An optical device includes, for example, an optical fiber that guides light, a first holding member that holds the optical fiber, an optical element that functions by the light guided by the optical fiber being irradiated, and a second holding member that holds the optical element. The optical device further includes an optically coupled member elastically deformed by one end portion of the first holding member and one end portion of the second holding member being inserted to optically couple the optical fiber and the optical element by being elastically deformed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical device having a light guide member and an optical element.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2007-188059 discloses an optical component that can be mounted on an end of a light guide member. In the optical component, a cap (holder) has an arrangement portion including a first fitting portion formed as a hole into which a ferrule is fitted and a second fitting portion formed as a hole communicatively connected to the first fitting portion (hole).
An optical fiber is inserted into the ferrule. The ferrule is fixed to the holder by at least one part of the side face of the ferrule being YAG-welded to the first fitting portion. Incidentally, the ferrule can be fixed to the holder by an adhesive, resistance welding, press-fitting, caulking or the like. The ferrule can also be fixed to the holder at an end of the ferrule.
An optical element (light conversion member) is disposed in the second fitting portion. The optical element is fixed to the holder by the optical element being fixed to the second fitting portion by melting-point glass or resin.
In Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2007-188059, in order for the ferrule to be fixed to the holder, it is necessary for the ferrule to be fitted into the holder in a state in which the ferrule is in close contact with the holder without creating a gap between the ferrule and the holder. In this state, the ferrule is fixed to the holder by YAG welding, adhesive, resistance welding, press-fitting, caulking or the like.
When the YAG welding or adhesive is used, a fixing strength between the ferrule and the holder increases as the above gap decreases. Thus, even when the YAG welding or adhesive is used, like when press-fitting is used, the inside diameter of the holder is made smaller than the outside diameter of the ferrule. Then in this state, the ferrule is press-fitted into the holder.
In this press-fitting process, however, a very large load is applied along an axial direction for press-fitting. When the load is applied to the ferrule and the holder, the optical fiber disposed in the ferrule and the optical element disposed in the holder are distorted. Then, the distortion leads to degradation in optical performance.
Particularly, the load for press-fitting increases with an increasing tolerance (interference) between the ferrule and the holder. Accordingly, as described above, distortion is more likely to occur in the optical fiber and optical element and optical performance is further degraded due to a load when an optical device is assembled. Therefore, an optical performance is more degraded due to the load during assembly with an increasing tolerance (interference).


To provide an information record controlling apparatus which can move and record recorded information more efficiently, and more efficiently administrate move and record. In the information recording and reproducing apparatus 1, CPU 2 administrates and controls recorded information, which is constituted by a plurality of information units. Further, the CPU 2 controls move and record of the recorded information, which are carried out with respect to each of the information units, on the basis of reproduction able and disable information with respect to each of the information units.

Digital information (for example, image information, sound information, and character information), broadcasted in present digital broadcasting, has information indicative of restriction of copy, as described in Non Patent Document 1. Accordingly, for example, when such the digital information received by a certain receiving apparatus is once recorded onto a recording medium, it becomes impossible to copy the recording medium to another recording medium. Therefore, when the digital information thus recorded (hereinafter referred to as "recorded information") is to be recorded onto another recording medium, it is necessary that the recorded information is not recorded from the recording medium to the other recording medium but moved and recorded (moved to record). In this, what meant by "moved and recorded" is that the recorded information is moved from an information recording medium to another information recording medium, and after it is moved, the recorded information is in a state that the recorded information cannot be reproduced from the former recording medium.    Non Patent Document 1: Incorporated Company, The Association for Promotion of Digital Broadcasting, "As to Copy Control", Internet <URL:http://www.d-pa.org/copyctr/index.html>

Information record controlling apparatus, information record controlling method, information reproduction controlling apparatus, information reproduction controlling method, information recording medium, information record controlling program, and information reproduction controlling program


An information providing service method comprising the steps of selecting an object displayed on a map in a user terminal, transmitting coordinate information relating to an object selected in the terminal and display object attribute information representing attributes of service information to be provided by the object to a server connected to the terminal over a network, transmitting spatial range information, attribute information and a URL based on the transmitted coordinate information and display object attribute information from the server to the terminal, and displaying an information bubble along with the object at a position indicated by the transmitted spatial range information on a display unit of the terminal, whereby the service information is provided such that the service information is linked with map information of the terminal to the user, and the information bubble is displayed in an appropriate size on the map information.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server, a user terminal, an information providing service system and an information providing service method suitable for use in a position information service using, for example, a portable terminal.
(2) Description of Related Art
When electronic data is stored, an user (company, individual) generally uses a processing apparatus such as a keyboard, a mouse or the like. In order to express his/her intention, the user converts the data into another hardware, direct the processing apparatus to retrieve or store the data in conformity with contents to be processed.
Recent spread of portable terminals allows the mobile environment to be well prepared, small-sized GPS (Global Positioning System) modules that can measure positions of person to be widely used, and various services to be provided. A part of them is used as a guidance service to measure a position of a user and notify the user of his/her position.
However, the user needs to temporarily convert his/her intention into data in another form when retrieving or storing the data. In such method, the data needs to be digitally processed. Accordingly, the user cannot directly process the data in such a way as the user puts things that come into his/her view in a shelf. Namely, the user cannot retrieve data in so-called analog way such as "advance in the north direction", "relatively right/left", or "a little rightward/forward/backward", which does not fit to human sensation, so that the user feels difficulty in use.
For this, the user needs to digitally process data when retrieving or storing the data, although it is more convenient for the user to operate in an analog way. Additionally, the digital processing requires special knowledge and experience.
The service using the portable terminal is mainly by means of voice, which is not adapted to display a position of the user since the display of the portable terminal is of a small size.
In a guidance (navigation) service by voice, the user can grasp his/her position using a GPS module internally or externally equipped to the portable terminal. The system can guide the user in such a way as "advance in the north direction" as an absolute expression in the navigation service.
However, the system cannot grasp a direction in which the user faces, so that the system cannot guide the user in such a way as "go straight" as a relative expression in consideration of the user's position. Therefore, the service has a disadvantage that the user has a difficulty in being guided when the user does not grasp the four cardinal points.
When a moving speed is high as a vehicle, it is possible to grasp a direction in which the user moves using Doppler effect generating between the GPS satellite and the portable terminal. When a moving speed is low as when the user is walking or stopping, it is impossible to grasp a direction in which the user or vehicle moves.
It is very difficult for the system administrator to actually invest money in expensive installations in order to grasp movement of the user.

Server, user terminal, information providing service system and information providing service method for providing information in conjunction with a geographical mapping application


Methods for identifying a remote user of a portable device by using the portable device to encode sound corresponding to the identification of the remote user. The sound is received by a microphone external to the portable device and convened to an electrical signal. The electrical signal is transmitted to a processing device, that may be remote to the microphone, where the electrical signal is processed and the identification of the remote user is completed.

The Wireless Telephony Industry is developing the capability to compute secure identification and authentication codes using the cellular phones' Central Processing Units' (CPU) capability or the CPU in a chip card or smart card inserted into the cellular phone. These secure identification and authentication codes can be computed according to different standards and methods, including methods for computing identification or authentication strings that are wholly or partially variable in order to avoid the fraudulent re-use of the string. This industry trend includes the use of the cellular phone to digitally sign documents, according to well-known standards or newly developed standards and protocols.
Many industry leaders plan to use the cellular phone as an instrument for performing e-commerce transactions, whereas the authorized owner of the cellular phone can be identified or authenticated by means of the strings computed as mentioned above, and, whereas certain transaction data is securely transmitted, using encryption methods and/or hash functions
Currently, a typical system for identifying the cellular phone owner and certifying transaction data, generates a string of digits or bits which includes, among other data and parameters, the data associated with the identity of the cellular phone or of a chip card inserted in the cellular phone, where the data is totally or partially encrypted. The identification data is sometimes associated with the cellular phone owner, or with another entity, such as an anonymous debit account. The string is typically transmitted as an electromagnetic wave, according to one of several cellular phone methodologies for transmission.
One of the problems with these current systems for secure transactions through the internet is that the transaction must be performed at some instance through the cellular phone, in conjunction with a cellular phone call, thus adding complexity and time to the transaction.
As an example, a first e-commerce transaction is initiated and completed through the cellular phone, whereas at a particular moment the cellular phone generates the identification string and transmits an electromagnetic representation of the identification string. This is the typical case where the holder of the cellular phone places a call using the cellular phone.
Now, another example that shows the shortcomings of the prior art is when an e-commerce transaction is initiated through a device other than a cellular phone, such as a PC. At some point in time during the carrying out of the e-commerce transaction, the owner of the cellular phone, due to the need to certify his acceptation of the transaction, will need to use a cellular device to generate the identification or certification string. But, since the owner of the cellular phone is communicating with the e-merchant by means of his PC, an extra step will have to take place where either the owner is called by the merchant, or in other cases, the owner places a call to the merchant or other entity with the cellular phone. In either case, however, the owner always transmits the certification string using his cellular phone, in the form of an electromagnetic wave.
Therefore, there is a need for a new methodology, which will enable the identification and certification for remote transactions in general, including telephone orders, and the e-commerce transaction in particular, which are made though a PC, or any other device such as regular wired phones, organizers, palm computers and the like, without the necessity of placing a call with the cellular phone in which the capability to compute identification/certification strings has been installed.

