A pair of substantially oppositely located cutouts (102, 104) is formed in the clip (10), each providing an extending flap (106, 108) projecting away from the clip (100). This assembly accurately supports the structure and prevents rotation of the mount assembly. An upstanding tab (110) is located substantially midway between the extending flaps, i.e., opposite the open part of the clip, and angled inwardly toward the center of the C-shaped clip (100). The tab (110) is provided with a hooked end (112) which engages the blow-hole (125) and fixes the position of the clip (100) both vertically and rotationally.

This invention relates to lamps and more particularly to mount assemblies for arc discharge lamps. Still more particularly it relates to mount assemblies that are economical to fabricate, suitable for automation, and mounted so as to resist rotation.
Mount assemblies for arc discharge lamps usually employ a discharge vessel mounted upon a frame. The frame is generally mounted directly to in-leads projecting from a flare. The flare itself comprises a tubular body that can carry the exhaust tubulation and seals the in-leads in a pinch seal. Previous assemblies have employed formed, soft nickel straps that were welded to one leg of a frame, curled manually, welded to a second leg of the frame, placed around the barrel portion of the flare, grasped with pliers and welded together. Further forming conformed the strap to the profile of the flare barrel. Such assemblies are expensive and require a great deal of manual operations to complete. The repetitious hand operations also had unacceptable ergonomic issues. A further assembly that avoided some of these complications is shown in FIGS. 1-3. Therein in FIG. 1 a substantially C-shaped clip 10 is formed from spring steel. The clip 10 has a given height H and an inside diameter D that is smaller than the diameter of the flare with which it is to be employed. The clip 10 has a pair of substantially oppositely located cutouts 12, 14, each providing an extending flap 16, 18 projecting away from the clip. Preferably, the flaps extend away from the clip at an angle of 90xc2x0.
The clip is utilized in a mounting assembly 20 for a lamp. The mounting assembly 20 comprises a glass stem or flare 22 that has a first portion 24 that is tubular and has an outside diameter D2 and a second portion 26 formed as a pinch seal having at least one dimension greater than D2.
The substantially C-shaped clip 10 is mounted upon the first portion 24. The given height H of the clip is less than the height of the tubular portion 24 and the inside diameter D is smaller than the outside diameter D2 whereby the clip 10 frictionally engages the first portion 24.
The pair of substantially oppositely located cutouts 12, 14 formed in the clip 10 engage at least a part of the second portion 26, i.e., the pinch seal, of the flare, as seen in FIG. 2.
A first frame member 28 is affixed to the flap 16 and a second frame member 30 is affixed to flap 18. Affixation can be by any suitable technique, such as welding which is preferred.
The mount comprising the clip and the frame is assembled to the flare by aligning the opening in the clip 10 in the longitudinal direction of the pinch seal, attaching the clip to the barrel of the flare, rotating the clip 90xc2x0, and then raising the clip until the cutouts 12 and 14 engage the bottom of the pinch seal, thereby preventing further rotation of the clip.
An alternate embodiment is shown in FIG. 3 wherein a clip 10a has cutouts 12a and 14a formed separately from the flaps, only one of which, 18a, is shown in FIG. 3.
The remainder of the lamp components, such as the arc tube 32 and a shield 34 can be attached to the frame either before or after the mount assembly is attached to the flare, and then the final connections of the electrical leads can be made.
While this construction provided at great improvement over prior assemblies it occasionally had problems that caused breakage of the mounts. Usually, this breakage occurred because of variations in the thickness of pinch seal. Further, it requires a particular orientation to mount the clip upon the stem and then a second action (raising the clip to engage the pinch seal) in order to complete mounting.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to enhance the assembly of arc discharge lamps.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a mount assembly that is suitable for automated construction.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a clip that mounts with a single action.
These objects are accomplished, in one aspect of the invention, by the provision of a substantially C-shaped clip formed from spring steel. The clip has an inside diameter D. An upstanding tab is located substantially opposite the open part of the clip and is angled inwardly toward the center of the C-shaped clip. In a preferred embodiment, the end of the upstanding tab is provided with a hooked end.
Additionally, there is provided a mount assembly for a lamp that comprises a glass stem having a first portion that is tubular and has an outside diameter D2 and including a blow-hole connected to an exhaust tubulation. A substantially C-shaped clip is mounted upon the first portion. The C-shaped clip has an inside diameter D that is smaller than the outside diameter D2 whereby the clip frictionally engages the first portion. An upstanding tab is located substantially opposite the open part of the clip and is angled inwardly toward the center of said C-shaped clip. A hooked end of the upstanding tab engages the blow-hole, thus fixing the clip rotationally and vertically. A frame member can be affixed to the clip in any of numerous known ways, such as by providing extending flaps as shown in FIGS. 1-3. Alternatively, a mount structure that uses only a single frame member could be used and it is not necessary that extending flaps be formed on the clip as other forms for mounting the remaining lamp structure can be employed.
This structure provides a unit that can be assembled by automation techniques, thus providing a more efficient, cost effective structure. Further, the frame-clip unit attaches easily to the glass flare by simply pushing it downward upon the flare, allowing the hooked end of the upstanding tab to engage the blow-hole. This is easily accomplished by making the pinch seal no wider than the tubular portion. Additionally, ergonomic issues associated with the prior technique are reduced.