Acoustic encoding of dynamic identification codes


An automatic music composing apparatus is provided, which is capable of generating music with a high degree of completion in synchronization with images and in a time that matches the length of images. The automatic music composing apparatus automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images. A number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by each of sections of images is calculated. Bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars is acquired. The musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data is generated. The generated musical composition is outputted according to each of the sections of the images.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic music composing apparatus and automatic music composing program that create musical compositions in synchronization with images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a background music (referred to below as BGM) generator is known that generates BGM in synchronization with images so that the BGM matches the mood of the images. In this BGM generator, fragment data (including accompaniment data and data for generating a melody) of a plurality of songs is prerecorded on a database. When a music genre or rhythm that matches the mood of the images and the length (e.g., the length of time or number of frames of the images) of the images to which a user wishes to attach the BGM is specified by an input from the user, fragment data of music that matches the specification by the user is read from the database. The read fragment data of this music is joined together in the correct manner to generate BGM that matches the length of the images.
However, since music is thus generated by the conventional BGM generator by joining together fragments of data of music, when a single musical composition is generated by joining together fragment data, the music has little sense of continuity.
Moreover, in spite of groups of data for generating a plurality of melodies being registered in the database for one set of accompaniment data, only a few musical compositions can be generated using the same accompaniment source. If fragment data prepared for another accompaniment is used, then the number of musical compositions that can be generated using the same accompaniment source does increase somewhat, however, the accompaniment and the melody conflict with each other in many cases so that, hitherto, the music has only seemed partially completed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic music composing apparatus and an automatic music composing program capable of generating music with a high degree of completion in synchronization with images and in a time that matches the length of images.
To attain the above object, in a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic music composing apparatus that automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images, comprising a bar number calculating device that calculates a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by each of sections of images, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring device that acquires bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars, a musical composition generating device that generates the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, and an output device that outputs the generated musical composition according to each of the sections of the images.
Preferably, the automatic music composing apparatus according to the first aspect comprises a musical composition length adjusting device that adjusts a length of the musical composition such that the generated musical composition has a length matching a time period required by a corresponding one of the sections of the images, and wherein the output device outputs the musical composition having the length thereof adjusted, according to each of the sections of the images.
Also preferably, the bar number-corresponding data acquiring device acquires the bar number-corresponding data in units of a predetermined number of bars, and wherein the apparatus comprises a deleting device that deletes a portion of the bar number-corresponding data such that the acquired bar number-corresponding data corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition.
To attain the above object, in the first aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic music composing program that is executed by a computer, comprising a bar number calculating module for calculating a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by each of sections of images, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring module for acquiring bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars, a musical composition generating module for generating the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, and an output module for outputting the generated musical composition according to each of the sections of the images.
To attain the above object, in a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic music composing apparatus that automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images, comprising a bar number calculating device that calculates a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by each of sections of images, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring device that acquires bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars in units of a predetermined number of bars, the bar number-corresponding data acquiring device acquiring the bar number-corresponding data that corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition, a musical composition generating device that generates the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, a musical composition length adjusting device that adjusts a length of the musical composition such that has a length matching a time period required by a corresponding one of the sections of the images, and an output device that outputs the musical composition having the length thereof adjusted, according to each of the sections of the images.
Preferably, in the automatic music composing apparatus according to the second aspect, the musical composition length adjusting device comprises a bar number deleting device that deletes a portion of the number of bars of the musical composition generated by the musical composition generating device, a tempo adjusting device that adjusts a tempo of the musical composition generated by the musical composition generating device, and/or an insertion device that inserts a ritardando or fermata in the musical composition generated by the musical composition generating device.
To attain the above object, in the second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic music composing program that is executed by a computer, comprising a bar number calculating module for calculating a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by each of sections of images, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring module for acquiring bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars in units of a predetermined number of bars, the bar number-corresponding data acquiring module acquiring the bar number-corresponding data that corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition, a musical composition generating module for generating the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, a musical composition length adjusting module for adjusting a length of the musical composition such that has a length matching a time period required by a corresponding one of the sections of the images, and an output module for outputting the musical composition having the length thereof adjusted, according to each of the sections of the images.
To attain the above object, in a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic music composing apparatus that automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images, comprising a musical composition generation data acquiring device that acquires data for generating a musical composition appropriate to contents of images, the musical composition generation data including at least one data set each containing a plurality of types of musical composition generation parameters, a musical composition generating device that generates the musical composition based on the acquired musical composition generation data for each of the contents of the images, and an output device that outputs the generated musical composition together with the images.
Preferably, in the automatic music composing apparatus according to the third aspect, the musical composition generation data acquiring device comprises a musical composition generation data storage device that stores a plurality of sections of musical composition generation data classified into predetermined categories, and a musical composition generation data selecting device that selects desired musical composition generation data from the musical composition generation data storage device, and wherein the musical composition generation data selecting device selects musical composition generation data classified into categories appropriate to the contents of the images.
Also preferably, the automatic music composing apparatus according to the third aspect further comprises a section forming device that divides the images into a plurality of sections, and wherein the musical composition generation data acquiring device acquires the musical composition generation data for each of the sections of the images, the musical composition generating device generates the musical composition data for each of the sections of the images, and the output device outputs the musical composition data generated for each of the sections in correspondence with each of the sections of the images.
To attain the above object, in the third aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic music composing program that is executed by a computer, comprising a musical composition generation data acquiring module for acquiring data for generating a musical composition appropriate to contents of images, the musical composition generation data including at least one data set each containing a plurality of types of musical composition generation parameters, a musical composition generating module for generating the musical composition based on the acquired musical composition generation data for each of the contents of the images, and an output module for outputting the generated musical composition together with the images.
To attain the above object, in a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic music composing apparatus that automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images, comprising a bar number calculating device that calculates a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by images, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring device that acquires bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars, a musical composition generating device that generates the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, and an output device that outputs the generated musical composition together with the images.
To attain the above object, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic music composing program that is executed by a computer, comprising a bar number calculating module for calculating a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a time period required by images, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring module for acquireing bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars, a musical composition generating module for generating the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, and an output module for outputting the generated musical composition together with the images
To attain the above object, in a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic music composing apparatus that automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images, comprising a bar number calculating device that calculates a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a given required time period, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring device that acquires bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars in units of a predetermined number of bars, the bar number-corresponding data acquiring device acquiring the bar number-corresponding data that corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition, a bar number-corresponding data length adjusting device that adjusts a length of the acquired bar number-corresponding data by deleting part of bars of the acquired bar number-corresponding data from a leading end the acquired bar number-corresponding data so that the bar number-corresponding data matches the calculated number of bars, and a musical composition generating device that generates the musical composition based on the bar number-corresponding data having a number of bars thereof adjusted.
To attain the above object, in the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic music composing program that is executed by a computer, comprising a bar number calculating module for calculating a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a given required time period, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring module for acquiring bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars in units of a predetermined number of bars, the bar number-corresponding data acquiring module acquiring the bar number-corresponding data that corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition, a bar number-corresponding data length adjusting module for adjusting a length of the acquired bar number-corresponding data by deleting part of bars of the acquired bar number-corresponding data from a leading end the acquired bar number-corresponding data so that the bar number-corresponding data matches the calculated number of bars, and a musical composition generating module for generating the musical composition based on the bar number-corresponding data having a number of bars thereof adjusted.
To attain the above object, in a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic music composing apparatus that automatically creates musical compositions to be reproduced as a background for images, comprising a bar number calculating device that calculates a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a given required time period, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring device that acquires bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars in units of a predetermined number of bars, the bar number-corresponding data acquiring device acquiring the bar number-corresponding data that corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition, a musical composition generating device that generates the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, and a musical composition length adjusting device that adjusts a length of the musical composition such that the generated musical composition has a length matching the required time period.
Preferably, in the automatic music composing apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the musical composition adjustment device comprises a bar number deleting device that deletes part of bars of the generated musical composition from a leading end of the generated musical composition.
To attain the above object, in the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic music composing program that is executed by a computer, comprising a bar number calculating module for calculating a number of bars of a musical composition that corresponds to a given required time period, a bar number-corresponding data acquiring module for acquiring bar number-corresponding data necessary to generate the musical composition and corresponding to the calculated number of bars in units of a predetermined number of bars, the bar number-corresponding data acquiring module acquiring the bar number-corresponding data that corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition, a musical composition generating module for generating the musical composition based on the acquired bar number-corresponding data, and a musical composition length adjusting module for adjusting a length of the musical composition such that the generated musical composition has a length matching the required time period.
According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, as is distinct from the conventional apparatus in which fragments of music data are simply joined together, music having a high degree of completion can be generated in synchronization with images and in a time that matches the length of the images.
Moreover, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the bar number-corresponding data acquiring device acquires the bar number-corresponding data in units of a predetermined number of bars, and wherein the apparatus comprises a deleting device that deletes a portion of the bar number-corresponding data such that the acquired bar number-corresponding data corresponds to a number of bars that is greater than and is closest to a number of bars required for generating the musical composition, bar number-corresponding data that corresponds to the number of bars necessary to generate music can be acquired before the musical composition is generated.
Furthermore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the musical composition length adjusting device comprises a bar number deleting device that deletes a portion of the number of bars of the musical composition generated by the musical composition generating device, a tempo adjusting device that adjusts a tempo of the musical composition generated by the musical composition generating device, and/or an insertion device that inserts a ritardando or fermata in the musical composition generated by the musical composition generating device, music having a high degree of completion can be generated in a time that matches the length of the images after the musical composition is generated.
In addition, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a musical composition having a length that corresponds to a given required time period can be generated.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Automatic music composing apparatus and automatic music composing program


A belt assembly includes a belt, a plurality of support rollers, and a shaft-end retainer. The belt is formed into an endless loop, entrained about and stretched taut between the plurality of support rollers with a rotary shaft. The plurality of support rollers includes a first support roller and a second support roller. The shaft-end retainer including a first retainer and a second retainer is disposed at each end of the rotary shaft of the plurality of support rollers. The first retainer detachably holds an end of the rotary shaft of the first support roller. The second retainer detachably holds an end of the rotary shaft of the second support roller and includes a second-retainer opening from which the end of the rotary shaft of the second roller is detachable from and attachable to the second retainer in a direction perpendicular to the rotary shaft of the second support roller.

1. Technical Field
Exemplary aspects of the present invention generally relate to a belt assembly including an endless looped belt entrained about a plurality of rollers and an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a facsimile machine, or a printer including the belt conveyor unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In known image forming apparatuses, an image bearing member such as a latent image bearing member and an intermediate transfer member for carrying an image and a conveyor system for carrying a sheet-type medium employ an endless looped belt. A belt assembly including such an endless looped belt also includes a plurality of support rollers, and the belt is entrained about and stretched taut at a certain tension between the plurality of support rollers. The plurality of support rollers is arranged at predetermined shaft intervals. Normally, one of support rollers constitutes a drive roller to rotate the belt. In many cases, one of support rollers constitutes a tension roller biased against the belt by a biasing device, thereby applying a desired tension to the belt.
After extended use, the belt deteriorates gradually due to wear and tear, and contamination, and loses its intended function eventually. As a result, after a predetermined time period, the belt needs to be replaced with a new belt as needed. Because other parts constituting the belt assembly such as the plurality of support rollers, a shaft retainer to hold end portions of rotary shafts of the support rollers have often not reached the end of their product life cycles by the time the belt needs to be replaced, the belt needs to be detached from the belt assembly and then the new belt is mounted.
When replacing the belt with the new one, the tension of the belt is loosened so that the belt is detached from the support rollers. More specifically, the rotary shaft of one of the support rollers about which the belt is entrained is moved to loosen the belt tension, thereby allowing the belt to be detached from the support rollers.
For example, the distance between the shafts of two support rollers is shortened so that the tension of the belt is loosened and detached from the support rollers. In this configuration, a device to change the position of the support rollers is necessary, resulting in an increase in the number of parts and the cost and hindering efforts to make the belt assembly compact.
In view of the above, there is demand for a belt assembly capable of easy installation and detachment of the belt without increasing the number of parts, and image forming apparatus including such a belt assembly.

Belt assembly and image forming apparatus including same


There is provided a method for producing cycloolefin where the nickel which elutes in the liquid-contact portion of the reactor is removed from the reaction system of the partial hydrogenation reaction and cycloolefin can be stably produced from a monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon over a long term. A method for producing a cycloolefin by a partial hydrogenation reaction of a monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in an aqueous phase, which contains a metal salt-containing acidic aqueous solution and a ruthenium catalyst in a reactor with a liquid-contact portion formed of a nickel-containing material, the method comprising a first step of bringing at least a part of the ruthenium catalyst contained in the aqueous phase into contact with oxygen, a second step of separating the aqueous phase containing the ruthenium catalyst that has been processed in the first step into a first phase containing the ruthenium catalyst at a high ratio and a second phase containing the ruthenium catalyst at a lower ratio than the first phase, and a third step of feeding the first phase to a reaction system of a partial hydrogenation reaction.

Conventionally, various methods for producing cycloolefin have been known. Among them, a method for partially hydrogenating a monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon using a ruthenium catalyst in liquid phase is most typical. Furthermore, many results of investigations into catalyst components, types of carriers, metal salts as additives to the reaction system, or the like have been reported as methods for increasing selectivity or yield of cycloolefin when the cycloolefin is produced.
In an apparatuses used when cycloolefin is produced by such a method, material corrosion progresses in the portion (hereinafter, referred to as liquid-contact portion) where liquid contacts a reactor or the like by anion and/or alkali as additives. As a result, it has been known that there occurs a phenomenon where activity and/or selectivity of catalysts are/is reduced by a metallic component which elutes from the liquid-contact portion, or the like. Thus, as materials of the liquid-contact portion in a reactor or the like, there are proposed means using a nickel group alloy containing molybdenum or a nickel group alloy containing chromium and molybdenum with a slow metal elution rate (Patent Document 1). Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, there are proposed a method where a reaction was performed by maintaining a concentration of nickel in an aqueous phase of a reaction liquid at 50 ppm or less. Furthermore, there is proposed a method of controlling an operation in this range where a ratio of a total amount of metals which elutes from a hydrogenation reactor and a heat exchange system to a total mass of a hydrogenation catalyst does not exceed 0.5% by mass (Patent Document 2).
As a method for regenerating a ruthenium catalyst whose activity has decreased due to an interaction between hydrogen and the ruthenium catalyst, there is proposed a method of bringing the ruthenium catalyst into contact with oxygen in a liquid phase (Patent Document 3). Furthermore, there is proposed a method of maintaining the ruthenium catalyst in a liquid phase at a hydrogen partial pressure lower than that at a hydrogenation reaction condition and at a temperature within a range from a temperature not lower than a temperature lower by 50° C. than that at the hydrogenation reaction condition to 250° C. (Patent Document 4).
There is proposed a method of restoring an activity of the ruthenium catalyst including steps of bringing the ruthenium catalyst into contact with oxygen in a liquid phase and maintaining the catalyst at a hydrogen partial pressure lower than that at a hydrogenation reaction and at a temperature not lower than a temperature lower by 50° C. than temperature of the hydrogenation reaction (Patent Document 5).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2925129    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-315380    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 2634828    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent No. 2886563    Patent Document 5: International Publication No. 97/16429

Method for producing cycloolefin and production apparatus thereof


A mobile device includes a ground element and an antenna structure. The antenna structure includes a feeding connection element, a first radiation element, a second radiation element, a shorting element, and a parasitic radiation element. The feeding connection element is coupled to a signal source. The first radiation element is coupled to the feeding connection element. The first radiation element has an open end. The second radiation element is coupled to the feeding connection element. The second radiation element has an open end. The feeding connection element is coupled through the shorting element to the ground element. The parasitic radiation element is adjacent to the second radiation element.

Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to a mobile device, and more particularly, to a mobile device including a low-profile antenna structure.
Description of the Related Art
With advancements in mobile communication technology, mobile devices such as portable computers, mobile phones, multimedia players, and other hybrid functional portable electronic devices have become more common. To satisfy user demand, mobile devices can usually perform wireless communication functions. Some devices cover a large wireless communication area; these include mobile phones using 2G, 3G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems and using frequency bands of 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz. Some devices cover a small wireless communication area; these include mobile phones using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth systems and using frequency bands of 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.
Generally, current Wi-Fi system antennas have a total height from 8 mm to 10 mm. However, there is limited inner space in mobile devices. Thus, it has become a critical challenge for antenna designers to design a low-profile, small-size antenna structure.


The present invention provides a chemical mechanical polishing pad comprising a window formed in the polishing pad, the window having a void provided on a side thereof. The polishing pad further comprises a void-pressure relief channel provided in the polishing pad from the void to a periphery of the polishing pad.

The present invention relates to polishing pads for chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), and in particular, relates to polishing pads having reduced stress windows formed therein for performing optical end-point detection. Further, the present invention relates to polishing pads having a pressure relief channel to reduce stress on the windows.
In the fabrication of integrated circuits and other electronic devices, multiple layers of conducting, semiconducting and dielectric materials are deposited on or removed from a surface of a semiconductor wafer. Thin layers of conducting, semiconducting, and dielectric materials may be deposited by a number of deposition techniques. Common deposition techniques in modern processing include physical vapor deposition (PVD), also known as sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and electrochemical plating (ECP).
As layers of materials are sequentially deposited and removed, the uppermost surface of the wafer becomes non-planar. Because subsequent semiconductor processing (e.g., metallization) requires the wafer to have a flat surface, the wafer needs to be planarized. Planarization is useful in removing undesired surface topography and surface defects, such as rough surfaces, agglomerated materials, crystal lattice damage, scratches, and contaminated layers or materials.
Chemical mechanical planarization, or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), is a common technique used to planarize substrates, such as semiconductor wafers. In conventional CMP, a wafer carrier is mounted on a carrier assembly and positioned in contact with a polishing pad in a CMP apparatus. The carrier assembly provides a controllable pressure to the wafer, pressing it against the polishing pad. The pad is moved (e.g., rotated) relative to the wafer by an external driving force. Simultaneously therewith, a chemical composition ("slurry") or other polishing solution is provided between the wafer and the polishing pad. Thus, the wafer surface is thus polished and made planar by the chemical and mechanical action of the pad surface and slurry.
An important step in planarizing a wafer is determining an end-point to the process. Accordingly, a variety of planarization end-point detection methods have been developed, for example, methods involving optical in-situ measurements of the wafer surface. The optical technique involves providing the polishing pad with a window for select wavelengths of light. A light beam is directed through the window to the wafer surface, where it reflects and passes back through the window to a detector (e.g., a spectrophotometer). Based on the return signal, properties of the wafer surface (e.g., the thickness of films) can be determined for end-point detection.
Roberts, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,760, discloses a polishing pad having a window formed therein. In Roberts, a window is cast and inserted into a flowable polishing pad polymer. This polishing pad may be utilized in a stacked configuration (i.e., with a subpad) or used alone, directly adhered on the platen of a polishing apparatus with an adhesive. In either case, there is a "void" or space that is created between the window and the platen. Unfortunately, during polishing, undue stress is applied to the window from the pressure that is generated in the void and may cause unwanted residual stress deformations (e.g., "bulges" or "caving-in") in the window. These stress deformations may result in non-planar windows and cause poor end-point detection, defectivity and wafer slippage.
Hence, what is needed is a polishing pad having a reduced stress window for robust end-point detection or measurement during CMP over a wide range of wavelengths.

Polishing pad having a pressure relief channel

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holdings, Inc.


To provide a medicament for safely treating a patient in need of treatment with pemafibrate, a salt thereof, or a solvate of any of these (hereinafter also referred to as pemafibrate therapy).

Pemafibrate (Chemical name: (2R)-2-[3-({1,3-benzoxazol-2-yl[3-(4-methoxyphenoxy)propyl]amino}methyl)phenoxy]butanoic acid), a salt thereof, or a solvate of any of these are compounds having PPARα activity and are known to be useful for the prevention and/or treatment of diseases such as dyslipidemia (Patent Literature 1).
Rifampicin (2S, 12Z, 14E, 16S, 17S, 18R, 19R, 20R, 21S, 22R, 23S, 24E)5,6,9,17,19-pentahydroxy-23-methoxy-2,4,12,20,22-heptamethyl-8-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yliminomethyl)1,11-dioxo-1,2-dihydro-7-(epoxypentadeca[1,11,13]trienimino)[2,1-b]furan-21yl acetate is an organic compound represented by the following formula (1)
which is an antibiotic listed in the WHO-Essential Drug Model List (WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, 19th List).
Clarithromycin is a compound represented by the following formula (2)
which is an antibiotic listed in the WHO-Essential Drug Model List (WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, 19th List).
Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive agent used to suppress rejection in the organ transplantation of kidneys, liver, heart or bone-marrow and to treat graft-versus-host diseases, which is listed in the WHO-Essential Drug Model List (WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, 19th List).
Clopidogrel (Chemical Name: methyl (2S)-2-(2-chlorophenyl)-2-[6,7-dihydrothieno[3,2-c]pyridin-5(4H)-yl]acetate), a salt thereof, or a solvate of any of these are compounds known to have platelet aggregation inhibitory and antithrombotic activities (Patent Literature 2).
Multiple drugs are often prescribed for therapeutic purposes in the clinical practice, and attention should be paid to interactions between the drugs used concomitantly. Because drug interactions may cause serious side effects and/or diminish therapeutic effects, the property and extent of potential drug interactions should be adequately assessed and addressed in the development of new drugs so that they do not pose a disadvantage to the patients.

Abstract: A medicament for treating a patient in need of pemafibrate therapy, the medicament comprising the step of avoiding or suspending concomitant use of pemafibrate, a salt thereof, or a solvate of any of these as an active ingredient in order to suppress an increase in plasma concentration of pemafibrate when the treatment is combined with a medicament containing an OATP1B inhibitor, or the step of reducing the dose of pemafibrate, a salt thereof, or a solvate of any of these.


A new and distinct cultivar of Aloe plant named ‘SNOW DRIFT’ is disclosed, characterized by an upright growth habit, light greyed-green leaves, and red flowers. The new variety is an Aloe, typically produced as a garden or container plant.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program. The seed parent is the unpatented Aloe 'Moon Dance'. The pollen parent is an unpatented, unnamed, proprietary seedling resulting from the crossing of Aloe rauhii, x Aloe inermis x Aloe 'White Lightning'. The crossing resulting in 'SNOW DRIFT' was made in December 2016 at a commercial greenhouse in Vista, Calif. 'SNOW DRIFT' was found and selected by the inventor in May 2017 at the same greenhouse in Vista, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'SNOW DRIFT' was first performed by tissue culture at a commercial laboratory in Vista, Calif. in July 2017. 'SNOW DRIFT' has since produced several generations and has shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.


An adjustable wrench including a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, a handle, a shaft member and a stopper pin. The front end of the handle is pivotally connected with the fixed jaw. When the handle is reciprocally pivotally swung, the stopper pin is driven by the handle to reciprocally move toward the stopper section or away from a stopper section of the shaft member. Also, by means of the spring fitted on the shaft member disposed in the main passage of the fixed jaw, after the movable jaw is slightly opened, the movable jaw will be immediately restored to hold the bolt or nut. Therefore, the bolt or nut can be continuously wrenched at one time without troublesome operation. The adjustable wrench has fewer components which are easier to process and assemble.