Stem clip for high intensity discharge lamp


A combined PET/MRI scanner generally includes a magnet for producing a magnetic field suitable for magnetic resonance imaging, a radiofrequency (RF) coil disposed within the magnetic field produced by the magnet and a ring tomograph disposed within the magnetic field produced by the magnet. The ring tomograph includes a scintillator layer for outputting at least one photon in response to an annihilation event, a detection array coupled to the scintillator layer for detecting the at least one photon outputted by the scintillator layer and for outputting a detection signal in response to the detected photon and a front-end electronic array coupled to the detection array for receiving the detection signal, wherein the front-end array has a preamplifier and a shaper network for conditioning the detection signal.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses radioactive isotopes to map chemical or metabolic activity in living organisms. PET is commonly used to diagnose and monitor cancers, brain disorders and disease. It has also been an important research tool for investigating chemical and functional processes in the areas of biochemistry, biology, physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, and pharmacology. While traditional radiography and three dimensional imaging techniques, such as x-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), provide structural information, PET scanning provides physiological information of metabolic activity leading to biochemical changes that generally occur long before the associated structural changes can be detected by the more traditional imaging techniques.
Positrons are positively charged electrons emitted by the nucleus of an unstable radioisotope. The radioisotope is unstable because it is positively charged and has too many protons. Release of the positron stabilizes the radioisotope by converting a proton into a neutron. For radioisotopes used in PET, the element formed from positron decay is stable. All radioisotopes used in PET decay by positron emission. The positron travels a small distance, which depends on its energy, before combining with an electron during a so-called "annihilation". The annihilation of the positron and electron converts the combined mass into two gamma rays that are emitted at 180° to each other along a so-called "line of coincidence". These gamma rays are readily detectable outside the human body by the detectors of the tomograph. The coincidence lines provide a detection scheme for forming the tomographic image.
Several radioisotopes are commonly used for PET including 11C, 18F, 15O, and 13N. The radioactive isotope that becomes a source of gamma rays for PET is first chemically incorporated into a compound forming a "tracer" of chemical or metabolic activity, which is then administered to the patient, typically by injection or inhalation. Compounds naturally occurring in the body are most useful for monitoring metabolic activity. Such compounds include glucose, oxygen, water, nitrogen, or ammonia. One common use of PET is to pinpoint which areas of the brain are used to perform a particular function. The technique uses a naturally occurring compound as a radioactive tracer. For example, when a subject is injected with a form of radioactive glucose, the glucose is delivered to the brain through the bloodstream. Since glucose normally fuels brain activity, the more active a part of the brain is during some experimental task, the more glucose it uses and the higher concentration of glucose in that part of the brain is revealed in the generated PET image.
Pharmaceutical drugs can also be tagged and administered, so that the drug itself is used as a tracer to determine the pharmacokinetics of its interactions in the brain or other body sites. PET scans can then provide in vivo repeated static measurements at a given time interval, or even dynamic measurements of the efficiency and distribution of the drug over time. Such measurements have been extremely useful to quantify the performance of a drug using a noninvasive technique. Such studies are becoming a more routine portion of testing used in the development of new, particularly psycho-active, pharmaceuticals.
Analogously, the phenomena of drug addiction has also been studied using PET. For example, PET images of drug addicts are compared with those of normal subjects. Such studies may make use of tagged neurotransmitters to examine the changes in receptor densities (numbers) or receptor binding affinities that result from long-term drug abuse.
Like other clinical imaging scanners, the typical PET scanner consists of detectors surrounding the subject to be imaged. The detectors are coupled to a scintillator, which converts gamma rays to light photons. The light photons are then converted into electrical impulses. Each electrical impulse generated at a detector corresponds to an "event", or the arrival at the detector of a gamma-ray photon that originated at an annihilation within the subject.
Common prior art scintillator materials for gamma-ray detection include sodium iodide crystal, bismuth germinate (BGO), and barium fluoride (BaF2). The common prior art detectors include photomultiplier tubes.
The simultaneous or "coincident detection" of a pair of annihilation gamma rays by two detectors locates the line of coincidence along which an annihilation occurred due to chemical activity in the body. The detectors communicate with a central processing unit (CPU), at which a tomographic reconstruction technique is applied to generate or "reconstruct" a spatial mapping of the chemical activity in the body from a superposition of multiple lines of coincidence obtained from the entire array of detectors. Reconstruction of images from tomography data, using techniques such as filtered back-projection, is well known in the art and is described, for example, in A. C. Kak and M. Slaney, Principles of Computerized Tomographic Imaging, IEEE Press (1988), which is incorporated herein by reference.
In a typical PET scanner, each detector communicates with the CPU via independent data links, each of which is dedicated to a particular channel. The detector area commonly limits the spatial resolution obtainable in the reconstructed tomographic image. Therefore, to obtain good spatial resolution, it is not unusual for a PET scanner to be comprised of thousands of detectors with an equally large number of corresponding channels and data links.