The present invention is related to an improved adjustable wrench which enables a user to continuously conveniently wrench a polygonal bolt head or nut at one time without troublesome operation.
An adjustable wrench is generally used to wrench a nut or a bolt with a polygonal head section. A user often needs to repeatedly fit the wrench onto the bolt to wrench the same and then unfit the wrench from the bolt and then refit the wrench onto the bolt to further wrench the bolt until the bolt is tightened. Such procedure is quite troublesome. An improved adjustable wrench has been developed to overcome the above problem. The handle of the improved adjustable wrench can be conveniently reciprocally swung as a ratchet wrench to quickly tighten or untighten a bolt or a nut.
FIG. 4 shows a conventional adjustable wrench. The front end of the handle 8 of the wrench is forked to have two diverging sheets 81 spaced from each other by a gap 82. A sector section 831 of a fixed jaw 83 is pivotally disposed in the gap 82 via a pivot shaft 84. A fulcrum is defined between the front end of the handle 8 and the fixed jaw 83. An abutting pin 85 is arranged at the two sheets 81. By means of adjusting the position of the abutting pin 85, the fixed jaw 83 can be resiliently stretched or retracted about the fulcrum within the gap 82. Accordingly, when using the wrench, it is no more necessary for a user to repeatedly fit the wrench onto the polygonal head 9 of the bolt and unfit the wrench from the polygonal head 9. Instead, the user can reversely swing the handle 8 to instantaneously expand the clamping area 861 between the fixed jaw 83 and the movable jaw 86. Therefore, the wrench can be continuously operated to conveniently wrench the polygonal head 9 of the bolt. In addition, when the user desires to discharge the adjustable wrench from the one-way wrenching function as the ratchet wrench, the user only needs to move the abutting pin 85 to its home position to fix the fixed jaw 83 with the handle 8. Under such circumstance, the adjustable wrench can be operated in the original mode.
However, in order to achieve both the traditional function and the ratchet wrench-type function, the above adjustable wrench has numerous complicated components. For example, each of the two sheets 81 is formed with a slide slot 811. A wall of one of the slide slots 811 is further formed with cavity 812 in which a spring 813 and a ball member 814 are accommodated. A restricting block 832 protrudes from the arced edge of the sector section 831 of the fixed jaw 82. In addition, the sector section 831 is formed with a guide slot 833 along the arced edge. A stopper pin 834 is positioned in the guide slot 833 and inserted through the two sheets 81. A resilient member 835 is also positioned in the guide slot 833, whereby by means of the stopper pin 834 and the resilient member 835, the fixed jaw 83 can be reciprocally moved in an arced path. It is troublesome to assemble all these components of the wrench. Also, it is hard to manufacture these components. Moreover, in the case of damage of any of these components, the entire wrench will become useless.


A vapor ablation handpiece for assisting a physician perform vapor ablation with a vapor ablation catheter includes a vapor generating element arranged in a coil shape. A mandrel seated in the body of the handpiece affixes the vapor generating element in the coiled arrangement. A voltage difference is supplied across the length of the vapor generating element when activated, causing the vapor generating element to heat liquid therein converting the liquid to vapor. The heated condensable vapor is delivered to a target tissue through the catheter.

The present invention is directed to tissue ablation by directing a condensable vapor at the tissue, and more particularly, to a handpiece for generating and controlling the condensable vapor to ablate the tissue.
Bronchoscopic vapor ablation is a minimally invasive medical procedure for treating various pulmonary diseases such as emphysema. Bronchoscopic vapor ablation can be applied to effectively reduce the volume of diseased lung tissue in a patient's lung, otherwise known as lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS). LVRS has been shown to improve patient pulmonary function in certain classes of patients.
In a bronchoscopic vapor ablation procedure, a bronchoscope is advanced into the lung of a patient to observe the target anatomy and to provide access to the target anatomy via a working lumen. Next, a vapor delivery catheter is advanced through the bronchoscope to the diseased lung segment. Vapor is applied to the target tissue through the catheter, heating the target tissue. Ablating the tissue serves to reduce the volume of the diseased tissue, allowing healthier tissue to perform the necessary pulmonary function.
Vapor ablation, however, is not without challenges. A liquid must be delivered to a vapor generator, the liquid is transformed to vapor, and the newly created vapor is transported to the catheter. The vapor is then carried through the catheter to the tissue. Heat loss can arise anywhere along the flow path. Perhaps worse, delivering too much vapor places the patient at risk for collateral damage can occur to healthy portions of the lung.
A number of patents describe systems for supplying a vapor to ablate a target tissue. U.S. Pat. No. 7,913,698 to Barry et al., e.g., describes methods and devices for affecting lung volume reduction, preferably for achieving acute or immediate lung volume reduction following treatment. The lung volume reduction is effected by delivering a condensable vapor at a temperature above body temperature to the desired regions of the patient's lung to damage tissue therein. Blood flow and air flow to the damaged tissue region is essentially terminated, rendering the target region non-functional. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 8,585,645 to Barry et al.
Although the above mentioned patents describe fine systems and methods for generating and delivering the vapor, the vapor is created by a generator remote to the catheter. A shortcoming of generating the vapor remote to the catheter is that heat loss may occur along the vapor flow path between the generator and catheter. This is undesirable.
Accordingly, there is still a need for improved vapor ablation that effectively generates, controls and delivers vapor to tissue while minimizing heat loss.


Disclosed is a method for removing an ionic species contained in an aqueous phase. The method includes contacting an aqueous phase containing the ionic species with a sol gel-derived composite material, where the sol gel-derived composite material is a sol gel-derived composition having a porous matrix and containing a reactive metal incorporated into at least a portion of the porous matrix, under conditions sufficient to remove the ionic species contained in the aqueous phase.

Stormwater runoff, including urban, industrial, and agricultural stormwater runoff, is a major component of non-point source pollution and the primary cause of combined wastewater treatment facility overflows. Excessive runoff volumes laden with ionic species, such as nutrients containing nitrate, phosphate and chloride ions, are of concern due to their persistence in the environment and toxicity to humans and ecosystems. Accordingly, there is a definite need for an improved method for reducing such pollutants in stormwater runoff.
Conventional bioretention systems that include soil filter media, such as vegetated buffers, rain gardens and constructed wetlands, are designed to treat runoff by employing filtration, deposition, adsorption and infiltration through porous media. However, it is a drawback of these systems that they have limited long-term effectiveness due to the limited treatment capacity of the soil filter media. Accordingly, there is also a definite need for a soil filter additive that improves the long term effectiveness of bioretention systems.

Method for removing ionic species contained in an aqueous phase using a sol gel composite material


An active imaging system comprising an illumination source for emitting a radiation pulse towards a target resulting in radiation reflected from the target, a receiver comprising one or more germanium photodiodes for receiving the reflected radiation, and a method for using same.

Short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging enables a range of applications that are difficult to perform using imaging of visible light. Applications include: electronic board inspection, solar cell inspection, produce inspection, gated imaging, identifying and sorting, surveillance, anti-counterfeiting, process quality control, and much more.
Gated imaging enables viewing of a target in a desired range while avoiding reflections from other objects such as particles in the atmosphere that would otherwise cause backscattering that would prevent viewing of the target area beyond. The technology promises the ability to see through fog, sand, haze, dust, and mist or in contrasted lighting conditions and thus could be a useful part of autonomous-driving and ADAS (advanced driving assisted systems) applications. Gated imaging using SWIR wavelengths allows pulsed laser powers that are significantly higher than the equivalent length pulses in near-infrared (NIR) bands without exceeding eye-safety limits.
SWIR imaging is typically accomplished using InGaAs-based receivers. These InGaAs receivers are expensive to fabricate, and currently suffer from limited manufacturing capacity.
It would therefore be advantageous to be able to provide SWIR imaging systems using more cost-effective photoreceivers based on photodiodes (PDs) that are more easily integrated into the surrounding electronics.

Systems and methods for active SWIR imaging using germanium receivers


A wireless communication system includes a fixed base transceiver station that includes a fixed base station number and a fixed broadcast control channel (BCCH) allocation list and broadcasts a fixed BCCH covering a first range; and a first base transceiver station that includes a first number and a first BCCH allocation list. When the first base transceiver station moves into the first range, the first number is stored into the fixed BCCH allocation list and the fixed base station number is stored into the first BCCH allocation list.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wireless communication system and method thereof, more particularly to a wireless communication for high-speed transport and method thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the 21st century, high-speed vehicles have played an important role in transportation. For example, the Taiwan high-speed rail system which will be operating in the near future has estimated speeds for trains at a maximum of 300 km/h. Other than using satellite communication, current wireless communication systems, such as the global system for mobile communication (GSM) and the code division multiple access (CDMA) system, are not able to support a mobile unit in such a fast moving environment to maintain a stable connection. Devices affected are, for example, mobile phones or wireless communication modules.
For the mobile unit in the fast moving environment and in a current wireless communication system, a fading effect or a Doppler effect affects connectivity. For example in the GSM 900 system, even though it covers a broad region, it is still unable to support a mobile unit moving at more than 250 km/h to maintain a stable connection quality. Therefore, these wireless communication systems are not able to support mobile units on a high-speed train. If the high-speed train can provide a satellite phone for every passenger to communicate with the outside network, then installing satellite phones can greatly increase profitability for the high-speed train operators. Therefore how to improve current wireless communication to meet requirements of future high-speed trains is an important issue.