One area of research that has benefited tremendously from the use of PET technology is medical research on the effects of pharmaceuticals in treating various diseases, cancers and drug addictions. For most of these types of studies, animal models must be used in place of human subjects, for obvious ethical reasons. PET imaging of animals, however, poses some problems. For example, in order to eliminate motion-induced artifacts from the PET image, it is necessary to immobilize the animal using an anesthetic. Unfortunately, anesthesia profoundly disturbs the neurological state of the animal, complicating the interpretation of PET results. The present state of the art PET scanners and methods of using PET have not addressed the problem of how to perform positron emission tomography on a conscious and awake animal or how to perform positron emission tomography on an awake animal while the animal performs some task.
In addition, human patients whose health management may benefit from the information provided by a PET scan are not always compliant with the requirement for maintaining a fixed position. Non-compliance may arise as a result of the very disease indication for which the PET scan results could usefully address, e.g. Parkinson's patients. Non-compliance may also arise in patients that are unable to understand the necessity of remaining in a fixed position, such as in children and/or the mentally disabled. The present state of the art PET scanners and methods of using PET have also not addressed the problem of how to perform positron emission tomography in human patients that are unable to maintain a fixed position, i.e., in a moving subject.
Moreover, although PET provides advanced functional information with a very high sensitivity, a major problem in PET imaging is the lack of anatomical information. Even dedicated animal PET scanners with a spatial resolution of 1 mm in the reconstructed image do not provide sufficient morphological structure, especially in applications with novel, very specific tracers or cell trafficking studies. Thus, in clinical applications, PET scanners are often combined with x-ray computed tomography (CT) to provide anatomical and functional information at the same time. While CT provides excellent contrast for bone structures, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) yields excellent soft tissue contrast. Therefore, it would be desirable to combine the diagnostic benefits of a PET scanner with those of an MRI scanner.
There are many reasons for combining the functional information from PET with the anatomical (MRI), functional (fMRI) and spectroscopic (MRS) images that can be obtained with MR systems. For example, exploring relationships between structure and function by simultaneous mapping of PET and MR images, the ability to compare different brain mapping techniques such as fMRI and PET, accurate registration of PET and MR images, partial volume correction of PET data, temporal correlation of PET and MR spectroscopic images and motion correction of PET studies to permit imaging in conscious animals.
In addition, there are other, potentially more exciting possibilities for such a dual modality system. The validation of functional MRI (fMRI) techniques for brain mapping would be facilitated by the ability to perform fMRI and PET simultaneously in exactly the same imaging environment. Differences between the two methodologies, particularly in terms of precise spatial location of responses, could be investigated in the absence of image registration and scanning environment as confounding factors. The temporal correlation of PET and MR spectroscopic imaging or NMR spectroscopy could also be a very powerful tool for probing complex metabolic systems in vivo.
However, when combining different imaging modalities such as PET and MRI for the purpose of simultaneous imaging there are many issues that arise. For example, one major challenge is to develop PET detectors which can be used in a high magnetic field environment, to avoid susceptibility artifacts in the MR data due to the presence of the PET system and to eliminate electromagnetic interference effects between the PET and MR systems which could cause artifacts in either modality. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a PET detector which can operate without performance degradation in magnetic fields of several Tesla and which does not cause any noticeable distortion or artifacts in the MR images. Technical difficulties include avoiding the use of conducting or ferromagnetic materials in the PET detector front end, maintaining the homogeneity of the main magnetic field and minimizing electromagnetic interference (EMI) between PET and MR signals.
This is not a trivial task because all photon detectors and associated electronics contain metal components and their performance is usually very sensitive to magnetic fields and electromagnetic signals. In addition there are a number of practical issues. The PET system must be compact to fit inside the relatively narrow bore of most MR systems, it must be easy to take in and out of the MR scanner and it must be accurately located relative to the MR system to permit direct image registration. The cost of the system must also be a consideration for a practical device.
Unfortunately, photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and their associated electronics used for scintillation light detection of conventional PET detectors do not work in such high magnetic fields. Accordingly, previous attempts to combine PET/MRI scanners involved using long optical fibers to transmit the light emitted from the scintillation crystals to PMTs located well outside the magnetic field associated with the MRI magnet. However, the long optical fibers transmit only a fraction (typically 20% or less) of the light produced in the scintillating crystals, which greatly reduces the energy resolution of the device. This results in large background levels and severely limits the type of physiological data that can be extracted.
Recent advances in solid-state electronics have opened the possibility of replacing PMTs with avalanche photodiode (APD) arrays that work well in high magnetic fields. For example, Pichler et al., in Performance Test of a LSO-APD PET Module in a 9.4 Tesla Magnet, IEEE Press (1998) and Development and Evaluation of a LSO-APD Block-Detector For Simultaneous PET-MR Imaging, IEEE Press (2004), have proposed a combined PET/MRI scanner utilizing APDs in place of PMTs. Here too, however, some of the front-end electronics of the proposed device are located outside of the magnetic field requiring electrical connection via relatively long coaxial cables which results in an increase in signal noise and distortion. Thus, the challenge remains in providing a compact device that can send the signals generated by the detectors and their associated electronics to the data acquisition equipment with minimal noise and distortion.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a PET scanner combined with an MRI scanner that is not detrimentally affected by the magnetic fields produced by the MRI scanner.


A striking device features an attachment mechanism releasably coupled to a length of cord for suspension of the device from an upper support. Featured along the cord is a mechanism for height adjustment, designed for insertion and removal from within the interior of a hollow striking object. The striking object remains attached to the height adjustment mechanism when struck, but is quickly detached by application of a force downward upon the top of the striking object. The entire device is designed for rapid assembly and disassembly and such that it is suitable for use within a home with lesser space requirements than other training devices on the market.

Combative sports, training for combative sports and other closely related physical endeavors are common forms of exercise and self-defense dating back thousands of years. While any individual's particular training goals may vary, the overall goals of participants in these sports are to quickly and powerfully strike a moving target while improving hand-eye coordination, reaction time and overall physical endurance.
Many combative sports participants do not always wish to train against a human opponent. However, it is still desirable for a participant to engage with a moving target while training solo. As such, many devices have been created over the years to accommodate this desire. The most common devices disclosed in the prior art are commonly referred to as: the heavy punching bag, the speed bag, the reflex bag and variations thereof. Each device is useful for training in general, but by their design, poorly suited for home use. Primary shortcomings of devices found in the prior art are: the requirement of near-permanent attachment to a floor or ceiling; too heavy or cumbersome for an individual to move easily; and/or too large for convenient storage. Use of such devices often requires dedicated training rooms, with the result that the user has to either dedicate the majority of an average household room to training, or travel to gyms to train.
Therefore, there exists a need for a training device that may be quickly assembled and disassembled, that is easily moved and may be compactly stored, all while still remaining an effective training device for combative sports.
The inventor has performed a search of the prior art and believes the present invention is a new and useful invention for which patent protection is warranted.


A coupon service application operated on multiple platforms, including mobile devices, PC/Internet and display screens on home appliances. The application maintains a home inventory defining the consumable products within a user's home and a shopping list defining the consumable products the user wishes to purchase, and compares the home inventory and shopping list against a database of available coupons. Users can share and save coupons, use coupons for online purchases, check their home inventory while away from home, monitor the price of certain products and compare the price against an average price and track historical savings. The application maintains a recipe bank, suggests recipes based on the home inventory, and enables users to select recipes, adding ingredients therefrom to the shopping list, all while identifying coupons for items on the shopping list and the home inventory. Users can input a budget, and tracks spending against the budget.

Technological advances have introduced a new level of connectivity to our society, allowing users to monitor and direct many aspects of their lives remotely. Household devices are typically stand-alone devices, and they are usually not connected to a broader network which may include other appliances and devices. Providing wireless management, sharing and programming capabilities allow users to communicate remotely with their devices, and thus exploit their devices more effectively and efficiently.

Methods and systems for coupon service applications


A method for producing a SiC substrate with an epitaxial layer, which can prevent inventory of wafers from unduly increasing and wasteful production, is provided. This is achieved by a method for producing a SiC substrate with an epitaxial layer one at a time, the method comprising growing an epitaxial layer and growing a SiC substrate on a seed crystal substrate, and the method further comprising removing the obtained SiC substrate with the epitaxial layer from the seed crystal substrate.

SiC single crystals are thermally and chemically very stable, superior in mechanical strengths, and resistant to radiation, and also have superior physical properties, such as high breakdown voltage and high thermal conductivity compared to Si single crystals. They are therefore able to exhibit high output, high frequency, voltage resistance and environmental resistance that cannot be realized with existing semiconductor materials, such as Si single crystals and GaAs single crystals, and are considered ever more promising as next-generation semiconductor materials for a wide range of applications including power device materials that allow high power control and energy saving to be achieved, device materials for high-speed large volume information communication, high-temperature device materials for vehicles, radiation-resistant device materials and the like.
In the prior art, single crystal SiC devices are fabricated by growing a large-diameter long bulk crystal known as an ingot, on a seed crystal substrate by a sublimation process or the like, cutting out a plurality of SiC wafers to a prescribed thickness from the single ingot, and forming on the SiC wafers the single crystal SiC epitaxial films that are to be the active regions of semiconductor devices. Formation of each single crystal SiC epitaxial film is carried out mainly by using a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD), wherein a starting material is supplied from a gas phase to form a desired epitaxial film (PTL 1).