Wireless communication system and method for high-speed transport vehicle


A scarifier machine has a milling drum partially enclosed in a protective sump which is suspended from the frame of the machine by a linkage assembly. An eccentric drive reciprocates the sump relative to the frame.

The invention concerns a scarifier machine for the removal of soils.
As it is known the scarifiers are machines which are used for the removal of soils, for example in order to execute excavations or to crumble and to remove road blankets.
Such scarifier machines substantially comprise a frame mounted on wheels or tracks, supplied with a propelling group, a driving place on which the driver is seated and a milling drum on which active elements which are put in contact with the soil to be removed are present.
The milling drum is covered by a protective sump and it is set in rotation in order that the active elements with which it is provided can execute the crumbling of the soil with which they come in contact and in which they are made to sink.
In the embodiments belonging to the known technique the milling drum is supplied with a primary motion which is the rotation around its own longitudinal axis while the feeding movement is a progressive shifting which makes it to sink in the ground.

Scarifer machine with a shaking milling drum


Aspects and embodiments are directed to non-linear systems including a digital compensator structure, a method of digital compensation, and methods for designing digital compensator structures for analog receivers. A digital compensator is configured to substantially reduce the one or more nonlinear distortion components in the sampled digital output signal from the analog receiver to provide an output signal achieving a receiver linearity requirement for the combination of the analog receiver and a digital compensator.

Naturally occurring signals such as image, radio waves, light, and sound signals are analog. These signals can be amplified/filtered in the analog domain and converted to digital signals for further processing. Devices used to sense and detect analog signals and/or process and analyze analog signals have limited accuracy and linearity. Such devices can detect and amplify not only the desired signals but also generate other spurious signals. For instance, an amplifier(s) or amplifiers with an active filter may be operated in regions where harmonic distortions become significant and limit the accuracy of a detection level of a desired signal. An analog to digital converter (ADC), which converts analog signals to the digital domain, may contain a highly nonlinear circuit such as a sample and hold and a comparator that introduces non-linear errors, and/or be preceded with a nonlinear analog front-end (e.g. pre-amplifier, input network, etc). For example, an error in any or all of sampling and gain and offset in the ADC during sampling of a finite analog level can result in a large number of harmonic distortions. FIG. 1 is a graph of an example of an ADC output signal, which is plotted in frequency domain. A single frequency tone is filtered and applied as an input to the ADC. As illustrated, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) output spectrum of the signal from the ADC has many orders of harmonic distortions. Even 100th order harmonics can be visible depending on the noise floor of the signal spectrum. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the FFT output spectrum of the signal from the ADC with two input frequency tones applied at the input to the ADC. The figure illustrates that the ADC output signal has many intermodulation distortions. Thus, if a signal is broadband, occupying more than a single frequency tone, and the broadband signal enters a nonlinear circuit such as any of the devices mentioned above, the desired output signal will contain spurious harmonic and intermodulation distortion content. For systems requiring high fidelity in sound, clear image, uncorrupted RF and optical signals, it is important to recover or maintain the spectral purity of the input signal in the frequency domain and/or minimize distortion in time domain. Nonlinear systems can be used to detect small signals in the presence of signals with significantly larger amplitudes. Such detection typically requires a high spur-free dynamic range (SFDR), which is a measure of the amplitude of the fundamental with respect to the amplitude of the largest harmonic tone or spur.

Digital compensation for a non-linear analog receiver


Methods and apparatus for managing data objects in a communications network are disclosed. An exemplary method includes storing a plurality of data objects intended for rendering at a first communication device (e.g., a subscriber's communication device) in response to a triggering communication event, and transferring the plurality of data objects to the first communication device. Apparatus for implementing the preceding techniques are also disclosed.

The present invention generally relates to the exchange of information in a communication system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and physical implementation (e.g., system, data server, communication device, etc.) for supplying a data object to a user device in a communication system. The present invention also relates to a method and physical implementation for receiving the data object. The present invention also relates to a method and physical implementation for rendering the data object. In a more particular embodiment, the present invention relates to a method and physical implementation for providing a data object to a mobile station in a mobile communication system, for receipt of the data object by the mobile station, and for rendering the data object at the mobile station.
Mobile communication systems and data packet networks (notably, the Internet) have both enjoyed significant success in recent years. Mobile communication systems deliver real-time voice communication between users in either analog or digital formats (or in a hybrid format). One well known example of a mobile communication system is the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). This standard provides voice communication to its subscribers using circuit-switched communication technology. In this approach, the system allocates communication resources to a call for the entire duration of the call. On the other hand, the Internet primarily delivers digital information to users using packet data technology. In this approach, the system uses communication resources only during the periods in which data is being transmitted.
Efforts have long been underway to merge aspects of traditional mobile communication systems with data networks. The evolution of these efforts may be divided into a number of stages, or "generations." Namely, first generation (1 G) technology generally pertains to analog "voice-centric" services. Second generation (2G) technology generally pertains to "voice-centric" digital communication services. Third generation (3G) technology generally pertains to high speed broadband services with optional multimedia communication of voice, video, graphics, audio and other information. Further, 2.5 generation (2.5G) technology generally pertains to high speed services having aspects of both 2G and 3G services. For instance, 2.5G technology may utilize General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) systems or Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) systems.
For example, one known way of supplementing voice communication services with data delivery in a 2G-technology context is through the Short Message Service (SMS). In the GSM standard, SMS messages can be transmitted over a Stand-alone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH). In operation, the communication system initially sends a message to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC). The message is then routed and stored in a Short Message Service Center (SMSC). The communication system then locates the addressed mobile station and alerts the mobile station that a message will be sent. The mobile station then tunes to the SDCCH channel that the system will use to send the message. The system then forwards the message to the mobile station and waits for acknowledgement of receipt by the mobile station. Additional detail regarding the GSM Short Message Service may be obtained from the publication "Digital Cellular Telecommunication System (Phase 2+), Technical Realization of the Short Message Service (SMS), Point-to-Point (PP)," GSM 03.40, version 5.4.0, ETSI, November, 1996 (accessible at http://www.etsi.org/).
The conventional use of SMS messaging to convey information has drawbacks. Namely, SMS messages can be transmitted before, during, or after a voice communication session between users. However, the SMS messaging and voice communication session proceed in a largely independent fashion. Hence, the combination of these two modes of information delivery does not provide a strong sense of an integrated and interrelated multi-media presentation.
Another more advanced way of supplementing voice communication services with data delivery is through 2.5G or 3G technology networks that accommodate Internet browsing. These systems typically operate by converting Internet data objects to a format suitable for display at the mobile stations. More specifically, a gateway node is used to convert the data objects to a form which is compatible with the low transmission rates and small screen sizes typically used by mobile stations. The converted data objects are then sent to the mobile stations where they are rendered for the users' viewing. One markup language that can be used to facilitate the display of Internet data objects at the mobile stations is the Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML), which is modeled after the familiar Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
These more advanced systems may also have drawbacks. Namely, a service provider may specifically "earmark" a service for use by a specific class of terminals (such as 2.5G-compatible terminals). As such, consumers using "less advanced" technology may be barred from receiving the benefits of the service. This may have the undesirable effect of reducing the market potential of the service. In extreme cases, this may have the effect of preventing the service from "catching on" with consumers (e.g., by failing to popularize a service with a large body of current technology users).
There is therefore a general need to provide a more effective technique for combining voice communication services with supplementary data services.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Exchange of information in a communication network


The present invention aims to provide a high-reliability, low-cost disk array by emulating an ATA drive so that it can be used in the same way as an FC drive. To achieve this object, a disk array system of the present invention includes: a storage device having a logical unit logically set therein; the storage device includes: a plurality of disk devices having a first interface; and an interface converter converting between signals of the first interface adapted for the disk device and signals of a second interface adapted for the control device. The interface converter includes: a response time monitor portion for monitoring a time until a response is received from the disk device according to the data input/output request; and a notification issue portion for issuing to the control device a notification about an operative state of the disk device according to the monitored response time.