A training barrel having a central axis for housing a light emitting insert which includes an elongate member having a first end, a second end, and a first internal surface. The first internal surface extends from the first end to the second end. The internal surface includes a first segment which defines a first volume having a first cross sectional area perpendicular to the central axis, a second segment adjacent the first segment which defines a second volume having a second cross sectional area perpendicular to the central axis, and a third segment proximate the second segment which defines a third volume having a third cross sectional area perpendicular to the central axis, the third cross sectional area being greater than the second cross sectional area. The third segment may be configured and dimensioned to receive a light emitting insert and the first segment may be configured and dimensioned to receive a blank cartridge.

A cartridge, also called a round, generally packages a bullet, propellant (e.g., smokeless powder or gunpowder) and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer, typically, is a small charge of an impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head (centerfire ammunition) or at its rim (rimfire ammunition). In use, the cartridge case seals a firing chamber in all directions except down the bore, A firing pin strikes the primer, igniting it. A jet of burning gas from the primer ignites the powder. Gases from the burning powder (deflagration) expand the case to seal it against the chamber wall. The projectile is then pushed down the barrel in the direction that has least resistance to this pressure. After the projectile leaves the barrel, the pressure drops, allowing the cartridge case to contract slightly, easing its removal from the chamber.
A blank is a charged cartridge that does not contain a projectile. To contain the propellant, the opening where the projectile would be is crimped shut or sealed with some material that disperses rapidly on leaving the barrel. A blank cartridge is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,937, which is incorporated herein by reference.
A light emitting cartridge typically shines a collimated pulse of coherent electromagnetic radiation on a target when a gun loaded with the cartridge is fired. A light emitting cartridge is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,106, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Dry fire training—repeated drawing, aiming and firing without ammunition—is a practical and convenient way to improve and/or maintain shooting techniques. The practice is limited, however, by the fact that the bullet impact point is a mere assumption; thus the trainees and/or trainers are limited in their ability to evaluate the trainees' performance or/and improve their skills. Furthermore, there has long existed the need for an apparatus and system whereby a single or multiple user, or trainer and trainee can readily practice using a firearm without placing themselves or others at risk of accidental discharge of the firearm while still maintaining the ability to recognize the "hits." This safety imperative coincides with an added desire to limit the financial burden related to the wear and tear on a firearm, including cost of ammunition and use of adequate facilities brought about by live fire training.
These considerations have proven to be especially relevant to law-enforcement and military personnel, who require a high degree of firearm practice and proficiency. In such situations, "Force on Force" drills pose a heightened risk to users, as the muzzle of firearm points toward other users, increasing the likelihood of accidental and potentially fatal discharge. It is well documented that Training Officers (TOO have been injured or fatally wounded due to several loading/unloading, procedures, such that a live round reaches the chamber of a firearm without the fellow officer being able to discern that he is facing a loaded weapon.
Accordingly, a need exists for a firearm training system that addresses these concerns and maintains the overall benefit of live fire training.


A sequence to be encoded is divided into a plurality of temporal portions or chunks. The sequence is then analyzed to determine for each chunk, in accordance with a plurality of encoding quality settings, data establishing the relationship between the quality settings and (i) a quality metric for the portion and (ii) the number of bits generated by encoding the portion at that quality setting. Given a target quality, a target bit rate is then set (or vice versa); then one chooses a set of quality settings, one per chunk, that tends to minimize a combined quality cost for the sequence within the constraint that transmission of encoded video at the target bit rate via transmitting and receiving buffers of specified size and initial receiver buffer fullness shall not cause underflow nor overflow. The combined quality cost is the sum of individual quality costs each of which is a function of the deviation of the quality metric of the respective encoded portion from the target quality, the function being such that the cost generally increases as the absolute value of the deviation increases. The sequence is then encoded using the chosen quality settings.

The present invention is concerned with video coding.
According to the present invention there is provided a method of video coding comprising                a) dividing a sequence to be encoded into a plurality of temporal portions;        b) analysing the sequence to determine for each portion, in accordance with a plurality of encoding quality settings, data establishing the relationship between the quality settings and (i) a quality metric for the portion and (ii) the number of bits generated by encoding the portion at that quality setting;        c) analysing the data along with a target quality and target bit rate to choose a set of quality settings, one per portion, that tends to minimise a combined quality cost for the sequence within the constraint that transmission of encoded video at the target bit rate via transmitting and receiving buffers of specified size and initial receiver buffer fullness shall not cause underflow nor overflow; wherein the combined quality cost is the sum of individual quality costs each of which is a function of the amount of deviation of the quality metric of the respective encoded portion from the target quality, the function being such that the cost generally increases as the absolute value of the deviation increases; andencoding the sequence using the chosen quality settings.
Other aspects of the invention are defined in the claims

BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS public limited company


A gypsum board forming device (10) constitutes an apparatus of producing gypsum boards. A layered formation of a lower sheet (1), an upper sheet (2) and a gypsum slurry (6) passes through a forming gate (40). The forming device forms the formation into a plate-like configuration with use of upper and lower plates (20, 30). The upper plate (20) is constituted from a fixed substrate plate (21) and a movable plate (22), and the movable plate is in surface-to-surface contact with the upper sheet of the layered formation. A plurality of actuators (50) is supported by the substrate plate. Each of the actuators applies an upward or downward load (P) to the movable plate locally for a local deformation of the movable plate owing to a deflection thereof. A gate size (T) is locally changed by displacement of the movable plate relative to the substrate plate.

A gypsum board is known as an architectural interior finish material, which has a gypsum core covered with surface cover sheets. The surface cover sheet is exemplified as a sheet of paper for gypsum board liner, a glass fiber mat, a printed paper sheet or fiber mat, an organic resin coated paper sheet or fiber mat, a metal-laminated paper sheet or fiber mat. The gypsum boards are mass-produced by a gypsum board production apparatus, and are circulated in the domestic market of building materials. In general, the gypsum board production apparatus comprises a conveyance device for continuously conveying a sheet of paper for gypsum board liner (a lower sheet) which constitutes a first cover sheet; a scoring device which scores the edge zones of the sheet (lower sheet) on both sides; a mixer for preparation of gypsum slurry; a folding device folding the sheet for forming the edge portions; an upper sheet feeding device for overlaying the gypsum slurry with a sheet of paper for gypsum board liner (an upper sheet) which constitutes a second cover sheet; a forming device forming a layered formation of the upper sheet, the lower sheet and the gypsum slurry into a plate-like configuration; a severing device for severing a predetermined length of board from the plate-like belt formation; a dryer for forced drying of the severed boards containing excess water; a delivery device for cutting the board to be the product of a predetermined size and outputting the products, and so forth.
The forming device constituting the gypsum board production apparatus is known in the art, which causes the layered formation to pass through a forming gate defined by upper and lower plates, so that the upper and lower plates adjust or regulate the thickness of the layered formation passing therethrough (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-18239 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-71218).
In this kind of forming device, each of the upper and lower plates makes surface-to-surface contact with the layered formation under a considerably high pressure, in order to stabilize the configuration and thickness of the layered formation. Therefore, the upper and lower plates have to endure the heavy forming load acting thereon during the forming process, while maintaining the predetermined gate size. Thus, a thick metal plate with high rigidity is used as each of the upper and lower plates.
Publication 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-18239
Publication 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-71218