The present invention relates to a disk array system, particularly, to a disk array system adapted for a simple interface such as an ATA interface.
Recently, instead of FC (Fibre Channel) drives and SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) drives conventionally used, low-cost ATA (AT Attachment) drives designed for personal computers have been frequently used in disk arrays for backups/archives. The ATA drive executes an automatic reassignment for automatically assigning data of a bad sector to another sector. A retry is executed many times to succeed in accessing disks (for example, see "Hard Disk Drive Specification Deskstar 7K250", Hitachi Ltd., 13 Aug. 2003.
On the other hand, in conventional disk arrays using the FC drives and SCSI drives, to increase their reliability, symptom of failure of the drives is monitored, and when many bad sectors occur, preventive copy is executed. The disk controller monitors the number of occurrences of the bad sectors to detect a trigger of this preventive copy.

Disk array system and interface converter


An improved perforating gun is provided. The perforating gun includes an outer loading tube, an internal charge holder, an addressable switch housing, and a detonator housing. In some embodiments, the addressable switch housing and the detonator housing are separate components that are joined to the outer loading tube. In other embodiments, the addressable switch housing is integrally joined to a first portion of the internal charge holder and the detonator housing is integrally joined to a second portion of the internal charge holder. When detonated, a plurality of shaped charges create a plurality of perforations through a wellbore casing, the perforations being angularly offset from each other within a single perforation plane, optionally followed by a hydraulic fracturing stage.

Perforating guns are downhole systems that fire shaped charges through a wellbore casing, perpendicular to the long axis of the perforating gun. When lowered into the wellbore on a wireline opposite a hydrocarbon formation, the gun is fired electrically. Each shaped charge includes an interior cone of material that, when detonated, collapses and is formed into a high-velocity jet that penetrates through the wellbore casing. The resulting perforations allow communication of fluids (oil or gas) to flow into the wellbore.
Perforating guns are typically manufactured from a steel body with opposing box ends having female threads. Tandems having male threads are threaded to one or both ends of each perforating gun in a gun string. In this fashion, multiple perforating guns can be connected end-to-end and simultaneously detonated within the wellbore.
In some operations, well completion includes treating the perforations with fracturing fluid. The fracturing fluid is pumped into the wellbore in stages at high pressure to produces fractures that reach a hydrocarbon formation. Wells with multiple hydraulic fractures are typically desired to economically extract hydrocarbons from shale reservoirs because of the inherent low permeability. Each hydraulic fracturing stage utilizes multiple perforating guns to generate perforation clusters at different intervals along the well. Typically, a perforating cluster may contain as few as one or as many as thirty or more perforations. This process is commonly referred to as "multi-stage" hydraulic fracturing.
Despite their widespread acceptance, there remains a continued need for improved perforating gun systems. In particular, there remains a continued need for improved perforating gun systems that provide a desired wellbore perforation pattern with holes of a generally uniform distribution, optionally for use with hydraulic fracturing treatments.


The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for televoting an intelligent network. A point, including a service control function SCF, sends a televoting activation request to a point, including a service switching function SSF, whereby instructions concerning an announcement to be given to a televoter are given in connection with the activation request. The point, including the service switch switching function SSF, counts calls made by users of a telephone network to predetermined telephone numbers and gives an individual televoter an announcement concerning a vote. Information on a number of calls is forwarded to the service control function SCF of the intelligent network. In order for a televoter to be sure that the vote cast has been registered correctly, information on a number dialed by the televoter is added to the information on the announcement to be given to the televoter at the point including the service switching function SSF, and based on this information, a number-specific announcement intended for the televoter is formed.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of attached claim 1 and an arrangement according to the preamble of attached claim 3 for televoting in an intelligent network.
2. Description of Related Art
Fast developments in telecommunications have enabled operators to provide various services for users. Network architecture offering advanced services is called an intelligent network, generally abbreviated IN. IN architecture can be applied to most telecommunication networks, such as Public Switched Telephone Networks PSTN, mobile communication networks, Packet Switched Public Data Networks PSPDN, Integrated Services Digital Networks ISDN and Broadband Integrated Services Digital Networks B-ISDN. Irrespective of the network technology, the object of the intelligent network architecture is to facilitate the design, control and management of new teleservices. With regard to present IN specifications, reference is made to Advanced Intelligent Network, Release 1 (AIN Rel.1) by Bellcore and Capability Set 1 (CS-1) by CCITT.
The IN architecture is illustrated by FIG. 1, in which physical entities are presented as rectangles or circles and functional entities as ovals. Signalling connections are indicated by dotted lines, and actual transport, which is e.g. speech, by solid lines. Optional functional entities are indicated by a dotted line. The signalling network shown in the figure is a network according to Signalling System No. 7 (SS7, a known signalling system described in the blue book Specifications of Signalling System No. 7, Melbourne 1988 of CCITT (now: ITU-T)).
We shall first describe the architecture of the IN physical level. Subscriber equipment SE, such as a telephone, computer or telefax, is connected either directly to a Service Switching Point SSP or to a Network Access Point NAP.
The service switching point SSP offers the user access to the network and takes care of all the necessary selection activities. The SSP is also able to detect any requests for service in the intelligent network. Operatively, the SSP contains call management and service selection functions.
The network access point NAP is a conventional exchange that contains a Call Control Function CCF and is able to differentiate between conventional calls and calls needing the services provided by the intelligent network and to route the latter to the appropriate SSP, the exchange being e.g. a DX 220 exchange by the assignee.
The Service Control Point SCP contains the service logic programs used for providing intelligent network services.
The Service Data Point SDP is a database containing data on the customer and network, the data being used by the service logic programs of the SCP to provide individualized services. The SCP can use the services of the SDP either directly or through a signalling network.
An Intelligent Peripheral IP provides special-purpose functions, such as notifications and voice and multiple choice detection.
A Service Switching and Control Point SSCP comprises an SCP and an SSP in a single node (i.e. if an SSP node shown in the figure comprises both SCF and SDF entities, it is an SSCP).
The functions of a Service Management Point SMP comprise management of the database (SDP), control and testing of the network, and collection of network information. It can be connected to all other physical entities.
A Service Creation Environment Point SCEP is used for defining, developing and testing the IN services, and for supplying the services to the SMP.
An Adjunct AD corresponds operationally to the service control point SCP but is connected directly to an SSP by a high-speed data link (e.g. ISDN 30B+D connection) and not through a common channel signalling network SS No. 7.
A Service Node SN can control IN services and transfer data to and from the users. It communicates directly with one or more SSPs.
A Service Management Access Point SMAP is a physical entity that provides certain users with a connection to the SMP.
To define the function of the different modules in the intelligent network and the restrictions relating to them, the standards (CS-1) also present the intelligent network as a four-plane Intelligent Network Conceptual Model. One layer of the model forms a so-called Distributed Functional Plane DFP, which describes the intelligent network as functional units in accordance with the above CS-1 standard. The following is a description of these functional units whose locations are shown in FIG. 1.
The functions relating to call control are SSF, SRF, CCF and CCAF.
A Service Switching Function SSF interconnects a Call Control Function CCF and a Service Control Function SCF by allowing the service control function SCF to control the call control function CCF.
A Specialized Resources Function SRF provides specialized resources needed for implementing IN services. Examples for these are changes in protocol, speech detection, voice messages, etc.
The call control function CCF refers to conventional call and connection establishment. A Call Control Agent Function CCAF provides the user with access to the network.
The functions relating to service control are SCF and SDF. A Service Control Function SCF comprises the IN service logic and attends to service-bound processing. A Service Data Function SDF provides access to service-bound and network information, and allows consistent checking of information. The SDF hides from the SCF the actual implementation of the information and offers the SCF a logical view of the information.
The functions relating to management are a Service Creation Environment Function SCEF, Service Management Function SMF and Service Management Access Function SMAF. The SMF comprises supervision of management, maintenance and location of the services; the SMAF provides a connection to the SMF; and the SCEF makes it possible to define, develop, test and supply IN services to the SMF.
A request for service made by a calling subscriber typically comprises an act of picking up the receiver and/or a certain series of numbers. The call control function CCF has no service information, but it is programmed to identify the requests for service. The CCF interrupts the call set-up for a moment and informs the service switching function SSF of the state of the call. The function of the SSF is to interpret the request for service and the information on the state of the call, to form a standardized request for service and to send the request to the SCF. The SCF receives the request and decodes it. After this, it forms, encodes and sends a standardized response to the SSF. The formation of a response may comprise encoding of complicated service logic, starting of a Prompt and Collect Sequence, or a request to different SDFs. The SSF decodes and interprets the response sent by the SCF. It then gives the CCF accurate instructions for performing the preparation process. In accordance with the IN standard CS-1, the call control function CCF always bears full responsibility for the condition and control of local links.
When a response is sent to an SSF, the service control function SCF may have to participate in a conversation between a calling user and an end user. This normally takes place in the form of the above prompt and collect sequence, which the SCF authorizes the SRF to perform. Typically, the SCF instructs the SSF to connect the calling user or end user to a suitable physical source by using the SRF. The source may be e.g. a voice message system. The SCF instructs the SRF in the required prompt and collect sequence and subsequently temporarily `freezes` the call processing. The SRF activates the prompt and collect sequence and participates in the conversation between the calling user and the end user. The response, which may be e.g. an individual ID number, is encoded and returned to the SCF, and the voice connection with the SRF is terminated. After this, the SCF continues its service control sequence.
In the above, the intelligent network is described briefly so as to make the following description of the invention clearer even to a reader who is not so well acquainted with the intelligent network. For more specific details, see e.g. the Q.121X specifications of ITU-T or the AIN specifications of Bellcore.
An intelligent network can offer a large number of different services. The services include e.g. freephone and Account Card Calling ACC, which means that the user can call from any telephone to any number by inserting the number and PIN of his credit card before he inserts the telephone number.
One service offered by the intelligent network is televoting. Televoting is a feature of the intelligent network in which the subscriber can participate in a vote by calling predefined telephone numbers. A voting process is then the act of a subscriber dialling an activated televoting number and the call being registered as a cast vote at the number dialled by the subscriber. Other functions involving the subscriber concerned can also be performed in the same connection. The number is reserved for voting for a single matter/action when the televoting feature is activated. (An activated televoting feature means that the functions enabling the above voting process are provided in the network for a certain period of time.)
Televoting employs a specialized service filter by which it is possible to start to count the calls that meet certain predefined criteria. The starting action is performed by the service control function SCF. The service switching function SSF, in turn, counts the calls and sends the number of the filtered calls to the SCF at predefined intervals.
When televoting is implemented in an intelligent network, the service switching point is instructed by the service control point, in connection with the activation of a televoting process, about the call control and counting. The instructions concern the processing of a call participating in a televote and they contain, for example, instructions about the announcement that will be given to a network user participating in a televote. In accordance with the IN standards, the voters are given a single, always similar, voice message. An example for such a message is: `You have phoned to a televote on the Eurovision Song Contest. Your vote has been registered. Thank you for calling.`
Since the above information is given only once for an entire televoting process, it also means that the same announcement will have to be given to a caller irrespective of the alternative that he votes for. Thus a person participating in a televote cannot be sure that his vote is registered for the alternative desired.