Apparatus and method for manufacturing gypsum board


A clock signal generation circuit includes a clock inversion unit inverting a reference clock signal and an internal clock signal to generate an inverted reference clock signal and an inverted internal clock signal, a first clock detection unit comparing the reference clock signal with the internal clock signal to output a first detection signal, a second clock detection unit comparing the inverted reference clock signal with the inverted internal clock signal to output a second detection signal, first and second charge pump units generating charge current or discharge current in response to the first second detection signals, respectively, a loop filter unit producing a control voltage signal having a voltage level corresponding to the charge currents or discharge currents, and an internal clock signal output unit producing the internal clock signal according to the control voltage signal.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a clock signal generation circuit.
Generally, a semiconductor device produces internal clock signals using an external clock signal and uses these internal clock signals as reference clock signals for synchronization with various operation timings. Accordingly, a clock signal generation circuit for generating the internal clock signals is provided in the semiconductor device. A typical clock generation circuit is a phase locked loop (PLL) or a delay locked loop (DLL).
Control methods for producing the internal clock signals using the PLL or the DLL may be classified as an analog-based method or a digital-based method. The analog-based method uses a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), while the digital-based method uses a voltage controlled delay line (VCLD).
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional PLL.
Referring to FIG. 1, the PLL includes a phase/frequency detection unit 110, a charge pump unit 120, a loop filter unit 130, a voltage controlled oscillation unit 140, and a clock division unit 150.
The phase/frequency detection unit 110 produces an up-detection signal DET_UP and a down-detection signal DET_DN which correspond to a phase/frequency difference between a reference clock signal CLK_REF and a feedback clock signal CLK_FB. The charge pump unit 120 generates charge current or discharge current in response to the up-detection signal DET_UP and the down-detection signal DET_DN. The loop filter unit 130 produces an oscillation control voltage signal V_CTR which has a voltage level corresponding to the charge current or discharge current generated by the charge pump unit 120. The voltage controlled oscillation unit 140 produces a PLL clock signal CLK_PLL which has a frequency corresponding to the oscillation control voltage signal V_CTR. The clock division unit 150 divides the PLL clock signal CLK_PLL to generate the feedback clock signal CLK_FB. Finally, the feedback clock signal CLK_FB is fed back to the phase/frequency detection unit 110.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating the phase/frequency detection unit 110 of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, the phase/frequency detection unit 110 includes an up-detection signal generation unit 210, a down-detection signal generation unit 220, and a reset unit 230.
The up-detection signal generation unit 210 generates the up-detection signal DET_UP in response to the reference clock signal CLK_REF and a reset signal RST. The down-detection signal generation unit 220 generates the down-detection signal DET_DN in response to the feedback clock signal CLK_FB and the reset control signal RST. The reset unit 230 generates the reset control signal RST in response to complementary signals of the up-detection signal DET_UP and the down-detection signal DET_DN.
FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram illustrating an operation of the phase/frequency detection unit 110 of FIG. 2.
Here, it is assumed that the reference clock signal CLK_REF has a frequency substantially the same as that of the feedback clock signal CLK_FB while the reference clock signal CLK_REF has a phase different from that of the feedback clock signal CLK_FB.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the up-detection signal DET_UP transitions to a logic high level in response to a rising edge of the reference clock signal CLK_REF, and the down-detection signal DET_DN transitions to a logic high level in response to a rising edge of the feedback clock signal CLK_FB. The reset control signal RST has a high logic level when complementary signals of the up-detection signal DET_UP and the down-detection signal DET_DN are both at a logic low level. Further, both the up-detection signal DET_UP and the down-detection signal DET_DN transition to a logic low level in response to a falling edge of the reset control signal RST. Therefore, the up-detection signal DET_UP and the down-detection signal DET_DN have different pulse widths according to a phase difference between the reference clock signal CLK_REF and the feedback clock signal CLK_FB.
Referring back to FIG. 1, the up-detection signal DET_UP and the down-detection signal DET_DN are transferred to the charge pump unit 120, and the charge pump unit 120 generates the charge current or the discharge current for a duration corresponding to a difference between the pulse width of the up-detection signal DET_UP and the pulse width of the down-detection signal DET_DN. Subsequently, the loop filter unit 130 produces the oscillation control voltage signal V_CTR which has a voltage level corresponding to the charge current or discharge current, and the voltage controlled oscillation unit 140 produces the PLL clock signal CLK_PLL which has a frequency corresponding to the oscillation control voltage signal V_CTR. Finally, the feedback clock signal CLK_FB is fed back to the phase/frequency detection unit 110 through the clock division unit 150.
Through repeated detections, the PLL outputs the PLL clock signal CLK_PLL which is synchronized with the reference clock signal CLK_REF. The process of synchronizing the reference clock signal CLK_REF and the PLL clock signal CLK_PLL is called a "phase/frequency locking" operation.
As described above, the phase/frequency locking operation of the conventional PLL is performed such that the charge pump unit 120 operates for a duration according to the pulse widths of the up-detection signal DET_UP and the down-detection signal DET_DN.
Meanwhile, in order for the PLL to output the PLL clock signal CLK_PLL having a desired frequency, a certain amount of time is required to perform the phase/frequency locking operation. In general, this amount of time is called a "locking" time. That is, the PLL is designed to produce the desired PLL clock signal CLK_PLL after the locking time elapses. After such desired PLL clock signal CLK_PLL is generated, a semiconductor device may use the PLL clock signal CLK_PLL as an internal clock signal. Accordingly, to order to secure a faster circuit operation of the semiconductor device, decreasing the locking time of the PLL is desired.


A method includes: inputting information indicating power usage corresponding to each of a plurality of user IDs; generating a differential value between i) a first cumulative value of power usage corresponding to a first user ID in a prescribed period and ii) a second cumulative value of power usage corresponding to a second user ID in the prescribed period; generating a first conversion value by converting the differential value to a use time of an electric home appliance corresponding to a first type among electric home appliances corresponding to the first user ID; generating display data indicating that the differential value corresponds to the first conversion value; and transmitting the display data to an information terminal device corresponding to the first user ID.