The present method for machining a part includes wire electro-discharge machining the part to create a recast layer, and then removing a zinc content of the recast layer without substantially altering the remainder of the initial composition make-up of the recast layer. The final composition make-up of the recast layer is substantially identical to the initial composition make-up except for the removed zinc content.

"Wire Electro-Discharge Machining" or "Wire Electric Discharge Machining (Wire-EDM) is a process that uses a wire electrode to machine metal. Wire-EDM may provide a highly accurate finished surface and a relatively inexpensive process. However, Wire-EDM causes localized melting of the base metal, which later solidifies into a recast layer. This recast layer gives the Wire-EDM-ed material undesirable properties from a fatigue life point of view. As such, when Wire-EDM has been used in the prior art, a secondary step involving the removal of the recast layer is sometimes performed, which is time consuming and costly, and further usually results in dimensional discrepancies. Improvement is therefore desired.

Method for wire electro-discharge machining a part


A pressure-contact power semiconductor module is arranged on a heat sink. The power semiconductor module is used with at least one substrate provided with conductor tracks and power semiconductor components. The module has a mounting body, on the underside of which the at least one substrate is arranged, and which is formed with cutouts. The module also includes a load connection element which is provided with contact feet that project away from strip sections and make pressure contact with the conductor tracks. The power semiconductor module additionally has a dimensionally stable cover, which covers the mounting body on all sides and is connected to the mounting body by means of snap-action latching connections. At least one pad element is restrained between the cover and the strip sections of the load connection elements.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to the field of power semiconductor modules and, more particularly, to pressure-contact semiconductor modules and a method for producing them.
2. Description of the Related Art
Power semiconductor modules of this general type are known in various embodiments. By way of example, German Patent Application No. DE 103 16 356 A1 describes a power semiconductor module of this type which comprises a number of partial modules each having a base plate and also a frame-like housing and connection elements for load and auxiliary connections. The individual partial modules are assembled to form a whole power semiconductor module by means of a common cover and/or by means of connections that fix the individual partial modules in place.
A power semiconductor module comprising at least one substrate on which power semiconductor components are situated is for example also known from German Patent Application No. DE 101 49 886 A1. This known power semiconductor module additionally comprises a press-on device which acts on the at least one substrate and which serves to press the/each substrate in the mounted state onto a heat sink in order to dissipate the heat loss of the power semiconductor components through the heat sink. In this known power semiconductor module, the press-on device is formed by a module housing having at least one spring-elastic region.

Pressure-contact power semiconductor module and method for producing the same


An electronic still camera device has a camera unit capable of recording and reproducing video and audio signals, and an audio adapter detachably attached to the camera unit and which has operation switches, a microphone, a collected sound amount indicator and a circuit capable of compressing and expanding audio signals. To reduce the number of signal lines between the camera unit and the audio adapter, the audio adapter is automatically set in the audio playback mode when the audio adapter has detected that compressed audio signals are being delivered from the camera unit to the audio adapter. The camera unit has a power supply arranged to superpose a D.C. voltage of a high level or a low level to the compressed audio signal. A power supply switch provided in the audio adapter is capable of selectively supplying the source power from the camera unit to the audio adapter in accordance with the level of the D.C. voltage. In order to enable the user to conduct sound collection, sound cancelling and sound recording at any desired timing, the audio adapter has switches capable of generating a sound collection starting instruction, a sound collection stopping instruction and a sound cancelling instruction, and operation is executed in accordance with these instructions. A collected sound amount indicator is provided for indicating the amount of collected sound in terms of the sound collection time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic still camera device that is capable of recording and reproducing image and sound signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic still camera devices are generally large in size due the to incorporation of magnetic disk devices, and there is an increasing demand for a reduction in the size of this type of camera.
There also is a demand for electronic still camera devices that are capable of recording not only images, but also sounds.
In known electronic still camera devices of this type, sound signals are recorded on a magnetic disk in a time-base-compressed manner. During play back, the read sound signals are time-base-expanded to reproduce the original sound. Thus, the electronic still camera device of this type essentially has many devices and elements which are used specifically for recording and reproducing sounds, including a large capacity memory, an A/D converter, a D/A converter, a CPU, a timing control circuit, a sound collecting operation switch, a sound recording operation switch, a sound level indicator, and so forth.
In consequence, the size of electronic still camera devices having a sound recording/reproducing function is inevitably large, failing to meet the demand for reduction in the camera device size.
In some cases, the user may wish to record only images while omitting sounds. It is also conceivable that the user wishes to first an image and then record sounds. In addition, the supplier of camera devices of this kind have to produce different types of camera devices, i.e., camera devices with and without the sound recording functions because the sound recording/playback function is not necessary for some users, so that the cost of production of the electronic still camera device is undesirably raised.
Known electronic still camera devices are generally designed such that the recording of sounds is possible only for a predetermined period after the pressing of an exposure release button. Thus, recording of sounds is often hindered due to the presence of undesirable noise sounds at the time of exposure. Even if the sound recording itself is not impossible, the quality of the recording is seriously impaired due to the noise sounds. The noise sound may occur suddenly. The recorded sound, therefore, may include undesirable noises which has started after the commencement of the audio recording.