Conventionally, there are techniques for transmitting, to a client accessing an energy conservation supporting apparatus, response data comparing data related to an operational status of an electrical appliance system that is a target for energy conservation support with data related to an operational status of another electrical appliance system to be compared with the operational status of electrical appliance system that is the target for energy conservation support (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1). Accordingly, the energy conservation supporting apparatus can provide an energy conservation advice based on the comparison with an operational status of each electrical appliance in another electrical appliance system.
In addition, with respect to air conditioning devices, there are techniques for aggregating usage data and performing statistical processing in order to obtain at least one statistical value among an average value, a median value, and a standard deviation of usage data of a plurality of air conditioning devices and to compare usage data of specific air conditioning devices (for example, refer to Patent Literature 2). Accordingly, a user can objectively evaluate power usage of the user's own air conditioning device from a result of a comparative evaluation between the air conditioning device and another air conditioning device. Moreover, Patent Literature 2 describes extracting and comparing air conditioning devices used by families with a same number of members, by people of the same age, or by people who reside in the same area in order to eliminate differences in use environments and increase comparison accuracy.
However, the conventional art described above require further improvements.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-218077 (paragraphs [0048] to [0054], paragraph [0058], FIG. 8, and the like)
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent No. 4134379 (paragraphs [0031] to [0036], FIG. 3, and the like)

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA


The invention relates to linear time-delay and integration sensors (or TDI sensors). According to the invention, adjacent pixels of the same rank comprise, alternately, at least one photodiode and one transfer gate adjacent to the photodiode, the photodiodes comprising a common reference region of a first conductivity type, in which an individual region of opposite conductivity type is formed, itself covered by a individual surface region of the first conductivity type, characterized in that the surface regions of two photodiodes located on either side of a transfer gate are electrically separated so as to be able to be brought to different potentials in order to create potential wells and potential barriers allowing accumulation and transfer of charges as desired.

These sensors are used for example in scanners. They comprise a linear array of several parallel rows of photosensitive pixels. The sequencing of the control circuits of the various rows (control of the exposure time and then control of the readout of the photogenerated charges) is synchronized with respect to the relative scrolling between the scene and the sensor, so that all the rows of the sensor see in succession the same row of the observed scene. The signals generated by each row are then added point by point for each point of the row observed.
For a constant exposure time, the sensitivity of the sensor is improved in proportion to the number N of rows, or else, for a constant sensitivity, the exposure time may be divided by N. This number N may be, for example, 16 or 32 for industrial-control applications or for space-based Earth observation or even from 60 to 100 rows for medical applications (dentistry, mammography, etc.).
The signal-to-noise ratio is improved in proportion to the square root of the number N of rows of the sensor.
In addition, the sensitivity non-uniformity of the pixels in the same array, and the dark current non-uniformity of the pixels are reduced due to the averaging that results from adding the signals from the various rows.
In CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors, the pointwise addition of the signals is achieved simply by transferring to a row of pixels the charges generated and accumulated in the preceding row of pixels, synchronously with the relative movement between the scene and the sensor. The last row of pixels, having accumulated the charges generated by the observed image row N times, may be read out.
The usual CCD image sensor technology is relatively costly—it uses high supply voltages and consumes a substantial amount of energy. This technology is based on the use of adjacent, mutually-overlapping polysilicon gates.
Image sensor technology has since moved towards transistor-based active-pixel sensors, called from now on CMOS sensors for simplicity because they are generally fabricated in CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology. In these CMOS sensors there is no longer charge transfer from row to row towards a readout circuit or a register but instead transistor-based active pixels that gather photogenerated electrical charges and convert them directly into a voltage or a current. The various rows of the sensor therefore successively supply voltages or currents representative of the illumination received by the row. These structures do not allow noiseless addition of these currents or voltages and it is therefore difficult to produce a time-delay and integration charge sensor. The fabrication technology is however simple, consumes little power, and uses low voltages.
Attempts have however been made to fabricate TDI CMOS sensors.
In particular, switched capacitors in which successive received currents are integrated, thus accumulating in one and the same capacitor charges received from several pixels in a column, have been tried (U.S. Pat. No. 6,906,749, WO 01/26382).
It has also been proposed to convert the signals from a row of pixels into digital values and sum the digital value corresponding to the pixel of rank j of the row in an accumulating register of rank j that accumulates the numerical values corresponding to the pixels of one and the same rank j of N successive rows (patent FR 2 906 080).
In patent FR 2 906 081 it was proposed to apply, to the photodiode of a pixel in one row, the output voltage of a pixel in a preceding row so as to copy thereto the charges of the preceding pixel before isolating the photodiode and integrating new charges resulting from the light. Hence, at the end of an integration time the photodiode comprises the sum of the charges corresponding to the preceding row and the new integrated charges. This operation however induces transfer noise that reduces the signal-to-noise ratio.
Finally, solutions using charge accumulation in the pixel have been proposed, for example in the patent application US 2008/0217661. They use a more complicated technology than is strictly necessary for fabricating image sensors in CMOS technology or they induce losses during charge transfer.
Attempts to fabricate a linear TDI sensor using a technology simpler than the customary CCD technology have therefore not been satisfactory.
The object of the invention is to provide a more advantageous solution for fabricating sensors, operating according to the principle of charge-transfer structures but using a technology compatible with CMOS-technology circuits, and notably a technology that uses only a single polycrystalline silicon gate level and not a double, overlapping gate level as is the case in conventional CCD technologies.

Multilinear image sensor with charge integration